1st Foods

I gave Summer her first fruit on July 17 - bananas.  Clint fed her first, and he did a good job.  By the time it was my turn, I think she was tired of eating out of a spoon.  She is used to getting food constantly by sucking either my breast or a bottle, and getting spoon fed wasn't what she was wanting...she was wanting to suck on something.  So, I would give her a few bites and stick her pacifier in her mouth before she could spit it back out.  This seemed to work okay...but it is going to take a while for her to get used to this method of eating.  I fed her 1/2 of the jar the first day and the other half the next day.  I waited a week before I tried fruit again.  This time I gave her pears and I also gave her water in a bottle so she would have something to suck on and wash it down with.  This seemed to work a little better, but she didn't seem like she enjoyed it at all.  Yesterday we gave her rice cereal and breastmilk via spoon while we were at Applebees.  It was too runny, so it was messy and hard to feed with a spoon.  I will try it again today, but make it thicker so it is easier to keep in the spoon. 

I'm a little nervous about giving her food already anyway because of course they want you to wait until they are 6 months old before you give them anything and she just turned 12 weeks old yesterday.  But, I feel like she needs something else because she wants to eat every 2-3 hours.  Three hours I can handle, but two is a little much at this point.  I know she will be fine eating it because when I was her age I was already eating cereal, fruits and veggies.  I have had some people tell me she is too young, but others that tell me to feed her.  So, I'll go with my gut which tells me it is okay.  I also want her to get used to eating food because we will be attending a seminar in August and she will be staying with her Nono and Nona (Clint's parents) during the seminar.  So, I want her to be able to eat something other than just breastmilk so I don't have to worry so much about pumping because we will be in San Diego so I can't really just take some frozen breastmilk with me.  I think it will all work out good.  It will be the first time Clint's parents have seen the baby, so they are excited and so are we.  I hope Summer will be a good baby for them.  I'm sure Clint's mom will be able to handle her...she had 5 children of her own so she knows what to do.  I am really looking forward to our trip and hopefully I will have Summer eating out of a spoon like a pro by then.   

Look what I can do

Summer has been keeping me busy.  I love to spend time with her and play with her which is good because she loves it too.  She is definitely a mommy's girl right now.  I'm sure it is because she is with me most of the time.  One day I hope she will be a daddy's girl, but it will probably be a year or so before that happens.  Clint isn't as comfortable talking baby talk as I am.  I could just sit and talk to her all day long and some days I do.  She has started talking to us in her own way....Clint really gets a kick out of this.  The other day I was holding her in my arms (cradling) and she started talking to me.  I made the noise/word back and she did it again.  We went back and forth a few times.  It was the coolest thing she has done so far.  So now we will try to start these "conversations" with her.  This is Clint's favorite thing to do with her right now, and I must admit it is pretty awesome when she "answers" us. 

She has also started grabbing the toys in her bouncy seat and holding onto them.  I have a few pics of the first time I saw her do this.  She can hold a rattle....if she wants to (1st time was July 12).  Sometimes she hits herself in the head which she does not like.  She is definitely becoming more interactive which is fun for her and us.  

Another thing that she is really into right now is sucking her hands...well actually it is mainly the left hand.  She found them about a week ago, and now she sucks them all the time.  My mom is worried about this a little because when I was younger she had a friend whose son sucked his middle two fingers for years and years and those are the two fingers she likes the most.  So, we don't want her to get into this habit.  When I notice her doing it, I take them out and try to give her the pacifier.  She will take it sometimes, but she is not as interested in the pacifier now that she knows she has fingers.  The other day she woke up from a nap, and I went to pick her up.  She had a little bit of blood on her lips and in her mouth.  The only thing I can figure is she was chewing on her fingers and her fingernails cut her lips or gums or something.  I never could find the cut spot, but it was all I could figure that had happened.  I was scared for a minute, but when I couldn't find the source of the blood, I figured it wasn't anything to worry about...there wasn't that much blood anyway. So, now I have to try to keep her fingernails cut so she doesn't do this again.  It is hard though because she doesn't "let" me cut them...I have to do it whenever I can get her to cooperate.  She also looks like she is chewing on her tongue sometimes which is weird looking.  

Okay, I've got to go tend to Summer.  I will try to update more often so everyone reading can enjoy her as she grows up too. 

   

 

My First Playdate

Summer had her first playdate with Liliana Lippard last Tuesday.  Lili is my friend Alicia's baby.  She is a month younger than Summer.  Alicia and I had a good time holding each other's baby and comparing them.  Summer is chunkier than Lili, but Lili has longer fingers, toes, and arms.  We can't wait until they can actually play together.  Here are some pics from our visit.

No Poop!!

Last Thursday I had to give Summer a suppository.  She had not pooped since Saturday night.  I had called my mom, sister and a friend for advice, but nothing they suggested worked (taking the babies temperature :) ...mixing Karo Syrup with a bottle...soaking in a warm bath).  So, I called the doctor on Tuesday or Wednesday and he said it is okay for breastfed babies to go up to 7 days without pooping.  He also said that if she was uncomfortable/in pain, I could give her a suppository.  Well, after 5 days, I couldn't take it anymore.  I had to get the poop out of her.  So, I went to Wal-Mart and bought the suppository and gave it to her.  Two minutes later, business had been taken care of and I was happy!  Yesterday was going on 3 days of no pooping, and I was thinking, "How often are you supposed to give suppositories?"  But, on the way into Wal-Mart, she had a blowout.  Thank goodness I was prepared with extra clothes.  Clint and I were actually going in to get some baby juice and baby food since we were told that giving her juice my help her poop.  We went ahead and bought some juice and fruit anyway.  So, I might start giving her fruit and see how she does.  I know the doctor doesn't want you feeding your baby anything but breastmilk (or formula) until they are six months old, but my mom and a few other people say to go ahead....just don't tell the doctor.   She is already taking rice cereal at night with her bottle, and she seems to be doing fine with that.  Although, I initially thought the no pooping might be due to the cereal.  Before I try the fruit, I might actually try to feed her the rice cereal with a spoon and see how she does.  It makes me a little nervous because it just seems like she is growing up so fast and I don't want to rush her, but she's got to eat at some point, right?

2 Month Check-up

Summer had her 2 month check-up on Monday.  She weighed 11 lb. 12 oz. (in the 80th percentile) and was 23.5 inches tall (90th percentile).  So, she is bigger than the average 2 month old baby girl.  The doctor told me all the things she should be doing at this age.  Summer seems to be doing it all so that is great.  Dr. McMahan talked to me for about 40 minutes which I was pretty impressed with.  Clint was not there for this part, but he made it there a few minutes after the doctor left the room.  Summer also had to get 3 shots when we went (it used to be 5) which is what Clint wanted to be there for and he was.  She was breastfeeding when they gave her the first shot.  It stopped her for a minute, but she latched right back on.  The 2nd shot really got her attention though and that was it for eating!  She screamed and cried through the 3rd shot and for about 10 minutes after that.  Clint took some pictures of her reaction.  It was sad because there were tears rolling down her cheeks...

All in all, she is a healthy baby and is meeting all the milestones she should be right now.  I think she is a little ahead of the game, but of course what proud mommy doesn't think there baby is? 

She Rolled Over!!!

Yesterday Summer and I were on my bed waiting for Clint to get off of work.  She was on her belly, and I was talking to her.  Then I started to notice her almost getting to her side so I called Clint and told him she was fixing to roll over so he could come and see her.  Well, right after I said it, she did it.  It was such an exciting moment for me.  She is growing more and more every day.  Last night she slept all night.  She went to be around 10:00 p.m. and didn't get up until 6:30 a.m.  I can't believe she reached two milestones in one day.  She really amazes every day.  Her smiles just make me want kiss her and love her forever...and I'm sure I will.

Tonight I had to go to school, and she was good for Clint.  I talked to him a couple of times and she wasn't crying when he picked up the phone.  I am so happy about this because she has been fussy for him the last few times he kept her.  Last night she was very fussy!!!  We went over to a friend's house for a cook out and she cried almost the whole time we were there.  We finally had to leave and didn't get to watch the fireworks.  Oh well, I saw some from my back porch...and there were some on TV too.  I am trying to get her on a schedule at night...at least somewhat.  I give her a bath every other night around 7:30 or 8:00.  Then we give her a bottle somewhere between 8:30 and 10:00 and then put her to bed.  I usually let Clint feed her the bottle because I think it is good for them to get that bonding time, but I fed her tonight since he is still working.  She does pretty good falling asleep and doesn't really cry or fuss or need her pacifier.  I am going to try to start putting her down for a nap around the same time everyday if I am home.  This is going to be hard because sometimes we run around during the day, but I'm sure she will just sleep in her car seat anyway.  My goal is to start putting her down for her nap in her room so she can start getting used to her crib.  She is still sleeping in the bassinet in our bedroom which I will probably continue until I am sure she is really starting to sleep through the night....if you can ever be sure of that. 

Well, I guess that is about it.  Clint should be getting off soon so I am going to go get ready to spend some time with him. 

A Night Out

Last night my mom and Tre kept Summer so Clint and I could go out.  This was her second over night stay with them.  I dropped her off around 4:30 and headed home to get ready for the evening.  After I was dressed and ready, I got a few things done around the house while I waited on Clint to get off of work.  We went and had a nice dinner at Bonefish Grille and then went to Electric Cowboy for drinks and dancing.  I had a great time.  It was nice to have some time alone with my husband and to be able to just relax and have fun.  I couldn't get him to dance with me at first because he was feeling "shy."  I guess being the designated driver, you can't have enough drinks to lose your inhibitions.  But, I was ready to dance.  He was fine with slow dancing with me, but he wouldn't go out with me on the upbeat songs.  Finally, on our way out I got what I wanted.  We went out to the dance floor for a slow song and then four upbeat songs in a row came on and I coaxed him into staying out there (it didn't take much coaxing-I think the excitement on my face did it).  Two of the songs are my favorite songs, so I was so excited when they came on (Pour Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard and I Love Rock-N-Roll by Joan Jett).  We danced together and I really let go.  It was a great way to end the night.  The night out was definitely just what we needed, and I am very thankful that my mom and Tre watched our little girl for us.  Clint and I ran into my Aunt Pam and Uncle Jim a few weeks ago at Riverbend, and their advice was to have a date night once a week to keep our relationship strong.  I will have to say that I agree with them because it is easy to lose focus on your relationship when you a have a little one who takes up most of your time.  I want to keep a strong relationship with Clint, so I plan on making sure we have a date night at least every other week.  I hope my friends and family don't get tired of watching Summer for us.....