12 Months

Happy birthday to my sweetest girl!  I really don't understand when you turned into a toddler.  But there you are, toddling behind me, following me from room to room with a grin going from ear to ear.  You get so proud of yourself!  Could you be more perfect?

This month you got opinionated.  It used to be, Adara, this is cute, let's get dressed.  Now it's more like, this is cute, WHAT? why are you crying?  You don't like it?  Okay....let's try this?  You don't like to wear your shoes in the car.  Actually, really, you don't like to wear your shoes period and at daycare they have to put the "Shoes of Shame" on you (shoes that you can't take off).  You like to walk from the front door to the car but you like to be carried into daycare.  And you really don't like playing make believe with your stuffed animals because you live in fear that they will nurse from me and steal your milk. Your favorite book is "Pat the Bunny."  Your favorite food is pizza.  You love your family.  You give hugs when I ask for them and Oh My Goodness they are the best hugs in all of the world.  Your open mouth kisses leave a little something to be desired.  You really let me know when you are not pleased with something.  Sometimes you are defiant.  I ask you to do something and you get a little sparkle in your eye and do the exact opposite.  Other times you do exactly as I say.  Either way, I don't think I could love you more.

I made you a special board book for your birthday describing your first year of life.  You are not so into reading it.  You do like to take all the books off your shelf and hand them to me one at a time.  You are talking a lot.  You say the following: More, Dada, Mama, Dogga, All done, What's that?, yeah, baby and probably some other words that I am missing....

You moved into the Daisy room at your daycare and you love hanging with the big kids.  Your friends names are Franny, Reese, Abella, and Athena.  You learn science, music, yoga, world studies and art.  You have also learned where your belly button is, and your nose, but your ears and eyes confuse you.   BUT your ultimate favorite thing at school is going down the slide over and over and over.  You have even figured out how to be extra fast by lifting up your feet.  You push other kids out of line to get to the front.  You try to go down head first when the teachers are not looking but then they have to have a little talk with you about safety.  Your dad is secretly very proud.

You are still the easiest.  You go to sleep when we want.  You are good sleeper.  You are an amazing eater.  Did I mention you weigh 27 pounds?!?!  You gained 5 pounds in the last 3 months but only grew 1 inch in height.  You are wearing size 2T.  You are so beautiful.  When I miss you I stare at the same few pictures of you over and over.

Thank you for being mine.  I love being yours.  Here's to another amazing year.

xoxo

11 Months

We still don't exactly have a walker.  She does take steps.  Sometimes 10 or more at a time.  But then she loses her balance and decides she has better things to do.  Like look at tiny pieces of string on the floor and carefully pick them up and hand them to Mama.  Or bang toys together and laugh.  Or clap hands together and rock back on floor.  Oh the busy fun we have!

In more exciting news Adara is communicating so much!  I love knowing exactly what she wants, when she wants, and how she wants it!  Baby sign language is the best!  She can do whole sentences where she says "more" and then points to something and then signs "please."  Such a respectful little child I am raising!  She also knows water, food, all done, and sleep.  I think she knows what milk is but I haven't seen her do it.  I need to start learning more signs because I know she wants to tell me more things!  She also can say "mama" "dada" "more" and "hi" and "dog."  The mystery word is dog because I don't know where she learned that because we always call Rio "Rio."  But she calls him dog.  So we go with it.  

Adara went camping this month!  She loved to point at the trees.  And the stars, naturally the stars, because she is named after a star!  She is hilarious because she is such a girly girl and hates dirt.  If she has any dirt on her hand she makes a sad face and shakes the dirt off wildly.  Drama Queen.  I was worried about her at nights because her little sleeping bag we got wasn't the warmest and it got down to around 40 degrees at night.  But she was such a trooper.  She went hiking, and swimming, and ate in the dark, rode in a boat, and slept in a tent.  Love that Adara Rose!

Can't believe we will have a 1-year-old soon!

10 Months

Adara started walking this month--3 little steps!  She was holding onto the couch and turned around and step, step, step, kirplunk and onto her little behind.  I'm pretty sure she could have taken more steps if I hadn't been yelling, "SHE'S WALKING."  It was like she was an old pro.  Very nonchalant.  Didn't even think anything of it.  And then she was like, "check that off the list" because she suddenly was over it.  I'm pretty sure she weighed the pros and cons of crawling and walking and decided that walking is overrated because she hasn't been as interested in it since.  I have coaxed her to take a few more steps here and there but she really is preferring the crawl method of getting around the town.  Although, she does like standing on her own unassisted.

She is still eating a ton.  But sometimes she goes to bed straight away from daycare and skips dinner.  She is one tired little squirrel because she won't nap at daycare.  She doesn't want to miss a thing!  But then I miss her because I never get to see her.  She is continuing swim lessons.  And continues to be a social butterfly.  This month just flew by!  We went on our first family vacay to Seattle to see the Red Sox play.  She was the best little travel buddy!  She went to sleep in the hotel room and let mom and dad stay up and drink wine and watch movies.  She also ventured into the international district and wasn't scared to eat at all of the hole in the wall asian restaurants that we love so so so much.   She is just the BESTest (and easiest baby) that we could have dreamed up!

Happy double digits my Adardar love!

A Little Surgery

Adara had minor surgery at the very beginning of the month.  As she started getting more teeth (she has 8 now!) breastfeeding was (again) turning into the most horrible thing ever and I could see something wasn't quite right.  There was a gap forming between her top two teeth and the skin attaching her lip to her gums was growing in between the gap.  I was already going to ask her doctor about tongue tie at her 9 month appointment because I noticed that when she relaxed her tongue the tip of it had a heart shape (see pic).

When I googled about the gap in her teeth it tuned out that was a classic sign of lip tie as well.

When I wrote asking about it on the mommy facebook group I belong to everyone recommended I get it fixed immediately due to the many complications that are associated with it: feeding problems, speech impediments, and dental issues.  Luckily, we have a specialist right near Portland who is one of the few doctors in the country that does the surgery with a laser to reduce scarring (he also does it without putting the baby under anesthesia)!  I called ASAP and got the earliest appointment.

When he saw Adara's mouth he said her lip tie was up there with the thickest he has seen.  He also asked about my breastfeeding story and all of a sudden everything made sense.  All I could do was cry.  Nine months of painful and bloody feedings when there was a simple fix that could have taken place on day #1 if someone would have looked in my baby's mouth.  So, now I want to spread the news to EVERYONE who has a baby, might have a baby, might know somebody who has a baby.  If breastfeeding is hurting and you see a lactation specialist who does not look in your baby's mouth fire her immediately and call me.  Seriously.  Other symptoms to watch for include the following: failure to thrive (slow weight gain), long feedings, lots of spit up, low milk supply, painful breastfeeding including bloody nipples, heart-shaped tip of tongue, unable to lift tongue up very high, inability to stick tongue outside of mouth very far, etc. (Adara had all of these, poor baby girl).  Also, don't turn to your pediatrician....they will be useless unless (most likely).

If you think something is wrong then it probably is because mother's intuition is usually spot on.  In fact, even though I was madder than a hornet about the situation I also felt a sense of relief and validation.  For 9 long months I thought there was something wrong with me: my body wasn't working right, I wasn't drinking enough water, I was too stressed, I wasn't eating the right foods, etc. etc. etc.  Ultimately, it made me feel like a failure as a mom.  I can't tell you how many nights I cried myself to sleep worrying about how I was going to feed my baby.  Breastfeeding was a definite priority of mine and I wasn't going to let anyone take it away from me.  I would pump all hours of the night to make enough milk, curl my toes through the pain, and walk around like a sleep-deprived zombie.  When I told the specialist my story he had heard it all before and he really understood because his wife went through the same exact thing with their daughter.  I was recommended to the best lactation specialist in Portland following the surgery and my breastfeeding relationship has forever changed.  Now, I'm pretty sure I could breastfeed Adara until she is at least 45-years-old.  Before, you might remember I was taking it day by day..... what a drastic change.

The surgery itself lasted about 5 minutes.  We handed Adara to the doctor, he took her away, we could hear her screaming bloody murder, I cried, he came back and told me to breastfeed.  Her mouth was all bloody but she latched on and everything was changed.  It seriously happened that fast.  The worst part of the whole ordeal was the three weeks of stretches that followed.  4-6 times a day we had to stretch the healing wounds and reopen them so the skin would not grow back.  It was torture for all of us.  I was scared Adara would never forgive us but as the days went on and things started to feel better it became kind of a game.  And she even smiled through the stretches a few times.  Now Adara is talking more than ever, the gap in her teeth closed a little, she's nursing better, and drinking out of a sippy cup better, and making all sorts of new sounds with her tongue.  It's amazing!

Nine Months

Our little one is huge!  She went to the doctor for her 9 month exam and is in the 90th percentile for height and weight and 80th percentile for head size.  She measured in at 29 inches long and 22 pounds. She is pulling up on everything and anything (loves Rio's long ears....).  She would like to walk...I know it's coming any day.  She loves to crawl around the house but never strays too far from this mama.  Her dad and her play hide and seek around the house which is hilarious because she gets so excited that she can hardly contain herself.  She loves to smile and laugh and claps her hands together.  If you say "yay!" she will clap for herself.

At the very end of the month she got a bad sickness.  I could hear her attempting to breath from the other room and she spiked a temperature of 103.  We had to take her to the doctor several times and they put her on steroids and gave us a nebulizer (in the shape of a penguin with a carrying case that looks like an igloo.....bizarre).  That was not fun times.  She would have to sit still for 15 minutes every few hours to do the nebulizer and getting an active little lady to comply required cartoons (which she greatly enjoys but we never let her watch).

She still LOVES her food.  LOVES.  She baby signs the word "more" and has said it several times.  We are going with this as her first "word" because while she says DADADADA ALL of the time she has no idea what it means.  But when she wants more food she definitely knows how to get it--baby signs more and says MORE!  And more food we give her.  Do you know this girl ate 3 pieces of pizza in one sitting?  I only had 2.  Yes, my 9-month-old out-pizza-ed me.  OH, and if you know of any cheerio eating contests please let me know.  Because I already know she would be a winner.  This girl can eat her weight in cheerios.  That being said she has gotten a little more picky.....not too fond of peas and green beans anymore.  And if you give her several foods at a feeding she will let you know which one she prefers and refuse the other items.  And she eats whatever we eat now.  Which is awesome.  Even though I did love making her baby food....

Nursing continues to be a struggle but we are still going.  Still hoping I can make it until 12 months.  That is the only reason why I don't mind that the days are flying by.  Baby girl, hurry up and stop nursing, but slow down growing?!

Happy 9 months Chunky Monkey!

Eight Months

Right when I thought Miss Adara Rose would never learn to create forward momentum she just. took. off.  And she really hasn't looked back.  This past month went by so quickly with so many changes it's unreal.  From crawling forward to pulling up and cruising on furniture, and waving hello and goodbye....usually 5 minutes after the person has left.  Hhhmmm. Yes. We need to work on that timing.   She certainly didn't inherit her bravery from me though. And she has been scaring this mama left and right.  She will be standing up and holding onto something and then just let go, like, "I got this!"  And she totally doesn't because the next thing we know she will have bumped her head and be on the ground.  Lots of scrapes and bruises.....no matter how much we baby-proof too because there is always a toy to fall on if nothing else!  She even tried to climb the bookshelf at daycare!  Ahhhh child.

She also is talking more than ever.  She is signing for "more." She says Hhhiiiiiiiiiiiii! dadadadadada, and her favorite Babababababa.  And the one that cracks me up the most: Ay Bebe.  EXACTLY Like the song: Ay Bay Bay Song!  But the one that melted my heart completely occurred towards the end of the month when she got oh so sick.  She was super cuddly and sad.  With tears in her eyes and her head on my pillow she looked right into my eyes and said a big "Mama!" And then smiled!  And then has never repeated it again.  Go figure.

Ryan and Rio went away rafting for memorial weekend.  So it was just us girls.  Adara is so easy going and likable.  Skip your afternoon nap?  No big deal.  Don't have time to feed you lunch?  How about a few cheerios instead?  Need to adjust your bedtime by a few hours?  Works just fine!  I know this is probably just a stage.  But we are loving the heck out of it.

The few hard things we are dealing with include her mama obsession and her strong-willed personality.  She doesn't want to be put down when I'm around at all.  She will literally crawl around the house behind me crying until she is picked up.  Because if she can be in her Mama's arms why would she want to be on the floor?  I get it.  But I'm a little over it because, child, there is housework to get done!  She has also become a tad bit aggressive.  For example, at daycare she will steal other kids pacifiers out of their mouths and take their bottles away from them mid-slurp!  And she will put up quite the fight until she gets her way.  She has been known to knock kids down twice her age, jump on top of them, pin them down and bite or claw their face......we are trying to work on "gentle touch."  But when this girl wants somethings she is 110% determined.

We love this little person!

Happy 8 months!

Seven Months

Well...she still couldn't go forward this past month.  But backwards and sideways she went!  And she is getting more and more steady sitting up and moving around.  Now.if.only.she.could.figure.out.this.forward.momentum.thing.a.mig.giggity.

For the first time ever her daycare said that she has been "fussy."  (Prior to this month she has been the easiest baby in the history of daycare babies).  And they believe it's out of frustration  with her lack of forward mobility.  Poor girl.  She even loves to walk with us holding her hands.  So maybe she will just skip this whole crawling nonsense.

Her daycare had to lower her crib because they found that she pulled up.  Thus, we lowered her crib at home.   She continues to sleep well.  We love that about her.

She is also eating all types of food these days.  Still haven't found anything that she doesn't like.  She went on a chicken strike for one night and I was convinced she would never eat it again.  But then she had a chicken pig out at lunch the next day.  The amount of food she eats truly amazes me!

Happy 7 months to my Chunky Monk!

Six Months

Adara is half a year old.  Every parent says it: I can't believe how fast it's going.  Too fast, but also too slow.  As a parent I'm so impatient for the next thing.  For her to start crawling, and then walking, and then talking, and on and on.  I need to stop and enjoy what I have now.  BUT I am so excited to see what she will be like tomorrow and the next day....aaahhh.

One thing I am taking day by day is nursing.  I have shared before that nursing has been a huge struggle for me.  I miss sleep because of it, I eat lunch in my car because of it, I have pain because of it, I have scars that I am pretty sure will never go away because of it.  So many moms say they really enjoy it.  That it's so wonderful.  Such a great time to connect with their little one.  I think I am just starting to get to that point because it has been such a rocky road. I never thought I would be able to nurse this long, especially working full-time and having to pump so much milk.  But one day at a time makes it easier.  I hope that I can nurse tomorrow.

A big change for Adara (and for my nursing) happened one morning at the very beginning of the month.  I could hear Adara talking her usual baby babble from her crib.  I went to wish her a happy morning and she smiled her usual "good morning" smile and guess what!!!  There was a flash of something shiny and white in her mouth!  Her first tooth erupted over night! Font bottom right. Just the hint of the top of it.  It's a sharp and jagged little sucker.  A few days later another one came in.

She not only looks more grown up with two little teeth, she is acting grown up.  Little girl has been moving around for a while, military crawling, but now she has just started getting up on her knees!  She is going to start really REALLY crawling any day.  And then her personality will really shine because we can see what she wants to do, and play with, and go!  We are so excited for that.  Yes.  Ask me again in another few months how I like chasing her around ...yes, I know.

Adara continues to explore the world of solid foods.  She still much prefers breastmilk (thank goodness, because that is what she needs the most!) but she is turning into quite the adventuresome eater.  She even has developed a liking for avocado.  Peas still seem to remain her absolute favorite.  And mangos, and bananas, and sweet potato, and, well, almost everything (she takes after her parents).  I love preparing her food for her!

Happy half-a-year-old Baby Girl!  I am so incredibly in love with you!

My Top 10!

As I am starting to have more friends expecting AND before I forget what I will absolutely need for baby #2 (which will NOT be coming anytime soon btw!) here is my can't-live-without mommy essentials (in no particular order).

1. Medela Pump In-Style:

It hurt so much to nurse at first that pumping sounded more appealing.....six months later I cannot wait to kick this pump to the curb.  BUT, this pump has saved me so many times.  I recommend starting to pump extra breast milk as soon as you can (at about 1 month in I started pumping extra milk after almost every nursing).  That way you can build your milk supply and start a stash that will allow you to go on date nights, have other people do feedings so you can get extra sleep, and in case you accidentally miss a pumping session when you return back to work....ugh.  

2. Yoga Ball:

Baby doesn't understand that it's nighttime.  Baby won't stop crying.  Baby needs soothed!  Bouncing on the yoga ball in the wee hours of the earlier morn was routine.  For some reason our rocking chair, bouncing up and down, or the swing was just not the same.  It really had to be the yoga ball!  Not to mention a great little work out. 

3. Lanolin Cream:

I was first applying tiny little drops.  But what you really need is to be as liberal as possible.  So buy extra bottles so you don't feel guilty!  This cream helped me to continue nursing even when I thought it was a lost cause.  

4. Comfy Clothes for Post Delivery:

Your body just doesn't feel right after dumping out a watermelon sized object.  You are sore.  And achy.  And just want to be covered in soft, warm, goodness.  I loved Gap Body clothing.  Especially things that had drawstrings or spandex.  

5. Fisher Price Rock n' Play Sleeper:

I didn't register for this item because I thought that a co-sleeper (pack n' play) would be sufficient.  But I was so so so very wrong.  Newborn babies sleep so well in this thing.  Also, you can put it next to your bed and when baby gets fussy you can just rock it a little and, like magic, baby is back to sleep and you are still half-asleep.  

6. Aden & Anais Swaddles:

They are soft, surprisingly warm, cute, and breathable. They are also the best for doing tight swaddles--which turns out to be pretty key for lengthy sleep stretches.  This was really the only swaddle we really used.  You have enough to worry about when the baby is asleep and you don't need to add suffocation to that list--so it was reassuring to know that if the baby did wiggle out of the swaddle and it covered the face there wouldn't be a problem....because that did happen more than once....

7. Summer Baby Monitor: 

Watching baby sleep is fun and reassuring.  This camera also becomes essential if you start sleep training because you need to know when baby is crying because she is about to go to sleep and when she is crying because she is pissed.  Being able to check on baby without going in the room (and waking her up) is such a life saver!

8. Chicco Snap and Go Stroller:

Talk about easy.  I wish they made one of these for non-newborns because now when baby falls asleep in the car I have to take her out of her seat to put her in the big kid stroller.....missing the snap and go.  

9. Frozen meals:

We made about 20 frozen meals before baby was born.  Nights that we were too tried to cook and after the rush of friends bringing you meals is over (those friends bringing you meals are essential too) these meals were SO crucial.  Planning ahead paid off! 

10.  Bravado Nursing Bra:

Initially I went with some cheap Target nursing bras (and I hear these are great for some people...!) but when you have as much trouble nursing as I did you need the good stuff.  As soon as I made the investment my life changed for the better.  Comfort is key when you are already tired and in pain.  

***The thing this list is missing would be family.  Thank goodness for my family because without them I don't know how I would have survived that first stretch.  Cooks, cleaners, entertainment, and baby holders while you shower and sleep are the best!  xoxo

5 months

Well, calling this last month "rough" would be an understatement.  We were sick sick sick.  Everything from diarrhea, throwing up, double ear infections, runny nose, stuffy nose, strep throat, headaches, fevers, body aches, chills, etc. etc. etc.  Do you know what parents do when they are sick?  They sleep!  Do you know what babies do when they are sick? Cry!  The two really just don't mesh all that well.  And so we stayed up with Adara at 10pm, 11pm, midnight, 1am, 2am, 3am, 4am, 5am, and then went to work.  Night after night.  We tried the humidifier, we tried propping her up, sucking out snot, giving her antibiotics.  She would get better and then get sick again.  I am hoping month number 5 will be super healthy.

But you know what?  Our babe is one happy little peanut!  Throughout it all there were plenty of smiles.  AND giggles.  She is laughing more than ever.  Especially at her puppy who she just can't seem to get over.  It almost made getting up at the terrible hours worth it when she would be screaming in pain and then see your face and be grinning ear to ear like, "You came to make me feel better! Thank you!"....or that's at least what I think she was saying...........

Towards the very end of the month Adara seemed to be getting back to normal and our pediatrician suggested starting solids due to her size (large) and the amount of breast milk she was guzzling down.   Every single day that I breast feed I pat myself on the back because producing this much milk is super tiring.  I read on kellymom.com (the site our lactation consultants told us to trust) that most babies eat anywhere from 19-30 oz of milk per day.  Well, Adara is close to 40 oz and I'm sure she would be quite thrilled to get more than that.  I wanted to wait until 6 months to start solids but given that she has doubled her birth weight (16 pounds!) and seems very interested in food we started up a baby food making factory in our kitchen.  We have large quantities of frozen pureed bags of all sorts of goodness. Pears, butternut squash, peas, avocado, oh my.

Here is the video of A eating her first bite of pureed pears (I love how she keeps looking up at me like I'm crazy and making some mistake by offering her big kid food).

Here's to your health my big 5-monther!

4 Months

We had such a big month!  Adara started "school" because I went back to work.  I couldn't be more happy with the setup.  I have been able to go nurse and play with Adara every day at lunch for an hour.  Thank goodness for this because she has so much fun with all of her friends that she is exhausted when she gets home.  She goes right to bed and I wouldn't get to see her at all during the week if the special lunch time hour did not exist.

Well, let me correct that, I do get to see her several times throughout the night because after bragging last month that Adara started sleeping through the night she decided to regress.  Some nights she would  wake EVERY single hour.  Going to work like a zombie mama was no fun.  We finally decided to let Adara sleep in her crib in her own bedroom because she seems to sleep better there (she learned about sleeping in a crib at daycare because we have always had her sleep in a bassinet next to our bed).  When we finally discovered this Adara's sleep improved (I hope I am not jinxing it by typing this...).  I guess she just needed a little more personal space now that she is a big four month-er.

In other news Adara has forgotten how to roll over.  I was so excited last month when she would spend countless hours rolling all around.  Now, she lays contently on her back and puts whatever is in reach straight into her mouth.  If something is not in reach she makes a little noise to alert us that she would like it to be in her mouth.  She can almost sit up as well.  But we have to be careful because she tends to topple over whenever her little ab muscles give out.  She weighed 14Ibs 9oz at her 4-month doctor visit and was 25.5 inches long.  Still a long and lean little thing.

Happy 4 months baby girl!

3 Months

This past month was bliss.  Adara is just a complete lovebug.  She is having lengthy conversations with us these days and laughs at all my jokes.  She also continues to grow (in length) at a rapid rate.  She is almost completely in six month clothing.  Does this mean that she will be in 1-year-old clothing by 6-months or will there be an end to this craziness?!?!  I'm really starting to wonder.

The biggest news from this past month is that Adara slept through the night.....for multiple nights in a row....and it was so so so amazing.  I was told that five hours is considered sleeping through the night at 2 months and Adara was going 6-7 hours!  Happy mama and happy baby.  We also got a little routine down.  It sucks that I have to return to work and the whole routine will change...just when things were so sweet.  Boo.  Our routine went something like this: Adara would go to sleep in our arms in the early evenings and we would snuggle her through dinner and whatever we do after dinner.  She then nurses for about 2 hours (no, I am not exaggerating).  BUT, with all that nursing she sleeps until the early morn.  Then she wakes up to nurse again in bed and sleeps in bed with us until around 10am.  Yes, I have been sleeping in until 10am on a regular basis to make up for all the missed sleep from the past few months.

The second biggest news is that Adara has learned to roll over from stomach to back.  She did this for the first time on Christmas morning and it was so thoughtful of her to give us such a fun present.  Rolling over is now her new favorite trick.  She is very close to rolling from back to stomach....perhaps that will be her 3-month accomplishment.

The third biggest news is that in preparation for my routine to work Adara started going to school (read: daycare).  I have been going with her to make her feel better about the transition (read: so I feel better about the transition).  She seems to love it so far (I hope I will love it too..... or at least cope).

In other news I am now married to a 30-year-old.  We went to Lummi Island to celebrate the special occasion with some friends.  Christmas was wonderful and we are looking forward to a happy new year and welcoming a calm 2013.

Rolling over!

The shirt was for daddy's 30th birthday.

She is so strong!  Soon she will be crawling!

My big 3 month old babe!