Lydia: Six Months.

Dear Liddybug,

Today you are SIX MONTHS OLD! WOW!

I can't believe it.

Girl, you have totally turned a page within the past few days. It's as if the somewhat schedule-jumbling four to five months suddenly ended, and here you are on a new routine, completely happy and content, taking in the world around you with a smile on your face.

Six months: The Golden Age.

You stopped sleeping through the night after two weeks of being gone. When we take trips, I get nervous that you will wake up everyone, so if you fuss in the middle of the night, I just feed you. Well, girly, you became accustomed to that feeding and decided you were done sleeping through the night. Thankfully, after a week at home, your sleeping habits have started to normalize, phew! You go to bed between 7:30-8:00 and wake up happy and cooing, content in your crib, between 6:30-7:00. It's wonderful, really.

You are nursing five times a day. You eat solid foods three times a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner, six to eight ounces total. I tried feeding you more than that and you were NOT happy, so we've backed off and learned your cues when you're finished. Cereal gave you a tummy ache, so the doctor told us we could just skip on over it and move on to fruit and veggies. You've had pears, apples, mangoes, squash, prunes, broccoli, blueberries, bananas, and carrots. You are a good eater!

You are absolutely entranced with the world around you. You love to lay on your back and watch the busyness that is our home, and then you decide you want to join in. You roll over onto your stomach, stick your rear in the air, and attempt to inchworm your way across the room. It is HILARIOUS. You aren't pushing your chest off of the ground yet, so instead your head lays flat on the ground. It's so funny! Good try, honey. :) You sit in your Bumbo and with the help of a Boppy, but are not sitting independently yet. You grasp at objects now and hold them for inspection and it's so cute. You love my earrings and my necklaces, too!

Before bedtime I sing your lullaby and you've started to snuggle against my neck and lean your head on my shoulder. Oh, sweetie, this is absolutely the best. I love our quiet time snuggles. You also love books and very intensely smack their cardboard pages. You are happy in your car seat and love that your brother sits directly behind you, in plain sight. You two love to smile at each other. And, of course, your sister loves ticklefests with you. 

Baby girl, we love you so much.

Keep growing and slow down, all at the same time.

Love,

Mama

Lydia Jane: Five Months!

Dear Little Lydia Ladybug Buns,

You are now FIVE MONTHS OLD!

For some reason, this reality has hit Mama a little harder than the other months. It's so close to six months, which is almost half a year ... I just can't believe it! I feel like I blink and you're another month older. This month brought on so many changes, too, which makes me realize more that you are growing up quickly, my little Liddybug.

You are now officially sleeping through the night. Woot! You were still waking up for a feeding here and there, but now that has become the exception rather than the rule. You go to bed around 8:00 and sleep until 7:00 and it's wonderful! You've dropped your fourth nap and take three naps now--two long naps and one short catnap in the evening. You are still an avid thumb sucker and when we put you in bed, you find your thumb, roll to your side, and go to sleep.

You started solid food this month! Yay! After a couple weeks of oatmeal cereal (with some prunes, ew), I gave you applesauce for the first time. I know, I know, I'm supposed to start with green veggies ... I'll get there. We just had a tub of the organic stuff in our fridge and I gave into my temptation to give it to you! Sure enough, you were a huge fan. I need to get on the ball and start making your baby food. Phew! I just can't believe we're at that stage already!

Speaking of eating, you had to take a bottle for a full weekend while your Dadda and I went to Dallas with some friends. You did great, but I think it's safe to say you were missing me by the last day. And I was missing you! Pumping for that long is no fun and we were both happy to be reunited! I think you eat around 4-5 ounces per feeding. We are going to the doctor this week for your follow-up to make sure you've gained weight!

You are becoming more coordinated with your hands and feet. If I hand you a toy, you can hold on to it for a while instead of immediately dropping it. You also love to kick the toys on your floor gym and I've noticed that once you can tell you're kicking something, you just keep kicking it over and over again. You're so smart, Liddybug! You also roll to your stomach all the time and love to grab toys in front of you. But you aren't a fan of being on your stomach for too long--you inevitably spit up and then you're done!

    

You love the sound of your voice and your coos echo through our house. Your little voice is beginning to have inflection and I can tell you are mimicking the sounds of the voices you hear all day. You love to chit-chat with yourself and it's so cute to see you coo happily and then suddenly furrow your brow and gurgle gruffly. Hm. I wonder who you are impersonating there? :)

We love you, Liddybug. We are so proud you already. God gave us the sweetest of gifts in you.

Love,
Mama

Lydia: Four Months!

This letter is two weeks overdue. It's safe to say we've been a little busy!

My Dearest Lydia Jane,

You are four months old! I can hardly believe it. 

It has been quite a month! You've definitely experienced the four month growth spurt that I remember with your brother and sister, with random increases in your appetite and sleep, which consequently cause your little routine to be all over the place! You slept through the night more nights this month than you ever have, which is much appreciated! You still wake up for that middle of the night feeding sometimes and I love our snuggly time together.

You are in the 87th percentile for your height ... and the 8th for your weight. YIKES. Don't get me wrong, little babies are the norm in our family, but you dropped from the 35th percentile to the 8th, which was cause for concern (read: Mama was borderline hysterical). The pediatrician asked if my milk supply had decreased at all and I didn't think that it had. However, it's apparently normal for a breastfeeding Mama's milk supply to change around three to four months, because this is the time frame when postpartum hormones begin to normalize (read: change). For example, my postpartum shedding has been in full-force, one of the best examples of hormonal change.

He suggested I drink at least two liters of water a day, so I started drinking three (your Mama is a worrywart). With working out and the hot weather upon us, I really need to keep up my hydration, since I'm responsible for hydrating two people! I pumped and took notes. You take 3-4 ounces per feeding and when I tried giving you more (in a bottle), you puked everywhere. Point taken. I called the pediatrician and told him what I had recorded and he said it sounded fine--but to be sure to keep my water intake up. So, I have. When I asked him if I needed to give up coffee, his response was, "I wouldn't do that to you!" He knows me well. One coffee drink a day ... and lots of water! You've been doing great! Phew. You had me scared, little Ladybug.

Okay let me go get another drink of water.

Ahh.

You smile all the time. Your whole face lights up and it's absolutely amazing. I can't help but squeal when I see it and your Dadda and I do a good job making idiots of ourselves whenever your little gummy grin begins to form. You love to be held and snuggled and oh, I absolutely take advantage of it. I can't get enough of your sweetness. You've found your voice, too, and love to squeal and giggle. Yep. You have my heart.

Your sleepy time routine is a simple one--I sing you a song (typically "You Are My Sunshine") while I rock you in my arms and then I lay you down. You smile and coo and eventually find your thumb and go to sleep. Way to go, baby. Yes, you are a bonified thumb-sucker, just like your big brother! I have to say, you're pretty good at falling asleep in random places, like your sister. When you're sleepy, you're ready for bed! You've made one big discovery this month: Your FEET! You love to grab your toes and put them in your mouth. So cute. You're working on that hand-eye coordination. It's so cute to see your serious concentration as your wobbly little arms reach for your wobbly toes ... and when you finally grab them, your eyes get so big! Victory! So sweet.

Baby girl, what an honor it is to be your Mama. Keep growing, my ladybug.

Love,

Mama

Three Months: A Letter.

Dear Lydia,

You are now three months old.

Holy cow.

(Gahhh baby double-chin! LOVE!)

You, baby girl, continue to be a source of joy and love in our family. You are still in the sweet snuggly stage where we pick you up and you just melt into our shoulders, quietly grunting, all shmooshy and perfect. But, sadly and happily, you are also becoming much more aware of the world around you. You hold your head up proudly and love to survey all that is going on around you.

You've moved into your bouncy chair during awake time, which you love. You kick and bounce and giggle at the moving toys and the music. Your face lights up every time we set you in there and it's the cutest thing. You also love to watch your siblings play and they provide constant entertainment for you.

You eat roughly six times a day and typically go to bed between 7:30 and 8:00. We've started giving you a dream feeding, since you take your last feeding around 6:30 and aren't usually hungry by the time you're ready for bed. You wake up around 3:30am to eat and fall right back to sleep (thank you!) and usually wake up for morning around 6:45 or 7:00. So, you basically sleep from 7:30-7:00 with a dream feeding and a real feeding in between. We'd keep you up later if we could, but, you are a sleepy bug. And we have no problem with that! Also, you're beginning to prefer your fingers rather than your paci. You'll still take a paci, but prefer to self-soothe to go back to sleep.

You do this new little "trick" that we like to refer to as "broken wing". When someone picks you up, you wrap your left arm around their neck and stick your right arm straight out behind you, to balance. It's adorable. You look like a little birdie with a broken wing (which, now that I type that out, sounds a little morbid ... sorry). But it's so cute. If "broken wing" is a bit to sad-sounding, we also noticed that it looks a lot like the penguins your Dad and I watch on Frozen Planet. Nerd alert! Either way, it's cute.

Your siblings love to interact with you and make you smile and I do my best to include them in whatever I happen to be doing with you. Like, for instance, this photo shoot. Brother was a big help with his camera ...

... and sister loved crawling all over you. It's safe to say you've been initiated into the sibling club.

We love you, baby girl. Our lives are fuller with you in it.

Love,
Mama

Two Months: A Letter.

*Written March 25th.

My Dearest Lydia Jane,

Today you are TWO MONTHS OLD! This month flew by. I feel like I just signed the "Love, Mama" on your One Month letter and here we are writing the letter for Month Number Two. I just can't believe it. Cliche as it sounds, time is flying.

What a fun month this has been! Firstly, you are smiling. It's wonderful.

You are smiling more easily every day and your smiles are typically accompanied by coos, which is all kinds of awesome. We now have little chats where you coo very intentionally and I respond with, "Why yes, certainly, of course" and the like. I know that all too soon those coos will be words and I'm soaking up these sweet moments.

One big thing that happened this month is that Dadda turned THIRTY! Wow! We tried to take a family picture to commemorate this monumental day. Naturally, the camera had a tricky time keeping up with moving children. We had a good laugh!

(Note: The "Hustler" logo on my husband's shirt is that of a tractor company. He got it for free when he bought our riding lawn mower. He's worn it absentmindedly until we pointed it out to him. It was pretty funny!)

You are still a sweet, snuggly baby. You eat every three hours during the day and wake up once at night. You've given yourself a bedtime and prefer to be in bed at 8:00, with your last feeding falling around 7:30 or so. You wake up at 2:00am to eat and then sleep until 6:00 or so. It's a nice little routine and I'm glad you've found such an agreeable bedtime--it's when your siblings go to bed, so we appreciate it!

You prefer to be swaddled when you sleep and you are typically swaddled in the afghan your G-Ma crocheted for you (you can catch a glimpse of it behind your head in this picture).

You're hilarious. We love your "poop face". :)

You like to stick your fingers through the holes in the afghan when you sleep, which is something your older sister does with her blanket. It's so sweet. It makes for one huge swaddle, but we get it nice and tight and you like it!

You've always been a big spitter-upper, but we realized that you were spitting up a LOT over the past few weeks. Miss Erin suggested that I feed you on one side per feeding rather than trying to feed you from both sides. I was worried you wouldn't get enough to eat, since we've always done both sides per feeding, but wow! It worked like a charm! You eat on one side for about ten minutes now and that's it. And you still go three hours between feedings. The only change has been less spit-up and less fussiness. High-five to Miss Erin for suggesting it!

You weigh 10.67 pounds (37th percentile) and are 23.58 inches long (93rd percentile). You are a long little lady! You wear 0-3 month clothing and some 3-6 months, thanks to your long body! You still take a pacifier but are beginning to prefer your hand and your fingers more. We'll see if you give up the paci. For now, you'll take it when you're really tired. You love to lay on your play mat (especially with your friend Delia), lay on our bed and watch the ceiling fan, and smile at your sister. You are kicking more now, too. It's so fun to see you grow more each day.

We love you, Lydia Jane. Thank you for shining in our lives. What a fun month this has been.

Love,

Mama

Sweet Weekend.

The girls and I headed to Arkansas to visit my parents for the weekend, after I realized I had not left our town since I was 36 weeks pregnant, which was, oh, almost three months ago? IT WAS TIME TO BREAK FREE.

It was really fun for Naomi to be the oldest sibling for a few days. She was the center of attention and loved every minute of it. Her Pepere made her favorite food (EGGS) and she got to mix birdseed with her Memere. And, they all enjoyed lots of time outside together in the beautiful sunshine. It was so sweet and so fun!








(I love this picture--so typical of trying to get a group shot with two little ones!)



And I got some extra sweet time with the littlest sister, too.






A lovely girls' weekend, indeed.

Have a lovely day!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Boo-Hoo Moo Moo.

It turns out our Itty Bitty Liddy Bug has a sensitivity to dairy. If you've read my blog for a while, you'll remember that Naomi had a hardcore dairy allergy that consequently limited my diet drastically, because, let's face it, milk is in EVERYTHING. Thankfully, Lydia's sensitivity seems to only show itself when I consume large amounts of dairy, like a cup of milk or a bowl of ice cream (meaning she gets gassy and fussy). Small amounts of cheese or milk mixed into food do not seem to bother her (phew!). So, the food I usually eat is still safe, except I've nixed ice cream and have replaced our milk with almond milk and coconut milk. She does not have a sensitivity to soy, which is a huge blessing ... I don't think I could live without my salted caramel soy mochas! And, I love coconut milk ice cream, but our local grocery store does not carry it, which is probably just as well, since I'm still shedding some post-pregnancy pounds. ;) The soy mochas are dessert enough!

And here's something interesting: Since I am no longer drinking milk, the kids have also joined me in consuming non-dairy milks and the mild cases of excema that they both carry have faded considerably. I know that excema can be caused by a dairy allergy, but since my kids are still eating cheese and such, I wouldn't say an allergy is the case with them, but I would say that perhaps too much dairy exacerbates their excema and the absence of it has probably helped to clear it up. They have a topical steroid that helps to clear it, but I'd much rather hand them a cup of almond milk to drink, if it works!

So, I'm waving goodbye to dairy milk for now. Even though her gassy episodes are nothing like her older sister's issues as a baby, I'm still glad I can make a change that puts her stomach at ease and brings her back to her chilled out, laid-back self. Perhaps when she is older and she weans, I will treat myself to a huge bowl of peanut butter cup ice cream from Braum's. Yum. For now ... maybe I'll freeze some chocolate almond milk. ;)

Have a lovely weekend, friends.

Wordless Wednesday: Pretty In Pink.

Friday Funny.

Have y'all seen that Disneyworld commercial? The one that shows a lot of happy families having fun in the sunshine with One Republic's Good Life playing in the background? That chorus is just so catchy, I recently made it my ringtone.

You can probably see where this is going.

Picture it: Thursday morning. Cub is crying because he got in trouble for not being nice to Naomi. Naomi is crying because Cub was not nice to her. Lydia is crying because I'm putting her in her car seat. And all while we're trying to hurry out the door. Chaos, crying, rush, Mama frantically trying to contain the crowd.

And my phone rings.

Oh, this has gotta be the good life,

This has gotta be the good life,

This could really be a good life, a good life...

The peppy chorus was barely discernible above the little moment of chaos that was playing out in our entryway.

I stifled a smile. And then burst out laughing.

Hooray for moments of hilarity in the midst of a morning rush.

Have a lovely weekend, friends.

One Month: A Letter.

Dear Lydia Jane,

Today you are one month old.

I know, right? Time has FLOWN.

This has been quite a month. You have been patient as we've learned to juggle three kids and I have to say, you are, for the most part, quite a content baby. Since you were two days old, you've eaten every three hours during the day and every three to four hours at night, like clockwork. During the day, you follow a pretty consistent feed/wake/sleep pattern, staying awake for roughly one hour at a time before falling asleep. Like your big brother, you're a routine baby, and, again like your brother, you created one from the very beginning. You eat around 6:30/7:00 in the morning, then every three hours, except in the evening, when you eat around 6:00 and then 8:00 (your last feeding of the day). You usually wake up twice to eat, but you've recently given us nights of only waking up once--we'll take that, too! :) You're a good eater and you've whittled your length of feedings down from 20 minutes per side to 8-10 minutes per side. You are also an expert spitter-upper and it isn't entirely unusual for me to discover dried spit-up on the back of my shirt at the end of the day!

You have the most adorable serious face.

You wrinkle your forehead and look very much like you are thinking very hard, trying to focus on the task at hand (which is typically pooping). You know who else had quite a serious face as a baby?

(Caleb, one month)

Yeah, your brother. I know we aren't supposed to compare kids, but I will go ahead and say it's pretty crazy how much you and your big brother favor each other already. We'll see if that continues. For now, it's been a big blessing because I can kind of predict what you will want based on what worked for your brother. I know that will change, but I definitely appreciate it for now during these early weeks!

Your cries now fall into three very distinct categories: A long, lulling wail when you are tired (your quietest cry), a punctuated, grunting cry when you are hungry, and a loud scream when you have gas (your loudest cry).

Every day you and I get in some snuggle time when your big sister and big brother take their naps. We usually fall asleep, too, and it's one of the highlights of my day! I love hearing your little grunts and groans. Such sweet little baby noises. You weighed nine pounds 1 ounce at your one month appointment. You're long and lean with a big head. In fact, we had to take you to a follow-up appointment recently to make sure you're head wasn't too big. Don't worry--it isn't! :) You have dark blue eyes for now, and a great head of blonde hair. I wash it every day and it only takes one kiss to turn it greasy, which is too bad, since you we kiss you a LOT! You've just started making eye contact and turning your head when you hear my voice. You haven't smiled yet, but when I smile at you, I can see your eyes relax as though you want to smile. So, while a smile has yet to grace your lips, I can see one in your eyes.

Your favorite things are your paci, your floor gym, the sling (especially helpful during evening fussy times when we're getting the big kids in bed) and to be swaddled when you sleep. You do not love your car seat, although we have found that singing silly songs while we're strapping you in does help. Oh, the joy of watching your parents humiliate themselves! You are beginning to outgrow your newborn clothes and transition into 0-3 month clothing. Bring on the cute outfits!

Your older siblings are learning to adjust to having a baby sister in their lives! Caleb isn't sure why you won't stop crying sometimes when he asks you to :), but other than that, he likes to talk to you and talk about you. He is quite proud to be the older brother to TWO little sisters! Naomi is your little Mama. It is precious to see her pat your tummy, kiss your head, "help" me burp you, and to hear her talk to you. She likes to sit next to me while I'm feeding you and she's a big helper during diaper changes. We know that you are "her" baby and I can't wait to see your relationship with your sister continue to grow as you get older. Her exuberant, glowing face when she looks at you will have you smiling in no time!

We love you, baby girl. Welcome to our lives. We're so glad you're here.

Love,

Mama

Some Thoughts.

I've had a few people ask me if I regretted taking medication the day of Lydia's birth, after planning and preparing to go medication-free.

It's a fair question. I wrote the birth story post the night of her birth and I've had a week to reflect on the experience.

I think it's always hard when things don't go the way you plan. It's okay to have an idea in your mind of how you want things to happen, and even though you realize it might not go that way, I think it can still be hard to accept that things didn't turn out the way you had hoped. Obviously, a healthy baby was the end goal of Lydia's day and that goal was achieved. Honestly, in my case, I have no regrets. I wouldn't change anything.

I gave birth in a hospital because I trust my doctor's care. When the presence of meconium was discovered, I felt that it was as big of a deal as the doctor was saying, though some might disagree. One specific friend comes to mind who came too dangerously close to losing her baby because of meconium and since then I've never taken the issue of it lightly. When that came into play, I was open to whatever my doctor instructed, even, ugh, pitocin.

Out of my eight hours of labor, seven were without an epidural, and five of those hours included pitocin. I wouldn't change anything about it. I wouldn't have gotten the epidural sooner. Despite the pain, I actually, in some indescribable way, enjoyed labor. I was able to take a deep breath as soon as the contraction began, to inhale and close my eyes and completely relax myself bit by bit, to make sure my hands were unclenched, my toes were uncurled, my face was limp, as the contraction built and built. All of my focus was on complete relaxation and breathing (a high-five to yoga), to the point that when the contraction was over, I was almost asleep. It was amazing. I literally fell asleep between contractions because I was so relaxed. It was the most blissful comatose state. For as painful as each contraction was, the rest time in between was just as restful. I was in awe of the experience and loved it.

As the pitocin increased, my rest times decreased, to the point where relaxing between contractions and tolerating excruciating back labor was becoming pretty futile. From what I understand, transition, the period of dilation between 8-10, is the most difficult part of labor, and my doula explained that what I was feeling at a 6 is what I would have been feeling at an 8 if I wasn't on pitocin. When I received my epidural at a 7, I was at peace with the decision. The epidural was short lived, as I quickly progressed and began pushing within the hour. I still felt the pressure to push and felt that I was still in control. Because I only had the epidural for a short amount of time, I recovered well and was able to get up and move around soon after Lydia was born.

Her birth was wonderful. When it came time for me to push, my mom and my mom-in-law happened to be in the room with my doula and my husband and I. As the nurses set everything up, I asked my doctor if they could stay (totally a last-minute decision on my part and much to their surprise!) and she said they could. So, they were able to be there for the birth of what we think will be our last baby. This is something that I would not have necessarily been open to with my other babies, but this time the timing was just right and I wanted them to stay. I think it's easy to forget in the midst of the hustle and bustle of birth that the experience itself is truly a miracle, and hearing my two moms gasp and cry as Lydia was born helped to give the moment the poignancy it warranted. It was amazing.

So here I am, the mother of three. THREE. Wow. The song I chose to listen to while I was in labor was "Jesus, Draw Me Ever Nearer" as performed by Keith and Kristyn Getty. This song is special to me because it is the same song that saw my Dad through chemotherapy when he had cancer three years ago. The lyrics are simple and powerful. I find myself, now that Lydia is here, singing them to her as her lullaby, in the quiet hours of the night.

Jesus draw me ever nearer

As I labour through the storm.

You have called me to this passage,

And I'll follow, though I'm worn.

May this journey bring a blessing,

May I rise on wings of faith;

And at the end of my heart's testing,

With Your likeness let me wake.

Jesus guide me through the tempest,

Keep my spirit staid and sure.

When the midnight meets the morning,

Let me love You even more.

Let the treasures of the trial

Form within me as I go-

And at the end of this long passage,

Let me leave them at your throne.

May this journey bring a blessing,

May I rise on wings of faith;

And at the end of my heart's testing,

With Your likeness let me wake.

I can't tell you how much peace these words bring to an exhausted Mom who is slightly terrified at how in the world she is going to effectively parent and love the three precious kids God has blessed her with. The road ahead feels positively daunting and these words bring enormous peace, a constant reminder that life is for His glory, not for the glory of my own, and that I want only to be more like Him when the journey is through.

Have a lovely day, friends.

Stuck In the Middle.

Our precious unborn daughter still lacks a middle name.

Poor third child. Poor, poor third child.

You see, I have a middle name that I really like. But before I share it, let me share something else: I'm kind of big on names that are easy to pronounce. Everyone has a personal preference, I understand, but I'm in the simple name camp where the spelling is original and the name is pronounceable (take, for example, "Leah" versus "Leighugh"). Easy is good.

Which brings me to my conundrum.

We have a pattern with our kids thus far where their first names are biblical names and their middle names are family names. That wasn't necessarily an intentional plan, but it's the way things have turned out and we like it. Easy. I would like to continue this trend with Lydia, too.

The family name I would like to use?

Bourgette.

It is the maiden name of my French-Canadian great-grandmother, Maria Prefontaine, who had a fascinating life story and who is, I believe, a very worthy namesake. And it is, all things considered, a bit of a difficult name to pronounce upon first glance.

("Bore-jet". But with a soft "j", almost like "bore-shet".)

So.

Does sentimentality trump easy pronounceability?

Thoughts? Opinions?

Have a lovely weekend, friends!