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.