Nearing 7 Months

This week as I was talking to myself one morning (which I do often) I was calculating what to say for the next time someone asks me how old Rachel is. With babies, this happens a lot. It dawned on me that I've not yet had the opportunity to use the phrase, "She's 6 1/2 months" yet....it flew by so fast that we're going straight to saying "7 months". Can you believe this week she'll be 7 months?

As you can tell from the previous post from Geri, Rachel had a great time in Newburgh, IN. Jason and I did miss her a lot while she was gone, but we're glad everyone down there had a great time with her and we were able to get a bit of a break. I thought she would have changed more physically in the week she was gone, but aside from being just a wee bit bigger, she was pretty much the same!

While with her Terry Grandparents they really worked with her on eating from a spoon. Geri told me the only thing they tried that Rachel didn't really care for was carrots. Once home we've tried bananas, green beans, and sweet potatoes. So far, she's liking everything! I can tell they fed her from a spoon a lot while she was gone, which is wonderful. Instead of having to "introduce" the spoon to her each time, now she understands the concept....although she gets really frustrated that the spoon doesn't feed automatically like the bottle does. I've been trying to replace just one meal a day with a container of food, and so far it works really well.

Since her 7 month milestone is coming up I realized she was outgrowing the summer clothes I have for her that are 6 months. Perhaps that's a good thing that she's keeping up with normal sizes of clothes...but this put me in a bit of delima: I was running out of cool clothes for her to wear! Not to worry, I picked up several 6 - 9 month clothes at a garage sale this past weekend so she's set again.

I realized that yesterday was the first day I've had Rachel for a full day in several weeks. She stayed with her Esche Grandparents for the long weekend then went with her Terry Grandparents for a full week. I'm really glad for all the visiting, but that realization just surprised me, that's all! Anyway, since I typically don't monitor her habits for a full day I was really surprised by how much she sleeps. Day Care workers are always telling me she sleeps a lot, but I didn't quite realize what they meant. The report I get every day just doesn't compare to the real thing. So yesterday when she slept and slept and slept I started to get concerned she wouldn't sleep at night. No worries! I put her down around 8 and she didn't wake up until 4. So I can safely say she's not only a good eater, she's a good sleeper too!

The only thing this girl really needs help with is her hair. Poor kid, in all of her pictures she looks practically bald! And bald is beautiful BUT....I would love for her to have more hair. I noticed yesterday that she has probably 20 little baby hairs that could stick up if they wanted to. Here's hoping her hair starts growing faster than her head!!

Yesterday I also noticed she is intrigued by trees. They'll catch her attention whether they move or not. Her exersaucer sometimes sits by the palm tree in our living room and she likes to touch the palm leaves. Just this morning I'd moved her exersaucer into her room and as she sat in it I thought she was staring off into space and realized she was looking at the tree out her window.

She's also very much starting to learn her environment through touch. She wants to touch EVERYTHING. to a point, it's really cute. Except when she wants to grab at something that will spill or cause her harm. Thankfully, we're able to keep most of that out of her way, but she needs to be watched more closely than before.

The play area I set up while she was gone has been magnificent! She looks so tiny in it!:

But I can sit her in there and let her play with her toys for a little while and know she can't get into anything or hurt (except if she falls forward on her face).  The alphabet mat you see in the picture is made of a foamy material and is softer than the carpet for when she does fall over. I also think that mat will be really great for when she starts crawling. And based on how she holds herself up when she's on her tummy, that might not be too far off. Although....she still hates being on her tummy, so she might be one of those kids that kind of skip crawling and go straight to walking. We'll see.

The other day we went to visit my Grandma Esche and while playing with Rachel I had her standing up and realized she was standing on her own. All she was doing was holding on to my fingers, but the rest was all her! She's getting stronger and bigger all the time.

I also tried this week to put her in her high chair to try to feed her. I think we'll be using our Bumbo seat for a few more months...

She can barely see over the tray, let along put her hands on it. So while it is adorable to see her in the chair, we'll hold off on using it for just a little while longer.

Finally, one last picture for my readers:

Ha! I love this onsie! It came from Jason's Aunt Connie. Thank you again Connie!

Rachel’s Week at Granddad and Grandma Terry’s house

A journal written by Geri, Rachel's Grandmother:

The adventure began after the van was loaded to capacity with all of Rachel’s necessary items; stroller, bumbo seat, toy bag, suitcase of clothes, food and formula, and her diaper bag.  When we made a stop at McDonald’s, we ran into Indiana Senator Richard Lugar having lunch!  She slept for most of the trip, waking up about 15 minutes before we arrived to say hello go Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Rogers.  Then we finally arrived at her grandparent’s house, and unloaded the car.  Rachel filled the house with bright colors, smiles and happiness. 

 She got to see the room that Grandma Terry has for Rachel, with lots and lots of toys to play with as she grows up.  One of Rachel’s favorites was the purple ribbon wand.  Grandma made lots of big circles and designs in the air for Rachel, and before long, Rachel was twirling the ribbon with delight all by herself! 

The weather was very warm that week, so Rachel and her grandparents kept her cool indoors during the midday hours, but almost every morning, she took a walk along the Newburgh Riverfront in her stroller.  Our first morning stroll started at 6 am, and along the way we smelled very sweet honeysuckle, heard the birds singing, and met nice people and their dogs along the trail.  We also heard a woodpecker busy hammering on an old tree while crossing the Great Ravine Bridge.  Rachel enjoyed looking up at the sky and the leaves on the trees, and smiled when someone slowed down to see who the baby in the stroller was.  She had lots of nice compliments.  She also posed in front of Grandma’s favorite little house on the trail.  Once in a while, we stopped to sit on a bench and enjoy the view of the river.

One afternoon, Rachel and her grandparents sat on the back patio under the umbrella and watched Conan the border collie run around the back yard, and splash in his very own swimming pool.  Rachel thought that was so funny.  She also enjoyed Grandma’s colorful patio table with lots of colorful glass beads.  In the evenings when it was clear, we sometimes went out onto the patio and looked up at the stars and the moon.  Rachel even pointed at the moon!  She is already such a curious young astronomer. 

On several days, Rachel visited Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Rogers, and kept them entertained with her acrobatics on the quilt, rolling over and reaching for favorite toys.  Her G-GMA & G-GPA have a poodle named Buddy, who is chocolate brown and looks just like a teddy bear.  Rachel loves to reach out her arms and pet Buddy.  He rolls over and wags his tail for Rachel, as she laughs with delight.  Rachel also visited with two Great-Great Aunts and a Great-Great Uncle. 

Once in a while, she babbled and jabbered when she had something to say.  She’s the first born of her generation on her Dad’s side of the family, and has a Great-Great Grandmother too!  On Monday morning, her Great Aunts Cindy and Heather came by to visit Rachel, and Rachel got to sit on Cindy’s lap on her purple motorcycle.  As soon as Rachel sat down, she was reaching for the throttle. Vroom, Vroom!

Granddad Terry took some vacation days for most of the week to spend with Rachel, and they played with toys and watched shows on TV; Dinosaur Train, Curious George & The Cat in the Hat.  Granddad even fed Rachel her cereal sometimes.  Rachel prefers to hold the spoon and feed herself, barely letting go of the spoon for another bite to be scooped up for her. 

Rachel and Grandma went grocery shopping, and bought some new food for Rachel to try.  She loved apples, sweet potatoes and peas, but definitely didn’t like carrots.  Grandma Terry made her cereal every day with a mixture of apple rice cereal, formula milk and 4 scoops of baby food.  Most of the time, she ate all of her cereal.  With so much activity every day, Rachel always slept through the night, and on Friday morning, she even slept until 8:30, so Granddad went on his morning walk while the girls stayed home.  Maybe the reason she slept so late was because everyone stayed up late the night before, watching Cinderella! 

On Friday afternoon, Rachel and Granddad took Grandma to work, and Rachel was charming and adorable in her floppy hat and sundress.  She even helped her Grandma sell a house!  On the way to work, we stopped by downtown Evansville to watch an air show, and saw planes doing loops in the air and flying upside down.

Later Friday afternoon, we went back to G-Grandparent Rogers’ house, and Grandma found an old bentwood and cane rocking chair, just Rachel’s size.  She wore a blue gingham dress with a bow in the back and a smocked front with little ducks.  So adorable!  She posed for lots of pictures, holding her new teddy bear, Fuzz, and playing with a toy ‘barking’ poodle. 

After all the pictures, she just wanted to hang out in the living room with her family, and joined in circle in her rocking chair padded with her quilt. 

 All eyes were on Rachel, and she cooed and babbled to join in the family discussion. Saturday morning was Farmer’s Market day at the riverfront, and we bought 4 pounds of bright red tomatoes for G-GMA Rogers.  We also met Granddad Terry and took another walk along the riverfront until it started raining.  The rest of the day was the same as the others; eating cereal on the dining table, playing with toys in front of the fireplace in the living room, taking a long nap, and having another bottle.  She enjoyed watching her video, Baby Einstein Beethoven. 

On Saturday evening, Rachel went back to G-GPA & G-GMA’s house to hang out with Lorelei.  She enjoyed playing, but eventually got sleepy and took a little nap.  While Rachel was sleeping, Lorelei sang songs, and made one up for Rachel.  When Lorelei sang Rachel’s song, she woke up and smiled.  After a while, Rachel joined in the singing in her own special way.

The next morning, it was time to get up and load up the car again, and meet Mommy and Daddy in Louisville.  Rachel fell asleep as soon as we started down the road, and woke up to see her Daddy leaning in the car to say hello again!

Rachel's Travels

After spending Memorial Day weekend with her GramE and GrampE, we've realized that we're now okay with our daughter beginning her travels. I have a feeling this girl will be a traveler as she grows up!

We received there request from her Terry Grandparents that they would like the opportunity to have her for a week. A WEEK!!! Now, if you're like me, having a child suddenly in your life for a week when there wasn't one before is quite daunting. I love my niece dearly, but after having her for just a few hours I was ready for her to go home. If I was around her every day, perhaps I'd feel differently. So when they requested her for a week I wasn't hesitant because they were incapable. Quite the contrary! I was concerned about the inconvenience and life upheaval for a week. However, I've been assured by both my parents, Jason's parents, and many many other folks that with grandparents, it's just different. So I quit worrying about it and offered to let them take Rachel home with them when they came up this weekend for a visit. They were elated and quickly made changes to their plans so they could take her home with them.

I've asked Geri to journal and take pictures of her visit this week. So the next update you get should be from Rachel's visit to Evansville sans parents.

We're doing ok in her absence. Although we do miss her quite a bit, we're enjoying being able to get out and do things we can't normally do when we have her. Such as going to the movies, taking day trips, having a game night with friends, etc. There is so much we're trying to pack into this week I'm not sure if we'll survive or be able to get it all done!!

Weekends Update

This past weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, was a big one for us. One of my dearest friends got married on Saturday and I was so excited to do anything and everything I could to help. Since I needed to head in to town early, I called my mom (GramE) to ask if she would watch Rachel for me while I helped keep the bride calm and set things up. She was so excited to help! In fact, mom informed me to pack extra clothes as Rachel would probably want to stay all night. I agreed. Oh, and she might want to stay all weekend. I agreed! So Saturday morning I packed up her stuff and took hre to GramE's house! Jason swung by later to pick both Rachel and my mom up and meet me at the wedding. Grandma Terry had purchased this adorable dress that was perfect for the occasion:

How adorable is that dress and hat? She looked gorgeous, not to mention was very well-behaved. (Aside from the fact that she talked through the ENTIRE ceremony. I would have felt bad...but the mother of the bride did the same thing).

My friend Jenny even caught a great family photo:

And just for funsies....Rachel posed with another family for a family photo. We'll say these folks are her "other" family!

Ha! That's my dear friend Holly and her husband, Chris. Adorable couple! We'll let them play pretend with Rachel anytime!

So Rachel stayed the whole weekend with her grandparents. Jason and I LOVED it. Apparently Grandma Terry is asking to have her for a week. I believe she MIGHT be gone next week....but we haven't decided the details yet. Either way, this is good for everyone. Rachel gets to be in different (and very loving!) environments, mom and dad get some separation from Rachel, and everyone gets to have their baby time so it works out well. Plus, it keeps me from being one of THOSE mothers...you know, the kind that might leave the room for a second and their kid screams from losing sight of her? I don't want to be that parent. Nor do I want to be that parent that can't spend 5 minutes without their child. I'm attached to our adorable kid like nothing else....but not so much that I can't function without her. I think we have a good balance going :o)

Just before Memorial Day weekend I tried to break her of the habit of waking up to be fed in the middle of the night. Since we were fighting the diaper rash she'd wake up around 3 or 4 AM and need a diaper change. And since she was up, she wanted a bottle. Not anymore! We'd kind of gotten her out of the habit, then she stayed with her Grandparents and poof! Now she sleeps all night.

My dad was so funny. He said, "There's something wrong with that kid. She poops every diaper!" And he was right. We've just started to try to feed her rice cereal (she doesn't like it) which should solidify and slow down her BM cycle. At the time it was very liquidy and constant. She really shouldn't go that much! Unfortunately, we weren't able to get enough cereal in her to make a difference then. This week I've made a serious effort to try to feed her every evening from a spoon. Peresonally, I think she'd eat from a spoon just fine if the food was good. Rice cereal isn't so tasty. So I might try her on real food. Anyway, back to the rice cereal, I have been adding it to her bottles and it's working! She's more full and doesn't poo as much. Hooray!

Yesterday when I went to pick her up from Day Care she was in the process of eating and the poor lady that happened to be in the room was frustrated with Rachel. I'd made her formula/cereal combo too thick and her bottle kept getting clogged. (oops). This meant Rachel was fighting her and getting mad because she was working too hard to get her food. So I took over and spent the next 20 minutes trying to get her to finish her bottle. Ugh. The lady told me to try to make the holes in the nipples a little bigger with a needle, which I did. This morning I tested out one of the nipples and it seemed to work better.

But this thicker formula must make her sleepy. According to the report I took home yesterday she was really happy and had a good day. However, when she got home she was fussy and uncooperative, which meant she was tired. I let her sleep in her car seat until I finished eating dinner then tried to wake her up as I was afraid she wouldn't sleep last night. Well, shame on me, she cried so hard because she was awake that I soothed her and put her back to bed. Geesh! She woke up long enough to eat another bottle, take a bath, play just a bit, then started to get cranky again. Going through the whole game of "Find Me A Rock" with her (Lay her down, pick her up, bounce her, rock her, play with her, etc) and nothing working, I finally just laid her in her crib and turned on her mobile. I wound it up twice and she was out. Apparently thick bottles = sleepy contented kid! She fell asleep around 9:30PM and didn't wake up until 6! When Jason's alarm went off this morning I thought for sure the monitor had failed. Nope. I looked at it and there was our kid....completely sideways and had found her pacifier and put it in her mouth on her own! (Oh the joy of her being able to find that pacifier and put it in her mouth by herself. A luxury beyond imagination!!!)

Day Care has been working with her on her sitting up. She still doesn't have complete balance, but she can sit up really well in front of a pillow. (Pee-yow as my neice calls it). I've also noticed that if she leans too far left or right or starts to fall backward she's starting to balance herself up right. But sit her on the floor and put some toys in front of her for her to grab and she's a happy camper! That's how I left her at Day Care this morning and she looked so happy.

This morning I had her in her exersaucer while I made her bottles for the day and noticed that she's too tall for the setting we have it on. I'm going to have to raise the toy. Can you believe that? I think it was only 2 weeks ago that she was actually able to reach the toys on the exersaucer. Now she's getting too tall for the low setting? My she grows so fast!

I was reading through the last couple of posts and saw where I'd made a comment about how I should take a picture of all the diaper rash creams we ended up using. I don't have all of them anymore (some of them are either at Day Care or have been used up and thrown away). But just for memory's sake:

Here's a picture of most of the ointments we ended up using. Her diaper rash is gone, however I'm constantly watching for it to return, and every diaper she get something put on her so we don't run into that issue again!

A few weeks ago Jason and I had a day out. My friend Jenny and her daughter, Ashley came and stayed with her for the day. Oh! I forgot! I have pictures I can post of that!

Ashley has decided to start calling Rachel "Rachey", which I think is cute. She says "She's my favorite baby!" They were here for about 6 hours so Jason and I could get out and have fun. Apparently they had a good time!

Even Monty enjoyed the company:

Oh, and Jenny's mom got Rachel an adorable outfit:

How girly and cute is that? It's a bib that says "Social" and has a butterfly underneath it. But my favorite thing is the socks that came with it:

They look like little Mary Janes. I got so many compliments on those socks. I'm tempted to find more just because they are so stinkin' cute!

While Jenny and Ashley baby sat, Jason and I had our day out which was marvelous. One stop we made was to Babies 'R Us to get a new baby gate system. I'm going to turn what should be our front dinning room into Rachel's play area. Since she's now sitting up and has started flopping on her face so she can be on her tummy....not graceful at all but the point is I can tell she's going to be mobile very soon...I want to get some way to contain her in place. My idea was this baby fencing system:

This isn't the exact set up, but you get the point. She'll be corralled in there and able to move about freely, but can't get in to anything. So we picked up one of those, and also another item I've been wanting for a while: a baby mirror for the car!:

Installing it, however, was quite a chore. I put that thing in there and drove around 3 different times before I finally got it right this morning. Now that I have it installed properly, Rachel can see herself, which is fun. And I can see her in my review mirror. I always had wondered what she was doing when I was driving. Now I know she makes a lot of faces and plays with the puppy toy her Aunt Jalaine got her for her car seat. It's like having a little tv that plays nothing but Rachel! (Well, except when she's not in there of course...and then the mirror just startles me as I'm not used to it yet).

I finally broke down and pulled out her 6-9 month clothes last week as well. They're kind of baggy on her, but I think in the next couple of weeks they'll start to fit just right.

We did try to take her 6 month pictures with all the beautiful dresses that Grandma Terry had  purchased. Unfortunately, Rachel wasn't cooperating and neither was the weather. Ginny said she didn't care for any of the pictures that she took so we're going to have to try to do it again some other time.

I think this is a pretty long update and hopefully you're all caught up with everything!