So way back when I bought my nice camera, I bought the slightly more expensive one that had the video feature on it... as in, my DSLR camera can also take HD videos. Totally forgot about that. I've had the camera for over a year, and never used the video feature, until today. And while it is a little tricky to focus, I'm learning, and the quality of video is so much better than the other one!! Maybe I should have been using this one all along! Check it out, the video is pretty boring, but the quality is pretty good! And just a little cuteness to tide you over...
0 Comments
First of all I debated for quite some time whether it was "Roly Poly" or "Rolie Polie." One of those things you say but never have to spell, ya know? Anyway... SHE ROLLS. We have lateral movement, my friends. Funny thing is, I put her on her tummy this morning for a bit of tummy time, and I grabbed my camera to get a few pictures. And this little bundle wouldn't stay still, but I kept snapping away in hopes of getting one or two good ones. And I was so busy snapping away, and all of a sudden she was on her side, and then BAM, on her back. Wait. a. second. Did she just do that? So I popped her back on her tummy, and sure enough, not 2 seconds later, she's on her back. "Mama don't miss this!" Ta-da! Now the annoying thing is, I had the video camera handy, and I caught it on video TWICE, and both times the video camera froze and I had to pull the battery out, thus erasing my video. Now, I know rolling over is not all that exciting, but it's the principle of it! I captured her first (okay, 3rd and 4th) rolls on camera, only to have them be erased! And then, when I tried to get it again, she had had enough and wouldn't do it again! I almost threw that stupid Sony version of the flip camera across the room! Riley told me she wants a flip video camera for Christmas so she can watch videos of her little baby self when she's older. In other big news, baby bug has discovered her thumb. It was pretty amazing to watch her discover it as well. She's been sucking on her hands for a few weeks now, and occasionally she got her thumb in there, but mostly by accident. But today, she sucked her thumb multiple times, and once sucked it for about 10 minutes. And she wanted nothing to do with her pacifier... but she was actually able to calm herself down and fall asleep by sucking on her hands and thumb this afternoon, which is a first. And she looks pretty cute, no? A big day for the little one!!
We have many nicknames for our little one. In fact, we rarely call her "Riley." We're actively trying to use her real name more and more so that when she's older she will actually know what her name is. :) She's probably going to think her name is "Riley Bug" or "Bundle" or "Baby Bug" at the rate we're going. And now, to add to the list of nicknames.... the drool monster. That kind of goes in the same category as "poop machine" I'd say. But I think she earns the drool monster nickname, no? And she doesn't just drool, she literally fills her little mouth with saliva and then spits it all out. She constantly has spit bubbles flowing out of her mouth. It's cute... and a little gross... and really messy. This little bundle is the reason we constantly are doing laundry around here. She drools/pukes/poops on everything! Mostly drooling and spitting up, she rarely actually poops on anything. :) But at least the sun has been out lately so we can put everything on the clothesline and avoid using the dryer. And speaking of sun, we were even able to venture outside for a walk today! And she didn't even cry! She hasn't really been liking going in the stroller lately, so our 30 minute walk today was a huge success. I think it's because it's so windy, and she hates the wind in her face. And we have a cover for the stroller that would block the wind, but she gets mad when we put that on, so it's sort of a lose-lose. But the important thing is that we went for a tear-free walk today!
Baby bug is 3 months old today! Hooray! So in honor of her 3 month birthday, we attempted an indoor photo shoot. The plan was to do it outside, but it's freezing! Just because it's spring doesn't mean it's warm! And of course we had to take the standard month-day picture on her chair. And a little comparison... She has been doing much better lately, as long as we don't miss her tired signs and get her in to bed for naps promptly, she's a very happy baby. I think she was just so tired from our adventures and everything was catching up to her. Poor baby. But we've had a totally low key week, so she's slowly catching up on sleep (I think), which makes for a happier baby, and a happier mommy and daddy! You may be wondering how it's going with her naps, and the crying... well, I was pretty conflicted as to whether or not I was ready for her to "cry it out" quite yet. She's still so little, and I know sometimes it's necessary, but I think she's not quite ready for it. And frankly, neither am I. Now that she is a little more rested, she's been a little easier to get to sleep (both naps so far today she went down with no crying, we just had to rock her until she was quite sleepy and then put her to bed). So basically we don't let her cry anymore. It was short-lived. Maybe when she's like 5 or 6 months if we're having sleep troubles, we'll revisit the idea. But things (fingers crossed) are going well for the moment.
In other good news, one week after starting the 30 day shred/ eating a little bit healthier, I have lost 3 pounds!! Wahoooooo! Still a ways to go, but hey, it's a start! My goal is to be at my "goal weight" by Christmas, so we'll see! Now that we have an ipad, with the kindle app, we can pretty much get books whenever, wherever. Which means, the other day, when I was desperate, I bought a few sleep books for babies. Instantly right at my fingertips. One of those was "Healthy sleep habits, happy child." I stayed up way later than I should have last night powering through it, and got some inspiration and encouragement from the things I read. So when I woke up today, I was ready. Ready to try something new. Her sleeping only on me during the day had to stop. I mean, if she fell asleep easily and just wanted to cuddle with me, maaaaaaaybe I would let it continue. But it was hard freakin' work to get her to sleep AT ALL during the day. Basically, from what I've read, this little one has been so cranky this past week because she is just plain old exhausted. She's had a super busy past couple of weeks, her sleep has been disturbed by visitors and by travel, and it's all catching up to her and she is t-i-r-e-d. And since sleep begets sleep, well, lack of sleep begets... lack of sleep? Anywho. So I woke up this morning determined to try some new things and see what happened. First, she woke up for the morning at 6:30am, I fed her, and by 7:00 I had her in her crib. No messing around here. She was asleep by 7:20, NO TEARS, and I thought I was a genius. Until she woke up at 7:50. 30 minute nap, not so good. She did wake up fairly happy though, so that was a start. Next nap... I put her in bed at 8:45, she was quiet for a few minutes, then started to cry. I let her cry for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes I went and picked her up and settled her, then put her straight back in her crib. She started to cry right away, and I let her cry for 10 minutes. Meanwhile I took a shower to avoid losing my mind from listening to my baby cry. After those 10 minutes I picked her up, settled her, and put her back in bed. Immediately she started to cry, I left her for another 10 minutes while I went and did dishes to distract myself. After those ten minutes, I had already decided I would give it a MAX of ten more minutes before I'd had enough for this nap... BUT, after I picked her up, she calmed down, and started to fall asleep, so I put her back in her bed, and sure enough, she fell asleep at 9:25. Holy. Moly. I gave myself a pat on the back, and basically watched her through the video monitor until she woke up. Good use of time, I know. But it worked. She fell asleep in her crib. Twice. During the day. Commence applause. Now before we all get too excited... she woke up 30 minutes later. But I swooped her up and she fell back asleep for an hour and a half. We tried the same thing for her next nap, she cried 5 minutes, I got her, put her back down, she cried almost 10 minutes, I got her, and put her back in her crib and she feel asleep. This third nap lasted for 40 minutes, but then I picked her up and she slept for 2 more hours. Now even though these are short naps, I consider this hugely successful. She has taken 3 out of 3 naps in her crib today. Falling asleep on her own (yes, with some crying, but still, sleeping by herself). And yes, for two of them I picked her up after her short nap and she slept longer, but we're taking baby steps here. And even though I've had to listen to her cry, I feel like I have SO much more energy. Plus, I did dishes, laundry, and general tidying around the house! In fact, she was in such a good mood when Mark got home, we decided to test out her "Joey Jumper." Me likey. Video coming soon. She only lasted about 5 minutes before her little neck got tired and she sort of slumped forward, but she did better than I thought!! Look at our big girl standing up!!
Working out has been tough for me. I'm not sure what exactly is going on, but I think I did some serious damage to my pelvic bone during labor. So when I run, I am in a lot of pain afterward. Like, can't-sleep-lay-in-bed-wondering-what-pain-meds-I-can-take kind of pain. So since my sleep is precious these days, and I'm not particularly fond of being in pain, I have avoided running at all costs. So I need something I can do every day while I'm home with Riley, so I have started the 30 day shred. It's a workout DVD that I can do from the comfort of my own home, and I think it's about 20-ish minutes a day. So I'm doing it close to every day for the next 30 days, along with eating healthy, with the goal of losing 10 pounds. Ambitious? Yes. Impossible? No. I've done it 4 out of the last 5 days, and I've lost about 1.5 pounds, so things are looking good! And I'm realizing that my muscles are not what they used to be, as I'm getting quite sore!! But I'm starting to feel good about myself again, and I like the workouts, so we'll see what happens by the end of 30 days! That is, if this little one stops crying long enough for me to get the workouts done!! This is her "pick me up RIGHT NOW or I swear to God I will cry" look. Riley had her 3 month appointment today, and she is 11 pounds 8 ounces, and 24 inches long. She's in the 50th percentile for height, and 15th for weight. My little peanut! She was in a bit of a better mood today, although she has been impossible to get to sleep during the day! Okay, not impossible, but tough work, that's for sure. She only got 3 naps today instead of 4, and they were all very short, so she was EXHAUSTED in the evening, and was asleep by 6:45... my poor tired little baby. Hopefully that doesn't mean she's going to wake up at the crack of dawn! And for some reason, the only thing that would keep her from crying was sucking on my shoulder, so I let her. And I now have my very first hickies. Seriously. She wouldn't take a pacifier, wouldn't suck on my hand, or hers. Only my shoulder. Siiigghhhh. See? Hopefully the next few days get better and better, because this mom gig is exhausting!
This week's theme for the iheartfaces photo is "smirk..." and I just couldn't resist this photo... this was taken on our vacation in the US, and I was trying to get a good picture to give to my parents for grandparents day. And she had clearly had enough with the mamarazzi!
Riley has always been such a good baby, since day 1. She's rarely cried, and if she did, there was always a reason (hungry, needed a diaper change, cold, etc...) As she's gotten older she's gotten slightly more fussy, and more particular about what she wants (being held a certain way, not wanting to sit on the couch, etc), but she's still a very good baby. But since we've been back from the US, she has been a nightmare. And at first I thought that she was having a hard time adjusting to the time change (hence the 3am wake-ups), but she's been getting progressively more cranky, not less. And today? Icing on the cake, my friends. Sure, she slept until 6:30, but only after waking up multiple times through the night. And she started out the morning okay, but only if I did exactly what she wanted, when she wanted me to. And pretty soon, she totally lost it, and screamed for HOURS. And I cried. And I called Mark, and made him come home from work. And I called the doctor, and made her an appointment for later in the day. Because something is wrong with my angel baby. It had to be. Is it wrong that I was hoping he would tell me she has an ear infection? Or that, yes, she is getting teeth? Because if nothing is wrong with her, then what in the world do I do to make her stop crying? I tried holding her all day, putting her down, wearing her in the sling, in the front pack, going outside, putting her in the swing, on her playmat, everything. I gave her baby tylenol. Nothing stopped the crying. She refused her pacifier. She was a fussy eater. And I was at a loss. So I cried. And then I went to the doctor, and he checker her ears and her throat, and her mouth, and a whole bunch of other stuff, and everything looks good. His diagnosis? Colic. Which pretty much means "unexplained crying." Just what every mom wants to hear.
I remember reading blogs when I was pregnant, and reading about only positive things and wondering if that's what life was really like with a baby. And I've had a very happy baby, so all the positive things I've said have in fact been true. But today? I'm being honest, and sharing that this is HARD. This week has been very hard (and it's only Tuesday). And when I put her down to bed for the evening, I pray that tomorrow is a happier day. That I get my happy baby back. Because this part of motherhood? Not fun right now. No pictures today because my poor baby looks like a raccoon with her red swollen eyes from crying so much. Today started off better... 5am wake-up instead of 3am, so we're making progress. She fell asleep last night at 5:45, and we woke her up at 6:45ish to give her a bath and get her ready for bed, and she was out again by 7:30. And I was asleep by 8:30. That was the best decision EVER. I slept from 8:30 to 2am when Riley woke up to eat. Umm that's 5.5 hours of sleep in a row! And it's a good thing too, because I definitely needed the rest today to deal with the screamer. I mean, she didn't cry as long as I was doing EXACTLY what she wanted, which included feeding her a TON, holding her a certain way, and walking around the house. No sitting allowed, no standing still. And no sleeping in her crib either. She would only sleep if I "walked" her to sleep. I'm seriously hoping this is just her adjusting to the time change. Because she is craaaaaaanky! But I got this video of the ONLY thing that is a surefire way to get her to stop screaming. Works every time. Anyway, only one little picture for today. She got too mad when I put her down.
Well, the day started at 3am for me and Riley Bug. See, 3am here is 8am in the US, so she was awake and ready to go! Except, she was not awake and happy, she was awake and screaming! For an hour. This was the first time that Riley has cried in the middle of the night since she was born. And let me tell you, it's not very fun for anyone. She has been nearly impossible to get to sleep all day, and we even resorted to leaving her in her crib to cry to see if that would work. It didn't. And it was SO hard on me! We went in every 5 minutes or so to try and comfort her, and after 20 minutes of crying I couldn't take it anymore and I went and got her. And she was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open while screaming. Poor little one. She's still all turned around from flying and jet lag/ time change, so I'm trying to help her get back on a regular schedule as best I can, but it's so tough! We also think she's teething, she's already gone through two outfits that got soaked from drool (that was before I wised up and put a bib on her). Hope this doesn't last too much longer, but I fear it's only the beginning!! She was loving Sophie the giraffe today. And we got some sun today, so daddy took her for a walk in the baby bjorn (since she screamed when not being held). Presh!! Anywho... back to the crying baby. Waaaaaaaaaaaaah.
|
Archives
January 2018
Categories
All
|