This Baby Thing is Hard Work

[geminigirl]

(Snapped today with the camera phone while she took a nap on me.)



We got our try it kit from Jillian's Drawers-everything but the BG organic has been washed, and is in the dryer I'm hoping we'll find something we both like to supplement the prefolds. She's finally big enough to wear the diapers I got in May-I bought a Swaddlebes velour and a Bamboozle, and entirelysonja got me a Bamboozle and a Cricket's diaper as birthday gifts, plus the Bummis flower cover (which she's still not big enough for.) I'm on the prowl for a very specific diaper design though...can't post it here-IM or email me or use LJ's messaging system if you want the details.

Naomi is working very had at rolling over. Today she got stuck on her side and it made her very upset. She's passing toys from one hand to the other-not just things like the spoon that she plays with, but other toys. She's starting to pick up toys or to reach for things, which is wonderfully fun to watch. Her hair pulling skills have improved greatly-she tends to get a handful of my ponytail rather than one strand at a time. I was looking at the pictures from her first bath and amazed at how big she's gotten and how she's changed already (and then I think of inkedmama's two month old who weighed more at her two month visit than Naomi did ten days ago.)

Her vocalizations have changed. Not much for the consonant sounds yet, but those should come soon. I suspect we'll probably work harder on signing with her soon, too, as her dexterity is increasing.

As for sleep-she doesn't nap much during the day-mostly cat naps on me. She seemed to be developing a habit of napping around eleven in the morning, but not consistently. But night time...that's what I'd like to get a pattern going for. Right now, she goes down for the night between eight thirty and nine thirty. Some nights she wakes completely at around midnight and wants to eat. Other nights she just gets kind of restless at around that time, but dozes back off and sleeps until about four AM when she wakes and eats. Either way she seems to wake up for the day between seven thirty and eight thirty. I'd like to figure out a way to encourage the sleep between eight thirty and nine thirty, wake and eat at midnight an sleep through til seven thirty pattern, but I'm not sure how to do that. Any thoughts from those with children older than mine?

This weekend, I think she's getting her first massage. I'm looking forward to that (we know someone who is a massage therapist who is working on some certifications to teach infant massage or something and asked if she could use Naomi to practice teaching with.) She's a pampered kid.

Comments

[inkedmama.livejournal.com]

i'm glad to hear you & the nacho are doing well. she's absolutely beautiful.

yeah, paige is a bit of a porker! what i can't believe is how *tall* she is. i'm a shorty (5'3" on a good day) & jake is about 6'... i'm guessing she's more of a fits & starts grower and will start to slow down pretty soon.

oh how i wish she slept as well as naomi, although i suppose only waking 2-3 times per night isn't really all that bad. i'd gladly give someone money for consistent 4-5 hour stretches though. :)

[geminigirl]

When Naomi was Paige's age, she slept more like you describe Paige's sleeping habits. The longer overnight stretch is probably in the last three or so weeks.

It'll happen eventually, or so I tell myself.

[inkedmama.livejournal.com]

i realize this time is going to fly by, so i'm trying to enjoy it even when it pretty well sucks at the moment. :) plus i know we're never going to do this again, so it makes it all the more bittersweet.

i just feel fortunate that she's generally a great sleeper who prefers her own bed to mine & can put herself to sleep with very little, if any, fuss. so different from her brother who slept, literally, on my chest for nearly his first 6 months & didn't sleep in his own bed or in his own room consistently until about 6 months ago. :)

[geminigirl]

I'm always amazed when I hear from people with two children how different they often are right from the beginning. I hope that any subsequent children I might have are as easygoing as my Nacho. But I'll love them just as much, no matter how frustrating parenthood can be.

[inkedmama.livejournal.com]

it's still amazing to me how completely different they have *always* been, but there are some ways that they are just SO brother & sister. what's really cool is that they already have their own sibling rhythm and language - it's awesome. it's very apparent that paige thinks chase hung the moon & stars just for her. :)

both of our kids have been pretty easygoing (despite chase's sleep issues that really weren't as bad as they sound - i miss him at night every once in awhile), but paige is by far more laid back than chase. i think we have a little "miss independent" already.

[alibee.livejournal.com]

I saw your dipe post! HEE

[geminigirl]

Just hope I can find someone to do it. I e-mailed one person about it.

[bangfrog.livejournal.com]

never worked for me. first nighttime stretch was alway the longest.

Wish I could help more... that's some good sleeping though.

[geminigirl]

I doubt it will last, but I'm enjoying the sleep while I can get it.

[entirelysonja.livejournal.com]

Same here. It makes sense that the longest stretch would be the first one.

I don't know that there's much you could do to encourage your desired pattern, annoying as it is that she sleeps best when you're still up.