What a busy week we have had!

Ok, so when we last visited Miss C's doctor, we discussed some signs that Miss C might be ready to start on cereals. For example, does she eat more than normal? Is she teething? Does she show an interest in our food? Can she hold her head up? Can she sit unsupported in a chair? Well, the answer was yes to all of the above. One of the main reasons we chose to start cereals recently is that Miss C seems to need them. She is still primarily getting breast milk, but she has been getting some cereal in the evenings lately. We are going to start with breakfast soon.

Speaking of which, check out this great photo of Miss C and her Daddy!

In addition to that major change, DH's sister, J, came out for a week. She did us the great favor of organizing what we are now calling our library (its a ton of books in both our office and the family room but they are only separated by a set of double doors so...). It looks great and will look even better once we get our drapes but please, don't ask about those! We took some time and put up some wallies on Miss C's ceiling fan and in her bathroom. Check out this picture from her bathroom.

Pretty neat, eh? Miss C loves yellow and seems to like the fish!

In addition, Miss C got to spend lots of time with her Auntie J. They get along great and had a blast playing together. It only took Miss C about 3 days to become really relaxed with her. As you can see, they get along famously.

I went back to work today. First "real" work day here in the great Northwest. It's a neat job and I am looking forward to learning a lot and working with the folks here. My only concern is the fact that there are shifts here and there may be times when I have to have someone stay with Miss C at night for a few nights or in the evening for a few evenings if DH is gone. I am trying not to stress the possibility out, but its there. This is also the longest I have had Miss C at day care. She was at Ms. J's house today from 7 am to 330 pm. It will probably be 4 pm tomorrow. I feel like I am not doing something right because she is there so much, but my working hours, right now, are 730 am to 4 pm so I am struggling to make sure Miss C isn't there too much longer than she has to be. I don't really have a choice because DH's hours are about the same as mine. I keep telling myself something that DH's Mom told me once, "It's not the quantity of time you spend with your daughter but the quality." I hope she's right.

BUMBO RECALL?!! Not as bad as it sounds.

I just saw this article on msn.com about the bumbo recall. Information from the safety commission can be found here. Apparently there have been a few reported injuries caused by kids in bumbos on counter tops, table tops, etc. Yea, I know. There is a warning on the side of ours, but apparently that is not enough. Wonder what the new sticker will say, if I send for it.

San Diego is burning

I have never been more relieved for having moved to the great northwest than when I logged on to read about the 2007 California Wildfires. We still own a house down there and thankfully, its still standing. I have been checking the register of folks who have been evacuated but who have registered their names on line.
I know we are all thinking positive thoughts for our friends stuck in SoCal and hope that everyone comes out all right. Positive thoughts and lots of prayers going out to my friends down south.

Almost done!

Ok, so today started out pretty normal. Miss C, sleeping in her nursery, woke me up around 430 for an early breakfast. She went back to sleep afterwards for another hour or so then was up for the day. She has been going through yet another growth spurt so she is all eat and sleep lately. She still plays but its not for as long as normal. She gets so tired during growth spurts!

We had her 4 month check up today and she is now 26 inches long and weighs 16 pounds 9 ounces! Her head circumference is 16 inches. According to the doctor, she is 95th percentile for height and weight and 50th percentile for head circumference. Same as her last check up. She is
doing terrific, developing fast and in all an outstanding child! Would you have expected anything different?

Miss C did really well with her immunizations today. We gave her a little Tylenol (doctor's approval of course) about an hour before her shots (we were aiming for 15 minutes but there was a huge line for shots today!) and she only cried once the needles were in her legs. She stopped almost as soon as DH picked her up. Once we got home she ate and is now in bed. I know she needs a nap. That "quick appointment" took almost 2 and 1/2 hours! Got to love Navy medicine!

As far as my almost done comment, we are almost done unpacking. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate moving?I used to kind of like it, the whole change of scenery aspect and all that, but I am soooo tired of moving, packing, unpacking, crap like that. The house is looking great but we are still without drapes. I know, can you imagine? Luckily, we live on over 2 acres so there is no one remotely close to check out the house. DH took some of our fleece blankets and tacked them up over certain windows (primarily those in the bedrooms). We have met with
someone regarding drapes but apparently custom drapes take time to be made. We will be lucky if we have drapes by December. Oh well, its better to do them right the first time, right?

What else? Oh! We found a wonderful care provider for Miss C. Her name is Miss J (for privacy purposes of course) and she has 2 kids of her own (6 y.o. and 9 y.o.) who are great (we met them as well) and she takes care of two other kids (another 6 y.o. and a 1 y.o.). Miss C is very comfortable with Miss J and so are DH and I. Its amazing how much more affordable care is here! Seriously! I am spending about 1/3 as much as I was in So Cal on child care. That
makes a huge difference when you make less money and have two mortgages (hopefully we will find a buyer sooner rather than later!).

I have taken some photos but because we aren't really going to decorate until we get the drapes up, its kind of not right to show off the house in its current state. Don't misunderstand, this is a great, gorgeous house. I just want you all to enjoy it in its full glory. For that to happen, we need drapes! DH and I are very pleased with the progress we have made on the house (no more boxes in all of the rooms!) but we are convinced there is more to do. Ugh! Since we are both starting work soon, the changes might need to happen on weekends and when we take leave next (probably over Christmas). We still plan on flying out to see DH's family at Christmas (an annual tradition when we live on the mainland) but we will work on the house when we can regardless.

Oh! So DH decided to share the following with me. Apparently while playing with her daddy, Miss C rolled over from her back to her belly! He thinks she didn't do it on purpose (she apparently was kind of pissed off when it happened) but darn! I wonder, do kids really practice stuff before they show one of their parents? Hope to be able to share seeing this myself soon!

Well, that's pretty much it. Not too much to report. Thanks for reading!

Miss C is 4 months old today!

Well, its been a wild four months. If you had asked me a year ago what I thought this would be like, I would have definitely not been able to guess.

Miss C is more wonderful than we ever imagined possible. We've been so busy this past month that its hard to remember what i have already gushed about and what I have simply spoken to friends about.

So, without further ado, Miss C's current status:

1. Check up is on the 16th (new doctor, harder to get an appointment, apparently!) but we are estimating her weight at 16 pounds and her height around 26 1/2 inches. I promise to post when I get the actual numbers.

2. She is sleeping in her nursery at night! Yea. I know, this was really a challenge for me to accept that she is fine sleeping in her own room. I mean, it should have been a no-brainer but since we took longer to move her because we didn't set up a nursery until now, well, it was more difficult. I was going to wait until today, her actual 4 month day, but DH suggested we do it on her 16 week day. He just thought sooner the better to get me used to it. Well, the first night she slept so peacefully. It didn't dawn on me until well after I got up the next day to check the channel on the monitor. Low and behold, I had the wrong channel in. Now, this may be a large house, but it is very quiet at night. So, I tell myself, if she really needed anything, she would have simply hollered loud enough for me to hear. Since that first night, she has started stirring around 430 or 5am and I get up to feed her simply to alleviate the pressure in my chest. She used to go right back to sleep but apparently her nursery offers some slight stimulation in the dark because after I put her back to bed, kiss her and tell her to go back to sleep, I hear her talking (to herself? her toys?) for about 20 minutes before she goes back to sleep. It's so cute!

3. She has three teeth broken through working on a fourth. they are all bottom teeth. I would love to post photos but as they are all clear still, no joy there. She chews on everything she can get her hands on up to and including her hands. If I haven't already done so, thank you to all who saw fit to give her teething toys at the baby shower! they have certainly come in handy earlier than we anticipated!

4. She lies on her side. Since she found her feet a couple (?) of weeks ago, Miss C spends a lot of time on her side. Its a combination of finding and playing with her feet as well as having a different view. Her balance is simply amazing!

5. She loves her jumperoo! We were given a jumperoo (thanks J, C and B!) from some friends who's son had either out grown it or didn't like it. Well, Miss C loves it! It has definitely come in handy while we have been unpacking around here. I just put the jumperoo in a door way where I am unpacking boxes and Miss C bounces and goes in circles while chewing on teething rings and teething keys, happily talking to me, the cat, anything in her line of sight. No videos yet, but again, we are still moving in! ;-)

6. Miss C equally loves her Exersaucer! This, if you are unfamiliar, is like a walker without wheels. Apparently those are no longer allowed. Too many injuries, I guess. If you have stairs, block them off (duh!) and if you aren't paying attention, well, you're kind of asking for trouble, right? Anyway, Miss C's Aunt C and Cousin M got her this great contraption at the baby shower and DH put it together the other day. Here is a photo of her enjoying her new toy!

Well, that's pretty much it. I know I am barely under the wire for "today" on the east coast. Forgive me. We interviewed 3 folks to care for Miss C. Found 1 we thought would be great but found out there was someone who interviewed her before us and they got the last spot (she only has 3 total). So, I am off again tomorrow to hopefully find the right person. Luckily the navy has an office I call where they give me a list of names and numbers of navy certified home care providers who have a spot available in the right age. I just have to find the right one and let me tell you, it's scary! Wish us luck!

Talk about busy!

The actual move, getting to the new house that is, was pretty simple. Miss C is a great traveler and entertained not only herself but also those around her during our flight. Heck, even her sleeping was apparently entertaining.
A random thought here, why is it some people expect children to remain silent on flights when they (those who expect silence) are louder than every one else? Are they envious?
Anyway, thanks again to Poobou and clan for letting us hang out. I know it wasn't that long, but you made a world of difference. Miss C had a great time, she was able to strech, grab some toes, holler with C-baby, all that good kid stuff that being stuck in a car seat or on Mommy's lap prevents her from doing. The pictures poobou posted are awesome and we're looking forward to our next visit.
We've been working on unpacking the house for the past 3 or so days. I think we have made considerable progress. I have taken some before photos but one of the results of our reorganizing is my camera case has taken a short hiatus. I am sure i will locate it in the next day or so. When I do, I will load some photos. Promise!
Oh, Miss C is 16 weeks old today (not really 4 months until the 9th!) and to celebrate, she is spending tonight in her own room. There are no boxes (that room really was a priority) but there are no decorations yet. I have to take some photos of her crib and dresser. I picked them up from Target but its cherry. i also got the matchign three drawer dresser. It looks great. We have a swing in the room but saw a very cute kids recliner that we might pick up. I know, silly but Miss C will need a chair so...
Well, that's about it. Just a reminder, be sure to comment! No lurkers! ;-)