Out With the Old

When I was about 6 months pregnant and could no longer fit into any of my regular clothes, I put them in a plastic bin and stuck it in storage. I'm still no where near my pre-pregnancy size, but because I refuse to wear maternity clothes any more, I had Mike drag that bin from storage and into our bedroom.

For the past two days, I've been slowly going through my pre-pregnancy wardrobe to see if there's anything that fits. I'm sorting them into piles of:

1. Even though it's tight, it'll do
2. Doesn't fit right now, but if I lose just a few more pounds...
3. No way no how am I ever going to fit into that again

It's actually depressing to see how big the third pile is getting. It may be time to do some online retail therapy.

Tummy time is getting better- it took 12 whole minutes before she started to cry this time.


This is her absolute favorite activity right now- looking at her hands and trying to get them in her mouth. She's actually getting a lot more successful at keeping them there too.

Bedtime Routine

For the past two weeks, I've been trying to have a bedtime routine for Grace- bath time at 7:30, change into pj's, read a story, nurse, and down in the crib by 8:00pm. The first few days were a little rough, but things are getting much better. Despite the way this first picture looks, I think the routine is actually working. Keep your fingers crossed...

Game Night Buddies

Saturday night was game night at our place. It's the first time we've hosted a party since having a baby. It was a great night- good friends, good food, and lots of fun. Here's a glimpse of our weekend through pictures...

SATURDAY:
Gracie and Grace- sweet little buddies. My Grace was finally awake for this fun play date.


Aren't they cute in their matching outfits? Yes, it was planned...


Grace and Jasmine, her other sweet little friend.


These two little munchkins are six weeks apart.


All the girls!


SUNDAY:
Here's a tummy time update- she still hates it!


But she does love sleeping in church.


My sweet and precious girl.

Tummy Time?

I've read about the importance of placing babies on their bellies for a few minutes at a time in order to build strength in their neck and develop motor skills. I must confess though that I haven't been very good about giving Grace her tummy time. I thought that it was something that was to be done when she was a little older, but according to some articles that I read recently, I'm already a tad bit late.

So I decided that I would break up the 30 minute daily requirement into 3 ten-minute blocks. Here's a look at our first attempt...

She hated it! Cried and fussed the entire ten minutes, even with Mike on the floor with her trying to coax her into enjoying tummy time.

"Me" Time

Before baby, 'me' time consisted of activities such as reading, watching Oprah or Jon & Kate plus 8, surfing the net, leisurely shopping, taking long, hot showers, and doing my hair.

Now 'me' time means doing loads of laundry plus the luxury of folding and putting it away, cleaning the floors, and tidying the house. Sometimes, if I'm lucky, I can even take a shower that lasts more than 5 minutes. Forget about the hair- I haven't had a haircut in months and the way I 'do' my hair now is to twist it up into a bun. Sexy, I know.

Maybe one day I can go back to my original 'me' activities, but it sure isn't going to be any time soon. Thankfully I have an awesome husband who helps me with my current 'me' activities. As I type, he is mopping the floors that I didn't get a chance to do this afternoon.


I think I may have gotten a complex about my baby's eyes thanks to her Aunt Megan's comment on the previous blog. Does it look like she has a lazy eye??? Oh well, it doesn't matter- I love her anyway!

Today Was a Good Day

I love being a mama and feel very blessed to be able to stay home with my baby. But there are days when being a stay-at-home mama is not easy. Sometimes it can be downright hard. There are times when I'm counting down the minutes till Mike gets home just so I can get a little relief. Today was not one of those days. Today was a good day.

First, we made it to bible study this morning, albeit a little late because of a random car inspection at the security gate. (I always seem to get stopped for the 'random' car inspections! Don't I look like a trustworthy and honest person??) Grace was a sweetheart during class- smiling and cooing and being her cute little self. She also had a very loud, near diaper blowout that caused us to excuse ourselves for a few minutes.

Then I was able to go shopping since she was behaving so well- for 2 whole hours! There's hope for mother and daughter shopping expeditions afterall. Our shopping outings before this have always been 'grab what you need and get out quick' because she got fussy too quickly. Today I was able to take my time and enjoy myself while she napped in her stroller.

When we got home, we played and 'talked' for awhile and then took a 2 hour nap together. I didn't even have to cook dinner since it was leftover night. And putting her to bed took only a few minutes because she was out as soon as I nursed her.

I know my days won't always be this easy and carefree, but it's all the more reason to enjoy them when they are. Today was a good day.

I'm so in love with my sweet and happy girl.

All Legal

Although Grace was born 8 and a half weeks ago, she is just now existing according to the U.S. government. We traveled to Tokyo today to get her passport, social security number, and birth certificate processed at the U.S. Embassy. Our baby is now legal!

This was our plan for today:
Take Grace to her 2 month baby checkup, get her first round of immunizations, drive the one and a half to two hours, depending on traffic, to Tokyo and leisurely spend the rest of the day finding the Embassy to take care of all the paper work.

Here's what really happened:
Mike called at 8:30 this morning to tell me the Embassy closes at noon on Wednesdays. Grace's doctor's appointment was rescheduled for next week. Mike comes home to pick us up. We drive to Tokyo, run into traffic, and stress out. We get to the New Sanno Hotel to park and get directions to the Embassy. There's a long line at the concierge's desk so Mike says, "Forget it, we don't have time to wait. We'll find it okay." We haul butt to the train station, in the rain. There is a long flight of stairs leading down to the train platform and no elevator. We carry the carrier/stroller down the long flight of stairs.

We get off at the appropriate stop. Again no elevator, so we carry the carrier/stroller up the long flight of stairs. We look at a map posted on the sidewalk and find out where the Embassy is. By this time we've got 40 minutes before the Embassy closes so I suggest we take a taxi. Mike says it's not far. We head out. We go the wrong way. We back track. We get lost. It's raining. Mike runs into a convenience store to ask for directions. We head out again. It's still raining. We finally find the Embassy. We have 15 minutes to get all our stuff processed before they close for the day.

Oh, and did I mention I broke my toe yesterday?* So all this walking around was not fun.

Luckily, because we got there so late, there was not a long line so we were able to get all our paper work processed. When we turn in her passport application, both parents have to sign the paper work in front of the agent and swear that the information is all true. Two minutes before we were called up to the window to do this, Grace decides she's ravenous and needs to eat. So I had to sign the form and raise my hand to swear in front of an elderly gentleman agent that the information was true, all while breastfeeding my child. Thank goodness for the Hooter Hider!
















I realize now that this is the only picture I took today and it's too late to get any other ones since she's now sleeping peacefully for the night. This is a common pose of hers right now- she loves trying to stuff her hands into her mouth.

*I don't think my toe is really broken, but it sure does hurt. I tripped over Grace's bouncy seat while I was making the bed yesterday morning and now my toe is all purple.*

Look at the Difference

The picture on the left is Grace at 2 weeks and the one on the right is her at 8 weeks. Same style outfit, different sizes. The one on the left is newborn, the right, 0-3 months. It's amazing what a difference 6 weeks makes.

Time is going by unbelievably fast.

Never Enough Hokie Stuff!

A Weekend of Firsts

Mike came home on Saturday and since then we've been on the go. The moment he got back, we were off on a train headed to Yokohama. The goal: to get a limited edition Sakura (Cherry Blossom) Bear at Build-a-Bear. Along the way, Grace experienced a few firsts.

First train ride.


First meal at Hard Rock Cafe Yokohama.


First shopping trip at a mall.


First Build-a-Bear.


First time in a Baby Lounge.

It took us two trips to bathrooms without any changing tables to figure out that there was a special room that had a row of changing tables with it's own diaper genie. There were even a couple curtained-off rooms for breastfeeding.


All those firsts made for one exhausted daddy and baby. She woke up at her normal time this morning, but her daddy was able to convince her to play "Zzzzz's", a game he was taught by his own dad. They played Zzzzz's for about an hour while I got stuff done around the house.


And finally- remember what our goal was this weekend? To get a limited edition Sakura bear, which set her daddy back 6400 yen, roughly $65. Look at how much she just LOVES her bear...

Diaper Malfunction

This is a warning that the content of this particular blog is pretty graphic. If you're not into seeing baby poop, skip this entry and come back tomorrow. If you're still intrigued, read on...

Yesterday morning, I had a conversation with a friend debating which diaper brand was the best. I said I was a Pampers girl because in our limited experience, we didn't get really bad diaper blowouts with the brand. Even though Pampers is slightly more expensive than the other brands, Mike and I feel it's worth it if we have less leakage. You would've thought I was sponsored by Pampers the way I was extolling it's virtues.

This morning, Pampers failed me. I went to change Grace's diaper and this is what I found:





And as I was trying to figure out the best way to get her clothes off without further contaminating my child, this was her reaction:

She thought the whole thing was hilarious! She was smiling and cooing the entire time.

I apologize if anyone found this offensive, but you were forewarned. I felt I had to document the experience for Mike since he wasn't here to share in the moment.

Waiting on Daddy

Mike was supposed to come home tonight, but his trip was extended by a day. I'll let him tell the story when he gets back. Even though it's just an extra day, it seems like forever. I am one tired mama. I don't know how single parents do it, especially single parents of 7 week old babies.

Trying out the headband again- in pink this time. Still not sure whether or not I like it.

A Sign of Parenthood

When I was a little girl I hated doing chores. Dusting, vacuuming? No way- I had better things to do. I was constantly on the lookout for ways to procrastinate. But they always got done eventually, mainly because I was scared of what my mama would do to me if I didn't.

Fast forward 20 years later and I'm desperate for the opportunity to dust and vacuum! Surely this is a sign of parenthood. I hate seeing those dust bunnies because they multiply so quickly. Today I was determined to take care of those darned things. Sometimes my little angel cooperated by sleeping or playing quietly by herself. Most of the time she demanded my full, undivided attention.

I accomplished half my goal. How does something that should take only a few minutes span two days when there's a baby involved? Maybe I can convince Mike to let me hire a cleaning lady while Grace is at her 'needy' phase.

I decided to try out a headband instead of a hair bow today. I'm not quite sure if she's a headband kind of girl. I think her hair might be too poofy.

Sleepy Baby

For today anyway. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. But I'm taking it one day at a time and enjoying it every step of the way.

Another Zumba playdate with Gracie which Grace slept through. Yet again.


One minute we're laughing and having a fabulous 'conversation'...


The next minute she's out like a light.

As I update this blog, she is sleeping peacefully in her crib and didn't fuss one bit when I put her in there at 8pm. Tonight I actually met my goal of having her in bed by 8!

But the funny thing is, now that the house is quiet and my hands are finally free, I actually miss having her in my arms.

Semi-Schedule

Last night was rough. Up every hour and a half kind of rough. My girl had a restless night and her mama had a SLEEPLESS night. I'm finding it hard to fall back asleep after I wake up so I was getting an average of thirty minutes of rest before I was right back up again.

So today I was determined to put her on some sort of a schedule. A few of the books I've read recommend an eat, wake, sleep cycle that lasts 2 and a half to 3 hours. My planned schedule looked like this:

7:00 Wake up and feed her
7:20-8:30 Play time with mommy
8:30 Nap
9:30 Eat
9:50-10:50 Activity: walk around the neighborhood
11:00 Nap
12:00 Eat

I had more planned in the afternoon, but it all fell apart after the noon time feeding. She didn't want to nap anymore, but I NEEDED her to nap so I pulled out all the tricks I know: swaddled her, rocked her, shhh-shhhed her, turned on the white noise machine, sang lullabies, breastfed some more, and tried to imitate Lola's special dance.

Finally out of sheer exhaustion, I laid her on my bed where she promptly fell asleep. I was afraid to move her and have to start the cycle all over again so I just lay down beside her. The next thing I know, it's three hours later. I'm sure I committed all kinds of baby no-no's by letting her sleep on my bed, but I was desperate, people! I woke up from the nap refreshed and she was less fussy after that too.

After dinner with the Blews, Grace had a nice bath and feeding and then promptly fell asleep again. Much different scenario than last night. The one thing I've learned about having a baby is to expect the unexpected. Just because she gave me an easy time one night doesn't mean she'll be like that the next.

Smiling Grace: A Video!

This is for the grandparents, aunt, and uncles. And daddy, of course, who we're missing very much.



Grace and I had a lazy day today. Her naps were a little short, but at least she took them. And I got to join her for her afternoon nap. Maybe she'll make up for the shortness of the naps during the day by extending her night time slumber.

**UPDATE** So much for extending her night time slumber. It took me 2 hours to get her to bed tonight and it's only one hour later and I'm already starting to hear her stir.

Sleepy Sunday

I'm almost afraid to say anything for fear of jinxing myself, but Grace is starting to sleep regularly. And I don't have to be holding her for it to happen either!

The first few weeks were tough because in order for her to sleep, I had to hold her. If I tried to put her down, she was wide awake again. I was starting to worry that she was overtired because it didn't seem like she was getting enough sleep during the day. But the past few days have been great- multiple naps of respectable length and getting her to bed at night has gotten easier too. We moved her into her crib when she turned six weeks old last week and I think it's actually helped her to sleep better.

Despite missing Mike today, Grace and I managed to have a really nice Sunday. We went to church this morning where our friends, the Shaughnessys, saved us seats. Then we enjoyed a nice leisurely brunch together. Grace doesn't like being in her carseat carrier if she's awake, but sweet Kim held her for me so that I could enjoy my food. It was fabulous to be able to eat with both hands for a change!

Afterwards Grace was an angel while I did some grocery shopping. The last time I tried to go to the grocery store with the baby, people stared at me while she cried at the top of her lungs. A woman even came up to me, asked if she was my first baby and told me, "Oh honey, it DOES get better." I just wanted to disappear I was so embarrassed. But today, not a peep from the little one.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out talking in silly, high pitched voices and making exaggerated faces to get her to smile. Oh the things mamas do to make their babies smile...

Bye Daddy

Grace and I have to go it alone for the next week while Mike is away on a business trip. I'm absolutely positive we'll be fine, but if I have to be honest, I'm just a teensy bit nervous about being completely on my own. She was really good today and took her naps and even went to bed this evening without any fuss. I'm hoping she keeps it up for the next 6 days.

Crazy Hair Day

I don't know what's going on with my girl's hair, but it's getting poofier and poofier by the day. I still think she's stinkin' cute though.





Grace has also discovered her hands.



Unfortunately she doesn't quite have the coordination to keep them in her mouth so crying usually ensues...