cjv & the orange chair

This is the {new} orange chair on the deck behind my parents' house. The house where I grew up. The house my girls and I recently visited. The orange chair wasn't around when I lived there. But the deck and the gorgeous trees beyond hold plenty of memories for me.  And the adorable baby in that orange chair - that's Charlotte in her ballerina pajamas.  Teething with a finger in her mouth. Curious about her surrounds.  Showing just how flexible she can be.  Looking so adorable!

11 months, 11 days

It is just a matter of days {about 19 of them, to be exact} until my baby turns one.  Charlotte Jane is just shy for 365 days old.  This time last year I was still pregnant ... and dealing with lots of contractions, weekly ultrasounds, and twice weekly non-stress tests ... and all the emotions that went along with such an "interesting" gestation.  The past 11 months have been filled with much joy, very little sleep, some worry, and plenty of fun!  This is Charlotte Jane - just in the past month!

1. One thing is for certain, my little baby {born at just 4 pounds 9 ounces} is destined to be a little one year old.  Less than three weeks before her birthday, Charlotte weighs 13 pounds 5.5 ounces.  She is tiny.  Everything about her is tiny ... her hands and feet, her waist, her ears, ... except her smile!  That grin takes up her whole face!
2. Charlotte is wearing mainly size 6-month clothing and size 1-2 diapers.
3. She's a good eater.  Haven't come across a flavor of "mush" that she won't eat.  However, in the past few weeks I have definitely noticed a preference for feeding herself.  With every bite, she grabs the spoon - almost as if to say, "I can do it myself."  And she eats finger foods with great enthusiasm and determination.  While she still eats puffs and mum-mums, she especially loves Veggie Sticks and Garden Tomato Crunchies.
4. I am still nursing about 6 times in 24 hours.  Two or three of those feedings are at night - when I would rather be sleeping.  I am not willing to end those nighttime feedings because she needs all the calories she can get.  However, I am looking forward to weaning in the next few months ... and sleeping through the night soon!
5. Bedtime is around 7:30 pm.  She usually sleeps until midnight, eats, and goes right back down.  Then I hear from her again around 3:00 am and sometimes again before 6:00 am.  Then she sleeps until about 7:00 am.
6. Naps are from 9:00 am - 10:30 am and again from 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm.  Sometimes Charlotte has a tough time settling down for naps - tough to spend a lot of time transitioning her with a routine because Natalie needs my attention/supervision. A light swaddle usually does the trick, though.
7. Aside from "tiny,"  I would describe Charlotte as happy and easy-going.  She smiles all the time and waits patiently - for the most part.   However, she is very sensitive to changes in her environment - like sleeping in a new place. 
8. To communicate Charlotte does her fair share of vocalizing, signs milk and responds to the signs for more and all done, and is clearly opinionated when appropriate - like when her big sister takes away her toy or I try to get the spoon back for another bite.  Also, her giggle is just about the most adorable sound ever!
9. Charlotte loves playing with balls, cups, and straps.  As soon as I put her in the carseat, stroller, high chair ... she is reaching for the strap and trying to pull it to her mouth.  She is also still very interested in her feet ... and pulls off her shoes {little leather Robeez} to chew on them, too!
10. This little girl can ROLL just about anywhere she wants to go.  However, she is not crawling and is still very wobbly when sitting up - she topples over very easily.  I have noticed her trying to push into a seated position in the past week but no success just yet.  I don't anticipate her walking anytime soon.
11. People often comment about Charlotte's size, her beautiful blue eyes, her cute cheeks, and the constant motion of her feet.  I also hear a Cindy Lou Who comparison quite often.

We have an appointment with Dr. Fancy-Pants at the end of this month - just three days before her birthday.  I am very anxious to hear what an expert has to saw about Charlotte's small size.  There are times when I worry and imagine the worst.  I really hope my seemingly happy, healthy baby is "just small" and that's okay.

ESP: Lucky Number 7

Another month older ... and wiser.

Another pound bigger ... it's about time!

WEIGHT: about 12 pounds (officially 11 pounds 14 ounces at her doctor's office weigh-in, but at some point this weekend my scale indicated 12 pounds)


CLOTHING SIZE: Still wearing 3 month clothes, but I've started pulling out the 6-month stuff!


EAT

We have not had much luck with solids.  The rice cereal caused constipation and gas.  Waited a week. Tried bananas, at the pediatricians urging, but those caused vomiting.  Honest-to-goodness puking ... for like three hours.  Waited another week.  Gave oatmeal a try because a few moms suggested that oatmeal is easier on the tummy.  Well, it never actually made it to CJV's stomach because she absolutely refused to open her mouth.  And, so my hopes of a decent growth spurt - caused by the introduction of solids - didn't happen.

SLEEP

Someone set Charlotte's internal alarm block to 6:30 am - sharp!  Every single morning, she wakes up at 6:30 ... no matter what time she goes to bed, how dark her room is, how quiet the house is, ... she's awake.  But not for long.  I usually snuggle her in bed with me, nurse her a little, and get another hour of slumber.  Then she hangs out while NHV and I have breakfast before going back to bed for an hour or so. She also takes a great afternoon nap; usually 3 hours or more.  And then she would like to go back down for 45 minutes in the evening, but that pushes bedtime back.  But if I keep her awake, she goes down at bedtime, wakes up 45 minutes later, and won't go back to sleep for an hour.  This is a habit I would very much like to break.

PERSONALITY | PLAY

Charlotte loves bathtime! Just the mention of the word "bath" gets her kicking and smiling!  Her tub is up on our double vanity, which may have to change soon because she splashes so much!  The entire counter and mirror ... and bath-giver ... get completely soaked.  She splashes with such a determined look on her face that I can't help but laugh.

Charlotte is also enjoying her toes!  Her right foot is in her mouth (or close to it) about 75% of the time!  This is my favorite "baby" milestone.  There's just something so fascinating about this discovery ... those appendages have been there all along, but she just now figured that out.

Her favorite toy appears to be Jangles, a Discovery Toys Giraffe.  He hangs from her car seat handle, and she adores him!  The Rainforest Bouncer and Jumperoo also get a lot of smiles and squeals!

Charlotte continues to be quick to smile.  People comment on this all the time, "Oh, she's such a smiley baby."  "She smiles with her whole face."   If you smile at her, she's more than likely going to smile right back at you!

MILESTONES

She is still not sitting up but can hold herself pretty well in the Bumbo and tripods with some encouragement from me.  She pulls herself to a sitting position whenever I put her on my lap ... no more laying back when there's a whole world to see!  She can roll from her tummy to her back but doesn't always bother ... sometimes she just lays her head down and fusses instead.  She is so close to being able to roll from her back to her tummy; Natalie was about this age when she mastered that skill and dislocated her elbow.  Charlotte laughs a lot and verbalizes when the mood strikes.

Cheap Entertainment

It's been said - I don't know who said it, but I am sure I heard it somewhere - that there's nothing like a cheap thrill.  Well, how about some cheap entertainment for your littlest one?!

Brought home a St. Patty's Day helium balloon for NHV.  She gave it about two minutes of her attention.  Yeah, it's green.  Yeah, it floats. Oh, the smiley face is cute.  Okay, done.

What I quickly noticed was that CJV couldn't take her eyes off of it.  She would strain her neck to watch it float by.  Her eyes would focus on it, and the rest of the world seemed to just fade away.  And then, from the far reaches of my MommyBrain, I remembered this idea mentioned during the Newborn and You class I attended with Natalie.  

Prop your baby on her boppy pillow and tie the ribbon of a helium balloon around her ankle*.

At the time, when I was sleep deprived and worried about every little thing, this seemed like such a unimportant tidbit, so I filed it away.  To be honest, I was much more focused on keeping my baby alive and less concerned about her having a good time.  Well, the second time around is different, folks.  Entertainment and distraction and occupation (keeping the little ones occupied) has become the name of the game.

Charlotte loves this little game.  With the ribbon secured around her ankle, every little movement of her foot causes the balloon to dance around.  She looks up at that balloon and kicks and amuses herself.

From a developmental standpoint, this exercise provides the chance to build visual focus and tracking as well as experience with cause-and-effect.  It could easily fall under the category of an Eebee Adventure for the youngest learners :)

Big Fat - Common Sense - Safety Disclaimer (CMA):  The ribbon should be tied loosely - don't want to cut off the circulation to her foot!  Your baby should always be closely supervised, especially with ribbon/string nearby.

ESP: 15 weeks

Oh, how I love my Charlotte Jane.  She is such a wonderful baby!  And it feels like we've kind of hit our stride these past few weeks. No major issues.  I guess the only issue is that I keep wondering if there is something wrong that both the doctor and I are missing.  After worrying about her for so many weeks - and through so many ultrasounds and non-stress tests - and having her induced early and born so tiny, I just can't shake this constant worry.  Not that she gives me reason to worry; she's really that good of a baby. ... I have absolutely no rational reason for this concern, but it's there swirling around the back of my mind.  During a recent visit, our doctor assured me that CJV is perfectly, wonderfully healthy, but she also helped me to understand this excessive worry is fairly common amongst moms of preemies.  Hoping that soon I can relax and leave this constant concern behind.

Weight: 9 pounds 5 ounces

Still riding the 3rd percentile trajectory, which is a good thing ... but she's such a little peanut!  Her hands and feet are so tiny compared to even younger babies we encounter.  Based on ootprints from the hospital, CJV's feet - at 3 months - are still smaller than NHV's at birth.

Eating:  Yep, she's still eating ... nothing but breastmilk ... about 6 or 7 times a day.  We've struggled some with a gassy tummy these past few weeks, but a little Mylicon seems to do the trick.  I've been trying to avoid trigger foods, but I am just not sure of the culprit.  She nurses best in the later in the day and during the night.  It seems like in the morning she just wants to smile and chat and play; she's too busy to eat a good meal until around 1:00.  Yesterday her feedings looked like this ... 10:00 pm, 4:00 am, 8:30 am, 11:00 am, 2:00 pm, 6:00 pm, 8:00 pm.

Sleeping:  I think I've got another good sleeper on my hands.  It seems CJV is following in her big sister's footsteps when it comes to liking her sleep!  In fact, several times she's slept until 6:00 am after going to bed at 10:00 - 8 long hours.  Of course, I was up every hour after 3:00 to check on her.  It's pretty typical now for her to go an average of 6 hours at night.  (If I could get off this darn computer and go to sleep at a decent hour, I could potentially be quite rested!)  Thankfully she also naps well and at about the same time as NHV, so I join her for naptime a few times each week. 

CJV gives clear signs when she is tired ... yawns, turns her head away, brings her hands together across her chest, and grunt-fusses if you don't get the message.  However, CJV does not fall asleep very easily.  She doesn't doze in her swing and fights sleep when in her car seat. Even when I hold her, she makes eye contact.  And I limit my singing because she just watches me and won't close her eyes.  Really, the best way to get her to fall asleep is to cover her eyes with a blanket and be quiet and still.  It's like she's afraid of missing something important, so I trick her into thinking there's nothing going on.

She doesn't need to be swaddled, but she does like to suck her binky as she's falling asleep.

My next big mission is to transition her from the bassinet in our bedroom to her own crib in the nursery.  I am sure she's ready for this change but I am not. I love having her near me.  Moving her out of my room means shes doesn't need me as much ... I have such mixed emotions about that :(

Personality: Charlotte is a happy, happy baby.  She is so smiley, and I've even gotten a few giggles out of her!  She is also very patient and rarely gets upset even when her feeding is delayed a few minutes.  Bathtime is a favorite time for us; she is so calm and relaxed ... and I just love seeing her naked ;)  She is  very vocal and has a range of adorable noises ... coos, aaaahs, ooohs, ... high and low pitches.  Sometimes it's hard to read a book to both girls because Charlotte "talks" loudly through the whole thing!    Her new favorite "game" is watching a helium balloon - that I tie to her ankle - bounce around.

Milestones of Note:

• Finally got the cradle cap under control ... it was bad!
• Handles tummy time for longer periods of time
• Bats at the toys dangling from her activity mat
• Tracks moving objects
• Recognizes faces and voices ... mommy, daddy, and big sister always get a smile when we move into her field of view.

ESP: Six Weeks

Current Weight: 7  pounds

EAT:  From an eating standpoint, the past ten days have been very different.  At her one month check-up (10 days ago), the pediatrician deemed her weight gain (6 lbs. 9 oz. at that point) significant and consistent.  Enough that I got the go-ahead to stop the pumping, stop the bottle-feeding, stop waking her for feedings, and breastfeed exclusively and on-demand.    What a relief!  I was so happy to finally be released from the pump prison!   The best part, though, the switch has been nothing but successful!  I am amazed by how well my little baby transitioned from chugging a bottle to sucking the ... well, I don't want to get graphic, but you know. 

And I would say that she's even better at nursing than NHV ... not that I am comparing or making it a competition.  It just surprises me because I've heard so much about nipple confusion and babies who refuse to nurse after drinking from a bottle for extended amounts of time.  Even more impressive, CJV goes for decent stretches in between feedings ... 2, 3, 4, even 5 hours.  NHV nursed all the freaking time ... like every hour and a half to two hours ... longer stretches were rare rather than the norm.

In the past few days, I have noticed an increase in spit-up ... but I think that's normal at this point.  I just hope it doesn't last as long as it did with Natalie.

SLEEP:  Charlotte continues to be a pretty darn good sleeper.  (Gosh, I hope I am not totally jinxing myself here!)  And her periods of alertness are definitely increasing.  She's not great at putting herself to sleep; she fights it a little.  She doesn't really cry or fuss ... just gets that wide-eyed stare, classic overstimulation.  But the 5 S's ... swaddle, side, shush, swing, and suck ... are pretty fool-proof in triggering her calming reflex.  Of course, CJV still prefers to be held while snoozing - she's a newborn afterall, but she can also sleep for good stretches in her bassinet ... if the planets align just right.  The Ergo carrier has been invaluable during the day.  Charlotte will sleep in there while Natalie and I go about our business.  When she does get really tired, the stork bites on her eyelids get darker.

PERSONALITY:  I know I am completely biased, but geez, this baby girl is so very sweet!  She's very calm and mellow ... the majority of the time.  Even when she does get upset, Charlotte is quick to soothe and overall very content.  I love all the baby sounds she is making now ... aaaaahs and ooooohs and sighs.  Although she honks less, there are still plenty of grunts and snorts.  If she's waking up and feeling hungry, she tells me with a series of stretches and grunts.  She also has the best sleep grins.  I am still waiting on the real thing, but in the meantime, I cannot get enough of her little grins! 

Charlotte's favorite things (aside from the girls) ... her binky, my face, when I sing, "Hey, hey pretty Charlotte," the Fussy Baby poster next to her changing table, a foam wedge, and the fan in our master bathroom.

And I'll leave you with one more photo ... her little outfit, a gift from my friend Sarah Lou, says, "Whoooo's the cutest?"

You are Charlotte Jane.  You are.

Natalie's Special Announcement

Natalie has been keeping a big secret, and she's finally ready to share it with the world. Sharing such important news made it tough to find just the right words, so she used music and photos instead. Enjoy :)





This movie was created using Google Picasa.
This extraordinary and perfect song is titled Family Tree by Francis England.
I apologize for the not-so-great quality of the audio. It sounds great on my computer ... go figure! Oh, and the timing of the lyrics is right-on, too ... so aggravating!

Natalie was a little remiss in not mentioning that our good friend, Carrie (aka Oliver's Mom), sent us this song yesterday, and we fell in love with it after listening to it just one time. Thank you, Carrie, for helping to make our announcement extra special :)