Saturday, October 22, 2011

Middlebury, Vermont

Our trip to Middlebury was so much fun and, like all great trips, went by way too fast!
Lake Champlain ... literally in the backyard of the rental house
A rare, happy moment in the car
Our scenic drive from the house to Middlebury
At the Storm Cafe for lunch on Friday
Catherine showing us her dorm room
Another dorm room picture.  My dad's soaking wet rain jacket is representative of the weather we had for most of the trip 
Snuggling with Grandpa in the morning
It may not be SEC football, but you can't beat the view from the bleachers!!
Sadly, the Middlebury Panthers lost to arch rival Williams 
Ski lift at the Middlebury College Snow Bowl
Mom and Charlotte stayed at the ski lodge while the rest of us rode the lift ... little did we know what an adventure that would be.  It was a chilly day and the skies looked ominous, but Mom assured me that it was not going to rain.  Just before we got to the top of the mountain, it began to sprinkle ... that sprinkle turned into hard rain ... the rain turned into hail.  It was a LONG ride back down soaking wet and freezing!  At least we decided not to take Charlotte with us ...
Warming up by the fire
Charlotte stayed warm and toasty in her Patagonia baby bunting
We woke up early on Sunday morning to go to a quidditch tournament at Middlebury
Quidditch ... with the back of Catherine's dorm in the background
Meeting Aunt Catherine's friends
This dorm is one of my favorite buildings on campus
Catherine's dorm
View from behind the science building
Saying goodbye
Charlotte with the front of Catherine's dorm in the background
Charlotte with Grandma
Lake Champlain ... finally some gorgeous weather the morning we had to leave!
The house




Tuesday, October 18, 2011

First Airplane Ride

We returned yesterday from a wonderful trip to Middlebury, Vermont to visit Catherine.  It was Charlotte's first time on an airplane, and overall it went really well.  We got off to a rocky start getting past the TSA in the Birmingham airport with Charlotte (an infant in arms), but once we got on the plane things went more smoothly.  I quickly got over any fears of nursing in public, because it meant a happy, sleepy baby for us and everyone else on the plane.
Being content
Not so content
Chilling at the Grey Goose Martini Lounge in the Detroit airport ... this Baby Jogger City Mini stroller was awesome for traveling!
In the Burlington, VT airport
Buckled up and ready for a car ride.  We were able to get an infant car seat with the rental car which saved us a lot of hassle!
Charlotte was one good little traveler!  More from our trip to come ... 

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Weaning Woes

In anticipation of my return to work in a couple of weeks, we decided that Charlotte needed to practice with a bottle and try formula for the first time. Once residency starts, I plan to nurse her in the morning and at night, while pumping as much as I can during the day (but realistically pumping and internship may not mesh well together - requiring formula supplementation).
Here's how it went ...
Charlotte gagged, choked, spit-up, acted like she had no idea how to drink from a bottle, and looked like she was being poisoned.  We then decided to punt the formula and focus on getting her to drink from a bottle, so I pumped and left my mom to attempt a bottle feed with breast milk while I went shopping.  Apparently she screamed unlike my mom has ever heard her scream, refused to drink, and cried herself to sleep.  An hour later, after buying a different brand bottle on my way home, we tried again.  This time she took the bottle like a champ without any problems.  Not sure whether it was the new bottle or she had just given up ... 2.5 weeks left to figure it out!!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

3 Months!

As of October 3rd, Charlotte is three months old.  She is getting more fun and interactive every day!

*Weight - 10 lb 13 oz (5th-10th percentile)
*Length - 23 1/4 inches (25th percentile)
*Diaper size - Size 1 (Pampers swaddlers continue to be our favorite)
*Clothing size - 0-3 months, although she is starting to outgrow her footed pajamas because her legs are so long!  Shopping for this long, lean baby is a challenge ...
*Eats - Charlotte is still exclusively breastfeeding and continues to be a good, efficient eater.  We usually go about three hours between feeds during the day, with more frequent nursing in the evenings.  The reflux/spitting up continues, and the pediatrician reassures me that in the coming months it should resolve (hopefully sooner rather than later after going through five outfits today!).  She is no longer taking Zantac, as I can't tell it makes much difference.
*Sleep - I am happy to report MAJOR improvement in this area.  Charlotte's bedtime is between 8:30 and 9:30, and she wakes up once during the night between 3:30 and 4:00 to eat.  She then wakes up for the day between 7:00 and 9:00.  We are no longer walking around like zombies, which has improved the morale in our house greatly!  She sleeps in the bassinet at night and in her crib during the day.  For the first two months I never really put her down for a true nap.  She usually slept in my arms or was in her swing / bouncer for 10 minutes here or there.  This past month I have been putting her down for naps in the crib.  She will sleep anywhere from 20-45 minutes, 2-3 times per day.  We are attempting the Baby Whisperer's EASY schedule (eat, activity, sleep, you (meaning me!!) time), and it's been working pretty well.
*Likes - Charlotte LOVES to stare at letters, usually on the t-shirt of whoever is holding her.  She anticipates finding letters in the left breast pocket area of a shirt and almost looks disappointed when someone holds her and isn't wearing a t-shirt.  Her other likes are baths, her swing, being on her changing table during the day, looking at the tv or computer screen (she appears to be mesmerized by both), the bumbo seat, the baby bjorn, watching Brandon and Brutus wrestle
Beginning of the month ... still has most of her hair
End of the month ... starting to lose it on top!
*Dislikes - her car seat and car rides (the car does NOT put her to sleep as I am told it does for many babies), the changing table at night, naps, sitting in a reclined position (she likes to be sitting forward), turning her head to the left while sleeping (we are rotating which side she is facing to prevent asymmetric flattening of the back of her head, but she ALWAYS has it turned to the right!), tummy time (although she is doing better than last month)











*Other happenings
- Charlotte is rolling over from her stomach to her back!  She did this for the first time when she was 11 weeks 6 days old while watching football with me, my mom, and Sarah.  She has also discovered her hands and brings her fists and wrists to her mouth to suck all the time (hasn't quite figured out how to get one or two fingers in her mouth).  Her personality is starting to emerge ... overall she appears to be happy, smiley, and laid-back, but when she decides she wants something she wants it YESTERDAY!  She has a very distinctive mad cry that almost makes us laugh, which she turns on and off on a dime.  We took our first road trip to visit Miss Judy in Franklin, TN at the beginning of the month.  She did great in the car ... I stopped once 20 minutes outside of Birmingham to put her paci back in on the way up, and didn't stop at all on the way home!  Let's hope our plane ride to Vermont next week goes just as smoothly ...