Category: monthly meredith

Keeping it real with the photos this month – these were taken after daycare, so her shirt is dirty, hair is crazy, and her mood was happy one second, crying the next. 

She:

>Kind of says “hi” now. Sometimes I’m convinced she knows what she’s saying, other times I’m not so sure.

>Had some erratic sleep patterns this month for the first time. There were three nights in a row of no sleep, and some extremely early mornings. In addition, she regularly resists going to sleep and we’ve had to rely on the “night-night drive.” The past week, however, has been great – so who knows what it is.

>Is very into cabinets right now. Her favorites are in my bathroom where all my travel-sized toiletries are, and in the living room where we have a basket of knick-knacks.

>Learned how to climb on top of things. I love to just lie on the floor and let her use me as a jungle gym. She’s also figured out how to lower herself down to the floor off a chair or couch.

>Points at everything, and if she has anything in her hand she’ll hold it out to show us. She also loves to bang on any nearby surface with her open hand.

>Drinks water from a sippy cup, although sometimes it’s still just a chew toy to her. Her appetite has been low, but I’m not worried about it. Maybe it’s another teething thing.

>Still doesn’t have any kind of schedule with anything – eating, sleeping, napping, nursing, etc. We just respond to how she acts and go from there.

>No bedtime routine either. Every few nights we’ll have a bath, some nights we nurse in the rocking chair and she goes down in the crib, other nights we go to sleep together in my bed. Sometimes I try to read to her, but only ONCE has she actually sat and let me do that.

>Has been such a delight lately. Not that she wasn’t before, but these days her personality is really coming out. She interacts so much more, and we can start to see what it’ll be like to have a little girl around. And it’s kind of fantastic.

Happy! (I could not get her to let go of my keys.)

Crying. Boo.

I:

>Am at the point in breastfeeding where I can pretty much eat whatever I want and not gain weight, and OH I am abusing this privilege. I am going to have a seriously rude awakening when Meredith weans. So…yay for extended breastfeeding!

>Still haven’t babyproofed, so lots of times I’ll just follow M. around the house while I read a book or magazine, let her get into whatever she wants (unless it’s dangerous or breakable), and then I’ll just follow behind picking things up.

>Have an incredibly hard time dropping Meredith off at daycare now because the lady who was with her since she started retired last week. New lady is nice and all, but she and Meredith don’t know and love each other yet so M. cries every day now, and so far it’s only gotten worse. I know she’s fine once I leave, but the process of leaving is terrible.

>Swear I saw a tooth poking through Meredith’s gums the other day. It was a little white nub, and my mom saw it too. But the next day it had disappeared. So still no teeth.

>Really want to make over our bedroom…and the craft room, and the library, and the dining room, and the backyard. It’s not the lack of time or money that inhibits me, it’s the lack of time AND money.

>Go running maybe once a week right now, if I’m motivated on the weekends. I was doing great until it became oppressively hot here. I need to figure out a way to incorporate yoga back into my routine.

>Have been having a lot of fun buying craft supplies. I really wish I had time to expand my ventures, but for now I’m just barely keeping up with Project Life and cross stitching when I can.

>Love love love seeing Meredith interact with her cousins. I’m so glad our family lives nearby. I’m looking forward to giving her a sibling one day, but no idea when that day will be.

>Have to stop myself every night when I’m writing down my good thing of the day from writing “playing with Meredith” or “making Meredith laugh” or “time with Meredith” because that’s boring, but honestly – it’s the best part of my day, almost every day. And that is a wonderful thing.

For reference:

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One month
Two months
Three months
Four months
Five months
Six months
Seven months
Eight months
Nine months
Ten months

She:

>Was totally not in the mood for this photoshoot. It’s kind of a miracle it happened at all.

>Wears 12-18 month clothes now, and we won’t buy anything smaller than 18 months because of her rapidly expanding thighs. If only they were as cute on me as they are on her.

>Still waves sometimes, but she’s more into pointing these days.

>Plays with her hair for comfort (see above picture).

>Stands! And cruises! She got hold of a stable walking toy the other day at her grandparents’ house and walked across two rooms. Maybe she’ll be walking by her first birthday after all.

>Is resisting going to sleep at night more and more. On the nights that we are desperate to get to bed and she’s not ready we have resorted to taking her on a drive. Works every time. At least once she’s asleep, she sleeps all night.

>Likes her toys okay, but gets bored by them. What DOES keep her attention is a large bag of mini chips, box of sodas, any type of cord or string, the toilet, my shoes and clothes, and the dogs’ bowls. Some of these things I let her play with, some I obviously don’t, and then she gets pissed.

>Still has no teeth, and hasn’t said any words yet. My husband claims she’s said “dada” and I still claim that she doesn’t know what she’s saying.

I: 

>Could not get a single picture of Meredith smiling this month. Just an indicator of how our weekend went.

>Am still recovering from a nasty stomach virus. I also gave it to my husband and my parents, so I’m sure they’re really happy with me right now. At least Meredith is fine, but man is it hard to take care of a baby when everyone is sick.

>Have been slacking a little on running and cooking the past couple of weeks. Sickness, our microwave breaking, and social commitments have thrown me off.

>Am thinking about getting her hair trimmed soon. I wanted to wait until her first birthday, but it’s kind of out of control. I now know why so many little girls have bangs.

>Still haven’t babyproofed anything, except for removing the rubber tips of doorstoppers in her nursery and our room. She goes straight for those things and they go straight in her mouth. I hardly ever fence her in and usually just let her roam free.

>Have become super laid back about her eating. The other day she ate a strawberry that dropped to the floor at daycare and the workers were so scared and watched her like a hawk. They felt better when I told them that she’s already had it. She eats a lot of jar food but also whatever kind of table food is available. And she’s fine.

>Started brainstorming a few challenges for myself. I miss having goals, but what I need now is lists without deadlines. I’m thinking one challenge to do with crafting and one more general to do with life experiences.

>Still think being a mom is the best thing ever, and I completely melt when she hugs me and rests her head on my shoulder, or gives me a big slimy kiss, or laughs when I tickle her. I miss her baby-ness but I completely love watching her learn and grow.

For reference:

No months
One month
Two months
Three months
Four months
Five months
Six months
Seven months
Eight months
Nine months

She:

>Went from zero to crawling in about three days, and now she’s all over the place. I’m fast figuring out what needs to be babyproofed: she will go directly for cords and electrical outlets, but so far hasn’t shown any interest in opening cabinets.

>Enjoys pulling things out, like books off the shelves, chip bags out of the pantry, and toys out of a basket. It keeps her occupied for a good while until she’s surrounded by a mound of stuff and gets stuck.

>Loves to be outside, and it will almost always calm her down or distract her. But we have to watch her closely because she has already had a choking incident involving a piece of grass.

>Immediately starts making noise if you bounce her up and down. Other favorite games include being turned upside down or held up in the air, pattycake, and playing “Where’s Mermaid?”

>Always has a big smile for me when I open the door to get her out of her car seat.

>Waves at herself in the mirror almost every morning, and is waving to people much more now, although it isn’t always consistent. She also gives me hugs, and I think she might even know what the word means. We’re working on it.

>Drinks three 4 oz bottles of breast milk at daycare, plus two meals of baby food – cereal and fruit for breakfast, and vegetable for lunch. Then she nurses once when she gets home, once before bed, usually once during the night and again in the early morning. On the weekends it’s more relaxed – more nursing, more random foods that we are eating. As you can see, she is well fed.

>Has such long and shaggy hair on top that it looks like she’s wearing a toupee. But I still have to leave it down for daycare otherwise she’ll pull the tie out and try to eat it.

>Wears almost all twelve month clothes now.

>Has had constant congestion for the past few weeks. I’m not sure if it’s a lingering cold or just allergies, but David and I have it too.

>Definitely knows her name and I think she even understands when we tell her “no.”

>Smiles easily, but doesn’t laugh often so it’s the best thing ever when she does. I never know what is going to set her off (most recently it was me sucking her fingers) and the same thing never works twice.

I:

>Know her first birthday is still three months away, but I can’t help stressing about her party already anyway. All I want is something simple, cute, and fun. Preferably with mermaids.

>Have been consistently running 3 times a week with Meredith in the jogging stroller (she’s used to it now), and cooking 2-3 times a week as well.

>Went a long time without buying her clothes because of gifts and hand-me-downs, but she’s outgrowing those and now I buy her a little something almost every time I’m out shopping.

>Am stressed because Meredith’s pediatrician is closing her practice and cancelled our 9-month well baby checkup at the last minute. I picked a random new doctor at a large local practice and we’re going in on Monday, but I’m worried that I won’t like her or that we won’t get the personal service that we’re used to.

>Adore all of Meredith’s sounds: her machine-like noises when she’s nursing, all her little snuffles and grunts when she wakes up in the morning, her loud breathing when she’s concentrating, and of course her babbles and laughs.

>Have been struggling with how much time Meredith spends in daycare. We know there are some benefits and we’re trying to focus on those, but it’s not what we really want. For now we’re trying hard to pay off some debts so working part-time will be an option for me one day.

>Noticed recently that Meredith is developing calluses on her knees and it makes me so sad! Her perfect soft baby skin is toughening up. There’s a metaphor in here somewhere.

For reference:

No months
One month
Two months
Three months
Four months
Five months
Six months
Seven months
Eight months

She:

>Is such a chunker. I haven’t weighed her recently, but I think she must be close to her fattest point. She drinks as much breastmilk as ever, plus baby food twice a day.

>Hasn’t crawled yet, but I can no longer consider her “immobile.” She covers a lot of ground on the floor by pushing up, rocking, and pivoting!

>Is easy to make smile, and lately has been laughing more. Over the weekend I laughed with her for probably thirty seconds straight, and it was pretty much the best thing ever.

>Still goes to bed easily and sleeps well. Every night I nurse her to sleep in the dark and lay her down in the crib. Then when I’m ready for bed David picks her up, puts his hand on the back of her head, and brings her in to me.

>Clearly recognizes people she knows – especially me and David, but also her grandparents. She looks us in the eye and smiles.

>Loves to stick her tongue out and blow raspberries. Sometimes she blows them on me. One day she’s going to give me a baby hickey.

>Will pull out any bow or clip that I try to put in her hair within minutes, and immediately put it in her mouth. She has even learned how to take out her ponytails, so I have to send her to daycare with crazy, untamed hair now.

I:

>Am still really struggling with the no coffee thing. I’m to the point where I no longer have a perpetual headache, but overall I’m less energetic and happy than I was before. Basically, I think I’m a better person with coffee, and I will be drinking it again for sure after Lent is over.

>Have had some random emotional moments over the past month. Sometimes I even cry again when dropping Meredith off at daycare. Probably it’s the no coffee thing. (I’m blaming everything on that right now.)

>Am starting to feel really guilty about the fact that I never cook. It’s sad that I can’t remember the last time I did. I mean, Meredith won’t be eating baby food forever; at some point I’m going to have to provide regular nutrients for her that don’t come from a breast, and I’m really stressed out about it.

>Am in denial about babyproofing. I won’t do it until I have to. Until then, I think I’ll just watch her and move stuff out of the way.

>Got my hair cut a week ago – just a trim and some long sideswept bangs – and I’m already ready for a bigger change. I’m going to chop it off, I just need to pick a style.

>Decided to put the money I’ve been saving each month for a computer toward clothes and home decor instead. I realized that my personal style is sorely lacking since I wear scrubs all the time, and our house is barely even half finished. I need it to be my happy place.

>Really wish I could work part-time. But I can’t. So I try not to think about it. I just want more time with this little girl:

Tumbles happen when you’re learning to crawl.

The video below is a great example of what Meredith is like right now. She makes me so, so happy.

For reference:

No months
One month
Two months
Three months
Four months
Five months
Six months
Seven months

I know I covered up her adorable fat rolls this month, but David bought her this perfect mermaid outfit and I had to put her in it. We call her Mermaid more often than anything so it really fits!

She:

>Still has no teeth, which is perfectly fine with me.

>Sits by herself better and better all the time, and plays well independently.

>Isn’t mobile yet, but I know it’s coming. She gets herself on her tummy all the time now, pushes up (and occasionally pushes up her pelvis too), and scoots a bit.

>Loves the dogs! Cleo is especially interested in her, and anytime she starts licking Meredith opens her mouth. Gross, child. Meredith actually fell off the couch right in front of me once because she leaned over too far to pet Cleo. She was fine, but I felt TERRIBLE.

>Is beginning to enjoy non-breastmilk food now and will take the spoon in her mouth eagerly. She’d prefer to feed herself, which we sometimes let her do, but most of the time it’s easier for us to just do jar food.

>Has been erratic at bedtime, sometimes not sleeping unless I go to bed with her, and preferring darkness.

>Hardly naps at all on the weekends. She doesn’t want to miss out on any time with us, and I feel the same way. But still, naps would be nice.

>Prefers to play with (and therefore chew) paper, plastic, hair, and necklaces. One day I found a piece of a Kohl’s price tag in her diaper.

>Is really good with her hands! I don’t pay attention to those baby development things, but I feel like this is an area she excels in.

>Used to love lying on the changing table, but now she fusses every time we lie her down there. I think she’s entering a bit of a clingy stage!

She’s got the over-the-shoulder modeling pose down.

Tummy time requires intense concentration.

I:

>Seem to have some sort of perpetual mild sickness. I guess it’s drainage, resulting in a dry throat, cough, and an altogether feeling of tiredness. But it never progresses past the point of annoyance, and for that I’m grateful.

>Have started taking baths with Meredith at night. She outgrew her infant tub, and we bought her an inflatable transitional tub in the shape of a duck, but she’s afraid of it and cries anytime we put her in it. I can’t actually bathe myself while I’m in the tub with her, but it’s fast becoming one of my favorite things for us to do together.

>Am giving up coffee and chocolate for Lent and am kind of terrified. I chose this combination because I wanted to think of something that would be as hard for me as it will be for my husband to give up soda, which is what he’s doing. In preparation I have had Starbucks several times over the past few days and lots of truffles.

>Can’t express my love for nursing Meredith enough. Although I’m getting more used to her eating other foods, I’m still so grateful that she wants me when she’s truly hungry, or tired, or upset. I hope that when it’s time to wean my heart will be ready.

>Gave up on trying to exercise right now. I really do want to incorporate it back into my life, but it’s not high on the priority list at this time. Thankfully I have an active job so I’m on my feet a lot and not just sitting around.

>Think we might have found the church we want to get involved in. We’ve been there for a month, and we’re signed up for the “newcomer luncheon” next week. Fingers crossed this one sticks.

>Have been trying hard to find balance between work, family & Meredith, and hobbies. Work takes up way too much of my time, but I do have a great job and maybe one day we can afford for me to go part-time. If I’m not there I’m with Meredith and that’s what I want, and I fit in other things when I can, like after she goes to bed or while she’s napping or playing by herself on the weekends.

>Think Meredith gets better and better all the time, and I am finally not missing her newborn-ness too much and am actually kiiiind of looking forward to her getting a little older. Seven months, though, is a really great age.

For reference:

No months
One month
Two months
Three months
Four months
Five months
Six months