Crying

I've heard lots of babies cry in the past and my typical response was one of three things:

1) "Oh poor baby."

2) "Poor parent."

3) "Why is that parent not consoling that baby?"

To hear the sound of Elliott crying evokes a completely different response. Her cries feel piercing...it hurts me to hear the sound of them. It actually makes me want to cry with her at times. I don't know if this is because she is our first child and we're not used to the cries and maybe it will get better with subsequent children and/or time or what. Her cries also make me feel like I'm going crazy. I can't think straight and I second guess everything. Hopefully this doesn't make me sound like a negligent parent.

Thankfully, Miss E doesn't cry very often and when she does, it is very predictable. However, the past couple of nights, she has had pretty intense crying spells in the evening and I'm not sure what's going on. All I do know, is I'm not a big fan of hearing her cry. I try to tell her no one likes a cry baby, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. :) It does make me incredibly sympathetic for parents of babies with colic...I just hope this does not become a routine.

Love hate relationship

I have a love hate relationship...with the pacifier that is. We really debated whether or not to give Miss E a pacifier, but she was always trying to suck her hands, blankets, or basically anything in front of her and in range of her mouth. We decided that it was easier to eventually take away her pacifier versus her thumb (because I'm sure she'd eventually become a thumb sucker).

I LOVE the pacifier because it usually calms her in an instant. I love the pacifier because it is always my backup plan if she gets fussy while we're running errands. I love the pacifier because it helps calm her down for naps and allows me to put her in her crib awake.

I HATE the pacifier because she gets frantic when she loses it. I hate the pacifier because she can't put it back in her mouth when she loses it. I hate the pacifier because even though we have 4, I'm always searching the house to find one because they are all over the place...her swing, bouncer, car seat, diaper bag, etc. I hate the pacifier because when she drops it when we're out, it is dirty.

I took these pictures at the play group the other day and I thought they illustrated our struggle.

Mom, I need my pacifier!

Aww...I love my paci!

Uh oh, lost it again.

Literally, this all happened in about 30 seconds. Wonder when she'll be able to put it back in her mouth?

Play group

My best friend from college invited me to be part of a play group with her and several other new moms every other Wednesday. Our first group was 2 weeks ago and then we met again yesterday. It is so nice to talk to other moms for several reasons. First, Elliott is the youngest so all the other moms are just a step ahead so they have just walked through this stage of life. Second, it makes you feel a little less crazy, because let's face it, there are things about having a baby that make you feel slightly crazy, and it is such a relief to hear others have experienced similar thoughts/emotions as well. I think I'm really going to enjoy this play group!

We lined the babies up in order of age.

Just wanted to point this out. This little guy is a little over two months and Elliott is bigger than him (and she is not even 7 weeks old yet). She already weighs a pound more than him. Wow!

I LOVE this picture of E and Benton! She looks so much bigger than when we first took there picture together.

This is when they first met!

Our little diva!

Elliott's first road trip

When Elliott was 6 weeks old (this last weekend), she went on her first road trip to visit Mimi and Pawpaw (my parents) in Texas. Her aunts and uncles were able to come visit as well. I was a little worried because it is a 4 hour drive but she did awesome! On the way down, we didn't even have to stop (even though Kev and I were in need of a serious pee break after our Starbucks), and on the way back we just stopped once for a nursing/pee/dinner break. We did discover she startles in her car seat EVERY time we go over a bump in the road (stupid Oklahoma roads), so I had to sit in the back with her with a hand over her. I was planning on taking a nap, which is a little difficult with you arm outstretched, but then I used my Boppy as a neck rest and was able to get a little nap. Who would have thought that Boppy had so many uses?! On the return trip, Kev tucked a blanket around her and it worked like a charm to keep her from startling.

Our view in our car mirror...such a cutie and she LOVES her pacifier.

My view turning around from the passenger seat...minus the blurriness.

We had a great time with the fam just relaxing and watching lots of football (BOOMER SOONER, sorry Tech). I was afraid Miss E would get all off her schedule, but she really stuck to it and did okay sleeping during the night (no 8 hour stretches again, but I'll take 4-6 hours). She loved all the attention and getting held a lot!

On Sunday, we also got to spend some time with my cousins and their kids. It was a wonderful trip and it made us even more thankful for family!

Elliott was a hit with all the little girls...

a real live baby.

The boys could care less. Uncle Marcus was schooling them on playing Super Mario.

Taking a football break to chat.

Cousins loving on Pa.

And so you'll know I was actually there.

I guess we're ready for a vacation now...well, maybe not quite yet. How old do you think a baby has to be for a fun traveling experience?

The new bod

So Baby Elliott has had pretty awesome sleep the last 3 nights. 3 nights ago, she had a 5 hour stretch in between her feedings. 2 nights ago she went 8 hours (shocking, I know), then last night she went 5 and 1/2 hours between feedings. Every night, I just tell myself she is going to wake up in 2 hours, but it has definitely been a nice surprise to have her go for longer periods. I hate to get my hopes up that this will become consistent, but I guess only time will tell.

I must admit, I am getting awfully tired of her spitting up on me. It is amazing how much spit-up such a small little body can produce. Sometimes I can anticipate it (she'll give me a warning sign), so I can catch it with my trusty burp cloth. Other times I think we're in the clear, and then she'll spit up all over me. I don't care what the books say, it looks like more than a teaspoon or tablespoon. Of course it mainly happens when I'm nursing her so it gets all over my stomach, bra, shorts, you get the picture. It also tends to happen right after she or I has had a bath, or after I put her in a fresh clean onesie, or when the burp cloth is out of reach (shame on me). The bibs have been helping tremendously, so I am thankful for them.

I digress. So I actually wanted to write a post about body after pregnancy. It has been 6 weeks since Baby E was born and it's easy to start questioning, "When will my body be like it was BEFORE I was pregnant?" Don't get me wrong I have definitely lost weight post baby, but I can fit in only a very few pre-pregnancy clothes but maternity clothes are too big (and I just don't want to wear them anymore), and who wants to buy bigger new clothes...not me. I have been able to start working out *some*, but sometimes it's hard to be consistent because our schedule is so variable.

What do you think? What is a reasonable amount of time to get off your baby weight?

Finished!

We have had one wall in Miss E's nursery that was sadly lacking appeal. We had plans of getting a shelf and a book shelf, but it has taken us a while to find the perfect ones. Well, it was definitely worth the wait because now that we have both up, we LOVE them! It is just what the wall needed. Also, we finally have a place for all of Miss E's wonderful books from Kev's coworkers (they had a book shower for us). She loves it as well! :)

The shelf (it's not really crooked, just my picture taking skills...or lack of I guess)

My youngest sister painted this E and we're so excited to finally have a place to put it. It matches perfectly with the room and our bedding!

The book shelf with all of Elliott's awesome books! We got so many books at the shower we hardly had room for them all. She's going to be such a smartie.

The finished product. Pictures really don't do it justice...we think it looks perfect!

I also included a picture of Miss Elliott after a bath last night. She is starting to enjoy them more now which is very nice. Gotta love those little arm rolls that are starting to form.

Baby Girl has been a bit grumpy lately and has really been fighting her sleep...both at naps and night. Do you guys have any suggestions?

1 month old

Our sweet baby girl is 1 month old (and 2 days to be technical), which is so hard to believe. She is getting so big!

Info from her first month:

• She can still wear some newborn stuff but is quickly growing into 0-3 months clothes.
• She still eats like a champ and is eating 7 or 8 times a day for 20-30 minutes. She started drinking out of a bottle which we do about every other day (still slower than nursing currently).
• She is wearing size 1 diapers. Best.thing.ever. She has only had 1 blowout since we switched.
• She went 5 & 1/2 hours between feedings at night several nights ago but usually only goes 4-5 hours.
• She LOVES her bouncy chair. She is starting to be able to really focus on the mushroom and other toys above her.
• She likes it when we read and sing to her (dad's favorite books are anything Dr. Seuss).
• She loves her supervised tummy naps.
• She is getting more and more alert during the day and stays awake anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 & 1/2 hours.
• She gets the hiccoughs after EVERY feeding...poor girl.
• She has the cutest sneeze ever...I love it!
• She may have smiled at us but it's still hard to tell if it is AT us or because the milk makes her feel so good.

Crazy spiky hair.

So exhausted after eating.

Enough already with the pictures!

There is so much more but how can I put it all in words...her super cute faces and noises, her little habits she's developing. We love her so much and are so thankful for our sweet girl!

Her daddy's daughter

I have never been very good at telling whether a baby looks like his or her mom or dad and our baby was no exception. Everyone who visited would tell us she looked like Kev, which I could see some similarities but it was still hard for me to tell...until Kev's mom brought us one of his baby pictures. I was SHOCKED...his baby picture looked just like Elliott, down to the way he was sucking in his bottom lip (she does this all the time but we haven't been able to catch a picture of it). As I looked at my baby picture, I was shocked that we really looked nothing alike. Funny how that works out. Now I know babies change as they age, but at least when Elliott was a newborn, she definitely favors her daddy. My mom visited this weekend and she decided she has my ears and hands. Kind of funny. At least there was no mistaking she was ours. :)

My baby picture

Kev's baby picture

Sleep

So I promise to post new pictures soon! It seems like we have taken fewer and fewer pictures, and it's probably most likely because Kev is now at work and he is our main photographer. I need to definitely step it up.

I've realized recently that a big thing I took for granted when we didn't have a baby was uninterrupted sleep. I absolutely LOVE having baby Elliott and would not change it for the world, but recently, when I go to bed, I feel a deep longing to sleep through the night. I mean, it's not like I don't get enough hours of sleep (most of the time), but I've decided that there is something about only sleeping in 2 hour increments that is just NOT refreshing. Last night, she actually went 5 and 1/2 hours between feedings which means I got 4 and 1/2 hours which was not too shabby, but she has decided that she should have awake time in the middle of the night, so I'm up for at least 1 and 1/2 hours every night to feed her then get her back to sleep. It's pretty humorous (sometimes...when I'm not totally exhausted) because I have all the lights off in her room and just the bathroom light on, and I see her little eyes looking all around the room, like it's the middle of the day.

Don't get me wrong, I know it could definitely be worse. She could be waking up multiple times in the middle of the night (now it's just once), I could have twins (or more...scary thought), she could have unhappy awake times. I always contemplate having Kev giving her a bottle occasionally in the middle of the night, but then I realize, I still would have to get up to pump so it kind of defeats the purpose. So I guess for now we'll just keep on keeping on and hope her sleep times get longer and her wake times get less (in the middle of the night). And for those of you who do not have kids yet, TREASURE your full nights of rest. They are precious. :)

How dirty is too dirty?

This is a question I have been asking myself frequently so I thought I would throw it out there to you. How dirty is too dirty for a onesie? I think one of my least favorite things about motherhood is changing a baby's clothes. It seems like it would be fun (think dressing your doll when you were growing up), but my baby really doesn't like it, especially putting the outfit over her head. I still haven't figured out an easy way to get outfits over her head...why don't they make more outfits that button up the front?

Since we've been home from the hospital, Elliott has basically lived in onesies (easy access for diaper changes and they're the only things that really fit her). Now in my books, an obvious reason to change the onesie is a blowout. I would definitely feel like a bad parent if I let our daughter live with poop on her onesie. But what about less obvious reasons? Like when she gets milk on it while nursing? Or what about when she spits up? How much spit up is enough to warrent a change? Or is it the number of times one outfit gets spit up on? You're probably thinking, "Really? This is what you think about?" I guess these are the topics that occupy my thoughts these days. What's your opinion about the issue?