Author Archives: simzgirl

A Letter: Three Months

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Dear Ana,
Oh my little monkey, can you believe we made it three whole months? Time sure does go by faster now that you are in my life. I love spending my days with you, watching you grow and develop new skills. If I were planning to go back to work, I would have to do that this month as most maternity leave only lasts for three months. I cannot even imagine leaving you with someone else at this point in your life. I am so thankful each and every day that I am able to stay home and raise you.



In the past couple weeks you have expanded your bag of baby tricks to include blowing bubbles. I love the way you purse your lips together to create the tiniest little bubbles. Sure, this now requires that I keep a cloth handy to wipe up the excess drool, but it is just too cute to discourage. That and I totally do it too and it’s good to know you got something from your mama.



You have also started making a wider variety of sounds. Your current favorite is what I can only explain as the sound someone makes when “rolling your r’s” in Spanish. You make the sound, pause to allow me to make it back and then smile and laugh like it is the funniest thing in the whole world. And I just can’t help but smile and laugh back with the same enthusiasm. See? You just make every little thing so much better.



Another silly thing you have really perfected this last week is your fake cough. I admit I must take the blame for this one. A couple weeks ago I had a cold and whenever I would cough it would scare you (sometimes so badly that you would instantly burst into tears) so I would try to show you that coughs were not scary by adding a little fake cough to the end and smiling at you. Apparently this made the cough not only non-threatening, but also highly entertaining.



Oh and have I mentioned how much you love your reflection? You just love making faces and staring at yourself in the mirror. We first noticed this with the mirror in the car that allows me to see you in my rear-view mirror. You would just stare and coo at yourself while we were driving. So we decided to put one in your crib as well and it has made you very happy. Hopefully we are not encouraging narcissism or vanity. Your father is already worried about focusing too much on looks and makes sure that each time he tells you that you are beautiful or adorable, he also compliments you on your intelligence or talents. He just wants you to know that we love you just the way you are. And, I have to say, I totally agree.


All my love,
Mama

A Week of Firsts

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After much stressing about flying, vomit and travelling with an infact, I am happy to report everything went great. And that baby crying on the plane? It wasn’t mine!



Ana did even better than we could have imagined. She slept almost the entire flight (both flights, in fact). The only time she even started to fuss was on landing and I just prompted her to keep right on eating by gently tickling her cheek. Once she did that, she went back to sleep and things went wonderfully.



She even did great not sleeping in her crib…the only place we have ever put her to sleep overnight. I called the hotel in advance and reserved a portable crib (basically a Pack ‘N Play), made it with her own sheets and blankets and she didn’t even bat an eye at sleeping in a new place. In fact, she slept 8.5 hours a couple nights while we were there! And you won’t hear me complaining about that.



During the day when Sim was training, we hung out in the hotel, enjoying the premium cable channels and room service. We would try to venture out for a walk when the weather was nice (it was over 70 degrees and sunny the first couple days…then it rained). But mostly we just cuddled and hung out until Simeon got back. One day while I put Ana down for “tummy time” she didn’t even fuss (normally she hates tummy time) but rather cooed a couple times, then got quiet. I walked around to the other side of the bed and realized she had fallen fast asleep. I guess I wore her out!

Bath Time
She even got to take a bath in the sink for the first time. At home she has her own bathtub that we use in the kitchen sink, complete with an infant hammock. Not wanting to pack the tub, I just propped her up for a little bubbly soak in the hotel sink. She really liked it! In fact, this was the first bath where she didn’t even cry once! I guess she liked the nice warm bubble bath in the hotel.



So Ana had her first flight, her first night(s) away from home, her first time in a hotel, her first time sleeping on her stomach and her first bath in a sink…and she did it all in one week. Wow! That is a lot to pack in all at once! You can see all the pictures from our trip here. Oh and I keep uploading pictures from my camera phone (like the bath picture) to my Flickr page, so make sure you check there from time to time as well. Enjoy!

Ready to Take Flight

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I knew this day would come sooner or later, I was just kinda hoping more for the “later.” Today Simeon and I are taking Ana on her first airplane ride. God help us all.

Part of Simeon’s job, the job that allows me to stay home and raise our daughter, involves traveling, often for a week at a time. This early in the game (10 weeks yesterday! Can you believe it?) Sim can’t imagine being away for that long. Heck, he has trouble with an 8-hour work day (in which Ana and I often stop by and visit him) how can he be expected to go for days? And even more importantly, how can I take care of an infant 24/7 without ANY help or even the prospect of help?

Anticipating this problem, we always said we would just go with him. Hey, it could even be fun! Since the job reimburses all of Sim’s expenses (airfare, hotel, food, etc.) we would really only be out my airline ticket. We checked the rates and decided the cost of my ticket was totally worth it and clicked the “Book Now” button on two plane tickets to San Jose. We even upgraded to first class. Since one of us will be holding Ana, I wanted the extra room. Plus first class only has two seats in each section so I won’t have to worry about sitting next to some perv watching me feed Ana during the flight (highly recommended during take-off and landing to help their ears adjust to the change in altitude, by the way). A perv-free flight? It’s nothing but the best for my kiddo!

It was all coming together. We booked the flight. Reserved the room. Even made plans to meet up with some of our friends for dinner while we were in town. This was going to be like a nice little get-away. A luxurious travel experience that we don’t even splurge on for our own vacations. We even started to get excited and think about how fun it would be!

Well, now I don’t see any “fun” in sight. Particularly after last night watching my daughter projectile vomit for the first time in her life. She doesn’t even spit up for crying out loud! The only fluid that has ever come out of her mouth is the little bit of milk she has yet to swallow when she drifts off to sleep while nursing. So watching Ana empty the contents of her stomach with force rivaling Linda Blair in The Exorcist has put a little fear in me. How will I pack enough clothes? Do we even have enough clothes to handle an exorcist baby? Does the state of California?!

To be fair, we aren’t entirely sure if she is getting sick, or if she just gagged herself with the pacifier since moments before she did just that. But is that really something you want to have to be worrying about right before taking your daughter on an airplane for the first time? No. No, it is not.

Our bags are packed with extra, oh I’d say, everything. I have read just about all I can on how to travel with an infant. We even have a game plan. And I will totally tell you how it all plays out when we get back. Wish me luck!

Time For Mommy

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Well, I did it. I finally left Ana with someone else while I went out. Granted, I only left her with her father, but I was away from her for a solid four hours. Sim was adamant that I needed to take a break from being “The Mom” and go have some fun. So last night I went out to dinner and a movie with some former co-workers while Simeon stayed home with Ana. Sure, I had left him with her for an hour here or there while I ran to the grocery store, but this was the longest stretch yet.

The big deal here was since Ana eats about every three hours during the day, this time frame was to include a feeding. I have been pumping here and there when Ana didn’t eat much or I was really engorged, so I have a stash of breast milk in the freezer (that way we don’t have to give her formula when mama is away) but she has never taken a bottle before. I didn’t know how she would react to the bottle, so I figured it was best to try it for the first time with daddy rather than a babysitter who wouldn’t know all of the little tricks to make Ana happy. Turns out it was a good thing it was Sim and not a babysitter or we may never have been able to go out again!

Sim said she was good for the first couple hours. They just hung out and cuddled on the couch, but then she started getting fussy and he couldn’t get her to calm down. He tried to feed her, but she did NOT like the bottle. I know it is probably an “acquired taste” and she just did not know what to make of it. But that just made her more angry. Sim said she pretty much screamed for an hour straight and he could not soothe her. The poor thing! (Simeon and Ana!)

I kept checking my phone for any text messages during the movie, but Sim sucked it up and didn’t complain or panic once. But he sure was relieved when I got home! Ana of course chose that exact moment to finally drift off to sleep. Girl just wanted her mama.

I have to admit I was quite proud of myself; I did not talk about anything baby related even once while I was out. And yes, it was really nice to get a little break. But you better believe I smothered her in hugs and kisses when I finally got home. I guess a mama needs her baby just as much.

2 Month Doctors Appt

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Ana had her two-month doctors appointment today. Here are her stats from the appt:

Height: 23 1/4″ (75th percentile)
Weight: 11 lbs 8 oz (75th percentile)
Head: 39.4 cm (75th percentile)

Ana had several immunizatations, which neither she nor I were very happy about. The poor thing just looked at me, as her eyes filled up with tears, like she was thinking “Mama aren’t you going to stop that lady from hurting me?” Then the screaming started. It took a while to calm her down, but other than that she appears to be handling the shots well. We gave her Infant Tylenol 30 minutes before the shots and four hours after to help with the pain and soreness, which so far has really worked. I am crossing my fingers the rest of the day progresses as smoothly. Other than that, the doctor said she is looking really healthy, happy, and meeting all her milestones. Yea!

A Letter: Two Months

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Dear Ana,
My goodness, where does the time go? Already it has been two months since you were born, and what an amazing two months it has been. You have changed and grown so much in such a short period of time. Every day I just stare at you and cannot believe what a little person you are becoming before my very eyes.



Your father and I are finding little tricks to maintain a sense of calm in our household. For example, we have to swaddle you to keep you sleeping at night. You love the security and warmth it provides. A swaddle strong enough to keep your tiny, but oh so strong, arms in will guarantee me at least six or seven (occasionally eight!) hours of uninterrupted sleep. And that my dear is priceless.



Sometimes you fall asleep while I am feeding you at night and when you open your eyes you give me this look that someone who was abducted by aliens might make. To me it clearly says, “Ok, where the hell am I…and just who the hell are you?” Then you close your eyes again real slow and when you reopen them a second later the comprehension dawns across your face and I know you are thinking, “Oh that’s right. NOW I remember.“



In the last week or two you have discovered your hands. It is so amazing to watch you focus all your energy on bringing your tiny fists toward your face and, of course, straight into your mouth. Your father and I are torn on whether to stop you from sucking on your hands. We really don’t want you to become a thumb-sucker mostly because of the horror stories associated with them. On the other hand (pun intended) I understand that it is a developmental milestone and a sign that you are learning motor skills as well as how to self-soothe. Plus, it is just about the cutest thing to watch! I guess, as with most parental issues, we will just deal with it as it comes and see what works best for our family. But I am sure we will get plenty of unsolicited advice on the matter regardless.



There is no longer any doubt whether your smiles are gas related; they are real! At first you would only smile while you were dreaming or falling asleep, but now you smile as a result of things that are going on around you. I am guaranteed a smile whenever I lean over your crib to pick you up first thing in the morning, whenever I feed you (I just love when you stop nursing, lean back to look at me, and give me a huge milky smile!) and when I place you on your changing table.



Speaking of your changing table, it is currently your favorite place to be. It has been a fabulous discovery actually. If you are ever fussy or we can’t seem to get you to stop crying after making sure you are clean, fed, and rested, we simply take you into your bedroom, set you on your changing table and you are instantly calm and happy. It works like a charm. Please don’t ever stop having a place I can always rely on to calm you down. If you could do that, it would be great, thanks.

All my love,
Mama

The Highlight of Super Bowl Sunday

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Today was a wonderful day. There was much rejoicing and enthusiastic cheering at our house. Was it the fancy footwork of the football players? No way. Was it the clever advertisements? Nope. Was it winning money in a Super Bowl Pool? Not even. It was the fact that my daughter finally pooped.

Ana’s bowels have been a little, shall we say, less than cooperative lately. She hasn’t had a “real” poop in almost two weeks. The last time she went, on Monday night, it was almost pure liquid. Sim keeps mentioning beef bullion. Yuck. So you can imagine we were very excited when her tummy rumbled and moments later I could feel the warmth on the lower part of her back. I instantly called to Sim and we whooped and hollered…and then promptly drew Ana a bath.

I don’t know if it was something I was eating, or if she is just trying to get settled into a routine, but we were really starting to get worried. There is nothing like simultaneously wishing for and dreading something so much. On one hand we really wanted her to poop so we would know she was ok (and so she would start feeling better, the poor kiddo), but on the other hand the thought of six days worth of collective poop is really terrifying. I was starting to wonder if she had evolved beyond us toilet-bound humans and found an alternate way to dispose of her waste. Like maybe she was absorbing it into her system and using it to develop her super powers. Hey, one starts to get thoughtful and creative after SIX DAYS WITHOUT POOP. Alas, she is sans super powers…but thankfully back to pooping like a champ! Wahoo!!

It’s a Cruel, Cruel World

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Last night Ana slept for the longest period ever: 7.5 hours. I put her down at 10pm and she didn’t make a peep until a little after 5:30am. It was amazing. The only thing that would have made it more amazing would have been if I actually got to enjoy it. While Little Miss was sleeping soundly in her crib, I was laying awake in bed with a migraine. I woke up around 2am to a blinding pain and nausea that threatened to empty the contents of my stomach. I managed to crawl out of bed to take some Tylenol. After a few hours, and little change in my symptoms, I woke up Simeon. He came over to my side of the bed and held my head while I tried to fall back asleep. The combination of the medication and the lovin’ made it possible for me to feed Ana when she finally woke up. Thank goodness she is a little angel and hardly fussed through the feeding.

I have been having some trouble sleeping lately, and it has nothing to do with Ana. After I put her to sleep, I often lay in bed for over an hour trying to fall asleep myself. Then I wake up before she does in anticipation of her waking up (well, my boobs do anyway). So I am sure today’s headache was just the lack of sleep catching up with me. Of course the cruelty of it all is that sleep is the one thing I needed, and the headache prevented me from sleeping. Lovely, I know. Thankfully my husband was able to stay home with me today to allow me to get some sleep and help out with Ana between feedings. I just hope the next time my little girl decides to sleep a marathon stretch I get to participate as well.