The Big Day: Rice Cereal

Today was the big day we (specifrically Jonathan) had been waiting for:  Scarlett's introduction to "solid food" (aka, ric cereal).   She wasn't too sure what to think!

And of course, a lil' video of the big event!

Miss Scarlett's Swimming Class

Miss Scarlett had her first swimming class today and she did great! 

The water was nice and warm and she didn't mind going in at all.  I'm not sure what the class size is supposed to be, but Scarlett and I were the only people in the class this week, so it was like we had our own private lesson, which was nice!

This first class was just about getting her used to being in the water so we'd do things like lifting her out of the water and going back in, moving her though the water in large circles, taking her to the edge and putting her hands on the edge so she knows that is her "safe spot,"  pouring water on her head through a cup with holes in the bottom, etc.

The last thing we did in class was to put Scarlett on a foam platform that floated on the water.  She was put down on her tummy and after a few moments, started to protest, as she's still not a fan of being on her tummy.  But she was content longer than I expected.

Christian was in his own class in the lane next to us.  His class then moved to the other side of our lane and when he noticed us nearby, he'd tell his classmates and teacher, "LOOK!  It is my baby sister, Scarlett!"  He's still so proud of her!

The classes are each Sunday for 1/2 hour and are held year-round (the pool is indoors), so the kiddos will be in the classes as long as we'd like - we're not just limited to the summer season.  And I'm so glad we're able to do this with Scarlett at such a young age!

Miss Scarlett is Five Months Old

Our sweet princessa, Miss Scarlett, turns five months old today!

She's just so cute, and a lot of fun to interact with .  She loves to hold onto her feet and pull them up to her chest.  Actually, she loves to grab just about anything within reach - often my hair.   I'm debating cutting my hair, as I did when Christian reached this age.

We're on the verge of starting Scarlett on solid foods.  We were going to do it this week, but Scarlett has been having a hard time keeping her milk down.  Lots of "projectile vomiting," which usually lands on me (eeew).  We thought we maybe narrowed down the culprit to my love of McDonald's Frozen Strawberry Lemonade.  I had three over the weekend (ever had one?  They are delicious!).  But, she threw up again today, and my last lemonade was Sunday.  So ... who knows.  

Scarlett has now slept through the night for two nights in a row.  It is amazing how much better one's day is when having received a full night's sleep.

Scarlett's rolling around a lot these days - both back-to-front, and front-to-back (I posted two videos below for your entertainment).   She tends to get pretty upset once she's rolled onto her tummy, and then I have to rescue her.  She knows how to roll over to her back, but I think she gets so worked up about being on her tummy that she doesn't realize she's got the solution herself.

A Trend has to Start Somewhere ...

Our Miss Scarlett still isn't sleeping through the night.  She's been scooching around her bassinett a lot lately while sleeping and I was wondering if to shrinking confines of her bassinett were disrupting her sleep.

This is how she looked yesterday morning:

We decided it was time to set up the crib.   She went down, as usual, at around 8:00pm ... and shocked us when she didn't wake up to eat until 4:30am.   That is just about 8 1/2 hours.  YES!

In fact, after her feeding at that time, she stayed up for a bit ... but then let me put her down to sleep ... IN HER CRIB.   Another YES!

She's got plenty of room in her crib now!   Now we just need a mobile, and she's all set.  Until I get the mobile, I put up Hello Kitty wall decals for her to look at, as Scarlett loves Hello Kitty. :)

We'll see how she sleeps tonight.  I'm hoping for the best!

Scarlett at 20 Weeks: The Sippy Cup

Our Miss Scarlett is now 20 weeks old!  And to celebrate being a "big girl," I've been working on getting her to take water via a sippy cup.  And it WORKED!  She's AWESOME! :)

I wasn't too sure how she'd do, since she likes her milk so warm.  So I had the water at room temperature and after a few tries, she started drinking a little on her own.  When Jonathan came home, he held her cup, and she reached for it.

Why a sippy cup so early?  My feeling is that a bottle should be reserved for milk only.  I think if a baby is served milk, water and juice in a bottle, she never knows what she's going to be drinking.  While Scarlett is breastfed, she does get a bottle on two occasions:  

1. Most overnights, Jonathan gives her a bottle of pumped milk and 
2. If I'm out and about, and Jonathan has Scarlett at home.

If I give her the sippy cup, she knows she's getting water - and staying is hydrated is crucial during a Phoenix summer.  

Also, I'm just not a big fan of prolonged use of a bottle.  We've all seen three year olds who are still hooked on a bottle, rather than drinking from a regular cup.

But hey ... we all have our own parenting styles.  Mine is to encourage progression the moment I think a baby is ready.

Scarlett is so interested in whatever we eat or drink - she watches very intently and even mimics our eating motions.  These things are telltale signs that a baby is ready to try solids.   My preference, however, is to wait until she is six months old (which is how we did it with Christian).  That is that is what the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests as does "Dr. Sears" - the current "baby guru."  

But we'll see.  She's an awfully hungry baby and I wouldn't want to deny her Royal Chunky Legs some fine baby rice delicacies. :)

She's a Beauty!

The Bumbo Seat

Our Miss Scarlett loves variety.  She doesn't like to be in same position or the same place for very long - and she makes sure we know it.  So we added a "Bumbo" seat to our arsenal.  It was so cute to see her sitting up like this (she still can't sit up on her own).

Scarlett's Four Month Exam

Scarlett's four month doctor exam was today.  We are happy to report she's perfectly healthy - here are her stats (and past stats for comparison): 

Four Months:
Weight:  12 lbs, 6.5 oz
Length:  23.75 inches
Head:  16.5 inches

Two Months:
Weight:  9 lbs, 15 oz
Length:  21 inches
Head:  15.5 inches

One Month: 
Weight:  8 lbs, 9 oz
Length:  21.25 inches
Head:  14.75 inches

Birth:
Weight:  7 lbs, 5 oz
Length:  19 inches

We asked about her size, as several people have commented she seems small for her age.   He assured us Scarlett is fine and produced growth charts that show she's in the 25th percentile for girls her age.  And as I once heard, "As long as they are actually on the growth chart, all is well."

Mother's Day

Today marked my first Mother's Day as a mother of two amazing children (okay, three children - if you count Bella.  And we do!).  Alas, I didn't get a picture with both of my kiddos for this special day - drats!



Back in the Stroller

Because of Scarlett's reflux, she wasn't miserable in her stroller (with the pram), which keeps her laying flat.  We hadn't put her in the pram for the past three months or so.

We wanted to walk to the new fire station grand opening, so we tried the stroller gain and I'm happy to report that she slept for much of the walk ... and was content even after she woke up.  Well, until the last few minutes as we were heading home.  She was hot and hungry.

Our Beautiful Princessa

I don't want to brag, but ... :) we get a lot of compliments on what a beautiful baby our Miss Scarlett is.

Just thought I'd let you know. :)

Miss Scarlett at 16 Weeks

Our sweet Miss Scarlett turns 16 weeks old today.  So what is she up to lately?

She's got a lot to say, and quite loudly, too.   She drowns out the TV!   I try to get videos of her "talking," but I suppose having a big ol' camera staring at you can be quite intimidating ... and she stops.

She likes to roll over to her side a lot and a couple of times has flipped onto her tummy ... but she gets upset when she lands on her tummy, so I have to rescue her.

She's figured out her legs can move, and she's been moving her legs so that she can grab her feet.

As you saw in a recent post, her thighs are getting super chunky ... I love 'em.

She's not on much of a predictable sleeping schedule during the day yet, but at night it's pretty much a certainty that she'll be asleep in the living room by around 7:00pm and sleeps for a few hours, wakes to eat, and then sleeps the rest of the night.  Christian goes to bed around 8:00pm ... so we get some downtime in the evenings (which is not something I expected, so I'm thrilled!).   We finally started putting her down in her bassinett in the bedroom when she falls asleep in the early evening.   We had been just keeping her with us in the living room, but it was such a challenge to keep Christian - and everything else - from waking her up.

Miss Scarlett eats A LOT.  Babies can start on rice cereal anytime between four and six months.  My preference is for later rather than sooner, but she's so hungry that I think we may need to start her closer to four months.

Alas, we're still dealing with reflux issues - and some days are particularly bad (I think simply because she's eating more ... so that means more can come back up).

Scarlett has really started to interact with the toys hanging over her little gym.  It's so cute to see her swatting at and talking to her toys.

And lastly ... she's become such a SMILEY baby!  She was so serious most of the time, I wasn't too sure what was going on.  But lately, she's all smiles ... big, huge gummy smiles.  I love it!

Chunky Baby Thighs

The Littlest Princess

I remember when Jonathan got this shirt while I was still pregnant, it seemed like it would be forever before our baby girl would fit into it.

We put it on today for the first time, and it fit perfectly.  She's just growing so quickly!



Baby Bubbles

Miss Scarlett has a lot of spit sometimes ... and I can't tell if she's on the verge of teething or not.  She likes to suck on our pinkies and on her top side, I can feel something "sharp-ish."  I'm quite certain it is a tooth, but baby teeth usually start coming in on the bottom front.  So ... it's hard to say.   I hope the teeth won't be coming in too soon, as I love her adorable, gummy grin! :)

She makes bubbles a lot ... it's so cute!

Random Cuteness from a Smart Phone Camera