Santa Baby

As you can tell, we have been busy!  First, I've decided that Mary Rose demands a lot of attention compared to other babies.  I know her desire to see everything and be social is reassuring of her normal development, it is tiring.  She is not happy playing with a toy while I eat lunch and refuses to miss anything while taking a nap.  So, she hardly lets me get things done and gets over-tired.  Most of her naps are 30 minutes and I have to force her to sleep.  This goes with her struggle at bedtime and attempts to nurse to sleep (including when she wakes up 3-4 times a night).  This week, she is learning to cry to sleep more, as I wait 30 minutes to feed her if it has not been long.  Hopefully, she will learn to fall asleep on her own soon.  Her interaction can be fun; she has little games where she kicks her feet towards my mouth to be kissed, loves belly kisses and laughs when her daddy holds her upside-down.  She takes forever to nurse when there are people around, because she is interested in whatever she can see and hear.
She was the star of 3 households for the holidays.  We drove to my grandma's for Thanksgiving, then flew to MN and Houston for Christmas and New Year's Eve.  She was given so much that Brian and I only gave her a book.  She has had a lot of 'firsts,' starting at the Trapp Family Lodge before Christmas, where she swam and was pulled in a sled while Brian & I snow-shoed.  She had her first taste of water from a cup and Jello at Christmas dinner (off a silver spoon, no less).  She was so excited for the jello that she was shaking as my dad brought it to her mouth.  That has led us to start foods (besides rice cereal).  She had help walking on grass and bricks in Houston and loved being outside. 
Back to starting foods - I made sweet potatoes at Christmas and gave her some on two days (the second time, she had too much food and milk and had her first projectile vomit!)  Then we tried peas, which may not have been pureed enough, as she had a week of bad diarrhea.  Her stomach is so sensitive, it is hard for it to get back to calm.  Her tummy is still a bit off, though carrots seem to do well (not sure about oatmeal, no bananas.)  I am hoping she can give me time to make more foods for her.
I don't know how working moms do it every day.  Work days are stressful trying to get us all out the door with all our stuff and the baby fed.  We always have easy dinners (often by Brian) when I get home 10 hours later, and there is the constant change out of bottles and soiled clothing, toting milk, cleaning pump parts.  3 days last week was enough, especially when I need to do household tasks.

What else?  I am trying to make it to the gym 1-2 times a week, which is hard (sometimes just to park in Hanover).  Brian is doing a tennis camp this month.  We had a wonderful date night, just the two of us last weekend, which was strange!  We went out to eat when one of our moms are in town, but they were always rushed, so this was the first relaxing time and first time we were gone for a bedtime.
The holiday travel went better this year than last - I was wary when our first flight was pushed back twice, but we left 3 hours late.  It was my second Christmas at home, in MN, so it was different.  Brian and my sister went to a Mozart Latin midnight mass.  We had family friends over for Christmas dinner and Mary Rose was the star (she loves the attention.)  We met up with my cousin and Brian's friends in Texas, and most of Brian's extended family met the baby.  When we got home, Brian realized that he had hardly held Mary Rose in a week, as there were so many aunts and grandparents wanting to spend time with Mary Rose.

We had been slammed by snow (not as much as my parents) and have made up for not shoveling much last year.  The icicles are longer than the windows and the piles on the side of the driveway are not holing any more snow!  We also got some COLD weather this week, it was -26 when I got to work on Monday.

Back to the grind

It has been a busy few weeks!  Mary Rose has been changing a lot since consuming a dairy-free diet and reaching 3 months yesterday.  She has few days with gassy belly pain and lots of playtime, especially in the mornings.  She is trying hard to sit-up, touching her toys, almost laughing and gaining weight fast (she is over 10 and a half pounds).  She is still a very light sleeper and often wakes up when we put her down.  She still wakes every 2-3 hours at night and is a mess when she is over tired.  This week, we start cloth diapers (Fuzzibunz one-sized) and I realized how much the diapers will affect her clothing options.  The cloth diapers are puffier than disposable, so she will wear bigger clothing on cloth diaper days.  She is also going to her babysitter's house this week, for the first time, and spending her first big chunk of time alone with Brian while I work Saturday morning.  We even have a double date Sat. with two babysitters for the babies, so hopefully it will go well.

Brian took his last work trip for the season at the end of October.  He started in New Orleans, where he ate at Emeril's new restaurant, and stopped in Baton Rouge before flying to Texas.  He was able to visit friends while working in San Antonio and Austin, then stayed with his Grandma Pruitt in "the valley" of south Texas.  Instead of staying home with the baby and no help, I took Mary to my parents' house in Minnesota.  I was nervous about traveling with her and flying alone.  She played and napped as we drove to Boston.  We stopped at friends' for feeding and a break and she fussed as we left Brian and went through security.  I put her in the Bjorn and she slept/fed until we got off the plane!  She also did well on the way home, plus we were lucky to have my mom fly back with us.  My parents were thrilled to take care of her while I tried to get some sleep, and I was able to see most of my friends (and some of their babies).  We took her to the Mall of America, so I could get clothes.  My mom found her dresses while I met friends at the zoo (Mary Rose slept the whole time!)  It seemed to go so fast and I did not get through sorting enough old keepsakes.  I even saw a lot of my brother, who seems to enjoy his niece.  My fun excursion was to a concert (thanks to Tim's girlfriend) by One Republic and Maroon 5 with old friends.
My mom took care of the baby while I returned to work last week (I only do 2 days, but they are long, as I drive 30 miles.)  I was worried when I realized that I left my breast-pump plug at home, but I was able to use my PNP student's battery (it did not work well, but helped.)  I felt like a poor preceptor, as I struggle to keep my patient visits and noted organized and take forever to pump.  Oh, well, it will come to me with time.  I am more nervous about this week, driving to work with Mary Rose and having her with the nanny. 
For Halloween, we put our baby in a hot dog outfit for a baby party (and mass.)  It was neat to have trick-or-treaters for the first time, but hard to keep away from the candy (contains milk.) 
Brian has been a little frustrated without cable lately, as it has been harder for him to follow TCU football, which is currently among the top 5 college teams.  He was able to watch the last game at another alum's house, 30 minutes away, and celebrated a landslide victory.  I still enjoy Netflix, where I watched Father's Little Dividend (much like our life,) Holiday (witty,) and have not finished I Confess. 

Brrrrrr!

It has gotten cold out!  This is making Mary Rose's clothing issue even harder, as she needs to layer pieces.  She is finally starting to gain a little weight, though, since I have been off dairy.  She is over 9.5 pounds.  She has a lot more "happy time" and less painful screaming.  I think there are a few foods affecting her that I haven't identified, yet, but they seem to affect her tummy less frequently than before I went dairy-free.  She can clear a room when she passes gas, though!  It is great to see her smile so much, but a pain for me to check everything I eat.  So far, I have been very strict, avoiding foods that contain any milk or butter, and will test products slowly.  This limits my breads and granola bars, excludes bake goods and has me cooking with special margarine and soy cheese (ick).  Rice cream is not so bad, and may be better with chocolate (I have been off it 2.5 weeks and am ready to try it again).  Anyway, Mary Rose is getting great head control.  We found a grandmother who lives near my clinic to watch Mary the days I will be at work.  This will be great, as it is personal (she will be the only child there) and flexible, plus, I can pop over to nurse her at lunch!
We have had a TON of rain this month and a few frosts.  The rain brought down most of the leaves before the peak of the colors and washed most of the local pumpkin crop into the Connecticut river!  It is hard for me to remeber that Brian is not used to raking, as Houston does not have "fall" and his other residences were rentals.  I am sure it will keep us busy!
I have been trying out some fitness classes and gyms to get some tone and endurance back (and hopefully to fit back into a few of my old pants).  I tried Zumba, which is very aerobic.  I liked the salsa and meringe components, but prefer a dance class.  I hope to join the Dartmouth gym next month.  Brian is finally altering his suits to accommodate the weight he lost when we moved to New England. 
Brian spent this week traveling for work, the longest he has been away since he became a father.  He starting in Monterrey, where he was able to see the hotel where his great-grandfather had worked.  He spent the second half in Houston and spent time with his family.  I was grateful to have my mother visit during this time, so I could get a break, some sleep, and run errands.  She even cleaned and cooked (with meals to freeze, too).  It will seem quiet next week, without her, but I will be traveling to Minnesota the week afterwords.  I am going home while Brian travels Texas for another week. 

We have a baby Halloween party to attend, and have found a great costume for our baby.  However, she is so tall that we will have to let out the bottom seams or buy a new one!