I don't know what's up with your hair, kiddo, but I love it.
Showing posts with label Baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baby. Show all posts
15 Months +
I declare, every time I sit down to write about Victoria, her milestones and her getting older, I immediately think of how humbling it is that 1) I actually have a child, 2) that it's been only a breath of time since the day I first laid eyes on her, and 3) that she has grown as much as she has in such a short duration. That a tiny wee babe can learn to crawl, walk, talk, gesture intelligently, feed herself, and help with an array of little tasks (like putting her clothes on, wiping her face) in but a twelvemonth is, I think, quite a miracle.
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| 15 Months Old! |
My wee babe has entered her fifteenth month, on the 26th of September. She is now wearing "big girl" shoes (after a summer of going pretty much barefoot all the time), is nearly grown out of 18 month clothes, and attempting to repeat everything she hears. Fun stuff.
For us, our most exciting development is the fact that we discovered that her little "Your Baby Can Read" video and flash cards are actually working. Yes, indeed, our baby is reading! Sort of. :) Haha! I won't flatter myself that she is truly reading -- not phonetically at least -- but she is memorizing words at a good rate, it seems. I know it sounds like I'm bragging...I don't mean to, really. I just got rather excited when I held up the flash card for "kick" and "cow" and "arms up" and "clap" and "wave" -- and she finally read them back to me instead of just staring blankly at them. Sometimes, she would add the action to the word and would clap, wave or moo... It was kind of a thrill! It's proof, I suppose, that she really is picking up on early learning.
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| Red hair! |
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So the weather has now begun to turn a little chilly here in central Texas. (That would probably translate to "unseasonably warm" for my readers up in the northern states.) :) I've been attempting to finish that navy polka dot dress with the white braid trim for the December reenactment at the historic Ft. Washita in Oklahoma...but unfortunately (much to our great sadness) our beloved Ft. Washita burned down a couple of weeks ago. For our reenacting unit, Ft. Washita was the place we had our annual private reenactment at Christmastime. It was always so lovely. Plus, it was one of my very first reenactments. There is a support group forming on Facebook for Ft. Watshita in hopes of gathering funds for a rebuild. I hope they can achieve it, although I know these days funds are better utilized in taking care of the family. At least we have the memories.
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In other news, we're planning a camping trip in a few weeks! This will be the first time ever that I've camped out (modern style) with Keith, so that'll be fun. The boys will be going fishing so we'll have a catfish fry several times, I'm sure. Even funner is the chance to have the baby along and look at sticks and leaves and bugs. :) Sticks and leaves and bugs, to my toddler, are apparently the coolest thing since they put the pocket in the pita. And I love it!
Well, I suppose I should pack it in for the night. Blessings to you all.
Amy
Somehow, in the course of my busy days, I managed to make some strawberry preserves and wild plum jam. I didn't have any pectin on hand, so I made it using a vintage recipe where you basically just cook it in sugar for 20 minutes or so, let it set up and cool, then process it in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. I haven't opened one of them yet. I should though. I really have no idea if it turned out well or not. They just look so pretty on my pantry shelf!
I also put up some Italian giardiniera - a condiment with jalapenos, bell peppers, carrot, celery, onion and other spices and stuff that is mixed with equal parts olive oil and vinegar. I couldn't process these, though, because they have oil in them. Next time, I'll leave the oil out when I can them, and then later just mix in the appropriate amount of oil when I open the jar.
If you like hot stuff, this is yummy. Even if you don't like hot stuff, you could always make it without the jalapenos. It is a perfect way to utilize some produce from the garden, plus it's excellent on sandwiches (especially Italian ones), in salads, in pastas, and even pizzas. Some people just eat it as a side dish. Here's the recipe for you. I got a little over 4 pints of it.
Hot Italian Giardiniera
2 green bell pepeprs, diced2 red bell peppers, diced8 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced1 celery stalk, diced1 medium carrot, diced1 small onion, chopped1/2 c fresh cauliflower florets1/2 c water to cover2 cloves garlic1 T dried oregano1 t red pepper flakes1/2 t black pepper1 five-oz jar of pimento-stuffed green olives, chopped1 c white vinegar1 c olive oil
Place into a bowl the green and red peppers, jalapenos, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower. Stir in salt and fill with enough water to cover. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain salty water and rinse vegetables.
In a bowl, mix together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper and olives. Pour in vinegar and olive oil and mix well. Combine with vegetable mixture. Cover and refrigerate for two days before using.
In other news, Victoria has begun trying to feed herself with utensils. We delayed solids pretty long, so she's a little behind *most* babies when it comes to feeding herself from a spoon. Still, she cracked me up with her cuteness, especially when she's covered in yogurt. :)
I just can't believe she's going to be one in eight days.
Finally Catching My Breath.
Wel, after a month or so of throat viruses, ear infections, strep throat, nursing strikes/early weaning (which is still going on, by the way, although we're at least nursing during the night), I just had a serious reality-check about a reenactment that is coming up at the end of April which has put me full-force into the throes of sewing. Because I have a little girl who is now pulling up and cruising around and 24" long infant gowns are not going to do the trick for her independent little self. That, and it'll be warm at the reenactment I bet.
Thus, I've shortened my girl.
A bittersweet thing, isn't it? But it's hard to feel tragic for long, because she's so sweet in her new shorter petticoat and soft stays that I could just eat her up! I shortened her skirts to 14.5" -- they come to just above her ankle. Not so great for crawling, because they still get in the way, but she'll find so much more freedom to toddle, grab, and chew on her little "feetsies"...whichever suits her fancy at the time.
I got inspiration for her new yellow and green dress from this:
Shortened the sleeves, of course, and made it to fit a baby (because the original looks to me more like a young girl, rather than an infant. Here is a pic of her wearing it today. I hope to get more at the reenactment.
And one of her petti and soft stays:
And one of her being silly while sitting with daddy in the rocker:
I've also been busy with a navy blue with white polka dot dress that has white soutache trim all around the hem. For Victoria, of course. I mean, who could possibly have the time to do that around the hem of a ladies' dress?? It took me 2.5 weeks just to get 86" done. But it looks stunning...if I say so myself. I don't have pictures yet -- sorry! -- because the dress isn't done yet. It's still very much in pieces.
And I've also completed a pair of drawers for my darling man. He's been needing a new pair.
Well, I'm off to visit 1862. Y'all be good.
Sad.
Hey, do y'all mind if I cry on your blog shoulders for a minute? I've been crying on friends' email shoulders too, but I'm just so despondent about this. I need to talk it out. Maybe someone out there has been through this before.
Victoria has stopped nursing. (Sob!!) Sunday morning, at 5am, she nursed her last and has refused me ever since. She's been rejecting me here and there for the last week as my milk supply has been lower (although, incidentally, today saw a slight increase in my supply, thanks to Fenugreek and crazy amounts of pumping), but Sunday morning was the end for her apparently. And she's not just placidly turning away from me. No, no. She's biting. Biting without even latching on first. I offer her the opportunity to nurse; she responds by biting down on me and pulling away (OUCH!) and then crying hysterically as if I'm trying to feed her arsenic.
Now, maybe everyone reading my blog who has had babies were glad to wean whenever the babies felt like it, but I really wanted to keep nursing at least until a year, and hopefully beyond that (even if it was mostly for comfort). And until the last week, we have enjoyed a rather good nursing relationship. I've nursed her until (as of last week) she began to just refuse the breast because [I presume] I wasn't producing as much. (My "monthlies" returned several weeks back, maybe that had something to do with it.) Thursday, for example, the baby was at Keith's folks house all day long, so I had to pump. In 5 pumping sessions I got a grand total of 8 oz. Eight. Measly. Ounces.
Now I was never a champion milk producer, but I could definitely produce enough for her to eat plus a little more. Every growth spurt so far we've weathered through famously. She has seemed to enjoy nursing. Until she started biting a month ago or so. She'd bite so hard that I'd end up yelping and pulling her off. Literally, it was that bad. Teeth marks. I know I scared her a few times, but we did end up resuming a somewhat normal nursing relationship, although trust was a little guarded. For the most part, she nursed ok, because when she was actively nursing, she couldn't really bite me.
I knew she was probably teething, so I had patience with her. She has 8 teeth already; I figured molars were next and I knew they were doozies. But recently, her bites are no longer just "ow, my teeth hurt and I want to chew on something" kind of bites. She's biting on purpose. And she's not playing either, which is what she used to do when her teeth first came in. She's biting me purposefully, then getting angry that I'm not giving her something else to eat.
As of about Tuesday last week, most times I'd try to nurse her, she'd bite me a few times, then settle into nursing. Most of Friday, most of Saturday, and all of Sunday (except the 5 a.m. nursing session), she would bite me and pull off and cry. I was getting to be in some serious pain over it. I've tried just putting the "girls" away and saying "no biting" and then trying again, but that didn't work. I tried thumping her lightly on the cheek, tapping her mouth, saying "no biting" in a firm voice and calm voice. But instead of doing what most said she would do (which was realize that she won't get to nurse if she bites, and thus stop biting), she seemed to say "Oh, ok, no problem. I don't need you anyway."
I thought perhaps I'd inadvertently got her hooked on the bottle.
But until my milk supply began to decrease recently, I rarely gave her a bottle. Even when she had that ear infection a month ago, she refused both bottles and breast -- so it's not like she got used to a bottle during that time. She even gave up the pacifier cold turkey. She did, however, have to be given water for a little while as she was on the verge of dehydration...which we gave her in a sippy cup, and she has had a bottle of water from time to time, although she doesn't drink much from it. Could that have caused her to give up on nursing?
Then I thought maybe she's just going through a huge growth spurt. She seems obviously hungry these days. Saturday night, for example, she had an 7 oz bottle of half breastmilk and half formula before falling asleep around 9pm. By 2am, she wanted another 4 ounces, which I had to give her in formula because she wouldn't nurse and was crying too hysterically for me to pump first. At 5 am, she was awake again and nursed for the last time. (Sob!) Some have suggested that she needs rice cereal in her bottle at night because she needs more sustenance. Does she? Who knows.
Some others have suggested that she might be self-weaning (but I hear that's a rarity among babies under a year). If so, my heart might break. I'm not really ready to give up nursing. What I do know, however, is that she is often reaching for my plate at dinner and seems to constantly want to be fed. I've tried keeping "solids" simple -- bits of avocado, carrots, peas. But nothing that you could even call a meal.
So I've attempted to do all the things to renew her enthusiasm in nursing. I've tried nursing her when she's sleepy, half-asleep, and even sound asleep. I've tried co-sleeping, skin-to-skin, nursing while bathing, nursing while in motion. Every single time, she either cries because she knows I'm trying to encourage nursing, or she just bites me violently and then cries. She's even bitten me through my shirt and bra! Have I inadvertently caused my baby to be violent? Do I not spend enough time talking to her, rocking her, playing with her, bathing her, feeding her, and otherwise showering love upon her?
Should I keep trying to nurse her, even though she bites me? I'm afraid I've been hurt so bad by it that I'm going to have a hard time nursing her without being tense. That might be contributing to the problem though, and I'm willing to do whatever I need to.
I wish babies came with an instruction manual.
Sigh. This is really very hard for me. I feel like my heart's going to break. Maybe it seems silly to most people, but for someone who doesn't know if she'll have another child, I've been cherishing every little moment. I don't want to miss anything. And I don't want our times cut short. She, on the other hand, seems happy as a lark. I'd never want her to stay a baby, but still...I thought I could enjoy at least some comfort nursing for many months to come.
Anyone have any ideas? Tips? Hope? Prayer?
Victoria has stopped nursing. (Sob!!) Sunday morning, at 5am, she nursed her last and has refused me ever since. She's been rejecting me here and there for the last week as my milk supply has been lower (although, incidentally, today saw a slight increase in my supply, thanks to Fenugreek and crazy amounts of pumping), but Sunday morning was the end for her apparently. And she's not just placidly turning away from me. No, no. She's biting. Biting without even latching on first. I offer her the opportunity to nurse; she responds by biting down on me and pulling away (OUCH!) and then crying hysterically as if I'm trying to feed her arsenic.
Now, maybe everyone reading my blog who has had babies were glad to wean whenever the babies felt like it, but I really wanted to keep nursing at least until a year, and hopefully beyond that (even if it was mostly for comfort). And until the last week, we have enjoyed a rather good nursing relationship. I've nursed her until (as of last week) she began to just refuse the breast because [I presume] I wasn't producing as much. (My "monthlies" returned several weeks back, maybe that had something to do with it.) Thursday, for example, the baby was at Keith's folks house all day long, so I had to pump. In 5 pumping sessions I got a grand total of 8 oz. Eight. Measly. Ounces.
Now I was never a champion milk producer, but I could definitely produce enough for her to eat plus a little more. Every growth spurt so far we've weathered through famously. She has seemed to enjoy nursing. Until she started biting a month ago or so. She'd bite so hard that I'd end up yelping and pulling her off. Literally, it was that bad. Teeth marks. I know I scared her a few times, but we did end up resuming a somewhat normal nursing relationship, although trust was a little guarded. For the most part, she nursed ok, because when she was actively nursing, she couldn't really bite me.
I knew she was probably teething, so I had patience with her. She has 8 teeth already; I figured molars were next and I knew they were doozies. But recently, her bites are no longer just "ow, my teeth hurt and I want to chew on something" kind of bites. She's biting on purpose. And she's not playing either, which is what she used to do when her teeth first came in. She's biting me purposefully, then getting angry that I'm not giving her something else to eat.
As of about Tuesday last week, most times I'd try to nurse her, she'd bite me a few times, then settle into nursing. Most of Friday, most of Saturday, and all of Sunday (except the 5 a.m. nursing session), she would bite me and pull off and cry. I was getting to be in some serious pain over it. I've tried just putting the "girls" away and saying "no biting" and then trying again, but that didn't work. I tried thumping her lightly on the cheek, tapping her mouth, saying "no biting" in a firm voice and calm voice. But instead of doing what most said she would do (which was realize that she won't get to nurse if she bites, and thus stop biting), she seemed to say "Oh, ok, no problem. I don't need you anyway."
I thought perhaps I'd inadvertently got her hooked on the bottle.
But until my milk supply began to decrease recently, I rarely gave her a bottle. Even when she had that ear infection a month ago, she refused both bottles and breast -- so it's not like she got used to a bottle during that time. She even gave up the pacifier cold turkey. She did, however, have to be given water for a little while as she was on the verge of dehydration...which we gave her in a sippy cup, and she has had a bottle of water from time to time, although she doesn't drink much from it. Could that have caused her to give up on nursing?
Then I thought maybe she's just going through a huge growth spurt. She seems obviously hungry these days. Saturday night, for example, she had an 7 oz bottle of half breastmilk and half formula before falling asleep around 9pm. By 2am, she wanted another 4 ounces, which I had to give her in formula because she wouldn't nurse and was crying too hysterically for me to pump first. At 5 am, she was awake again and nursed for the last time. (Sob!) Some have suggested that she needs rice cereal in her bottle at night because she needs more sustenance. Does she? Who knows.
Some others have suggested that she might be self-weaning (but I hear that's a rarity among babies under a year). If so, my heart might break. I'm not really ready to give up nursing. What I do know, however, is that she is often reaching for my plate at dinner and seems to constantly want to be fed. I've tried keeping "solids" simple -- bits of avocado, carrots, peas. But nothing that you could even call a meal.
So I've attempted to do all the things to renew her enthusiasm in nursing. I've tried nursing her when she's sleepy, half-asleep, and even sound asleep. I've tried co-sleeping, skin-to-skin, nursing while bathing, nursing while in motion. Every single time, she either cries because she knows I'm trying to encourage nursing, or she just bites me violently and then cries. She's even bitten me through my shirt and bra! Have I inadvertently caused my baby to be violent? Do I not spend enough time talking to her, rocking her, playing with her, bathing her, feeding her, and otherwise showering love upon her?
Should I keep trying to nurse her, even though she bites me? I'm afraid I've been hurt so bad by it that I'm going to have a hard time nursing her without being tense. That might be contributing to the problem though, and I'm willing to do whatever I need to.
I wish babies came with an instruction manual.
Sigh. This is really very hard for me. I feel like my heart's going to break. Maybe it seems silly to most people, but for someone who doesn't know if she'll have another child, I've been cherishing every little moment. I don't want to miss anything. And I don't want our times cut short. She, on the other hand, seems happy as a lark. I'd never want her to stay a baby, but still...I thought I could enjoy at least some comfort nursing for many months to come.
Anyone have any ideas? Tips? Hope? Prayer?
Update on Victoria.
Thanks so much for your comments and prayers from my previous post! After another frustrating (though not so bad as Saturday) night, we went to see the doc this morning and she has an ear infection -- apparently pretty bad. The doctor was surprised considering she had such a short, low-grade fever. She gave me antibiotics...ugh. Although I'm against antibiotics generally, I'm thinking we should still take them because the infection is so strong. I always hate that decision. I don't want her to suffer or get a secondary infection. Agh.
She also had a throat virus -- although I completely forgot to ask specifically which one -- and she does have small blister like things at the back of her palate. Nothing to be done for that except fluids and Tylenol.
Anyway...so there's the update. Thanks again for everyone's wisdom and insight. You're more valuable than you know to those of us who are venturing for the first time into parenthood.
Now I'm heading to the oral surgeon to get some wisdom teeth pulled. Ick.
Amy
She also had a throat virus -- although I completely forgot to ask specifically which one -- and she does have small blister like things at the back of her palate. Nothing to be done for that except fluids and Tylenol.
Anyway...so there's the update. Thanks again for everyone's wisdom and insight. You're more valuable than you know to those of us who are venturing for the first time into parenthood.
Now I'm heading to the oral surgeon to get some wisdom teeth pulled. Ick.
Amy
Baby's First Fever - And I'm Losing My Mind.
What I wouldn't give to have the wisdom of an experienced mom on some disk somewhere, that could be downloaded directly into my brain. It would have been so helpful, especially last night. And this morning. And this afternoon. And right now.
My poor Victoria had her first fever last night -- topping at 101.4 somewhere around 3am. Oh, and the crying, my poor dear. Such awful, pitiful cries. She wouldn't nurse because she couldn't breathe, so I suctioned her nose. We got fitful sleep -- every couple of hours, she'd awaken, I'd take her temp and offer liquid. She nursed a couple of times, thank goodness. We limped through the night. She slept with me -- usually against my chest while I sat up in bed. That seemed to work the best.
At 10am, the drooling started and the fever broke. Such drooling I've never seen in my life. She still wouldn't nurse, and seemed to have pain swallowing and yawning. (That always hurts me when I have sinus drainage, so I wondered if that could be it.) Had a few alarms that made me think I might have to go to the ER, but then, suddenly, she started nursing, went to sleep for 30 mins or so, and woke up in a fairly good mood. That lasted a couple of hours, and we repeated the process. Luckily the fever hasn't returned.
As of 8pm, we've had over 40 minutes of near-constant crying -- that tired, whimpery cry that makes probably every mother's heart break. Fever is gone. Difficulty/pain (?) swallowing and yawning doesn't seem to be as bad. Drooling is heavy. She chokes on the saliva and is making unusual snarky noises, like she has a stuffy nose (although she doesn't). She might have some congestion though, but if she does, I don't know what to do about it except Vicks or Eucalyptus oil of some kind.
She already has 8 teeth. Could it be teething? Molars?
I'm assuming (hate to do that, though) that if she really were sick with an illness, she would have fever or coughing or lethargy -- some other symptoms. I hope that's the case. I thought about going to the ER, but I sure would feel silly going to the ER when all she has is a bad case of teething.
Ugh.
I'm so tired. Say a prayer for us if you would. Thanks my friends!
My poor Victoria had her first fever last night -- topping at 101.4 somewhere around 3am. Oh, and the crying, my poor dear. Such awful, pitiful cries. She wouldn't nurse because she couldn't breathe, so I suctioned her nose. We got fitful sleep -- every couple of hours, she'd awaken, I'd take her temp and offer liquid. She nursed a couple of times, thank goodness. We limped through the night. She slept with me -- usually against my chest while I sat up in bed. That seemed to work the best.
At 10am, the drooling started and the fever broke. Such drooling I've never seen in my life. She still wouldn't nurse, and seemed to have pain swallowing and yawning. (That always hurts me when I have sinus drainage, so I wondered if that could be it.) Had a few alarms that made me think I might have to go to the ER, but then, suddenly, she started nursing, went to sleep for 30 mins or so, and woke up in a fairly good mood. That lasted a couple of hours, and we repeated the process. Luckily the fever hasn't returned.
As of 8pm, we've had over 40 minutes of near-constant crying -- that tired, whimpery cry that makes probably every mother's heart break. Fever is gone. Difficulty/pain (?) swallowing and yawning doesn't seem to be as bad. Drooling is heavy. She chokes on the saliva and is making unusual snarky noises, like she has a stuffy nose (although she doesn't). She might have some congestion though, but if she does, I don't know what to do about it except Vicks or Eucalyptus oil of some kind.
She already has 8 teeth. Could it be teething? Molars?
I'm assuming (hate to do that, though) that if she really were sick with an illness, she would have fever or coughing or lethargy -- some other symptoms. I hope that's the case. I thought about going to the ER, but I sure would feel silly going to the ER when all she has is a bad case of teething.
Ugh.
I'm so tired. Say a prayer for us if you would. Thanks my friends!
Spring Blog Cleaning + 8 Months
Ok, so you may have noticed that I changed up my blog design. The sun came out yesterday and I have my seedlings in pots waiting to sprout, so I guess I just felt all "springy" and wanted to take a departure from the "antique" look. I post more than just 1860s stuff on here anyway. I love the wide-width blog layouts, but there's a little part of me that is afraid people will have to scroll back and forth to see my site. Let me know if you have any problems with that.
She had her first bath "alone" in the big tub last night and was tickled pink. :) In this photo (don't ask me what she's doing with her tongue), you can see yet another two teeth coming in -- these being on the bottom. That makes 8 choppers. Wow.
In other news, she's now sitting up on her own. I didn't even realize she was doing it until one day she was on her stomach, playing. I looked away for a minute, then looked back, and she was sitting up and reaching into her toy basket. No crawling yet, but if she happens to be standing against something she can hold on to (usually my shirt or the coffee table), she'll stand up all day long. Seems to have no interest in crawling, scooting, or creeping no matter how much we put her on her hands and knees or crawl around on the floor with her. She has found her lungs and loves to Yell Loudly. Or squeal. Or giggle. You should hear her giggle.
I love that kid.
Victoria is 8 months old tomorrow!
She had her first bath "alone" in the big tub last night and was tickled pink. :) In this photo (don't ask me what she's doing with her tongue), you can see yet another two teeth coming in -- these being on the bottom. That makes 8 choppers. Wow.
In other news, she's now sitting up on her own. I didn't even realize she was doing it until one day she was on her stomach, playing. I looked away for a minute, then looked back, and she was sitting up and reaching into her toy basket. No crawling yet, but if she happens to be standing against something she can hold on to (usually my shirt or the coffee table), she'll stand up all day long. Seems to have no interest in crawling, scooting, or creeping no matter how much we put her on her hands and knees or crawl around on the floor with her. She has found her lungs and loves to Yell Loudly. Or squeal. Or giggle. You should hear her giggle.
I love that kid.
Snowbaby.
{ Victoria's first snowfall. A rarity way down here in sub-tropical, balmy Central Texas }
Separation Anxiety.
My husband and I are heading out to "the farm" (perhaps I should say "cow pasture"?) this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and -- much to their immeasurable delight -- Victoria will be staying with Granny and Pa for the weekend. The farm is to the south-west. His parents house is to the north. We were thinking we should take her to their house on Friday morning before heading out to the farm, but it seems silly for us to drive all the way north, just to turn around and go south again, when we know for a fact that his parents are more than willing to come pick her up and bring her back.
The most logical thing to do is let Keith's folks come get her and take her back to their house.
But I'm having a bad case of separation anxiety. It's not like I have any worries about them keeping her -- they're so blessedly attentive, Victoria will have tons of fun stuff to do, new people to see, and places to go. His mother, in particular, has raised 4 children and is wonderfully good at comforting/rocking/loving little babies. But it's Monday...4 whole days before the event...and I'm already having pangs at the thought of not having her around me for 2.5 days. But I've let her stay over for 1.5 - 2 days before, and had the same sort of anxiety at the beginning too, so I know I'll get over that part.
Strangely, the thing I'm most worried about is -- if they come pick her up -- Victoria freaking out and crying for me as she is being driven away from her home by someone other than me or her dad. The thought of that kills me. But she knows her grandparents; she really enjoys them. She's just never left her home in any other car except ours. But maybe babies don't really care about such things, so long as she knows who she's with...?
Maybe what I'm actually worried about is me freaking out when they take her out of my house and away from me.
I just don't know what to do with myself when she's not nearby. There must be a point, though, at which your child needs to learn that she can feel safe with other trusted adults when mom or dad isn't around.
But what do I know? This baby thing is new to me. Do I need to just chill out? :/
The most logical thing to do is let Keith's folks come get her and take her back to their house.
But I'm having a bad case of separation anxiety. It's not like I have any worries about them keeping her -- they're so blessedly attentive, Victoria will have tons of fun stuff to do, new people to see, and places to go. His mother, in particular, has raised 4 children and is wonderfully good at comforting/rocking/loving little babies. But it's Monday...4 whole days before the event...and I'm already having pangs at the thought of not having her around me for 2.5 days. But I've let her stay over for 1.5 - 2 days before, and had the same sort of anxiety at the beginning too, so I know I'll get over that part.
Strangely, the thing I'm most worried about is -- if they come pick her up -- Victoria freaking out and crying for me as she is being driven away from her home by someone other than me or her dad. The thought of that kills me. But she knows her grandparents; she really enjoys them. She's just never left her home in any other car except ours. But maybe babies don't really care about such things, so long as she knows who she's with...?
Maybe what I'm actually worried about is me freaking out when they take her out of my house and away from me.I just don't know what to do with myself when she's not nearby. There must be a point, though, at which your child needs to learn that she can feel safe with other trusted adults when mom or dad isn't around.
But what do I know? This baby thing is new to me. Do I need to just chill out? :/
Just A Post.
Just decided to drop into blog-land for a moment so I can relax a little. I'm in the process of trying to help Victoria learn how to go to sleep by herself. Sigh.
She hasn't been a terrible sleeper; she's only been waking up occasionally -- at 8:15pm, 9:00, 9:30, 10:15, 11:30, 12:00am, 2:30, 4:00, and then of course we get up at 7:30 for the day. And she ain't crying to be fed, either. She's crying because she's always rocked to sleep and when she wakes up, she doesn't know how to relax and go back to sleep. She also cries because she expects us to pick her up whenever she cries in her crib -- Keith and I are both at fault here. It's automatic for us, has been since day 1. So she never has a chance to put herself back to sleep, and what do we do once we have her in our arms again? We rock her back to sleep. And I've come to realize that this is simply a habit that I've gotten her into because I LOVE to rock my baby and could spend all day just rocking and cuddling and singing to her. But it's important to me, at 8 months old, that Victoria learns that it's ok to fall asleep (and fall back asleep), while knowing we're still there, and haven't abandoned her.
So this is Night 1 of Victoria's "sleep training" (bleh). Yes, I had to let her cry. Some people may not like that idea. But to each his own. I say whatever works. Besides, I didn't just give her a bath and feed her and then dump her into the crib. I followed my normal bedtime routine (including rocking) and let her get to sleep. It was when she woke up that I made a point not to pick her up. But I didn't leave her alone to cry. I patted her and sang/talked to her while she cried. That. Was. Hard. Thank the Lord for earplugs. But then in 30 minutes, she had reduced to an agonizingly pitiful "sniffle sniffle cry" and then drifted between sleep and awake every minute or two. I felt like the worst mama on the planet.
Then magic happened. She opened her eyes, lifted her head and looked up at me, then after a few minutes of shifting to get comfortable, she dozed right on off by herself.
45 minutes of awfulness. And as of this moment, 50 minutes of quietness.
She hasn't been a terrible sleeper; she's only been waking up occasionally -- at 8:15pm, 9:00, 9:30, 10:15, 11:30, 12:00am, 2:30, 4:00, and then of course we get up at 7:30 for the day. And she ain't crying to be fed, either. She's crying because she's always rocked to sleep and when she wakes up, she doesn't know how to relax and go back to sleep. She also cries because she expects us to pick her up whenever she cries in her crib -- Keith and I are both at fault here. It's automatic for us, has been since day 1. So she never has a chance to put herself back to sleep, and what do we do once we have her in our arms again? We rock her back to sleep. And I've come to realize that this is simply a habit that I've gotten her into because I LOVE to rock my baby and could spend all day just rocking and cuddling and singing to her. But it's important to me, at 8 months old, that Victoria learns that it's ok to fall asleep (and fall back asleep), while knowing we're still there, and haven't abandoned her.
So this is Night 1 of Victoria's "sleep training" (bleh). Yes, I had to let her cry. Some people may not like that idea. But to each his own. I say whatever works. Besides, I didn't just give her a bath and feed her and then dump her into the crib. I followed my normal bedtime routine (including rocking) and let her get to sleep. It was when she woke up that I made a point not to pick her up. But I didn't leave her alone to cry. I patted her and sang/talked to her while she cried. That. Was. Hard. Thank the Lord for earplugs. But then in 30 minutes, she had reduced to an agonizingly pitiful "sniffle sniffle cry" and then drifted between sleep and awake every minute or two. I felt like the worst mama on the planet.
Then magic happened. She opened her eyes, lifted her head and looked up at me, then after a few minutes of shifting to get comfortable, she dozed right on off by herself.
45 minutes of awfulness. And as of this moment, 50 minutes of quietness.
New Things.
We got a new crib.Actually, it's the crib we got for Victoria before she was born, but she's been content (and safe) in her cradle until now, so we finally brought it out of storage and put it together. Her cradle is hardwood, very sturdy and lovely and she's made it a full 7 months in her little cradle next to my bed.
But onto bigger (and better?) things, right?
I'm a little sad. Is that silly?
First, we had to organize and get things ready to move my grandmother's vanity table from it's place between the windows and put it next to our bed. The crib will take its original place. So I started with rotating the outgrown clothes and bringing in the now-fitting clothes. Victoria helped me, as you can see. In the process, we found a cute headband that I slipped on her pumpkin-noggin. I'm not overly fond of headbands on babies, but I couldn't help it. Even Keith thought she was too cute. ;)
Next, I moved the vanity, and then put the crib together. I think it turned out rather pretty. I liked this style because it also converts to a toddler bed, as well as a youth bed later on. The sheet, bumper, and blanket are all from my mother in law. Cute, huh?
I think she liked it ok. :)(By the way, I didn't intentionally match her clothes to her crib.)
At this writing, she's napping in it. I hope she transfers from cradle to crib with not too much angst and despair and rending of garments.
Last Sunday, we had an impromptu Bible Study. Sort of. Keith was reading something Biblical to Victoria and I caught them from afar (ie: the other room) and snapped a few photos of him wrestling a wiggly baby while trying to impart wisdom of the Scriptures.
I hope this post finds you all well.A quick note: A few of you have asked about that coat pattern. I really will get it to you soon. I promise. :)
As The Year Draws To A Close...
Seems crazy that a whole year has already gone by. Now we're in full swing of the Christmas holidays, and just yesterday it was June 26th and my first child was placed in my arms. The day before that, it was April 19th (2008) and I was making my marriage vows to my husband. Wow. How much has changed and in so short a span of time. It never ceases to amaze me, this quick marching of the days. But with it, so many joys, eh?I went to our Ft. Washita reenactment last weekend, and boy we had fun! This week has been incredibly busy (work-wise) so I'm just now getting around to posting photos. Here are a few images from our trip. I didn't get to take near as many as I wanted, unfortunately.
My dear friend's husband, Mr. Hamilton, was caught unawares looking quite dashing on the stone porch of the fort. I'm tickled my camera took such a clear photo -- it was from quite a distance away. Hooray for telephoto. :) He was tricked out in his West Point uniform overcoat here -- and the dress uniform at the ball later that night. It was pretty cold (high 30s, I think) all day Friday and Saturday, so he needed all that warmth.The next photo is Paula -- my silly, darling friend who I road-tripped up there with. We got decidedly un-period for a short time there while we got on a Geico Pothole commercial giggle-fit. It truly is a hilarious commercial. :) And when you're from Texas...well, it's even more hilarious. Then again -- maybe we're just weird.
At left, two of the ladies of the fort -- Kathy and her daughter Ginger. Ginger is my Civil War dress mecca. She makes the most beautiful clothes. Seriously. And she had so many! We teased her a little bit about her perfectly-sewn and expansive wardrobe, but we think she forgives us. (Hopefully.)She regaled us all by the huge hearth with a reading of Treasure Island. Some of us listened and sewed. Some of us listened and rocked babies. And some of us just listened, watching the crackling fire as it warmed us all against the chilly gray outside the windows. Music, too, filled the rooms! We had fiddle and banjo and much singing! It was great. And Sunday morning dawned a beautiful, less-chilly day -- with the sounds of Christmas hymns at the church service.
Victoria was an exceedingly good baby. She played with Andrew, was held by many, and cried very little. I got a photo of her in her little coat and cap, and a photo of both Kerri and I with our babies. I was so distracted by the baby-watching that I completely forgot to get a full-length photo of my dress. I'm really a bad photo-journalist, aren't I? But I did get some compliments. It was my first time wearing a hoop or fitted dress in over a year -- so I'm glad it turned out pretty well.
This is Fort Washita -- one of two barracks; and the only one still standing.* * * * *
We got back home Sunday night and Victoria sat on her own for about 10 minutes without falling. Tee hee! Isn't she cute sitting there by herself? Little cherub.
* * * * *
Sneak peek of my Christmas/New Years card photoshoot:
Aside: I was truly hoping to have a family shot, but Keith's working all the time and I'm sick with a cold, so nobody is photogenic (or available) except for Victoria. :)
Sneak peek of my Christmas/New Years card photoshoot:
Aside: I was truly hoping to have a family shot, but Keith's working all the time and I'm sick with a cold, so nobody is photogenic (or available) except for Victoria. :)
Goings-On
Are you hearing crickets at the "Day In 1862" blog yet? :)I don't have anything of importance to say, so I'll just update you on the goings-on in our humble home. It has been busy. Tis the season -- in a number of ways. And not just holiday-wise. Apparently this is also the time of year where every franchisee in our company needs me to design an ad for them. Big ads. Not easy, little things. Victoria is teething pretty intensely now -- poor little bugger -- and that creates a frustrating environment for me. Keith has been working lots and lots of weird (and multiple) shifts, so he's been gone a lot. We're in the process of planning/deciding things about building a home. And I have sewing for Ft. Washita to do. I'll get to that in a minute.
To break the monotony (!!) one of the fun things I decided to do recently was enter into a design challenge for Valentine's Day cards at minted.com. Drop by my design studio at minted to look at what I submitted -- and vote when the contest opens for voting! It's a great way to encourage new talent out there, because the top 10 designs win a monetary prize, plus get a chance to have their design be sold on minted.com! Pretty awesome stuff. Plus, it's just all real good fun. I decided to start a blog for my graphic design, Two Leaf Studio, as a sister-site to my Two Leaf Press (a letterpress shop, which is not open yet). I'll be doing more design challenges as they come up in the future.
Here is a fun pic. Found it on the home page of istockphoto.com. I thought it was pretty ingenious, don't you think? Kind of reminds me of us reenactors, trying to be historically correct in a modern world.
Anyway, in other news, I've started work on a fitted wool dress -- thank the good Lord! -- that I can wear at our Ft. Washita event the 2nd week in December. Oh, I've had this plaid wool just sitting on the shelf for about 3 years now, just waiting to be made up into a dress. It's rather pretty (in my opinion), although it's not flowery or girly. It would make up into a wonderful tailored (more modern) dress, but I thought it would work well for a simple fitted dress. At a distance, it seems to look brownish grey. Perfect for the now-matriarchal me.
It's pretty clear from looking at that photo that I desperately need a petticoat for my hoop -- and it probably won't hurt to add a hoop to the bottom of my hoop, either. It shrunk once in the rain and it's had that large "drop off" on all my skirts ever since. I loathe this. And I can't wear my wedding hoop because it's covered (harder to maneuver, imho) and much bigger. I wanted something rather modest. So, I suppose it's a new petticoat for me (that was necessary anyway). Perhaps I'll make it with a nice flounce at the bottom to help hold out the hem. Or maybe I'll go flamboyant and make a flounced petticoat! Woohoo!Well...that's all for now. I hope everyone has a wonderful (and tasty!) Thanksgiving holiday. God bless you all.
-Amy
The many faces of Victoria
We had fun yesterday evening. Too bad the lighting wasn't better so that the images didn't come out so blurry. I hate using flash. But I couldn't help posting these. What a little blessing she is.
Baby Saque...in progress
Thanks to information from Stephanie over at the Sewing Academy, I have drafted a little saque coat for Victoria, made large so she'll [hopefully] fit in it in December. I was just going to do pink silk lining and that cream wool for the outer layer, but then I said to myself: "Self, I have this wonderful plaid silk in the closet just waiting to be made up into a dress, and wouldn't the pinks in that plaid go perfectly with this wool and this lining?" They did. :)So I did a wide edge trimming, which I really like. Now I'm thinking of adding a wider, cape-like collar to go on it, but can't really find historical references to that. I didn't add a batting layer of any kind -- not even flannel. The wool itself is pretty warm, and since we don't get terribly cold here in Texas...(shrug). Maybe I should have added a layer. I can still add one. What do you think?
If the good Lord is willing and the crick don't rise, I'll finish this saque and make a matching hood (a scaled-down version of Sarah Jane's Toddler Hood), and perhaps I'll try to make some little wool shoes. (I loved Malachi's little shoes!!) She should be nice and warm during our December reenactment.We're gettin' there...
Well, praise be, I finished a second baby dress so that Victoria can have 2 dresses to wear at the reenactment. Ok, well I still have buttons to put on. Luckily, since it's just a muster (and kind of a time to just say hello after the season's summer hiatus), we're only going to be there 1/2 of Saturday, then overnight, then 1/2 of Sunday. So I'm *hoping* Victoria can get by with 2 dresses, 2 petticoats, and a couple pairs of drawers that I'm going to try to whip out tonight.
And for your viewing pleasure, here's a pic of the red hair before its all gone.
Hopefully it'll be back. No the photo is not touched up.
A rare photo of mama and baby. :)
And an exuberant baby in her bouncer after a morning nap and a change.
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