It has been an extremely long time since my last entry, but things have been so hectic. I am having trouble finding time to do anything with Fiona's crying. It has gotten better, but not by much. She is sleeping through the night and that is our saving grace. Once we out her down at night, I have a relieved and relaxed feeling overcome me because I know we have about 9-10 hours of a break.
I still am getting up to pump at night but have limited it to once or twice. I try to pump consistently every 2 hours during the day so enjoy a more relaxed pumping schedule during the night. Pumping exclusively isn't as difficult as people made it out to be. I don't know if it is my nature of sticking to a pumping schedule and doing it whether I feel like it or not, or just fortunate to have a consistent milk supply. The supply does seem to taper off sometimes, but I just continue to pump and not give up. Right now we have 8 bottles in the fridge, yes 8! I love when we have so much because there is no need to supplement. Fiona hasn't needed to be supplemented in over a month. I love the flexibility of having milk already expressed and it is so much easier to leave the house and not worry about breast feeding.
It is amazing how quickly children grow and develop. She is smiling more and reacting to our facial expressions. We can make noises with our mouths and she will react in return. We are really looking forward to when she laughs for the first time.
It is becoming more difficult to keep her entertained during the day. She naps, feeds, and then we have wake time. During her wake time I try to keep her entertained so she doesn't cry. She usually cries the whole time regardless of what we do, which is frustrating. If she isn't napping in the swing, feeding, or on the changing table, she is crying. I just hold her while she cries or let her cry herself to sleep in her swing. She is becoming more interested in bright books and toys with patterns so this weekend we are going to buy her a jumperoo. We are hoping the bright lights and noises of the toys on it will entertain her some and give us another play option. I have researched and favor the Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo. The 4.7 star rating from 2000 reviews is a plus. =) The deciding factor will be her reactions to the different models in the store.
Sometimes after several hours of straight crying, I feel so defeated. It breaks my heart during those long crying spouts and leaves me feeling helpless. Then, she will out of nowhere give me the biggest smile which melts my heart and leaves me feeling like the luckiest mom in the world. It's amazing how a little toothless grin can turn your world completely around. She is my world and I look forward to watching her grow and her many firsts. I am so happy we became parents and hope we have several more healthy beautiful children.
I get a weekly email that lists crafts and games you can play with your children each week. It also takes into account holidays and seasons as well. I look forward to finger painting, pumpkin carving, pine cone decorating, and every other activity we can think of with her. I can't wait for her to make Daddy something and be excited to give it to him when he gets home from work. There is so much to look forward to. =)
I have been experimenting in the kitchen more lately. The more I am experimenting, the braver I am becoming. I really enjoy making bread and it feels so rewarding. The other night I made a homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup in the crock pot with home made bread bowls. The Chicken Vegetable Soup turned out to be a huge hit with Waverly. In fact, he claimed it is one of his favorite meals now. I definitely will be making it again soon. =)
Last night I threw together some ingredients to make peanut butter cookies. I am not a huge fan of peanut butter cookies so I didn't add much peanut butter, and they turned out nice also. =)
Tonight, I wasn't as adventurous. I threw some chicken, BBQ sauce, Ketchup, and meat tenderizer together. I am going to pour it over noodles and see how it turns out. Very simple, but hopefully good.
Little one is up from a nap so time to feed, more to come later.
