TOP TEETH

I feel like I have been saying for months that her top teeth are coming in. They are FINALLY palpable & I wouldn't be surprised if they she gets them completely in over the weekend. Per usual she is being a trooper; she is just a giant drool fest & constantly putting forceful pressure on her gums. We've gone through quite a few dried papaya slices this week...LIFESAVERS! She looks hilarious when she eats them A) they look like bacon B) you'd think I gave her crack or something...she goes nuts when she has it C) she walks/crawls/cruises around with it hanging out of her mouth (look ma no hands). In addition to the papaya slices Sophie is getting extra love & she has finally taken a liking to frozen teething rings. Come on top teeth...make your appearance & stop torturing my poor baby girl.

Pin-spiration

I am on a birthday planning frenzy! I had no idea how much fun it was going to be planning Addison's first birthday. I am keeping the decor rustic & chic with a vintage feel. I really have been inspired by lace (I know right?!) & natural elements. The color palette is soft pinks, off white & pops of teal. Thanks to Pinterest there is endless inspiration to pull it off. Some of my "pin-spiration" 

I have quite a few things checked off my list:

• Burlap
• Brown paper bags
• Vintage wooden high hair to be painted
• Different floral & lace fabrics to cover hay bails
• Mason jars
• Invitations

There is a lot left to do but it's coming together so well so far. Invitations are going out in the next week or so. I am so super excited & can't wait to share the end result.

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sleep Q&A

{SOURCE}

I have been getting asked a lot of questions about sleep lately. Mostly how we got Addison into a routine & tips suggestions for establishing a routine for their own babies.

Brooke asked: 

"Hi Holly! Any tips for getting baby into a sleep schedule?"

Anonymous said:

"People told me about the love you would feel but boy is it amazing! It's def tiring. The lack of sleep is tough but all worth it. He is sleeping 4 hour stretches At night. Any tips a on sleep? I know u guys were great about getting her to bed and sleeping through the night."

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I certainly do not proclaim to be a "sleep expert" but I was fortunate to have gotten Addison into a healthy routine from the beginning & because of that she has always been a fantastic sleeper. All I can do is share what worked for us.

{I will preface all this by reminding you that every baby is different & responds differently, so what worked for us may not work for you.}

bedtime + routine:

The first few evenings we were home from the hospital Addison had a complete meltdown around 6:45pm.  The more stimulation she had between 6:00-6:30 pm, the worse the meltdown was.  Prior to becoming fussy she would yawn non-stop, rub her eyes, pull at her ears & kick her little legs in utter frustration.  When I would head upstairs to nurse her & put her to bed I couldn't figure out why she was so restless.  She was giving me clear cues that she was tired & not only were we ignoring them, but we were stimulating her more.  By the time I'd put her in her crib she was overtired & have trouble falling asleep.  Thankfully after about 4 nights of this, I figured out SHE was telling me she was ready for bed. I read a few articles on sleep habits in infants & decided that if it meant we had to sacrifice by having dinner at 5:30pm & plan our evenings in the beginning around a "bedtime routine" than it was worth it to have a baby that was a good sleeper.

For us establishing a routine began with Addison. We let HER lead the way & we followed her cues.
Philip & I established a "no visitor rule" after 6:00pm once we realized that this was her "wind down time".  It upset some friends & family members but we needed to do what was best for Addison & for our family.  We used the time from 6:00pm-7:00pm to give her time to settle down & begin establishing a bedtime routine.  Reducing stimulation before bed was extremely helpful.

 Our routine has changed as she has gotten older but here is what it looked like the first 8 weeks or so. (We didn't follow these exact times but it usually fell into this pattern.)

• 6:00-6:30 pm: Start winding down. 
• Sometimes it included a stroll through the neighborhood, listening to soothing music, tummy time, snuggling on the couch, etc.  It always meant no visitors.
• 6:30-6:45pm: walk around the downstairs turning off the lights in each room, saying good night to Hampton & heading upstairs for a bath.
• 6:45-7:00pm: close curtains in room (establishes night time), turning on heart beat monitor (white noise), dimming lights in room, dressing Addison for bed & swaddling her, bedtime story & rock.
• 7:00pm: nurse 
• 7:15-7:30pm: put her in her crib whether she was asleep or not. Most of the time she was dead asleep but sometimes she would fuss. In that case I would pick her up & console her, reassuring her that everything was okay & put her back into her crib.

When she would wake up in the middle of the night to nurse we kept lights soft & dim with minimal stimulation, teaching her that it was time to sleep & not play. I would whisper, use calm movements & continue to promote a restful environment. For the first 4 weeks she woke up about every 3 hours to nurse. By 6 weeks was only getting up 2 times per night & was sleeping through the night around 4 months when she hit the 10 lb mark & her circadian rhythm was beginning to emerge.

• 7:00-7:30am: Wake up, open curtains, turn off sound machine & begin our day.

Now we don't need the wind down time so her bedtime routine doesn't start until 7:00-7:30; although, walks/cuddling on the couch, reading books are almost a precursor to bath & bedtime.  

Consistency is key in establishing a routine. You have to do it & make modifications until it works, over & over & over again.

I have heard a lot of criticism for having an early bedtime for Addison & for establishing a routine.  People told me it was "unrealistic", that "she came into my life, I didn't come into hers", "she needs to learn to be adaptable", etc.  The bottom line is, I followed Addison's cues & in doing so, I have a wonderful nighttime sleeper & daytime napper.  I am not a believer of the "they came into my life philosophy" when it comes to sleep because infants require 18+ hours of sleep/day.  I think it's extremely selfish as a parent to constantly deprive your child of something they NEED (not want) for your own pleasure.  Life changes when you have a child & unfortunately some things cannot be business as usual.  Starting her bedtime routine early in the beginning required a little sacrifice in but is great now. Philip & I are appreciative of our alone/adult time after 7:30 pm.  She is adaptable & a trooper when we keep her out past her bedtime.  She usually falls asleep no matter where we are rather than having meltdown.

(She only slept in a bassinet in our room for the first 2 weeks then we moved her into her nursery)

naptime:

I learned early on that she couldn't make it more than 2 hours being awake without being fussy so I put her down for a nap about every 2 hours (before she showed signs of being tired), unless she fell asleep sooner.
Her curtains are open during the day during naps (to help establish daytime). I turn her heartbeat monitor on just as I do at night.  I also swaddled her for naps. She was swaddled until she was 6 months old & she was in a sleep sack until about 1 month ago when she could no longer be swaddled anymore. Swadding was huge for Addison.
In the beginning she took lots of naps which decreased to 3 naps/day & now she takes a morning nap & afternoon nap.  I put her to bed awake at 9:00 (unless she sleeps past 7:45 am) & she goes right to sleep. In the afternoon she goes down around 2:00pm. 


During the day I make sure that I provide lots of stimulation: singing, playing, talking. Now that she is older cruising, crawling, I make sure she gets all of her energy out that way she is ready for naps & bedtime.

For me the keys to helping Addison become a good sleeper were:

• establishing a bedtime routine from the very beginning (it will be much more challenging at 8 months old)
• being consistent
• reducing stimulation before bed
• keeping nighttime feeding stimulation to a minimum
• swaddling
• white noise
• daytime stimulation 
• learning the signs of when she was tired
• sleeping in her crib in her own room

Like I said, I am not a sleep expert, I am just sharing what worked for us. The bottom line is you have to do what works best for your life situation & family.  In order for your baby to be adaptable, YOU have to be willing to be adaptable. Sometimes something as simple as turning off the TV before you put the baby down or saying no to friends to a 6:30pm dinner is all it takes to get your baby down at a reasonable hour.  Doing it consistently for a short period time is all that it takes to establish a routine.

this week

This week...

• I made a new version of my curried chicken salad using homemade mayo & added fresh mango. DELISH!
• I worked an uneventful shift from 7am-1pm on the 4th.
• We ran every morning super early to beat the heat & Addison peeked up at me through the see through vinyl

• We attempted to go to local fireworks but Addison was too sleepy so we had our own fireworks show :)
• Philip, Addison & I had a lunch date at Whole Foods
• My niece Hope came over & spent the day with us
• Addison acted like a dog 80% of the day, lol
• Hampton was on the news & part of a photo-shoot for a local pet resort
• Friends of ours had a beautiful baby girl
• Addison got to spend some time with my parents
• I took a spin class which I haven't done in a month
• I worked on some things for Addison's birthday party

For whatever reason I didn't take many pictures this week. It was a pretty low key week; hot, so a lot of our time was spent at the pool.

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Happy 4th of July

Growing Up With Gadgets

My mum constantly says "we didn't have anything like that when you were little" & I am sure my grandmother said the same thing while I was growing up. I grew up in a home where imaginative play & outdoor fun was fostered. I wasn't plopped in front of a TV or given handheld video games to entertain myself. I swam like a fish in the summer, played softball in different leagues & was mad when I would get called inside at night. I spent hours coloring & writing stories, played Barbies & dress up with my mom's vintage clothes (from the 70's-80's) my Gram kept stored in her attic & I had SO MUCH fun doing it. Don't get me wrong, I am sure, in fact I am positive, there were a few "but why's", "can't I just watch tv" or begging to play Sega (haha, shows how old I am getting) but I loved using my imagination & I loved being outside. I don't see that so much these days. Philip & I most definitely want to raise Addison where TV is a luxury & not a necessity. Where she would rather color or kick a soccer ball around in the backyard then play with a Nintendo DS. Enter the challenge in doing so: the world of gadgets. With iPhones (Philip & I both have one), iPad (we have), laptops (we have 2), Nintendo DS, XBOX, DVD players for the house & car (we have both), leap pads, etc. I think the challenge is not, NOT having these things but not using them as pacifiers or tools to get your children "out of your hair". Addison has known how to operate certain applications on my iPhone since she was 6 months old & is pretty savvy playing her games on the iPad as well. She is pretty fascinated with them & it's mind blowing that she even knows how to use them. While it's cute now, I don't want those things to become her source of entertainment. It really bothers me to see families out to eat & kids glued to their DS's, parents driving for hours to the sound of Disney movies because their kids won't ride in the car without watching a movie, parents telling their kids to go play the XBOX so they can watch TV rather than playing with their kids outside. As I watched Addison scrolling through pictures on my phone I kept battling this. I want her to be familiar with technology & enjoy it but I don't want her to be obsessed with it & need it in order to have fun. It really got me thinking. I guess with all things it's about balance & moderation. There isn't anything wrong with it in moderation but if we are allowing our kids to get their source of entertainment solely from the TV, movies, social media & gadgets, what kind of generation are we raising?

 

Happy 10 Months

She has officially reached the double digits & planning for her FIRST birthday is in full swing.   

Stats: 
She hasn't been weighed since last month's well check-up but I'd guess she's still around 15.6-15.10 lbs.  She doesn't look or feel like she has gained much weight, if any. She undoubtedly has gotten longer, as she is growing out of footed pj's in length left & right. She looks so grown up in her 2 piece footless jammies.
She is still in a size 2 diaper & wearing mostly 3-6 months (some 6-9 months).

Teeth:
2, holding down the bottom gum line.  I swear she has been trying to cut her top 2 FOREVER but they still haven't broken the skin.

Appearance: 
Her hair is getting super long, wavy & wild.  Thankfully she still wears headbands & clips without taking them out because she looks like a hot mess without them.  She is completely obsessed with her hair, twirling it constantly.

Personality:
SILLY, strong-willed, social, affectionate, CUDDLY, curious, HAPPY. 

Feeding:
Still nursing 4-5 times a day, eating 3 meals & sometimes a snack.
These days for breakfast she usually has a scrambled egg yolk with fruit, or mini egg yolk muffins made with coconut milk & veggies, coconut flour pancakes with sunflower butter & fruit, or another source of protein, veggie & fruit.  Snacks typically consist of soft cooked veggies, dried fruits, sunflower butter with apple slices, homemade grain free crackers, etc.  Lunch/dinner is always a protein & vegetable; anything from homemade beef stew, crab cakes to grilled chicken/fish.  She is my good eater!  She drinks water from a sippy cup. There literally isn't a food she won't eat which makes meal time fun & easy.  She pretty much eats whatever Philip & I are having these days. 

Sleep: 
She is back into her normal sleep routine. Bedtime is around 7:30 & she has been waking up around 7am.  Lately she has been taking a long morning nap (about 2 hours), going down around 9am after our morning run & breakfast.  Afternoon naps have been super variable but she hasn't slept more than an hour in the afternoon since we came back from Hawaii. She sleeps with Mr. McQuacken (her stuffing-less duck) cuddled up in her arms with her little bum pointed up in the air.

Talking:
She is NEVER quiet.  If it isn't babbling it's "Ma-Ma", "Da-Da", "sat" (what's that), "duck", "den-den" (Hampton), "dog", "hi", "bye-bye", "puppa" (my Dad), "off","shoe". She giggles constantly too.

Stuff she is doing:
She loves to kick...anything & everything that is kick-able (future soccer player?).  She can sign "more" & "milk".  She has completely mastered clapping her hands & is constantly doing it. She loves waving hello & bye-bye. She also points out of curiosity when she says "sat".  She has recently started pointing when she says "no-no" as well. She shakes her head yes & no & my mum recently taught her how to bobble her head, it's hilarious. She has started throwing mini temper tantrums...unbelievable! She loves to share: food, toys...you name it. She is climbing& cruising everywhere, she is completely fearless. She lets go & stands independently for 10+ seconds at a time as she moves from one thing to another only using one hand. She loves to bounce & jump...she just loves to move, period. She's super imitative. Lately she has been imitating Hampton panting. Crazy girl! She loves to sing. She "sing-babbles" along to anything she can while shaking her little body to the beat, she is my little music lover.  

Likes:
SWIMMING! Playing "peek-a-boo".The Backyardagains, Sesame Street & Curious George. Being in the side position in the ERGO. Hampton. My high heels. Bath time. Cuddling. Food. Going for runs. Walking while holding onto to somebody's fingers. Kids. Wind blowing in her face. Having her hair brushed. Being naked.

Dislikes:
Having her diaper changed. Being told no. Having something taken away from her.

Each time I sit down to write the updates I am amazed at how fast she is growing/changing.  I am also amazed how certain personality traits have been evident from the beginning & I love seeing them flourish & develop.  While it breaks my heart "losing" my baby as she grows into a toddler, it also excites me watching her figure the world out. Someday she will change the world.