We are not so happy about this new world we find ourselves entering into.
And to be honest, neither are mommy and daddy lol. But we know it's best for her in the long run.
What is this new world? The world of boundaries. And the world that no longer revolves around Elisa.
This has led to our first "no" fit. What do I mean by "no" fit? Well, Elisa decided that the dishwasher looked like a really good place to play while mommy and daddy were unloading it. Some of you may go, wait, what a GREAT teachable moment! She just wants to help with the chores! And to be honest, that was my first thought. But then, the thought of the sharp knives and left over soap residue on the door that she was gripping to keep standing as she reached for the silverware tray entered my mind. And I had images of her deciding the knives were a great new toy...and that side of the battle won.
So we told her no, picked her up, handed her one of her toys and went back to unloading the dishwasher.
This continued for probably 20 repeat patterns.
The first 10, we thought "wow what a fun game!" and would smile and giggle as mommy or daddy carried us back to our toys and would make a beeline right back to the dishwasher. Then we began to realize mommy and daddy were serious about this not playing with the dishwasher thing and so we would whine in frustration whenever she was moved back to her toys. The last 5 or so we got the all out screams and tears of frustration and "I just want to play with that." Finally, we realized mommmy and daddy were REALLY serious and we just were NOT going to get to play with that. So we thought we'd be clever. And crawled over to daddy and clung to his leg as he was standing next to the dishwasher. And reach over from that way. We really had a meltdown once we realized that mommy and daddy were onto our game. And the look she gives you as her little face crumples, tears stream from her little eyes, her little chin quivers and the bellows that can come from those small lungs all breaks your heart!
Good thing about babies is they have REALLY short memories. So less than a minute after the final attempt she was back to her cheery self.
Also, the sleep training is, well, going. We won't go down for naps this way. Just scream and scream and scream. But bed time, we maybe scream or whine for 10 minutes at the most before settling down for the night. So definitely progress from our beginning 45 minute scream fest.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
The month of "firsts"
Yup, tis October. And we made it through our "first" anniversary. Today is our second "first" anniversary.
So, a year ago yesterday was the day, one year ago, that I was admitted to the hospital in active labor at 26 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Yesterday's anniversary could have been so different. Elisa could have been born on 10/9/09. And she might not have made it. Had she been born at that early date, her chances of survival would only have been 80%. But she wasn't. She was born 19 days later and with a 100% chance of survival.
Obviously we aren't really going to "celebrate" a lot of these "first" anniversary's, because honestly, we don't really want to "remember" them in the same way you do birthdays and anniversary's. So yesterday was low key. We did go out to dinner, thanks to a gathering at a friends and having some gift certificates. So Miss Elisa gained a new experience. That of dining at a "sit down" restaurant.
She's taking after her daddy in more than one way. She LOVED the warm bread that came with dinner. She was a little vulture snatching it off of daddy's fingers or out of his hand. At one point it seemed like she'd eaten half the loaf herself! She hadn't really, but it definitely felt like it. I kept waiting for it to be given back, but she kept it all!
And after dinner and the Mizzou watch party, we tried what I believe is called sleep training. After many difficult nights fighting to keep her sleeping, we've decided she needs to learn how to put herself to sleep. I'm told I'm a bit late on teaching her this, that we really should have done this around 6 months old. But I guess I was just enjoying my nightly cuddle sessions too much. So we just gave her a bottle, got her a little drowsy and put her down. She did better than I thought, after fighting with her the last few nights and having 45 minute cry it out sessions. She only whined for 5 min and then was out. For the night! And didn't wake up until 8 am. Heaven!
Today, our "second" anniversary is the day we met our soon to be host family. :) Which is a good anniversary as they really helped us out during our stay. I don't know what we would have done without them! We spent our day carving pumpkins and decorating for Halloween. I'm really looking forward to the holiday's this year. They will just hold even more meaning than they did last year, even though they aren't technically Elisa's "first." They feel like they are though.
So, a year ago yesterday was the day, one year ago, that I was admitted to the hospital in active labor at 26 weeks and 3 days pregnant. Yesterday's anniversary could have been so different. Elisa could have been born on 10/9/09. And she might not have made it. Had she been born at that early date, her chances of survival would only have been 80%. But she wasn't. She was born 19 days later and with a 100% chance of survival.
Obviously we aren't really going to "celebrate" a lot of these "first" anniversary's, because honestly, we don't really want to "remember" them in the same way you do birthdays and anniversary's. So yesterday was low key. We did go out to dinner, thanks to a gathering at a friends and having some gift certificates. So Miss Elisa gained a new experience. That of dining at a "sit down" restaurant.
She's taking after her daddy in more than one way. She LOVED the warm bread that came with dinner. She was a little vulture snatching it off of daddy's fingers or out of his hand. At one point it seemed like she'd eaten half the loaf herself! She hadn't really, but it definitely felt like it. I kept waiting for it to be given back, but she kept it all!
And after dinner and the Mizzou watch party, we tried what I believe is called sleep training. After many difficult nights fighting to keep her sleeping, we've decided she needs to learn how to put herself to sleep. I'm told I'm a bit late on teaching her this, that we really should have done this around 6 months old. But I guess I was just enjoying my nightly cuddle sessions too much. So we just gave her a bottle, got her a little drowsy and put her down. She did better than I thought, after fighting with her the last few nights and having 45 minute cry it out sessions. She only whined for 5 min and then was out. For the night! And didn't wake up until 8 am. Heaven!
Today, our "second" anniversary is the day we met our soon to be host family. :) Which is a good anniversary as they really helped us out during our stay. I don't know what we would have done without them! We spent our day carving pumpkins and decorating for Halloween. I'm really looking forward to the holiday's this year. They will just hold even more meaning than they did last year, even though they aren't technically Elisa's "first." They feel like they are though.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tis that time!
Blog for preemies is November 17, 2010.
Not sure yet what I'll say. I have a unique success story for a preemie. Hopefully Elisa's story can bring hope to a new mom of a new preemie. But at the same time, our story is unusual in the world of preemies. Feeder/grower at 29 weeks. Born thousands of miles from home. Had our first plane ride at 6 weeks old.
I don't know. The wheels are turning. I feel like writing even though I have nothing to say at the moment. Next week I will. But just not now.
Not sure yet what I'll say. I have a unique success story for a preemie. Hopefully Elisa's story can bring hope to a new mom of a new preemie. But at the same time, our story is unusual in the world of preemies. Feeder/grower at 29 weeks. Born thousands of miles from home. Had our first plane ride at 6 weeks old.
I don't know. The wheels are turning. I feel like writing even though I have nothing to say at the moment. Next week I will. But just not now.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The countdown begins....
The countdown to 1.
Yes. We are 11 months old. Today. And wow, what a ride this has been.
We started out so little, that to see her standing next to her daddy, or her head popping up over furniture brings a special joy to my heart.
We are crawling and pulling up so well that we are into EVERYTHING.
We've even learned how to crawl up stairs...courtesy of our night at grandma's last weekend.
And we've even landed our FIRST cold. That we, of course, shared with the rest of the household.
We've also begun to cruise the furniture, not just pull up on it. We've learned the skill of using objects to help us cruise between several pieces of furniture, so we can actually get across the room in record time and on our feet. Walking before 1? Call me crazy, I probably am, but I had always hoped that my children would walk before 1. I don't know why, just had. So when Elisa came so early, I dropped that hope. But now...it actually seems achievable. Just another way this child has shown that she is, indeed, not early. Just little. A rock star.
So I'll leave you with our 11 month photo shoot. Don't expect an update on her actual birthday next month. We will be enjoying our time in DC as I will be working. Our birthday was in Phoenix. Our first birthday will be in DC. Anyone want to guess where our 2nd birthday will be spent?
Oh...and at 12 months, I think I'm going to have to stop these monthly photo shoots. It's getting too hard to get her to sit still long enough to get any pictures. These were the best I could get and they are not good.
Yes. We are 11 months old. Today. And wow, what a ride this has been.
We started out so little, that to see her standing next to her daddy, or her head popping up over furniture brings a special joy to my heart.
We are crawling and pulling up so well that we are into EVERYTHING.
We've even learned how to crawl up stairs...courtesy of our night at grandma's last weekend.
And we've even landed our FIRST cold. That we, of course, shared with the rest of the household.
We've also begun to cruise the furniture, not just pull up on it. We've learned the skill of using objects to help us cruise between several pieces of furniture, so we can actually get across the room in record time and on our feet. Walking before 1? Call me crazy, I probably am, but I had always hoped that my children would walk before 1. I don't know why, just had. So when Elisa came so early, I dropped that hope. But now...it actually seems achievable. Just another way this child has shown that she is, indeed, not early. Just little. A rock star.
So I'll leave you with our 11 month photo shoot. Don't expect an update on her actual birthday next month. We will be enjoying our time in DC as I will be working. Our birthday was in Phoenix. Our first birthday will be in DC. Anyone want to guess where our 2nd birthday will be spent?
Oh...and at 12 months, I think I'm going to have to stop these monthly photo shoots. It's getting too hard to get her to sit still long enough to get any pictures. These were the best I could get and they are not good.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
The mashed potato experiment
=win
For the most part. We would rather have the bowl than the potatoes but I think we got about 1/2 of the spoonful I gave her in her. The rest was on her. And the tray. Still, it was fun. And now...diaper playtime as our clothes are full of potatoes.
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