Dress Up

Baikal has so many cute clothes! It is great fun to dress her in the morning.



Even in only socks she is cute!



Bunny slippers are always a hit.



So are great hats.



She may start out matching, but by the end of the day I wouldn't count on it. Baikal's clothes are often subjected to drool, spit up, and other unpleasant messes. We are averaging three outfits a day. The upside is that no clothes go unworn. The downside is that she is growing out of her newborn to 3 month clothes.

Playing around

Here is Baikal after her bath. We are still not using shampoo, since her scalp is so dry.







Baikal can really lift her head up now! She is getting better at rolling over from her back to her front, but hasn't mastered rolling from her front to her back. Hopefully she will eventually become an ambi-turner!

Pictures from the park

Here are some pictures from a recent Grant park picnic. It is so nice to live close to a park!


Here is Paul checking out Baikal's footwear.


Baikal relaxing on a blanket.

Spring Break

We were lucky to have a visit from the Rybolt family. My cousin Karen chose to come to Atlanta for a few days for her spring break.


Karen's mom, Aunt Ann, came down to drop her off. She had a great time visiting with Baikal.


Karen's sister, cousin Leah, stopped by on her way to visit a friend. It was great to see her.



Karen enjoyed spending time with Baikal.



She also enjoyed our trip to the aquarium and to IKEA. Baikal and I enjoyed them also!

St. Patrick Day

Today is St. Patrick day, and believe it or not, Baikal and I will not be spending all day at the local Irish pub drinking Guinness. Instead, I think we will just hang around the house and look for leprechauns.

No blog?

I am not sure why, but my blog is was temporarily unavailable for a few days. If you encounter the message "you do not have credentials" or "temporarily unavailable" it is not personal.

Here are some pictures of B in her sleep sack. She moves around too much in the crib to be swaddled or have a blanket.

Walk in the park

This weekend Baikal, Bill Rencher (Baikal's godfather and my cousin), and I enjoyed a walk in Piedmont Park. Bill volunteers at the park by giving tours about the park's history. It was great to have our own personal tour and get some exercise at the same time!








Some of you have been asking how Baikal's feeding and sleeping schedules are going, so here you go. She is successfully on a 4 hour feeding schedule. I am flexible in that I try to feed her at "in between" times. For example, her first feeding should be in between 7 and 8 AM. If she wakes up around 6:30, I give her a pacifier and do other things to hold her off until 7. If she is still sleeping at 7:50, I turn on the lights and music to get her up to start her day. She can eat at anytime during that hour. The same goes for 11 to 12, 3 to 4, and then again at 7 to 8 PM. So we are down to four day feedings! Yeah! I am going to give this another full week before I try to drop a night feeding.

Pierre

Baikal loves to smile and talk to her two pals, a blue monkey on her activity gym that I've named Pierre and a blue bird on her bouncy seat.





More pictures of Baikal on her activity mat. Notice she is wearing a bib to catch all of her drool. Sometimes she can make a full drool goatee. Impressive.

2 Months and counting!

Baikal had her two month appointment a bit ago, and I forgot to report it. She is weighing in at 10 pounds, 6 ounces. She also received her first round of shots and was a bit cranky that night.

List for new moms weeks 3-10

Here is my list for items that were helpful from weeks 3-10. Look in the January postings for my list for birth-2 weeks. Baikal seemed to develop more motor skills and a longer attention span after week 6, so I separated the lists because I noticed a dramatic difference in her ability to tolerate and enjoy new items. Swaddling was no longer of interest to her either after week 6, so she needed more clothing on when sleeping and being carried around. Most of these items you will only use for a short period of time, so buy used when you can!

Weeks 3-6
Bouncy seat-there are a lot out there, but I really like the bouncy seat by carter's called cradle and soothe. Pros: it can be carried and can recline fully to make for easier bottle feeding.

Bibs-get the 10 pack terry cloth ones. Put them on when feeding baby from bottle or breast to catch spillage. Also great to put on when baby is excessively drooling or spitting up.

Mylecon drops-help relieve stomach gas when you just can't get a burp out of baby.

Onesies-after belly button falls off, these are what baby wears. It is nice to have some long sleeved ones for colder days.

Pacifiers-there is a lot of debate about them, and Baikal didn't take one for about a month. There are way too many to choose from, so I don't have much advice on any particular brand. They have been useful though.

Sheet savers-once baby moves into the crib and out of swaddling, these really help reduce the times you have to wash the sheets!

Front carrier- I have used my baby bjorn almost every day since given the OK by my doctor. I opted for the "active bjorn" because it had longer straps for Matt and had better back support. It has been great.

Snap and go stroller- I wasn't interested in the full travel systems, so I got this frame stroller. I have been very happy with it. Pros- since it works with all infant car seats, I have been able to use it with other babies and it will be easier to resell. Also, it is a good bit cheaper than buying a whole travel system.

Weeks 7-10
Activity mat-any will do.

Swing- I really like the nature's touch baby papasan swing. Pros: it can fully recline and is made for an infant.

Socks, Pants and Coat-put these on baby when it gets cold. Any will do.

Sleeping sac or gown-I have used both. Once Baikal started to get out of her swaddle at night, I switched over to these. The sleeping sacs are easier, but more expensive. Gowns are hard to get on, but provide a quick access for night diaper changing. Tip: I cut the elastic off the bottom of the gowns to make them easier to put on. Once they are not needed as gowns, cut them into t-shirts. The footed sleepers can also be great. Especially for taking baby around in the car seat! However, I find that they make for more difficult night changing because of all of the snaps. It has been important to me to make night changing as quick as possible, so that baby and I can get back to snoozing!

Is a rename in order?

I was going over some of my old postings and realized that really this blog is about Baikal, and not so much about me. I have purposely tried to not use this site as a therapy session, but believe me, I have my days. Overall, I am doing great and really enjoying my new full time job as wonder woman aka "mom."

Baikal had her two month doctor appointment last week. She has successfully made it pass the 10 lbs. mark which means I feel confident that I am providing adequate milk. This also means that we are going to begin the progression to a 4 hour feeding schedule. Last week I began feeding her at no less than 3 hour 15 minute intervals (I did make some accommodations for her busy weekend). This week we are now at 3 hour 30 minute intervals. It has gone well. I don't feel like I am pushing too hard, since she hasn't been particularly fussy in those additional 15 minutes. Also, I have started to put her in the crib at night awake instead of rocking her to sleep. So far it has been minimal fussing...Excellent!

Baikal is growing bigger and bigger everyday. It is wonderful to see her develop from her newborn stage into a full-fledged Buddha baby!

Baptism

Today was Baikal's baptism. She was baptized at All Saints Episcopal Church. She was great the whole time, no crying or fussing. It helped that I fed her right beforehand. She even fell asleep after the baptism and before communion.



Mom Miller, or Grandma Bookie, made Baikal's baptismal gown. It was the same gown that Matt and his sisters were baptized in.


Here is Baikal with her grandparents. I think they are all too young, hip, and happening to be grandparents!



Paul was also baptized today. We met the Frilingos family through All Saints. His gown was 75 years old and has been used in the family ever since his great great grandmother was baptized in it. WOW!


It was so nice to have so many people at the Baptism. Here are the Miller and Gibsons representing!


Bill Rencher, my cousin, is Baikal's godfather. He is excited about this new role and has already done a great job. Thanks Bill!


Courtney, my sister, is Baikal's godmother. She is posing here with the Baikal's other aunts, Emilie and Susann.

Sunday with Baikal

Today was a nice lazy day. Nothing major to report. Here is another picture.

The Big 3-0

On February 16th, I turned 30. My sister tells the story of the day that I was born something like this: "That day was a great day. I got a pair of red ruffled underwear and a life-sized doll to entertain me for years."




I had a wonderful surprise on my birthday...a three hour use of a limo to take me anywhere I wanted to go! My parents had arranged for a friend to watch Baikal so that I could have a special birthday. It was a total surprise, so I got in the limo and decided to go get a manicure and pedicure at the local Nail, Talk and Tan. I felt oh so important getting in my new ride with my new nails! Afterwards I went to a cafe to read more of my book (Pledged: the undercover story of life in a sorority). The time flew and before I knew it I was back home to Baikal. Later that night Laura and Tom brought over pizza from the mellow mushroom, my old college hangout. Thanks guys! I blew out the candles to my chocolate cake and didn't even make a wish. How could I ask for anything else when I already have so much to be thankful for? Thank you all for the calls, cards, and gifts on my birthday.

Friends

Baikal had a great visit with her pal, Amelia. Amelia is two and a half and such a grown up girl! It was great to get to visit and go out to Dakota Blue for Brunch with her mom, Ginny, and a visiting friend, Melissa. Hopefully some of Amelia's good manners rubbed off on Baikal during the visit. Ginny has been a great resource for me throughout my pregnancy and mommy days. Most of my good ideas have come from her trial and error. Thanks!

Snow

We have snow today in Georgia! Ok, you have to look pretty hard for it, but it is there. Upon hearing the news, I put Baikal in her bunting and started to stockpile water and bread. To all of our friends living in areas that are receiving a foot of snow...stay warm!

Cutie Pie

Baikal has started cooing and laughing. It is the cutest sound to a new mom. I just know that she has a lot to say and is just waiting for the right time to start saying it. Of course, it will be a while before I hear those first words. For now, I'll just continue to imagine what I think she is trying to say.

Also, Baikal has successfully taken a bottle. This is great for me, because it means that I can store my breastmilk and have someone else feed her...freedom! She still struggles a bit at first, but will eventually start to eat. Big thanks to Tim and Beth for suggesting that I move up to a larger size nipple on the bottle and to Ingrid for advice on warming the milk. This baby business is a bit of trial and error for me. So far, so good!

Walking the line

Ever since the doctor gave me the OK, Baikal and I have enjoyed our afternoon walks. It has turned a bit cold here so we have to bundle up a bit for our outings. I am so glad that we have had such a mild winter so far. It has really made traveling with Baikal a lot easier. I can't imagine what it must be like for new moms and babies who live in areas that are covered in snow.

Friday Pictures

Even though there is nothing particularly special going on today, every day with Baikal is a fun day! Here are some pictures from a day of just hanging out.

Sleepy time for Baikal, means active time for mom. It is amazing how little you can get done when you only have 30 minute increments. Baikal likes to stick out her bottom lip while sleeping.



Baikal is awake. When I notice that she is stirring, I run around and try to get the last bit of work done before she notices that I am not next to her.

Hey, where did mom go?


Where am I? Where is mom? I think I might need a diaper change...


Baikal loves to be silly after she eats. She has started making cute baby noises. Sometimes I think I hear her trying to say, "Thanks mom your the best."


YAWN. Lunch was great. Maybe I'll catch a snooze or two before dinner.