Monday, December 31, 2007

Oh that hair

My beautiful daughter has the funniest hair:



Grasping Things


12.29.07 Robo Duck (4)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.
Well, we were struggling with having her grasp things and bring it to her mouth. Not anymore! She is noticing her hands now, grasping them together and bringing items to her mouth. It isn't as often as I would like but it is definitely progress! I just had to take this picture of her with her new favorite toy. We call it robo duck.

GIANT!

We decided to weigh and measure Libby using our scale and ahem, tape measurer and found she weighs 18.2 lbs and is 25 inches long! Good grief! According to the growth charts, she is 90% for her height and over 95% for her weight. Craziness. We're going to track her using an online site that lets you enter this information in and it compares it to the growth chart. It is pretty cool and FREE. =)

End of 2007

I thought about doing an end of the year review for 2007 but considering I started this blog in March, I am pretty sure everything I would say would just be repeated on this post. I would just like to say this has been an absolutely wonderful year filled with so many wonderful things. I had a baby, my sister had a baby, sooo many family members and close friends had children, my Dad retired (yay!), I got to go to Disney World (hehe - I had to throw that in), and there are just so many more things that I just cannot list them. I really feel that 2007 was the year of growing up and it was definitely the year of the babies. I cannot wait to see what 2008 will bring. I have several resolutions...some new and some I repeat each year because I am not successful at them. So here we go.

2008 New Year's Resolutions:
  • Spend more time with my family and less at work.
  • By Elizabeth's 1st birthday, be at my goal weight.
  • Run a half marathon before the end of the year.
  • Organize the house so it is more functional.
I think that's it...we'll see how many I achieve! I honestly just can't wait to see how Elizabeth develops in the next year. She has changed so much in the last 3.5 months that I can't even fathom what she will be like by the end of 2008!

Happy 2008 everyone!

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Sleeping Update

I haven't given an update on our progress of sleeping lately. I am proud to say that we have gone from sleeping 5-6 hours to going to bed around 8:00 pm (if not a tad earlier) and sleeping 7-8 hours! She will then get up and down a 7oz bottle and sleep for another 3.5-5 hours! It is wonderful! We are also getting more in a routine of naps (sort of). She takes a short one in the morning after her morning bottle and then another longer one in the mid afternoon and her final one late afternoon. The final one can be long or short depending on how long or short her previous ones are. We don't have set times for anything yet but she seems to be setting it on her own. It is really wonderful to actually get to spend some alone, grown up time with Jim at night after she goes to bed. I think we are getting the hang of this. Well, for now - or at least till she starts to teeth or have a growth spurt or daycare messes her up. Ok - I will just say that we have the hang of this for this very seconds and that is all. =)

Friday, December 28, 2007

Daycare Visit

The big day of me having to take Libby to daycare is getting very close. The daycare we chose has a 'visit day' where you go for an hour to wrap up all of the final paperwork and show you in detail how they will care for the kiddos. Today was that day for us. It is important to note that I did not cry. I almost did a few times as we sat in one room talking about things and Libby was in her 'baby room' with one of the two women that will be taking care of her. The whole experience overall was really good. Luckily we hit it just right where it was Libby's feeding time. I had been nervous that she would not eat for other people but she did. We came into the room where Libby was to find her strapped into a bouncy seat smiling and cooing at the woman taking care of her. It warmed our hearts and eased our nerves! I'm still nervous but I am sure it will be fine....

Monday, December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas!


12.24.07 Santa Libby
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.
We hope Santa brings you everything you wanted!

Happy first Christmas Libby Lu!

Love, Mom & Dad

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Scared!


12.22.07 Tummy Time
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.
Every once and awhile I get a picture of Libby that I just cannot stop laughing at. This is one of them. She was doing tummy time and I caught a few quick shots at her. I think I scared her in this one. =)

Max - The Trouble Maker

Well, it was bound to happen. Max found his way into the pack 'n play. I have sense moved the chair over where he cannot jump into it...but seeing this was...well, frustrating.




Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Happy 3 Months!

Libby turns 3 months old today! I cannot believe it. She is just this terrific little person...well, big little person! She gained approximately 3 lbs and grew another 0.5 inches! Just craziness! She is meeting her milestones and can almost hold her head up full time now. She isn't really noticing her hands yet but we're hopeful she does soon! I don't think she realizes they are connected to her yet. =) Her favorite things are Mr. Whoozit, laying on Daddy's legs looking up at him and Mickey Mouse, and staring at anything on the ceiling! She loves bath time until we get her out and then screams constantly. We have figured out to time bath time near a feeding time so that she can immediately after and that seems to help her calm down. Oh another favorite is tummy time! She actually likes it now. Sometimes I even use it as a way to get her to cheer up if she is starting to pout (which she totally does!). She still isn't on any kind of schedule and still eats every 3 hours during the day. The good news is she is sleeping about 6 hours each night and we're still trying for more!

My life has just been absolutely wonderful. I go back to work in 2 weeks and I will be taking Libby to day care. I won't lie - I am totally nervous about this and completely sad. I know that this is what is best for me and my family. I have loved every minute of staying home (ok, well not every single minute =)) and would not have traded it for all of the money in the world. I have almost lost my pregnancy weight but my body is completely different. I have a personal vow to be down to my goal weight by her 1st birthday and I really think I can do it. Of course it would help if I could work out...but some little kiddo won't give me the opportunity during the day and my bedtime is super early (8:00!)...so that doesn't leave much time! I will find it though.

I'm nervous about things coming up...how do you get ready for work and get a baby ready for day care? Am I going to be able to balance my work life and my personal life? Will she be ok in the day care? She is getting so big so fast and she is outgrowing her infant carrier...how on this earth do we take her around to places? Just carry her? Oh the fun of the future!

Oh, and we had her pictures taken to remember her this tiny and gorgeous. =) We spent way too much money and plan to put it in our stairway where we have always talked about putting our family's pictures up. It is crazy and wonderful that it is about to begin!

Monday, December 17, 2007

Tummy Time Gone Bad

Sometimes we are just too tired to do tummy time! She now enjoys laying on her tummy on the boppy watching TV. Sadly, it is adorable.

Looking at Mickey

Libby may look just like her Daddy but she has my tastes - mainly in Mickey Mouse. For those of you that have not been to our house or has not memorized our set up, we have a mickey mouse at the top of a tall book shelf. Libby has, since she has been able to see far away, always loved to stare and talk to it. We finally got a picture of her doing so. I have to say it is one of my favorites now!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

My Grandma Mirly


I have fond memories of my Grandma Mirly...

The Mirlys have a known weakness for ice cream. She seemed to be the ring leader to me. I loved her milkshakes...

Another that may not be as well known is that my siblings and I called her 'white haired Grandma' and my Mom's Mom 'brown haired Grandma' due to their hair color...

These are just some of the things I am reflecting on as I try to accept her passing yesterday. My hometown paper's obituary says it best as I am struggling with words...I will miss you Grandma.

Charlotte Mirly Tiedt 3.21.1925 - 12.15.2007

Saturday, December 15, 2007

3 Month Pictures

We ventured out in the little bit of snow today to take Libby to her first photo shoot. I was super nervous she would cry through the whole thing but she was an ANGEL. Here are the pictures - I love almost every single one of them!

Happy Holidays from the Ski Family!

Friday, December 14, 2007

The Faces of Libby

I've posted before about all of Libby's faces. I put her in the crib last night to give her some play time and she made some cute ones I just had to capture!

This is her trying to figure out what I am doing with a camera:


This is her saying, "ah - pictures. Greeeeeat.":


I caught her mid smile:


This is her wanting me to stop taking pictures. =)

Screaming Time

Some call it the 'Suicide Hour' and some the 'Bewitching Hour' but lately Libby has taken to screaming for no reason at night. It just started this week. As you know, I am pretty honest about the good and the bad on this whole 'baby thing'. I'm not really understanding this screaming for no reason thing. I think it would be different if she had been doing it all of this time but to start at 11 weeks - it is strange. We haven't changed anything about our 'normal' life. I've looked in every book and every website I can think of. People suggest things like formula, gas, growth spurts, and teething. I would hope if we had a problem with the formula we would know before now. We put gas drops in every single bottle so I would hope that would help...although we have noticed an increase in gas in her, she seems to take it ok. As far as growth spurts - maybe. Most people's reaction when they see her after it has been awhile is shock. She has grown a lot. I mean she is over 15 lbs! Good grief! She is wearing 6 month clothes most of the time now! Anyways, it could be the growth spurts...but teething. Sadly, as my Mom reminds me, I had a tooth at 4 months. This baby looks just like Jim but if she gets my crazy teething mouth we are in for trouble. She is such a good baby - I just feel like we are missing something since she is so unhappy. I'll let you know if (and hopefully when) we figure it out!

Going Back To Work

To answer everyone's question, yes I am going back to work. The 'big day' is January 2nd. Libby will be 14 weeks old on that day and we have picked out a wonderful day care to take care of her. That being said, I have to say I am torn about doing this. As far back as I can remember I never wanted to be a stay at home mom. If I married, I wanted my husband to be the stay at home parent. This was never greeted warmly by people. Either they were shocked that I didn't want to stay at home with my future children or horrified that I wanted the husband to do it. I must say after being home 11 weeks (so far) with Libby I can see the appeal of staying home. However, I miss my work. I miss my co-workers. The dread of leaving her in other people's hands worry me. I am not the most trusting person on the planet. =) However, I do know they will do a good job...that is why we picked them to watch over my most precious treasure. I'm not sure how well I will do on the first day of leaving her...not to mention how on earth I am going to shower and get ready, get her up and ready, and be at work by 8:00 - ha! This is going to get interesting. =) The logistics aren't the only thing that worry me. I haven't been a part from her for more than 3 or 4 hours since we got her home from the hospital. I don't know how I am going to be away from her for 9+ hours. Oy! That is a really, really long time. I have already started a photo album to take with me to work. It isn't for others to look at but for me to look at when I miss her. I'm looking forward to seeing what 'normal' is for us. I guess I will find out in less than 3 weeks now!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Baby Deals

I ran across a website, Baby Cheapskate, that I think everyone should know about. It lists lots of deals and is really awesome!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Too Big!

We are borrowing my sister in law's pack n play until she grows out of it. Well, step 1 of growing out of it happened today. We weighed Miss Libby last week and she was 15lbs exactly. I looked up in the manual of the pack n play this morning to discover we shouldn't be putting her in the bassinet portion of it anymore! Luckily we can still use the changing area until she is 25 lbs. I was a little worried that Libby might not like being so far away from 'her bears' (the mobile) but she doesn't seem to mind so much. I love having her there because I can see through the mesh where I couldn't see her before. Max (the cat) really likes it because now he can torment her even more!! It looks like we have less than 10 lbs now until we can give this wonderful contraption back!









Monday, December 10, 2007

So Tired

After a very long day of being good, I looked over and saw Libby sleeping in her daddy's lap. So adorable! Look at the legs/feet!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Libby's Baptism

Well, Libby is baptized! Yay! She was SO GOOD! Luckily she didn't scream at all. The day started a little rough with some possible bad weather (ahem, ice) but it turned out great. Everyone made it safely and are heading home. Libby wore the gown I was baptized in 27 years ago. It barely fit her. =) She was baptized at the same church Jim and I were married in so it had a lot of sentimental value to us. It was a truly special day!

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Another Sleeping Update

I love Fridays. Jim usually stays up extra late with Libby so I can catch up on the sleep I don't get during the week. My routine is usually the same as during the week and I go to sleep between 8 and 9pm. Last night I went to sleep at 8:30pm. I asked Jim to make sure to go to sleep by 3am because we planned on cleaning the house today. This morning I woke up at 3am to not screaming but laughing and cooing. I layed there in the bed stupefied for a few minutes before going to the hallway to see Jim shhing Libby who was laughing her head off. Jim looked at me with a very tired face and said, "She won't go back to sleep!". I took her downstairs where she seriously smiled for 45 minutes while I tried to lull her back to sleep. It would be funny if it wasn't happening at 3:00am! I gave her a bit more food and she went right to sleep. It was absolutely adorable thinking about it now. But that is only really half of the story. The good news is she is sleeping around 5 hrs pretty routinely now. Last night she went from 8:00pm-2:30am on 1 feeding and then didn't eat again until 8:00 am! So only one late night feeding - it was insane (and wonderful)! I'm hoping this continues. This makes the 3rd (we think) time she has slept through the night. Now, if we can just make this a habit before I return to work on the 2nd.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Tummy Time Update


12.7.07 Tummy Time (6)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.
Libby is getting SO STRONG! She can now hold her head up for at least 3 minutes and sometimes longer. She LOVES to look around now!

Having Fun!


12.3.07 Minnie Libby
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.
Libby hates to change clothes so I can't play dress up with her...but I can stick things on her head. =)

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Sleeping Update!

I am proud to say that last night Libby only had 1 late night feeding! She slept from 7pm till around 1am, fed, and then didn't get up again until 6:15am! Six hours is considered sleeping through the night, so she almost did that the 2nd half of the night and did the 1st half! I know it isn't a constant stretch of time for sleeping but I am still counting it. This also might have been a one time thing or it might not happen again for awhile but hey! I am still proud of her!! =)

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Awake Time

I don't think this is normal but my baby isn't taking naps anymore. She will maybe sleep 10-20 minutes (max) after she eats each time but she is primarily awake from around 7am until 7pm each day. Thankfully she doesn't get cranky being up this much! What's rough is I have *no* idea how to entertain a baby that cannot hold her head up. We're working on it though. I play with her on the activity mats and do lots of tummy time...that seems to work. Unfortunately she had developed a mild flat head on the right side of her head that I am trying to get back to normal (in other words - round). That really limits what we can do! Any suggestions, please let me know!!

Feedings

The stretching is now over. I am just going with the flow. It turns out if you stretch her by the time she gets around to really tell you that she is super hungry she is too upset to eat. So, actually by just going with the flow she is eating about every 3 hours during the day and then makes it between 4 and 5.5 at night. I don't think that is too bad without stretching her at all! She does do some marathon feedings after 5pm where she'll eat a ton of food within a few hours, eat a little bit around midnight or 12:45am and then conks out until around 3:45 or 4:00 am. I think I am actually getting more sleep now than when I was working. =)

Colds

Well, Jim and Libby both have colds. Luckily it doesn't seem to be impacting Libby too much...she just wants to be held all of the time. Her poor nose is so awful. I feel so bad! Jim, sadly, is working on getting over his. He's still doing the late night duty so I can get a few hours of sleep. I'm hoping after this weekend he'll be healthy. This morning I woke up with a sore throat and a very stuffy nose. I'm afraid that I am getting it next. Hopefully it won't be as bad as what they have. Here is hoping!