"She Should....."

     I like to think that we have a strong willed baby (much like I am). I like to think I am capable of asking for help if I need it. We've been going along great up until now when people want to voice their opinions on how to "help". These people have never had children, nor do they spend a large amount of time around Kaelynn.

     "she should learn to take a soother so she's not on your boob all the time"

"she should learn to self soothe"

"she should learn to sleep in her own bed"

"she should learn to use teethers"

 

     Yes, she should learn, but she is only 5.5months old. She is too busy learning more usefull things, plus trying to come to terms with painful things trying to burst through her gums. She chews on her Sophie sometimes, on frozen icepacks, and on warm teethers - all are sometimes and none are by free will.

    

     When it comes to sleeping, she is back in our bed. We put her in her crib, and sometimes she will sleep for about 2 hours and then be awake and wanting to party. At this point,there is nothing I can do to put her down - unless I want to stay awake for hours. Once brought to bed, she wants to play for a bit, but because it's dark and quiet already she's able to nurse herself to sleep. This way, it's bonding time for the whole family and we sleep (roughly) hours at a time.
     Talking with people about her sleep habits (because they asked), we got the advice to let her cry herself to sleep. Jake replied that she will cry for an hour and just keep going. "Oh, let her keep crying, eventually she will fall asleep". No thanks. Early on, we let her cry it out mainly because she was just whining and not really crying. Now with teething coming in, she SCREAMS. I can't just let her scream and be alone in her crib - if she is just whiny and rolling around, she stays.

 

      I've heard that it takes a village to raise a baby, but in the end, it's my baby. I'm the one who is there for her 24/7. Unless you're willing to care for her for about a week - to see ALL her moods- than helpful hints are not welcome.

 

5 Months Old

     Five months already. Pretty soon she is going to be all grown up, but I won't think like that.
Kaelynn is getting to be such a big girl. Even in her 5 month Mommy picture, she looks big.

     She is increasingly becoming more vocal & more personality is growing. She has become WAY more interested in food, but I'm waiting. She's getting to the staring/grabbing/angry/feed me too stage. As her Aunt Sarah said on Thursday (while eating Menchie's), "she's making me feel bad". She's been playing with her new Munchkin spoons, and sometimes even gets the right end in her mouth. She hates when it's empty, so when it's time for homeopathic allergy "meds", I place a small bit on her spoon.

     Her sleep has definately changed in the last little while. Recently, she has been trying to roll from her back to her front, and this has carried over into sleep. I lay her on her back to sleep, and she will roll over half way, wake herself up and have a freak out. She's also got the skills now to pivot herself. I place her in the bed facing in one direction, and in a few minutes she will be the farthest thing away from the first position.
     For the past 2 nights, I have brought back the bassinet and she's been in there. She JUST fits. Lastnight, she was in there until 4am, but then from 4-9am, she was in bed because she didn't want to be in her own bed/or tired me didn't wait long enough to put her down.

 

 

     She's become to get more interested in her toys. I was at Toys R Us picking her friend up a birthday gift, and of course we had to walk out with something for her. I got her an OBall. She loves it. I also got her a rattle a few days ago, and she's just getting into that too - with lots of head smackings.

 

     As in the previous Torticollis post, she now is able to sit by hersel unassisted for a little bit. She is even able to sit up, and not in a tripod position. I am always close by, but it makes me happy - even if sometimes she almost topples over on top of Bandit.

     There are the beginnings of tooth nubs in her gums too. Tiny teeth for a tiny baby. Yet, they cause her big stress. I feel so bad that I can't really do anything to help her. She doesn't like her teething toys, she spits out fingers now, teething homeopathic liquid doesn't seem to help. I am so glad that adults don't remember teething.

 



    ...and now for a touch of cute...I love making cute lil baby leg warmers now, pity it's Summer time.

Water Baby

      This past week, I have taken Kaelynn on 2 different adventures- to the splash pad and to the beach. Both were a success.
    
     Wednesday, we were supposed to go to Grass Creek park, but there were threats of thunderstorms. My friend, her 4 year old girl, and us went to Lake Ontario Park for a picnic and splash pad instead.
There were a lot of kids there and I decided to put Kaelynn in the splash pad too. I put her beside a ground spout. She was fine with the wet cement, but once she got sprayed she was not quite pleased - but not super unhappy. She was indifferent to the swings, but she got the hang of them.

\     Friday afternoon, we finally made it to Grass Creek Park. I didnt fully think things through before we left & I forgot her swim diaper. Problem solved - take the insert out. We had a lunch picnic too, and I'm pretty sure she's a crafty baby. She was being held by my friend, and playing with her links. Kaelynn dropped  her links behind Cezar. When Cezar bent to pick them up, Kaelynn made a play towards the salad. Silly baby, not yet.

     She was loving her first time in a river. She splashed and smiled and played with a ball, all under the cozy shade of an umbrella.

Third Physio Appointment

 

     This morning we had our third physio appointment. They were quite pleased with her progress. We can cut down on the stretches and work on strength. We have to hold her so she is leaning out and tilted. She has to right her muscles, basically neck-lifts. They loved that she is doing every thing on schedual and her Torticollis isn't holding her back any. The ladies also call her The Baby With All That Hair. Everyone always comments on her hair, so I picked up some styling cream from LUSH and played it up today - fauxhawk and a bow. With her stubborness to look right, they say she's developing quite a personality.

     Her next appointment is in 2 months, and they think if things keep progressing well, it could be her last. Fingers crossed. She just needs to stop cheating and using her whole body when aiming to go right.

 

     Afterwards. we went out for lunch and let Kaelynn play with the empty juice cup. Smart girl got the hang of cups and was trying to drink from it...all she managed to do was lick the inside. When she was playing with my still full cup, she wrapped her mouth around my straw. Good thing she doesn't know how straws actually work, I have a feeling DR. Pepper is bad for babies.

     At Walm-Mart, I got her those HUGE foam puzzle pieces and now we get to spray the cats when they go near it. I guess I was too slow grabbing the spray bottle (and Bandit needs her claws cut) because there are marks from when she walked across it. I figured this was better for her to play on because she's getting too big for her play mat and she scrunches up blankets. Even with vaccuming all the time, I feel like the carpet is too gross for her to play on directly.

     I have also figured out that we have a real animal lover. Aside from Bandit being the only kitty that goes near her, she seems to have a real gentleness. On Saturday, I took her to the PetStore. A woman was holding a baby chi and she really wanted to pet the puppy. She was allowed and was gentle..until she grabbed it's skin, but he didn't seem to mind. She also wanted to pet the bunnies and was so confused by the glass inbetween them.

Passed out, nomming on her unicorn

Getting so big

     I have managed to keep my baby alive for approximately 4.5 months. She is the best thing to every happen to me. She is growing so fast. Every day I see changes. She gets more interested in her toys, excited over books and blankets, dances and makes noises at our kitties. Her little personality is getting bigger too. She isn't much of a talker out in public, but at home the noises she makes are to die for- squeaks, coos, laughs, grunts, squeals (and meltdown noises).

     Her torticollis is improving (I think so anyway). She is looking to the right more often, more so when tricked by the TV. She still has her head tilt, but that is to be expected. It's not slowing her down in the sitting department as I had feared it would. She can now sit for 20-40 seconds at a time in Tripod position.
     Next week, we go back for her monthly Physio appointment. I hope they have good things to say. It's quite hard to determine exactly how things are progressing when I didn't go to school for babynecks/I see her daily.

 

     She still nurses like a newborn most days, but thankfully at night it's not as long. Going to bed is still hit/miss, but when she's awake later now it's because she's happy and excited (and not down with a case of the Angries and Screamies). Naps during the day are rare, they usually happen after nursing, after swimming, or when we're out walking and her top is closed. 

  

     I have now come to the realization that she thinks everything is for her. I have to drink all my drinks from cups with lids/straws or hold my neck all the way out so she won't grab at them. Same goes with my food. She will watch and start to get all upset and fussy. I am currently typing while she's sitting in my lap and she keeps grabbing at my fingers - like a cat.

 

 

     As a family, we've come along way & have much farther to go. It's still quite amazing how 2 tiny, naked to the human eye things can form a cluster of cells that grow into a beautiful baby.



Thanks

     I meant to do this a while ago, but blogger was being unco-operative.
    

    Not too long ago, I won a Facebook contest from A.M.P Diapers. The prize was a lovely magenta AMP Duo Cloth Diaper. I couldn't wait to wash and prep it! Kaelynn loves it as much as I do. She was super excited when she got the package in the mail.

 

     The very same night I won a second contest on Facebook, from a very awesome mompreneur at Pure Colour Baby. We won a bib and a toy teether. I must say, even if we don't use bibs (yet), the teether has come in very handy. It's always strapped to the stroller, so Sophie and the links will always have a home when we're out and about.