From Frumpy to Fresh

Swinging that ladybug all over!
The furrowed brow...she doesn't love the camera. She really is a very smiley baby...I just never capture it on film!
Pondering her next move...
Going for the duck!
Here she's done with the duck & is about ready to cry...

Well today I'm sportin my new 'do...thus the title of this post...from frumpy to fresh. Sportin it at home for Luci only though, as we had near record temp's here today deep in the heart of Texas. Still in the mid 90's as we near the end of October...ick. I am in desperate need of a cool breeze! But, unlike my hair, I can't control the weather. So back to my hair. I chopped it all into a Katie Holmes-ish bob...and I love it!! Hopefully Clay will like it too...he's off acting as LCDR Pierse this week (soon to be just CDR Pierse ;) and won't be back until late Sunday. We miss him!!

Miss Luci hung out with our dear friends Amanda and Clara while I got my hair done yesterday...she did fine, but really made Amanda work for it. Sounds like the first hour she was pretty fussy & unhappy but then came around after a nap in Amanda's arms. Thanks again Amanda. For those of you who would like to check out the often talked about Lawrence Family here is their blog address: http://laurel-tree.blogspot.com/. Amanda was the original blogger...I'm just a copy cat!

Miss Luci is doing just fine at 12 weeks and 1 day. I wonder when I'll lose track of the weeks? She is getting SUPER strong, and for two days in a row now has kept her head level with her back while being pulled to the upright seated position. She's scootin all over the place on her back, but when on her tummy she still pretty content just to hang out. She spends much of her day batting at toys and picking them up, but only to drop them before they make it to her mouth. I have a feeling we'll be needing some mouth friendly toys very soon!

Scooter Luci

Happy in her chair

She is so funny with her lips...always making some goofy face!
Her Dr. Evil impersonation...
Talking to the bird!
This morning, bringing her mouth to the bird instead of the bird to the mouth!
Another funny face!!

My baby has learned to scoot! I noticed it a few nights ago as I was wrapping her in her the Amazing Miracle Blanket (which - btw - is STILL amazing!) and as I lifted her to tuck her little arms in she pushed off with her feet & scooted back 3 inches. She's done it each night since, and today she did it to express displeasure (it was accompanied with a low pitched groan/yell that started soft & got louder by the end of the scoot) while lying on the Amanda Blanket (the lovely blanket Amanda made for Luci...so many blankets they each need a name). She is quite an expressive little baby and I am pretty good at figuring out what she wants now - and if I can't I usually decide she doesn't know either and it therefore must be nap time!

She is getting really strong and can hold her head up for extended periods now...and even when she gets tired she doesn't want to stop trying. I used to put her on my legs at a 45 degree angle with my knees bent (using the ottoman) and chat her up, but now she REFUSES to just chill out...she tries to sit up every time! Today she did NOT want to be on her back on the Amanda Blanket...she wanted to sit up! So in the Bumbo Chair she went. She was good for 2 minutes and then the head started to slump, but oh no, she let me know she wasn't ready to give up yet when she screamed the minute I put her back down on the Amanda Blanket. Back in the Bumbo she went...happily!

She has definitely figured out she has a mouth and is discovering she controls her arms & hands & fingers. A few days ago she started to reach out & touch my arm while I change her diaper...at first I thought it was unintentional, but she's done it a few times since then...and it melts my heart! She reaches out to toys now too...kind of knocks them over & then looks at them some more. And if any make it near her mouth she tries to eat them...not by picking up the toy and bringing it to her mouth, but by trying to bring her mouth to the toy! She's figuring it out though...and it is SO fun to watch!!

I FINALLY am up for some physical exertion...we've been walkin fools the last few days. The weather has dried out a bit (as I told Clay...it feels like a Midwest summer day!), and while still hot (upper 80's) there is actually a hint of a breeze and the humidity is tolerable. I don't know if the change in the weather finally invigorated me or if my disgusting belly just finally started to get to me, but we've been walking between 3 and 5 miles a day since Wednesday. And as soon as Miss Luci wakes up we are walking to Kroger to buy some butter. I was pleasantly surprised to see rhubarb in the store earlier this week so I'm making a rhubarb crisp...the Lawrence Family has never had rhubarb...which is a terrible shame...so I'm changing that today!

Notes at almost 11 weeks

Eating her arm...who wants to roll over when there are arms to eat!
She does this goofy thing with her lower lip now...puffs it up as she's sucking on things...

Luci in her church dress waving hello to everyone! Well, our Lucipea has been to church twice now. The first week we sat in the cry room...which really was more like romper room. The parents in there really had no interest in teaching their children how to behave in church...kids were screaming & running amok! So now we sit in the back of the church in case we need to leave. This week she was very well behaved!!

Well there are lots of random notes I want to make again...so here goes...

-Her little hands are SUPER STINKY!! They were balled up in fists for the first 10 weeks or so, so naturally they need a bit of airing out. We have to work really hard during bath time to unclench the fist & clean out between the fingers!

-She likes bath time. I say, "doesn't that feel nice" or "splish splash you are takin a bath" over & over again. Clay likes to imitate me in a high pitched voice so I realize how silly I sound...but Luci likes it!

-Her finger nails grow like crazy - I'm clipping them every other day. But the toenails don't grow!?!?!? Haven't clipped them yet!

-She's fully in 3-6 month gear...no 3 month stuff for my 2.5 month old!

-She lost all of the hair on the top of her head (which was dark), and it is coming back in blond...but the back of her head still has the dark hair she had at birth.

-She is just a JOY in the morning. She wakes up & chats with her mobile friends for a half hour sometimes. We go in her room and she greets us with the most adorable grin that it makes the night waking bearable.

-She is learning to soothe herself back to sleep. We do really well at night...usually after the 3 or 4 or 5am feeding (different time every night) I wrap her back up in the Amazing Miracle Blanket, sing her an Iowa KKG song, and put her in her crib. Sometimes she's bright eyed, but she usually will drift back to sleep within 45 minutes. I usually sit with her for 5 minutes after she's back in the crib, replace the paci once or twice, and then I go back to bed & listen for her cries. Either I end up back in her room, or I wake up at 6 or 7 or 8 (again, different everyday) and think WOOHOOOO!

-She REALLY likes it when I sing...so much so that she has started to make little humming noises while I rock her if I haven't started to sing yet before a sleep time. Once I start she 'sings' with me for a bit...it is super cute. Her favorite song is this Iowa KKG song...I think because all of the words are long & drawn out & sound like her little hummms?

-She is not a very good napper in the afternoon & evening.

-She wakes up happy & gets progressively fussier as the day goes on (probably due to the lack of good naps?)

-We had the first public blowout diaper (we've had several at home) last Friday. I finally got up the confidence to lunch with some other SAHM's...and we went to Chili's of course because that is what we do here in the 'burbs...and as another woman went to hold Luci so I could finish eating I see poop drip out of her diaper as the woman is picking her up!!! So back in her car seat she went & we buzzed right home to take a bath. Fun times. Oh...and that morning when I counted on her taking a 45 minute nap (as she's done for EVERY nap before then, and EVERY nap since then), she took a 1 and 1/2 hour nap & I had to wake her up to go meet for lunch.

-We have to introduce new toys slowly...she met two new friends last week, a pig & a cow that rattle & attach to her wrist. She frowned & almost cried when we introduced her to them. This week she loves them & wants to eat them.

- She seems to have discovered her mouth...she eats anything that comes near her mouth...a wrist, a fist, Mom's arm, Mom's shoulder, Mom's shirt, her own onsie if she slumps down in her bouncy chair...you name it, she'll suck/drool on it if it is anywhere near her mouth!

-We are FINALLY making progress on her nursery! The bones have been there for quite some time, but now we have fun stuff on the walls. I'm going to stencil the 'night time' prayer over her crib...but a much friendlier version of the one that I still say! I say, "Now I lay me down to sleep, the Lord I pray my soul to keep, if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take". Now this never ever bothered me as a child (or as an adult), but for some reason I don't want to talk about dying with my baby before bed. So we will say, "Now I lay me down to sleep, the Lord I pray my soul to keep, may angels watch me through the night, and wake me with the morning light".

-She's sort of on a nursing strike right now. She doesn't want to drink milk from the source...she much prefers a bottle. I think it is because of the more constant, predictable flow. I think I have a forceful let down and she's tired of it! Don't worry, she's still getting fed...I just pump more & give it to her in a bottle.

No interest in rolling over or napping...

Now that she can hold her head up sorta she ALWAYS wants it up. So we broke out the Bumbo chair & she likes it!
Talking to her friend the duck :)
Swaddled and ready for naptime...or at least an attempted naptime...
Luci with Grandma & Grandpa Pierse. They were here for 6 days and we loved it!
Luci with her mom & dad!

Well the roll over appears to have been a one time event...it hasn't been repeated since! Not only has she not done it again, she doesn't even push up over to the side anymore! Was it an accident or does she just not feel the need to repeat? Maybe she feels she's conquered the roll and is ready to move on to bigger & better activities? No clue.

She also has no interest in napping during the day. If we really wear her out (tummy time) then she'll go down...but only for 30 - 45 minutes. Most of the time you can set your watch to 45 minutes from when her eyes first close. So 3 (maybe 4 if all goes well) times a day I get 30 - 45 minute breaks...during which I shower, eat, email, get the mail, return phone calls, do laundry, or do dishes. Occasionally I read...usually while eating. The days when Clay are home are MUCH easier!

My baby rolled over!!

My Luci just rolled over from her tummy to her back! No crying...just a look of surprise! Although she did start crying when I ran for the camcorder & tried to get her to do it again. She was having none of that...the roll tired her out so much she promptly went right down for a nap!

2 months!!

So close to rolling over...she can get her upper body over, but not those legs!
So exhausting trying to roll over!! Time to rest :)
She likes the lady bug now that we know what she says...buzzz...buzzz...then lands on her nose!
She wants that ladybug!!
Before the doctor this morning...good thing she didn't know what was about to come!

Miss Luci is officially 2 months old today...and went to the doctor accordingly to receive the first dose of vaccines. Poor Luci endured 4 shots and an oral vaccine...her mom felt like crying just as much as she did. Lots of tears were shed & the scared, pained look on her little face just broke my heart. It took about 5 minutes to get her calmed down, and she fell asleep in the car on the way home. We gave her Infant Tylenol so hopefully she won't get to achy, but we are still expecting diarrhea and maybe a fever. Poor Luci.

Our giant baby continues to grow at record pace...weighing in at 13lbs 12oz and stretching 24.5 inches long. She is off the charts huge!! Her head is 16 inches and is in the 90th percentile, so head, height & weight are all proportional. Dr. Bhakta says all looks well!!

Feeling better...I think!

Feeling at least a little better! Feeling not so well...
The morning of the doctor appointment...still a little sluggish...
Talking to her 'friends' yesterday morning!

Well Luci seems to be feeling a bit better, although not 100% based on her diapers & spit up. She is more alert & is getting back to her perky self, although not with the consistency that there was before the virus. Luci's Grandma & Grandpa Pierse are back again while Clay is away for a few days with the Navy. We are very glad they are here!

As predicted, now that Luci is starting to feel better she is not sleeping quite as well at night. She generally is down to one night feeding around 4am or 5am, but often wakes up around 2am or 3am for some paci time. Usually the paci buys me at least 30 minutes and is hopefully teaching her that she doesn't get food every time she wakes up. After the 4/5am feeding she goes back down until 7/8am and then we start our day with another feeding, followed by Luci talking to her 'friends' while I put my contacts in & brush my teeth!

Luci's first virus

She found her fist!! She worked really really hard for days...it took some crossed eyes and bonks to the head, but mission accomplished!! Look at this giant baby! 7 weeks old and filling out this 6M dress!
A little arm chub never hurt anybody...
The ladybug doesn't interest her much...I think it is because I don't know what the ladybug says? Anybody know what the ladybug says?


Miss Luci is a bit under the weather this week...it started on Tuesday and got worse on Wednesday, then stayed kind of the same on Thursday. I think she is on the mend, but based on my description of "she's just not herself" Dr. Brooke thought we should see the doctor and I was relieved for some justification to go. We went to the doctor this morning and he thinks she probably has contracted her first virus. She is basically behaving how I thought she would before I met her...all sleepy & still & quiet. If you've met Miss Luci you know that is not her typical MO. She usually kicks so furiously I ask her if she's riding her bike to town (if you were a 'country kid' from Iowa you'd know what I was talking about ;), and she just has lots of spunk. I told Clay she's been acting like someone took the fight out of her. I miss my spunky Luci! Dr. Bhakta said to keep her comfortable...to let her sleep when she wants to sleep, and to feed her often. So that is what we will do!

That being said, she is a healthy 13lbs and really fills out her 6M gear (see photos). The miracle blanket continues to work miracles...the first two nights she only got up once, and since then she's slept anywhere from 7 to 9 hours straight!! Let's hope it is blanket induced sleep and not virus induced sleep...I'm loving sleeping through the night (with the exception of waking up & checking on her several times, in addition to the 4:30am pump). We've been getting out the door for a 7AM walk most mornings before the heat sets in...it has been lovely!

The Amazing Miracle Blanket

Per my sweet husband and my longtime roommate Jen, I am THE person infomercials are made for. I want to buy pretty much anything they are selling on those stinkin shows...good thing we have DVR now so I'm never at a loss for something to watch. So you might be thinking...The Amazing Miracle Blanket? Sounds like a scam. As Clay keeps telling me...the secret to happy children and good parenting will not be found in a 'thing'. BUT...I am always looking for some 'thing' to make my life easier and to make Luci happier.

So last Wednesday we were telling my wonderful friend Amanda about how Luci doesn't sleep more than 3 hours ever, and we were thinking that perhaps it is because she startles herself & kicks out of the swaddle. At that point she told us about 'The Amazing Miracle Blanket'...the what we said? We were skeptical...so she pulled out her PC and showed us the website. Sure enough...infomercial baby was happy as a clam at the end of the product demo video...happy enough I ran home & ordered one (okay, two...what if she spits up on one at night?) . It arrived on Saturday, but I didn't get the mail until Sunday. So I tried it last night...and sure enough...she slept from 9:30p to 3:00a!! And she wasn't even totally up at 3a, but I woke up & realized it was 3a and I was super worried because we normally get up between 12:45a and 1:30a. I ran right in & saw that she was squirming a bit so I just woke her up to eat. Woohoo!! Then she slept from 4:00a to 7:10a!!! That is the most consecutive sleep I've gotten since she was born! So...I'm praying this wasn't a one night fluke...I'm praying this truly is The Amazing Miracle Blanket...

I'll try to add a photo of her in the blanket tonight...in the meantime if you are curious....
http://www.miracleblanket.com/instructions.htm

A routine...but not a schedule

Look at this crazy hair!! This is during the battle of the burp...poor little strained face...
Playtime in the chair...
Playtime on the play mat!

So (knock on wood) I think we are getting to be on a bit of a routine finally! It can be a 2.5 or 3.5 hour routine depending on the length of her nap. It starts with each feeding...which can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the burp beast. Then we do a little playtime...she might hang out on the play mat, or in her chair, or on my knees, or in her boppy (but never in the swing...she's not into it so far), and then she starts to get fussy. Once the fussiness hits she gets swaddled up and the paci goes in the mouth. Usually she fusses for a bit longer, and before you know it the eyes are half mast and the sleeping with one eye open begins. The girl thinks her parents are pretty interesting because she fights sleep the whole way...she must think she'll miss out on something! After 10 - 30 minutes of this half masting she finally gives in and sleeps anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours. Once she's up we change the diaper and the the cycle begins again with a feeding as long as it has been at least 2.5 hours since she last started eating...which is almost always the case.

Now a schedule would be great because then I'd know she wakes up every morning at 7am, and is in bed by 9pm, or something like that. Then Amanda & I would be on our way to Old Town Spring at the moment because I'd know when she eats & we'd have planned accordingly. Instead we had planned to go at 1:30...assuming Luci would eat at 1pm...but she's still sleeping! Which is a blessing...I certainly can't complain about her sleeping...so for now I'm just going to be thankful for a somewhat more predictable routine!

Things to remember at 5 1/2 weeks

Look at this nose...look familiar Aunt Brooke & Uncle Ben??
What a sweet face...
Soooo sweet....

Luci's nicknames include Luci Bird, Luci Belle (per Grandma Rosonke), Sweet Baby (per Grandma Pierse), Luci Pea, Squirmy Wormy, Squirmis Von Wormis (can you guess who came up with that one?) and LRPy...(per Great Grandpa Halvorson...her initials + y). **And I forgot two of the favorites! Monkey toes & froggy feet!!

The sound of a hungry/mad cry is something like...elllaaaaaa....elllaaaaaaa....elllaaaaaa...

When she is in pain she clenches her fists, kicks like it is her job, and her poor little face turns bright red. Tears are often shed.

Lengthwise her 3 month sleepers are to small...she fills out the legs in the 6 month sleepers already...I think I'm going to have to look for some long/tall sleepers! The 3 month pants are more like capri pants/bermuda shorts.

She loves the mobile (thank you Lawrence family) over her crib...I ask her if she wants to look at her friends and then I put her in the crib. She'll often hang out & kick for 30 minutes or more!

She likes the pacifier, but still has trouble keeping it in her mouth. When she finds her fingers or arms she sucks on them.

The hair on the top of her head is falling out...she has the old man bald on top, but hair in a ring around her head look going on. It is still pretty dark, but some days looks a bit red. I have no idea how the color of hair can change, but it does seem to.

Her eyelashes are getting darker & more noticeable.

She still has a little patch of hair on the side of each ear. Like the same hair that is on top of her head!

She knows her mama. On Saturday Clay, Nigel (he was in town for the day!) & I hung out at our friends' house while my mom watched Luci. She cried and cried until I came home & held her, and then she was content. Then I'd give her back to my mom & she'd cry again. So she either knows her mama or she can smell milk & she likes it!

She startles very easily. If the sticky part of the diaper is ripped to quickly (& loudly) she cries.

She loves white noise...the noise maker from Grandpa Pierse & the Sleep Sheep from Erica & Michael are our two most helpful baby gear items.

She also really enjoys the bouncy chair that vibrates, and her Baby Einstein play mat from Jen & Paul. She loves to look at the star with lights on the play mat. BTW - all of this gear requires a TON of batteries...we've spent more on batteries in the last month than I have in the last 10 years.

She is NOT a big fan of the Maya Sling...maybe I just don't know how to put her in there so she's comfortable?

She often sucks down milk so fast that she chokes...at which point I ask her if there are bones in her milk, and then proceed to tell her that Milkbones are for dogs! She's not nearly as amused as I am...you have to do things to keep yourself amused at 4am...

One Month!

Miss Luci hit the one month milestone on Saturday! Somehow this has been the quickest but longest month of my life...maybe it is the lack of sleep? On a good night she sleeps about 3 to 3.5 hours...maybe 4 hours at a time, and on a bad night she is up every few hours. We have started taking a bath every other night, and after the initial scare of being naked in some strange substance she actually calms down & likes it! Then we put on baby lotion & a little sleeper, eat & then go to sleep. On a bath night we start the process sometime around 8:30p and on a non-bath night somewhere between 9p and 9:30p. Then I run to bed & try to get to sleep as quickly as possible before she wakes up! Some mornings she's up after the 5a or 6a feeding, and some mornings I can get her to sleep until 8a or so. I think she's going to be a morning person...usually we only see the smiles first thing in the morning. These particular smiles were for Grandma Rosonke...I had the camera out & kept asking her to smile at the camera for Grandma Rosonke (Grandma Pierse was here at the time) & she obliged!

Clay is on vacation this week and Luci & I are delighted to have him around for 7 days straight! He's started getting up at night with us at least once just to hang out & keep me company. It helps the time go a little more quickly as I battle the burp beast! Our little one has some serious trouble burping...she is in pain until she gets it out, and then is in pain for a bit afterwards...not so fun at anytime, but especially not fun in the middle of the night. If we don't win the battle of the burp she might sleep for an hour, but when she wakes up it will be twice the battle it was before she fell asleep. I've tried all of the burping positions (high on the shoulder, across the knees, sitting & holding her chin in my hand, and one I invented that is sort of sitting, leaning over the arm position), I've tried a gentle pat & a firm pat, with a cupped hand and with a flat hand...and nothing seems to work consistently. If anyone has a secret weapon out there I'd much appreciate the advice! My forearms are seriously exhausted from all of this attempted burping!!

Grandma Pierse left on Saturday and Aunt Brooke came back Sunday night. She stays until Thursday and then Grandma Rosonke arrives on Friday. Clay & I feel incredibly blessed to have such strong support from our families...thank you families...you are the best!

Happy Birthday Grandma Pierse

Grandma Pierse is this week's hero...and Luci is so glad she was able to spend her Grandma's birthday with her yesterday. Happy Birthday Grandma Pierse!!

Luci's reflux seems to be improving. Each day is a little different (some better than others), but I think overall things are looking up. She is back to eating on a 3 hour schedule during the day - which is much easier for me than the 2 hour schedule. Last night she slept 4 hours at a time so I'm feeling pretty refreshed - for awhile there she was up every 1 1/2 to 2 hours...that was rough...thank goodness I had Harry Potter during those wee hours to keep me awake & going. I now only read it at night when I'm up with Luci...I'm determined to make it last as long as I can! I'm so sad the saga is coming to an end!

The first family photos...

Reflux it is...but still growing like a champ!

Miss Luci was diagnosed with GER (Gastroesophageal Reflux) this morning by Dr. Bhakta. He gave us a few suggestions that Dr. Brooke had already given us (smaller but more frequent feedings, good burps and keeping her elevated 30 minutes after eating), in addition to prescribing Zantac & another antacid. Hopefully they'll work and provide her (and her parents) with a bit of much needed relief.

The good news is that despite this reflux the kid is "growing like a champ" per Dr. Bhakta! She weighed in at a whopping 10 lbs, 2 oz this morning! That is up over 2 lbs in 10 days! Poor thing...she must have my metabolism...

I think she looks more & more like her daddy everyday...even the nurse this morning thought so! This is Dad's favorite little sleeper from the Oswicks - he calls it her "Dr. Seuss Sleeper." Something to do with the stripes?!?!

Luci gives a shout out today to Aunt Jen & Uncle Paul. She can't wait to meet them...she told me herself. She loves her lemon outfit & sweetpea boppy from them! Happy Anniversary Aunt Jen & Uncle Paul!