In a Perfect World

I'm extremely grateful that I've had the opportunity to work part-time and my current company has been flexible and supportive of my new, 32-hour/week schedule.  It could change at anytime, but for now I'm enjoying having Fridays off to spend with Evelina. We get to chill at the homestead together and have mommy and me time, run errands, attend mommy and baby groups or meet up with friends.  I very much look forward to our Friday's together each week.  They make getting through a busy work week so much easier, and having a 3-day weekend every week isn't anything to complain about either.  I am a lucky gal. 

But (of course there's always a but), in a perfect world, I would love to continue to work, but only 10-3, 3 or 4 days a week.  Lina and I could get up in the morning and leisurely get ready for the day with some playtime or cuddle time thrown in.  She could head off to daycare during the middle part of the day while I worked.  After I picked her up, we could head home, she could go down for a nap while I made dinner in preparation for Chris's arrival home.  While I cleaned up, Chris could take over the bedtime routine and after 7p (she's in bed at this time) we could veg on the couch, cuddle with Violet, watch our fave shows, update the blog, or read until bedtime.  

Sounds perfect to me.  

First Teeth

The toothless smile that once adorned the adorable face of our wee little Evelina is no more. As of December 23rd, 2010, not one, but two teeth have emerged through her tender little gums.  

For the past month or so, each time Lina would have an abnormally fussy day I would swipe my fingers over her gums in an effort to feel anything sharp, if I didn't, I would blame her crankiness on her short naps.  I "thought" I felt something out of the ordinary a few days before her first tooth was cut but I wasn't completely sure. Being a first time mom, I had no clue what a tooth would feel like!! Then, on December 9th, I fetched her at school and one of her teachers was so excited that Lina cut her first tooth.  What an exciting day...and we were all a little shocked since she didn't have many teething signs, such as excess drooling (she isn't much of a drooler still, just more of a spitter), refusal to eat, lots of biting/chewing, excess fussiness, etc..  Her night-time sleep wasn't even impacted.  In hindsight, the only symptoms we noticed were her rosy cheeks and sucking on her lower lip.  At her 6-month well-baby visit, her pediatrician told us not to get too excited since every tooth is different.  Then came tooth #2 and night-waking commenced!!  Although, we didn't initially attribute her waking to a second tooth, I was still surprised when it made it's entrance. If her teeth are cut in the usual sequence, she will be getting four top teeth next, including her two front teeth. Selfishly, I wouldn't mind if they didn't appear for another couple of months or so.  

I'm teething therefore I chomp on my bib

In an effort to nip her night-waking in the bud and get some tips on improving her naps, I've resurrected a few of my sleep books over the past week and have been amazed that many of them write that teething is not a cause of night-time wake-ups. Personally, I find this hard to beleive.  If my gums and jaw were sore, I think it would certainly cause me to wake-up for some drugs soothing. 

Sleep Tight

Dear Evelina,

Before you were born I would say a little prayer every night before drifting off to sleep hoping you would continue to grow and be healthy. I was constantly worried about you and the simple prayers always made me feel more secure.  After the prayer I would always rub my belly as you were moving around and bid you good night, "Sleep tight Cashina, don't let the bed bugs bite.  I love you."  

Growing up, your Mimi would always say the same to me...despite bed bugs being disgusting and something you definitely DON'T want in your bed. Hopefully, it was more for rhyming purposes.

You are almost 7 months old and each night when I lay you down to sleep, I still say those same words, "Sleep tight Evelina, don't let the bed bugs bite.  I love you." Although, now I get to give you a kiss instead of rubbing my belly. Whether you are crying in protest, smiling while gazing back at me or already snoozing when I put you in your crib, I still say them.  I'm looking forward to the day when you actually say them back to me.  

Love, Mommy

Dear Santa...

Last night was another doozy. Hopefully Santa will hear our  my pleas. 

On another note, Auntie K was over for a visit yesterday and I told her she needed to check out Lina's first tooth.  To my surprise, when she looked, she said there were two!!   Apparently, all Lina wanted for Christmas was her two bottom teeth.

WTF?!?!

I am 1000% fed up with Evelina's current night-time sleep pattern.  Sometimes I think I need to change the name of this blog to "Simply Sleep Ciano" because I feel that sleep is constantly an area of struggle.  Just when we think Rip Van Lina is back, she throws us a curve ball and changes her sleep pattern once again.  I am BEYOND frustrated and just plain tired.  Uggghhhhh......  

After we successfully implemented sayonara soother, Lina was again sleeping like a dream, but then one night she started waking up around 2am and chatting for 45 minutes and then waking up at 5:30a again.  Ever since that day the trend has continued.  The chatting doesn't bother me per se but, what bothers me is that she will sometimes get aggravated and start to fuss a little more and then intervention is required (usually a diaper change since I never know what could be in there).  Over the past nights the one wake-up has turned into 2-3...the only positive is that she actually sleeps past 6am but only because she has been up for almost 2 hours during the night.  We usually only intervene at the first wake-up and if she gets up 2 or more times she is on her own unless crying out in some sort of pain. 

Chris and I have brainstormed as to what may be causing this night-time waking, because we know very well she is sleep trained, and we think it could be a few things.  She is getting another tooth, solids don't agree with her, or she is deep into Wonder Week 26 (she is 28 weeks but 26 weeks past her original due date).  Because she can't talk we are unsure if teeth or gas are bothering her so Ibuprofen and Mylicon are always ready to go if needed.  We also stopped feeding her solids at dinner since this seems to really bother her and it has helped slightly but she is still waking.  WAAAAA.......

And don't even get me started on her shiz naps (but happy to know her friends at school are experiencing the same)!!  I am praying to the high heavens this is all just a phase.

Don't worry Lina, we still love you to pieces!!

Father Christmas

We couldn't let Evelina's first Christmas pass us by without a trip to visit Santa for the first time.  I was relieved when I heard he would be making a special trip to Weston Nurseries in Hopkinton so we could avoid the mad rush and crazy lines at the mall. We planned the morning perfectly in an effort to be graced with smiley Lina, but her dreaded short nap got the better of her so she cried, rubbed her eyes, and tried to take off her headband, while we made our way up the rather short line.  Lina clearly hates lines as much as I do. Between her crying and all of the children in front of us telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas, it felt like an eternity before it was her turn. 

Santa did not disappoint.  He was sweet and gentle with our wee one and luckily by the time Lina sat on his lap, she had stopped crying, but man oh man did she want that headband OFF...as you can see in the photo.  It will be fun to see her pictures with Santa in the years to come.      

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

We put up our Christmas tree a couple of weekends ago and Lina was quite the little helper.  I grew up with real trees, the pine scent filling the house and blue spruce needles so sharp they could draw blood,  but Chris has visions of vacuuming up needles until July so we've opted for the artificial variety for the past 5 or so years.  It definitely has it's advantages...pre-strung lights are THE BEST....but next year I would love to go real in celebration of Lina being more aware of the holiday.  

We are looking forward to sharing the magic of Christmas with Lina this year, even though she will most likely only be interested in crumbling up wrapping paper.  

Mommy's Little Helper

Lina loved the ornaments and touching the tree

Evelina's First Christmas Ornaments

No coal will be going into this stocking this year!!

Violet's Stocking

As you can see, Violet was a big help

One little horsey plays peek-a-boo, loves to come and play with you.
Two little duckies take a spin, splash in the water, come on in!!
Three little piggies twirl around, playing in the pig pen, making sounds...

deedadeedee deedeedee deedadeedee deedeedee

I've been singing this jumperoo song NON-STOP for the past 3 days.  I.can't.get.it.out!!!  Help!!!

Sweet Potatoes and Peas, Oh My

Over the weekend I broke out the food processor and immersion blender to prepare Evelina's first baby food.  I decided to start out easy with sweet potatoes and peas.  Both were surprisingly simple.  My biggest challenge was not knowing what the consistency of the puree should be, so I decided to purchase a jar of peas to compare. Once I got the peas just right, I tasted my homemade version and the jarred variety and what a difference.  Poor babies!! if I had to eat the jarred peas, I wouldn't like my veggies either!! 

Overall, my first attempt at making baby food yielded about 10 servings of each veggie.  The big test will be whether or not Lina enjoys them this week!! She will be starting her 3-day schedule of sweet potatoes today and we plan to add peas on Thursday. So far we know she enjoys oatmeal but I didn't go as far as grinding my own.    

The last time I checked, peas were green. Which peas would you rather eat?

Jumperoo Fun

Evelina enjoying some fun time in the Jumperoo.

Violet Cuteness of the Week

Last week Violet came home from daycare with a new Idle Dog hoodie.  Since the temperatures have been on the cooler side over the past few weeks, she has been shaking after going outside. Poor little thing.  This hoodie has definitely kept her a little more toasty.  Another bonus?  Since the majority of her fur is covered, we get less on us when we pick her up. 

6 Month Stats

Lina had her 6 month well-baby visit yesterday and she did great. She got off to a rocky start by crying each time the nurse would enter the room but once she got over that she was her happy, ants in the pants self.  Smiling away and grabbing for her pediatrician's stethoscope, his hair, his face.   

She weighed in at 13lbs 8oz and 26.25" long (67.75th %ile).  Even a longer string bean now then she was at 4 months.  She went from the 10.7%ile for weight down to 7.4%ile.  We thought FOR SURE she would weigh more but I guess we were proven wrong (BUT...she does weigh more than Violet now!!).  Her doctor isn't too concerned since she is still gaining, getting longer and her head is still growing.  Chris is happy that her noggin isn't growing as quickly as it was initially, it is still 17" and in the 70%ile but that is down from the 87%ile at her 4 month visit.  

Overall, Lina is a healthy 6 month old who is developing normally both physically and socially.  The best part is...she is our babe and we think she is perfect no matter what!!

Sitting Practice

Our little girl needs to build up some ab strength so we have been encouraging her to practice sitting.  She is getting better but still topples over rather quickly.  It won't be long before she can sit unassisted and her perspective of the world will become much more interesting. 

6 Months!!

Dear Evelina,

You are 6 months old!! WOW!! I just can't believe that a half a year has gone by since your birth. I am proud that you actually survived despite me and your papa navigating the world of parenthood for the first time. We've encountered some bumpy terrain along the way but we made it through together and will continue to do so as you (and us too!!) learn and grow. We are just thrilled that you are such a happy wee one, smiling so much that I often wonder if your cheeks ever get tired. Your smiles and giggles just make me melt. Even after a stressful, long, exhausting or frustrating day (yup, even days that you don't want to nap for more than 30 minutes), I will lay my head down peacefully just thinking about how happy you make me feel. I couldn't ask for anything better in my life.

Over the past month you have continued to change and grow. You are working to perfect your grabbing skills and stretch your arms out for anything within reach, including our faces, mouths, hair, jewelry, clothes, Christmas tree, Violet or even me or your papa. You just love to touch and inspect things with an intense stare or pursing of the lips. You still need some work keeping your grip tight on objects so they don’t always fall to the floor but you will get there. You do keep a tight grip on our fingers though, especially during feeding time. I even made you cry the other night when I had to release my finger from your grip to grab a burp cloth while feeding you your bedtime bottle…so sad. In other developments, you love grabbing your feet and attempting to put them in your month, you’ve started to do baby sit-ups, and you can successfully roll from belly to back although you still haven’t mastered back to belly. You still remain content just chilling out on your back or doing your side rolls. If there is something next to you or behind you that you must have, you can shimmy around to capture it. You’ve also started to put more weight on your legs and feet this month and enjoy standing in our laps. When you get bored, you just buckle at the knees and we know it’s time to move on to another activity.

I’m happy to report that the fussy period you were in last month, when it seemed like nothing would make you happy, not even the floor gym, is over (for now that is). You once again enjoy all of your toys, especially bouncing in your Jumperoo. It is just too cute seeing you bouncing up and down with joy. One of your favorite activities is to sit on our bed after I pick you up from daycare. I plop you down against my pillow with a toy for you to play with as I get into my pajamas. We chat about your day, play peek-a-boo, I give you tons of kisses and tickles and we have fun giggling together. It is truly one of my favorite times each day.

The biggest accomplishment of the month occurred just days before your big 6-month birthday...you were weaned from the pacifier AND Mr. Miracle Blanket!! YAY!! I was dreading the first night swaddle-free but you did so wonderful. I had hoped all along that you would make the decision to be ready for a sleep sack and that is exactly what happened. Although, swaddling had such a connection to when you were an ity bity newborn so for me it will be a bittersweet moment when I store it away. Now that you are free of the binkie and swaddle, you move around like crazy in the crib. We put you in the crib with your feet toward the door and you wake up with your head toward the door. You are quite active during the night but you are able to go back to sleep without a peep (usually) and are back to sleeping from 7 until about 6 or so. My fear is that once you start rolling over and/or teething our nights will get tough again but we will get through it like we have been for the past 6 months.

You had your first taste of solids this month, yummy sweet potatoes, while we celebrated your first Thanksgiving. Your 6-month well baby visit is coming up on Friday (more shots…whaaa) so after we speak to your pediatrician about starting you on solids and ask him lots of questions, we are going to officially begin. I hope you like your mommy’s cooking since I’m planning to attempt to make you some yummy purees. We will see how that goes.

As always, I wonder what new and exciting things you will learn and do this month? Will you roll from back to belly, will you say “Papa”, will you push up on your hands and knees, will you have a favorite food, will you get your first tooth…? What I know for certain is that we are very excited to spend our first Christmas with you (well, we spent last Christmas with you too, but you were only the size of a lemon) and celebrate the holidays with family. You are most definitely on Santa's "nice" list.

You are the sunshine of my life,

Mommy

Mittens

I came across these mimiTENs mittens today on one of my favorites blogs, spearmint baby, and thought they were so adorable...and a GREAT idea!! The long cuff is ingenious.  It was hard enough to keep those little newborn mittens on Evelina after she was born to protect her face from her dagger nails. Now that she is actually aware of her hands, I can't imagine standard mittens are going to stay on her for to long.  I may have to snatch up a pair of these.  

Evelina's Nursery

It only took 8+ months but Evelina's nursery is complete, minus some additional art I would like to scoop up, like this cute hanger from Etsy or a silhouette of Violet, and perhaps a yellow rug to tie everything together.  

I really wanted to create a happy and cheerful space that wasn't too pink or cutesy.  A room that I'd like to enjoy being in just as much as Evelina, a space that could grow with her and evolve as she makes new discoveries.   

When I was searching for nursery inspiration I came across the two below that really tickled my fancy. 

Sweet and Sunny Nursery 
Little P's Room

I just loved the blues, yellows and bright pinks(hence the colors of this blog) that showered each of these rooms and created such a fun but relaxing atmosphere.  

There are so many things I love about the room but a few of my faves are: 

• Little White Chair - It was my father's as a child and my Uncle John repainted it for Evelina.  My father carved his name in the back as a child and his childhood dog, Penny Nickel Fisher, even chewed up the wood slightly.  It is a very special chair that I am looking forward to Evelina sitting in soon. 
• Owl and tree mobile hanging above the changing table - Evelina loves staring up at it and watching the owls fly by  
• Fabric Hoops - My mom and I created these easily and I think they are pretty, inexpensive art. 
• Shadow Box - What's better then having a memento of Evelina's little hands a feet?  And the memory of how difficult it was to get her to cooperate to get the impressions!! 

We are thrilled with the way the room came out and it makes me happy to spend time in it with our sweet little one.  I hope that Evelina will enjoy it for many years to come.  

Our next project for Evelina?  Creating a playroom in our current office space.  We barely use it for an office and think it will be the perfect place for Evelina once she is a mobile toddler!!  

Click HERE for source list.

Operation Sayonara Soother :: Update

Since Monday night I have been putting Evelina to bed sans binkie in an attempt to help her learn how to self-sooth without its use.  I figured, while I was at it, I would start to wean her from the swaddle during night-time sleep as well (we've already attempted for naps for over a month) hoping she would suck her fingers in replacement of the binks.  

Monday night:  In bed at 7p, no pacifier, right arm out of the swaddle and Gigi (her giraffe lovie) tucked under her arm.  I stood by the crib while she cried, rubbing her belly and telling her that it was sleepy time and everything would be okay.  After about 5 minutes she stopped crying and was rubbing Gigi against her face and sucking her fingers.  By the time I turned the monitor on downstairs she was asleep.  She made a couple of squawks at around 12:30a but didn't wake up.  At 1:50a she awoke so I let her fuss for a few minutes before I entered her room.  I made sure she was okay, didn't have a dirty diaper, turned on her "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Violet", rubbed her belly, told her it was still sleepy time and left the room.  She was asleep by 2a. I "think" I heard some additional minor sleep squawks around 3:30a and 4:45a but nothing that woke her up.  She woke up for the day at 6a.  Now, she used to sleep until 7a but ever since the time change she isn't consistently sleeping past 6ish. We keep her in the crib as long as possible hoping she will fall back asleep. She will usually keep herself occupied for 15 minutes and once she starts to fuss I turn on her projection mobile which will fascinate her for another 15 or so minutes. Chris scooped her out of the crib around 6:50a. 

Tuesday:  No binkie used while in the car seat to and from daycare or during naps!!  Lina's teachers were very impressed and thought they would hear more protest then they actually did.  Lina was more interested in talking to Gigi then wondering where her binks was.  

Tuesday night:  In bed at 6:55p, no pacifier, right arm out of the swaddle and Gigi tucked under her arm.  Minimal crying, less then Monday night, but I did stay there rubbing her belly until I knew she would be fine.  She awoke at 10:15p which is a strange wake up time for her.  She seemed more in distress so Chris and I stayed with her for 10 or so minutes, I changed her diaper and she was out again by 10:30p.  Up at 5:30...ugh...we need some serious help in this department.  She was happy talking to Gigi, grabbing her feet and sucking on her fingers until about 6:20a, after which she started fussing, probably because she was still tired. On went the projection mobile at 6:30a, Chris scooped her out of the crib at 6:45a.  

Wednesday:  No binkie used.  Longest nap was 40 minutes...ugh. This child just LOVES to be awake.  Before we left daycare she started fussing in the car seat so I gave her the binks but she spit it out.  She was asleep by the time we got home.  

Wednesday night: In bed at 6:55p.  Again, minimal crying.  I think she cries more because she is overtired (which is understandable considering her naps aren't the best) not because I am putting her to bed.  I tried to get her to bed earlier but when her routine includes a bath (which we only give her every other night right now), it takes a tad longer.  4a rolled around and I happened to wake up so I click on the monitor and she was still sound asleep...although in a completely different position.  When we lay her in her crib her feet are facing the door, but at 4a her feet were facing the windows.  Clearly she had been up during the night but with no fussing and she fell back asleep on her own.  She was up again at 5:30 though...drats.  I went in after I finished pumping and to my surprise she had put on the projection mobile with her foot and was gazing at the lights.  Her diaper was soooooo full, so I change her in hopes of getting her to fall back asleep but didn't have much luck.  Chris scooped her out of the crib at 6:45a. 

Thursday:  No binkie used.  Longest nap was 65 minutes.
 

Thursday night: In bed at 7p, minimal crying.  I heard her thumping her legs at 12:30a but she fell back asleep on her own with no fussing.  She awoke at 4:45a...ugh,ugh,ugh...and I thought 5:30a was bad.  I just left her to her own devices and heard her fussing around 5:30a.  I got up (dreams of sleeping until a little after 6a shattered), changed her diaper, turned on "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Violet, told her it was still sleepy time and left the room.  She cried around 6:10a and just when I was going to give in and go up and get her at 6:15a, she fell asleep!!  Yay!!  Up at 6:55 for the day.  Beleive me, I was very tempted to give her the binks at 4:45a but I stayed strong.  

Chris calls me "the general" since I'm adamant on breaking Lina from her soother and swaddle habit, and I'm determine to get her to sleep past 6a (she slept 7p - 7a for WEEKS so I KNOW she can do it)!!  I just know how important sleep is for children and I'm the one who has done endless research on the subject so he needs to trust me.  Can you tell who is going to be the softy parent?  

Starting today, we are attempting to go swaddle free.  Lina is napping as I type in her cute elephant Aden + Anais sleep sack.  

I'm Tired

Ever since Evelina's birth I have been tired.  Completely normal for a new mother, right?  In those first weeks of her life I was pretty much a zombie (battling with breastfeeding, growth spurts that led right into one another, and the fact that she was a newborn) but once she started to sleep more than 3 hour stretches and nap longer during the day so I could nap as well, I felt much more refreshed...or maybe I just adapted to fewer hours of sleep.  When she started sleeping though the night I felt great!!  I even felt rested upon going back to work.  But over the past couple of weeks the tiredness has crept back in and I am just tired...t.i.r.e.d. The consistent 6ish hours of sleep a night is catching up with me. 

• I'm tired because I have to wake up in the middle of the night to pump. 
• I'm tired because I have to wake up 1/2 hour early every work day to pump when most days I would love to sleep a little bit longer.   
• I'm tired because even on the nights that Evelina doesn't wake up once, my body still feels the need to wake up multiple times and it doesn't do well in falling back asleep next to a husband who snores (not even that bad I might add...I'm just horrible at falling back asleep no matter how tired I am).   
• I'm tired because of falling back in November.  It always has taken me forever to adjust so I have been waking up around 4-4:30a and the likelihood of falling back to sleep until 5:30ish is slim so I lose out on almost another hour of sleep.
• I'm tired because Evelina has decided that she doesn't want to sleep past 5ish in the morning which means that I never get to either...particularly on the weekends when I can't WAIT to sleep until 6ish. Oh how I miss the days when she would sleep until 7a.  
• I'm tired because I am constantly going, going, going.  

I have no doubt that Evelina's smiles and giggles will wisk my tiredness away today and I'm certain that she doesn't care about the dark circles under my eyes.  

On the menu tonight before bed? Prenatal vitmains, DHA and a Benedryl. 

Shweet!!

Evelina won't officially start solids until a few more weeks but I couldn't resist giving her a little taste of sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving Day. Auntie K had already cooked up a batch for the meal so I grabbed some cubes, mashed them up with a fork, added some breast milk to create more of a pureed consistency and broke out the cute monster bowl we picked up the day before. I was almost certain that Lina would break out her pouty (aka babune) face but she rather enjoyed the experience minus some minor gagging after the second spoon full. 

Getting Ready

Um, I don't know about this...

That was fun!!

2010 School Picture

Back in September Evelina had her first school photo taken.  We couldn't resist purchasing a copy for her "scrapbook".  Chris thinks she looks like a little Italian old lady.  Teehee.