Trials and Tribulations of a New Mom
10/23/2009 (12:11:37pm)Tags: new mom pregnancyComments: (1)
It's Hannah's first Halloween. Needless to say, I am enjoying dressing her up! Here is the latest.... a picture of Hannah with her best friend George dressed as Raggedy Ann and Andy!!! Too cute, right?
There are a number of things I particularly love about this first Halloween:
1. Hannah can't talk yet so she can't beg for candy!
2. Hannah can't talk yet so she can't argue with my costume choices!
3. Hannah has no teeth so she can't eat any candy!
This has been a wonderful time of year. Hannah is 11 months and I am really feeling confident with myself at this point. I am enjoying every minute of motherhood, the good AND the not-so-good!
Next up: planning the first birhday party! Fun Fun!
10/5/2009 (3:13:14pm)Tags: pregnancy new momComments: (0)
It's official! Hannah is mobile.
She is crawling around everywhere and trying to get into everything. It happened on Saturday morning and she has been non-stop ever since.
I have also found that for the past 2 mornings she has woken up at 5:30 (as opposed to her usual 7/7:30 wake-up time). I believe she is so excited to explore, she simply cannot wait to start each new day!
My husband and I are in trouble! Life as we know it has changed... yet again! Good thing we got some baby-proofing stuff this weekend. We're going to need it!
9/25/2009 (4:25:21pm)Tags: new mom pregnancyComments: (0)
Hannah had a doctor's appointment today. She recieved her last Hepatitis B shot, along with her first of 2 flu shots. She took them like a champ.
She also had to have her finger pricked. She took that like a champ.
However, being a Massachusetts resident, there is a state requirement that all babies 9 months or older have a lead test. This is due to being exposed to older buildings with lead paint, etc... Massachusetts is beautiful, but OLD, and so it goes....
The test requires drawing blood. I was an absolute wreck!!! My husband was there with me (THANK GOODNESS!) but she was so uncomfortable and scared and of course it was a unsuccessful try. The lab tech tried, but I knew it wasn't working. So alas, we have to go back to give it another try another day.
I am NOT looking forward to that. I have had a very keyed-up, on-edge feeling all afternoon remembering the occurances of this morning's events.
Wish us luck for round two....
9/14/2009 (10:37:34am)Tags: pregnancy new momComments: (0)
Hannah is just about 10 months now...I cannot believe how time flies...
She is very independent and learning to move around- she rolls and scoots, but isn't officially crawling yet. It will be any day now though so let the baby-proofing begin!
If something rolls beyond her reach, she will roll to it or scoot her boot to reach it. She is pretty determined and manages to get to her desired object about 90% of the time. I'm impressed!
Here is one of the latest pics of Miss Hannah- Just showing her off!
9/11/2009 (12:10:48pm)Tags: pregnancy new mom travel with babyComments: (0)
Last week Todd, Hannah and I went to visit my sister, her husband and my parents down in South Carolina. This was going to be Hannah's first time flying and I was nervous!
Fortunately, my parents are seasoned grandparents already and had a car set base installed and ready to go for Miss Hannah's arrival. My sister was also great and called up a friend who has 2 young children to borrow some essentials. We ended up with pack'n play, a portable high chair, and a play yard all waiting for us! It was great! All we had to bring was Hannah's car seat (well, that and a million other things! - babies need lots of stuff!)
The flight was just under 2 hours- perfect for a maiden voyage. Hannah was absoultey perfect the entire time. She slept most of the way, I fed her a few Gerber Graduates snacks when she woke up, and she sat on her Daddy's lap and smiled at everyone behind us during landing...I couldn't believe it!
I was thrilled to have had a successful flying experience with her. I'm not saying it will be like that every time we fly, but I'm not nearly as nervous for the next trip. Hannah is 9 1/2 months now and as she gets bigger, she continues to amaze me! More on that later...
I do think that babies pick up on your energy. Fortunately, my husband is very calm and relaxed about most things, which helps me keep my nerves down. I tried not to be nervous or anxious and it paid off!
If you are planning travel with your little one, try to have fun with it and not be too anxious/nervous. My biggest point of worry was that she would cry the whole flight. Fortunately she didn't, but even if she did, she's a baby- they cry...Oh well! BUT one good tip: Jet Blue Airways has the TVs and headsets... each passenger usually watches their own individual television and since they have sound, they most likely won't hear your little one should she cry! That helped me relax...just a thought!
8/28/2009 (2:18:12pm)Tags: pregnancy new momComments: (0)
Hannah is so close to crawling! She does this sort of "swim" move that leads me to believe she wants very badly to move somewhere. As much as I encourage her (by tucking her knees up under her and cheering her on), I secretly hope it's a few more weeks before she gets moving. Once she is mobile, life as I know it is over and the race begins!
For now, I am so spoiled because I can sit her down and she'll stay in one place and play with her toys. At best, she'll get herself onto her belly and roll. She's not all over the place yet! But soon....very soon.....
YIKES!
8/17/2009 (11:59:06am)Tags: pregnancy new momComments: (0)
As Hannah gets older (she is just about 9 months now!), she is getting more and more interested in her surroundings. She loves her feet and enjoys making plenty of sounds which I'm sure to her, mean something. She says "Da Da" regularly and while my husband is elated, I find myself very frustrated that she isn't calling me Mama yet! All in due time...she's trying!
I have introduced the Baby Einstein videos to Hannah and she enjoys them very much. I like that fact that I can put her in her pack n' play with a few toys and run to throw a load of laundry in while she sits and watches the videos. The music is wonderful and the sights keep her entertained for a while. I have also discovered Right Brain and Left Brain vidoes that have a woman's voice associating the sights with sound. Again, classical music is in the background and Hannah seems to really enjoy these videos as well.
We have also discovered Peekaboo. Now that she is older, she truly understands and enjoys the activity much more than she did a few months ago. It's supposed to be really good for them to see something disappear and know that it will return again. We can play for quite a while!
I'm certainly not advocating that videos be used as a baby-sitter for your children, but I feel confident that Hannah is absorbing the information and enjoying it too. AND it helps free up just a few minutes for me to get other things done around the house! It's a win win!
8/14/2009 (9:37:01am)Tags: pregnancy new momComments: (0)
I know times are tough and the economy has everyone feeling discouraged, but I am confident things will pick up for everyone soon! (I'm a glass is half-full kind of girl!)
That being said, it is so hard to resist buying new clothes for my little princess! Everywhere I go I see the cutest, most adorable little dresses, onsies and outfits for Hannah! I have to restrain myself from buying up everything in sight.
I refuse to get into credit card debt for mini sundresses and polka dot bathing suits that are the size of my foot! Let's face it, by the time I pay the bill, she'll have already outgrown everything so I have to be smart! But temptation is there...
For now I shall just look and not buy. (Maybe I'll hint around to the granparents!!!)
8/3/2009 (4:39:24pm)Tags: new mom pregnancyComments: (0)
Hannah has been a very good little sleeper. However, as she has gotten older, she has also gotten bigger. She often wakes in the middle of the night and needs to be changed because her diaper is chock-a-block full!
I just purchased overnight diapers. Something I hadn't thought of but was told about them by a friend of mine. Night #1 was a success! She slept straight through the night, no need for a change, and no leaks in the morning. Just thought I'd share the tip....
7/27/2009 (12:38:19pm)Tags: new mom pregnancyComments: (0)
I took Hannah to my neighbor's pool yesterday for the first time. I bought a little baby pool float and she absolutely loved it! It was a perfect photo opportunity, but of course my hands were full so I didn't get any pictures! I will have to try to recapture the moment soon! Let's just hope the rainy summer we've had so far changes gears and gives us more sunshine so I can get her back in the water!
