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 ... 

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!!

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 ... 

Phone Dump

Lately I seem to have taken many more pictures on my phone than with my actual camera ... here are some of my favorites from birth until present (11.5 weeks old)!

7/6/11

7/6/11

7/6/11

7/7/11

Heading home from the hospital 7/7/11

7/12/11

7/12/11

7/14/11

7/13/11

Venetian Nail Spa 7/16/11

7/13/11

7/27/11

8/2/11

8/2/11

8/4/11

8/8/11

8/27/11

Sleeping at Miss Judy's in Franklin, TN 9/7/11

9/12/11

9/12/11

9/12/11

9/14/11

9/18/11

9/18/11

9/19/11

9/20/11

2 Months!

As of September 3rd, Charlotte is two months old.  I cannot believe how quickly time is flying by.  She has changed so much!
*Weight - 9 lb 2 oz (5th-10th percentile)
*Length - 22 inches (10th-25th percentile)
*Diaper Size - Size 1 (Pampers Swaddlers fit best ... Huggies are too loose around her legs which have led to a few leaks!!)
*Clothing Size - 0-3 months

*Eats - Charlotte is still exclusively breastfeeding.  She eats every 3 hours during the day, and more frequently in the evenings before she goes to bed.  The number of feedings at night varies widely.  She is very efficient, usually taking around 15 minutes per feed.  Spit-ups happen all the time, but despite of them she is getting enough to eat and gaining weight well.  Besides for take-out Chinese food, I haven't been able to identify anything that I am eating that makes her consistently have GI issues ... it seems to be pretty random.
*Sleep - The night of September 4th was a milestone ... Charlotte slept through the night from 10 P.M. until 5 A.M.!!  She still isn't consistent, but things are headed in the right direction.  She usually goes down for the night between 9:30 and 11:30.  On a typical night she wakes up between 2 and 4, and again between 6 and 7.  After the 6 or 7 A.M. feed she tends to have a fussy/gassy period and it's hard to get her to go back to sleep.  She will sleep for several hours in the afternoon, but only if she is held or in her car seat.  This current sleeping pattern has been going on for 2-3 weeks.  Before that I was getting only 1-1.5 hour stretches of sleep at a time.  After searching desperately online for new ideas, I decided to try sleeping her in the swing ... it has been a lifesaver.  She slept exclusively in her swing for a week or two, and is now starting the night in the bassinet and finishing up in the swing.  Whatever works!
*Likes - baths, the swing, looking at the mirror above our couch and my striped nightgown, walks, sleeping in her car seat when in a restaurant or coffee shop, stretching out with her arms above her head, standing on her legs, being held, her paci, grabbing Aunt Catherine's hair, her Bumbo seat, facing out in the Moby wrap so she can see the world

*Dislikes - tummy time, being put down, diaper changes in the middle of the night, not getting fed the INSTANT she requests it
*What else she is up to  - She is more and more interactive every day.  She is smiling and cooing, and has even started to give little laughs (even to people other than Aunt Catherine!).  Her eyes are always looking around and taking everything in.  It is funny to watch her focus on objects and furrow her brow very seriously.  Her head control is pretty good unless she is really sleepy.  She is able to push up her head, chest, and back when on her tummy.  Her arms and legs are moving all the time ... she is very squirmy!