Maya is on the move!

I know, I know ... all parents say this ... but it's true! Maya is growing SO fast!  I can't believe she is 15 weeks now! in two weeks she will be 4 months!

She can roll over now, has found her thumb, is very verbal about what she does not like - and pushes/bats things away she does not want, does a half-sit up when you lay her down and she does not want to lay down ... it is just amazing to see her personality and her skills develop!

Unfortunately some of her 'skills' have gone backwards ... she no longer sleeps  4 hours in a row :( It's back to eating every 2 hours - but still she will sleep on her wedge, rock 'n' play, or bed .... which is better than a person :) 

Speaking of backwards ... this girl can scoot ever so slowly backwards on her tummy now - and can rotate in circles while on her tummy :) That one is funny to watch ;-)  She also does a thing I call 'back crawling'. While on her back she uses the plank pose (really! she digs in her deals and lifts up her bum) to push herself either backwards or forwards, depending on what she wants. All this moving around makes diaper changes entertaining ... She is not one you can leave anywhere but the floor safely anymore :)

She's also into chewing and drooling - I thought that phase was a few months out, but man, she loves to chew and suck on anything and everything .. and drool .... bibs are part of her regular attire now :)

oh, and speaking of "on the move", I have learned to nurse while wearing her in the bjorn ... makes family outings much easier.  She really likes it - the upright position is good for her reflux :)

She is pretty strong and really good at holding herself up - has a really strong core, so you have to hold on to her pretty tight :)

She still loves to sing! 

yup, found her thumb!

Taking more time with Maya

It has taken me a while to write this post ... mostly because I wasn't sure what to write. So finally I am just writing ...

Maya turned 12 weeks this past Thursday ... and for those of you who live in the USA you know what that means. It means that my paid maternity leave is over. For those of you in Canada .. I KNOW!!!! 12 wweeks! how insanely short for a maternity leave, right? Well, 12 weeks paid is actually a good ''deal' here in the USA.  As a Canadian it really feels like priorities are a bit whacked here :)

In any case - yes - my paid leave is over. But I am not going back to work. After much discussion and soul-searching, we have decided I will take at least 4 more weeks off. This was not an easy decision ... and has many facets.

First, I love Maya and I know that this time with her is precious ... and I will never get this time back.

Additionally, her tummy still is not settled though it is getting progressively better. I hate the thought of her crying and not being able to comfort her. Daycare has 2 other kids in the infant room who also need attention - we started working with them(did 2 days last week, up to 3 hrs in a row) and they will work with us to gradually increase her time there as her tummy improves. They were very glad after Thursday (she did not have a great day) that the ramp is gradual :)

At the same time, I am eager to get back to work ... at least some days.  Some days I am too exhausted to even think about work. Other days, when I get 4 hrs of sleep in a row and Maya has a decent night, my mind is searching for something to keep it occupied - something other than learning baby sign language and new things to do with and teach Maya :)

I also feel a huge amount of pressure to return to work - career pressure. My job is high pressure and highly competitive. Admittedly a lot of this pressure comes from me :)

Days like today, where her tummy is pretty upset and she cries out in pain every time I put her down, make me confident in my decision. Other days, when she has a good day (I can nap her on something other than me) I wonder if I am doing enough for her, and if it is the right thing.  I am guessing a lot of working moms go thru this with their little ones - especially at 12 weeks, and especially when they have tummy issues.

In the end, even though I feel pulled in many directions, I KNOW this is the right place for me, for now.  I also know that when I am 60 I won't be regretting the few months of work that I missed ;-)

Almost 3 months already????

Where did the time go? Maya will be 3 months in just over a week. I have no idea how that much time went so quickly, and yet some of the minutes seemed to creep by soooo slowly!!

Maya has grown so much - she can do so many things now and is learning new things daily, it seems!  Here is a quick update on our newest family member ...

She loves to sing and talk. She is a really social baby :) Her favorite 'toy' is people ;-) So when she is awake, we are talking, singing, or playing some silly game. It's so much fun!

She laughs and just this weekend learned how to giggle - oh how that laughter brightens even the toughest day! I was not prepared for the emotional roller coaster that comes with a baby ... (I am guessing some of it is lack of sleep and some is just 'normal') ... but her giggles and smiles just melt my heart!

She recognizes people - she has recognized myself and Jonathan for a while now, but totally recognizes Emily's voice, and Grandma, Papa, and Aunt Jenn too! It's so fun to watch!!

She can grab things - and has a strong grip! She regularly grips the sun, one of her favorite toys and pulls so hard that she undoes the Velcro and it comes tumbling down :) She also likes to grab hands, fingers, and hair :) Emily has to be careful now with her hair ;-)

She's very curious about the world around her - always checking out people and noises.

She loves the outdoors. Getting outside will calm her almost immediately ... and she now likes to go for walks in the bjorn and look around. it's pretty fun :)

She still struggles with her tummy, but we are making progress. With the wedge and food elimination (no dairy, gluten, soy, eggs, bananas, almonds, broccoli, yeast, green beans, lima beans, kidney beans, pineapple, or cranberry), she sleeps 4 hours in a row each night - so nice! Naps are mostly in the Bjorn but I've managed to get her to nap on the wedge or rock and play sleeper a few times.  And I've even managed to shower a few times when it is just her and I! Progress, my friends, progress :)

Maya posing on the couch ...

 

Tummy time! 

Giggles!

 

Maya's wedge

My new 'normal'

There are classes and support groups for parents who bring baby home … most of them are about 'embracing the new normal'  … since it feels like we are still figuring out our new normal I figured it was a good blog title :)  We are still figuring everything out … but one thing I know: no two babies are alike… therefore 'normal' is different for all parents, and changes with each kid … Here is our 'normal' with Maya:

Before I begin I want to say … Maya is perfect and I fall more in love with her every day.  I say this because some might read this as me complaining .. But really, I am just trying to be honest and tell it like it is. No frills : )  So lets get started shall we?

First a bit about Maya … as you already know, she has reflux … also, she seems to have food sensitivities which we have not totally figured out yet … on top of that I am blessed with an over-supply of milk and she has not adjusted to the flow yet …

So … here is what a 'normal' day looks like … If she has had a good night, Maya will start to get fussy around 4 or 5 am … she usually has some burps to get out … lots of bouncing and patting ensues. I am not ashamed to admit I have taken to using Emily's trampoline when I am tired of bouncing :) Once we get a few burps out I will try to feed her … once dada gets up I will get dressed (and hopefully remember to put on deodorant ;-))… put on a baby carrier and start my day of baby wearing.  I thank the people who came up with these carriers every day … though my back sill gets sore, I cannot imagine what I would do without them.  Hats off to women like my mom who had 'fussy' babies (yup, that was me) and no carriers!! We have been trying to get into a routine where one of us gets in a workout in the morning ... but it hasn't happened yet.  We are lucky that Emily has taken to reading in bed with me while Maya nurses in the mornings ... this lets Dada catch up on some of the sleep he lost so I could sleep the night before :)

Maya and I generally get out for a walk (how she sleeps best) before 11am - we do a 2.25 mile loop that has some hills … we've been adding more as I get faster. I am nervous to go more than 30 min - if she gets too hungry, she gulps and this makes the burps worse :) After that loop I sometimes walk up and down our street. I am sure our neighbors think I am a bit nuts ;-)  After a mid-morning feeding we'll do medicine … and then a few times a week, a bath. On a really really good day, Maya will sleep on top of my chest while I nap …

Maya has taken to talking, cooing, smiling, and reaching for things which is loads of fun and we get about 10 min of time on her back with her telling me stories after a good feed before her tummy starts to hurt. She really likes to talk to me and enjoys the feel of different textures on her belly. She seems to like really colorful toys and also watching herself in the mirror.

Some days she will sit in the bouncy bjorn chair while I bounce her with my foot and do something … like write a blog post  or eat.  She hasn't taken to her swing yet - lasts about 3 minutes (man, I can get a lot done in 3 min these days!) before it irritates her.

Showering happens when dada has time in the morning or my in-laws come over for re-enforcements. I've managed to shower on my own with Maya exactly twice in 8 weeks :) Hmm … I wonder how she would feel about taking a shower in the bjorn with me? ;-)

Eating? I have figured out that I can eat while she is in the Bjorn without getting food on her by putting a blanket and dish cloth over her head :) She does not like it when I get food on her … lol. Can't blame her … Dinner is usually in shifts - dada and I take turns … on a good day she will sit in her bouncy chair for 10 - 15 minutes and we sit down together!

Dada takes a feeding shift each night so that I get a full REM cycle of sleep … after that she generally eats each hour … or on a good night every 1.5 hrs. We have even had a few nights where she eats every 2 hours! In between feeds she will sleep on me …  or we bounce and walk.

That about sums it up … we hope that our precious peanut will outgrow her upset tummy or we will figure out what food(s) might be irritating her.