One of my friends recently found that she is having a girl :) So that day, I started to make a few gifts. I have seen pearl necklace onesies before, and didn’t think they would be difficult to make. In just about 10 min I was able to make two onesies!
First take some wax paper and put it inside the onesie so that the paint doesn’t bleed though. Take some tape and tape back those little flaps at the top of the onesie so that paint doesn’t get smeared on them.
Then you just get some puffy paint and start making your necklaces.
The finished results :) I added a little fine glitter while the paint was wet… just for a little extra pizazz :)
So I bought a dye kit a while ago and thought it would be cute to tie dye a few white onesies. I didn’t look up directions, but was going off of what I remembered from elementary summer camp. Great idea I know.
So I used a chopstick and twisted to make swirls, then used rubber bands. as long as the rubber bands are tight, where they touch the fabric, it will be white… or at least lighter.
Once I had my onesies all bundled up, I dyed them according to the directions of my dye kit. I thought I was making pink dye… but it turned out it was orange. The jars of powder weren’t labeled… so oh well… I took a risk. Orange is good too though :)
The only problem is I went wrong somewhere along the way. They didn’t turn out how I wanted them to. I suppose I’ll look up directions next time :)
I feel like she has matured so much this month. She is so much fun! She is also becoming more independent. I really have the cutest, most adorable baby. (I'm not biased or anything) As cute as her pictures are, I don’t think they can capture the magnitude of her cuteness.
I seriously fall more and more in love with her each day. I have to stop myself from posting too many pictures of her on facebook, or talking about her every second. I am seriously obsessed with this little girl.
Weight: 12 lbs
Length: 24 in
challenges:
I have gone back to work. I miss her so much while I am gone, and hate that I only get a little bit of time with her once I get home before I have to put her to bed. It is also just a lot to juggle. My days pretty much are: wake up at 6, nurse, put her back down and get dressed then out the door by 7. Teach all day. Come home, nurse, play with Em. We eat dinner (sometime I cook while Lan has her, and sometimes we just get takeout) while trying to entertain a cranky baby. Around 7 I take her to her room, nurse her, and put her to bed around 8. After she is asleep, I clean bottles and try to clean the house a little bit before I get in bed myself, usually around 9 if I can. Then there is typically one middle of the night feeding. I feel like I have no time to chill or do something fun. My whole existence during the week days is taking care of Em or our house. I wouldn’t trade Em for anything, but it still is taking some getting used to.
I also hate my post pregnancy body. I’m still 20 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight and like 60 from my ideal weight. yeiks. I have a bunch of stretch marks on my lower belly and a tiny bit of loose skin (which I think will still go back). Once summer hits and I have the time, I plan to menu plan and start exercising.
Em’s new tricks and triumphs:
Wow… I feel like there are so many! She has so much personality now.
A big one is that she can now play by herself for a while. Last night she was happy on her playmat for like 30 min with no one paying any attention to her… other than watching her and laughing because she was so cute and having so much fun. She is definitely grabbing toys and has learned how to play with them. She can turn on the music on her hanging bug. She has also started grabbing toys and putting them in her mouth.
She is sucking on her fists like crazy as well as doing a lot of drooling. I'm thinking this is the first phases of teething.
Em is pretty much obsessed with standing on her legs. So often I try to get her to sit so that I can burp her and she just keeps her body super stiff… not wanting to bend but wants to stay on her feet.
Lan said that he came home for lunch when a friend was watching her, and she giggled while she was awake. Not her shriek as a laugh, but a real giggle… and I missed it. This is going to be one of the hardest things about being a working mom. Missing out on those special moments.
She can sit unassisted for a little bit before face planting. She will be a pro before I know it.
Things that I love:
I love how happy she is. She really is such a happy baby. She thinks everything is hilarious.
I also absolutely love that when I am nursing her and look down into her big beautiful brown eyes, she gets the hugest smile on her face. It is so precious. I actually have to avoid eye contact sometimes so that she will nurse instead of just sitting there smiling at me. A good problem to have :)
I love watching her learn. She gets this look on her face and you can tell she is so proud of herself when she is able to do something.
Things I have learned:
Just when you think you figure out your baby.. they change.
Also what works for one person while watching her, will be totally different from another person. This month Em spent time with Lan watching her, my mom, and two different friends. She doesn’t eat as well from a bottle… but she will be fine. She doesn’t sleep as well… but she will be fine. Mainly... she will be fine…. even if people do things differently than me.
Here we are… two months later. I will probably say this every month, but I can’t believe it.
Weight: 10 lbs
Length: 21.70 in
Even though Em is on the small side on the charts, she is definitely putting on her baby chub
challenges:
Hormones. I didn’t think that two months later my hormones would still be regulating, but they are. At my six week appointment, I ended up balling while answering questions about being anxious about returning to work, sleep, pumping, etc… and cried at the drop of a hat for the next two days. Even when I was perfectly happy, stress free, and well rested, I felt like I could cry. A few days later, I was fine. I had a few days of this last month, so I think my body is still adjusting.
I also went back to work three days before her two month birthday. I miss her so much when I'm gone.
triumphs:
Sleep! The day after I told Lan that I didn’t think I would ever get to sleep a good night again… Em slept wonderfully. We figured out a trick to get Em to sleep… well Lan did.
She loves it… which you can see form her smile. We swaddle her… then wrap her in a towel. She doesn’t like to be able to move apparently. A simple swaddle isn’t enough… she needs to be completely immobilized. There is no way for her to break out of this and for it to get over her face (unlike her swaddle blankets which I have found over her face twice while still remaining swaddled!)
She went from sleeping at night with one three hour, and then the rest 1 1/2-2 hr stretches to sleeping through the night with me waking her up at 3:30 for a feeding. I am one happy momma, and she is a much better rested and happy baby.
Baby fussiness has started to get better as well. I know more fussy time is headed our way with teething, but we are enjoying our happy baby. She is so sweet and it still amazes me with the fact that she is mine.
Em’s new tricks:
in addition to sleep….
Em can now roll from tummy to back.
She is definitely smiling socially. She smiles at us, especially after a good nap, and has even smiled at some of her toys! I am loving this. It makes the fact that she is growing up so fast a little easier for this momma. She even giggles… but only while she is asleep :)
Shortly after her one month birthday we started putting her in a bumbo… and she loves it. She was born with ridiculously good head control, and she is a super sitter. She has gone for more than an hour perfectly happy in one while we talk with her. This is some father daughter time while mom made some lunch. She loves her bumbo.
Moms and dads are so different, and I love that God made us this way. (prepare for generalizations here) Where moms are so much more careful, nurturing, and well paranoid… dads are more playful and not afraid to try things with the little ones. Hence Lan being the one to find a way to help her sleep and the best way to make her burp (which involves hanging her over your shoulder bone so there is pressure on her tummy. Seriously the best way to get her to burp and at times the only way to stop her from crying. I guess that tummy pressure really makes her feel good) Their relationship is so different from hers and mine, and I love it.
She has also been having fun on a play gym that we borrowed. She will spend both tummy time and back time on the mat (which she won’t do on the one we were given for her). So, I think I will be purchasing the same one since she likes it so much. It is awesome to have other friends having babies and able to try each others baby products out.
Things that I love:
I feel like I am finally getting a handle on all of this...well sometimes I feel like I am getting a handle on this. My little girl is getting more and more personality and I love the fact that she loves me and her dad so much. The fact that she fusses with other people and then is happy when we hold her and smiles at us melts my heart.
I love watching Lan with Em. They love each other so much, and I can tell that she loves him as much as she loves me, but for different reasons. I find it amazing that I can already see these things in her. Before Em was born, Lan was terrified of babies… only loving to play with them once they were more sturdy and probably about a year. Well, he is a natural with Em and has definitely gotten over his baby fear.
Things I have learned:
Breastfeeding is a good time to write blog posts… and typing one handed gets easier the more that you do it :) When you are stuck sitting on the couch or in bed with your boob occupied four about half of every day, there is only so much staring into your little one’s eyes that you can do…. especially if those eyes are closed...which seems to be most of the time. (when they are open I talk and sing to her)
