Adriana has laughed a little bit before, but it was only very short ones here and there (and they sounded more like screams of joy), but this week we managed to make her howl with laughter! Oh my gosh, it was the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. We were just sitting there laughing at each other and she kept going and going. And I’m such a hormonal dork so I obviously teared up. hah. Then we tried to catch it on video and it was….radio silence. It makes us so excited to make her laugh in the future. It’s such a good feeling!
Adriana’s Babcia (Eric’s mom) came to visit us this week. Adriana got so many cuddles and lots of playtime with her so that was really nice. She also brought her a few early Christmas gifts – one of which is a really sweet red plaid dress that she will wear over the holidays. She’s a lucky girl and so loved by her grandparents.
While Margaret was here, we thought it would be a good time for her to try giving Adriana the bottle. I had a dentist appointment, so I pumped a couple ounces and fed her before I left and went on my merry way. My appointment ran longer than usual, so I called Eric just as I was leaving and he said things were not going well with the bottle (she just wouldn’t latch onto it) and Adriana was screaming for a half hour. I felt so stressed and guilty on the drive home. They tried both the Dr. Browns and the Comotomo bottles with no luck. Finally Eric got a tiny bit of milk into her to take the edge off so when I got home she wasn’t crying anymore and was semi-content. It’s been hard when I have to go out, and of course, it’s hard on Eric especially because he feels like nothing he does will help soothe her! We’re going to keep at it though….just like we did with breastfeeding and hope that it all will just click one day! You never know. And of course if she doesn’t take a bottle it’s not the end of the world. We’ll figure it out. Like many of you have said, once they are on solids they can go longer stretches.
On the plus side, we had another amazing night of sleep this week. Adriana slept for a stretch of 7.5 hours! She tends to cluster feed at night and then I try to give her a feed immediately before bed. This seems to help satisfy her for a longer stretch at night! On average though, she’s still feeding around 10pm, 3am, and 6am….give or take an hour. Sometimes she will skip the 3am feed resulting in a nice long stretch.
I meant to mention this little tip that we learned in the early weeks about diaper creams. When she was born, we started using a natural diaper cream religiously, thinking that we should use it at every diaper changing. Well, not longer after, Adriana started to develop a small rash so we switched up the creams thinking she was sensitive to something in the cream. It didn’t improve even when trying out a bunch of different ones. We mentioned it to our pediatrician and she suggested that it was the diaper cream causing the issue and she said to only use the cream if there was an actual need for it. As new parents, we had no idea we might be over-using the bum cream! So we took her advice and stopped using the creams for a while and wouldn’t you know it the rash completely went away! And we haven’t had to use ANY diaper cream since! I mean none. Her bum has been rash-free ever since. Anyway, I just thought I would mention this discovery in case it helps someone else!
Adriana still appears to be showing signs of early teething. She’s had a lot of fussy days lately and she is still chewing on everything and seems to be quite bothered! Her cheeks have also been quite red. She’s still enjoying her new teething toys.
Currently loving: New fuzzy animal books and song books (I’m a little teapot!) from her Nana and Papa! Also, baths (she can’t get enough), diaper changes, practicing standing up on our laps, airplane games, etc. We’ve also introduced her exer-saucer and she’s loving that too, although still needs our support with it a bit.
Still not enjoying: Ear cleaning, nose cleaning, nail trimming/filing
Weight gain since birth: 5.5 pounds or so – my arms are getting great workouts these days! *flexes pipes*
The other big news this week is our upcoming trip! We’re gearing up for her first 4.5 hour flight. I had an idea the other day – why not write a post on the entire “first time flying with a baby” experience? I think I just might! Sort of like a day in the life post, but focusing on the travel day. Maybe it will help someone reading…or if anything, maybe some comedic relief. By the way, I totally appreciate all the stories and tips you’ve been leaving on my last posts.
Well, this will probably be my last post before Christmas, so I want to wish you all a very happy holiday! I appreciate those of you who check in for these baby posts each week. This baby blog has felt like personal therapy for me at times, but it also makes me happy that so many of you have left comments saying how much you are enjoying the posts. It’s been really fun for me to document, not to mention a nice change of pace from recipes. I appreciate all of you who have shared your stories and experiences over the past several months!
On that note…have a great holiday!! I hope you find some time for rest and relaxation amidst this busy season.
My nephew would not take a bottle for months, i even had to use a syringe without the needle to force him to drink! and then one day I think it just clicked. Just keep trying, she will get the hang of it eventually!
Hi Angela!
I’ve been following your blog for 3-4 years now! Through these years I’ve slowed changed my life and diet (I’m 80% of the way vegan ;) and you’ve had a huge impact on my motivation and inspiration to keep moving forward and expanding on my own culinary-creative side :) You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve made and had my husband try…but if it’s one of your recipes he’s never hesitated :) So I look to you for delicious recipes! I’ve never been disappointed and I’m always stoked to find a new favorite. So, with that, THANK YOU:) Also, my husband and I just had our first, a little boy on 9.23.14—so it made me smile to see you had your little girl around the same time. I just wanted to say hello, and that I love catching up on your blog, and hearing about baby things. It’s helped me through this crazy time as well. I’m so looking forward to a full nights sleep! :) Anywhoo-I wish you three the happiest of holidays!
-Melissa (Portland, OR)
Hi Melissa, Thank you for your lovely note! So awesome you’ve been following my blog for so many years! :) Congrats on the birth of your son!! So awesome they are so close in age. I hope you are enjoying the 3 month mark as much as we are!
Hello, Congratulations you guys are doing so well. Just wanted to say that we also had all this bottle trouble. If Eric is ever in that situation again, where you really can’t get home, he can always try giving Adriana your milk from a shot glass. I know it sounds crazy! Our lactation consultant told us. It is funny how well the baby can drink from that. Just sit them in your lap and do little sips at a time. Again just to take the edge off so everyone is not getting stressed. Enjoy your holidays!
Oh yea, we’ve done it before (cup feeding) a couple times in the early days when breastfeeding wasn’t going well…it took forever, but a good option to try if nothing else works!!
This brings back so many memories of my first baby…. now thanks to a set of twins on my third pregnancy I have four. Each baby is a special experience and I often tell my 8 year old the stories of our special first year together, when so often it was just the two of us. I just got a little choked up reading your post. She too had her first real laughter the week before christmas… I was living in Toronto and couldn’t wait to show my family in Ottawa when we went home! Enjoy this wonderful Christmas!
Your story sounds a lot like my friend – she has 4 kids now and the 3rd and 4th were twin girls this year! Hats off to you both!!
The laughter is like nothing else!
I love your baby posts. I would love to ready about your first time travel experience with her! Looking forward to it. Happy Holidays !
Merry Christmas,
The exact same issue happened with nappy rash (Australian) with our second baby, one day we ran out of cream and it suddenly cleared, it only came back when we started to use the cream again. It had been fine with her older brother so definitely felt a little silly that we caused it. Also double check the ingredient list many natural creams contain compounds from foods such as paw paw. For her the rash came when she ate p[aw paw as well as used the cream. Something to be mindful of when you start solids. My youngest is now 5 but I love all your baby pasts, its like a trip down memory lane. :)
Enjoy your holiday and try not to worry, breastfeeding on take off and landing helps their ears adjust to the pressure change :)
Sarah
I love your updates :) Just wanted to chime in as a 2-time-mom-to-bottle-refusers (so frustrating! I did everything “right” the second time, including paci from day 2… but it still didn’t work). Other options ended up working better: feeding with a spoon, and starting with open or sippy or straw cup from about 4 months. I don’t mean to be a debbie downer, but solids won’t reallly be helpful until they’re about 8-9 months old, but before then sippies or straw cups should absolutely be helpful. And also, from 6 months onwards sometimes they find water preferable when mom is away. Not gallons of the stuff, but enough to take the edge off as you say.
haha this made me laugh “2-time-mom-to-bottle-refusers” I feel your pain!
thanks for your tips! We will try those soon.
My first would not take a bottle for months, we kept trying and trying with breast milk and he refused. One day my mom was visiting, and she suggested formula, we tried it, and immediate success. I was a bit worried he would refuse the breast after, but no problems! As far as he was concerned, breast milk should only come from the breast! :).
My second took to the bottle right away, he made my life very easy. And my third refused the bottle like the first, we tried the formula and that didn’t work, but she loved a sippy cup, from about 2 months. Funny how they are all so different.
Perhaps you can find useful tips for Adriana’s first trip here: http://www.greenkitchenstories.com/15-tips-for-traveling-with-a-baby/
thanks!
Another great update! Yes, babies laughing is so stinkin’ adorable. Such pure joy. :-)
We introduced the bottle really early (too early according to every baby book, at 4 days old…). I had breastfeeding pain and engorgement in the beginning, so pumping helped me and my husband loved being able to feed her. We were really lucky because she took to it with no problem and it didn’t seem to interfere with the breastfeeding.
However, I think you brought up an interesting point – how tough it can be for the Dads for the first couple of years. Dads often feel helpless and basically “second-best” when it comes to babies – especially breastfed babies. I remember once when my daughter was 8 months old, I had to go out for a business evening. It was the first whole evening I’d ever spent away from my girl. She had started on solids and had plenty of pumped milk, but she had just hit the age where babies start having separation anxiety. My poor husband told me, in an anguished voice, that she had spent approximately 3 hours crying inconsolably until he finally found a shirt of mine and gave it to her to sniff. She fell asleep sobbing with her face buried in my shirt. He felt totally helpless and I felt so guilty. At 13 months she’s still suuuper attached to me and melts down if Dad tries to take her from me. He gets really frustrated with feeling like runner-up to Mom all the time. I don’t know if you have any male readers, but if there are any Dads out there who have strategies on how to get through this phase or at least deal with feelings of helplessness, I’m sure Eric and my husband would appreciate it!
Oh that story made me tear up a little! I totally feel for the dads in that situation. I know Eric has often felt that way over the past 3 months when I have had to go out (he says he feels helpless too and I always feel guilty). It’s hard for sure, and I can only imagine once any separation anxiety hits it will be even more challenging. I too would love to hear tips – probably a great discussion topic for a post!
Aw Adriana is doing so well. I loved the 3 month mark. So many great changes and milestones happen. With regards to bottle feeding, you and Eric are doing a great job. Have you tried leaving a blanket with your scent on it for Eric or someone else to have draped over them while giving the bottle to Adriana? The scent might help ease her while she attempts to drink from the bottle.
Teething is no fun, my son started at the three month mark and didn’t cut a tooth until he was 10 months old. I purchased an amber necklace and wrapped it around my sons ankle to help easy the pain. (I’m not sure if you have heard of the amber necklace) you can read up on it out here: http://www.snugglebugz.ca/blog/amber-teething-necklaces-myth-or-magic/
I purchased mine at snugglebugz as well. The other thing I would try is Camilia by Boiron. It is a homeopathic liquid in a sterilized vial that you can rub into the gums and administer to the baby. I used this and it helped quite a bit. Boiron has a great line of products that I use for my son and myself! You can find is a local Health Store!
I hope your 4.5h journey home for the Holidays goes smooth and Adriana has a fabulous first Christmas.
Wishing you and your Family a Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year
Great tips! Thank you Emily :)
Happy holidays, Angela! I really love reading your baby posts, even with no children (or even thoughts of children at this point) of my own. I like that we get little glimpses into your life beyond the cooking, and that’s really fun for me. Keep up the beautiful writing and your general awesomeness! I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.
Thanks Lauren! I’m glad you are enjoying the posts!
lol my mom told all the new moms in my family: change diapers frequently. then there is no need for diaper rash cream because there’s no chance for a rash to develop. :) it’s worked so far! 2 generations
makes sense to me :)
Babies need lots of diaper-free time. Put her on a blanket (or a towel) in the living room and let her bum air out for an hour a day (or mores, even). It’s not just the air – it’s for the light as well
great tip!
I’m not sure if I said this before, but reading your baby blog makes me wonder what my parents went through when I was a newborn. It helps me be more appreciative of my parents and the struggles they probably went through as well, since I was the firstborn. I love reading your baby blog and about your insights. I can feel so much love going on in the air. I can’t tell whether I love your food blog or your baby blog more… either way, I love your website!
Thank you :) I know what you mean about being more appreciate of what your parents went through…I feel that way all the time now!
This article reminded me of you & your upcoming first flight with Adriana ;)
http://t.today.com/parents/parents-hand-out-goody-bags-apologize-advance-baby-flight-1D80380978?cid=par-huffingtonpost
omg, that’s hilarious!
I love how her teeny arms are up in the air like ‘Touchdown’! She is just adorable! It’s so fun to see her birth documented! I am looking into fostering a baby so, all of this insight is really wonderful!
oh that made me laugh….a milk drunk touchdown!
I feel you on the bottle struggle! our tipping point actually came when my MIL was babysitting when I too was at the dentist. Finally, she took a knife tip to the end of the bottle nipple, stretching out the hole a bit & IT WORKED. She has taken a bottle happily ever since. I hope that y’all have as much luck!
Also, good luck on the plane trip!
We flew cross-country with Olive June at 8 weeks (we were insane) & barely lived to tell about it :) In hindsight, it’s hilarious of course.
If you are interested, read what NOT to do here:
http://danandchristielew.blogspot.com/2014/09/how-to-barely-survive-flying-cross.html
enjoy!
I think we are definitely going to try a faster flow nipple or just poking more holes in one that we have…I think I have a fast letdown so she might be frustrated with it coming out too slow. Hope it works!
Thanks for sharing all your new mother experiences, especially about breastfeeding. I’m so glad you stuck with it as it gives us pregnant mommies (new moms) support and inspiration that it is possible. I really look forward to your blog posts every week. You daughter is beyond priceless!
I hope the plane ride wasn’t too bad.. can’t wait to hear about it.
Merry Christmas
Happy holidays Angela! Thanks so much for these posts, love them! I’m filing all your little pieces of advice for future use – like the bum cream, who knew? :)
Hi Angela!
It’s so funny how different babies can be from each other– my older son had trouble nursing at first so we used a shield, which I got him off of at 9 weeks, but then he would never take a bottle (and nursed until he was 16 months old). And my younger son latched on right away but then began to weaned himself from nursing as soon as I introduced the bottle at 12 weeks (he was totally on the bottle at 5 months). I did like the freedom with my younger one but then always felt torn that the nursing was over so soon. I still feel torn about it and that was 5 years ago! :)
it’s amazing how complex the feeding/nursing relationship can be, right? And everyone has a different story to tell. I always say to Eric I’m not surprised that she won’t take the bottle because it was such a struggle to get her to latch onto the breast in the first place. You just never know what they are going to do!
Oh the bottles! We tried and tried and eventually just gave up (it was actually more stressful for me to deal with the bottle issues than to just time my outings accordingly for a couple of months). My little one is now 9 months old and a total pro with a sippy cup (just a bit of water), so that may be what happens as well – at about the time she started solids we would just let her ‘play’ with the sippy cup to get her familiar with it, and it totally worked. She got the hang of it fairly quickly. And yes, once the solids go in, it is so much better – your husband will probably find that he can appease her by himself with some food while you are gone :). Thanks for the updates – having a baby just a few months older than your daughter, I find myself reliving all the wonderful craziness that surrounds a newborn through your posts. One more thing – if you are ever interested in some awesome totally natural baby products, Bare Organics has amazing stuff. Their baby balm is for real (I also totally agree with whoever said LOTS of bare bum time to prevent/treat diaper rash). Just wanted to share. :). Happy Holidays!
I love hearing these stories…gives us hope! I know we’ll figure it out one way or another. I like the idea of giving the sippy cup to play with and letting them figure it out. I haven’t heard of that brand before, but I will have to look it up.
Adriana sounds like a very happy little girl, and she should be, with so much love surrounding her! Wishing your sweet little family a wonderful first Christmas together (and a successful plane ride, lol!) All the best for the holidays and into the new year :)
Thanks Jen, you too!
merry christmas angela and eric! i am not a mother, nor do i plan to ever be one BUT i really enjoy reading your baby posts. they always make me smile and laugh and as another poster said, i enjoy reading about your daily life in addition to your incredible recipes. i am making your chocolate espresso hazelnut torte from your book for christmas! can’t wait to taste it.
What is her name again??? Oh right…..you only say it like a million times per entry.
Um what do you propose I should call her? Saying “her” over and over doesn’t really make much sense either. Sheesh!
ang, i counted. it was only 7. 7 does not equal a million. you should write an entry with just her name repeated over and over 500 times. “sandy” must really need some christmas cheer.
ok, so I read it over and I probably could’ve edited my writing more to make it flow better, but ah….there’s not enough time in the day. Oh well. :)
Goodness gracious, sheesh indeed! Adriana is a beautiful name :)
You better know I love these updates! Of course I love your recipes but as a friend of yours for the last 10+ years I have enjoyed “seeing” this new transition in your life. It is an amazing time for you and it will be fun to look back on!! Enjoy your time with your family.. your mom and sis won’t be able to get enough of Adriana!! xo
likewise girlie! hugs & Merry Christmas :)
I found your baby blog posts late in my pregnancy, and I enjoyed reading them as a first time momma-to-be myself! Now, my son is turning two months old this week (where does the time go?) and I love seeing what Adriana is up to and comparing my experience to yours. Thank you for sharing your struggles and successes with other mamas like me! Your candid posts about the early days of breastfeeding are an inspiration — my son initially had issues with weight gain, so learning that another mom had trouble and didn’t find nursing to be the instinctive, natural process it’s hyped up as was incredibly helpful. I can’t wait to keep reading!
Thank you Ashley! I’m so glad you are enjoying the posts. :) All the best with your son!
Honestly, don’t worry about getting her to take a bottle. The older she gets the longer she can go between feedings and you’ll be able to be away from her for a few hours without having her starve! This will all happen some time within the next 3 months. That’s the thing about babies, they grow so fast and once you think you’ve got one thing mastered it just doesnt matter any more! Neither of my daughters ever took to a bottle no matter how hard I tried and soon enough I realised it was no longer necessary. The amount of feedings and the frequency will decrease rapidly from here on out. So unless you plan on being away from her for days, its just not worth the hassle in my opinion! Food for thought!
`once you think you’ve got one thing mastered it just doesnt matter any more!`
hah…I`m sure that applies for many different things.
Merry Christmas! Still lovin’ the baby posts. And she is just precious.
It is not an ideal way to feed, but an eye dropper or on of those plunger-style needle free syringes (the kind used for feeding puppies and kittens) might help in a pinch. It’s more like a snack, but might help hold Adriana over if Eric has another panic session. Poor Daddy!
My oldest didn’t take to the bottle either! She was a booby baby all the way and it was really hard for her father to handle her when I needed to go out solo. Eventually he got her to take a pacifier by dipping it in milk or juice. After a little while on the pacifier she figured the bottle out and would grudgingly accept a small feeding. By the time she was six months I could leave her and dad together for quite some time without anyone going all Chernobyl.
Thanks for reminding me about the eye dropper. We tried that in the early days and I had forgotten about it! Always good to have in the back pocket just in case.
As always I love to follow your baby posts (I just haven’t commented lately as my 8 week old girl keeps me busy ;-)
In Germany it is nowadays generally recommended by the hospitals, the midwifes and every book that you don’t use diaper cream unless your child actually has a diaper rash. Putting it on every single time was what my mom’s generation was used to here. Funny how it’s done (and developed) differently in different countries!
Oh, and regarding the bottle: We have yet to try and introduce one (I’m dreading that one) and I REALLY should sterilize my hand pump so I can do it while my husband is on holidays!
Looking forward to hearing how the flight goes! We will be flying from Portland, OR to Dublin, Ireland end of January with our daughter, who will be 9 weeks at that time.
Merry Christmas!
Shea (Portland, OR)
Hi Angela,
This is my first time commenting on your blog. I just want to say first, that your baby is just beautiful and second, a huge thank you for your online recipes and cookbook. You have transformed how I cook and how our family eats. We are exploring food allergies with my middle daughter and every recipe of your is so delicious! I have a 10 month old who also struggled with the bottle when she was 3 months. It was so hard because it seemed I could only make a short trip without her and would feel terrible if she needed to eat. Someone told me about the old school playtex nurser bottles with the drop ins but to go on amazon and order the brown laytex nipple instead of the clear silicon…it worked like a charm! Just wanted to pass along the advice! Thank you again for being such a genius in the kitchen:)
I’m sure a review of your trip would be great. Your writing style is so approachable, it would help lots of folks. I’m taking my 3 little ones on a trip for a family wedding this week – a 3.5 year old, 1.5 year old, and 3 week old. This is honestly the very first trip I’ve ever been anxious about.
Please give Eric lots of love and support. He is doing GREAT. My husband was great to start, and has gotten better with each child. But from what I gather/you have written, you are both doing really well. Keep up taking time to be with one another. Your daughter will benefit from that more than you can imagine as she gets older. Kids pick up on what’s going on between their parents really early. . . appreciating his efforts will be something she understands from you – and often children will then take that lead.
I hear you about the diaper rash cream! Before our daughter was born I stocked up but then realized I didn’t actually need it all that often. My friend gave me a tip for a natural remedy which totally works if she does ever develop the rash again… Virgin coconut oil. Whenever I applied the oil the rash was gone within a few hours. Coconut oil is good stuff! :-)
Loving the baby blog as well as your food blog Angela :) She’s so precious and you and Eric sound like such great parents!
I feel for you and your daughter with the bottle struggles. I had the same problem with my first daughter 2 years ago. I found this blog post which totally helped http://www.mannlymama.com/2009/10/hooray-for-latex/. I used the playtex drop-in latex nipple and it was the only one she would take. Btw just had my second daughter on September 19th and it’s great to read your posts on your daughter. Have a great New Year!
Hi Angela- just wanted to chime in about the bottle. My 8 month old daughter still won’t take one- I remember feeling really stressed about it this summer. EVERYONE kept telling me “oh she will take one eventually” or “she’ll take it when she is hungry” or “well have you tried *this* one?” or “you should leave the house for longer periods of time”… we heard it all. and guess what? she won’t take it and we survived :) I ended up getting a dr. browns infant sippy cup that she was able to use by 4 months or so. maybe sooner, but we didn’t have it then. I knew she wouldn’t take the bottle- i felt it in my bones! there is certainly no convincing or rationalizing to be done with a baby :) soak it all up!
Not sure if this was already mentioned, but the next time she gets a diaper rash, spray some breast milk all over the rash, and voila, it will go away! Breastmilk = liquid gold = cures everything. Sort of like Windex to the Greeks in my Big Fat Greek Wedding :)