Well Randy and I have had a few minor issues with our car for awhile but nothing that made it un-drivable, until a slip on slush had our ass end hit a curb at less than 5mph. Our unibody was so weak that it is now bent, aka, shot. So we began the hunt for a new vehicle. We surfed Craigslist for an hour or so and Randy called one and said I think I found one. We made arrangements to have his mom take us down (75 miles one way!) and made absolute certain we had all the stuff to transfer our current registration over so we could drive back. After the DMV we were the happy owners of a 1996 Chevy Blazer. About 10 miles down the road 1 of the brake lines blew due to it sitting for awhile and the pressure so it was ever so fun driving back with only front brakes, I tell ya. When all was said and done though we did make it back in 1 piece and now it is sitting in my driveway. Randy will be replacing the brake line tomorrow after work since he’s running on no sleep and needs rest before his shift tonight. It has a remote starter and brand new tires on it (less than 300 miles) and routine maintenance. We only paid $1,000 for it as well.

Gracie had her 4 month appointment tomorrow as well. She got her shots again and cried for all of 30 seconds. As soon as I handed her to daddy she was content. She is 24 inches long and weighs 13lb13oz. The doctor LOVED my cloth diapers. He had me show him how to use them (inserts in pockets) and then said he liked them and they were much better than disposables against the skin. Here is a picture I just took of her. My flash on my camera doesn’t work anymore (idk why) but it’s why pictures are few and far between now.

Today you turn 4 months old. Wow, it’s hard to believe that much time has passed. Everyone always says time goes by faster than you know it but you can’t really know what it’s like until you experience it. Let’s see what has happened since our last update. We go back to the doctor on the 1st for your 2nd round of shots and 4 month appointment. I expect him to tell me you’ve definitely gained a bit of weight and height too. Everything seems too short on you. We’re still strong with our cloth diapers and mommy is about to go on a splurge and get some more one sized pockets and the next size in prefolds. I don’t think you care though, as long as your little butt is dry you’re content.

You chew everything in sight from blankets to pacifiers to fingers (both yours and ours). You also like to pull hair (owww) and this includes grandpa’s beard which you find hilarious. You’re full of smiles and have been sleeping in your crib every single night going to bed between 8 and 10pm. You wake up 3-4 times a night for a feeding before you decide at about 6:30/7 you’re up for the day. Naps are sporadic and do I miss them. You could sleep for 10 minutes and be ready to go for another few hours.

Sitting up is slowly improving. You don’t fall over nearly as much. You can also roll from belly to back but we don’t see it too much since you HATE tummy time for longer than a minute. Baths have gotten easier and depending on your mood, so has dressing you. You still get finicky though. We notice you aren’t too attached to either mommy or daddy and have no problems being around any one who will give you attention. This was our plan, as we like that you are loved by many MANY people and don’t require being held 24/7 by one person. You definitely know who we are though and your face lights up when you see either of us.

I swear you look more and more like your daddy every day and you get comments about how your ears are like his, big and awkward. That’s OK, your hair will cover them up when it gets long enough. Your eyes seem to have settled on being green like mommy’s though. As for solids, nope. We’re not ready for you to start them and expect to wait at least another month before introducing and most likely 2 months. I just don’t think you’re ready yet and I’m glad that daddy doesn’t fight me on the issue although grand parents are another thing. They try their best and offer wisdom but sometimes opinions differ. We’ll all work it out though. You constantly make noises, flail your arms, and give expressions that are beginning to show your little personality already. You also will now pick up toys and move them so your coordination is improving. Here is to another month full of exciting changes.

Love,
mommy and daddy

(The flash on my camera doesn’t work so I haven’t been taking a lot of pictures. Here is a recent one from my phone).

This month has been very busy being that it is the holiday season. We’ve been visiting a lot, especially with your grandmas and grandpas. Everyone loves you and thinks you’re cuter than ever. You’re growing so fast though. At your latest doctor appointment you were 12 lbs 4 oz. I forgot how tall but you’re right on the charts for both height and weight. You still love your car seat and we have no problems traveling anywhere, thank goodness. Our biggest difficulty lately is teething. You are doing it and doing it a LOT. You constantly chew on your hands, drool, and shove blankets up over your face to chew them. You don’t want toys or anything. Your hands are good enough. You’ve also taken to guiding mommy or daddy’s fingers to your mouth so you can suck on them. This is making you VERY fussy and at times it is incredibly frustrating because we don’t know what to do to help you. Usually it’s just cuddles with back rubs/pats until you drift off.

Speaking of hand control, it’s getting there. You don’t yet grab at objects but we can see you’re getting close. Laying on your belly you will lift your chest up but you’re still too little to crawl anywhere and it frustrates you. You don’t like laying down a lot. Your swing is a place you spend a lot of time when we’re not holding you. You also sometimes prefer to sleep in it as opposed to on your back. We think it has to do with it being harder to breathe due to dryness so you nap there a lot. We finally put your crib up 2 days ago and you will sleep in it for a bit, a few hours. During the night if you wake up we bring you into bed with us though. Mommy and daddy try to get some cuddle time in while you’re in your crib since it’s hard with you with us. Night sleeping has been going pretty well. I’d say 12 hours with 2-3 wakeups for food and soon right back to sleep. Daddy has also been helping out with you a lot more and you are definitely a daddy’s girl. He seems to be able to soothe you sometimes when even i can’t. It’s a lovely sight.

Christmas was good. You got a few outfits, sleepers, and rattles/teethers from everyone. We got you the same and a Jumperoo which you’re not sure what to think of yet. You’re a tad bit on the small side to be using it but I see you having a lot of fun with it when you begin actually playing with the toys. Until next month…

Love,
Mommy and daddy

On daddy’s shoulder here

Randy insisted on this one because she looks purely evil he said

On the ick note, Randy finally got the support paperwork that states he has to pay $7,200 or something similar for spousal support to his ex wife. It’s at my parent’s house but we’re going to get it this weekend when we go over. We will be sending the absolute minimum possible per week, especially considering circumstances. It’s a messed up situation all over that never should’ve even occurred but NY is stupid like that. We have each other and our daughter. That’s something she can never have influence over.

So onto bigger and better things. Pictures are Monday at 3:30. Depending on sitting fee costs, I may consider family portraits if possible but who knows. I’ve never had professional pictures done before and they’re mad expensive from what I’ve seen. We have her little dress all picked out and everything. Winter has finally hit and I am NOT enjoying it. It’s cold, it’s wet, it’s windy/rainy/snowy. Welcome to December.

Here is a video of Gracie talking for a full 30 seconds. She was sitting on the couch, toppled over, and this is what she had to say about the whole thing.

Today you are 2 months old. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been taking care of you for that long already. You’re already beginning to form your own personality and I’m very happy to say that daddy has become more involved with you now. We both love seeing you smile, coo, and stare at everything you can. You will often lay in bed with daddy while he watches cartoons and watch the different colors and movements. You’ve been a pretty happy baby lately.

You hold your head up for longer periods of time now and will bend your knees and then attempt to stand which is a surprise when you’re in my arms and try to jump out of them. You weighed 11lbs and 4 ounces at your 2 month appointment and 23 inches long. You got your first vaccines and handled them like a trooper. You cried for a minute or less and then snuggled with daddy. I think I was ready to cry myself. You seem to get incredibly frustrated when on your belly and can’t yet crawl but soon enough you will be able to.

You can still fit in newborn clothes although I’m going to begin packing some of the smaller items up. Cloth diapering is still going well with you as well. Your skin definitely knows the difference. You also had your first Thanksgiving but since you’re so young, you enjoyed breast milk instead of food. Next year you can enjoy some of the super yummy food with us.

You’re growing a lot more hair now and it’s beginning to stick up a lot. You also look more and more like your daddy every day, including his curse of big ears which I find adorable but he gets playfully teased about. We co-sleep with you and have no plans to transition you to a crib in the near future although we do need a bigger bed to fit you, me, daddy, and Colby. You love nursing to sleep but it’s a bit hard for mommy to do that due to big boobs so I get uncomfortable quickly but will stay that way if you go to sleep and stay that way. Mommy and daddy like sleep too.

Next month for Christmas we’re getting you a jumperoo to match your swing. It will be interesting to see you jump up and down and get to move a bit. I know you get bored. We look forward to seeing you grow and do new things each and every day.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Randy had his appointment and came back. She had fallen asleep in the car on the way and woke up about 20 minutes later. Randy’s mom wanted to hold her and whatnot but she wanted no part of it. She wanted to be on me. Randy’s mom isn’t too happy about the breast feeding as evidenced by the “Can’t you pump so I can take her on Thursday?” 1. It’s too early to pump that much if even possible 2. She needs to avoid bottles. 3. She’s not a borrow-a-baby. Then his dad for some reason is anti breast feeding and keeps telling me to use formula even though I want her on BM. I explained her constipation issues and he’s like well switch formulas. I am, it’s called the body’s formula. I really need to avoid people like that because they’re very discouraging.

We got home with me exhausted beyond belief. After rocking gracie to sleep I managed to get 2 1/2-3 hours of sleep. Now we’re up. I’m nervous because she seems to want to be on constantly and I’m not sure whether it’s a comfort thing or she’s not getting enough. That’s my fear with breast feeding and partially the reason I stopped at the beginning, because she was so fussy due to not eating enough. I know about the wet diapers thing but her fussiness is what gets me. All we can do is keep going and see how things go.

And a picture from about 10 minutes ago. She always eats with her eyes closed

Today you are 1 month old. It is hard to believe that 1 month ago I was headed to the hospital to be induced, incredibly excited to meet the little person who had been making me miserable (I kid… or not). I’ve seen so many changes in just 1 short month. You were 9lb 8oz at your last doctor appointment, a steady growth since you birth weight of 7lb 13oz. You used to scream bloody murder during diaper changes and we’re improving on that. You are now only throwing fits occasionally during diaper/clothing changes, mainly if you’re hungry during. You were breast fed for 5 days before we ran into issues. I then pumped for a few days exclusively before having to use formula in combination. Now we’re on formula alone which is not something I wanted but it was definitely a learning experience and I won’t make the same mistakes again. We also think we’ve taken care of your constipation problems. You had a pretty bad diaper rash early on but we combated that with Nystatin cream and more frequent diaper changes and everything has improved. Cloth diapers still have plenty of love and I’m so glad I decided not to use disposables.

You eat 3-4 ounces at a time and your appetite seems to stay steady. We’re not on a schedule but we’re not too bad when it comes to knowing when you’re going down for a nap. You love car rides and within a minute or two you fall asleep and don’t wake up until I disturb your slumber when taking you out. You also have given up your pacifier which I’m not complaining about because I’ve read about the stories of pacifier problems at 3-4 years old and we don’t want that. Colby is beginning to realize that you are a person and investigates when you cry now.

Everyone comments about what a good and happy baby you are. You only cry when you are wet or hungry. You’re not afraid to be put down for a minute which makes me so grateful that I can take 5 minutes or so to get something done if I have to. You also don’t mind being held by friends and family. You’re holding your head up a lot and it’s funny to watch you rock on your tummy with frustration because you don’t move anywhere just yet. You’re more alert and look at our faces a lot more. Daddy can’t wait until you’re a bit older so he can interact with you more. We love cuddling and co-sleeping is working out very well. You sleep so much better with mommy than in your bassinet. We both love you so much and are eager to see what the future brings in days, weeks, months, and even years.

Love,
Mommy and Daddy