Not Me Monday

John did not get his 12th Homer Award at work last week.  It only took him two years to get it.  (Actually, he thinks he may have been given one of his Dad's awards by mistake - oh well....) This means John gets another $50 added onto his paycheck and a Home Depot Fossil watch. 

John and Megan picked my parents and Kevin at the airport last Monday.  John did not get to the airport 20 minutes early only to meat the trio 15 minutes late.  As he walked in with Megan he got a call asking where he was.  It turns out he was at the wrong terminal.  No worries though, he still got Kevin to the interview at Tria in time, who ultimately got the job. 

I did not have a bad experience at the dentist on Friday.  And it's not because I was told I have to have a cavity filled at my next appointment.  My regular hygenist, who I love, had to take off that day and I was stuck with someone who had an annoying voice and complained about her father-in-law the entire time.  About the cavities.  Guess I have to floss more (ok, floss period).  I'll get right on that... tomorrow...

John and Megan had their own exciting day together on Friday.  First, John had a follow-up appointment from the sleep study to get more results from the study itself and see how the CPAP was working.  He did not find out that he actually was waking up 93 times an hour!  No wonder he never felt rested.  How Daddy and Megan are both sleeping well!!!  After that, John met up with some old friends for a GLDQ (Glen Lake Dairy Queen) reunion lunch at Champs.  They hadn't gotten together for quite some time and had a nice time catching up. 

I did not look at my long to do list from the weekend this morning only to find that only two items were crossed out: Laundry (although Megan's is not yet folded and still in the dryer) and peach ice cream.  But I did bake zucchini bread, which was not on the list.

Mommy's Symphony

As I put Megan to bed last night, I couldn't help but think I was listening to a beautiful symphony.  I listened to my orchestra, rocking my baby girl as she nursed her bottle.  The steady suck and swallow sounds were accompanied by Loving Lullabies "Sweet Hour of Prayer", trickling water in the aquarium, gentle tumble of the clothes in the dryer and occasional crowd cheers coming from the Vikings game Daddy was watching.

"Life is good", I thought.  The grand finale came when the bottle was empty and as I burped my little one, she fell asleep on my shoulder to "O Come, Little Children".

Hi, I'm Megan... I Put Customers First

 

 

Megan received this little apron from the folks at the EP store.  Although John now works in Chaska, I still thought it would be fun to put it on her and bring her in to see Daddy while he worked yesterday.  His co-workers and customers all thought it was pretty cute. 

Several possible titles for the photos are:

• Proof that the Lewis family bleeds orange.
• John: "I did some hiring.  Brought in some temp work."
• Hey, she's not old enough to work here yet!

Do you have anything clever to add to the list?

Megan's 5 Month Sleep Study

Is there anything cuter than a sleeping baby?  Maybe a baby that is now sleeping 10+ hours at night?

Up until a little over 2 weeks ago I was still trying to swaddle Megan to get her to bed.  She had always done such a good job of falling asleep on her own once wrapped up but had really started to fight back.  Bedtimes were no longer fun for me.  John suggested not swaddling her.  I was hesitant since she had always moved around so much which would wake herself up, but I was willing to try.  After a few nights of just swaddling below the arms (above pic), I skipped the swaddle alltogether and now just cover her with tucked-in blanket.

The Tuesday and Wednesday night prior Megan slept 10-10 1/2 hours both nights.  I got really excited to write a post about her sleep.  But, as I've learned from the past, as soon as I write about her sleep (and in this case, only think about it) she starts acting up and proving me wrong.  The Thursday following was awful, with several cryouts and restless sleeping.  This happened a couple more nights too.  I'm assuming i's because she was just over-tired.  The past three nights have been great, however and consistently doing 10-10 1/2 hours each night.  I don't mind one bit!  The only downside is that now Megan's more rested and harder to get back to sleep after the good night's sleep - just means daddy has to get up to watch her earlier so I can get to work.

Naps are harder to get in (or so I've been told) and Megan's not sleeping as long during naptime anymore (maybe just 30 min at a time instead of an hour+).  I'm sure it's because she just wants to play and learn and watch everything around her.  She gets tired in the early evening, but don't want her to nap so close to bedtime so we often try to keep her up.  Bedtime itself is getting earlier.  Since Megan's been moving so much more lately, she wears herself out and just crashes at night.  We've done a handful of 8:30 bedtimes recently where I change her, feed her, and burp her to find her asleep on my shoulder.  With our weird schedules it is hard to commit to 8:30 bedtime, but settle for anywhere between 8:30-9:00, depending on her last nap.  That means she sleeps until after 7am usually!  I enjoy the extra time to sleep and pump peacefully in the morning.

Since we no longer swaddle, Megan is able to move around freely in the crib.  At first I was worried when I saw her sleeping on her tummy, but I think she prefers to have her rear up in the air.  These pics were taken last weekend.  It is not uncommon to put her to sleep in the middle of the crib on her back only to find her at the head of the bed on her tummy in the morning. 

 

 

 

Whatcha Doin', Megan?

Oh, just hangin' around!

Megan loves her Johnny Jump-Up.  In fact, she spent 45 minutes in there last Saturday.  We don't have too many places to hang it, but this location seemed to work well.  Especially since I was doing laundry and she could watch the spin cycle. 

Megan at 5 Months

I just can't believe how fast our little Megan is changing.  I am amazed every day with how well she seems to be doing and how much more fun and interactive she is becoming.  We didn't have a doctor's appointment this month but I am estimating her at 16 1/2+ pounds and 26+ inches long

Megan turned five months old last Saturday and I'm sure you've all seen the pictures by now.  Isn't she a cutie!?!  Unfortunately, she didn't smile much in most of them.  I guess that's just her personality setting in.  While she may get a lot of her looks from daddy, she is definitely my daughter too!  She knows what she wants and there's no changing that so you might as well just try to make her happy.  That is one of the most important things I've learned so far with her.

The two weeks after her four month birthday, Megan didn't really do too much but sit in her bumbo seat (she actually loved this and I wish we'd started it sooner).  She quickly outgrew that and then went back to her rolling, rolling, rolling.  We only have to put her on the floor for a second and she's on her tummy.  Up until this point she's only rolled to her left when put on her back.  She is just now getting interested in rolling to her right (although only done it twice in her crib) .

The few baby books that I've read say that babies develop from head to toe and inside out.  I thought it would be fun to give you an update of where Megan's at right now in that same order.

• Hair:  Not the longest, but I'd say over an inch on the top.  Megan still has a bald spot on the back of her head but it's slowly getting smaller as she's not on her back as much any more.  The sides are getting longer now too and I think I see a hint of curl... or maybe it's just wishful thinking.
• Eyes:  Pretty good at spotting important things like the bottle and suckey.  Just a couple days ago I put her in the high chair with the tray covered in small toys and the suckey... guess which she grabbed first... Megan loves to watch moving lights like the TV and her fishy projector by the crib.
• Ears:  Very good directionally; Megan is good at locating where sounds come from, especially from momma, daddy and the TV.  Not sure that she's responding to her name yet but when we call for her she turns her head to look who said that.  She also loves listening to the noises that she can make banging toys together.
• Nose:  She was doing the funniest nose-wrinkle face last week which was accompanied with the quick blowing in and out.  At first I thought I had gotten applesauce stuck in her nose during a feeding and she was trying to get it out.  I even tried multiple times with the nasal bulb.  But then I was told she had found her nose. 
• Cheeks:  Don't you just want to pinch 'em?  I occasionally will still use the cheek test to figure out when she's hungry.  Rub her cheek a little and if she roots towards it, time to eat!  Her cheeks also give the best kisses.
• Mouth:  Everything, and I mean everything, goes in her mouth.  The fingers are starting to be in her mouth more and more again.  The two little chicklets we call teeth are getting really big and a little crooked which is probably hereditary.  Not sure if more teeth are on their way but I wouldn't be surprised if they were.  Megan has also been doing some random chewing motions with her mouth.  I think she wants steak soon!
• Tongue:  Megan has the craziest, longest tongue I've ever seen.  It's cute when she puts one of her hard plastic rings in her mouth and procedes to try pulling it in further with her tongue.
• Voice:  Boy, is she a talker!  And in the words of daddy, "a giggle-box".  One of her biggest things right now if figuring out all the different sounds that can come out of her mouth.  She's been doing an annoying coughing thing lately.  She also has an adorable laugh/chuckle (when playing the "trumpet" on her tummy) and a medium-pitched inhale laugh (when we make faces and laugh with her).  I can't forget to mention her loud coo's that are more like ho's.  If you're able, watch this video and you will not be disappointed.
• Arms:  When carried around she's holding her arms out instead of holding on for the ride.  Just a couple days ago she's starting to hold out her arms to "come" to people.  Still doesn't have the stranger anxiety so is pretty willing to "come" to anyone who wants her.  Megan will also reach with her arms and bring her upper body towards objects she wants or direct us where she wants to go.
• Fingers:  Just like how anything will go in her mouth, her fingers want to touch everything.  Big things of interest for the fingers are textures.  She enjoys being on the couch and pawing at the blanket we have draped across the back.  She also likes to grab hair.  Basically she is good at grabbing lots of stuff, just not letting go.  But be careful if she wants to grab you since her fingernails are really sharp (and hard to cut!).
• Waist/Hips:  Megan has been sitting up for the last 2 weeks now.  At first she could only support herself for a minute or two (we used the boppy for extra security and still do just to be safe) but now is up to about 10 minutes at a time.  When she rocks it's mostly front to back.  But she is pretty good at using her arms to push her back up when she gets leaning a little too far.  Megan is also enjoying sitting and playing in her high chair.
• Bottom:  Only one thing to mention with this one... Poop is really starting to stink due to the rice cereal and fruit she's been eating.  (And the gas smells pretty bad too...) I told her that I like changing the dirty diapers and she's doing a great job of saving it up until I am on diaper duty!  Instead of several times per day, Megan is now giving us a load every 2-4 days.  And she sure gets her money's worth with those dirty ones.
• Legs:  Getting soooo strong.  She loves to "Staand"!  She loves to jump in her Johnny Jump-Up or on your lap.  About two weeks ago Megan started to tuck her legs up underneath her when on her tummy.  She doesn't know how to go forward yet but somehow manages to move herself backwards.
• Toes:  Still loves to suck on her toes, but it's getting a little harder for Megan now that her belly is getting bigger!  But that doesn't mean she still can't try!

Wow.  I hope I covered everything.  Like I said earlier, I can't believe how fast she's growing and every day her world opens up more and more.  A fun picture before we go...

Updates with J&K

Before we talk more about Megan, I wanted to share a little of what John and I have been up to.  We were able to go to another Twins game on July 29th.  The game was pretty fun, although a little slow since Baker took too much time between pitches.  They ended up winning in the end.  I can't remember which inning it was, but during the Kiss Cam, they were in our section.  They targeted a few couples behind us and at the end a guy proposed to his girlfriend.  They were sitting a couple rows behind us just a few seats down.  I think everyone around us got a little teary-eyed.  It was pretty exciting. 

The next day I did some garage-saling with my sister.  We went on a Saturday and I wasn't expecting to find much quality items.  However, one of the first sales we went to had baby girl clothes priced at $8/bag.  We got about 35 pieces in that bag - what a bargain!  I think I only spent $20 that day and got a few more pieces of clothes, some toys and books, and a little Fisher & Price piano.  At a garage sale a week earlier John bought me a new nice cream maker.  It's a pretty Cuisinart one that is meant to sit on your countertop.  I made myself a dairy-free ice cream and it turned out ok.  Not the best texture but definitely has potential and is something to work on.  I'm mostly excited for not having to deal with the rock salt and ice any more. 

Last Thursday John and I took Megan to the Carver County Fair.  It was super hot out and we only stayed for about an hour and a half.  Luckily there weren't many people there so it didn't take long to get through the buildings.  She slept in the stroller almost the entire time and was a good sport in the heat.  John and I did decide to buy one of those 1500 thread count sheet sets.  So far they are nice to sleep in, but a little warmer than our other set. 

Work for John has been pretty much status quo.  He has had to go to several different stores, Richfield, Eden Prairie and Maple Grove, lately for training classes.  A couple weeks ago he finally had his Assistant Manager walk his aisles with him to tell him what improvements needed to be done.  He was asked last Friday to give feedback for a new phone that the store was getting.  This phone will be used as a radio, telephone, use it for ordering, computer functions - only he hadn't used it yet!

Work for me is going well.  Just found out that we probably won't be getting monetary increases until July of next year at the earliest.  This makes it a little hard to keep caring about the job, but at least I have one, right?  I just have to keep reminding myself that I need the job for the money so I can help support what really matters - our family.  Being a mom is a full-time job all in itself, much less keeping up with all the housework.  Hopefully now that I'm reducing my pumping sessions down to three times a day I'll have more family time or just time to relax. 

I've had a couple opportunities for playing piano lately.  On July 25th I played at the Moravian church.  I always like going back there to see old friends and acquaintances.  I was in the doghouse, however, since Megan didn't come with me.  She went to church with G&G Gennrich since John was working.  Just last Sunday I subbed for Rachel as she was on vacation to Seattle.  That service went ok, especially since I didn't practice much :), but I am not used to playing liturgy or fancy playing on keyboards.

Since we were in Mendota Heights for church last Sunday, we decided to hit up John's brother Michael's baseball game in Cottage Grove.  It was a nice outing and everyone loved seeing Megan.  Look for pictures on my picasa page soon.

Walgreens offered a free 8x10 photo on Sunday and I ordered this picture of Megan.  When John went to pick it up last night, they had "needs release" written on the envelope and told him he needed to get a release form.  He told them that "my wife was the photographer, she took it in the nursery".  The lady looked at my name on the envelope and said, "oh, it's Karen, here you go".  It was a nice pick-me-up to know that Walgreens thought my photo was professional quality!

5 Month Photos!

Megan and I had a fun time photo-shooting yesterday for her five month birthday.  For the complete collection, click here.

Yum, Yum!

Megan is now officially a member of the Clean Bowl Club. 

Megan thinks that using a spoon and eating "big people" food are just the coolest things ever.  We started her on cereal about a half week after her 4 month birthday and only a teaspoon at a time.  It went ok then, but once I made it a little thicker and added some fruit to it, she gobbled it right up.  Megan has been eating two tablespoons of rice cereal once a day for about the last week and I give it to her about an hour or two before bedtime.  So far we have tried bananas, applesauce and peaches.  Out of the three, it's hard to say which is her favorite; it's a toss-up between the bananas and peaches.  I'm not sure if it is the cereal or the fruit that made her a bit gassy at first, but she seems to be doing better lately. 

As you can see in this video, Megan knows to open her mouth when she sees the spoon.  At least for now, the food still tastes good.  Hopefully this continues once we start on veggies!  It also looks like it won't be too long until she starts wanting to feed herself, as she is getting quite good of putting the pacifier to her mouth (whether she gets the right side there or not).  If Megan is hungry she wants food and doesn't have a lot of patience for you trying to clean off her mouth or taking time to scoop more cereal onto the spoon.  You better have it ready before she swallows!

Aside from the cereal, Megan is still taking in around 36 ounces of milk daily.  An ounce or so of that is mixed in with her cereal.  I try to give her close to 8 ounces in the morning just to make her feel a little more satisfied. 

Now that we are part of the Clean Bowl Club, maybe we can work on the Clean FACE Club next!  At least the food hasn't ended up in her hair yet!