Random Recent Photos

A few things:

•Sleeping has regressed from the 6-8 hours straight to I'm lucky if we get 3 straight ;) (but she did sleep almost 5 hours straight Sunday night so maybe we are heading back up!!!)

•Playing more and more! It's so crazy seeing the way she changes each day!

•Listening to lots of music!! Pandora is getting lots of use... Reggae, acoustic guitar, indie song-writer, jazz, children's music are just a few of her favorite channels (oh & of course the Red Hot Chili Peppers/Sublime channels that Seth played tonight!)

•Reading! We try to go to the library once a week, at which point I frantically pick out 4 books before she gets upset by being in the carrier. I grab a book, glance to see how many words (keeping it simple here!), & if it fits, add it to the pile. If not, shove it quick as possible back and look for another title that seems like it would be basic! This strategy has found us a few good books. I have photos of the last books to share and will get photos of her favorites from this round too. Funny how she really obviously enjoys one particular book this time! Although I think she really likes 3 of the 4. The 4th one she might like, but it's so horrible, I am refusing to reread it!

Our Little Playing Girl

Sofia has started playing a little more each day. She loves her Panda and almost always lights up when he's presented to her. She also loves the Whoozit. I know she can't wait for the day when she figures out how to make the squeaker squeak herself!!

She also holds rattles and tries to put them in her mouth. The other day I gave her two, one for each hand. She was holding them, then started trying to get a round part of one in her mouth. Next thing I know she's viscously (as a 3.5 month old can) trying to shove both rattles in her mouth while yelling at them in her own baby way! It was adorable & scary at the same time! I went ahead and took them away before anyone got injured ;)

Our First Adventures in ECing

As I mentioned a few posts ago, we started ECing. EC stands for Elimination Communication. I hadn't ever heard of this before Jac mentioned it in her blog way back when she first said she'd be doing it with Zia. (I had to google it!) It is also called infant potty training. I think the Elimination Communication title works best because the parents are becoming aware of when their baby needs to eliminate by watching their signs and helping them become aware of them and eliminate in a toilet, potty, bowl, sink, etc. instead of their diaper. In ECing you also cue the baby when they are eliminating (maybe a "pssssss" sound). Which I guess helps them to know when it's an appropriate time to eliminate and is eventually a way for them to communicate that they need to go once they can begin to make that noise. 

My starting point to learning about ECing was Jac. She's answered questions and been a model for what ECing looks like add they've been ECing Z. Also, I checked out the book Diaper Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh from the library (it's actually available as an e-book!). There are some different websites that include helpful information and an online support group on Facebook. I have also found a new support group and class for ECing being offered at Alma Education Space. Mostly, I learned enough to know where to start and figured it was a learning process and we'd figure it out on the way! 

It definitely felt like something that took time... You are actually learning your baby's cues and patterns for eliminating... The poop signs are usually obvious to us (sorry teenage Sofia for discussing your elimination on the internet for all to read!) The peeing signs seemed nonexistent. I figured I'd be catching (that's what you call it when the baby eliminates in the toilet rather than their diaper) lots of poos and very little pees. A few weeks into this (& the short break away from it while we traveled) and I am excited that I have learned of ECing in the first place and been able to learn about Sofia's elimination. It feels more like a thing I should be doing for my baby rather than a foreign practice that seems impossible (I had really wondered how exactly my 3 month old would cue me when she needed to eliminate...) 

So how do I know when my baby needs to pee you wonder? After days of having her in just the cloth diapers with no covers (so I could feel her eliminating immediately while I held her), I have learned that she does cue and she does have some patterns. When she wakes up, she usually needs to use the bathroom. If she doesn't right away, I wait a few minutes and she does then. Sometimes she needs to use the bathroom while she's eating. In the past I would get flustered trying to figure out what was going on with her while I'd nurse, but now I understand a little better. When I am nursing her and part way through she starts pulling off and squirming and arching, I use to think she had gas and she needed burped. Now I have learned that it can be another way for her to let me know she needs to pee. (& sometimes it's just gas... But at least I have it narrowed down.)

We've gotten to the point where we catch so many pees a day that I don't keep count! And surprisingly the poos are a bit harder to catch. I actually hesitate when I think she's cueing me which leads to only catching half. All in all, we've had success in the short time that we've been ECing, and we are actually enjoying this whole process. I completely understand how ECing just deepens the bond and communication between the baby and parents. And I am completely 100% hooked!! (Thanks Jac for sharing about ECing!! & all the other things you share!)

Oh & a few links for anyone interested:

• An article about an EC study done in Vietnam
• Diaper Free Baby

(Disclaimer: If this post seems a little choppy, has mistakes, or doesn't make sense at some points, it was written over multiple days & nights (as in middle of the night trying to keep my eyes open any way possible) so please forgive any mistakes!)

Our Little Girl Found Her Laugh!!

I have been meaning to add this video for a couple days! As I mentioned a few posts ago, Seth made Sofia laugh the other night. The following day, I took Sofia to the fabric store. She got really upset about half way through. When we got into the parking lot, I jumped out and pulled her into the front seat with me to nurse. After nursing, I decided I'd attempt a diaper change on my lap. As I was pulling stuff out of the diaper bag, turned away, Sofia started laughing! The situation must have made her giggle! Here's the moment I was able to catch with my phone.

Traveling With Baby!

A few weeks ago we got sad news that Seth's grandfather passed away. We bought plane tickets to travel home for the funeral the same night with one day to prepare for our first flight with baby Sofia. In preparing I started researching and asking friends and other mamas for advice. I thought I'd share what we learned from our travels!

1. Water bottle
Make sure it's empty before you go through security! Or, if you are like me and realize you forgot to empty it before getting in line, be ready to chug it in line. Make sure you fill it before each flight so you have enough water when nursing on the flight. Asking the flight attendant for 10 refills probably isn't going to go over so well! 

2. Pillow
I also got the suggestion of using a boppy or regular bed pillow for our laps on the plane. At first I thought it seemed like a little too much to add to what we would be carrying already, but this was way worth it! I choose to bring a regular bed pillow instead of the boppy because it could be strapped on top of our duffle bag carry-on. It was much more handy than a boppy would have been. We could lay the baby out across our laps to nap or play. We even used it to put the changing pad on and change her while flying (cause you weren't going to find me in those bathrooms trying to use a public changing table!)

3. Tablet or E-reader

If I haven't said enough how much I LOVE my Google Nexus 7, I have to say this is one more time that made me realize how much I like it! Sofia didn't sleep much, but when she did, I could easily pull out the tablet, hold it with one hand, and enjoy an e-book.

4. Disinfecting wipes
Someone suggested wiping down the seats of the plane, and although I felt a little OCD making Seth do this before we sat down on each flight, I am glad we did it! Anything to try to keep germs away from my baby!

5. Ergo & the Moby Wrap

I packed these two plus the ring sling. We didn't end up using the ring sling, but we did use both the Ergo and the Moby wrap. I felt a little over the top packing all three carriers in the carry-on bag, but each one is a little different for different situations (especially for what the baby wants or how she's feeling). 

6. Hand Sanitizer Spray
I read about the chemicals in regular antibacterial hand sanitizer going into breast milk, so I have been avoiding it. I knew I had to find some other way to clean my hands, because using the bathroom on the plane and touching the door handles and faucet didn't sound in the least appealing if I could avoid it (airports, on the other hand, rock because they have no doors on the bathrooms and automatic faucets). I found an organic hand sanitizer spray that didn't contain ingredients that appeared to be in a foreign language. 

7. Wet bag

Very important. Make sure it's big enough to hold a few diapers and some clothes. We used disposables for the traveling, but the wet bag gave us a place to put dirty diapers that we had to change on the plane when a trashcan wasn't easily accessible. 

8. Phone to take photos

Or some device that takes photos! You must capture your baby's first flying experience! Of course, I relied on my iPhone and posting them on Instagram for family and friends to see as well.

9. Mama snacks - healthy & easy

Airport food isn't always the healthiest and looking for a quick, healthy snack is a challenge. Airplanes have snacks you can buy on flight, and even healthier choices, but sometimes a mama needs food and she needs it 5 minutes ago! There is no waiting for the flight attendants to make it through the cabin and praying they still have that one healthy option by the time they reach your row! I packed granola bars, almonds, peanut butter, multi-grain bagels, and apples.

A few other things you need to remember:

• Slip on shoes (for me, I've lived in my Toms since Sofia was born. They are easy on and off with no hands or bending down needed.) Especially important in getting baby through security as quickly as possible!
• Change of clothes for baby & parents too - We didn't end up needing our clothes (Sofia did), but can you imagine if she'd had a blowout on us part way through our flight and we didn't have anything else to wear!? It was bad enough when this happened at the end of a trip to the mall, but traveling with no access to clean clothes... OY! Always be prepared!!
• Car seat back ups - You can check your car seat for free with the airline. And if it happens to not make it to your final destination with the rest of your luggage, NO WORRIES! They have a closet of back ups (and strollers too) to lend until your's gets delivered (at which point, they swap back). I know this because it happened to us!
• Packing for carry on - Do your best not to over pack! You already have a ton of stuff to take care of, most importantly - a baby! Be very critical about bringing EXACTLY what you need and no more. I think I actually did a decent job with our carry on bags (the only thing that was packed that didn't get used while flying was our ring sling). 
• Enjoy all the googly eyes people give your baby! Cause no one knows better than you that this little one is the best thing in the world! And darn cute too!

We All Had to Laugh

Including Sofia BryAnn!! Tonight, Little Miss decided it was time to go all out and laugh! Actually, the truth is she just couldn't hide her ticklish spots from her Daddy any longer (Poor baby girl! Mama will do whatever she can to keep him from torturing, I mean tickling, you!... Or maybe not if it means we can hear your laugh again!!) Her father wasn't actually searching them out (or so he claims). He was giving Sofia her pre-bath coconut oil massage when he happened upon the laughing spot!!

Best thing EVER! Can't believe we heard it! She's doing such big things lately... Laughing, rolling over, using the potty more than her diaper... Growing up Sooo big!

This is Why I loooove Portland

Today's forecast: 100% chance of rain. Yet this morning it was 52 degrees and sunny, so Sofia got bundled up in a new sweater and tucked in the Ergo and to the park we walked. We spent an hour wondering through each trail and path of the park, searching for blooming flowers, enjoying the beautiful gigantic trees, and breathing the fresh air.

I am so surprised by the flowers that are already blooming and by all the buds that are getting ready to burst!!

Tummy Time

Sofia's neck is getting so strong! Look at her spending time on her tummy on the boppy. She doesn't seem to mind it either!

It's so much work to be a baby!

We Are So Far Behind Here

These photos are from two weeks ago. Sofia has already changed so much since then! She is spending more time being laid down to play lately... and as of the middle of last week, she's started actually "playing" (taking interest & holding onto) with her toys!!!!

  

Daddy's Little Wildcat

All dressed up last month for a K-State watch party. She snoozed through a good part of the game.