She's Almost Five Months!

This month has been pretty exciting so far. I've discovered that everything I thought I knew about Indiana based on her first few weeks of life was wildly inaccurate, which is pretty crazy cause the only advice I've ever consistently gotten is to trust my instincts because I'm her mom and I know her best. Not this mama. This mama is really bad at reading people. This, combined with my devastation upon learning that the tectonic plates I had been teaching my daughter about are just "theoretical", has shaken my beliefs in everything unrelated to the Bible. I can't trust my intuition or my childhood education!? And then it hit me - "what if everything we think we know about everything is wrong?" Pretty sure I hit the nail on the head with this epiphany. Then again, I could be wrong.

Last month I was sure that Indiana was not so happy a girl. That maybe, just maybe, she had taken after the serious grandparent in the family. Wrong! Last month I was on a mission to elicit smiles and tried everything in the book from peek-a-boo to smearing oatmeal in my hair while dancing to the Frozen soundtrack. This month? All I have to do is look at her and she grins. I'm beginning to think that maybe her eyesight just wasn't so great last month. How else could she resist all my hilarious shenanigans?

This month I discovered my favorite thing to date about my little Indie. She has inherited my overly emotional about music gene. I have always had a strong love for music. As a child I loved to sing. It started with Wee Sing, then Disney Movie Soundtracks, Phantom of the Opera, Madonna, and Mariah Carey. My parents put me in singing lessons and soon after I was performing in talent shows and plays - loving every moment I spent engaging with a melody. The only thing I couldn't sing was sad songs. The music and lyrics would touch me so deeply that I would start choking up .5 seconds into the first verse. I avoided those songs like the plague and managed to hide my weakness quite well. 20 years later that soft spot still exists. And now I know that my little Indiana has the same soft spot in her heart too.

 It all started when I stumbled across this video where a baby cries after hearing its mother sing a mournful song. I wondered if my little Indie would be similarly touched. I played her the video. She seemed unphased and I was slightly dissapointed. (Why can't you be cool like that baby!?) She was only 6 weeks old at the time so I figured maybe it was a little early. I forgot about it until a few weeks later when I found myself singing and folding laundry while Indiana stared at me from her walker. I had started to sing some of my old favorite opera pieces when I noticed that the delicate high notes of Pie Jesu made her chin quiver and her lips purse into a sad frown. Her sad little face pulled at my heart strings, but mostly I was kind of thrilled and ran to get my phone to try to record it. By the time I got back, however, Heidi was playing pic-a-boo with her and she was laughing hysterically and my crying baby video had turned into a sisters laughing hysterically video. 

Later that day, I fed Indie while the top 20 countdown played on TV. I was watching the hot girl from John Legend's "All of Me" blow bubbles under water when I noticed Indie had stopped sucking and was transfixed by the video. I sat her up and allowed her to enjoy it from the upright position and 20 seconds later she was sobbing. This time my phone was nearby and I managed to catch it on video:

She is my tiny soul mate. This past week I have had so much fun sharing with her my favorite songs. Its been thrilling to watch her take them in and experience them the same way that I do.

In other news, it has become blatantly obvious that Heidi is Indie's favorite person. Heidi is all over her, all the time and while I watch nervously - anticipating bumped heads and other injuries likely to occur when a four year old doesn't know how to walk, only bounce - Indie just soaks up all the love and attention and never gives her anything less than a charmed expression. I swear it seems Indiana has a special smile that she reserves only for her sister. I love watching them together. Every morning Heidi comes in and tells me when she hears Indiana talking/fussing in her room and begs me to let her climb in the crib. I can't turn her down, so I turn on the video monitor and spy on them while they think they're having alone time. Its so cute to hear Heidi reassure her "Don't cry Indie, I'm here. I'm your sister and I'm here for you! You can always count on me!" Then she bounces up and down in the crib and Indie laughs and then Heidi laughs because "Mommy! Indie likes it when I play with her! She's laughing!!" 

They are so adorable together and I am so happy that they have each other.

Indie still really isn't into tummy time. She definitely prefers lying on her back or standing in her bouncer or walker. She will tolerate tummy time, but unless we are right there talking to her the entire time, she starts whining after a few minutes, at which point Heidi will help her roll over and she will be all smiles again. I've seen Indie roll over by herself a handful of times, but she seems pretty content to just whine for us to move her instead. Which is fine by me. Heidi has enough bouncy energy for the both of them!

The Pediatrician gave me the green light to try solids a couple weeks ago, so I gave Indie a lick of a lollipop the other day while we waited for Austin in the pet store. And then I felt that proud feeling of being a second time parent where you are so much more relaxed and letting your 4 month old lick a lollipop to keep her from crying sounds like a great idea, instead of a potential green-dye-allergy-attack nightmare.  Later I tried to see if she wanted a taste of Pureed Carrots. She tongue thrusted it out of her mouth and I remembered why I gave up trying to feed solids to Heidi until she was about 8 months old. Think we're just gonna stick with lollipops for now.

I'm gonna do another post soon about what Heidi has been up to! Lots of new things in her life going on too! 

Catching Up

The time of counting my baby's age in weeks is now over. We are officially on to months. What a milestone. When Indie was 2 weeks old this thought terrified me and would send me sobbing into my room to throw my head into a pillow, but now that its here I remember how truly wonderful it is that babies don't stay newborns forever.

A 3 month old can sleep through the night. Instead of needing to eat every 2-3 hours, we are on to eating 4 meals a day. She eats at roughly 6am, 10am, 2pm, and 5:30pm every day, give or take an hour. She takes two solid naps in the morning from about 7am - 10am, and then again at 11:45am - 2pm, and usually at least an hour long nap in the afternoon. And then, like the model baby she is, she sleeps from 6:00pm - 6:00am without waking up! Newborns are adorable and all, but any sleep deprived parent will tell you that there is absolutely no substitute for a full night's rest. No, not even copious amounts of coffee and diet pills. 

In the past 3 months Indiana has doubled her birth weight and shot up like a weed. Last week she had her first well visit with the pediatrician and she was in the 92% for weight (14lbs!), 96% for length, and 93% for head circumference. Alarmed, the pediatrician assured me that for her length she was still only in the 60% for weight. Looks like both of my girls inherited their mother's long bones.

Personality wise, I have deduced a few things. 

The first is that my sweet little Indiana is not a pushover. If she wants something she will not give up easily in trying to achieve her goal. I learned this while attempting to sleep train her. While I tried to teach Indiana that her crib is a wonderful and cozy spot to sleep, Indiana put forth an equal and opposite effort to convince me that the best place for to her sleep is in my arms while being rocked back and forth. She did this by screaming at the top of her lungs anytime I would put her in her crib, even when she had been falling asleep just a moment before. This screaming often continued until she could no longer stay awake. I was frequently amazed that even while she slept she would sometimes let out a solitary "wahhhhhhhhhh" just to remind us that even if she was sleeping in the crib, she wasn't happy about it - at all. After several weeks of this, Indiana's crib protest crying has sharply decreased. I am convinced that this is not because she has given up, but rather, because she has changed her mind about her crib. She still cries at times, but only during witching hour when she is just fussy in general. Now it appears that most of the time, her naps in her crib cannot come soon enough. 

The second is that my baby is not a happy go lucky type of baby. She is a serious baby. Smiles are not given out willy nilly. They have to be earned. And once you have done something to earn a smile, it is unlikely that that same action will earn a smile a second time. In short, I don't always know how to get her to smile. It seems that she only smiles if she is in the mood, regardless of how hilarious my jokes are or how many kisses I smother her with. Sometimes I will give up and turn my attention elsewhere. After a few moments of neglect she often will start cooing and smiling at me. I think she likes a challenge. 

The third is that baby Indiana loves the sound of her own voice. Girl loves to talk. Nonstop jibberish. I also loved the sound of my own voice as a child and could frequently be found perfecting various accents and singing at the top of my lungs. Perhaps we will share that personality quirk.

Of course, most of us have had done alot of personal growth since the time we were newborns so its quite possible all of these things I have deduced are only phases. We will see. 

My favorite thing about her? The way she smells. I'm pretty sure its pheremones or something because no other smell makes me feel as unabashedly content as I do when her head is nestled right under mine and I am free to breathe in her dreamy goodness. 

Also, she has one single eyelash that is double the length of all her other eyelashes and its pretty freaking adorable. 

Around Here

So I was full of good intentions to chronicle these first several weeks, but alas the schedule of this mother of two did not allow such luxuries. I thought about depriving myself of more sleep to blog, but when I consulted Maslow's Hierachy of Needs it just didn't make sense. However, things around here are starting to change. All the sleep training is finally starting to pay off - at 11 weeks Indie is through the night! She sleeps from 7 pm to 6:30 am without waking up. I've had about a weeks worth of full nights of sleep and I am starting to feel like myself again. So, I'm back! I'll have to play catch up for a while, but hopefully I can stay on top of this little blog.

 Here are some of the sweet moments I managed to capture with my camera over the past few weeks.

Photo Shoot Attempt

They say the optimal window for newborn photography is 10-14 days. Well that time came and went about a week ago! Its so hard to sit down and take proper photos when you're the actual sleep-deprived, sweaty, leaking, hormonal mama. So I didn't get to it until 22 days after her birth and even then I didn't have nearly as much patience and gave up after about 20 minutes (Mama needs her rest!!).

This week has been pretty good. Indie is taking 2-3 hour naps during the day/night, which means I'm not getting much sleep but I'm hanging in there. I'm thinking of doing a post on her schedule soon for fellow babywise mamas. I've googled "Babywise 3 Weeks Schedule" several times this week and there definitely aren't enough posts out there detailing typical schedules. Maybe I can help change that!

Heidi's Teepee

When I was pregnant we decided that with a new baby on the way, it was time to get Heidi a big girl bed and get her crib ready for the new baby. Unfortunately, no matter how many cool beds we looked at, Heidi was not buying it. She really didn't want to move out of her crib. She would act really sad whenever we talked about it and would plead with us to maybe let her and the new baby share a crib. This broke our heart. So we decided we needed to get creative. One day I was looking at a restoration hardware catalog and noticed they had the cutest teepees. I showed them to Heidi and she instantly fell in love and started begging for a teepee. So I talked to Austin about it and we both decided that this might be the way to get Heidi out of her crib. So we ordered one. We ended up getting one custom made from a company called Banana J Creations in Australia. We would have gone with the restoration hardware one, but it wasn't big enough for her crib mattress. The one fits her crib mattress easily inside and is even big enough to go over a twin bed later on if we want. It was a little pricey after shipping all the way from Australia, but Heidi adores her teepee and has long since forgotten about her crib. Her room is still a work in progress but we really love this addition and so does she! I especially love the twinkle lights. Makes her room so romantic!

Two Weeks Of Indie Scarlett

Indiana is 2 weeks old. I forgot how quickly time goes when you are severely sleep deprived and drugged up all the time (c-section narcotics!). 

Here is a little Indiana update:

Girl loves to cuddle. She is not a huge fan of being put down. I am starting to put her in her crib for naps and while she is slowly learning to accept the fact that this is where I expect her to sleep, she much prefers my arms and chest. I can't blame her, I am equally a fan of our cuddle sessions, however, I know this is not something I can keep up long term (carrying her 24/7). So I am following the old adage: "Start as you mean to go on" and trying to get her comfortable in her crib, before I start a habit that will be emotionally traumatizing to break later on. We are on a 3 hour cycle so far. This consists of feeding her, trying to play with her, watching and waiting for drowsy signs, and then taking her up to her crib, cuddling with her just a little bit until I see her starting to doze and then putting her in her crib (drowsy, but not all the way asleep). About half the time she will go straight to sleep, but the other half she will start to fuss. I give her about 5-10 minutes of fussing to see if she will settle by herself before I go in and comfort her and most of the time she will, but occasionally she will get hysterical and start screaming. I always laugh to myself when she is hysterical but as soon as I pick her up she takes one deep breath and calms down. All she wants is mama. Its a little sad, but I have to keep reminding myself she will be a much happier baby overall if I give her the gift of learning good sleeping habits. 

She is still very sleepy and I'm pretty sure she has her days and nights mixed up. During the day between naps it is difficult to get her wide awake. Even when she is hungry she rarely has enough energy to throw a proper fit, its always just mild fussing. As soon as I put the nipple in her mouth she is soothed and it isn't long before her eyes are closed and she is breathing deeply. During the night. however, she is much more alert between feedings. I remember in the womb she was most active at night, around 11-2 and this is still true today. Its a little rough in the middle of the night when she is so alert and I'm waiting for her to get drowsy, but I'm hanging in there. When I'm desperate I just bring her back into bed with me or prop her in her stroller bassinet in my room. I'm hoping that this process will reverse as she gets older, the only advice I've been able to find so far is to make sure she stays on her 3 hour schedule during the day, that way her longest stretches can be at night. Its surprisingly hard to mind the clock and not to push a feeding out 15 - 30 minutes when she is happy asleep and I'm busy doing something, but it will be worth it if it fixes this day/night confusion. 

Indiana has had a couple baths now and I'm happy to say she doesn't appear to mind them as much as most newborns do. She is relatively calm throughout which is great because I've been doing them in the sink which is always a little tricky. Can't be bothered to get that giant baby bath tub out of storage in the garage. 

I'm pretty sure Indie has her daddy's mouth/lips. I love it because they look super pouty when she is sleeping and makes for the cutest photos. Austin has a great smile so I'm hoping she gets that too. When I compare photos of Heidi and Indie as newborns I don't see alot of similarities, but one thing I do see in common are their super expressive facial expressions. Many a picture has been ruined by grumpy looking facial expressions, most commonly by a furrowed brow. I've been told that I wear my heart on my sleeve too, so I guess they are getting that from me. 

Well thats it for now. Check back in soon! 

The Birth of my Second Child

I am happy to announce that our second daughter has arrived! I am currently almost two weeks postpartum and finally able to sit down and write about her. 

Indiana Scarlett arrived by scheduled C-section on September 23rd at 2:30 p.m. weighing 7 lbs 1 oz and measuring 19 1/2 inches long. I know every mother thinks their child is adorable, but Indie is seriously the cutest newborn I have ever seen! We are head over heels for her. 

I didn't get to take any quality photos of Indie in the hospital because I was in too much pain to even think about picking up my camera, but I do have a couple of cell phone shots from those first few days. 

Gorgeous, right?

The Drs said my surgery went well, but this c-section was so much harder for me than my first. Their idea of pain management was quite different from my last c-section and didn't give me nearly enough drugs to keep me comfortable. So that was kind of a bummer, but the pain has gotten better now so I'm happy about that. They said I hardly lost any blood which is great because I was really worried about that with my anemia. 

The next day we had Austin's mom bring Heidi to the hospital to meet her baby sister. Heidi didn't know why she was going to the hospital, only that we had a surprise for her. When she got to our room the first thing she noticed was that her grandma Gigi was there. She excitedly assumed this was her surprise and ran across the room to give her a hug. When she turned around she noticed I was holding something. "Is that baby Indie?" she asked excitedly. When I told her yes, the first words out of her mouth were "She is sooo pretty! She is sooo cute!" and then she asked if she could sing Indie a lullaby. After that she lost interest and started asking to play with the Iphones of every single person in the hospital room. 

Even though I was in alot of pain we were in a hurry to get out of the hospital, so we asked if we could leave after the mandatory 2 day stay and our wish was granted and home we went! 

I'm not gonna lie, the weeks following my c-section births have been some of the hardest of my life, but it is so worth it. I don't know why they say that we are the weaker sex because it definitely does not seem that way after all that we endure during childbirth and the weeks thereafter. This phase of parenthood is brutal! But it is also so sweet. Indiana is such a cuddler. She does not like to be far from me! Somehow she can tell even if I am more than a few feet away from her. I try putting her in a bassinet next to my bed and she wont have it! She wants to be either right next to me or on top of me. Now that I know how fast this phase goes I'm finding it much harder to put her down and let her have some space. This girl is practically glued to me! I kind of love it, but also a little worried about creating habits that will be hard to reverse later on. I never thought I could ever co-sleep but I have to admit she has been sleeping in our bed. What am I doing?! Losing my mind over here! Now if you'll excuse me I have a newborn to cuddle with :-)

Indiana's Nursery Reveal!

Just a little while longer and this darling nursery will be home to my little Indiana! 

We are super excited and I am so ready to get this baby out. This pregnancy has been so much different from Heidi's. While I have had way more aches and pains this pregnancy, I think I enjoyed it more overall. Having been pregnant before, I'm much better at reassuring myself that it will be over soon and things will go back to normal. Plus, I know what I have to look forward to.

Some pregnancy ailments I have experienced thus far: morning sickness (stopped at 12 weeks thank goodness), leg falling out of  hip socket leaving me temporarily paralyzed (too much relaxin!), constant heavy pressure/soreness down there, hip/leg/foot/calf/back/shoulder cramps at least once a day, sciatica, anemia followed by 3 day-long hospital iron transfusions, heartburn, and worst of all - frequent painful contractions/cramping throughout third trimester. I think some of these symptoms may be related to dehydration and the baby sucking up all my nutrients. I've heard that dehydration can increase contractions and leg cramps, but it feels like I drink and drink and still get them - which makes me think that I just don't have the minerals I need to properly hydrate. So I've been trying Coconut Water,  taking Magnesium supplements, and Evergreen to try to help. I notice the biggest difference with Evergreen and Magnesium. 

Heidi's pregnancy, on the other hand, was pretty routine. Yes I had morning sickness and heartburn, and a little sciatica, but it was nothing like this one. This one has been way more uncomfortable and I'm not sure why. I haven't gotten pre-eclampsia yet like I did with Heidi though, so I guess I should be grateful. 

My biggest pregnancy craving so far has been sweets - I have made more chocolate chip cookies in this pregnancy than I have in all my previous years of existence combined. I think I have finally perfected my recipe! Chocolate cake has been a favorite as well. Apart from sweets I've craved orange juice, french bread and butter, tomato sandwiches (sliced tomato, fresh ground salt and pepper, mayo on sourdough toast), tangy homemade potato salad, and fish n chips. I'd love to know what all these cravings mean. It feels like nothing tastes the same when you are pregnant and all your favorite foods become non appealing, and then all of the sudden something unusual that you normally wouldn't be interested in tastes amazing. Is it your body's way of trying to get something its lacking? I wonder! 

Indiana is the name we've chosen for her. We will call her "Indie" for short. But I love both.

Other top contenders were: Navy, Scarlett, Calise, and Sloane. We haven't decided on a middle name yet so we may use one these. 

Thats it for now. I will definitely be posting more now that sweet little Indie will be here soon! So stay tuned :)

 P.S. Did you know Jellycat makes security blankets? I love everything Jellycat! That owl hanging on the dresser is a Jellycat musical pull too, but it doesn't quite fit on my crib so I need to extend the belt. Super cute though! 

Botanical Gardens in June

Haven't bothered with my camera for quite some time. 

I think I need to start taking it with me again! I forgot how fun it is! 

Babe Update

thats right.

 we're having a she!