Oh July....

July was pretty action packed and I feel like it went by faster than the speed of light.  For the Fourth of July weekend we stayed closed to home and tried to do fun things since we weren't able to do our usual weekend on the beach.  We grilled out for the holiday and gave the Little Lady her first dip in her kiddie pool (purchased specifically for the holiday weekend) as well as blew bubbles for her the first time (she was kind of oblivious to them).  It was also kind of grey and blah that day, so it wasn't quite hot enough for her to do more than scowl at the water in her pool.  She sure did look cute in her little swim diaper though!

Later that weekend we finally took the little lady to the beach for the first time.  It was stormy and overcast so at first we weren't sure it was going to work, but then we realized it was good because it kept it form being too bright for the Little Lady.  This was also the first time we debuted her sunglasses - they actually fit and she liked them! Unfortunately though, we forgot our good waterproof camera so we only had my iPhone to use for pictures - not the best, but at least we got the shots and we were even able to get a video. :)  She took it all in stride and seemed to enjoy the warm water.  The stormy sky made for some really dramatic coloring which was nice.

After the holiday weekend, we spent the week packing up for our big road trip to visit Mom and Larry in NC, meet up with Wade's folks, go camping, and hopefully swing by Atlanta to see friends and family.  That last week before we left was pretty brutal - packing for 3 of us was a lot of work considering I didn't have any help during the day (and she wasn't napping much) and in the evenings she only stayed asleep if I was in bed with her, so I couldn't get much done at night.  Wade was also nose deep in prep for 2 jobs interviews so his evenings were spent prepping for those as well.  By the time Saturday morning came around and it was time to get the rental car, I could not start vacation soon enough.  We had a rocky start with the rental car company but finally got everything squared away before loading up the van and heading out.  The plan was to drive 5 hours then stop in Tifton, GA at a nice Hampton Inn that's pet friendly (oh, did I mention we rented a mini-van so we could take the dog, 2 cats, baby, and all our stuff with us??) - a place we've used quite a bit over the last decade from road trips to NC to hurricane evacuations.  The first day's ride was MUCH better than expected considering how terrible the start to the day was.  Clementine has developed a habit of melting down in the car if the conditions aren't perfect (or if she's alone in the back seat) - and it's scary because she gets so worked up she starts coughing and gagging and clearly can't breathe so we have to hastily pull over so I can nurse her to calm her down (at which point she's so worked up her skin feels like it's 1000 degrees).  But she slept most of the ride until the last hour - it was pretty bad when she was awake but tired and not happy while I tried everything to soothe/distract her so we could keep driving.   Luckily we made it safely and got upgraded to a suite which made life easier.  We all had a good but quick night of sleep before starting all over again the next morning.  The second day of driving was the longest of our lives and it would not be overstating it to say we were traumatized.  I was literally considering flying home for the return drive because the stretch between Atlanta and North Carolina was so awful.  It took us 7.5 hours but it felt like 12 (and should have been 6).  Despite the horror and chaos the pets were actually really good about everything thankfully.

Once we arrived, NC was a welcome 2 week vacation of family, relaxation, cooking, and me sort of feeling like I had a life again.  We also watched C bloom while we were there - for Wade's birthday she discovered her voice (sounds like she's calling dolphins), got proficient at rolling over, developed some neck muscles (no more potato head!), gave us a tiny preview of her giggle, started doing tiny baby crunches/situps, and got really good at grasping things.  She was clearly going through a big developmental milestone which explained the tough week we had at home right beforehand.  She was finally able to meet her Grammy and Grampy (Wade's parents) - NC is the perfect midpoint between our house and theirs so it was easier for us to both drive rather than figure out a plane flight.  It was a lot of fun and we tried to capture as much of it as we could in pictures and video.  Wade and I were able to enjoy our first date night, which consisted of us running downstairs to enjoy 30 minutes in the hot tub while watching fireflies - it was wonderful.  C also got to meet her Aunt Janis and Uncle Miles as well as her 2 cousins which was really sweet to watch.  Another first - I finally conquered nursing in public and feel fairly confident with that now (thanks REI and Mast General Store!).  I tried practicing just about everywhere we went which C seemed to need anyway (remotely hungry baby + carseat = disaster) and it was good practice for her nursing with lots of distractions around (maybe that's how she built up her neck muscles - craning to get a look at everything going on around her!)  Every day we were there we practiced trying to get C to take a bottle, but still had very little luck.  Although we did find a sake cup that we've had more luck with so that's a start.  Maybe she'll skip the bottle and go right to a cup?  Originally we were planning to also take C camping for the first time, but the weather rained out our window so we had to scale it back to a picnic and a short hike instead.  On our last day we headed to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to check out the campground we were going to use as well as picnic at a nearby area I had read good things about.  It was a gorgeous area and a fun little adventure.  We hope to come back to take Clementine camping there someday soon.  I've posted our photos and videos to our Picasa site.  The drive home was bittersweet, and tough on Little C again so we weren't able to stop in Atlanta which made us sad, but it was clear we needed to get the drive over with as soon as possible for everyone's mental health.

And the big news for the month - Wade got a new job!  He'll be a Senior Data Scientist for a health benefits company in Tampa that 2 of our friends work for.  It means Wade has to commute now (sad face), but at least it's a relatively short commute and eventually he'll get to work from home one day a week.  He's making enough money for us to survive now, which is a good thing since we were pretty much out of funds with my maternity leave.  (I've been working on finding some projects, but nothing solid yet.)  It also means I can work less to stay home with C, but we can afford to get some part-time help with her when I do have work coming in.  Oh yeah, and finally having extra money for things like a college fund and retirement fund will also be a welcome change!  Wade is also enjoying finally being able to say "That's what they pay me the big bucks for" and it finally be true. ;)

It's raining tacos

Although I'm on a restricted diet (no: gluten, dairy, soy; vegetarian) as a precaution against potential allergies for Little C, I'm finding it's not that bad.  We'll be vegetarian and gluten free no matter what, but there are a few dairy and soy things I do miss: miso soup, quesadillas, hard cheese, greek yogurt.  Once Clementine hits the 6 month mark I can test eating some of these to see if she has a reaction or not.  Despite all these food restrictions (or maybe because of them) she's growing like a weed and we think she's over 16lbs now (she turns 16 weeks next week)!  We also had to loosen her car seat straps this past weekend too and she is starting to look comically large for the co-sleeper.

In the mean time, I am finding that Little C has recently taken a sudden interest in watching me eat.  I frequently find myself nursing her while I'm eating and we joke that she just doesn't like eating alone.  She's pretty much been this way from the beginning so a food tray was my savior for the first two months until we managed to find a way for me to nurse and eat at the dining room table.  Now that she's eating mostly at the table with me I'm finding she is fascinated by watching me eat and even tries imitating my chewing!  Apparently she's already counting down the days until she can start solids.  

She has also been practicing swatting at my fork/spoon/hand while they are conveying food, which has ended in more than a few mishaps.  What I have noticed is that I am starting to hate some of my favorite foods given their poor ability to be transferred successful over a long distance from my plate to my face without raining/dripping down on a nursing baby - I'm looking at you: tacos, salad, soup, tacos, beans and rice, cereal, watermelon, tacos, mulberries, poached eggs, and wraps/sandwiches.  At this point I have officially dirtied more of her clothes than she has.  And I've almost lost it on numerous occasions when we have hot tasty tacos waiting and she decides she needs to eat at the exact moment they hit the table - cold tacos are pretty awful in my book and we eat them a lot so it's a constant challenge.

Other than that, I'm relieved she doesn't seem to mind strong tasting foods (onions, garlic) or spicy foods so we're hoping that'll mean she'll be an open minded eater with us.

Adjusted expectations

I have had some moments in the last week that made me laugh as I compared what I now consider normal to what I originally thought we'd do after Clementine's arrival.  For example:

1. Before: Snuggles in bed with the cats are wonderfully fun, After: Kitty snuggles now feel like a downright spa-like experience since they only want to provide purring sound therapy, apply themselves like heat rocks to my sore spots, and massage me - it's particularly nice because they want nothing from me in return and never cry!
2. Before: We'll only need one heavy-duty stroller for long walks around the neighborhood or for park trails and I'll use the pack when running errands, After: Little C likes to be held and carried but not squished in a pack when she's tired, especially by me.  Hello, umbrella stroller!
3. Before: Little C will sleep in the co-sleeper at night until she's too big then move into her room and crib after a few months.  (How do people sleep with a baby in their bed?!)   After: In the hospital it was clear she was happiest close to us in our arms and within a half hour of us being home she was sleeping in our bed and... we're ok with that.  She sleeps, we sleep, everyone is happy.  It's sweet waking up to snuggly baby smiles (and hilarious baby toots) - now we need a bigger bed. ;)
4. Before:  Nursing in front of people is going to feel awkward.  After:  My boobs are a useful, functional tool (that's what they're made for) that I need to use frequently, much like my hands, and it seems impractical, if not hilarious, to cover up my hands so why should I cover my boobs?  (lol, seriously)
5. Before:  Where can I hide while I'm nursing in public?  After:  Where can I find good arm support while I'm nursing in public?  I don't hide when I eat my meals, why should Clementine hide when she eats hers?  Shame on people for suggesting babies should eat in unsanitary bathroom stalls - would you eat your meal in the restaurant bathroom?  Ick.
6. Before:  I am terrible with kids and don't know how to entertain them.  After:  I am terrible with kids and don't know how to entertain them or put them to sleep (nursing her to sleep doesn't count since it means I'm stuck under her until she wakes up).

So far we've been pleasantly surprised that we were assuming the worst as far as sleepless nights and bodily fluids go, but it's actually been much better than we feared.  All in all the hardest part for me has actually been feeling like I'm stuck in a cave under a nursing or sleeping baby.  But weekly lunches with friends who come over have helped and we're trying to get out more with her (even if it's only a nightly walk) and that's helped.

And here's your daily dose of baby sugar:

Good morning sunshine!