Rosie learns to sit (all by herself)

Congratulations Rosie!
We are just so darn proud of our little girl! At only 5 months and 3 days, Rosie learned how to sit unassisted. On the first day, she still needed a little help with her balance, but by day 3 of her amazing development, she is practically a pro. You can even see it in action for yourself.


Why she's in such a hurry to grow up, we don't know, but it is clear that crawling is not far behind this major milestone. Great job little one.

Going on a trip!

Today were are leaving for a long weekend at Papa and Grammy's house (aka Dad & Alice). It's going to be so much fun. The only thing we're not looking forward to is the drive. It's a 200 mile drive, and we are hoping to do it in 3.5 hours without stops. Can this be done with a 5-month old? One word: Tylenol.

But other than the drive, it's going to be super fun. Dad & Alice haven't seen Rosie since August! And we haven't seen their new house all furnished and lived-in.

Anyway, no blog updates till Sunday!

Poor baby has a cold

Rosie has been very fortunate to have had only one cold up until now. But, poor girl now has her second one. She's all stuffed up, and feeling kinda crummy. Of course, she's still the sweet smiling baby she's always been, but she's tired and wants lots of cuddles. And so far it hasn't effected her sleep... hopefully she won't get any worse and she'll get lots of rest to get well soon.

Turf's up!

Her hair is really coming in! Check it out!

Rosie's trip to the bowling alley

Saturday was a long day for everyone. We had to wake up early to hit the flu shot clinic, then on to Tanya's (Rosie's aunt) Special Olympics bowling tournament.

The flu shot clinic was to run from 8:00 to 12:00, so I figured if we got there at 8:00 we'd be one of the first people there. OK, so I forgot that 90% of the people at that clinic would be over 65. My guess is they all got up at 4:00 am to rush the clinic and wait for it to open. We rolled in at 8:05 and the line was out to the parking lot. As we got in line we noticed that Leo's and my ages combined didn't even come close to the next youngest person in line. By 8:30 people stopped coming. Guess the old folks thought there would be an early bird special on shots.

Leo and I got our shots after waiting nearly an hour in a room that smelled like old people. We fall into a high-priority group because Rosie can't get a shot till she's 6 months old. Our nanny also got the shot.

By the time we were able to head over to Tanya's bowling gig we were already an hour late. We got there and she had already bowled. Bummer. But we did get to visit with her a little bit. Rosie rode around in the new Girasol carrier. I was so worried she'd be exhausted and cranky after missing her morning nap and being toted all over the place. The little sweetheart went right to sleep in the carrier, amidst all the racket of bowling balls, loud P.A. system, and cheering competitors:


When we got home, the family took a nap. We were all so tired.

Is it still me?

Yesterday I was getting ready to put Rosie in the bath, and I spotted our reflection in the mirror. There I was, holding a naked baby, and I realized, I'm a mother. I'm a mother to a real person. I don't know why it didn't really hit me before now. I'm not talking that I just figured out I'm Rosie's mom. I'm saying that I've just realized that my entire IDENTITY has changed.

I knew that having a baby would change things - toys around the house, diapers to change, sleepless nights... but what I didn't realize was that I would change. I guess I thought that I would have a baby, be her mom, but be the same person I was before I got pregnant. Well, that's not what happened.

My priority list has completely shifted and what used to be close to the top (me) has moved to somewhere near the bottom. I can't say I'm a "runner" anymore. I can't say I'm "skinny" anymore. I wear a size 10 now, and I used to think size 6 was big. You may be rolling your eyes right now, but being skinny was who I was. The only clothes I buy myself have quick boob-access. My fashion sense surrounds clothes for a person who weighs less than 20 pounds. The only interaction I have with other people besides Leo center around Rosie. The last non-parenting book I read was last April.

And the craziest thing about it is, I love it. I don't care that I'm not a runner anymore. I don't care that I'm not skinny anymore. I don't care that I can't shop at Bebe or BCBG Max Azria anymore. But if you would have told me that this was how it was going to be - that this was how much I would change, first off I would not have believed you, and second, if I did, I probably would have been a little pissed. It's quite amazing how one person, one tiny person, can change my entire view of the world and my own identity, but at the same time make me so darn happy. Instead of wallowing in my own lost identity issues, I feel nothing but gratitude - that somehow I deserve to be her mom.

breaking news: judges award the first 5-eye sleep score

Vancouver, WA. - Similar to when Nadia Comaneci got the first perfect 10 in Olympic history, Rosie has obtained her first 5-eye sleep score. A 5-eye score can only be given for a solid night sleep.

Rosie did have a wakening at around midnight, and points were deducted. However, she received bonus points for putting herself back to sleep after dad helped her get back on her tummy. This increased her level of difficulty, allowing for a 5-eye score to be awarded.

She fell asleep at 7:30 pm after a small bout of crying and did not wake up for her usual 3 or 4 AM feeding. She had to be woken up for the day at 7:00 am, and dad said she was sound asleep.

Rosie would like to thank her Aunt Terri for this accomplishment, as Terri's inquiry into what it takes to get a 5-eye score was the motivation Rosie needed to accomplish this goal.

As of now the parents are considering this a one-time occurence and are not holding any breath for it to happen again any time soon.

In a related development, Rosie's nap issues have been resolved. The parents have overcome their laziness and began waking her up consistently at 7:00 am to start her day. This seems to have resolved any issues with the morning nap, and has eliminated recent crying fits.

the lovey

You know what a lovey is, right? A favorite blankie, a favorite doll or stuffed animal; something baby takes to bed or carries around like a very best friend. We tried to introduce a lovey to Rosie:

This is a Taggies blanket given to her by her godfather Brian. Some parents swear by this blanket as a lovey. Maybe Rosie is too young for a lovey though, because it turned out pretty bad actually. Rosie has a pretty serious aversion to anything touching her face when she sleeps, which is why we had to wean her off a pacifier. She cried for over an hour one night before her stupid parents figured out that she was pissed because that darn blanket was touching her face.

She will probably want a lovey someday. I hope it's the Taggies. You have to be careful when you let baby have a lovey - be careful what you let them pick and how much baby falls in love with it. Why?

Good Loveys Gone Bad:

Trista - 4 years old.

the belly cast

Remember that funky belly cast Heather did for me when I was pregnant? Here's a refresher:


Well, I finally finished making it pretty, and here is the completed product! The design is dedicated to Rosie's penchant for kicking... and kicking... and kicking... and kicking...


To do a belly cast, first you have to get pregnant. This is done by.... hahaha just kidding. Once you are pregnant and quite huge, it's time to immortalize your giant belly that serves as a home to that little creature who will soon turn your world completely upside down.

You may consider doing other "casts". Casts I do not recommend include:

• The Fankle Cast
  
• The Thigh Cast
  
• The Swollen Face Cast

Once you decide you want a lifetime reminder of your hugeness, you slather yourself with vasoline. Well, just your belly and your boobs. Then you get a friend - a really good friend who won't laugh their ass off - to place wet, slimy strands of plaster-covered paper all over you. Then you sit and get really cold while it dries.

After you remove the cast and clean up the huge mess you made because there is plaster everywhere, you let the belly cast dry. You let it dry for approximately five months because the belly's resident completely takes over your life and leaves very little time for decorating immortalized bellies. Go ahead and leave it laying in your dining room floor, and step over it for five months every single time you walk by, serving as a reminder of this unfinished task.

After five months of drying, you sand it and sand it and sand it with your husband's powersander. You may sand it more than necessary because you are so darn proud of the fact that you are using a powersander.

Then you paint it with artists gesso. If you don't know what that is, you'll have to look it up. I did.

Then you steal the colors from your child's room's wall. Sponge a bunch of paint on it and let it dry. If you want to put feet on it like I did, you first need to give birth to the child. After you take care of that, you'll need to make sure you take the footprints. Make some copies and glue them on. Then cut out some foil hearts - one for each month you were pregnant (that's 10 for all you novices. 10!). Then you spray with shiny stuff. And you spray it, and you spray it, and you spray it, and voila! you have a pretty decoration that your daughter will someday think is the cheesiest thing she's ever seen.

crib acrobatics

Rosie is on the move.

We always lay her in the crib tummy-side down in the top-center of the crib. Yes, babies are supposed to sleep on their backs, but only till they are proficient rollers. Rosie can roll both ways easily, so we save her the trouble and put her on her tummy. ANYWAY, I sure wish I had a camera in her room because sometimes we go in there and she's in a completely different spot - and we're talking from the top of the crib to the very bottom. This amazing to us because we are still hanging on to the mentality that our baby is completely immobile.

How is she doing this? Well, Rosie has a NEW SKILL! This morning we witnessed the Seal Move, where she straightens out her arms underneath her while on her tummy and uses them to creep from side to side. The theory is that this is how she is maneuvering throuhgout the crib. I'm wondering if she has the skills to move forward and we just haven't seen it yet. Need to get that closed caption television installed in her room.

She is so close to crawling.... but she's only 4 and a half months old! But, let's not forget she's Superbaby, after all, look where she was when she was 3 weeks old:


We decided that when most kids start preschool, Rosie will be winning the strongest man competition. Yes, man.

she fell off the wagon

Well, Rosie may have fallen off the wagon and needs to return to No-Sleepers Anonymous. She will be attending meetings at the Napping Issues Chapter.

"Hi, I'm Rosie, and I'm an Antinapaholic"

"Hi Rosie"

She has a couple things going on. One, she realizes that people are a heck of a lot more fun than sleeping (ok, yeah she's known this for awhile, but now she's a lot more vocal about it). Even if she can't convince us to come in the room and play with her, she will just play by herself. She'll laugh and squeal till she's extremely tired, and then cry. Two, she's very mobile now with rolling and has a lot more control over her body. So, moving and rolling is also more fun than napping. I guess this will be a recurring theme as she learns to sit, crawl, stand, walk.... drive, smoke (no, just kidding)

So she's in nap training. We'll all have to endure more crying. We're hoping she'll learn quickly, but it'll be a tough week.

Rosie's four-month checkup

Measurements, Growth & Development
Rosie is right on target! She remains in the 50th percentile for all of her measurements and growth (14.4 pounds and 25.5 inches long). I think that's quite an accomplishment! It takes hard work to be perfect! She has surpassed all her standard milestones. The nurse asked if she was "trying" to roll over. Pffft! Rosie is ready to teach classes on rolling. The doctor even commented on her ability to stand up at such a young age. Go Rosie, go! She is in excellent health.

The Shots
Horrible, let's move on.

Starting Solids
Dr. Morrison says she doesn't think Rosie's 100% ready yet, and that's fine with us. It's ok to try the cereal once in a while to see how she reacts, but it may be another 6 weeks before she is ready. Her massive hunger at times doesn't seem to be an issue, since she is growing and gaining on target. I attribute her hunger to the "distracto-baby syndrome" she's contracted.

Sudden Frequent Pooping
Well, the doctor did say that this isn't normal, but that we shouldn't be concerned as long as the stuff looks like it always does. Lucky us, we have a pooper.

Sleeping
We don't really see eye-to-eye with the doc on sleeping. She feels that we should keep Rosie up till 8 or 9 so she'll sleep longer through the night, but we think that her early bedtime is the key to her good sleeping. Yeah she gets up around 3 or 4 to eat but I don't see that lasting much longer after we start solids. Besides, I'm not willing to undertake any experiments to see what happens if we screw with her schedule. You can't argue with 10-hour stretches of solid sleep, and 13+ hours for the night. The doctor's main point was that the adults in the house would sleep better without those early morning feedings. But we don't think it's fair to keep her up late and take away her best sleeping time simply for our own convenience. Doesn't she know that parenting is an inherently selfless act?! Get with the program doctor, we're trying to be martyrs here!

an innocent victim

Some things are probably left undisclosed, but I'm going to tell you about this because, well, if you are here you may be looking for something to brighten your day. This isn't it, but keep reading.

In Rosie's room, she has a Tigger blanket on the floor. Well, it's not so much a blanket, but not so much a rug. It's a floor thingy that she lays on from time to time. Our poor Tigger blanky is an innocent victim of assault.


The offender is a cat by the name of Cino.


You see, Cino has taken a liking to Tigger. Recently we've caught him getting rather, um, affectionate with our innocent victim. Without giving too many details, and don't worry, we don't have an illustration of the offense, the other day Leo is feeding Rosie before bed. I'm in my office next door and I hear "Trista... Trista... come in here" I go in and he says "Uh, Cino's getting busy on Tigger."

EWWWWWWW!!!!! Tigger is now in the laundry basket.

Rosie's first Gymboree class

Today we took Rosie to Gymboree! It was a lot of fun. We played games, sang songs, and played with toys, but Rosie's favorite part of the class was tummy time! It was hilarious! She went bananas. They had a giant mirror that the babies laid on, and she thought that was just something. She kicked and cooed and kicked and waved her arms until she was totally exhausted. She got a little fussy at the end because she was so tired. She came home and took a 2 hour nap! And tonight when I laid her down at 6:30 for the night she was asleep before I even left the room.

It was a free class for a trial, and now we decide if we want to buy the package and take her to more classes. It costs money, but man did she love it. I'm thinking we'll buy the smallest package and give it a try for awhile, because she really loved it a lot.

Rosie's first taste of cereal

Welcome to Starving Baby Central
Rosie is doing a great job at confusing her parents. For the past few days she's been acting like she's starving. I can't seem to get enough milk in her. Yet, as fast as I pump it in her, she pumps it out. Yeah, we're talking about poop again. Sorry it keeps coming up. Haven't you figured out yet that if the subject isn't sleeping, pooping, or eating, it is of no interest to us? Anyway, this morning, if you must know, I woke to greet a very messy baby. to start with, she slept from 6:30 pm to 9:00 am with two short food breaks and no diaper change. So we're talking one saturated diaper. Add to that a mountain of poop (I'm surprised this didn't show up on the St. Helens seismographs) and you've got one nasty mess. Suffice it to say that I cleaned poo off her shoulder, and we had to draw a bath.

Anyway, back to the subject of food.

She's met all the criteria for eating solids, but I'm still very reluctant to give them to her this early. But, after nursing her yet again after less than 2 hours form the time before, we decided to give it a go. She did pretty good, but seemed a bit confused when the cereal entered her mouth.


It sort of seemed like she was ready, I mean she didn't push the food completely out and did end up swallowing some. But then she didn't seem to feel well all day and so we weren't sure if it was the cereal or something I ate. So now we're not sure what to do. Should we keep on with the cereal? Hope that all this hunger is just a growth spurt and will pass? I'd like to keep her on breast milk for at least another month, hopefully till she's 6 months old.

We'll probably just stick with milk till she sees the doctor on Friday. But in 5 minutes I will change my mind again because I really don't know how to take care of a baby, I'm still winging it.

the new meaning of "sucking face"

Whatever you do, don't get anything near a hungry Rosie. Leo nearly had the cheekbone sucked out of his face last night. A few days ago, I came close to a getting nice hickey on my cheek. Her open mouth is like a vacuum. She will attempt to get milk out of any object within her tiny grasp. The other day she looked me directly in the eye, grabbed each side of my face with her incredibly strong hands, which can pull skin off by the way, and planted her mouth right over my nose. Watch out! You could be her next victim!

The talking breastpump

In my third week of motherhood, I came down with a pretty bad case of mastitis, a breast infection. I was sick as a dog – high fever, exhaustion, achy body, the works. It was like the flu. One of the treatments for mastitis is frequent breastfeeding – every 2 hours around the clock. Ugh. Anyway, little miss Rosie didn’t want to eat that often, so I bought an electric breastpump.

I’m going to make my point soon, I promise.

An electric breastpump is equipped with a motor that sucks air in a rhythmic way to pump milk out of the breasts.

The pump began speaking to me right away. No, seriously, it talks. It would say something different every time. Now, when I was very sick and would pump late at night, I sort of thought it was just the fever talking. What did it say?

“Here we go, here we go, here we go…”
“Do it now, do it now, do it now…”
“Let it go, let it go, let it go…“
“dog fooood, dog fooood, dog fooood”
“right now, right now, right now…”
“holy cow, holy cow, holy cow…”

But after I got better, it kept talking! It still speaks to me today. Sometimes I hear the phrases above, and sometimes I hear new ones. I never told anyone about this. I thought for sure I was going insane. However, I found out recently on one of my breastfeeding internet boards that lots of breastpumps to talk to lots of moms. Subliminal messages from the manufacturers? Messages from aliens? If either is true, they need to work on their delivery. Honestly, “dog food?” What are they trying to get out of me?

Don’t worry, I haven’t started talking back to it…. yet.

out to dinner

Last night we went out to dinner - the whole family! Rosie is an absolute angel. She really enjoys getting out and seeing new things. Mostly lights and colors. She also likes listening to people talk; she’s fascinated by conversation. We are having one problem though. Because of her interest in the outside world, she gets distracted easily, which makes feeding her in public a little bit of a challenge. It’s hard to be discreet when she’s turning her head around every 2 seconds to find out what might be more interesting than boring old milk. I hope she gets out of this phase soon, because until then, the world will see my exposed boobs or we’ll have to start toting bottles of pumped milk.

Too bad Baby Law prohibits me from discussing her sleep last night, because I really would love to praise her. However we do have a new feature on the right – the Sleep Score. A 5-eye score can only be attained by a complete sleep-through.