1st Christmas

We are home and exhausted from a wonderful first Christmas for Elizabeth!  Our trip started last Sunday when we headed down "home" (well where I consider home) to northern Virginia so that Elizabeth could meet my grandmother.  Sunday night we met up with Kara, Kevin and Sarah for dinner.

 

On Monday morning we stopped at Arlington cemetery to visit my grandfather's grave before heading to see my grandmother.

We had such a nice visit with my grandmother, and I realized while we were there that Elizabeth and my grandmother are almost a century apart!  My grandmother will be 100 in April.  She really enjoyed meeting Elizabeth, it was sweet seeing them together.  My dad was also there so that we could get a picture with 4 generations!

Next, we headed to Pennsylvania to my parent's house.  This past week was so relaxing and fun, we did a ton of eating, sitting around, watching TV, and playing Catch Phrase.  Tuesday night was church, Wednesday was Christmas, and the rest of the week was hanging out, we had a great time!  Friday we went to brunch at Hershey Hotel before heading home today.  We were also able to Skype with David's family and Jill and Frank.

Winter is here!

About a week ago, last Monday, I decided enough was enough, Elizabeth was exhausted because she wouldn't nap and she had woken up multiple times the night before.  She didn't have interest in playing because she was so tired.  So, after texting back and forth with a friend, I decided we had to start, and stick, to a sleep training plan.  We very loosely started the Ferber sleep method.  Essentially we put her down for the night awake in bed after our bedtime routine, if she is crying, we wait 3 minutes before going back in to soothe her, we do not pick her up, and only stay in the room for a minute.  If she continues crying, we go in again in 5 minutes, then if she is still crying we wait another 10 minutes before going in...and so on and so on.  (By the way, I realize this isn't interesting stuff, but I am writing it more for our own memory when we have another baby!)  The whole point is to teach her how to get herself back to sleep when she wakes up in the middle of the night.  It is also important to put her to bed awake so that when she wakes up she isn't in a different place than where she fell asleep.  There were many nights when she would fall asleep in our arms, or while I was feeding her, and the book really put it into perspective.  As adults, think about how weird it would be for us if we fell asleep in one room of our house and woke up in a different room with no idea how we got there.  And, a little disclaimer, I would not have started this if my pediatrician had not told me at her 4 month appointment that she does not need to be waking up in the middle of the night for food and that she is old enough to "sleep train".  The first night was tough, Elizabeth cried for about 25 minutes (of course we went in at 3, 5, and 10 minute increments), but eventually she fell asleep.  But, since that first night, it has gone SO WELL!  When we put her down now, she usually falls asleep within 5-10 minutes, and each night there is little or no crying, she is definitely aware it is bedtime!  There have been a few nights that she has slept through the entire night, and others that she has only woken up one or two times.....a major improvement from before.  Most importantly, she wakes up well rested and so happy!  Nap time is going so-so, she still won't sleep longer than 30-40 minutes at a time, which is obviously not enough sleep for a 4 month only baby.  But, we feel like we have made a lot of progress with night time:)

We had our first "real" snow this season last Tuesday.  In total we got about 3 inches, then this past Saturday we got about 4 inches, and as I am typing this, it is snowing outside.  Last week Elizabeth and I went walking in the snow, she wasn't very impressed, as she slept most of the time:) 

Last Thursday marked another first!  Elizabeth had her first ride in a New York City taxi!    While car seats are not technically required in a taxi here, I still had hers.  It was probably hilarious to onlookers to see me dealing with the stroller, and hauling her in and out of the taxi by myself.  We met David for lunch, and then spent the afternoon in the city.

 

 

My parents were in town this weekend, we had such a nice time.  It also meant date night for David and me!  We rode the ferry to the city for dinner on Saturday night in the freezing cold snow!

 

 

On Sunday my parents and I spent the day in the city.  David and E had some father-daughter bonding time:)  It's hard to believe Christmas is a week from tomorrow!!  I am so excited for Elizabeth's first Christmas!!  She started wearing her Christmas pajamas last night, I know lots of people give them to their children on Christmas Eve, but I want Elizabeth to get lots of wear out of them:)





4 Months!!

Wow, yet another monthly update, and only a little late.  Last week was Elizabeth's 4 month birthday.  We celebrated with a trip to the doctor for more shots!  Once again, she did awesome at the doctor, until the end when she got the vaccines.  I held her this time, and David took pictures - I don't think she appreciated being photographed right then. 

Here are Elizabeth's measurements for month 4:

Weight - 14 pounds (50-75th percentile)
Length - 23.5 cm. (25th percentile)
Head - 41 (50-75th percentile)

To compare here are her other measurements:

Month 1
Weight - 10.5 pounds (90-97th percentile)
Length - 21.5 cm. (50-75th percentile)
Head - 39 (90-97th percentile)

Month 2
Weight - 11.2 pounds (75th percentile)
Length - 22.5 cm. (50th percentile)
Head - 39.5 (75th percentile)

My amazing, wonderful, excellent sleeper is gone!  About 4 weeks ago, my little baby decided it was fun to wake up 2-3 times per night.  Now, I realize I have been spoiled with a baby who slept through the night since birth, but this is cruel!  The good news is that we are working on getting her back on her sleep "schedule" so we can remain sane, and hopefully it will pass soon.  The pediatrician said that we just need to keep training her, and that she does not need to eat in the middle of the night (she had me fooled!!).  Really, I still shouldn't be complaining, luckily she's not up playing or crying for hours on end, she is up for about 10 minutes and then passes right back out...but still, it's a little rough;)

The doctor also gave us the go-ahead to start on solids.  Elizabeth hasn't really shown in interest in food when we are eating, so we figure we will start rice cereal around 5 months...a compromise between 4 and 6 months.  She is moving around all the time now!  Every time we put Elizabeth down in bed, on a blanket, under her floor gym, we can be guaranteed that she will end up in a different place with her head at the opposite end of where we placed her.  She definitely takes after me in that she is a side sleeper.  We have only caught her once sleeping on her stomach.  Elizabeth LOVES to be out and about.  While she can't last more than 20 minutes awake in her stroller, if we take her to a restaurant or shopping, she loves taking it all in, and is happily passed from person to person at the table. 

And for the pictures....complete with band-aids from her shots....

(perhaps her mom needs to buy her some plain white onesies that actually fit now;)!)

 

Some more random pictures...