Friday, April 27, 2012
week 16 - 18
the main highlight during month 4 is a visit from nana (bry's mom) all the way from savannah, georgia! they had a great time bonding and we all look forward to seeing nana and the rest of the family in late june for a 2-week trip!
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| elise getting an indian massage from her new nanny! |
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| trying out her new stroller for the first time (still have about 1-2 months left) |
Thursday, April 26, 2012
4 month photoshoot
i know, i'm way behind on posting photos and videos! well, before she turns 5 months, i, at the very least, should post her 4 months photos and cute video. :)
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| every person who sees elise comments on her unusually long and curly eyelashes. they look even more dramatic in real life than they do in this photo! i wonder if they will stay this long and luscious into her adult years? |
Sunday, April 22, 2012
baby items
ok, i can feel myself losing steam with blogging. it's a big commitment! i started a new part-time research job last week and so i find myself mentally consumed with that these days. i have a lot of things to update including a visit from nana (bryant's mom), a new nanny, and of course, pictures and videos of all of elise's antics.
but before i do that, i've been meaning to write about all of elise's most used baby items. bryant's sister lindsay is expecting a baby boy and i have a few pregnant friends (now and the future!), and so i wanted to list all the things i recommend registering for or buying. i remember being SO. COMPLETELY. OVERWHELMED. by ALLLLLL the baby stuff out there. it's impossible to know what is actually useful and what is just snazzy marketing. and keep in mind that every baby is different, so my list may look different from another person's list. i got a few things that other people highly recommended, but they are still sitting in a closet somewhere. but anyway, onto the list!
Tiny Love Symphony in Motion Mobile
I actually didn't plan on getting a mobile because I thought they were just for decoration. Bry convinced me to get one and so I bought a cute one that got high reviews on Amazon. Elise liked it but didn't really respond actively to it. Well, after seeing my friend's baby go crazy with this mobile and then seeing Elise respond the same way with it, I decided to buy one on craigslist for like $20. Elise LOVES it! She squeals and laughs at it everyday. I never would have thought to buy this mobile because it's so hideous, but I guess babies have a different aesthetic in mind.
Baby Swing
I bought this $130 (what?!) swing for $30 on craigslist. Elise used to take her naps in this for several weeks, although I do know other babies use it for much longer. When you just need a break to put baby down somewhere, swings are invaluable. I hear babies really prefer these expensive swings so I'd recommend getting a used one. Ours ended up breaking, and so I called Fisher-Price and they issued us a $90 refund even though I told them it was a hand-me-down! These swings take up a lot of space and it's used for a relatively short period of time, but it's sooo worth it!
Bouncer Seat
We have a different bouncer seat. It was a hand-me-down and so old that I can't even find it online. All this to say, you don't need a fancy bouncer chair, although this one did get pretty good reviews. A bouncer seat is really helpful for when you need to put baby down somewhere for you to have a few minutes to yourself. It's also nice to sit face-to-face with baby so that you can have smiley contests with each other. :) This is probably my most used baby item.
Sophie the Giraffe
This is the #1 selling baby item on Amazon. I used to think people were crazy to buy a $15 chewtoy, but now that Elise is using it, I can see why. She just loves this thing! She goes to town just chewing on Sophie's face, ears, legs, neck, etc. And she's not even teething yet! I don't know what it is about the design of this toy, but it is really conducive to baby play.
OK, my computer is acting really wonky despite me restarting it multiple times (arghh!), so I'm just going to list the rest of the items:
5) gym playmat-- another thing Bryant convinced me to get despite my hesitation. i used to think these things were just distractions from pure parent-child bonding, but babies actually love playing on these things.
6) exersaucer or jumparoo-- we haven't tried ours yet because elise is too small, but my parent friends swear by these. i hope it's worth it because it takes up a lot of space! we got it for $10 on craigslist.
7) diaper changing pad-- don't need a cover even though we have one. an organic one at that. someone told me that babies don't like the cold vinyl feel of the changing pad, but elise doesn't mind and she gets excited and happy every time we change her diaper.
8) video monitor: i read that video monitors are unnecessary (over sound monitors) but i really like being able to see her move around if she is stirring. and i have to admit that sometimes i just stare at it and smile when she's sleeping. :)
9) snap-n-go stroller frame: this is really useful if you will use your stroller a lot the first 6 months. since i go on walks everyday, i need something that elise's carseat will quickly and easily snap into. when she outgrows this, we are transitioning her to a city mini stroller (a great urban stroller).
10) baby ktan: i love this baby carrier. it's a lot easier than the moby and other wrap styles and it's really comfortable. the only downside is that it is size-specific so bryant couldn't use it (but he used the ergo and baby bjorn instead).
11) soft-structured carrier: we have two of them, both hand me downs. the ergo and the baby bjorn. soft-structured carriers are kind of pricey and babies react differently to them. elise doesn't really last long in either carrier, unfortunately. i'd recommend trying out different carriers with your baby before buying one. there are babywearing groups out there that help facilitate that.
12) nosefrida baby nasal aspirator: a must have! babies hate it but it is way better than the bulb one that the hospital will give you
but before i do that, i've been meaning to write about all of elise's most used baby items. bryant's sister lindsay is expecting a baby boy and i have a few pregnant friends (now and the future!), and so i wanted to list all the things i recommend registering for or buying. i remember being SO. COMPLETELY. OVERWHELMED. by ALLLLLL the baby stuff out there. it's impossible to know what is actually useful and what is just snazzy marketing. and keep in mind that every baby is different, so my list may look different from another person's list. i got a few things that other people highly recommended, but they are still sitting in a closet somewhere. but anyway, onto the list!
Tiny Love Symphony in Motion Mobile
I actually didn't plan on getting a mobile because I thought they were just for decoration. Bry convinced me to get one and so I bought a cute one that got high reviews on Amazon. Elise liked it but didn't really respond actively to it. Well, after seeing my friend's baby go crazy with this mobile and then seeing Elise respond the same way with it, I decided to buy one on craigslist for like $20. Elise LOVES it! She squeals and laughs at it everyday. I never would have thought to buy this mobile because it's so hideous, but I guess babies have a different aesthetic in mind.
Baby Swing
I bought this $130 (what?!) swing for $30 on craigslist. Elise used to take her naps in this for several weeks, although I do know other babies use it for much longer. When you just need a break to put baby down somewhere, swings are invaluable. I hear babies really prefer these expensive swings so I'd recommend getting a used one. Ours ended up breaking, and so I called Fisher-Price and they issued us a $90 refund even though I told them it was a hand-me-down! These swings take up a lot of space and it's used for a relatively short period of time, but it's sooo worth it!
We have a different bouncer seat. It was a hand-me-down and so old that I can't even find it online. All this to say, you don't need a fancy bouncer chair, although this one did get pretty good reviews. A bouncer seat is really helpful for when you need to put baby down somewhere for you to have a few minutes to yourself. It's also nice to sit face-to-face with baby so that you can have smiley contests with each other. :) This is probably my most used baby item.
This is the #1 selling baby item on Amazon. I used to think people were crazy to buy a $15 chewtoy, but now that Elise is using it, I can see why. She just loves this thing! She goes to town just chewing on Sophie's face, ears, legs, neck, etc. And she's not even teething yet! I don't know what it is about the design of this toy, but it is really conducive to baby play.
OK, my computer is acting really wonky despite me restarting it multiple times (arghh!), so I'm just going to list the rest of the items:
5) gym playmat-- another thing Bryant convinced me to get despite my hesitation. i used to think these things were just distractions from pure parent-child bonding, but babies actually love playing on these things.
6) exersaucer or jumparoo-- we haven't tried ours yet because elise is too small, but my parent friends swear by these. i hope it's worth it because it takes up a lot of space! we got it for $10 on craigslist.
7) diaper changing pad-- don't need a cover even though we have one. an organic one at that. someone told me that babies don't like the cold vinyl feel of the changing pad, but elise doesn't mind and she gets excited and happy every time we change her diaper.
8) video monitor: i read that video monitors are unnecessary (over sound monitors) but i really like being able to see her move around if she is stirring. and i have to admit that sometimes i just stare at it and smile when she's sleeping. :)
9) snap-n-go stroller frame: this is really useful if you will use your stroller a lot the first 6 months. since i go on walks everyday, i need something that elise's carseat will quickly and easily snap into. when she outgrows this, we are transitioning her to a city mini stroller (a great urban stroller).
10) baby ktan: i love this baby carrier. it's a lot easier than the moby and other wrap styles and it's really comfortable. the only downside is that it is size-specific so bryant couldn't use it (but he used the ergo and baby bjorn instead).
11) soft-structured carrier: we have two of them, both hand me downs. the ergo and the baby bjorn. soft-structured carriers are kind of pricey and babies react differently to them. elise doesn't really last long in either carrier, unfortunately. i'd recommend trying out different carriers with your baby before buying one. there are babywearing groups out there that help facilitate that.
12) nosefrida baby nasal aspirator: a must have! babies hate it but it is way better than the bulb one that the hospital will give you
Saturday, April 7, 2012
saturday happenings
we went to 2 going away parties today-- one for nick, mindy, and baby pascale and the other for kevin, rachel, and baby norah. pascale and norah are the same age as elise and we're sad that they're moving away!
in the first photo, bryant is wearing calvin's shirt. the reason for that is because elise had THE. BIGGEST. POOPY. BLOWOUT....possibly in baby history. she had on a cute eastery dress on and it filled her diaper and shot up the front and back of her onesie. we had to cut her onesie open with scissors in order to finagle her out of the grossness. thankfully, we were at judy and calvin's so we immediately gave her a bath in a baby bathtub. :)
and here is elise having a case of the giggles!
in the first photo, bryant is wearing calvin's shirt. the reason for that is because elise had THE. BIGGEST. POOPY. BLOWOUT....possibly in baby history. she had on a cute eastery dress on and it filled her diaper and shot up the front and back of her onesie. we had to cut her onesie open with scissors in order to finagle her out of the grossness. thankfully, we were at judy and calvin's so we immediately gave her a bath in a baby bathtub. :)
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| with nick and pascale |
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| with karen, nate, and norah at kevin and norah's going away party |
and here is elise having a case of the giggles!
Friday, April 6, 2012
Thursday, April 5, 2012
week 15
i'm starting to lose track of the weeks, which is what i hear happens around 3 months. i still can't believe elise is still only 3 months old; we feel like we've been parents for much longer! i must say, motherhood has gotten much easier during the past month, which is in large part due to the fact that nursing has improved a lot. it's improved so much that my story will actually get published in a book. thanks to all your prayers, we are now successfully nursing and only giving 1-2 bottles a day and best of all, i'm only pumping once a day!!! YEAH! i can't tell you how happy i am to come to this point because there were many moments where i really questioned all the pumping/cleaning/bottle/nursing cyclical madness.
when i look back on these past few months, i realize that we were basically in a fog the first two months but things became gradually easier after that. we were just talking today how we feel like we're in a parenting groove and although there are still challenges (i.e. NAPS!!) we feel much more confident as parents. speaking of naps, elise is still not napping more than 15-30 minutes unless she is being held or pushed in the stroller. i will likely start some form of nap training during her fourth month.
today, we had to take elise to the pediatrician because we've noticed that she has somewhat of a curved spine and she always tends towards the right. when she sleeps, sometimes her body curves to a C position. thankfully, the doctor said that it was not serious and we didn't have to worry...although i do wonder if a chiropractor would say the same thing. elise was also developing a rash under her neck and despite us smearing all sorts of creams and ointments, the rash was just spreading and getting worse. she would often scratch it and it was so hard to see this as a parent! the pediatrician said that it is actually a fungal infection and she gave us the right ointment (lotrimin) to apply. elise is also developing a slight case of eczema and she has sensitive skin, overall.
bryant's on spring break this week, which means...spring break for mommy! yeah! it has been so great spending a lot of time together as a family. since bry usually comes home right before elise's bedtime, he doesn't get to spend as much quality time with her as he would like. i think they had a lot of good bonding time this week. :)
some photos and videos:
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