Sat night Seth and I just stayed in and cleaned up the house a bit - watched a movie and just chilled really. Sunday my mom arrived at noon (she had volunteered to come up and take care of Maddie so we could actually go out on New Year's Eve). Our friend Brian came over (in town from Alberta) to tour the house, then the boys left for Greg's to watch some Sunday afternoon football. Left to our own devices, Mom and I just relaxed and played with Maddie - not really doing much at all. On Monday Seth had to work until 3pm, so Mom and I headed over to Walmart to pick up a few things (including some yarn and needles so I can try to knit a little toque for Maddie). When we got home, Mom made a yummy Shepherd's Pie out of the left over prime rib roast that we had from xmas dinner - great pre-party stomach base!
My friend Sandra was also staying with us that evening - so we got Mom set up in the living room on the couch (her choice, we certainly didn't force her to sleep there - but it was easier for access to the kitchen for warming bottles etc) + the bassinet set up for Maddie. I showed Mom how we usually tucked Maddie in at night - swaddled and with another blanket tucked around her, receiving blanket up at her head for softness etc - she really does prefer a soft bed and most bassinets/cradles have such thin, hard little mattresses - no wonder she wasn't sleeping all that well in the beginning. And yes, I realize that you're not supposed to have "loose blankets" on a baby when they're sleeping anymore, but I guess we've found something that works - and compared to the sleepless nights (and days) we were having before...
Anyways, Mom patiently kept the eye-rolling to a minimum as I explained her bedtime routine, how to put her down, when she likes to eat/wake up etc. You'd think I was leaving her with a 12-year-old babysitter, not a mom (nurse) with years of practice...
Honestly though - it was hard for me to leave Maddie. I was feeling mainly guilty, but also sad that I wasn't going to be with her when the new year was 'rung in'. We gave her her bath before we left, so she was all swaddled up and ready for sleep and we were finally heading over the party around 8-ish. I think Seth would have liked to be heading to the party slightly earlier (to hang with the boys), but that was the earliest I was able to feel like I was ready to go - bedtime routine accomplished, we headed over to really party for the first time in almost a year (for me).
It was fun seeing everyone and letting loose a bit. We played some games, some guitar hero (that's me rocking out with Sarah Price - yeah, it's a video game, but you totally feel like you're playing the guitar, it's fun!) and had several cocktails (I did talk to Mom at midnight - to wish her a happy new year and thank her - and Maddie was up eating when I called - so she rang in the new year with Gram instead of Mommy). By 3am I was more than ready to get home, rounded up the troops and headed home (thank you DD Todd!). Maddie was asleep when we got home, and after pumping we headed to bed as well. A solid 3.5 hours of sleep for me and I was pack up Mom's car and get her on her way - with snow in the forecast, she wanted to get on the road early in the morning. So feeling a little under the weather (but not as bad as I expected - just tired really) I was back on parental duty, and our babysitter was on her way home as planned. With the snow worsening, I woke Sandra up to warn her (who had a drive to Mississauga ahead of her) - so she was gone by 8:30.And Seth? Oh, he slept in until 3pm. Yes, you read that right. 3pm. He was feeling a little worse for wear you see, and still felt sick once he finally got up. Don't worry - he realizes that next time he gets the 3 hour sleep and I get to sleep in until whenever I want. At least I hope he realizes that...
So that was how we rung in 2008. And here we are with a little 12-week-old monkey. I can't believe how much she's changed over these 3 months - heck, I can't believe how much she changes from week to week! But with her 'official' 3 month birthday coming up in a couple of days here's a quick overview of her latest accomplishments (or quirks!)...
- Her favourite word is "Geeeeeeeeee" - said with a gurgle in her voice - it can mean, "I'm happy, you're happy, the world is great!" and it can also mean, "Geeeee - I'm tired and annoyed and you better cuddle me into a sleep very soon or I will get angry."
- She still hasn't rolled over again since that one time - in fact when we do tummy time she doesn't even seem that interested in putting up her head or trying to roll over all that much. But I guess that's what happens when they're growing or focusing on learning something else, they kind of have a one-track mind, so seem like they 'forget' the other things they were learning.
- And lately she's been focusing on...her hands! Chewing, sucking, looking at - anything to do with her hands, she's all about it. She holds her hands in front of her a lot (like she's praying) - especially if you're holding her in a cradle hold and she's sleepy. And she also is big into grasping things - like your hair if you're silly enough to wear it down, or your earrings, necklace, sweater, the edge of a blanket, Daddy's chest hair - really anything within reach she's grabbing at it and just holding on for dear life.
- Since she doesn't seem to love tummy time anymore, to help her strengthen her neck muscles we have started to put her in her Bumbo instead. She likes it (most of the time) and the gravity of sitting up seems to do something to her guts, because she LOVES to fill her diaper while in it, haha. Here's a pic of our big girl hanging out in her Bumbo, holding up her head like it ain't no thing...
- Her sleep at night is really great. We've gotten into the routine of giving her a bath around 8pm, swaddling her, feeding her and rocking her to sleep - so she's usually in bed by 9-ish and sleeps until 4 or 5am. Then she's up for a feed and back down to sleep until around 8:30am. The only bad habit that I've gotten into is bringing her into bed with me after that 5am feed - because she rarely goes right back to sleep and she will toss and turn herself right awake, but if she's laying in bed next to me, she seems to go right back to sleep so easily. We've been doing this for over a month now (when she's not sleeping well in her cradle, bringing her into bed), but as she gets older, I know we have to start really working at not creating bad habits ... so this week is our first attempt at stricter sleep routines. Meaning Mommy will try to put her down in her cradle for ALL her nighttime sleep and for her daytime naps. (Her daytime naps are often ON me, she sleeps for so much longer when cuddled in, but I know that has to stop as well - for both of us.) I'll keep you updated on our progress with that... we're hoping to have her sleeping in her own room, in her crib, by the end of the month.
- Lastly - she's still a huge morning smiler - LOVES to wake up and get changed and just sit and stare at you (while sitting in her sit-up pillow on the couch). And if she gets enough sleep during the day, her good mood/easy smiles seems to last all day. But to be honest, she's usually got a bit of a fussy period around 6:30 - just in time for when Seth gets home (poor guy). I think she's started to laugh - she makes the high-pitched sucking in breath noise that I think is a laugh, but can't really tell. Definitely no giggles yet - at least awake. This morning I woke up to her dreaming in her cradle beside me - it was around 6am (and yes, she was still in her cradle - I'm doing well so far!) - and she was making all sorts of noise, moving around etc. - but with her eyes closed. And then I see her smiling and making a 'hahahahah' noise which I have to assume is laughing. Who knows what the dream was about - but I'm glad it was a good one - she really seemed to be enjoying herself - it was the most priceless thing - first time I've really seen her dreaming like that (beyond 'sleep smiles').
S&S
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