Nothin' could be finer than South Carolina!

Eliza and I just got back from a FABULOUS 2 week vacation in SC in my hometown of Lexington, South Carolina! Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip-- I wish I had taken more!No one makes Eliza laugh quite as much as Aunt Abby! She could pull a smile or giggle out of her like none other!

We ended up attending several Cross-Country meets to cheer on Aunt Abby who performed wonderfully! It was fun to relive some of my "glory days" at the high school and visit with my old coaches from both x-country and soccer!

I also coached my dad's U-18 rec soccer team that Abby plays on while Dad was on vacation. It was really fun and great to be back on the soccer field, but I definitely like playing more than coaching... or being the fun assistant coach rather than head coach. They were a really fun group of girls and won their first game on Saturday (with Dad back as coach) 5-0!! Go Hurricanes!

Super Grandma!!! Oma babysat for us and didn't hold back-- taking 3 dogs and a baby walking. Nothing slows Mom down!! ;) Mom also helped me revolutionize Eliza and my feeding and daytime schedules. I can't believe how lucky I was to have a RN/pediatric nurse practitioner in-training to help me these last two weeks! The original plan was for me to go down and "help" Mom and Abby with rides and stuff, and although I did a little of that, I think I definitely came out with the most benefits.

Dad was nice enough to babysit for us one evening so we could go to RS Dessert Night at Ruby Tuesday's- Yum! Poor dad was still jet lagged from his red-eye flight back from Hawaii-- Thanks dad! Eliza is mesmerized by her Grandpa and loved cuddling and playing with him. As long as he was holding her, she stayed happy! It was like magic! Dad's got major baby-love skills.


Ready for church! We put some "real" shoes on Eliza for the first time, and she didn't stop staring at them!I also got the chance to visit with some of my friends from elementary-high school and play games and have some "remember when..." time! So fun!

The trip involved lots of car time, especially for Steve and Mom. This is a pic of Eliza hanging out in the back of Oma's car with her baked cheetos bag (we're starting good nutrition off young...) while we were transferring our things from her car to ours at a gas station in mid-North Carolina where we rendezvoused so we could all drive half-way.

Some other highlights of our trip included great nature walks with the dogs, movie theater with Abby, in-house washer and dryer, doggy door for Mika, great on-hand babysitters enabling date-night with Steve, Mom's Sunday school class, and the gym! My parents got me a 2 week gym pass at their gym, so Mom and I would get up in the morning dress Eliza and zip over to the gym for lots of different classes like "Ab-lab."

This resulted in me not being able to sit up from a lying position without extreme pain for the whole stay and also losing about 6 lbs! Anyone interested in losing weight? Just follow Mom around for a couple weeks and the pounds will just start dropping off (unless you also eat her delicious Rene cookies and other desserts concurrently like I did- but just imagine how much weight I'd have lost if I hadn't, right?).

This trip made me realize how grateful I am to have a mother who's my best friend! I am SO lucky!

Thanks for letting us visit, Meldau's! (Especially putting up with my noisy dog!)

...But Steve says he's happy to have us back!

Punch Drunk Love

I decided to post early this week because tomorrow Eliza and I take off for a two week vacation in SC! I'm going down there to help my mom out with the transportation and companionship of my little sister, Abby, while my dad is vacationing with his father in Hawaii!

I'm sooo excited, but poor Steve- he's the only one who doesn't really benefit from this set-up. However, I think it'll give him some nice relaxing time to catch up on sleep and some of his free lance illustration.

Eliza's discovery of the week is...

...babbling and teething and punching!

It's been a progressive week for us! Perhaps with all the extra sleep we've been getting around here, we've been a little more productive! But Eliza has been busy with teething woes and drool, but not too busy to have very serious and enthusiastic conversations with me and treating me and her toys all like punching bags. She's going to be a strong woman- watch out world!

Here are two of the many funny faces
Eliza has been making with her teething
when her hand isn't jammed in her mouth.

There's quite a bump on her bottom gums
that foreshadows the appearance of a tooth
any day now (we hope).

Eliza was talking a bunch to me as long as I kissed her,
so here's a kinda funny video where you can pretend
you're looking thru my eyes...? since the camera moves with me.

This is what it's like playing with Eliza! Playing=punching!
She has started punching everything in her arm span...
which often includes me- ouch.

My discovery of the week is...

probably that I'm employable. But also that I'm a much better mother after finishing Harry Potter (I finished the 7th book and Eliza seems very happy to have her mother back and Steve his wife-jk).

Singing Time!! This week after Eliza has woken up from her morning nap, and I'm ready to starting getting chores done, and she's ready to play, we've had some singing time.

This consists of me propping her up on the bed, couch, or table in her bumbo with various toys while I lean over the ironing board, laundry that's being sorted, or this week, the suitcase I'm packing, and we SING!

There is no picture or video of this b/c nobody is allowed to witness this time except Eliza (not that they'd want to)! We sing versions of songs ranging from Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree to selections from Wicked to Bishop Allen and Regina Spektor. Eliza doesn't care if I get the lyrics wrong and thinks it's really funny and often even sings or talks back to me... or just laughs, which is the traditional response to my singing.

So many times in the evening or on the weekend if I start singing to myself then Steve's response is, "What did you say?"

"I'm singing! Can't you tell?" :(

"Oh... sorry."

I guess I'll keep saving it for the shower and Eliza at 10 in the morning.

I got a job!

I was so excited to get a job offer yesterday for the position I interviewed for at Region 10 (one of the social service agencies here in Charlottesville)!! I'll just be working mostly on the weekends and only during hours that Steve can stay home with Eliza.

But I'm really excited about it- my first real, out of college job! My official position title is Mental Health Specialist, and I'll be working at the Wellness Recovery Center which is a 9-bed residential program with interventions and support for people experiencing an acute mental health crisis. It gives people an alternative to inpatient hospitalization. I'll be leading some of the educational and crisis management groups and probably be doing some case management too. Yay!

Baby Eliza's Wild Ride

Eliza has developed a really funny laugh. We can't believe it's real it's so cute and high pitched! It reminds me of the fake recordings on toys of baby's laughing... only this one's for real-!






Eliza for some reason really likes when steve does this! He becomes a living merry-go-round for her! Steve is such a trooper! What a fun dad!
Eliza also really keys in on anyone holding a camera around her.

Saturday is a special day... at the playground!

Eliza's discovery of the week is...

...the playground!

Steve reliving his Jurassic Park days!

Mika came on our park adventure with us, but didn't enjoy swinging...

She was really worn out and also very hungry too, and she's not a big fan of bright sunlight. I think Steve and I had a lot more fun than she did, but Saturday's are meant for playing outside, right?

We were kinda puzzled as to why Eliza wasn't more thrilled or excited about being in a real playground swing, but then we realized that we always put her in her baby swing to nap in, so... what else could we expect, right?

Sleepy baby done with the playground!

My discovery of the week is...

...SLEEP!!! Yay, Eliza! She has learned to sleep through the night AND put her self to sleep! Oh my goodness, could we be more ecstatic?! We weren't sure how this week would go trying to sleep train her, but the results have been so great.

Thursday night: Eliza cried SO loud and hard for just about a half hour. I was sick also, so we were all miserable. But Eliza didn't wake up until 4:45am! getting better...!

Friday night: She cried for just over an hour- OUCH! Steve and I made sugar cookies, and the mixer did a good job of blocking out her cries for us :( But Eliza didn't wake up until after 6 the next morning!

But Steve and I had a fun stay-in Friday night date decorating turtle, heart, circle and bird cookies with various frosting colors. Don't be deceived by Steve's resume, the cool cookies were all made by me... :p




Saturday night: Eliza cried for just under ten minutes and then was out until 5!

Tonight (Sunday): Eliza cried for only a couple of minutes, and then I just heard her kinda babble to herself for a couple more minutes before drifting off....! Yay! We're so proud of you, Baby!

I kinda miss co-sleeping with baby. It's such a sweet time with her, but we still take naps together sometimes! And we both are feeling SO great getting a good night's rest.

Big Week for Baby

Eliza had her 4 mnth check up on Tuesday which brought some exciting changes to our lives!

With these appointments, I'm always so excited to find out how much Eliza has grown and what new things she's ready to take on, that I forget about the worst part ever- her vaccination shots!! It is hands-down the saddest thing EVER! Eliza screams and screams like I've never heard before, and I have to muster all the strength I can to not cry with her! :( Poor girl.

But Eliza has done some great growing.

She is 25.4 inches long - 90th percentile
and weighs 16 lbs 14.8 oz - 97th percentile
Her head circumference is 41.4 cm - 60th percentile
(Our doctor said her smaller stats with her head means her body's
just trying to stay in porportion as opposed to lots of babies who
have massive heads compared to their body size.)

Good work baby! Her pediatrician said Eliza looked great-- happy, well adjusted (Eliza was beaming at all the nurses and her doctor), great skin and heart, etc. So I asked her about our sleeping struggle which leads us to this weeks project- Ferberizing Eliza!

Up until now, Eliza has fallen asleep with a bedtime schedule of bathtime, lotion massage, stories with Daddy, and finally nursing to sleep at around 8 or so. Then we swaddle her and put her in her crib still sleeping, which she stays in for usually maybe 5 hours before waking up and wanting to be nursed back to sleep.

And I being exhausted at about 1 or 2, have oft times just brought her into bed with me for the rest of the night. So we've basicially been co-sleeping for the last few months during the second half of the night... which I've heard and read doctors say this creates a great bonding experience for the whole family and is beneficial for breastfeeding success and for babies metabolic capacities.

However, of late, I have found that neither Eliza nor I are getting the restful sleep that we need-- or at least the continuous sleep that we need. It didn't motivate me enough to just do it for myself, but seeing that Eliza is not getting enough sleep and seeing how she does not know how to comfort herself back to sleep is what has motivated me to seek an alternate method.

I love Eliza's pediatrician-- she is so kind and sweet to Eliza and very patient and gracious to me. She explained to me her very practical approach to sleep training babies. I guess people refer to it as the cry-it-out method, but my pediatrician said that in her 13 years of practice (and with her 2 children), this method has worked every time. She said that by next Tuesday, if it hadn't worked for Eliza then we could call her and talk.

SOo, since I have currently (as in the past 4 mnths) been obsessed with how everyone has been able to teach their babies/kids to sleep through the night, I thought I'd journal via blog our cry/sleep week!

The plan is to go ahead and bathe and lotion Eliza, and then just keep her in her diaper while I nurse her until she's full. Then we get her dressed in jammies (making sure she's awake) and read her a couple stories, swaddle her and then lay her down in her crib awake and shut the door.

Our results so far for the last two nights include:

Tuesday night: Eliza cried for just about 50 minutes before falling asleep. It was so hard that honestly, I was tearing up and had to call Mom for support and take Mika outside for a walk to get away from her wailing.

But we were blessed with immediate results because Eliza slept ALL NIGHT- like 9 1/2 hours straight! FANTASTIC!

Tonight (Wednesday night): Eliza cried for just about an hour straight- more vigorously than last night, I think. Smart kid. I tried to put headphones on to begin with and listen to music to block out her cries, but I eventually gave up and went to the gym to take out my frustration on the treadmill, leaving Steve in the kitchen with his ipod on while he did the dishes (loud Bach and running water).

So we'll see how Eliza sleeps tonight. I'm kinda thinking that last night's long sleep was more due to her vaccination shots than anything else... so we'll see! Wish us luck!

I really have to give my Mom the credit she's due. She's been recommending this method all along and has explained it to me and reassured me about how it worked with the four of us as kiddies. But she also is such a great mom that she hasn't said I told you so or been pushy during my wandering research through all the other methods and recommendations. THANKS for all your help, Mom!

Just in case any of you are concerned with how this inhumane sleep training program has affected Eliza, here is a picture of how I found her in her crib this morning when I checked on her at 6:30am.

So happy and content! I was happy to see that she had pulled
her favorite poodle closer to her sometime during the night!

The other exciting news from Eliza's appointment was that we can start introducing solid foods! Here are some shots of the momentous first dinner of rice cereal mixed with breast milk. YUM YUM.... maybe...

Finally getting to try some of mom and dad's stuff!

Maybe not so exciting anymore!

After rushing around trying to get the rice cereal the right consistency, the right temperature, etc. during dinnertime, I realized just how easy we've had it breastfeeding! Luckily, I don't think it'll be an overnight transition! After a few spoonfuls, Eliza had had enough. She was a sport and swallowed a bit, but was then ready to go back to some serious eating and just nurse.

DOW: Bumbo and Baking

It's been a fun week for us! Eliza just seemed SO grown up to me this week- maybe it was her official 4 mnth birthday! But she's just so full of smiles and has filled our home with giggles and shrieks of laughter- it's so much fun! She laughs now more than she cries!! Such a wonderful development!

Eliza's discovery of the week is...


her new Bumbo!

We got it from Target, and Eliza has really enjoyed it! Which means that we have loved it too! It is a snug and cozy infant chair that supports her back so they can sit up and look around (I feel like a commercial! bumbo should be paying me...).

Eliza loves being able to see more of what's going on around her. We can set it up on the table at dinner while we eat, and it's great b/c she's at our eye level (which is her favorite)! And it also is great for me when I want to do things with two hands like put dishes away or sort laundry!

I was actually referred to it by Aaron who said that his cousin and her baby had loved it. Great recommendation, Uncle Aaron! Thanks!
Other discoveries for this week include... mommy and daddy FOOD which she loves to grab, that she can drink bath water, her ability to watch the bright lights and exciting sounds on the TV (which I don't like), and that if she hits Daddy long enough in the mornings, he might eventually get up with her!!

She is such a funny kid. At one point a few evenings ago, I was getting tired and Eliza was WIDE awake and I saw this excited glint in her eyes like I'm ready to PARTY, and I was like, "Steve! What are we gonna do when she can actually run around or crawl! We are going to be slammed!"

She is just so curious and excited about discovering her world! She is so busy all day that she is totally pooped by 7pm almost every night!

Mom reminded me this week how much we'll have to baby-proof our apartment in just a short time! Yikes, I hadn't even thought of that!

Now I'm looking around at all the low lying books, chords, and hard corner edges. We've got our arms full!

Steve and my discovery of the week is...


pajama baking
that we love late-night baking!

For some reason this week and last, Steve and I have had a lot of fun baking cookies together. We made the baklava bars last week, double chocolate cookies for my visiting teachees (and us), and then for Aaron's birthday we made these chocolate cookies with coconut cheesecake filling (pictured above).

It's been really fun for us to have that time to do something together after baby is in bed, away from the TV and computer and our books and magazines. We make a ridiculous mess out of our teeny kitchen, but the chocolate and bonding benefits surpass the mess of dishes!

Other highlights of our week:

Uncle Aaron's Surprise Bday party! We had fun visiting with the Cummings! Great party Kate, Thanks!

Eliza waiting for the party to start!
Eliza after an hour of partying...

Also, confession of the week is that I remembered how much I LOVE The Sound of Music! It's been on TV lately the last few nights, and I have loved seeing it. I feel dorky, but I've loved singing along with it to Eliza.

Stay tuned for her 4 mnth check up updates this week! We're excited!