Teaching Carleigh Mechanical Skills

Early last week, Papaw came over to remove our flourescent light fixture in the kitchen and put up canned lights and pendant lights over the stove.  We love how it looks!!!  During his breaks, he loved playing with Carleigh and even shared some of his "Mr. Fix-It" skills with her.

All the hard work left Carleigh needing a few rest breaks, also.  And who else to share them with but her best buddy ... Tyson!

Look at her mechanical skills already being tested!  Papaw's a great teacher!  Even her Mimi and Aunt Shay had to come see for themselves!

The Kitchen Lighting:

6 Month Check-Up

We just got back from our 6 month check-up and Carleigh did very well!!!  (much better than at her 4 month appointment).  Of course she cried after the shots, but I was able to calm her down shortly after.  The doctor gave her a clean bill of health and said to help us get her to intake more formula, we can add either 1 tsp. of white caro syrup or 1/2 packet of Truvia to her 4-6 oz. bottles.  (in hopes that she will drink 24 oz of milk per day).  He said most babies her age have no problem getting in at least that much but that her formula isn't the most appetizing.  We are going to try that and hopefully in the next week, she'll be doing most of her eating during the day so we can eliminate that night feeding. 

Other than that, she is doing wonderful.  He thinks she may have  a second tooth about to break through and was happy with her developmental progress.  Carleigh weighed 15 pounds, 15 ounces (40%, pretty much 16 pounds) and was 27 and 3/4 inches long (97%)!!!  What a big girl!

Hangin' with Mimi over the weekend!

Following in Mommy's footsteps

Carleigh is starting to really grab for those little feet of hers! 

And boy do I miss being that flexible! (photo from 1989, 9 years old)

I am so ready to get her in Gymboree classes because she looks like a natural gymnast to me! 

A Typical Day

Carleigh wakes up typically at 6:45 am.  She spends 15 minutes in the bathroom while (gasp!) daddy showers and I lay in bed procastinating (I was never a snoozer - remember those morning workouts - until I had a baby).   At 7 am Carleigh and I come into the family room and begin our day.  She drinks a bottle and we play (daddy's gone to work), until 8:45 when like clockwork, she's down for her 1st nap.  Her schedule has taken a few weeks to hammer out but now it's pretty consitent.  We repeat the eat, play, sleep cycle throughout the day (a total of 3 naps, and 3 feedings before daddy gets home mixed with a solid feeding).  

What I'm learning during the day is that if it's in front of her, it's in her mouth.  Of course that goes wtih the age, but we really have to watch what's with in her arms'-reach.

Somethings are fine...

Somethings could get damaged by the drool; though she already loves hearing daddy on the phone!

And boy does she love it when daddy comes home!  Yesterday we waited for him out in the front yard with the dogs since it was so pretty outside!  He was very excited to see us.  Typically, when he gets home, Dustin will take Carleigh from me and let me have a little alone time, whether it's to workout or just to decompress a little bit, and so that he can be alone with her to make sure she isn't too brainwashed with mommy-love.  Of course, she's loves their daddy-daughter time.  They play on the bed, he tickles her and gives her belly zerberts, and does playtime on the floor with her and her toys.  He's an amazing daddy and it shows.

Her night time routine begins with a bath at 6:30 pm.  She goes down for bed like clockwork at 7 pm nightly.  She still wakes up for a dreamfeed once per night but that's because we can't get enough food in her during the day.  All in all, we can't complain.  Compared with a few weeks ago/months ago, this is a breeze.

GI update

Dr. Elizondo's office gave us Carleigh's stool test results.  The news is that her stool had mucous in it which is indicative of a dairy/soy allergy (we thought that already but this confirmed it).  That's the only allergy they told me about, so I guess that's good.  White blood cells were also found in her stool which indicate an infection of some sort in the colon.  The doctor thinks this could have been the reason for the screaming sessions, due to the inflammation and she will be retested at her February 3rd appointment.  If the next test is positive for white blood cells, more invasive testing will have to be done.  If it is negative, then they will just chalk it up to a onetime bout of colitis. 

We are keeping her on Alimentum at the office's suggestion, since she will not drink the Elecare.  She is up to 20-24 oz. of Alimentum a day mixed with oatmeal and has put on a considerable amount of weight.  She seems so much happier.  We just have to watch for repeated bouts of stool problems (one way or the other if you know what I mean) and inform the doctor because that could indicate some sort of infection.

Most likely, she will grow out of the allergies.

Lovin' the neighbors!

Catherine and Isabel are getting bigger and bigger and have social lives and cell phones now!  But they still have time for baby Carleigh!  This weekend they stopped by to get their fix and made all the other neighbor girls jealous.  Carleigh can't wait to be their size and hopes to be as cool and pretty as them!

Carleigh's got a ways to go before she can even think about a cell phone!  She's got to get out of diapers and walk first before we'll even talk about it!  J/K

Mommy's girl

Can't help but say that this staying at home thing is really scoring me points with Carleigh!  In a few years, she's going to become a daddy's girl, and then later in her teenage years, want nothing to do with either of us ... so now I am savoring each of these precious moments that she reaches for me and seems to say with her eyes, "Mommy, I need you and I love you."  I can't wait to one day hear those words for real.  :)  For now, I will keep settling for the hugs, smiles and hand-holds til she falls asleep.

Tooth update

A week later and Carleigh's tooth is much easier to see.

(and a lot less bothersome)

G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S!!!

Carleigh used to mind getting dressed up, but now, (maybe in part due to changing a couple times a day due to reflux accidents and trying to get her to wear her many outfits), she loves being on her changing table and being changed!  So this weekend, as we were getting her changed into her outfit to go run an errand, I put her fur boots (fake of course) on and she just couldn't stop smiling at them (and touching her feet)!  She pulled them off a few time (as a result of grabbing her feet) and then played with the boot, but just loved the pink fur!  What a little princess!

Meeting Stella and Caroline

Courtney and Seth had their identical daughters, Caroline and Stella, January 7th and I was able to meet them last week.  It was amazing to see them!  They are so beautiful and so small!  At birth they weighed 6 pounds 1 ounce and 6 pounds 3 ounces.  I can't remember Carleigh even being close to that size, but she was!  I think they look like Court but time will tell.  They have a ton of light brown hair and light blue eyes.  Seth is going to have his hands full with three girls!

Caroline

Stella

Sleepy sisters! (1 week old)

Favorite foods

Before she gets too old and I forget, I thought I'd list Carleigh's food preferences in order of favorite to least favorite (that she's tried so far).

YUMMY

1.  Formula mixed with oatmeal (Alimentum with Happy Babies Oatmeal mmmm...)

2.  Pears (will eat a whole stage 1 jar in a sitting)

3.  Applesauce

OKAY

4.  Bananas (it was a learned likeness)

5.  Peaches mixed with applesauce (won't eat them alone)

UNSURE

6.  Prunes

7.  Sweet Carrots

DISGUSTING

8.  Sweet Potatoes

CAN'T EAT DUE TO ALLERGY: PEAS (lucky girl)!

We try everything at least three times in hopes that she'll at least develop a taste for different things - hello, bananas!  And when we move to actual real food, we are pretty confident she'll like things that she didn't like as baby foods.

Prunes, we've learned, will only be fed to her if she is constipated!  Haha.

Pretty soon we'll move on to puffs and crackers!  Fun with food!

First tooth!

Our week started off with a bang!  Carleigh's been practicing sitting up unassisted and is sitting up longer and longer everyday!  She is playing with toys now, grabbing at her feet, putting her palms down for balance and even putting her arms in the air as if to test herself.

To top it off, Monday, I noticed Carleigh wasn't wanting to play as much and was biting her pacifier more than sucking it.  I stuck my finger in her mouth and low and behold, I felt one of her main bottom teeth had broken the skin!  She hadn't even fussed ... yet!  (It's very hard to see in pictures, but I thought I'd include them anyways for posterity).

Today's been another story.  She was fussy off and on but Dustin noticed that there's also anther tooth about to break skin, so it's completely understandable.  Poor baby.

Her Gigi was so excited about the tooth, she had to come see it in person!!!

She's even beginning to get on her knees and push up on her hands!  Before long, I'm sure she'll be crawling.  She's getting big so fast!

Looking at the Positives, Longhorns!

We had a passionate group of Longhorn fans over for the National Championship game last night, only to be disappointed by Colt's exit from the game by the 5th play.  With a lot of adult beverages and great company, we decided to make the best of the night.  We know in our hearts that if Colt had stayed in, Texas would have creamed Alabama.  And on a positive note, Garrett Gilbert is a freshman quarterback, and in the coming years, we know he is going to be amazing for Texas.  So, instead of being upset, we are excited about the possibilities that are in the HORNS' future!  (The final score was 37-21).

Big Girl Alert!

My first week of staying home has been a bit of a roller coaster.  It started off with Dusty, me and Carleigh all having a terrible cold combined with a few terrible nights of sleep.  This led me to not feel 100% during the days when I was watching Carleigh.  She was very irritable and fussy and just not her normal self.  I felt a little discouraged until yesterday afternoon and this morning.  Now I am so excited at the prospect of being home with my baby girl and seeing all the milestones that she accomplishes! 

Yesterday, our attempt at getting her on a schedule went pretty well.  Her napping improved.  I got her to go down like clockwork at 8 am, 11 am and 2 pm (only 30 minute naps, but that's a start) and she didn't fight me.  Today, I've been successful with her at 8 am and 11 am on the dot and they've been a little longer naps!!!  It's very encouraging.  My hope is that as she continues to become a more consistent napper and gets accustomed to a very routine schedule, we can push her bedtime a little later, and her nighttime routine will become better, too!

Dustin and I have a saying we say to Carleigh that always brings a big smile to her and sometimes a chuckle.  We say, "Big Girl Alert!"  Every time we say it, it's as if she tries a little harder, or persists at whatever she's doing for a little longer.  This was the case yesterday when she was pushing the balls on her new activity center toy and when we were practicing sitting today!  She didn't want to stop until she succeeded.

We keep working on her rolling over from tummy to back, but it's still a work in progress.  At least now she doesn't mind the tummy time since she can staighten her elbows and push up for a little bit.  And every time she makes an attempt, we say, "Big Girl Alert!"

Family Trip to Playa del Carmen, Mexico 12/25/09-12/31/09

Our trip to Playa over the Christmas was a nontraditional, but amazing way to spend the holiday!  Hopefully, it will continue to be something we do every year!

We had Dustin's parents, sister, Nate, my parents, Jen, Lori, Julie, Stephen and the boys there to share in the season and it was so wonderful to be with everyone.

Carleigh surprised everyone by not only being an amazing flyer, but by sticking to a schedule better in Mexico than she does at home!  I guess the warm weather does wonders for her.  She took 2-3 naps a day, slept like a baby at night, and ate like a champ.

Each day was warm and breezy (except one blistering hot day).  So Carleigh got to experience the water and her turtle water toy!  We kept singing "Hey, Mr. Turtle," from the World Animals Baby Einstein DVD... I'm sure other guests thought we were nuts!  It's a real catchy tune!

 

 The boys were already checking her out!

Look at her little feet underwater!

 Both sets of grandparents enjoyed spending lots of time with her, which allowed Dusty and me adult time!!!

We went to downtown Playa with Shay and Nate and went to Senor Frogs and had way too much fun!!!  But that's what vacation is about!

But each of those times when we got home from "adult time," we couldn't wait to get back to our Carliegh!

On the last night, we all wore white so we could take some family photos.