Baby updates

Hi friends.

I have a few updates:

Cecily is sleeping very well! Much more than a few minutes of crying when I put her down for sleep or a nap are now the exception rather than the rule. We shifted bedtime a little later to 8 pm to see if that would help her sleep in a little longer, and it kind of worked. I feed her once before I go to bed and she typically wakes up at 5:30 am to eat and about half the time will go back to sleep for another hour or so. It is really not bad. She doesn't have a day-to-day nap schedule but I can kind of predict when her next nap is going to be depending on when she last woke up and how long she slept and it is very doable.

Cecily and I were able to escape Boston for a long weekend while Alex was very hard at work and go to Philadelphia to see some of our family members. We had a fabulous time and Cecily impressed everyone with her eating skills. I am glad she lives somewhat close to some of her cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.

I think Alex and I are mostly adjusted to what this year will entail. It is no longer a shock if he gets home 4 hours later than expected. He no longer tells me ETA before he has actually left the hospital (which is usually inaccurate), only when he is on the road.

I am looking forward to my first New England fall! And even more to my parents coming out in a couple of weeks!

I am working 1-2 days per week at a dog/cat clinic. I found a couple of great babysitters to watch the baby while I am away, but every now and then we are lucky enough that Alex gets to watch her. This is what I came home to the other day. It was so sweet and my heart melted into a pile of cheese.

Before you watch this next video, just know I am 94.2% sure I am one of those moms that thinks that everything my kid does is adorable. I mostly posted it because I love that she is rocking to the beat of her inner drummer.

 

Happy (half) birthday, Cecily!

Today is Cecily's 6 month birthday. 

It is fun to have a 6 month old. She is a great baby. She gives smiles all the time, you usually don't have to work too hard to get a giggle, and just look at her. She is gorgeous! Wherever I go in public with her I am automatically the second most popular person (next to her). 

A sleep update: a couple weeks ago Cecily slept from 7:30 pm to 5:30 am without waking up! It felt like a little miracle. 

It hasn't happened since.

But... she is now in her own room and I have stopped feeding her in the middle of the night. She still wakes up and fusses but I am hoping that before long she will decide it isn't worth waking up if there is no food involved. 

 Of course, we had to have a few gifts for Cecily to celebrate her birthday. 

I sure love my little girl.

P.S. Happy 200th post!

Broccoli face

What? I haven't posted any pictures of Cecily in over a week?!?

We better fix that.

Mom, I am ready for solids. I promise. Most of it will go on my face. Some of it might go in my mouth.

Super hot day at the beach. We didn't stay long. Cecily wasn't digging it.

I love the quiet snuggle times I get with my girl. 

To recap since the last time I posted anything about how life is going: let me just say it is harder being a resident's wife in a new city with an infant than I expected. Loneliness, not feeling up to the tasks in front of me some days, wondering how I am ever going to make friends... and eating homemade basil ice cream by myself is such a let down. Things will get better I know. I have lots of things to look forward to, like a trip to see my Philly family very soon and my parents coming out to visit next month. And if I am going to be in a new city, Boston is probably a good choice. 

Check out my legs

I have to admit something. My baby keeps getting chunkier. I am not ashamed of this.

She has more rolls than the grocery store. 

These legs are out of control. And I love to squish them. 

Gimme a hug.

Dress for success

I made a dress for Cecily.

Actually, I made two. The first one fit her like a sausage casing and accentuated her belly. And it was hard to get on and off because there was no zipper in the back.

This one doesn't have a zipper either. And it was kind of hard to get on. 

She probably isn't going to wear it very many more times. 

Can someone teach me how to put in a zipper?

Weekend adventure

Give me the camera!!!

This weekend I girded up my loins and went camping with my baby and without my husband. It was a church sponsored event and I managed to find another mom whose husband couldn't make it. We shared a tiny cabin and squeezed two pack n plays in between the beds. On the trip up, the babies took turns crying and waking each other up the whole way there. The night went relatively ok and Cecily didn't even freeze.

I had never been to the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith before. It was a beautiful area and besides being able to see an important historical spot, being out in a little bit of nature was rejuvenating.

These are the ruins (foundation, cellar) of Solomon Mack's home. Solomon Mack was Joseph's father-in-law who purchased the 100 acre farm for the family. Their homes were a few minutes' walk from each other. Joseph Smith Sr. couldn't make a go of it and when Joseph Jr. was 2 years old moved to another farm in Vermont to start over.

5 month birthday!

Cecily turned 5 months old today. I got her a little present.

Another headband? Really, mom? 

Hi Lola.

Two layers of wrapping napkins. That's wild.

 What's this? Is it edible?

 Let's find out.

 Nope, definitely not edible. What's the point of that?

Good thing you can't spoil a 5 month old. I know I can't go on celebrating every month birthday, but I am enjoying it for now.