Choices

I've heard people say that life is a series of choices, and for me, right now, in this stage of life, I am totally aware of my choices.  I spend all day making lots of little choices.

For example, the baby was sleeping late this morning - yesterday was a tough day with very little napping, but she paid me back with a fantastic night's sleep - and I had a choice.  I could get out of bed and take a shower, or stay in bed and catch some extra sleep.  Since I went to bed at 9:00 last night and I hadn't showered in a few days, I chose the shower.  Good choice.

Then after the shower, I had to choose between doing my hair and eating breakfast in peace.  I chose breakfast.  Again, good choice.  My hair went crazy in the humidity outside anyways.

And now, I chose blogging over doing the dishes in the kitchen, figuring that dishes don't require focus and I could do them while the baby was awake (she's napping now).

With a baby to care for, a job to do, and a house to manage, I have seen the end of procrastination in my life.  There is no putting things off until later, because "later" is unpredictable.  All I can do is make choices about how to use the time I have right now.  This minute.  And I don't always make the right choice - staying up late to watch Friday Night Lights + baby awake early the next morning = rough day  - but I'm learning.  And most of the time, I'm really loving it :)

Times flies

I can't believe Hannah will be three months old on Sunday.  I feel like the first two months were long, but now it's like I took her two month pictures last week....and it's been a whole month.

I realized I haven't done anything really to capture her development, so I'm going to take some notes here, mostly for my own future reference, because I want to remember all of her little achievements.

So, at nearly three months, Hannah:

• Swats - this was one of her most fun early skills.  She loves to lie under her play gyms and swat at objects overhead, particularly those that make noise like clacking or rattling or jingling.
• Tracks objects - this was probably her earliest "skill".  If I hold a toy in front of her on the right, and slowly move it to the left, she follows it with her eyes.
• Sucks her fist - I don't think this is technically a skill, but since she discovered that her hands are attached to her, she has loved to put them in her mouth.  Sometimes she uses one hand to shove the other hand further in her mouth - the classic double fist.
• Grabs - she is currently honing this particular skill.  At first, she would unintentionally grab my shirt while she nursed, or my hair while I held her, but now I can hold a toy out for her, she'll reach for it, and after a few tries, she'll grab it and pull it to her mouth.  Her favorite toys are a little elephant rattle and a piece of polka dot crinkle paper.
• Smiles - I have so many pictures of her smiling, but I think some of my favorite smiles are in the morning or after a nap.  We can come to the side of her crib, say her name and "good morning" and she lights up.  I like to think that she's thinking, "Hooray, you found me!  You came for me!"
• Holds a "conversation" - she makes all kinds of noises these days, and oftentimes if I make noises or talk back to her, she'll respond with other noises like we're having a conversation.  The best time to do this is on her changing table (after she's clean of course).
• Rolls to her side - she's just starting to do this, and it's mostly in her crib before or after a nap.  Right now, she's rolling to her right side primarily.
• Superman - this is proof that tummy time is working.  She can lift her head, shoulders, and chest off the ground, while lifting her legs in the air, making her look like Superman.  She still doesn't relish tummy time, but now that she can pop her head up and look around (a big deal considering she got giant head genes from both mom and dad), she's tolerating it better.
• Sleeps through the night - she regularly gets a solid 8-9 hour block of sleep at night, usually from 8pm - 5am.  It's not every night, but it is most nights, and it is amazing.  Also, she's getting a lot better about going to bed without a fight, which makes the whole experience more fun for everyone.  Lastly, she just started sleeping in her crib at night.  As in, she did it last night for the first time.

What a big girl she is already.  On tough days or during fussy times, I try to remind myself that these days are short.  Before I know it, she'll be walking and talking and I'll miss these days when she just wants to be held.

Zzzzzz

It's been too long since I posted here - lots of pictures on the other blog, but this is where I like to take time to record my thoughts and experiences, and I haven't done that recently.

This morning, I have both the time and energy to blog here because (drumroll, please) Hannah slept through the night!  Through. The. Night.  And I mean, the whole night.

She went down at 8:00, woke up for a sleepy feeding at 9:00 and didn't wake up again until 6:30.  That's 9.5 hours baby.  My boobs were killing me but it was worth it.  I feel incredible.

I have to give a shout out to my friend Katie Boscarino for inspiring me to start changing my routines for putting her down.  First, we started her sleep routine a little earlier, so we weren't rushed.  She got a bath, a book, a boob, some rocking and a song, turned on her white noise machine and set her down, drowsy, but awake.

Normally, I'd rock her until she fell asleep, and then try to set her down as delicately as possible without waking her up.  A tough task.  This time, I just set her down, gave her a pacifier, and stepped out of the room.  When she fussed, I went back in, gave her the pacifier back (she spat it out), and left again.  She fell asleep. On her own.  Hallelujah!

Now she is down for a nap, but this nap is special, because she is in her crib for the first time.  I'm not quite ready for her to sleep in her room at night, but (again, thanks Katie) maybe if she starts napping in there sometimes, I'll start feeling better about moving her in there full time.

I have to say, I feel pretty...victorious today.  I am well rested, work is going well, the house is relatively clean, and it's Friday.  Most days are not this good, so I'm going to cherish this moment :)