Wow! Rebecca slept until 6 am Monday morning, after a few fitful hours in the evening, with several nursing periods, light sleep, and then periods of crying out. Scott and I can't figure out what has her upset in the evening, but nursing her seems to be the only thing that settles her down for longer than a few minutes. She napped well in her pack and play in the afternoon, waking around 4:15 in time for us to go pick up Ben and be back in time for a visit from Renee, to bring dinner and meet Rebecca. Renee was able to settle Rebecca down in the evening, even getting her to take a pacifier for longer than she has in the past. Ben went down to sleep easily.
On Tuesday morning, Rebecca slept the entire time between her 6 am and next feeding, which didn't occur until closer to 10 am after I awoke her with a diaper change. She fell alseep again after nursing, but I used her sponge bath to wake her up. I played with her but making faces in the mirror and talking to her. She fell asleep as I was holding her and she was in and out of light sleep for several minutes once I laid her down on the sofa. She still falls asleep easily in my arms, but if not in a deep sleep when I put her down, will often wake after a few minutes. Around 11:30, I put Rebecca in her crip to sleep, and she slept well until I woke her to eat again.
Rebecca fell asleep after nursing at 6 am Wednesday morning. I woke her at 10 am to eat again, and then we went out to the mall to pick up Benjamin's table I'd ordered. She slept most of the time between that feeding and her 1:00 feeding which I had to wake her for. She also didn't stay awake long afterward, sleeping in the pack and play until I awoke her for her 4:00 feeding. She was alseep again coming back from picking up Ben and slept a while, allowing time for Ben and me to play together. Ben and I loaded and dumped his small animals and trucks from his dump truck. The maid had come this morning, but after a few minutes, we had trucks spread out across the family room and kitchen.
Ben asked for a "nana" before dinner, and he ate it all. He likes to hold the banana himself, peeled part of the way down, but then needs help to finish peeling it so he can finish eating it. Once I had Ben's dinner heated (rotisserie chicken from Costco, brocolli with melted cheese and rice), he wasn't interested in eating and pushed his plate away. However, he settled down nicely after a few minutes and ate most of his rice and broccoli and a few pieces of chicken. He's shown recently that he doesn't like being pulled away from his playing to eat, but eventually will settle down and eat something.
Ben has continued his obsession with juice, but now all juice is "apple juice" which he enunciates quite well, but it's a matter of trial and error to determine which kind of juice he actually wants. He is adamant about what type of juice he wants, and will let you know if pulling apple juice out of the refrigerator isn't right even though he's asking for "apple juice", since it can just as often mean that he wants orange juice. I'm trying to get him to understand that he needs to refer to it as orange or "o" juice, but so far to no avail.
Scott got home from work around 7:30, which was a treat for Ben since lately he hasn't come home until after Ben is in bed. He treated Ben to some m&m's, which Ben calls "nuts" for some reason. First, Scott gave Ben a small piece of graham cracker, which is what he'd asked for. After Ben's first bite, Scott showed him that he had a few m&m's in his other hand, to which Ben immediately announced that he was "all done" with the graham cracker! Ben apparently showed a preference for blue m&m's, according to Scott. Scott told him that the fourth or fifth m&m was going to be his last, and he still offerred it to me to eat. I'm thinking Ben didn't understand that it was going to be his last one! After finishing the m&m's, the graham cracker looked appealing again and Ben finished it.
Rebecca was fussy again Wednesday night, eating every couple of hours and either fussing or sleeping some in between feedings. After I fed her around 10 pm, even though she'd eaten at 6 pm and 8 pm, she was still fussy. I awoke Scott from his nap on the family room carpet and asked him to walk around with her. I was so happy that she settled down with him in a matter of seconds it seemed, with her head resting on his shoulder. He put her down on the sofa and she continued sleeping there in the boppy until almost 6 am. I stayed down there with her on the other end of the sofa until 4 am, and Scott stayed with her until 6. I'm impressed with how long she can sleep, being still under 2 months old!
Lara came to visit us on Thursday after work, and Rebecca slept in the bouncy seat for a good while in the evening, while Ben had a little dinner and played with Lara and me. Before she'd arrived, Ben tried out his new table which I'd put together in the afternoon. He enjoyed sitting at it with his coloring books and markers. After eating at 7, Rebecca slept again in Lara's arms until almost 9:00. However, she was a little bit fussy again after eating, still having a hard time settling back down, but it was better than last night. She ended up sleeping from around 10:30 to 3:00 am in her bassinet, waking to eat and then sleeping the rest of the morning in the bed resting her head in the boppy. Ben also had a hard time, probably partly due to Scott getting home at 8:00, just prior to him going into his crib. He and Scott read books for a little while upstairs before Scott put Ben down. Ben would have none of it though, and cried and screamed for his Daddy for a good while. After Scott talked to Ben about going "night night", he still cried. I brought him downstairs for some milk and cuddle time with Daddy before putting him down again. This time there was only a minute or two of crying before he quieted down and went to sleep.
The weather was nice on Saturday, so Ben and I went outside after almost 3 hour nap. Ben is a little apprehensive about being outside nowadays, afraid a dog will come to close. He listens for dogs barking and says "woof woof" when he hears one. He also wants to be picked up, presumably to be protected from a dog encounter. We weren't outside long before Daddy got home. He asked Ben if he wanted to go to the playground, to which Ben instantly answered "yes" to. So Scott and Ben got in the car with a little juice and headed off. I loaded Rebecca into the van and we met them there before she and I headed off to the grocery store. Ben enjoyed running around and going down the slide.
Ben and Scott stayed home on Sunday, while Rebecca and I went to the farm, to go to church and the lunch afterward to celebrate the new well at the church. Aunt Glenda fed Rebecca a bottle and held her all during the service. Grandma, Aunt Jean, Charlotte, Phyllis, Barbara, and everyone else at church got to see Rebecca for the first time, since she only saw my immediate family at Christmas. Aunt Catherine and Robin even got to meet her Sunday evening at Grandma Hazlegrove's house. I stopped up on my way out to see them and ended up having ham rolls, baked apples, baked beans, and grape salad for dinner with them, Grandma, and Jean. Scott and Ben went to Maymont on Saturday after Ben's nap, seeing lots of goats. I understand Ben and Daddy took a nap together in our bed...I'm not surprised!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Rebecca at 2 months
Rebecca continues to do well. We went to her 2 month check-up on Monday 2/7 and she weighed 12 lbs 4 ounces, including her harness which the doctor indicated weighs about 1/2 lb. She measured 22 1/2 inches. Even adjusting for the harness, she has gained a lot of weight and is growing, which is obvious by just looking at her. She is a far cry from the tiny little baby we brought home from the hospital at under 7 lbs!
She is sleeping better, taking more naps in her crib. Still, some days she has trouble napping, waking up after very short naps and eating more frequently than the typical 3 hour interval. Today she took a fairly short late morning nap but fell asleep right after her1:00 feeding. I tried to put her down at 1:30 and she woke up crying. She'd fall asleep as soon as she was back in my arms but would wake up as soon as I put her in the crib. We tried that twice and then I just held her longer and laid her on the sofa in the boppy, where she has taken quite a long nap and I've had to wake her at 4:15 to eat again, before going to get Benjamin at school.
She is sleeping better, taking more naps in her crib. Still, some days she has trouble napping, waking up after very short naps and eating more frequently than the typical 3 hour interval. Today she took a fairly short late morning nap but fell asleep right after her1:00 feeding. I tried to put her down at 1:30 and she woke up crying. She'd fall asleep as soon as she was back in my arms but would wake up as soon as I put her in the crib. We tried that twice and then I just held her longer and laid her on the sofa in the boppy, where she has taken quite a long nap and I've had to wake her at 4:15 to eat again, before going to get Benjamin at school.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Trip to Grandma and Papa Bleicher's
We drove to Grandma and Papa Bleicher's on Saturday for a visit. Preparing for the trip earlier in the week, Scott kept asking Ben what Papa has and Ben would respond by putting his finger above his lip, referring to Papa's moustache.
Ben seemed to enjoy the trip quite a bit. We sang Old McDonald in the car on the way up and he even gave his input into what animal we should sing about next, and indicated his approval with a nod as I suggested most of the sequence as we went through cows, ducks, horses, goats, and sheep. Ben ate lots of blueberries, as usual, for lunch. He enjoyed reading the books at Grandma's, since they were like new to him. The Big Red Barn and My First Book of Animals. It took a lot of reading and at least 2 attempts, but he finally settled down for a nap upstairs in the crib. Ben's cousin Joel came over with Uncle Marc and Aunt Julia for a visit. Scott says that Joel seemed interested in Ben, but when he approached Ben while playing, Ben would declare "my truck" to him. We brought Ben's tow truck as one of his favorite toys. The kids seemed satisfied enough that Scott and I went to Rio Grande for an early dinner. When we got back, we found Ben sitting at the head of the table with the grandparents and Marc and Julia, looking like quite a big boy and seeming happy as a clam. Grandma Marla indicated that the pizza they'd ordered out for was his 2nd dinner, after eating brocolli and apple sauce earlier. She says that when the boxes were brought into the kitchen, he yelled out "pizza!" Later in the evening, Ben went to the steps and said what I think was "bath". I asked if he wanted a bath and he responded with an excited "yes", so Scott gave him a bath. At bedtime, Scott had to stay upstairs with Ben in his childhood bed until Ben fell asleep, because he cried out when we put him in the unfamiliar crib. I think it might be b/c the night light wasn't plugged in. Ben had a good time playing on Sunday before we got on the road late morning. He said "bye bye Papa" from the van as we were leaving. I thought he'd nap in the carseat on the drive home, but he stayed awake the entire ride, putting his red hat on and taking it off, playing peek a boo with us as he pulled it over his eys, and holding Bunny and Chicky while sucking his thumb. We stopped at McDonalds for a cheeseburger with side of apples happy meal, which he nibbled on a little. He also had a little of my coke, which of course he loves but I think realizes is a treat for him. It was fairly nice out when we got home in the afternoon, so Ben and Scott played outside for a good while in the afternoon, since Ben refused a nap. He was exhausted and fussy in the evening, and fell asleep a good bit before his bedtime right in the middle of reading a book with Daddy. Ben slept until after 7, only waking when Scott took him out of his crib and laid him in our bed with me while I was holding Rebecca. Once awake, he was all smiles and gave lots of hugs to baby and me.
Ben started talking alot more this weekend, saying "yes" more freely instead of just nodding his head and referring to my drink as "wata". He also expanded his colors from just "blue" and "yellow" to "reD", with emphasis on the "d". He also recognizes and will say the color "white" and even referred to a marker appropriately as "gray".
Rebecca took a good nap in the living room on Saturday afternoon in the pack and play. She napped Sunday morning in Grandma's arms in the recliner, which both seemed to enjoy. We tried Saturday evening to give Rebecca a bottle, to no avail. She screamed alot in protest against it. It has me worried that she's not taking the Playtex bottle either, since my trip to Canada is in less than a week and the bottle will be her only option. I tried the Dr Browns bottle on Sunday night at home and she took it after a much shorter protest, at least 5 ounces over the course of 3 bottles during the evening. Then she slept from 10 pm to 4:30 am, which I'll take any night at this age.
Ben seemed to enjoy the trip quite a bit. We sang Old McDonald in the car on the way up and he even gave his input into what animal we should sing about next, and indicated his approval with a nod as I suggested most of the sequence as we went through cows, ducks, horses, goats, and sheep. Ben ate lots of blueberries, as usual, for lunch. He enjoyed reading the books at Grandma's, since they were like new to him. The Big Red Barn and My First Book of Animals. It took a lot of reading and at least 2 attempts, but he finally settled down for a nap upstairs in the crib. Ben's cousin Joel came over with Uncle Marc and Aunt Julia for a visit. Scott says that Joel seemed interested in Ben, but when he approached Ben while playing, Ben would declare "my truck" to him. We brought Ben's tow truck as one of his favorite toys. The kids seemed satisfied enough that Scott and I went to Rio Grande for an early dinner. When we got back, we found Ben sitting at the head of the table with the grandparents and Marc and Julia, looking like quite a big boy and seeming happy as a clam. Grandma Marla indicated that the pizza they'd ordered out for was his 2nd dinner, after eating brocolli and apple sauce earlier. She says that when the boxes were brought into the kitchen, he yelled out "pizza!" Later in the evening, Ben went to the steps and said what I think was "bath". I asked if he wanted a bath and he responded with an excited "yes", so Scott gave him a bath. At bedtime, Scott had to stay upstairs with Ben in his childhood bed until Ben fell asleep, because he cried out when we put him in the unfamiliar crib. I think it might be b/c the night light wasn't plugged in. Ben had a good time playing on Sunday before we got on the road late morning. He said "bye bye Papa" from the van as we were leaving. I thought he'd nap in the carseat on the drive home, but he stayed awake the entire ride, putting his red hat on and taking it off, playing peek a boo with us as he pulled it over his eys, and holding Bunny and Chicky while sucking his thumb. We stopped at McDonalds for a cheeseburger with side of apples happy meal, which he nibbled on a little. He also had a little of my coke, which of course he loves but I think realizes is a treat for him. It was fairly nice out when we got home in the afternoon, so Ben and Scott played outside for a good while in the afternoon, since Ben refused a nap. He was exhausted and fussy in the evening, and fell asleep a good bit before his bedtime right in the middle of reading a book with Daddy. Ben slept until after 7, only waking when Scott took him out of his crib and laid him in our bed with me while I was holding Rebecca. Once awake, he was all smiles and gave lots of hugs to baby and me.
Ben started talking alot more this weekend, saying "yes" more freely instead of just nodding his head and referring to my drink as "wata". He also expanded his colors from just "blue" and "yellow" to "reD", with emphasis on the "d". He also recognizes and will say the color "white" and even referred to a marker appropriately as "gray".
Rebecca took a good nap in the living room on Saturday afternoon in the pack and play. She napped Sunday morning in Grandma's arms in the recliner, which both seemed to enjoy. We tried Saturday evening to give Rebecca a bottle, to no avail. She screamed alot in protest against it. It has me worried that she's not taking the Playtex bottle either, since my trip to Canada is in less than a week and the bottle will be her only option. I tried the Dr Browns bottle on Sunday night at home and she took it after a much shorter protest, at least 5 ounces over the course of 3 bottles during the evening. Then she slept from 10 pm to 4:30 am, which I'll take any night at this age.
Two Woof Woofs
On Monday night (2/7) after the Super Bowl we went to Lara and Eddie's house for dinner, homemade chicken fingers, mac&cheese and green beans. Ben was not a great eater...until I sat down with my chicken fingers which he was not surprisingly more interested in than his own. Earlier he'd eyed one of Lara's m&m bowls, which caught his interest since he thought it contained m&ms, his new favorite treat. He was of course deathly afraid of the dogs and wouldn't let me put him down until they were upstairs in their crates, with their barking out of earshot. I told Ben on our way over that Lara had "2 dogs" and they were "nice". Ben repeated it and I wondered if he understood at all. Over the weekend, he referred to Lara and said "2 woof woofs".
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Week of Jan 17th
Rebecca and I have had a relatively quiet week at home but it still flew by! Rebecca is staying awake alot more during the day, especially in the morning. She might sleep a little in my arms during the morning. She wakes up when I try to put her in the pack and play. Moving her from my arms to a spot on the sofa tends to work better at keeping her asleep. We've been spending more time under her play gym in the mornings. She seems to be interested in it for short periods at a time. I remember Ben used to love it under the gym, kicking his legs back and forth as the music played. Maybe she's too young yet, but I haven't seen the excitement from her that I remember from Ben. With minimal morning sleeping though, she has been getting more sleep in the afternoon and into the evening, which is actually nice for when we get home with Ben so he can get more of my attention before he sits down for dinner.
We picked Ben up early from school on Tuesday, because Tara and Lauren were coming for a visit, so that Lauren could see Ben and both Tara and Lauren could meet Rebecca. Ben's teacher saw me at the door looking in the children having their afternoon snack and asked Ben if his mommy was coming to get him early today, to which he shook his head no. When he saw me though, he declared that he was "all done" with his snack of goldfish, so that he could get Bunny and Chicky and leave with me. Tara brought food for dinners and for Rebecca brought a very nice pink blanket, a monogrammed burp cloth, and bunny "lovey" for Rebecca. If she's anything like Ben, she and the bunny will be inseparable in a few months. Ben enjoyed having another child in the house during Lauren's visit, laughing at her and chasing after her some. With my help, they even got a game or two of hide and seek in.
Aunt Lacie came by during what was otherwise a fairly uneventful day on Wednesday. Rebecca hadn't slept alot during the day yet, but then ended up sleeping while the three of us were at Martin's for some late afternoon grocery shopping. On Thursday, Rebecca and I went to the post office to mail documents for my passport renewal. I'm making arrangements to go to Julie Dingman's wedding reception in Stratford, Ontario Canada. I spent most of my free time earlier that day figuring out what I needed for the application while Rebecca slept. On Friday, Rebecca and I went to the mall to buy Daddy's birthday present. He's always misplacing his gadgets, so I thought a charging valet would solve that as well as limit the number of loose cords we have plugged in throughout the kitchen and family room.
Daddy worked again this Saturday, but Ben, Rebecca, and I had a good day at home. Ben awoke between 5 and 6 am, and Daddy got up early with him to play, watch tv, and have breakfast was Rebecca and I stayed upstairs. It was super cold, so there was no outside time, but Ben and I played inside. Of course, he loaded and unloaded his dump trucks. Ben has started moving the rug from in front of the stove and playing directly on the rubber mat underneath used to keep the rug from sliding. I have no idea yet what he dislikes about the rug being there. Last Saturday Ben explored the drawer beside the dishwasher, but this Saturday he decided he wanted to collect items from the desk and put them into a gift bag (the kind with handles on both sides). He collected lots of pens, loose change, and other random items from the desk and carried it around the family room and kitchen, dumping it and reloading it several times, often times declaring a "mess" when it was dumped and usually needing help gathering the change.
Once Ben begins playing, he protests any requests to stop for a diaper change or to switch from his pajamas to clothes. But once he's laid on the sofa with one of his favorite shows on the tv, he usually forgets about whatever task he was working on just beforehand. He also didn't like stopping his playing to eat lunch. After getting him into his high chair, he pushed the noodles and sauce I'd made for him away. He also wasn't interested in the sliced apples. He finally showed interested in his yogurt, once I'd provided the right spoon (the blue handled one). He'd declared "no no" when trying to get his interest with another spoon, and I had a feeling from past experience that it may be the spoon that was the problem. Once he finished his yogurt he had 2 helpings of noodles and all of his apple.
Rebecca was in and out of sleep all morning. I tried to put have her nap in her crib for the first time on Saturday, even moving the monitor in there from Ben's room. I think she may have napped a few minutes up there but never got into a deep sleep before waking and crying out. We'll keep trying over the coming days to get her used to her crib and then eventually on a more predictable nap schedule. Ben, on the other hand, went right down for his nap after lunch and Caillou, sleeping for almost 3 hours!
Sunday was Daddy's birthday, and he spent the first couple of hours in the morning downstairs with Ben again, while Rebecca and I slept after being up together for middle of the night feeding. Daddy had hoped to sleep in on his birthday, but no such luck! After giving Daddy his birthday presents, which included Godiva dark chocolate from Ben and Rebecca, we all played together the rest of the morning. Ben adopted the gift bags as his own, putting his zoo animals in the "choo choo" bag that had previously carried the chocolates. I have a feeling that gift bag won't ever find it's way back to the closet. Ben had noodles and sauce again for lunch and then went down for his nap. Today though, it lasted only an hour of so. Once Daddy got back from the gym, surprised to see Ben up already, he took him for a ride to look at trucks and buses, which Ben is excellent at spotting and pointing out from the car! I had to wake Rebecca from her nap on the sofa to feed her while they were gone. Afterward we all went to Costco to pick up Daddy's car from getting the tires repaired, and Daddy went home with both children while I went to Kroger to get Daddy's birthday cake. I got home to find Rebecca sleeping peacefully still in her carseat. Ben and Daddy, on the other hand, had pulled out every pair of shoes from the rack in the mud room and lined them up in the foyer. I think Ben was quite proud of the collection he'd amassed on the floor. He has a bit of an obsession with shoes, interested in walking around in each pair, with no regard to whether they are ladies or mens shoes, except to point out that they are either "Daddy's" or "Mommy's".
After dinner, Ben enjoyed listening to Mommy sing "Happy Birthday" and "helping" us blow out the candles a few times. He doesn't quite get the concept of blowing on them to get them to go out but enjoyed it nonetheless. Ben also enjoyed the icing on his small slice of cake, having minimal interest in the cake itself. Scott commented that he was just like Daddy in that regard.
Rebecca has had an especially hard time settling down in the evening after Ben goes to bed. She falls asleep in my arms for only short periods of time and then wakes up unhappy. I'm feeding her on very short intervals which helps calm her down, although I'm not sure that it's hunger that has her upset. But she slept from around 11 pm to 6 am on Sunday night, which was a nice bi-product of the power feeding sessions. Ben didn't sleep that long at a time at her age, so getting 6 hours of sleep is a pleasant surprise.
We picked Ben up early from school on Tuesday, because Tara and Lauren were coming for a visit, so that Lauren could see Ben and both Tara and Lauren could meet Rebecca. Ben's teacher saw me at the door looking in the children having their afternoon snack and asked Ben if his mommy was coming to get him early today, to which he shook his head no. When he saw me though, he declared that he was "all done" with his snack of goldfish, so that he could get Bunny and Chicky and leave with me. Tara brought food for dinners and for Rebecca brought a very nice pink blanket, a monogrammed burp cloth, and bunny "lovey" for Rebecca. If she's anything like Ben, she and the bunny will be inseparable in a few months. Ben enjoyed having another child in the house during Lauren's visit, laughing at her and chasing after her some. With my help, they even got a game or two of hide and seek in.
Aunt Lacie came by during what was otherwise a fairly uneventful day on Wednesday. Rebecca hadn't slept alot during the day yet, but then ended up sleeping while the three of us were at Martin's for some late afternoon grocery shopping. On Thursday, Rebecca and I went to the post office to mail documents for my passport renewal. I'm making arrangements to go to Julie Dingman's wedding reception in Stratford, Ontario Canada. I spent most of my free time earlier that day figuring out what I needed for the application while Rebecca slept. On Friday, Rebecca and I went to the mall to buy Daddy's birthday present. He's always misplacing his gadgets, so I thought a charging valet would solve that as well as limit the number of loose cords we have plugged in throughout the kitchen and family room.
Daddy worked again this Saturday, but Ben, Rebecca, and I had a good day at home. Ben awoke between 5 and 6 am, and Daddy got up early with him to play, watch tv, and have breakfast was Rebecca and I stayed upstairs. It was super cold, so there was no outside time, but Ben and I played inside. Of course, he loaded and unloaded his dump trucks. Ben has started moving the rug from in front of the stove and playing directly on the rubber mat underneath used to keep the rug from sliding. I have no idea yet what he dislikes about the rug being there. Last Saturday Ben explored the drawer beside the dishwasher, but this Saturday he decided he wanted to collect items from the desk and put them into a gift bag (the kind with handles on both sides). He collected lots of pens, loose change, and other random items from the desk and carried it around the family room and kitchen, dumping it and reloading it several times, often times declaring a "mess" when it was dumped and usually needing help gathering the change.
Once Ben begins playing, he protests any requests to stop for a diaper change or to switch from his pajamas to clothes. But once he's laid on the sofa with one of his favorite shows on the tv, he usually forgets about whatever task he was working on just beforehand. He also didn't like stopping his playing to eat lunch. After getting him into his high chair, he pushed the noodles and sauce I'd made for him away. He also wasn't interested in the sliced apples. He finally showed interested in his yogurt, once I'd provided the right spoon (the blue handled one). He'd declared "no no" when trying to get his interest with another spoon, and I had a feeling from past experience that it may be the spoon that was the problem. Once he finished his yogurt he had 2 helpings of noodles and all of his apple.
Rebecca was in and out of sleep all morning. I tried to put have her nap in her crib for the first time on Saturday, even moving the monitor in there from Ben's room. I think she may have napped a few minutes up there but never got into a deep sleep before waking and crying out. We'll keep trying over the coming days to get her used to her crib and then eventually on a more predictable nap schedule. Ben, on the other hand, went right down for his nap after lunch and Caillou, sleeping for almost 3 hours!
Sunday was Daddy's birthday, and he spent the first couple of hours in the morning downstairs with Ben again, while Rebecca and I slept after being up together for middle of the night feeding. Daddy had hoped to sleep in on his birthday, but no such luck! After giving Daddy his birthday presents, which included Godiva dark chocolate from Ben and Rebecca, we all played together the rest of the morning. Ben adopted the gift bags as his own, putting his zoo animals in the "choo choo" bag that had previously carried the chocolates. I have a feeling that gift bag won't ever find it's way back to the closet. Ben had noodles and sauce again for lunch and then went down for his nap. Today though, it lasted only an hour of so. Once Daddy got back from the gym, surprised to see Ben up already, he took him for a ride to look at trucks and buses, which Ben is excellent at spotting and pointing out from the car! I had to wake Rebecca from her nap on the sofa to feed her while they were gone. Afterward we all went to Costco to pick up Daddy's car from getting the tires repaired, and Daddy went home with both children while I went to Kroger to get Daddy's birthday cake. I got home to find Rebecca sleeping peacefully still in her carseat. Ben and Daddy, on the other hand, had pulled out every pair of shoes from the rack in the mud room and lined them up in the foyer. I think Ben was quite proud of the collection he'd amassed on the floor. He has a bit of an obsession with shoes, interested in walking around in each pair, with no regard to whether they are ladies or mens shoes, except to point out that they are either "Daddy's" or "Mommy's".
After dinner, Ben enjoyed listening to Mommy sing "Happy Birthday" and "helping" us blow out the candles a few times. He doesn't quite get the concept of blowing on them to get them to go out but enjoyed it nonetheless. Ben also enjoyed the icing on his small slice of cake, having minimal interest in the cake itself. Scott commented that he was just like Daddy in that regard.
Rebecca has had an especially hard time settling down in the evening after Ben goes to bed. She falls asleep in my arms for only short periods of time and then wakes up unhappy. I'm feeding her on very short intervals which helps calm her down, although I'm not sure that it's hunger that has her upset. But she slept from around 11 pm to 6 am on Sunday night, which was a nice bi-product of the power feeding sessions. Ben didn't sleep that long at a time at her age, so getting 6 hours of sleep is a pleasant surprise.
Ben's Caillou Shirt and Family Visits
The Caillou shirt that Daddy ordered for Ben arrived in the mail on Friday, and Ben was wearing it by Saturday after a quick run through the washer. Daddy worked again on Saturday, leaving me to take care of Ben and Rebecca. Ben watched some Caillou from the DVR and played with his toys, mainly his new dump trucks and trash truck. He had yogurt and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, but left most of the bread, somehow scraping the peanut butter and jelly off and into his mouth, leaving lots of peanut butter on his hands, later alerting me to the mess by playfully yelling "mess, mess" until I wiped his hands. Ben went down easily for his nap. We had a rare day that was warm enough to go outside, so Ben and I went out to play before Daddy got home. Nita, who had arrived by mid afternoon, even wrapped Rebecca in some blankets and brought her out for some outside time. Ben was pushing his tricycle when Daddy pulled into the street. Ben was very excited to see him and especially excited when I put him through the driver's side window to sit on Daddy's lap and help him "drive" the rest of the way to the driveway and up it. That's become somewhat of a ritual any time Daddy drives in and Ben is outside with me. Ben loves to "drive" up the driveway with Daddy and loves to sit in the driver's seat of the parked cars and pretend he is driving. He makes a "turning the steering wheel" gesture to let us know when he wants to play in the car.
Poppa Joe and Nita came in the middle of the afternoon for a visit before they joined us to hear Laura Bush speak at the Richmond Forum. Aunt Nikki came to watch Ben and Rebecca for the night. Ben was already in his dinosaur pajamas, the one piece kind with built in feet, with his Caillou shirt put back on over them! That purchase has been a real hit so far! We also battled through a teeth brushing just before leaving. Aunt Nikki gave Rebecca a bottle around 8pm, but I understand she wasn't that interested in the bottle. That means she will have to get more bottles over the next few weeks, so she's ready for bottles at day care. Apparently she stayed awake almost the entire time from 7pm to 11pm, with just a few short "cat naps". Aunt Nikki was impressed with how Ben went right down in his crib with absolutely no fuss at his bedtime. Personally, I was impressed that he answered "no" when Aunt Nikki asked if he took his milk to bed with him (and that Ben didn't try to con Nikki into letting him take juice instead!). Everyone enjoyed Laura Bush's speech, especially Nita and Poppa Joe who had ochestra pit seating!
I'm not sure what Aunt Nikki did, but Rebecca slept from 12 midnight until almost 6 am Sunday morning! I was so glad to have the uninterrupted sleep! Aunt Nikki brought Allie over to play around 2 pm Sunday afternoon. We played Mario Cart on the Wii while Aunt Nikki held Rebecca. It was clear that Allie had done alot of practicing on her Wii that Santa brought her for Christmas, because she handily beat me and then Scott too. Ben enjoys playing with the steering wheel used for the driving games, pretending he is driving by rapidly turning the wheel from side to side. No doubt it won't be long before Ben is beating me at the Wii games. We also played outside, since it was another nice day. We kicked the soccer ball and then Scott and Allie threw the football and we were all impressed with a few spirals that Allie managed to throw. Ben and I pushed his trucks around the driveway.
Poppa Joe and Nita came in the middle of the afternoon for a visit before they joined us to hear Laura Bush speak at the Richmond Forum. Aunt Nikki came to watch Ben and Rebecca for the night. Ben was already in his dinosaur pajamas, the one piece kind with built in feet, with his Caillou shirt put back on over them! That purchase has been a real hit so far! We also battled through a teeth brushing just before leaving. Aunt Nikki gave Rebecca a bottle around 8pm, but I understand she wasn't that interested in the bottle. That means she will have to get more bottles over the next few weeks, so she's ready for bottles at day care. Apparently she stayed awake almost the entire time from 7pm to 11pm, with just a few short "cat naps". Aunt Nikki was impressed with how Ben went right down in his crib with absolutely no fuss at his bedtime. Personally, I was impressed that he answered "no" when Aunt Nikki asked if he took his milk to bed with him (and that Ben didn't try to con Nikki into letting him take juice instead!). Everyone enjoyed Laura Bush's speech, especially Nita and Poppa Joe who had ochestra pit seating!
I'm not sure what Aunt Nikki did, but Rebecca slept from 12 midnight until almost 6 am Sunday morning! I was so glad to have the uninterrupted sleep! Aunt Nikki brought Allie over to play around 2 pm Sunday afternoon. We played Mario Cart on the Wii while Aunt Nikki held Rebecca. It was clear that Allie had done alot of practicing on her Wii that Santa brought her for Christmas, because she handily beat me and then Scott too. Ben enjoys playing with the steering wheel used for the driving games, pretending he is driving by rapidly turning the wheel from side to side. No doubt it won't be long before Ben is beating me at the Wii games. We also played outside, since it was another nice day. We kicked the soccer ball and then Scott and Allie threw the football and we were all impressed with a few spirals that Allie managed to throw. Ben and I pushed his trucks around the driveway.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Rebecca's 1st week
Rebecca Grace Bleicher was born on December 2, 2010 at 3:21 pm at St Marys Hospital. My doctor, Dr. Kenley Neuman, agreed to induce me just prior to her due date on Dec 4, mostly so I could make sure that plans could be made to watch big brother Benjamin. Scott and I went to the hospital at 6 am, with Grandma Nita staying back at home with Benjamin, and shortly after I was on the petosin to begin labor. Grandma Bleicher came to the hospital mid morning to stay for the day. Grandma Nita and Poppa Joe came for just a few minutes late morning. They couldn't stay because Nita had to go to Longwood to teach her class. I started feeling labor pains mid to late morning and wasted no time asking for an epidural. I got a nice nap late morning and Daddy spent the first part of the day watching CNBC and reading news on the internet...he was thrilled the hospital had wi-fi. My nurse, Christina, was disappointed that Rebecca didn't arrive before her shift ended at 2:00. But not too long after, labor started progressing much faster. When I called for my new nurse, Silvia, she was helping another patient who was in labor. When she came to check on me, she saw that you were VERY ready to enter the world, so she immediately called Dr Neuman. Luckily, the doctor wasted no time in coming to the hospital. I pushed only 3-4 times before Rebecca was born. She was absolutely perfect. We thought she looked just like her big brother when he was born! We got to spend some time with Rebecca after she was born before she went to the nursery.
Scott was anxious to go get Benjamin so he could meet his baby sister, so he went to get him at Aunt Nikki's. Grandma Bleicher was eager to meet Rebecca once she was brought back from the nursery.
Scott and Grandma Bleicher took Ben home Thursday night. I didn't sleep that well, since I was still hooked up to an i.v. and the bed was extra noisy! Aunt Nikki and Henry came to see Rebecca in the hospital Friday morning, but she slept through most of their visit, sleeping at least an hour past her feeding time.
Daddy came to the hospital late in the morning, after getting Ben ready for a shortened day at "school". He picked up Ben to bring him to the hospital after Ben's afternoon nap, so that we could get a family picture at the hospital.
Aunti Nikki came again with Uncle Jody to meet Rebecca early Friday evening. Aunt Lacie, Uncle Robert, Cal, Jordan, and Kelly came to see Rebecca on Friday evening. They were all very excited to meet her and Lacie commented on how beautiful she was.
Rebecca did very well in the hospital, eating and sleeping well. She slept in the nursery at night, coming into the room for feedings, but spent each day in the room with me.
Daddy, Rebecca, and I were excited to come home Saturday afternoon. My friend Lara was home with Benjamin. Again, Ben was very loving with his baby sister. Poppa Joe and Grandma Nita stopped by to meet Rebecca on their way to dinner in Williamsburg with friends.
Grandma and Grandpa Bleicher came for a short visit on Sunday, eager to see Rebecca and hold her, as well as getting an opportunity to see Ben! Grandma Nita came again to help out on Monday and drove me to Rebecca's first check-up with her pediatrician, which went well. Rebecca gained a few ounces, weighing 7 lbs 1 oz. Nita stayed until Tuesday, to help decorate for Christmas.
Rebecca sleeps so well during the day, with me often having to wake her for feedings, and make efforts to keep her awake during feedings, like taking off her clothes and even rubbing her legs or cheeks with a cold washcloth! She has a more difficult time settling down to sleep at night, especially after feedings. She falls asleep in my arms but awakens after being placed in the bassinet. She settles down a little bit if I put my hand on her chest, maybe letting her know I'm closeby. She doesn't take a binky that readily, unlike her brother. Being held by Mommy or lying next to Mommy seems to be the one thing that settles her back down to sleep.
On the following Sunday, Dec 12, Aunt Lacie and Kelly came with food for dinners and ham and rolls. Aunt Nikki, Uncle Jody, Allie and Henry also came, bringing lots of food for lunches. With all of the people in the house, it was like Grand Central Station, and you slept right through it in your pack and play which was sitting in the middle of all of the activity.
 |
| Rebecca is so alert after just entering the world! |
Scott was anxious to go get Benjamin so he could meet his baby sister, so he went to get him at Aunt Nikki's. Grandma Bleicher was eager to meet Rebecca once she was brought back from the nursery.
 |
| Big brother Benjamin gave lots of hugs and kisses to new baby sister Rebecca |
 |
| Grandma caught Rebecca with her beautiful blue eyes open |
 |
| Daddy, Mommy, and Rebecca |
Daddy came to the hospital late in the morning, after getting Ben ready for a shortened day at "school". He picked up Ben to bring him to the hospital after Ben's afternoon nap, so that we could get a family picture at the hospital.
 |
| Rebecca's beautiful blue eyes! |
 |
| Benjamin stealing another kiss! |
 |
| Benjamin, Rebecca, and proud Mommy and Daddy! |
Aunti Nikki came again with Uncle Jody to meet Rebecca early Friday evening. Aunt Lacie, Uncle Robert, Cal, Jordan, and Kelly came to see Rebecca on Friday evening. They were all very excited to meet her and Lacie commented on how beautiful she was.
 |
| Uncle Jody, Aunt Nikki, and Rebecca |
 |
| Uncle Rober, Aunt Lacie, Jordan, Cal, Kelly, and Rebecca |
Rebecca did very well in the hospital, eating and sleeping well. She slept in the nursery at night, coming into the room for feedings, but spent each day in the room with me.
 |
| Rebecca napping in Mommy's room. |
 |
| Mommy and Rebecca |
 |
| Daddy and Rebecca waiting to be released from the hospital |
 |
| Mommy and Rebecca being wheeled to the car. |
 |
| Rebecca snoozing in the carseat |
 |
| Ben is happy to see Mommy and baby Rebecca |
 |
| Nita and Poppa Joe meet Rebecca |
 |
| Rebecca's peaceful daytime sleep |
 |
| Rebeeca's early smiles |
 |
| Big brother Ben constantly checking on his baby sister |
 |
| Daddy holding baby Rebecca during evening waking hours |
Grandma and Grandpa Bleicher came for a short visit on Sunday, eager to see Rebecca and hold her, as well as getting an opportunity to see Ben! Grandma Nita came again to help out on Monday and drove me to Rebecca's first check-up with her pediatrician, which went well. Rebecca gained a few ounces, weighing 7 lbs 1 oz. Nita stayed until Tuesday, to help decorate for Christmas.
Rebecca sleeps so well during the day, with me often having to wake her for feedings, and make efforts to keep her awake during feedings, like taking off her clothes and even rubbing her legs or cheeks with a cold washcloth! She has a more difficult time settling down to sleep at night, especially after feedings. She falls asleep in my arms but awakens after being placed in the bassinet. She settles down a little bit if I put my hand on her chest, maybe letting her know I'm closeby. She doesn't take a binky that readily, unlike her brother. Being held by Mommy or lying next to Mommy seems to be the one thing that settles her back down to sleep.
On the following Sunday, Dec 12, Aunt Lacie and Kelly came with food for dinners and ham and rolls. Aunt Nikki, Uncle Jody, Allie and Henry also came, bringing lots of food for lunches. With all of the people in the house, it was like Grand Central Station, and you slept right through it in your pack and play which was sitting in the middle of all of the activity.
 |
| Rebecca briefly enjoying her tummy time |
 |
| Ben loves to hold "baby" |
 |
| Sooo beautiful! |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)