If you're ever feeling the need for a little attention...

...then find a baby, put it in a moby wrap, and take it to Sam's Club. It takes me FOREVER to get through that store, even though I usually only buy 5 items or less. I am stopped about every 5 minutes and asked about the baby, how old she is, and what that thing I'm wearing her in is. Even after checking out, I have to wait for the man who checks the receipts to draw a picture on the back of it for Elliot. I find this very sweet, but slightly ridiculous, since she is not even 4 m onths old and would much rather eat the paper than look at it. Older women are particularly fascinated by the moby. One time, the manager even made me turn around so she could inspect the type of fabric and how it was tied. If I'm asked where I got it, the conversation grows even longer, as I am forced to admit that I made it myself. People are far too impressed by this fact, even though I willingly admit that I was only able to make it because there was absolutely no sewing involved. Actually, all you have to do is cut a really long piece of fabric in half lengthwise. I've been told that I should make and sell them, but I fear that people would see how simple it is to make and feel ripped off. I know I would.

So if you're ever feeling lonely or unnoticed, feel free to come on over, borrow my baby and moby, and go do my grocery shopping. You'll be an instant celebrity.

Hooray!

We went to see the Dr. for a weight check today. The results of the weight check were very important, since my decision to keep breastfeeding or not was riding on it. She weighs 11 lbs. 1.4 oz., which is tiny, but good. She is back up to her original curve, and she's following it well. Dr. has zero concerns about her at all, so I'm going to keep breastfeeding! I don't know what caused her to drop off the curve like she did a few weeks ago, but it seems to be resolved and she is back to her normal, albeit smaller than average, self.

I am so relieved about this. The though of exclusive pumping was awful to me. I was willing to do it, both for my own peace of mind and because breastmilk is best for her, but I was really dreading it. Also, the thought of not breastfeeding her made me so sad. Before I ever really thought about having kids, I thought I would breastfeed for 6 months. When it became more of a reality, I decided I would try to do the AAP recommended full year. Now that we're actually doing it, I am hoping to keep it up until she decides to wean herself (though I'm hoping it will be by her 2nd birthday or shortly thereafter). I also did myself a favor today and ordered a baby scale. This way I can keep track of her weight gain at home and also monitor her intake by weighing her before and after feedings. I am super excited to get it, and will probably spend the first week or so weighing anything that will fit onto it, so stay tuned for future posts in which I will report the weights of all of my cats.

In other news, we have most definitely entered the dreaded 4 month wakeful period. We are about 5 days in now, and I have to say, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. It's certainly not enjoyable by any means, but I was expecting her to be up every hour of so, and thankfully that is not the case. She has generally been waking twice in the night, instead of her usual one waking, and she's also been ready to start her day at 5 am a few times. On our worst night, she was up three times, which I think is the most she's ever woken since she was born. I'm kind of glad that it's started, so we can get it over with and be done with it. I'm hearing from most people that it lasted around 2 weeks for them, so hopefully we're about halfway through. If she decides we're going to do this for a whole month though, I retract my earlier statement about it not being that bad.

EDIT: Apparently E heard that I was talking about her and had to prove me wrong. She slept from 9 last night until 5 this morning, ate for about 10 minutes, and went back down until 7:30. No complaints here!

LOTS of pictures

It's been a few days since I last updated, so I've got quite a few pictures to share. I've probably taken several hundred (yes, seriously), but I'll cut it down to just the cutest ones. I'd let you all know what we've been doing, but we haven't been up to much in the last few days. I had my first birthday as a mom, and Matt and Elliot are taking me shopping tomorrow.

The feeding thing is going okay, I think. We went to see a lactation consultant, and we think we've got Elliot's issues under control, but we will find out for sure when she goes to the doctor to get weighed on Monday. If she's gained well, then that's great and we'll just keep doing what we're doing now. If she hasn't, I think things are going to have to change a little. I really want my baby to be exclusively breastfed, because I truly believe that that is what's best for her, but obviously if she's not eating enough then that's not good for her. I

I've decided that if she is still not gaining well that I am going to begin exclusively pumping until she is six months old. I know it will be a giant pain, but I want her to have breastmilk, and I NEED to know that she's getting enough food. The thing I dislike most about breastfeeding is not knowing how much she is eating, so by giving her bottles I will be able to keep track of that. At six months, I will reevaluate how I feel about pumping. I expect that I will not be a big fan of it. In that case, we have decided to introduce formula at that point for some of her feedings. If we do start formula, my goal is for her to still get some breastmilk every day for her first year. Hopefully when we go to the doctor she will have gained well and I won't have to put this plan into action, but I've thought about it a lot, and I'm comfortable with it, and if we do have to do it I know it will be okay. And hey, if I start formula, then Matt and I can take turns doing the night feeding. See, there's always a silver lining!

WOW, that was long. If you made it through that whole thing, congratulations, and here's your reward...super cute pictures!!!!

Nom nom nom, yummy tie!

With my baby, on my birthday

They all look very uninterested in being photographed

Practicing her gang signs

I have no words. This was just too cute not to post.

This is both adorable and frightening at the same time.

Roy prefers a more dignified pose than his brother.

There's a lamb on my head!

All ready to swim again.

I anticipate more glares like this during the teenage years.

I look naked. The turtle head covers up the swimsuit.

Proof that I am not naked.

In the pool with Daddy.

Proving to Daddy that Mommy was right. She does like her turtle pool.

One year ago today...

...I found out that little Elliot was on her way!!!

Wish List Wednesday!!!

I got the Wish List Wednesday idea from another blog I frequent (to check it out, just click the Wish List button) and thought it looked like fun. Here we go:

1. A house on a cul-de-sac. It could be the exact same house we live in now, for all I care, but I want to live on a street that does not have cars regularly tearing by at 40 mph.

2. A front loading washer and dryer.

3. This bathroom.

4. A no-limit gift card to Gymboree and Baby Gap.

5. Finally, I would like some sort of device that would allow me to pause/rewind Elliot, so that when she gets bigger, I could always go back to having my tiny baby whenever I wanted.

A new toy!!!

Elliot loves to stand up, so even though it's a little early, we decided to set up her Jumperoo today. OK, actually I decided to set it up, but I managed to wait until Matt got home to actually put her in it. It turns out that I underestimated her height- she only needed one book underneath her for her feet to touch! We finally found a use for those old textbooks that you can't sell back.

She looks a little underwhelmed in the pictures, but I swear, she really did like it. Her hand was just particularly tasty today, so she was focusing more on that.







Another great accomplishment today: I found the cutest hat of all time on Etsy. I was browsing through all things cupcake-related in preparation for Elliot's cupcake themed 1st birthday party (yes, I'm planning it already, and if you want to see her birthday outfit, click here), and I came across this. If you know me, you know I love cupcakes, so you can imagine my excitement as I pictured one perched atop my daughter's head. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be needing these multiple colors.

Sadly, I also found something terrifying in this virtual paradise of cupcake paraphernalia. Earlier today, I would have said that there is no way to make a cupcake non-cute. Even if you mess up, they still adorable. I was wrong. Here's the proof.

I win!!!!!!!

The turtle pool was a success!!!! Chae brought Eli over to try it out with Elliot today, and both babies did great (OK, well Eli did spit up in the pool, but it could have been much worse, and Elliot really didn't seem to mind). Chae and I, however, learned a few lessons. First of all, it would have been helpful for us to have somewhere to sit. Crouching next to the pool was less than comfortable. Also, a third adult would have been nice, as it is very difficult to take pictures with each of us trying to hold onto our child. Lastly, Bumbos are helpful, as long as you hold them down so they don't float away.

We will be trying again soon, with daddies present, so hopefully we'll be able to get more pictures than this time. Here's what we got:

Elliot did some hard-core flirting when Eli arrived

Ready to get in the water!

OMG, what is happening?!?!?!?!?

This looks innocent enough, but little did we know that Eli was just plotting...


...to make his big move! Go Eli!

Um, Mom, the boy is touching me.