September 21, 2013

Prestyn's 6 Month

Seriously...I don't know if I can get through this post without crying...I don't know why I'm so emotional with P turning 6 months...I guess because I can hardly believe that it has been half of a year since she was born!

Looking at the clock it is 11:06 now. I don't know exactly where I was in labor at this point, but I do know that we were anxious and excited! In 12 hours and 18 minutes will be her official birth time! So hard to believe! The past 6 months have been so exciting and full of so many milestones! Here's what's been going on the past 6 months. :)

I would say Prestyn is officially crawling. It's technically called army crawling, but she definitely has it down! She is getting to where she wants to be where we are so she starts "crawling" to get there...she doesn't mind being on the hard wood or the carpet...whatever it takes to get her to where she wants to go!

We clap our hand and hold them out and she crawls to us. We clap our hands and hold them out and she reaches for us when she's sitting. It's so sweet! It's a nice feeling to be wanted...and she makes it known who she wants when somebody else is holding her...she might reach for Ryan when I'm holding her, and he comes home after a long shift. Or she reaches for her Papa when Nonna is holding her...(this girl knows that the men in her life are the ones who will give her what she wants!)

P can sit all by herself! She sits there and plays and/or watches TV, but this isn't her preference...she'll eventually fall forward to her tummy then start crawling!

We have officially reached the age where she doesn't like the bows and pulls them out to throw them down! I just pick them right back up, and put them back on! We play this game several times before she gives up, and leaves it on...or I give up & leave it off! hahaha! She's cycling through wearing her size 3-6 month clothes one last time. 1. because they're getting too small and 2. because they're out of season now. :)

I moved Prestyn to sitting on the "big girl" part of her bath tub. She can sit there and play! She still loves the bath. No matter how sleepy she is the bath automatically calms her. She just laughs and giggles as we sing and play while I bathe her. Daddy has gotten to bathe her a few times too. :) But now that I'm back to work I enjoy that time with her! Not that I didn't before, but when I wasn't working I was willing to share duties since I had all day with her! :)

She's still not sleeping through the night...with me going back to work her daytime schedule has changed so we're trying to figure out this schedule to hopefully get her to sleeping through the night. I'm not dream feeding her anymore so she usually wakes around midnight (5 hours after her last feeding) to nurse. Then 4 AM to nurse again. Then wakes up about 6:30. When we go for her 6 month appointment I'm going to ask the doctor about this...I'm pretty sure she's just waking for comfort and habit...I really don't mind getting up because I know it won't be like this forever! I do have to say I have to give myself a pat on the back for continuing breastfeeding for 6 months! And pumping 3 times a day/5 days a week for 1 whole month! Oh and with me going back to work we're trying to figure out how to get her to nap on the weekends. Miss Amber gets 2 good naps from me...her afternoon nap is usually 2-2 1/2 hours! So she wrote down her schedule every day for us this week so we're hoping to get those good naps on the weekends too! Lately she's been getting cat naps on us...But as I type this she's been down for over an hour now so that's great!!

Prestyn is getting solid food 3 times a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She has a fruit mixed with oatmeal for breakfast, veggie for lunch and dinner, and a fruit at dinner time also if she's still hungry. She doesn't normally finish the fruit at dinner time so we save it to mix with oatmeal the next morning. I know the conversation of poops makes people uncomfortable, but I do have to say that even with adding solids her poop still isn't completely awful smelling. I don't know if it's because she's still getting breastmilk, but I can't complain! Oh! She's had: green beans, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, and bananas. Tomorrow we try peaches! This girl DOES NOT like apples! LOVES the veggies more than anything! I can't complain!!

We made it through our first sickness. It lasted about 3 weeks. :( Nose congestion, chest congestion & cough, and feeling down right icky! With antibiotics, humidifer, Nose Frida, and lots of love & snuggles P is feeling better! But now we've begun teething again. Prestyn got her 1st 2 bottom teeth at the same time at about 5 months...I wrote the date down, but she's napping so I don't want to wake her when I go in her room to look. I thought the top teeth were next to come, but I don't feel anything there...so there's not telling where she's teething, but she is drooling, putting everything in her mouth, and downright cranky sometimes. :) God love her!

Let's talk about talkin: There are so many exciting things parents look for in their child...1 being the 1st word! Will it be mama? Or dada? Or something random like cheese?! haha! She is definitely talking up the baby talk, but not quite saying words we can understand. :) I like to say she says mama when she's crying, but Ryan's not so sure about that one...he has said though that he thinks she says hi. I think she does too...maybe that one will be clearer to us soon! :)

Oh and I should add that: blogger really should have spell check! Ain't nobody got time to go re-read to edit...I'm sure there's lots of grammatical & spelling errors in this, but I spend all week editing that stuff so hopefully nobody cringes reading this with all my errors...coming from a teacher!

Mommy & Daddy love you Prestyn Reese!!!!!!!





Six Weeks to Six Months:: Weight Loss

Well...today marks Prestyn's 6 month birthday. That is so hard for me to type without tearing up...I can't believe it's already been 1/2 a year! That's for another post though...this one is about me! ;)

When Prestyn turned 6 weeks old I had my 6 week check with my doctor. And as they do when you go...they weigh you...womp womp womp...I won't share my weight with you, but I will share that it was 35 pounds more than what I am now!

The yummy, fabulous meals that had been brought to us had stopped so it was time to start cooking. I had already decided I would join Weight Watchers so at 6 weeks postpartum...I joined! This wasn't anything new for me since I did it before our wedding...I was successful so I knew I'd be successful again. :)

So it started out with logging points every meal, every day. Since I'm nursing I got more points than if I wasn't so I found it was hard to eat all my points...especially since fruits and vegetables are zero points! I had many successful weeks of losing...a couple weeks of gaining...but would lose again the next week.

Well now that I've been doing it for 4 1/2 months I've kinda levelled off...I'm at the weight I was at when I quit Weight Watchers before our wedding. I'm happy with how I look, but not happy with the number...I know, I know...it's just a number.

My clothes are definitely fitting looser...So it's time to go shopping! Now that I've made it this far...and P has made it to 6 months it's time to join the gym! Prestyn is old enough to go to the daycare at the gym, and it's time for me to tone up!

I'm hoping with joining I'll lose the last 10-15 pounds I want to lose, and tone up! I'm thankful to my mom & husband who cheered me along, and encouraged me as I weighed each week...

No, I wasn't paid by Weight Watchers to write this, but it does work! And I never felt like I was on a "diet". Oh...and I quit logging points a long time ago! I love it for the recipes, and to see how many points something that I wouldn't normally have is...

So 6 weeks to 6 months...I've lost 35 pounds! I'm below pre-pregnancy weight, ready to tone up, and shop for new clothes!

I don't have any before/after pictures to post because I'm not that confident, but I don't mind looking in the mirror anymore. :)

CHEERS! XOXO

September 16, 2013

Verse of the Week::Proverbs 3:5-6

I'm trying something new...Verse of the Week...for a couple reasons

1: The Bible is my foundation for daily living. It's the book of life that tells us how to live as Godly people who follow Christ. So I thought I needed to know it more. I know the stories, but I don't feel like I REALLY know it well enough so I thought I'd try to learn a verse a week...

2. It has always been my hope and prayer that our children are Christ followers...even before we were pregnant...even before we were married...even before we met! This is somethin I want for my family. I don't want them to just memorize verses because it's what "Mom says to do." But I want them to so that they can better know the Bible, and live by God's word. Children are excellent followers...they will follow us as their parents...and in turn follow Christ...or that's my hope & prayer at least. :)

3. I've always relied on the Bible a lot if I'm in need. And search for the specific words to help ease my mind. Since having a child my need for comfort and peace in God has heightened...

It's inevitable that once you have a child you lose sleep because a. the baby is waking to eat or b. you're worried the baby won't wake! I definitely don't have to worry that P won't wake to nurse because that baby loves to eat...especially late at night! But I do worry a lot while she sleeps...Ryan can assure you of that...I'm always asking, is she ok? Is she too hot? Is she too cold? Can she breathe? What if she gets stuck? I mean the possibilities are endless...

But what always eases my mind is this verse: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6. I say this to myself at night when I catch myself worrying...I sometimes only get through the first part..."Trust in the Lord with all your heart..."before I'm fast asleep!

So my message to my readers this week is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart..."when you're worried or feel helpless put your trust in the Lord and His will be done. He has set your path for you...submit yourselves to Him, and He will guide you through this path. Don't try to figure everything out on your own...God already has it all figured out for you...so just trust Him!

Amen!

Letters to Prestyn Part IV

Dear Prestyn,

Mommy hasn't blogged in a while, and there has been so much going on with you! I didn't think just because I went back to work that it would be fair for you not to have these precious moments documented!

Since I've gone back to work you're not napping as good for me and Daddy. :( You nap great for Miss Amber during the week...it's so hard not to give in on the weekends, and let you nap in our arms since those are the only full 2 days I get with you...

You officially had your first illness... I'm pretty sure you're completely over it now, but you're still taking antibiotics. Daddy took you to the doctor the week I went back to school since you're nose was very stuff and you were coughing, but they said it was just a cold & would run it's course...well 2 weeks is long enough so when you woke up with a slight fever one morning Mommy took off work to take you to the doctor!

We didn't get to see your pediatrician so I didn't feel quite as comfortable talking with the one we did see...so she didn't really diagnose you...I think she thought it was silly that we were bringing you in...but I'm glad we did!

That night your fever got higher...I gave you Tylenol then checked your temperature an hour later & it was higher! That was super scary for Mommy since Daddy was at work. I'm so thankful for your favorite nurse Cyndi who was texting with Mommy & telling me what to do...

Since I took that day off I couldn't take the next day off...thankfully you're Papa was able to come stay with you. He took such good care of you! He knew you didn't feel well. :( That day was September 11th so Daddy participated in First Responders' Day at my school so Papa was with you most of the day...you seemed to be doing a little better, and slowly, but surely have been acting more and more like yourself...

You are crawling baby girl! I call it crawling! Maybe it's scooting, but I think that's what you were doing when you started moving...now you do what some may call "army crawling". It's so cute! And you're all over the place! And boy can you move fast! You've gone from the living room rug to the kitchen to find Mommy & Daddy.

You are quite attached to us...which is a good feeling. :) You might be a little too attached since you must miss us during the night & still wake up to nurse! ;) I love you though, and know you won't go to college waking to nurse! So I'm not worried!

I can't remember if I already blogged about your 2 teeth, but you have 2 on the bottom that came at the same time! Crazy!! Thankfully you haven't bit Mommy while nursing, but you have bitten my finger pretty hard! It hurts!!

I miss you when you're at the sitter, but so thankful to whomever is watching you: Daddy, Miss Amber, or Papa...they send me pictures and videos of you!

I love you my sweet P! Sleep tight!

September 1, 2013

Prestyn's 5th Month

Well...it's August so Mommy has started working again. :( BREAKS MY HEART!! Oh baby girl any time I'm away from you I miss you SO much!!

Although I do have to say that on a positive note I'm excited about the new school year in a new school. I'm excited about your babysitter. I'm excited for the growth and milestones that are ahead! 

This summer with you has been SO nice! We were able to get into a good routine. We'll just set a new routine! We spent most Wednesday afternoons at breast feeding group then our weekly trip to target! Mondays were usually our grocery shopping days! I know it won't be long before these 2 trips don't excite you as much. So Mommy tries to make the best of it by finding you a new toy to play with while we shop then we buy it! 

Mommy's favorite toys to buy you are the V-Tech toys and Baby Einstein toys. Your favorite toys to play with though are the linking rings! Pretty much anything you can put in your mouth!

**I'm a bad mommy & have been SO busy working that I haven't finished your month 5 post...so I'm going to try to post about what happened in the past month rather than think about what's been happening lately since that's month 6! :)

You are such a big girl now, and can now ride in the stroller without the carseat! We've had fun strapping you in the jogging stroller, and taking you for rides around the neighborhood. Mommy has especially loved being able to walk you to her new school! Also, since it's been so hot lately it's cooler for you to ride in the stroller rather than in the carseat then in the stroller. Mommy has HAD to do lots of shopping lately so you've enjoyed people watching, and shopping with Mommy!
 
You have begun to HATE the nasal aspirator. Not that you ever liked it, but I have to sort of hold you down to get boogers sucked out! It's been even more difficult lately since you're actually sick. :( But I'll have to blog about your 1st cold in my 1st Week of School post. :) Coming soon!!
 
You are just a ROLLY POLEY! Yes you have rolls on your arms and legs, but you roll all over the place! You have figured out that rolling gets you places! So you roll and/or scoot to get where you want to go! Either to mommy or daddy or to find a new toy!

Well you certainly know who Mommy & Daddy are. We first experienced you being terrified and screaming STRANGER DANGER on the 4th of July...It continued when somebody would pick you up from playing, from bed, or just anybody who Mommy or Daddy didn't hand you too. Thankfully this isn't as bad as it was...you still have your moments though when you prefer Mommy or Daddy to hold you. :) We secretly like this :)  

You began going to Mrs. Amber's house a couple weeks before you turned 5 months. You're doing awesome there! I really think being around the other kids helps your development. Mrs. Amber just LOVES on you & you just love it! You're always happy to see Mommy or Daddy when we pick you up, and we're SO happy to see you! I miss you when you're there, but Mrs. Amber is so great, and texts me pictures & sweet messages about your day. :)  

You're still in a size 2 diaper. You have outgrown all 0-3 and 3 month clothes. You wear size 3-6 months. :) Growing girl!

Oh & since it's an odd month you didn't have a well visit, but you were weighed when Daddy took you in when you were sick. You weigh 14 lbs. 4 oz. You've almost doubled your weight!

I love you P!