My Babies

Just some photos of our two joys.  The days in which they will willingly pose for photos together are limited, so I may as well take advantage while I can!

Henry insisted in sitting in the baby seat.  I think he likes it more than Natalie does.

With Grandma Linda!

Matching overalls!

Natalie: Four Months

On November 17, 2014, Natalie turned four months old!

In month four, Natalie:

• Is a healthy, healthy girl.  To the tune of 98th percentile for height and weight!  At 17 weeks, Natalie weighed 17 pounds, 8 ounces and was 26 inches long.  Her head circumferences was 16 inches, which put her in the 50th percentile.  I was happy about that, because I was a bit concerned her head growth was lagging.  Luckily, her flat spot has greatly improved!  The pediatrician said it was barely noticeable.
• Can squeeze into some 3-6 month clothes, but mostly wears a mix of 6 months, 6-9 months, and 6-12 months, depending on the brand.  I am hoping her growth slows a bit so she can wear some of the cute things I have for her before they are seasonally inappropriate.
• Has kept her dark hair, and her eyes are still a mix of deep blue and brown.  Around her irises, they are like an amber, but the rest is a deep blue.  I have a feeling they will end up light brown, but we will see.  In looking at photos of Henry at Natalie's age, his eyes were already dark brown, so maybe she will keep her current shade.  We shall see!
• Has learned how to turn from her back to her belly, and does it every time you put her down. Unfortunately, she is not very good at turning back over, probably because she is so chunky, so she ends up like a beached whale and cries until you flip her over!  Kind of funny during the day, but not so funny at night when I am trying to sleep!
• Is, I hate to say it, pretty high-maintenance.  She does not like to be put down--in her bouncy seat, on the play mat, in the rock n' play, anywhere.  She will tolerate it for a few minutes but then starts whining.  So, I have learned to do lots of things with one hand while holding her.  I do love holding her, because I know it won't last forever, and it is a good workout, but sometimes mama just needs a break!  Dinner isn't going to make itself, Natalie ;-)
• Loves pacifiers now, as long as they are the MAM brand.  Won't use any other kind.
• Loves to laugh!  She continues to be very social.  She especially loves laughing at her brother's antics.  No sweeter sound than a baby's chuckle!
• Made her first (and hopefully last!) visit to the ER for croup.
• Survived my return to work.  It was fairly stressful leading up to the return, because Natalie flat-out refused to take a bottle for weeks.  It was so bad I ended up having a lactation consultant come assess the situation.  We had tried six different bottles, various people feeding her, various feeding positions, to no avail.  The consultant wasn't very helpful, honestly, I think because I had already tried so much.  She suggested getting a sippy cup made for young infants.  I was willing to try anything, so we looked for the sippy cup.  The store didn't carry it, but it did carry a bottle by the same manufacturer--Avent.  On a whim, we tried it, and what do you know, seventh time's a charm!  Natalie took it like it was no big thing.  It has a newborn nipple, and something about the combination of nipple type and flow worked.  So, I am back in the office three days a week.  And to be honest, it has been hard.  I really, really miss the kids during the day.  Henry will be in school full-time in just two years, so I want to soak up as much time with him as I can.  And, pumping sucks big-time.  Other than the commute, it is by far the worst part of the return.  Luckily, it is a short-term thing, as I plan to breastfeed for about another four months or so.  I am sure it will get easier, but for now, the transition has been difficult.
• Does not love to sleep.  Naps are really hit or miss.  If Natalie happens to fall asleep in the carseat, she often will sleep for another couple of hours once we are home.  But otherwise, she doesn't like to nap unless someone is holding her.  At night, she is in the mini crib, but without fail, she ends up in our bed at some point during the night.  Somewhere between 3-4 am, probably.  It happens usually when she is stuck Shamu-style on her belly.  Maybe once she masters rolling from stomach to back she will do that and go back to sleep on her own.  One (I, since I am the one who gets up with her every time) can hope.
• Although Natalie still wakes up at night, she is not eating at night any more!  This was a huge milestone.  Henry didn't sleep through the night without eating until he was 10 months old.  Natalie's chunky-monkey status is one reason for this, I think, and I also think she is just so tired from not napping that she catches up at night.
• Is super snuggly, and I love it.  I love to bury my face into her neck and soak up her warmth.  I will definitely miss these days when they are gone!
• Loves to stand up on your lap, just like her brother did.  She also enjoys the jumperoo for short periods.

Some photos of Natalie in month four:

Halloween

Life has been busy around these parts, so posting to this blog has taken a backseat.  But, I am back with a Halloween recap!

Halloween 2014 will not go down as one of the best days in our household.  On the Tuesday before Halloween, Mark came home early from work with strep throat.  He was laid up in bed with a high fever and chills for days.  Meanwhile, Natalie had gotten sick (again, thanks to germs from the pediatrician's office this time, I think).  What was a cold turned into croup.  Which is scary when your baby is three months old.  On Wednesday night, the croup seal bark began.  I worriedly called the pediatrician at 5:00 in the morning and made her an appointment for later in the day.  I then spent a half hour or so in the bathroom running the shower to create steam and open up Natalie's airways.  I took her to the doctor at around 10:00.  After waiting for 20 minutes, I asked what was going on.  I hate, hate waiting in the waiting room at the doctor.  I am paranoid that we are going to leave with something worse than what we came in with.  Half the time I am right.  Anyway, turns out the pediatrician was running behind and wouldn't be able to see us for at least ten minutes (you think??) and I had to pick Henry up from school at 11:00.  So, I ended up canceling that appointment and making another one for later in the day.  The doctor seemed surprised a three month old could have croup, but she confirmed the diagnosis and prescribed a steroid that she wanted me to use only if Natalie got worse in the middle of the night.  Apparently there can be bad side effects of steroid use in a baby so small.  Well, night two of croup came and at around 1:00 in the morning, Natalie started having trouble breathing.  She was breathing in rather than breathing out, with each breath.  I took her into the bathroom and ran the shower twice.  At around 3:00, it wasn't getting better, so I called the doctor.  She could hear Natalie struggling on the phone and said to give the medicine and take her outside, hoping the cool air would open her airways.  Neither thing worked.  At that point, the doctor recommended taking Natalie to the ER to get breathing treatments.  Cue my freak out!  Mark was out of commission, so I ended up calling my wonderful, wonderful aunt Lois who rushed over and went to the ER with me.  Natalie got a steroid through a mask (which was a pretty traumatic experience for both of us, as I had to hold her down so she wouldn't rip it off, as she screamed) and then a steroid shot in her leg.  Neither the pediatrician nor the ER doctor had ever seen a three-month-old with croup before; usually babies don't get it until 6 months or older.  So that was encouraging.  I was on pins and needles for the next couple of days, hoping that Natalie wouldn't have more trouble breathing, but the steroids did the trick.  

Anyway, long story short, Natalie did not get to wear her giraffe costume this year.  I took Henry out for a half hour or so, because we had been talking up Halloween for weeks.  He was a construction worker, and the costume was a big hit!  He had wanted to be a garbage truck (ha!), but I wasn't sure how to pull off that one.  I figured he would love dressing as a construction worker, since he can name pretty much every piece of construction equipment.  Henry loved his vest, hard hat, and goggles, and still wears them frequently.

Henry loved trick or treating!  His favorite part, I think, was ringing the doorbells.  He was a little shy and often was silent, even though we had practiced saying trick or treat and thank you.  I let him have a couple of pieces of candy that night, and two the next day.  Then I put his bag away and he never asked for more.  Mommy took care of the remaining candy!  

Hopefully next year Natalie will get to participate in Halloween.  I am already envisioning her toddling around with Henry, ringing doorbells and carrying her matching jack o lantern bag!

And, more photos of Henry, because that's what everyone really wants to see anyway.