Play dates!

All ready to go for a jog with mama!

  

    On Tuesday, CC and I joined Katie, Joe and Dawson at the zoo! None of us realized it was $4 Tuesday, so we were unprepared for the crowded parking lot and amount of people there. It actually wasn't that bad at all and the weather was overcast and cool (perfect zoo weather if you ask me!). I knew from my visit with Omi and Zoe a few months ago that I wanted to forgo the stroller, so I brought the wrap carrier Zoe passed on to us. Ayla was actually awake for this zoo visit and she enjoyed looking around, people-watching and chatting/spitting with Joe, Katie and Dawson.

Bed. Hog.

But seriously, you can't kick this out of bed or complain too much about how much space it takes up!

    On Wednesday, Cupcake and I went to our 2nd Baby Boot Camp class up in Washington Park (by the zoo). We went to our first class two weeks ago and enjoyed it! I love the location (until the rain comes) and the chance to socialize with other mamas and babies. Portland area mamas, if you're interested, let me know! Your first class is free! So far, I've done three 5ks this year. The first was the Mt Tabor Doggie Dash at the end of July (Chris ran with me). The second was Run Girl Run in Ridgefield, Washington on August 21st (just me) and the third was Race for the Cure this past Sunday (September 18th). My first two 5k times were 38:50 (yep, same time on both races!) and the third was 34:46! I can't believe I was 4 minutes faster. I ran the first whole mile though (an accomplishment in itself for me) and all the pink and "Running for..." messages kept me going. I was behind one person who had a note on their back that said "Running for... Me! Mom! Grandma!" It was really great to see so much support and a lot of breast cancer survivors. I even saw one or two moms with double jogging strollers (saw a few single jogging strollers, too. Those are hard enough, but a double? That's strength!)

     Wednesday afternoon we had a visit with Grandpa Alsman! CC got a new toy (which she promptly attempted to drool all over) and some good grandpa time. I forgot to take a picture :(  Next time, next time...

"Grandpa's coming over?!"

"Is he here yet? Is he here yet? Is he here yet??"

     Wednesday late afternoon, we went out to Omi and Icen's (they came to our place last week for a play date, see pictures below). We watched the new show Up All Night with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett. Pretty funny and totally relate-able. Can't wait until next week!

Ayla (4 1/2 months) and Icen (7 1/2 months)

They had a gaggle of toys, but they're like dogs. They want what the other one has!

Omi was reading him a book and he was showing off for Ayla

Little baldies!

      On Thursday, we had a quick pediatrician appointment for her second dTap vaccine. Ayla didn't... even... flinch! It was amazing! The only difference this time was that I was the one standing next to the table and holding her hands (it's usually Chris). But each visit, her reaction to a shot decreases. The first time was definitely the worst since it was the first time and she got two in a row. The second visit, she cried for about 15-20 seconds. The third visit, about 10 seconds and then this time... nothing. Yeah! Her weight at the appointment was 12 pounds 10 ounces (up from 11 pounds 12 ounces a month earlier).That night, we were hoping to meet up with Chris' dad for dinner. Those plans didn't work out, so our backup plan was to have a movie night with Will and Caroline. They came over to our new place (thanks for the snacks, Will!) and we watched Thor. CC wasn't quite ready for bed, so Chris and I each took a turn holding her before I finally got her to sleep towards the end of the movie. 

     CC is almost able to roll over from her back to her tummy! She's rolled a few times from her tummy to her back, but it's been about a week or so since she's tried again (at least I haven't seen her trying to roll at all).

     She got a new toy from Uncle Justin and Aunt Kim last week when they watched her on Bunco night. She loves the flashing lights and sounds! It was my first "baby-free" Bunco night in a whole year (counting my pregnancy), so I celebrated by meeting up with Omi and getting a drink. Bunco was a baby-free zone this time (by chance, not vote), so there was a little bit of alcohol. We were all pretty loud and silly and had a ton of fun!

4 months... officially?

     August 28th.... Cupcake is "officially" 4 months old? I've been counting the actual weeks, so by my count, she's 17 1/2 weeks (almost 4 1/2 months). The pediatrician's office goes by the date (28th), so I guess I have to switch over now. I know it doesn't make a  huge difference, but it feels weird to only be back at month 4.

Nom, nom, nom! Part of her awesome cupcake toy!

     I haven't been keeping up with CC's blog and feel kind of bad about it, but I know everyone who reads this has survived :)  I'm trying to remember everything that's happened in the last few weeks. I know her hair is getting a little longer, not by sight but by feel. When I kiss her little fuzzy head, I can feel a slight difference. She just recently started trying to blow raspberries and Chris and I were both surprised when she started. It's pretty funny to watch her drooly lips and tongue try to make noises. Oh, and she's started to get LOUD. Not by screaming or crying, but by YELLING. I think she finds the sound interesting and will blab away from time to time.

Play time is tiring!

Seriously, it's tough! Good thing this dog toy is here to cushion my head!

Getting ready to go up to my crib for a proper nap (aka stretching out to sleep like a starfish, just like mama)

     She had a pediatrician appointment a couple weeks ago for another round of Hib and Pc. The thought of her getting the shots before we even got to the clinic didn't make me tear up and I didn't even spring a leak when she cried a little after the two shots. She cried for a few seconds and then was over it. Yay! We're both growing up :) She weighed 11 lbs 12 oz and her length was 23 inches.

     Chris brought the Exer-saucer in for Cupcake to use. She likes it for a few minutes at time, usually when I'm in the kitchen doing stuff. 

     Chris, Ayla and Grandma Leniger took a day trip to the cabin in Tillamook to finish painting. It was warm enough to take a trip down to the river!

 

3 1/2 months

     Cupcake's had a lot of social time lately! Bunco, Katie and Dawson about a week or so ago, down to Corvallis to see Uncle Carl, Grandpa Leniger (while Chris and I did our 5k), Grandma Leniger.

Gotta have cupcakes in Cupcake's room!

      She's starting to wear less and less of her newborn clothes (yes, she still fits in some of them!) and more of the 0-3 months and 3 month outfits (they're a little baggy on her). I think I'll have to officially pack away her newborn outfits in a week or two, though.

Randomly found her pinkie during a nap one day

     Since we're living in a town home now (upstairs/downstairs), Chris and I decided to get a baby monitor. My thought was so that if we were on the opposite level of where she was taking a nap, we could hear her if she started to wake up (instead of waiting until she got to full blown crying mode. I try to prevent that when at all possible. It's unnecessary, upsets her and makes me sad). Chris' idea for the monitor was so that she could start sleeping in her own room at night. I didn't know this until the first night we had the monitor and he asked if she was going to sleep in her room. You can imagine my response. I was shocked, first of all. And then I got really sad and did NOT want to put her in her crib before I went to bed. I know she has to sleep in her own room eventually, but it was kind of sudden and unexpected in my mind. Plus, she's either been with me, in bed with us, or right next to our bed for basically a year (during the pregnancy and her 3 1/2 months up to this point). I'm not going to lie, I cried a little bit while I held her in her room. She slept fine and we heard her when she woke up about 6:30 to nurse. It felt really weird though to hear her on the monitor and not right next to our bed. It felt really unnatural. Despite that, she's been in her room the last 3 nights and last night we were even able to close both our bedroom doors (otherwise Java gets in our bed and I didn't want him finding him way into her crib. He's pretty oblivious to her and I didn't want him sleeping on top of her or waking her up). I guess it just makes me realize that she is going to keep growing and become more independent eventually and not be completely just mine. For so long, everything I did was done with her in mind. What I ate, what I drank, how I slept, how much exercise I did. It's hard having her in the "outside world" where I can't be with her all the time.

Oohhhh yeah! She loves her nap times. Total relaxation.

     On a happier note, she's been sleeping pretty consistently through the night (I know, I know, some of you hate me for that). She used to be up from about 10 or so until 2 in the morning, but lately she's been going to bed about 11:30 or 12 and waking up around 6:30. There have been a few times when she'd done that before (sleep for long stretches at night), but only one or two nights in a row before throwing it all out the window. As soon as I noticed that she'd slept well for two nights, she'd be up 1-3 times the next night. Luckily, she's really good about nursing in bed with me and falling right back asleep, so really, even when she does wake up, I can't complain. I told you she's made everything really easy. 

    We took her to her first concert on Wednesday evening! We got free tickets to Big Bad VooDoo Daddy with our gym membership. It was a great night for it, too! The weather was great and we got there early enough to get a nice shaded seat on the lawn. She fell asleep right before the band started to play and slept through about 4 or 5 songs (man, all the things she's slept through... part of this concert, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in the theater, dog park trips, Bunco nights with some noisy girls :) .....) Funny thing is, as soon as she passed out and the music started, Chris and I whipped out the nail clippers and file and gave her a manicure. I'm sure the other people/families around us were either wondering what the hell we were doing or knew exactly why we doing it. It's so much easier to trim those baby claws down when she's asleep! No fuss, no arm flailing, perfect! When she woke up, I walked around with her for a bit. We got to see the elephants (which was awesome, because they were no where to be seen when we went to the zoo a few weeks ago with Omi and Icen and Zoe and her gaggle of kids).

Chris rocking the carrier Zoe gave us. She's in backwards so she can see.

We put  her pink "track suit" on and I believe this is what caused her immediate delivery into sleepland. We couldn't stop laughing at her, the outfit was way too cute (and unplanned. We keep a jacket and a random pair of pants in her diaper bag. They both just happened to be bright pink this day)

     Speaking of Zoe, she did a mini photo session for us! While she took pictures, I played with Lotus (7-months! It's so funny how just a few months in the first year makes a huge difference) and Simon (4 years, I think)

Happy baby!

Head lifter extraordinaire!

"Clutchy" hands and curled toes

Definitely one of my favorites!

Behind on posting...Baby is 13 weeks!

     Gah, I totally missed posting last week. I've been busy with working full-time and dealing with moving to a different apartment (and who are we kidding? I spend hours just looking at CC).

     We had a pediatrician appointment last week (or the week before... everything is blurred together at this point) for just one vaccination (the DTap). I was sick to my stomach just *thinking* about going back because our first experience with the vaccines was like getting hit by a bus (in case you hadn't heard, CC and I both cried. It felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest). When we got into the exam room this time, I grabbed some tissues, knowing the tears would flow (I would get teary eyed just thinking about Cupcake crying from the pokes). I didn't ask the nurse if either Chris or I could hold her this time (I knew if I opened my mouth, I would burst into tears). I took my position near her head, Chris stood next to baby and... POKE! She cried a "normal" cry for about 10-15 seconds and then she was totally over it! That little butt had me all nervous and upset and she ended up forgetting about it faster than I did. Sheesh!

     We have just about everything finally moved in to our new townhome. Chris and friends (Megan, Zach) and family (Carl and Peggy) did a big move on Saturday, with grandma watching Ayla and the dogs at the new place while everyone did the moving (I was at work for 10 hours... yay). He and I have been making small trips over to the "old place" over the last few days, making small trips and using the washer/dryer (our new place has hookups, but we don't have machines just yet). We're hoping tonight will be the last night we have to go over. Between the two of us, we should be able to get the cleaning done and the storage unit emptied.

     Cupcake and I went over to Zoe's on Tuesday for a photo shoot! I have one photo right now and will get the rest next week at Bunco. I can't wait! We also need to get an appointment at the photo studio in Hillsboro. Hopefully we can get that in the next few weeks.



Cupcake is 3-months old!

     Last week, Omi (and Icen), Zoe (and Lotus, Simon, Xander and Isaac) and I (and CC) all went to the zoo! I'm not sure what I was thinking, going on a weekday in the summer... the parking lot was packed! And that was the day I had stayed up until about 4am baking (and trying out the new "cupcake bites/pops/balls"--see picture below), then got up around 8:30 to do a volunteer thing at work. Funny thing about the zoo... I had never gone with a stroller before, but as soon as I got there, I knew it was a terrible idea. There were just so many people and it was kind of irritating to maneuver it around. Zoe had the right idea and had Lotus in a wrap carrier. I was going to do that initially, but then had to bring Omi her birthday cupcakes (and cupcake bites), that it was just easier to throw it all in the stroller. Omi got home pictures on her camera and I'll have to post them once she sends me a few.

Cupcake bites. First time I tried making them and Omi loved them!

Chocolate cupcakes with meringue buttercream frosting. Look like roses! Happy birthday, Omi!

Blankets on parade!

     Cupcake is 11 1/2 weeks! This Thursday marks the 3-month mark and it totally blows my mind. It's gone so fast!

Yo yo, homie! Wearing her cute knit hat made by one of my co-workers. She's looking at a bee toy on her bouncy chair. Chris and I joke that she hates the bee because he's smug and doesn't talk back to her

     Tomorrow we have her newborn hearing test (yes, a little late, but they didn't have any appointments until now. Plus, it's okay to have it done within the first 6 months). On Thursday, we have a 2nd pediatrician appointment (just for her DTap vaccine). I'm really dreading it. Ugh... I'm hoping that holding her during this shot helps (she was laying on the table last month when she got two shots). I know that she's fine and that I don't need to cry, but I can't  help it. It's just an automatic reaction. Maybe I'll get thicker skin in the next few months.

     CC stayed with grandma Leniger this last Sunday while both Chris and I worked. Sounds like she made it easy by falling asleep almost right after Chris left and slept for a few hours. When she woke up, she spent some time in the Bumbo seat.  She gets to stay with grandma again next week and two more Sundays next month. Uncle Justin and Aunt Kim have watched Ayla a few times, too. Uncle Carl came up from Corvallis one night to babysit while Chris and I had a date night. We're so lucky to  have family help out! Though, I'm not sure whether they want to help or just have snuggle time... :)

     It's moving week! We sign for our new place on Friday and start moving stuff on Saturday with the help of some friends and family (well, I'll be working, but I'm super grateful)!

     We've received several blankets and quilts since Ayla was born. Check them out!

Beautiful quilt made by Grandpa Alsman's friend, Teresa Green. I love it! Pink and rainbow-y!

Cupcake's name in the middle--Ayla Noelle Leniger

Sewn on tag

It says May 2011 because baby came 2 weeks early at 38 weeks. Go figure! She couldn't even wait an extra 3 days. Oh well.

From left to right: pink blanket from Grandma Leniger, cupcake blanket from Uncle Justin and Aunt Kim, cupcake blanket from my cousin Betsy. Cupcakes!!

Quilt from Aundi (made by her grandmother). Very cute!

Pink strawberry blanket from Chris' aunt. It's SO soft!

Blanket from Andaluz Water birth center

Handmade with Love from the Andaluz Midwives, www.waterbirth.net  We love it!

Made by my aunt Tracy!

     

2 1/2 months!

     CC is 2 1/2 (or 10 weeks) old! I'm finally getting to the point where I'm recognizing that she does look a little bigger than she did when she was first born (I've been in denial). There are days when I can't wait for her to get  bigger (crawling, walking, doing stuff like help bake cupcakes or go to story time) and then there are times when I don't want her to get any bigger or grow up at all. I'm trying to just enjoy everything in the here and now and not focus too much on the past or the future, but it's hard!

Cool Cat! Getting ready to go to the Blues Festival in Portland with dad

       Last week when I was at Target, I saw something called the Simple Wishes nursing bra. It's for a double pump electric breast pump so that you don't have to sit there and hold the bottles with your hands. I was a little skeptical, but it made sense to me and seemed like a nice idea. I didn't have the money for it, but kept thinking about it throughout the week. Lucky for me, a woman on the Andaluz (waterbirth center) yahoo group had two that she wanted to give away for free! They were the size I needed and free is always a great price. I contacted her, hoping she had at least one left and I'm happy to say that I picked one up on Wednesday, used it Thursday and LOVE it! It's so nice to be able to eat something or read a book while I take 15-20 minutes to pump, instead of sitting there, staring at the wall. I'm so happy that I have it now and don't know how I didn't know about something like this sooner! And since I plan on breastfeeding (and in turn, pumping while at work) for about a year, I know this is going to be a very handy piece of "equipment"!

Tummy time! Working on getting that head up and neck strong. She uses this time as a leg workout and is always kicking around like a breakdancer

     There have been a couple nights where she's been sleeping 6-8 hours in a row (so nice!). She'll usually be up around 6-8am to nurse and then sometimes falls back asleep (sometimes with daddy). On the nights where she does wake up in the middle of the night (3-5am), Chris gets up, sometimes changes her diaper, and then puts in her bed with me to nurse where she promptly falls back asleep. I don't want to risk waking her, so I leave her in bed (instead of moving her back to the play pen/sleeper next to our bed) and usually don't sleep very well. I've always been a bad sleeper (I wake up a TON at night) and like to spread out, which is kind of hard to do, even when it's just Chris in bed. With a baby? Forget it. She sleeps in between us, so I'm not worried about her rolling off or us rolling onto her at all. I just want to stretch out! Oh well. It's worth it waking up to her sweet little bed hogging face. I'm pretty sure I spent 20 minutes the other morning just laying there looking at her and kissing her (which she slept through). I was almost late to work because of it. Bad baby! :)

"Hmmm... that dog looks weird. I don't think it's real..."

"Nope, it must not be real. It's not licking me back or sniffing my head!"

     We're moving in two weeks! I can't believe it. I'm really excited to have a mini yard for the dogs and to not have upstairs or downstairs neighbors, but I hate packing and moving (of which I've done over 25 times in my life. You'd think I'd be used to it by now). And now there's a baby in the mix. Oh the joy...

First pediatrician appointment

   Cupcake is 9 weeks old!
   Weight: 9 lbs 14 oz (46 percentile)
   Height: 21 3/4 inches (49 percentile)

Seriously, how cute is this?

 

Love this outfit, but sadly it's been retired. It's really hard to get her head in it!

     We went to the pediatrician for the first time on Thursday! We had gotten a pediatrician referral list from the birth center, but it took us awhile to look over it and pick someone. After narrowing it down to 3 or 4, we looked at websites, locations and initials (I wanted to go through a naturopath, but I think Chris felt more comfortable with an M.D.). After discussing over a few days, we finally decided on Dr. Paul Thomas at Integrative Pediatrics (or rather, I decided and Chris didn't have any objections). The clinic is fairly close to us (hwy 217 and hwy 26, right down the street from St. Vincent's) and the doctor is a doctor (though he approves of alternative vaccine schedules and using natural/organic/holistic when possible and medications only when necessary). I really liked the website, it was very informative and Dr. Thomas has accomplished a lot in his career (http://www.drpaul.md/bios.html#paul).

     After filling out paperwork, we were taken back to get CC's height and weight and speak with the Nurse Practitioner.  She was very nice and answered any questions we had. She examined baby and commented on how strong she is (she said she has very good head control and neck strength and could blow 4-monthers out of the water!). She went over a little vaccine information with us (we were still on the fence about whether we wanted to vaccinate or not and I had some questions regarding a few of the recommended shots). She gave us a few minutes to talk about it and said that we could have one, none or all of them that day. I didn't feel pressure from her at all (or the first nurse we saw) and it was really appreciated. I'm not totally against vaccines, I think some of them are really good and helpful, but I'm not convinced that the current recommended vaccine schedule is the way to go (getting 3-5 vaccines in one visit, a few of those already being multiple vaccines, so it ends up being 3-7 things at one visit. That just seems like a lot for anyone's body to deal with, especially a two-month old. Plus, the jury is still out on how the aluminum in vaccines can cause reactions/harm, so getting more than one vaccine containing aluminum in one visit can be risky depending on who you ask). Chris and I have already agreed and declined on some vaccines (hep B at birth, for example), so we knew we'd have to keep researching the other vaccines that babies are "supposed to have". In Oregon, you're allowed to claim religious exemption for any or all of the vaccines when your child enters daycares or schools. I'm not typically someone who does something just because "that's how it's done"; I like to research and see what my options are and what I think is best for me or my family. I get some arguments from some people about it sometimes, but ultimately it comes down to what Chris or I want/think/feel is important. Anyway, we ended up getting CC the Hib and Pc vaccines and let me just tell you, the cry that came out of her little body was terrible (as I'm sure any parent knows). I can listen to babies cry and know that they're fine, but my body had a totally different reaction to my own baby. About 5 seconds after the first injection (and making a light comment about how "that's a new one we haven't heard" in regards to her cry), I couldn't help crying. I knew she was fine, but I had no control over it. She received the second shot and then the nurse told Chris he could pick her up (he was holding her hands as she lay on the exam table). I went over to them and had to restrain myself from ripping her from his arms. I was finally able to say to him, "I'll take her" (it's hard to talk when you're trying to hold back from bawling and collapsing on the ground). He handed her to me and she calmed down a little, but kept crying, so we had a little cry fest together. Sheesh. No one said it was going to be that hard! ;) Next time, I'm definitely going to tell the nurse that I want to hold/nurse her when she's getting the shots (or hold and try to nurse right after the shots, though I don't think Cupcake will go for that. She was pretty focused on the crying the first time). And maybe they'll have some earplugs and blinders for me so my heart doesn't explode into a million pieces again. Ugh.

Taking a nap with daddy on the couch

     We're officially out of newborn size diapers and CC's wearing size 1! It doesn't seem like she's grown very much (but she obviously is), but the 1's are working well (no more  blow-outs... for now, anyway). I think we're going to officially retire her newborn onesies in the next week or two as well. There's one outfit (pictured above) that definitely does not fit over her head anymore. We've been experimenting with the size 0-3 month clothes this last week.

Nap time for everyone (Pogo loves being around her! I can tell they're going to be very good friends as she grows up)