Cereal Footage

Cereal from Lindsey Lewis on Vimeo.

we've gotten a lot better at this since then.... 5 months tomorrow!

Spring!

It's officially Spring in my world!

Thank you gma Susie for making Spring such a wonderful reality.
Just after SJ was born Drew's parents came to visit and catch a glimpse of their first grandbaby. While they were here Gma S dug out all the weeds in the flower bed by the stairs and planted some flowers. I had no idea what she planted (too tired to care at the time) and so when little green shoots began to spring from the ground I started to get excited! This week our daffodils are in full bloom... they are the first daffodils I have seen in our neighborhood or around town! They really make our home so much brighter. Then today our little tree started blooming pink and white flowers all over! We are in the process of digging up the bush version of that same tree on the other side of the yard in order to plant our garden! We got Drew and axe for his birthday so he can finish the bush off. I am planning on tomatoes and zucchini for sure. I also planted some basil, cilantro and spinach in the other little flower bed gma S dug up by the porch! Yay for Spring and fresh flowers, herbs and veggies. I can't wait to see if they will grow. I purchased a beautiful black, white and pink watering can... I'm sure that the plants will want to grow even more once they realize they are being watered from a pretty watering can. =)
Tomorrow SJ is being dedicated at our church. I am so excited and hope to post video of the dedication after it happens. We got SJ the cutest little dress that will double as her Easter dress (it was about $10!). It's brown with pink polka dots and pink leggings to match! She is seriously cute. In other SJ news... she is still growing like a weed... now in 6-9mo. clothes! We are realizing more and more that we are going to have a hard time keeping this one in clothes... she outgrows them so fast and we don't have much from here on out... I'm keeping my eye on sales (we also accept donations =) ). I think that SJ is also at the very beginning of the teething process (another milestone I am not ready for!). If you put your finger in her mouth she will bite on it instead of sucking on it most of the time. She is drooling even more than before (who knew this was possible) and has been eating less and a little grumpy. I don't feel anything for sure yet but it seems like that might be around the next corner. She is still so much fun and full of smiles though. She is also getting better and better at sitting up on her own and is able to roll over to either side from her back (she can roll all the way over but refuses to do it any more). She will be 5months old this week! So little and yet so big!
Here's a sneak peek at a photo shoot that will be used for gma presents and the baby dedication....



**photo credit to Bethan Rogers**

Rice Cereal

So, remember when I said I needed to brace myself for the fact that I might need to start SJ on rice cereal before I would like to? Well, I was right. Our doctor suggested at four months that we start some rice cereal. I thought about it and decided, "no thank you"... at least for now. SJ is growing great, which makes me want to continue to nurse until there is a more substantial need. Plus, there is just this stigma that good nursing moms don't start solids until the latest possible date. I've got to get these things out of my head!
Well, last week SJ finished her one month round of Prevacid and we were still hearing lots of wheezing/gurgling sounds from her as well as other signs of reflux. We are not sure if her naps are also influenced by the reflux but she is still irregular about taking good naps. So I called to ask the doctor what to do and he asked the dreaded questions, "have you started the rice cereal"... ummm, well, nooo. So, he told us he really wanted us to try it just to see if it would help keep the reflux down. So, dragging my feet... we tried it this weekend. I needed Drew for moral support. I made it per the directions and it was really soupy. She didn't even eat a teaspoons' worth. We also had to switch from the bumbo to the bouncy seat b/c she isn't great at sitting up and focusing on eating.
I will admit, I was relieved she didn't love the stuff and continues to spit it out as fast as I can drip it in. I'm trying to give her about half a tablespoon in the morning and in the late afternoon but we have yet to finish that much even. I also got the doctor to refill the prescription with the agreement that it might take a while (cough cough... another month..) for her to really take the cereal... or anything enough to actually help with the reflux. So I'm giving her half a dose of meds and a few sips of cereal and hoping to wait until closer to six months to actually dive into this "solids" stuff full force.
I'm also thinking that when we do start solids we will skip pureed foods for the most part... I've give them to her some (maybe once a day) but then we're going to just let her start with squishy solids and see how that goes. Or so, that's my plan for now. It's from a book called baby-led weaning that I read about and just ordered from Amazon.
It's amazing how much I was looking forward to solid foods when I was dealing the the nursing strike and other complications and now that it's here I am dragging my feet. It is hard to see my baby hitting such a huge milestone already! I didn't think it would be as emotional a decision as it has been! I'm still looking forward to seeing her grow and develop and enjoy new foods but I am happy to wait another month or so b/c I will never have these exclusively nursing days back.
So, here's a video of SJ and her first cereal experience and then a picture that completely explains why I am reluctant to give up any nursing time with my baby. Enjoy!
*** Sorry, I've been trying to upload this video for HOURS and it still isn't processed... I need some one to teach me a better way to upload videos on here. Enjoy the picture instead!

Rejoice!

It has been so busy around here!
About a week and a half ago my grandmother passed away and at the last minute the hubs, babe and I were on a plane heading to Texas. There were a lot of uncertainties and possible inconveniences with traveling with SJ and with last minute travel at that but I have been meaning to post this blog for a while and have you all praise the Lord with me for all that he did!
First of all, I was nervous about taking SJ on the plane because she would miss a nap or two and thus be very very fussy... have I mentioned that SJ will also NEVER nurse in public and screams when we give her a bottle. I think I have. She is so sensitive that if a plane flies overhead while she is eating, she will stop, let out an angry cry and give me a dirty look before resuming. I have to hold back from laughing b/c if I make a peep she will start to talk to me and laugh and smile and never eat another bite. Oh my. Also, if any one talks or even walks in the room she jerks away and begins searching for them... so how on earth would I get her to nurse on a plane. I knew that if she was tired and hungry there was a very good chance of a storm blowing in... so we bought two packs of ear plugs for our plane mates and hoped for the best.
Stella did great. She was a bit fussy at first (obviously tired and wanting to go down and for us to quit holding her) but when it came time to eat I just slipped her under the nursing cover (the one that I made and have never had a chance to use) and she ate like a champion and then fell asleep in my arms. She awoke right before landing and sat happily with her daddy through it all. Wow, I was stunned! We got to the house after missing two naps and she went right to sleep on the guest bed. Amazing!
Through out the week she missed several naps and was passed to many strangers and though she wasn't perfect by any means, she did great. She broke a few hearts when she wouldn't let people hold her (sorry mom) and stole a few more from friends and family who had never met her.
The whole time we were there she slept and ate relatively well (minus one night when she woke up 3 times... oye!)... as for Drew and I... well, we ate well at least! haha.
On the plane ride back SJ barely made a peep. She was content to sit for a while and then again ate amazingly well and then chilled with us on the plane the rest of the time. Several people commented that they didn't even realize a baby was on the plane until they got off.
We got home and she pretty much transitioned right back into normal. She even started a more consistent 31/2-4 hr schedule. She has been flopping around back and forth between 21/2-4 for a little over a month now and I'm glad she's finally settled into her new big girl schedule. She also ate in public again that Sunday at church with the cover... I'm hoping this is a new trend!
Another huge praise is the reconciliation that has taken place amongst many members of our family. I have never met any of my mom's family outside of her parents that I can remember. They were always distant relatives who didn't like us for some reason or another. Well, when my grandmother became very ill, these members showed up to sit by her side. It turns out... they thought WE didn't like THEM. There was a lot of miscommunication and maybe a little bit of manipulation going on for years and in a matter of days they became our family. They were so fun to be around and I even learned more about my grandmother than I had ever known before from these great women.
My mom's birthday was a few days after the funeral so we were also able to celebrate with her before we flew back home.
On a worse note, my dad came down with a crazy stomach bug the morning of the funeral and my sister got it the next morning... I was a little concerned that we would get it or even worse, that SJ would get it but we all returned home with our tummies intact!
So though funerals are never a fun occasion to get together, this one brought about many blessings and reasons to rejoice along with it.

Stats...

Height 27in Off the charts... so we'll round down to 100th percentile
Weight 15.4lbs 90th percentile
Head... not sure but I think still 75th percentile.

SJ

Happy Four Month Birth-Day to SJ!
We go tomorrow to get her stats and I will update you all then.

Not much has changed since her three month birthday but she has just continued to progress in the same things. She is learning to bear weight on her legs better and is able to sit up straight with minimal help, which she loves. She is also learning to kick her feet up and over and is really close to being able to roll from her back to her stomach... the problem is, she has no desire to be on her stomach, so why try?! Stella showed us over a month ago that she is capable from rolling from her stomach to her back but since then has become completely bored with the trick and will not do it and will resist help in doing it. She would much rather plant her mouth on those hands and suck away.

This month has been tough for SJ because she caught her first cold, which lingered for quite a while and her reflux has flared back up again and thus her meds have changed. All of this has made her very disinterested in long naps or feeding. She will only nurse for a few minutes and then would rather have a conversation with me and/or suck on her hands.
When she is awake (as in, supposed to be awake) she is very happy and content. She loves her bouncy seat and watching mom or dad do the dishes, clean floors and cook. She also has a very close relationship with the ceiling fan. SJ is talking more and more and can often be heard from across the house talking to various objects that interest her.
SJ has become quite the mommy's girl and I am trying to soak it up for all it's worth b/c I know that it will be short lived. She is so much so, she refuses to take a bottle or be put to bed by any one else.
She has been waking up at 4am and we have been slowly but surely trying to move that time to 6 or 7 and with the help from our friend, the paci, she is making progress.
Our current dilemma is that we swaddle SJ up before every nap and she has gotten too big for the small swaddle but is too skinny for the next size up. So she wiggles her hands up and out of the swaddle with in a matter of minutes. However, if she gets her hands out, she won't sleep b/c they wake her and bother her. So we have been giving her the paci to distract her from trying to get her hands out and thus now she is used to a paci before bed. ugh. This wouldn't be too big of a worry except that we want to stop swaddling her and can't b/c if her hands are free she will knock the paci out and then keep herself awake with her hands. Oh the dilemma. So now I have a love/hate relationship with the swaddle. Comments and advice are welcome.
I can't wait until Spring when we will be able to go outside and enjoy the sun and nice weather. There is a whole world that SJ hasn't met yet! The spring will also bring the introduction of solid foods for SJ, a slew of weddings and hopefully a garden!

Baby Faces

I think she has a little bit of her mommy in there somewhere! Almost 4 months old!