Sweet feet and a big 5 months old

This really has nothing to do with Logan turning 5 months old, but I LOVE chubby baby feet and find baby shoes, specifically baby sandals, to be perfectly charming. How sweet are these? Logan doesn't like to keep her big toes in the toe holes but I think it's because they don't quite fit her yet, we'll see.

On with the 5 month post. Again, when the 28th of each month hits, I can't help but remember the anxiousness I felt the morning of January 28th as I went in for a scheduled induction to meet my baby. Was I ready for this? Would I be a good mommy? What if I didn't know what to do? But ready or not, she came, and the rest has just been a wonderful learning process.

I have to admit that since finishing with work and starting to stay home with her, things have really started to look up. I feel happier, more fulfilled and much more accomplished at the end of a day at home than I ever did at work. It's truly a blessing to be able to be with her like this and we can only attribute it to God because without Him this wouldn't be possible.

Enough of my musings!

Little girl, you are a whole 5 months old! What can you do this month?

- You have discovered your little feet and you can't keep your hands off of them! You are constantly grabbing them and pulling them close to your face. They haven't quite made it in your mouth but I'm keeping them extra clean for the day that it does happen.

- Your voice has much more than one inflection now. You get a high pitched, sing song, voice when you are content. Your voice dips into it's lower, more whiney inflection when you start to get upset. You also seem to have a singing voice- when the radio is on, or you're watching praise baby you like to make all kinds of noises like you're singing along.

-Speaking of Praise Baby, your Nana Kathy brought you one the last time she visited and it's your favorite video. Mommy and daddy know that if we put it on, we've got a full 28 minutes to get things done before you fuss. We need to ask her where she got it so we can get you some more.

- You're almost sleeping through the night. You go to bed around 8:30pm and you sleep (usually) until 3:30am and then you go back down until 8:45 or 9 in the morning.

- You recognize your toys and are playing with them a lot more. You love the little horse your Tia Carolyn gave you and want to have it around all the time. You like to play with your keys, your rattles and your teething rings.

- You're still trying to cut that first tooth. Your poor little gums have been swollen for a couple of weeks now and it just doesn't want to show it's little face but we know it's coming.

- You are learning to use all of your limbs, now. You know that kicking your legs in the bathtub makes the water splash. You use your hands and arms to bring your blanket over your head when we're playing. You've learned how to use your arms and legs to roll yourself from your tummy to your back and you rarely will just stay on your tummy anymore--you roll as soon as we put you on it.

- You can play on your own for longer periods of time. If mommy sits you in your pack and play you'll entertain yourself for about 10 minutes before wanting to be picked up and played with.

-You really like being read to. You will sit still and help hold whatever book mommy or daddy is reading to you until it's over.

- You can sit up on your own. You don't actually sit up by yourself, but if your put in a sitting position you'll stay there for quite a while. You have very good balance.

- You have moved into size 2-3 diapers, are 15 lbs and 12 oz and 25 inches long. You also are wearing a lot of 6 month clothing, especially sleepers.

You are such a joy to us and we are so happy that we get to be your mommy and daddy. We look forward to continue watching you grow and helping you learn to be a woman of God. Here's your comparison pictures:

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Is this my kid, or what? :)

4 month well baby checkup

It's actually closer to a 5 month checkup since she'll be 5 months on Sunday (can you believe it?!) but we finally made it in to the Dr. (after 2 cancelled checkups for schedule conflicts). Logan is 15lbs 12oz and measures a healthy 25 inches. She's right at the 50th percentile for height and is just above the 50th percentile for weight. Perfect for her age!

We talked to the Dr. about her eating and she wants me to continue exclusively nursing until 6 months and then we'll slowly start introducing solids. She said that as long as Logan continues to gain weight and is content then we need not mess with trying to get her to eat other things too early. Ok by me. The 600 calories a day I burn doing it aren't so bad, either! ;)

Lo becomes intensely focused on things that are going on around her. TV, someone talking to her, or the dogs at my parents house. She loves to just focus in and be a part of the action. Here she is focused on Clifford.

She has also found her feet and can't keep her hands (or her mouth) off of them.

She loves to talk to people (and herself, and her stuffed horse), she can roll from her tummy to her back, she can sit up unassisted for several minutes without wobbling, and she grabs things and pulls them directly to her mouth. This definitely includes her fingers.
The result? A pretty advanced baby. The Dr. says her developmental milestones are more on track with a 6-7 month old than a 5 month old. She advised us to go ahead and lower our crib and to babyproof the house because mobility will probably show up sooner than what is normally expected. She's growing up so fast!

Our Bags Are Packed...

Well, phase one of our move is complete. We have packed up our little townhouse here in sunny FL.

And all of our belongings were moved into our PODS unit. It sat outside of our house for a week. Mike, my brother and a friend of his worked hard to load it all up so that it was ready to be picked up and transported to NC.

Tuesday morning we woke up and finished packing up Mike's car so that the could head up to meet our stuff at our new apartment. Here's Logan getting ready to say goodbye to daddy for a few days. That stroller is just about all we have left for her to sit in at home.
Needless to say his car was packed to the brim with all of our little leftovers that we needed to help us survive one more week in our own home. We'll be moving in with Tita on Tuesday or Wednesday and that's where we will be living for the remainder of our time here in FL.
After we loaded him up, we headed to Starbucks and had a quick breakfast with Mike before he headed off.
Logan and I stayed with my parents while Mike was gone. It's nice to have family so close by, they have been such a huge help to me the last few days. I really can tell what two extra (daddy) hands do, though. I have missed Mike tremendously and look forward to having him back tonight.

Happy Father's Day!

Yesterday was Mike's first Father's Day. It has been so special to see him as a daddy, he does so great with his little girl. She's a total daddy's princess and they both know it! How did we spend the day?

Well, Logan and daddy spent the morning cuddling before church.

Happy Father's Day daddy! I love you. I know, I'm so cute. :)
Big smiles for the camera. Logan loves snuggling with daddy. After we dragged ourselves out of bed we got ready and headed off to church (not before stopping at Starbucks so that Mike could get his free cup of coffee for being a father). After church we headed out to lunch with MY dad to celebrate father's day with both he and Mike. Where did we go, you ask?

The Knife! Where else would you expect us to eat on Father's Day? A real man's restaurant where the guys could have all the steak that they could possibly imagine to eat. I know, it was father's day but I couldn't help getting a little snapshot with my sweetie. Love the sunglasses on the head.

What did Logan get daddy for Father's Day? Check it out!
The writing reads "Now that I have my own golf shoes (socks), can I play golf with you, daddy?" I found these adorable socks that are made to look like golf shoes and I thought that it would be so cute to give him the socks and a golf gift certificate so he could go play a round without feeling guilty about money or time away from us. He works so hard, we want him to be able to play, too.
Don't they just look precious on her little feet?

Happy Father's Day, Mike!

Water Baby

Lately, during bathtime Logan has been getting a huge kick out of batting at the water and kicking it to make it splash. She gets the most adorable little accomplished look when she soaks mommy after a big kick. So, we decided to give the pool a try on Sunday. Needless to say she L-O-V-E-D it!

This Weekend, I Became a Mommy.

I think every first time mom can identify with that "ah-ha, so this is what being a mom is all about" feeling. The "initiation" into mommyhood, if you will. You have a baby, you bring the baby home, you care for the baby like your life depends on it, but there comes a moment when all of the sudden it makes sense and you realize that you have become a mommy. I thought I had already had my initiation into the club with things like setting an alarm to wake up every two hours to feed my baby, or spending hours trying to get a poop stain out of my white comforter (which was retired, I know, baby + white=disaster), or maybe it was the projectile vomit in my face. I realize now that all of those things were mere hazing. This weekend, I was initiated. This weekend, I truly understood what being a mom is all about. This weekend I became a mommy. This weekend, Logan officially started teething.

Backtrack with me to Saturday. Mike and I decided to go out on a double date with a couple I know from work--they have a 6 month old and so we're all kind of in the same "baby on board" boat. We go out with them pretty regularly. Mike and I got to the restaurant, put our names in, got drinks, and went outside to sit and wait for the other family. All was well at this point.

The other family got there, sat down with us to wait and we began to chat. All was still well. Then out of the blue little Lo's lip began to tremble, and then came a small whimper, then a whine, then the screaming ensued. We thought maybe she was warm so we stripped her down to her diaper and her t-shirt and then went and stood inside while we continued to wait. Not a change in her mood, and I could tell we were irritating some of the other diners. At this point she stuck her little hand into her mouth and began to chomp on it...hard. My mommy mind switched from hot to hungry. I took her to the car and fed her--it soothed her for a couple of minutes but she was back in hysterics by the time we went back in to sit down for dinner.

Her crying continued for about 10 minutes before I decided she and I would just go back to the car and wait while daddy asked for the check and a box for our food. The box and the check took a lot longer than expected and 30 minutes later (crying the entire time) I called Mike, told him to ask our friends if they would take him home--I had to get somewhere where I had a little more freedom to console her. I strapped Lo in her seat and pulled out of the parking lot. We quickly drove across the street to CVS to pick up the mesh teether that we'd heard so many good things about. She stopped crying midway to the store and was pretty pleasant while we looked for her teether. They were out of them. So, we proceeded to stop number two to see if they had the teether. It was at this time I realized I had Mike's house keys and he had no way to get in. I quickly called him, told him I'd be home soon and then walked quickly into the store.

Went to the baby section and looked for a good five minutes at all of the teethers before spotting ONE mesh one in the very back of a rack of bottles--almost missed it. So we quickly traveled to the front of the store and asked for a bag of ice to go along with it (our ice maker at home doesn't work) only to be informed that they were out of ice. A lot of good the mesh teether was going to do if we didn't have the ice to put in it. I called Mike once again, asked if he minded if I made one more stop and proceeded to stop number three. Went in, grabbed some ice and some ice cream (come on, I needed SOMETHING to look forward to) and went to the checkout line. While we waited in line I could hear the thunder cracking and was just hoping I'd make it out before the rain.

As we were on our way to the car the rain started. It was just a trickle at first so I pushed the stroller quickly to the car as the rain slowly started to come down a bit harder. I quickly snapped Logan's seat in the car and went to close the stroller.

Stroller. Was. Jammed.

With the rain slowly beginning to seep into my clothing I frantically tried pushing the stroller closed with no avail. After a minute of this madness I haphazardly threw the stroller into the trunk (yes, still half open and jammed) and climbed into the car. At least she stopped crying, now I just had to get home. No sooner had a pulled out of the parking space when the screaming started up again. I pushed my wet hair out of my eyes, said a prayer and stuck my finger in her mouth and we rode the whole way home like that.

So, there you have it. My initiation into motherhood. I feel like I can take on the world now, or at least I can handle what my baby throws at me. The tooth hasn't poked through the gums yet, but her gums are swollen and I can feel the little tooth right underneath the surface--won't be long, now. Here are a couple of shots from the night (all after the waterworks had stopped):

Skin Woes

Well, it's official, our little one has sensitive skin. We had hints that she might in the first few days that we had her with us as she seemed to develop pretty nasty diaper rashes. We thought she might have the diaper problem because along with myself, my siblings also had very sensitive skin and we were all allergic to regular diapers. What I didn't expect was the eczema! A couple of weeks ago I noticed a slight rash forming under Lo's arms and right under her hairline. We thought it was a heat rash and so I did things to help with that- kept her in cotton onesie's during the day and a cotton long sleeved shirt/diaper in the evenings. This didn't do anything for her. The rash actually got worse! After looking up a few things I have come to realize that she's got a mild case of baby eczema. No biggie, just have to find something that works for her. So coming from a diaper rash fighting, eczema treating mommy, what works for us?

Ahh! Don't be overwhelmed (this actually doesn't include several other items we use that just didn't happen to be within arms reach during the photo shoot), we just have realized that it takes more than one product to help with these different woes. For her eczema I've started using Gentle Natural's Baby Eczema Cream. It was a little pricey but it's all natural and just helps lock in her own body's natural moisture to help heal itself. It's worked very well. I started using it liberally about 3-4 times a day and the rash has lightened several shades. Along with the Gentle Natural's, I also give her a lukewarm bath every evening. I only use soap about every other day (other than in her hair--I have to wash that nightly to get rid of the spit up smell) and then I rotate between two different soaps: Aveeno Baby and Method Baby. Again, gotta go with the hypoallergenic, natural stuff with her or the skin problems persist. The bath and the different soaps seem to help with the diaper rash, too.

For the diaper rash I rotate what I use. During the day I rotate between the butt paste, desitin, and method baby (which, again, works the best--it's the natural stuff-- so I use that one every other changing). Then after her evening bath I load her up with A&D because it repels the dirty stuff during the night, so if I don't wake up right away to change her it keeps the stuff from sticking to her and making the rash worse.

HOWEVER, the thing that helps the most with her diaper rash?

Her Bum Genius cloth diapers! What a life-saver these gems have been. Not only do they come in fun colors, but they're very good for her sensitive little bottom. If we're not using these then we have to use super sensitive pampers. Since I've been home full time, I've started using these exclusively during the day and have not had ANY rash problems. I can't recommend these enough--they're easy to use, no pins, no folding. I have 24 of them and only do diaper loads about 2-3 times a week. And the stink that people worry about? I don't think it's any worse than a trash bag full of disposables. In fact, I tend to be MORE grossed out by the disposable smell. So...cloth diapering works for us! We'll see what I say about that after doing it for a couple of months exclusively...ha!

Logan feels good today. She spent the morning in her bumbo while mommy cleaned up (as seen in the picture up top and the one you'll see in a minute) and is now taking a nice morning nap before we run errands this afternoon.

Small milestone and big new toy

Told you I'd have more time to post! This is #3 for the day. :) Normally I wouldn't post this much but I've had several things to post and wanted to get it all done while I've got a fast internet connection. So, what's our small milestone that we hit today? Logan has enough hair to keep small bows clipped in all by themselves (no band necessary)! Yaaay! :) Her little hair is SO sweet and it's getting thicker and thicker by the day... she gets that from her mommy.

And our new big toy? The rainforest jumperoo! Logan LOVES this toy. She can literally spend an hour straight in it without fussing. She loves this thing. It's wonderful--several toys to play with, it's got lights and sounds (that can be turned off very easily and are not loud and obnoxious), it's got hanging toys so when she looks up she's got something fun to focus on, the seat spins so she has easy access to all of the toys (though she hasn't figured out how to do that on her own yet), AND the best part? She can JUMP JUMP JUMP! :) She's still kind of just bouncing a little but she's figured out that when she moves her feet it bounces and I'm sure the jumping will come with time. It wears her out really good, too. After an hour in it she's ready for a nap-- victory! Here's a better shot of it:

Yes, that's a book underneath her feet, she's not QUITE tall enough to reach the floor.

And here she is after she's played in it:

So Long, Farewell

Well, I am officially starting day 1 of my new job today. My duties? Let's see...

- Cleaning (EVERYTHING: kitchen, bathrooms, nursery, master bedroom, living room, closets)

- Making breakfast, lunch and dinner (I hate to admit this...but the last few weeks Mike and I have been living off of frozen meals because I've just been TOO tired to cook)

- Laundry, Laundry, and MORE Laundry! (I'm on load #3 for the day and have a few more to go through)

- Milk machine

- Keeper of the baby schedule

- Nurse (cleaning up spit up, working on getting rid of the baby eczema, and a few other things)

- Teacher (right now we're just working on fine motor skills :) I'm sure next week we'll be learning complex medical terms but we're taking things slow...ha!)

- Oh so many more things that I can't keep up with. The best part? Loving on my baby all day long and being rested and ready to take care of my wonderful husband at the end of the day. It's not easy by any stretch but I am SO SO SO passionate about it that I can't help but smile all day long.

So, what did we do last week to celebrate? Friday afternoon we went out to lunch with the kinder/first grade team to say goodbye. They were so sweet and full of encouragement as we get ready to embark on our new adventures. They bought me lunch, gave me a few sweet gifts and gave me a card I will treasure forever. It was such a great time. While I am so happy to be at home now, I know I will miss my colleagues very much.

Lunch at Samuri. Logan was very entranced by the chef and all he was able to do in front of her. She was quite entertained the entire time.
Lo and I with the kinder teachers.

And with the first grade team.
Big group shot.

The One Thing...

As we were registering in anticipation for Logan's arrival I was adamant about one thing: we didn't need a mobile. I couldn't find one to match the decor and I just thought it would be useless to have. I've babysat several children and none of them ever liked mobiles and so I figured it was just some big sales thing: all nursery pictures had them so the big stores made it seem like every parent needed one. Not me! I did NOT need a mobile for my child, I was going to prove them wrong. What's the one thing that keeps Lo quiet in her bassinet, though?

...her wind up mobile. I was proven wrong. (mark your calendars, I don't admit defeat regularly) Unfortunately, the wind up mobile goes for about...oh...90 seconds before stopping and screaming commences.

So a few weeks ago (I know, updates have been very sporadic) I marched myself into target and got a battery operated mobile:

It's wonderful! It plays music/nature sounds/heartbeats, it moves ON IT'S OWN, and it's got a really adorable lights show for Lo to watch in the dark. It's a very great product for us. Here it is in action:

The result?

Sweet dreams!