It didn't take her long...

Mommy got to hear that sweet laugh tonight :)

Giggle, giggle

Last night, at Tsunami for mom's birthday, Matt was talking to Mary Tyler as we were all getting ready to say goodbye at a different table than the rest of us. Next thing we know, we look over and he has tears in his eyes and laughing at the same time saying "COME HERE! SHE'S LAUGHIN'! SHE'S CRACKIN' UP!" We went over there and I had missed the first, loud "cackle" laugh. She still hasnt done it since, I'm sad I missed it but happy that it's just around the corner. Matt was so proud, he's been trying to get her to laugh every night for about a week now, and he finally accomplished his goal (hence, the tears). He's a sweet Daddy :) My Munks is sweet, too!

First Trip to the Pool

Last weekend (June 3rd) we took Mary Tyler to the pool for the first time. I was so nervous she was going to hate the cold water, but Matt assured me she'd be fine and plunked her right in and she seemed to love it. Didnt cry and didnt smile, but just looked amazed and like she was taking it all in. She is still a little too small for her float but she had fin wading around with daddy. She only stayed in for about 5-10 minutes then got sleepy and slept on her dad in the shade the rest of the time. (She's like him I guess, sun makes her sleepy). I took her back again yesterday and we sat in the baby pool. She liked it, but again, went right to sleep when we got out. Maybe it's because we always bathe her right before bed, guess water relaxes her :) Hope she's ready for the beach in 3 weeks, I know we are!!!

Munks is 3 months old!

Mary Tyler turned 3 months old on  May 16th. It's so crazy how fast time goes by, but at the same time, it feels like we've had her our whole lives and cannot remember what life was like without her.

EATING: It has been a crazy month as far as breastfeeding goes. I planned on doing a whole post about it, but basically, she went through a growth spurt around 10 weeks, at the same time as I went through a "supply drought" and we had to start supplementing. I took fenugreek and pumped every 3 hrs for about 10 days and still couldn't increase my supply. Right before Mothers Day I was nursing her still at night or in the morning (but only once a day) and then I got sick. As soon as my fever spiked at 102.4 it seemed that every drop of milk I had in me dried right up and I knew it was time to let it go. It was A TERRIBLY HARD decision for me to make, and I cried about it many nights, but I had to learn that Mary Tyler is a healthy, happy baby... I gave breastfeeding a valiant effort, and she did so great with it for the first 3 months of her life, I did the best I could do. With our next baby I plan on pumping a lot more at the beginning so I can go ahead and start a good stockpile of milk in the freezer. Right now, she is taking 5, 6oz bottles a day. Just recently, shes not been finishing a full 6 oz, so tomorrow I am going to try giving her 5 oz at a time.

SLEEPING: We put her down anytime from 10-11:30. For a while there she was sleeping a solid 12 hours. (11 to 11, basically) now she sleeps anywhere from 10-11 hrs. usually I put her down at 10:30 and she gets up around 9:15. She is such a good sleeper!! She takes abotu a 2 hr nap from 10:30-12:30 and then a little catnap in the evening around 6. She just dozes off for about 30-45 min.

Newest "tricks:" she rolled over!!! She rolled over for the first time last Monday night (May 14, two nights before her 3 mo bday) from her tummy to her back. She did it three times in a row. Now she'll do it almost anytime I put her on her tummy. She loves to do a mini-push up and arch her back real hard then she just drops her head to one side or the other and rolls right on over. She's just started holding toys and her paci. Also, Mom got her to "cackle" laugh one time. I was in the bathroom and I missed it. She's starting to squeal and smile a little more every day though, so I know that belly laugh is coming soon!

Sick: As I mentioned before, I was SO SICK last week (and still am, just no fever anymore). Mary Tyler got a little bit of it and had a runny nose and red, watery eyes for a few nights. We got a Nose Frida (if you dont have one, get one) that thing is a miracle worker!! So much easier and more efficient than the little green snot sucker ball they give you at the hospital. I felt SO BAD that she got sick but she seemed to not mind at all. It hasn't affected her sleeping or eating and she's acted totally fine. So, her first time being sick hurt mommy a lot more than it hurt her.

Things she loves:
- Leo the Lion (toy)
- Sophie Giraffe (toy)
- Cuddling! She's such a sweet cuddler. Anytime she's holding a blanket or her lovey (bunny) she snuggles it up next to her face and closes her eyes.
- Cooing . She talks like a monkey a lot. "Ooooh ooooh ooooh"
Hence her nicknames: Monkey, Munks, Munk, Munchkin, Munch, Chicky, Baby Girs (we mostly call her Munks right now.. it just stuck)
- She's started noticing the dogs. Cooper more than Annie. He comes and stands near her and she stares so intently.
- Being naked and bath time. She LOVES bath time. We got her a new tub and she's more emerged in the water than before. She absolutely loves it. I cant wait to take her to the pool this summer.
- Sitting her bouncy seat and watching...
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She has a huge crush on Mickey (just like her friend, Ella Bryce) as soon as he comes on the tv she smiles SO Big and acts shy. It's really cute. She also seems to really like Daisy.
- She likes watching Baby Einstein "Barnyard" on mom's iPad.
- Going outside. Whenever I walk her around outside she silently stares at everything. She loves it.
- Her Paci (Gumdrops only, she gags on Nuks and Mams)
- Her changing table. She kicks and gets "hyper" and coos and plays. She loves getting her diaper changed, now. I think because it involves her being naked.

Dislikes:
- Being hungry. Especially in the morning when Matt's making her bottle. She screams at him... "Hurry Up, Dad!!"
- Starting to notice her fussy when she's got a wet diaper now
- Getting bored. She'll have so much fun in one spot for a while (playing on her rainforest mat, watching Mickey in her bouncy seat) but the second she's over it, SHES OVER IT! She wants to get it up and GO!  like her Daddy, she is not content to just lay there and relax like her mom :)
- Her rock 'n play sleeper. We used it too much. We put her in there ALL the time. While we make bottles, while we eat dinner, etc. She's learned that whenever we put her there, she's not involved in what's going on and she gets pissed. Wants to be center of attention already :) She used to love that thing.
- getting HOT! She's just like me on this one. The back of her neck gets sweaty first (like me and my mom) and then she gets super fussy and annoyed. Gotta keep her cool!

We love our little Munks SO MUCH! I will post more this month, I promise. I need to put some videos and pics up asap :)

Mary Tyler is 2 months old!!!

Time is swiftly passing and we are loving our sweet baby girl more and more everyday.

Here are her stats from her 2 month check-up: 

Weight: 11 lb 7 oz (55th percentile)

Height: 23 in. (84 percentile..she's the height of an average 4 month old)

I cant find the measurement of her head right now but it's in the 71st percentile

Mary Tyler,

You love your paci.  Last night Daddy put it in your hand and you held on to it for a while! Dr. Butcher says that within the next few weeks you will be able to pass objects from one hand to the other! 

We started letting you watch "God of Wonders" videos the other day. (They are like Baby Einstein's but christian based) and you LOVE them! You just stare with amazement. I think you like all the colors moving, esp the black and white. 

You coo a lot now. and some times let out little squeals. When you get hungry you sound like a monkey "oooh oooh ooh"and when you cry you sound like you're saying "nay! nay! nay!" over and over (but you hardly ever cry). Dr. Butcher says you will be laughing sometime in the next month. I think you're close bc you giggle and smile in your sleep sometimes.

You've gotten a lot better at holding your head up.  Daddy took you to Costco (by himself) last week and carried you in in your Baby Bjorn. You loved facing outwards and looking at everything but after about 15 min you got a little fussy. We think you got tired of holding that head up.  We put you in your bumbo every once in a while and you hold your head up like a big girl! 

You still LOVE your rainforest play mat. You will lay on it and just kick and kick and smile and stare at the lights. You are slowly learning that if you flap your arms hard enough, you may hit the elephant and make it rattle. 

You love your bath and would stay in it all night. You also seem to love when i wrap you up real cozy in your towel right after your bath, and get you all warm. 

You are still breast feeding and eating about every 3 hours during the day (sometimes 2 sometimes 4). You've been eating from just one side and finish within about 7-10 minutes! (a very efficient eater) You had been consistently sleeping 7 hours every night (from 11:45 to 6:45) ... now you are going even longer!!! Last night you slept from 11:30 to 9:00 am. It was so great!! You are such a good sleeper. You take naps throughout the day but they aren't really on a schedule yet. At night we still swaddle you and turn on your sound machine to max volume. (ocean sound)

I take you everywhere with me. You've become quite the little traveler. When Lauren and me took you to the beach last week you did amazing for the 5 hour drive. We stopped once to feed and change you then you went right back in your car seat and either slept or stared out the window.  You really seem to like the car and like to travel unless you are fighting sleep. 

We love you so much, monkey! We can't imagine our lives without you and really have forgotten what it was like before you were here. Daddy and I looked at each other a few nights ago and said "What did we used to do??" :) You are the best thing your dad and I have ever done. We cant wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Love, Mommy

6 weeks old

I cant believe I have a six week old (almost 7 now)

Mary Tyler,

On Friday, March 30th you slept "through the night." I fed you at 11:45 and then put you to bed. I didnt have to feed you again until 8:30 the next morning! I did wake up at 6:45 to you squirming and grunting but you weren't fully awake yet. I just repositioned you in your pack n play and you slept til 8:15. What a good girl!! Then you went back to sleep until about 10am. When I took you to your nursery to get you dressed for the day you REALLY smiled right at me. For the past few weeks you smile a little bit but it's always looked like you're looking right above my head, not in my eyes. That morning you smiled right at me like HEY MOMMY! You are so sweet!

Then last night, April 1st, we got your nursery all set up and let you sleep in your crib for the first time. I was a mess. I didnt get much sleep bc I kept waking up to look at the monitor and make sure you were ok. Of course, you were perfect. I got up around 4 and repositioned you (you'd slid down off the boppy we're letting you sleep on to help w your reflux) then at 5:30 I went back in and fed you and put you back down. Your sound machine also has a projector that shows a little moon and stars on your ceiling... I turned that on and you stared at it until about 6:45 (i watched on the monitor...thinking you were going to start crying again any minute bc you were wide awake and in a different room) but you just watched it until you finally fell asleep and then slept until about 9:15.

Some other small things: You love your bouncy seat and mamaroo. You've started sitting in your bumbo but not too much. you still have a "floppy head" so you get tired of it easily. You LOVE your rainforest play mat. Daddy lays on the floor with you and you watch the lights and kick and play! I have taken a bunch of videos of yall and facebook loves them. Eventually ill upload them to my youtube account so we have record of them for years to come.

We love you so much and cant believe how quickly time is passing.

Here is the picture of you last night in your crib for the first time.

im back!!!!

im moving my blogging back to the homeland! I dont have time to post now bc Mary Tyler just started flailing for me... she's hungry :) I'll be back soon though!! Cant believe I have a 6 week old!! We love her so!