Recap 3- Baby's First Christmas, Vacation, and New Year!

Christmas was at our place again this year and it was a full house. All the cousins made it which was the biggest change since last year. We went from two kids last Christmas to five this Christmas! I love that all the cousins are going to be so close in age though, I hope they're all friends as they grow up. With so many little ones running around it gave me a whole new appreciation for how my Grandma hosted so many holidays with me and all my cousins. It was also super chaotic, but in a good way. We decided this year not to do a gift exchange for everyone, but instead just buy for the kids. It worked out great, and I think we'll be doing it this way from now on.

As I mentioned before, I made all my gifts this year. I'd definitely do this again, but just start earlier than one month before Christmas. Oofta. But I pulled off most of it. After all was done I made a doll for all the girls, a button/crinkle/tag toy thing for the little ones, a diaper clutch for the mama's, and homemade finger paints for everyone. I meant to get a picture of everything, but because I went right up to the last minute getting things ready, I simply forgot to take one. Oh well.

Cousin Sophie's gifts

Cousin Ethan, Eva, and Everette's gifts

Opening presents!

Aftermath and BOWS!

Tegan opening her stocking on Christmas morning!

My Dad's side of the family spent Christmas up at our cabin/time share, Breezy Point, and had reserved the cabins through New Years. So the Monday after Christmas we made the drive up to Brainard for our first family vacation of sorts. The Hubs was only able to take a few days off work so he came up for the first part of the week and then had to go back to the cities. The plan from there was suppose to be me coming back with Tegan on Friday for MIL's birthday, but we did a little switching up at the last minute. My Dad got sick the day we left for the cabin, and did a roller coaster of feeling better than worse the rest of the week. My parents were ready to call an end to their trip and just get my Dad home, so I ended up staying at the cabin and having the Hubs and MIL come back up instead for MIL's Birthday. It worked out really well until Tegan and I got whatever my Dad had and spent the MIL's birthday, and New Year's Eve in bed. Oh well, it was still a great trip. We had a full week with family, spent some time out of the house, and even went swimming, it was a great break from the norm even if it did end in being sick.

Tegan & Great Grandpa G.

Tegan's closet/room at Breezy Point!

Making our self's at home, and playing with Grandma G.

Playing in the kiddy pool

Hanging with Grandpa G.

Reading with Grandma Jane

Recap 2- December told by Pictures

Baby's First  Christmas Ornaments

"That guy is around here somewhere..."

"I don't like this guy!!!"

Recap 1- Baby's First Thanksgiving and Christmas Tree

Tegan & Aunt Sara

Lets start the recap a week before Thanksgiving. This year Tegan's Aunt Sara (my sister) was able to come to MN for a visit. She stayed with us while she was here. I was really happy that Tegan was able to feel comfortable right away with Sara. They even coordinated nap times (just kidding Sara...sorta :)).

Tegan's first Thanksgiving!

For the actual day of Thanksgiving we went over to my parents place. The Hubs and I usually host the holiday dinners because we have the largest space for it, but with Tegan this year we asked the parents to share the hosting with us. It all turned out great. We had quite the crowd this year. From Tegan's perspective we had the Great Grandparents, the Grandparents, two aunts, two uncles, and an uncles girl friend, a cousin, and later in the day another aunt and two more cousins for a grand total of 16 people! It was surprising that with all those people that it didn't feel crowded at all.

As we always do the day after Thanksgiving, we went out to our favorite tree farm and picked out a Christmas tree. We also learned that Tegan LOVES Christmas sausage. If she saw you eating a Christmas sausage and not sharing she would throw a little fit!

The hunt is on!

Found it!

Grandma not sharing the last bite of Christmas sausage!

So...yeah...Happy New Year...

Well, you may have noticed I missed a few things like Tegan's first Thanksgiving, her 10 month post, all the Christmas festivities, and New Year's (which also coincided with our first family vacation of sorts), and am now late on her 11 month post...so here's the deal...I decided to make all my own Christmas presents this year and I got so wrapped up in that starting after Thanksgiving I had time for little else. Have no fear the recaps are coming you are warned. But first we have to recover from our first major bout of sickies.

As all good family vacations go, someone brought up a stomach bug with them, and it was a doozy!!! Knocked out my Dad, my Aunt, my cousin, and my Grandpa before attacking Tegan and me, and tried to take hold of the Hubs but he someone scrapped by with out to much harm. Unfortunately for one day the Hubs and I were both down for the count, and let me just say it's a whole different ball game to be sick with a little one!! It so far has taken one day of total misery, followed by a day of fasting, and two straight days of sleeping, and now 4 days later I'm venturing back into normal habits. Whew! Thankfully Tegan is starting to come around too. There is nothing sadder than knowing your little one isn't feeling good and having no real way to make it better. On the upside of catching this bug it has aided in loosing the last 5 pounds of baby weight, returning me to my pre-baby weight finally of coarse it was all water weight lost, so therefor will come back but indulge me :), and lots of additional baby snuggles.

So I threaten promise, recaps will come. But until then, Happy New Year to everyone! This year is going to be crazy I can feel it all ready, but it's a good kind of crazy. All ready on my agenda is planning Tegan's first birthday (GULP!!!), going on a much anticipated cruise (sans baby which is going to be really hard), and being part of my best friends wedding! Definitely a good kind of crazy, but crazy non the less. I can't wait :)

The Begining of the End

After a lot of discussion, like a lot a lot- nearly two weeks worth of discussion, I've decided it's time to start weaning Tegan, and thankfully the Hubs is on board too. It wasn't an easy decision to make especially with Tegan's current weight issues (although I doubt its ever really an easy decision to make), not to mention the added cost of buying formula (holy expensive batman!). I feel a bit relieved having made the decision. It also helps that we had an unofficial weight check mid month that puts Tegan at gaining a pound since her last appointment.

The timing just seems right for Tegan, I think she's started weaning herself anyway. And for me, I'll be relieved to have a way to acknowledge how much she's eating instead of guessing how much she's getting. Since we found out she had lost weight it's been really stressful on me trying to get her to eat what the medical society deems as enough when the only form of measuring I have is in minutes. In all honesty even before we knew there was a weight problem feedings had become really stressful trying to keep her focused. There's also the small factor that I've mentioned before, that feedings now are really painful! She doesn't actually bite, at least not often, but the mechanics have changed with the introduction of lil teeth.

Making the decision was only one step though, now we have to start the transition. We've tried a few times to give her a bottle but she just doesn't go for it, and quite frankly at this point if we were able to get her to take a bottle we'd just be getting her unused to them in a few months. So our game plan is to continue feeding her normally for a while longer while we get her used to a sippy cup. Once she can drink comfortably from her cup I'll start skipping one feeding at a time for a glass of formula with her solids. This seems like a good solution to everything. She'll keep getting breastmilk for a while and keep beefing up, we'll get her used to a sippy cup and ready for the transition to cows milk when she's one, and hopefully a reduced stress weaning situation. It sounds like a perfect plan in theory. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it works out in real life.

I'm happy with the timing. I'm happy with the plan. I'm happy with the decision. But in true parent form...I feel guilty. I feel guilty for asking the Hubs to work the cost of formula into the budget. I feel looming guilt for stressing out Tegan. I feel guilty for not giving Tegan the best when we're having trouble keeping her size up. But mostly I feel guilty that even with all those things listed above, overall I'm happy and relieved to have an end to breastfeeding in sight. I feel guilty that this isn't a harder decision for me to make. I'm ready to be done, and that's what gives me the most pause, and the most guilt.

Baby Etiquette

(Alternative Title; Things that annoy the snot out of this Momma)

I try my best not to be a 'Debby Downer', but every now and then a good rant is so very therapeutic. And in lieu of the holiday season approaching I figured a few etiquette tips would be a great disguise for this rant :) So in no particular order, here are the things I would suggest avoiding when interacting with children and/or their parents this holiday season, or at least when you are within spitting distance of me or I may just spit back at you, j/k...sorta:

1.) If you want to get my daughters attention, please don't call and whistle at her like she's a dog. She does know her name, and if she's not responding to it she's trying to ignore you. Instead I would suggest doing something more intersting than poking at her just to say hi. Otherwise I will not be held accountable when either my child or myself has this reaction to you.

2.) Please keep in mind that if I am holding my daughter and you get all up in her face, you are also getting all up in my face. Personal space people...even babies need it, those kissable cheeks will have to be admired in limited quantities, or from a distance.

"Don't bug me! I'm sleeping here!!"

3.) Please don't ask me every 5 minutes when my child will wake up from her nap, or jokingly threaten you are about to wake her up because she's taking too long. I know you are excited to see her, but nap time is vital to my sanity, and necessary down time for my daughter. As an adult I expect you to be able to amuse yourself, and/or keep your britches on for an hour or two. I promise, I'm not making my daughter take a nap just to annoy you.

4.) When taking a special outing with us, please don't bring along more than you are willing to carry yourself. While I understand some strollers are as big as a shopping cart, I utilize that space for things I need to care for my child. If I have to dig through all your bags, extra sweatshirt, jackets, bottled beverages, and whatever else you have shoved under there, or stop every few feet to access or stash said items my baby will not be the only one cranky in record time.

5.) When winding down for a nap, whether at home or in a strange place, my daughter will occasionally cry. Sometimes harder than others, sometimes longer than others. Please don't remind me every few minutes she is still crying, or claim that it is difficult to listen to her cry. This momma knows how heart wrenching it is to hear that cry, but also knows sometimes a few tears will fall before dream land descends.

"This is my fussy face!"

6.) When basking in my daughters adorableness, please remember to take into account what she needs, not just what you want. While it's hard to pass up some snuggle time, it might not be the right time for her. We have a very active curiouse munchkin, and holding her in one place might cause fussiness. This fussiness is not to be confused as her cue to be held more, but a plea for wiggle room. If you love her set her free!

7.) Don't assume just because I am a stay at home momma, I have all the time in the world to answer your calls, texts, emails, smoke signals, or any other form of communication. While some days I will be ably to accommodate you immediately, other times it may take a while- minutes, hours, even days, occasionally weeks. My slow/lack of response is not a personal attack on you...yet...

8.) If you ask a favor of me, and I arrange my schedule, and my child's schedule to accommodate you, do not call an hour before the agreed upon time for said favor, and ask to change things because it would be more convenient for you. That's just rude, and has the uncanny affect of causing the action of a face palm. I am more than capable of causing my own headaches thank you very much, your help is not appreciated. **Exception to this rule; if you are also a parent of a little one I understand life happens, you are allowed a pass, and a commissary pat/hug. We can reschedule at a time that works for both parties, perhaps at a time that a glass of wine can be involved.

"Hee, hee, hee! Momma's lost it again!"

And lastly while the above are all in good fun, disobeying them will only cause the wrath of this momma to descend on you and smush pie in your face under the ruse of an innocent trip, this last one is an absolute must and a serious issue...

9.) Please, please, PLEASE, for all that is good and right in the world, DO NOT slip my daughter a special treat unless you have cleared it with her parents first! We know what she is eating, what she can eat, and what may cause problems or bring harm to her. She may not be ready to ingest your special treat. Disregard to this rule WILL cause you physical harm. You are warned.

By simply following these simply guidelines, which come on, are really close to just common courtesy, you will ensure the best possible moods for all involved. Plus you have the added bonus of avoiding this face:

"You're an idiot!"

Best of luck and sanity to all the momma's this holiday season. May my unfortunate experiences not grace your festivities. I have encountered all of the above. Mostly from two 'unique' family members. I'm sure some of you can guess at least one of the offenders based on previous posts here (all though most of the above did not originate from her!). Perhaps some of you that know me in real life can guess the main offender. Ha!

Those few out there reading this, anything you would like to add to this list?

9 Months!

This month has really just flown by again (as is evident by my lack of posts again. Sigh). I have a feeling the next few months are going to fly by even faster with holiday festivities starting. Especially since it is officially holiday season in my book. I'm so looking forward to your first holiday everything, but for now here's where we're at:

Weight: 14lbs 9oz. Unfortunately that's not a typo. At your last check up at 6 months you were 14lbs 7oz. Although there is also a little confusion around this since according to the Dr's office you lost weight, but the paper work they sent home with me shows you gaining a few ounces. Which ever record is right, it still doesn't spell out a good situation. I've been worried about your weight for a while, so when I read the scale at your appointment I was close to tears. Meal times lately have become a battle and I'm not sure how to get past that. We'll go back for a weight check in a month to make sure you're not losing anymore. For now though you've fallen to into the 1st percentile for weight.

Height: 27in, moving you up to the 31st percentile.

Head Circumference: 17in. placing you solidly in the 27th percentile.

Clothes: You're getting closer to filling out your 6-9 months clothes. With any luck next month your update will read that these are fitting you correctly.

Diapers: You're still comfortably rocking out in the size 3 diapers

Feeding: We've made it so far through the teething troubles, and are continuing to breastfeed. You have officially bitten me a few times and it is NOT fun! We tried sneaking in a bottle to give me a break and chance to unclench my teeth, but the nipple on the bottle confused you and instead of eating you decided to use it as a teether. Oops. Guess we haven't been doing so well keeping you used to a bottle. Sigh. At least you've only bitten me a few times. My best guess is that you're eating around 5-3 ounces a feeding. With any luck I'll get this back up bit more.

As of the first of this month we have you eating 3 meals a day of solid food. You still prefer fruits to anything else, and I have yet to find a way to successfully sneak in any meat. When I make a concoction that's fruity enough you'll gobble it all down, usually about 4oz a sitting. But if it's not fruity enough to mask the veggies we sneak in you'll literally turn your nose up at it. The one thing we have found that you'll eat even better than fruit are rice puffs! Holly cow you scarf those down. You'll actually throw a little baby temper tantrum if I try to take your puffs away!

Sleeping: You have created a pretty rock solid schedule for yourself these days. It's pretty easy to guess when you'll be waking up, and when you'll be going down for a nap. You're still sleeping through the night, but you have been edging towards a more 'normal' wake up time. This doesn't always go over well when I drearily stumble to your crib without an ounce of coffee in me yet, but we're working it out. Lucky for me you think it's hysterical when I drink coffee. Ha!

Baths: Sigh...we're back to hating baths again. I really think it's that you HATE being cold. Can't blame you there.

Milestones:
Crawling: You are officially all over the place. If you see something you want to investigate you don't hesitate to wiggle your way over to it. Wiggle being the operative word! You still don't have crawling in the traditional sense figured out, meaning on hands and knees, but you have modified the army crawl to work for your needs. You can definitely pick up speed when you're motivated too. No sign yet of pulling yourself up to a standing position, but you're working on figuring it out, I can almost see the wheels turning as you're trying to figure out how to make it work.

Teething: So far you seem to be snow plowing through teething. You have two teeth on the bottom, and you've been working on a few on top too. You're still usually a pretty laid back teether, but you have your moments. Again I can't really blame you for this. I even took a brush up coarse in teething this month when my wisdom teeth started acting up. Sympathy pain? Perhaps, the bottom line was still 'OUCH'!

Talking: This month you've been working on your weird sounds! This resulted in a disclaimer to Grandma when she took you for an over night. You've developed your own version of a silly laugh that has the unfortunate side affect of sounding like you're gasping for breath. It's a dead give away when you break into the giggles afterwords though. Ha! There's a few other noises that you're working on, and Hubs says we need to work on a few that don't sound like a medical emergence :) We've also learned that the best time to practice your noises is when you are cruising around. At least I can always hear where you're at!

Check Ups: You had your 9 month check up this week. As I mentioned at the beginning there are a few concerns about your weight. You really are a very tiny peanut. We'll have to go in again in a month to see how you're doing. I'm glad we'll get another check up before you're 12 month appointment though. It also conveniently works out to get your second flu shot. Sorry in advance for that! Other than your itty bitty size, everything looks good. So we just have to get you to eat a little more.