The Clothing Dilemma

Brooke spends most (when I say most, I mean about 99%) of her time in pajamas - nice comfy ones that have footies and sip or snap up the front. This is partly because of ease (and maybe laziness) because they make changing diapers much easier and faster. Since I am doing this about 10X a day, every second counts. The main reason she spends all of her time in pj's is actually for her own benefit. Brooke hates things pulled over her head. When I try to put "real" clothes on her, it puts her into such a screaming frenzy that its just not worth it. Its cruel to make her go through that, so I just really dont do it.

Today I decided to risk it. After her daily morning blowout (meaning her pjs were no longer able to be worn) I decided to put her into a onesie and jeans instead of another pair of pjs. Brooke has been given a great deal of clothing as gifts, and lots of onesies. Unfortunately, many of them are short sleeved (um, Chicago winter?) and create a bit of a problem. A while ago I went out and bought her a sweater so we could put some use to those short sleeve onesies.

The great thing about this sweater is that you can still see the onesie underneath, so those short-sleeved tshirts are put to good use.

But, there is also a small problem with this sweater ...




















So after all that effort, two random ladies at Target got to see how cute she looked before she blew out of that outfit. She had it on for less than three hours. Now we are back in good-old-pajamas.

17 Weeks

Although she is not yet 4 "calendar months" (her 4 month birthday is Sunday) she is already 17 weeks old. My, how the time flies ;)

Most of the developmental boards talk about what will take place at her 4 month appointment, which she goes to next week. I did find out some fun facts about Brooke's birthday while surfing today though:

Your baby's birthstone is Opal (Hope)
Your baby's Astrological Sign is Libra
Your baby's Flower is Calendula or Cosmos (White, Yellow and Varied)
Your baby was born in the Chinese Year of The Rat
Your baby will start kindergarten in 2013, be old enough to drive a car in 2024, finish high school in 2026, and will graduate from college with the class of 2030, give or take a year.

This list is actually wrong about when Brooke will start kindergarden (and thus high school & college) because as of now our school system requires that a child be 5 by September 1st. Brooke will miss this cutoff by just a month, and will therefore not enter kindergarten until 2014 ... a few months before she is six years old ;)

Another New Trick

We have been working on rolling over and Brooke still doesnt get it. It has gotten to the point where she smiles (versus cries) when I roll her over, but she isnt so interested in doing it herself. While that trick is a bit down the line for us, she did pick up a new one this weekend.

Brooke has learned how to gurgle. She has been practicing very hard at this all day and all night for the past few nights. She has realized that after she throws up a bit, the noise is the best because she can gurgle whats left in the back of her throat. That makes puking all the more enjoyable, I guess. Here she is practicing a bit. She doesnt have any vomit in her mouth so the gurgle is a bit dry ... but she is trying ;)

Sleep Training Update
Sleep training has its ups and downs. Brooke takes 3 naps a day, at about 9, 12 & 3. She goes to bed for the night around 7. The trick is, our whole day revolves around what time she wakes up! The "schedule" assumes she gets up between 7-7:30. Sometimes she sleeps later and that works out great...but more often she wakes up earlier, and trouble ensues.

Today is a great example of that - she woke up a bit before 6 AM. She is usually up for about 1.5-2hrs before a nap is needed. So she went back down for a nap at 8:30 and was back up by 9:15...which is about the same time she normally goes to sleep. Nap 2 started at 11 (versus 12) and she woke up at 12:05. Normally she wakes up crying from her 2nd nap because it really needs to be two hours but she automatically wakes up after one. Today she woke up happy and smiling, so things were good. Then at 1:30 she literally lost it. Crying, throwing a fit, she couldnt even breathe. Back down for nap #3 (which usually is at 3pm). So she is sleeping now, but who knows what will happen with the rest of our day :) I've already given up on today (taken two aspirin) and am looking forward to tomorrow, hoping that we get back on schedule, and its only 2PM.

Sleep training so far honestly is going well. On the days that the schedule is followed she is happy, well-rested and active. On the days that the schedule is not followed she is the exact opposite. While this is challenging to work with, it just proves how important this schedule is to her (and me) for her health and sanity. Babies (and kids in general) thrive on routine, and sleep is ultimately a big player in that routine. So far so good ... and I expect things to get better each day that goes by!

I Know What She Is Saying!

Brooke has been spending a lot of time talking to her animals lately. Here is her most recent video: I have finally figured out what she is saying! The same thing anyone (like Mark Wahlberg, for example) would say to an animal, "Say Hi To Your Mother For Me"

Rolling Over Makes Her Puke...

Brooke and I have been practicing rolling over, its a milestone that many babies reach around 4 months ... and she isnt quite there yet. If I see her rocking to one side, I guide her in completely rolling over (this generally occurs when she is on her back and rolls a bit on her side). We also roll over from back to front and front to back without her taking the initial initiative - by me literally taking her and flipping her around.

There are two problems that we encounter when we practice our rolling:
1) I cannot say the word "roll over" or Wrigley comes running
2) When I roll her over she tends to throw up all over the place

So our rolling over practice has been messy and complicated. I need to try to prevent the dog from smashing her or jumping on her because the whole rolling over thing riles her up. In addition, Brooke and her playmat become covered in saliva and regurgitated milk ... which also eventually ends up all over me.

On A Better Note
I found a book Brooke likes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hopefully someday we will move from eating the book to reading the book.

Baby Milestones: Monthly Development Videos

There is an excellent article on Parenting.com that has a video timeline of baby milestones over a baby's 1st year. Obviously, each baby is unique ... but these videos are great to see where a baby should/could be doing at a particular age, and what is up next!

It's amazing to watch these videos and think about Brooke at each of the stages - she will be four months old in only two weeks. We better work some more on rolling over :)

All of the videos are posted in the article, but here is a direct link to the first one (week 5) just so you can see what they are like.

16 Weeks (4 Lunar Months)

Brooke's 4 month birthday is February 1st, but today she is 16 weeks ... which makes her 4 lunar months :)

This week, Parents.com talks about the importance of music and says "Children of all ages are quieted by music, and studies show that babies who are sung to early in their lives tend to speak and read slightly earlier than others." Jeff and I both sing to Brooke, but I'm not too sure she likes it. I think her ears are sensitve enough to suffer when listening to a tone-deaf person singing her a tune. But, we also play her music and she definitely seems to appreciate that. She is way more into pop music versus any other type, and has a special love for Justin Timberlake (including some favorite tracks from his most recent album).

Intense Thumb Sucking

Brooke is now an avid thumb sucker. She does it all the time now. She does it to help her go to sleep, to get back to sleep, when she is upset, and when she is bored.

We arent too sure what to think of this situation. We are not big fans of it, but there doesnt appear to be a whole lot we can do at this point. I could give her a pacifier when she is going to sleep, but this isnt going to help when she wakes up and needs it to get back to sleep. She is too little to pick it up and put it back in, so the thumb is the obvious (and readily available) choice.

What does seem to be an issue is that Brooke favors one thumb, and has been sucking it so much that she has a little cut on the knuckle. Then she continues to suck on that injured thumb and its getting increasingly red and irritated.

First I need to teach my daughter to suck on her thumb without injuring herself. Then I need to teach her to not suck on her thumb at all. Wish me luck :)

Brooke Gets A Special Letter

Brooke got a letter from the President!
No, not this one...


This one :)


It is pretty interesting that, at less than four months old, Brooke is experiencing her 2nd president in office. When she is older she can say "When I was born, George W. Bush was in office". (Whether that is a good or bad thing ... who knows)

Some Presidential trivia for you:
While there have been 43 presidents (44 as of tomorrow!), only 42 men have served. Grover Cleveland served as president in two non-consecutive terms. He was our 22nd president (1885-89) and 24th president (1893-97).

Talking To A Baby Is Like Talking To A Dog

Wrigley and Brooke have some issues with toys, (Brooke has cool ones and Wrigley wants them) but outside of that their relationship is pretty smooth. Wrigley seems like she doesn't really care about Brooke, which is good since we dont have to worry about her pestering her. Brooke is starting to really like Wrigley - watching her walk around and smiling at her alot. This is also good because she reacts to Wrigley with curiosity versus something like fear.

So we have a happy family and go about our day. Its tough sometimes balancing the toy issue. Wrigley wont get off the play mat. When I play with other toys with Brooke, it winds up Wrigley ... who then grabs her toys and wants me to play with her. I'm getting better at balancing both of their needs, and Wrigley and I hang out a lot while Brooke naps.

But there is something new I have had some challenges with. I speak to Brooke all of the time to help her get used to language and start understanding words. I talk to her conversationally, but also talk to her using simple words to try to get her to associate actions and objects. I realized a while ago that I had some problems with some of the things I say to her:

"Good Girl!"
"Who's Here?"
"Let's Go!"
"Are You Hungry?"

Things like this I have noticed I say pretty frequently, and they are all terms that Wrigley knows very well because they have been devoted primarily to her for the past 5 years. So know when I say these things, Wrigley either gets overly excited or confused. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to give Wrigley a treat after telling Brooke "Good Girl" because she (Wrigley) assumes she must have done something good :)

My newest issues is with "Roll Over". Brooke is about the age where she should/could be able to roll over (though it may not happen for a while). When we are on the floor I always put her on her tummy to play for a bit, then I say "Roll Over!" as I slowly roll her over to her back. Unfortunately, "Roll Over" is a trick Wrigley knows. No matter where she is in the house, or how quiet I say the words, she comes running. She wants to do her trick. And of course, she wants a treat in return.

I'm not sure if Brooke & Wrigley will get used to sharing these words, or if I will need to teach Brooke some sort of different language or unique phrases :) Perhaps instead of roll over I should say "180" or "put your tush on the floor" or "other side". For now, its quite obvious my dog commands will simpply not do.

Brooke Hates Reading

I'm in the middle of this sleep training thing, and one of the most important things about sleep with babies (and as they grow into toddlers, children, etc) is routine and consistency. Simple things like the afternoon nap is "always at 12", but also more complicated things like what happens before a nap. I'm trying to create bedtime and naptime routines so that Brooke's body will start to become tired and ready to sleep based on cues. One of these is time. I am also trying to be consistent with what I do with her before we go down for a nap. For example, I close her curtains and say "Goodbye sunshine". She may not know what I am saying, but I say it each time to create a cue ... and soon enough she will know what the words mean too.

Babycenter offers some things you can include in a bedtime routine, like taking a bath, playing music or singing a song, or reading a book. They say "For young babies especially, you may find that it's best to keep it short and simple: washing up, diaper and jammies, and a story or song in the rocking chair." I try to keep it as short as possible, because Brooke tends to have a pretty short fuse :)

I have tried numerous times to read a book to her - I have picked an easy one that is also educational: Dr. Seuss's ABC. Each time I put her on my lap and pick up the book, I get no more than a page into it before she throws a fit. And not just a little whining or whimpering. This is the screaming and yelling kind of fit.

I think I should try it with a different book. It's possible she does not like Dr. Seuss (but what kid doesn't like Dr Seuss??), or perhaps she just isnt the literary type :)

Update: I tried Angelina Ballerina and it was also a no-go. Perhaps she just isn't into ballet?

15 Weeks Old

BabyCenter says a bit about sleep - but it actually is different from what I have been reading in most of my books. The site suggests that "two daytime naps are usual now", but from what I have seen, at Brookes age 3 naps is more appropriate. Babies at her age can only stay awake from about 1-2 hours before they need a nap. If you do the math, 2 naps in one day don't add up (unless each of those naps is 3-4 hours!).

Babycenter also suggests that Brooke is increasingly curious, and might like to look at her own reflection. We have found that she isnt too excited about her own reflection, but I did have her watch herself on video (Brooke Talks) and she was mezmerized. I think it was more the noise than the sight!

Lefty Or Righty?
I have noticed that Brooke tends to favor her left hand, and was sure that she is going to be a lefty (just like her mommy). But according to developmental guidelines, babies tend to favor one hand for a while ... but then switch to the other. I wont be able to tell if she is a southpaw until she is 2-3 years old!

Save The Sea Kittens!

In a new campaign, PETA has decide to "retire" the name "fish" and instead refer to them as "sea kittens":

People don't seem to like fish. They're slithery and slimy, and they have eyes on either side of their pointy little heads—which is weird, to say the least. Plus, the small ones nibble at your feet when you're swimming, and the big ones—well, the big ones will bite your face off if Jaws is anything to go by.

Of course, if you look at it another way, what all this really means is that fish need to fire their PR guy—stat. Whoever was in charge of creating a positive image for fish needs to go right back to working on the Britney Spears account and leave our scaly little friends alone. You've done enough damage, buddy. We've got it from here. And we're going to start by retiring the old name for good. When your name can also be used as a verb that means driving a hook through your head, it's time for a serious image makeover. And who could possibly want to put a hook through a sea kitten?

Brooke has her own Sea Kitten!
Create Your Own Sea Kitten at peta.org!

Brooke Talks!

Brooke has more than one toy, though the playgym is often featured on this blog. She also has a bouncy seat that she likes to spend some quality time in. Most of the time she just hangs out, but occasionally she likes to talk to her friends. I'm not quite sure what she is saying here, but I'm sure its important...

Learning To Share

Maybe it's something "dog people" think about, but one of the most popular questions we get is how Wrigley & Brooke get along. There is often concern that a new baby will create jealousy among family pets. We haven't really had this issue ... Wrigley seems to care less about Brooke. Perhaps its because of her age (she is 5)? She seems a little less dependent on our attention and more prone to hanging out by herself, so she really doesnt seem to notice the fact that our attention may have diverted from her to the new baby. Occasionally she will think we are talking to her when we are talking to Brooke, or come running when we play with Brooke. This seems to be more of a miscommunication issue than a jealousy issue.

The first issue we noticed was with the playgym. It's not about the baby - but the baby toys. Wrigley has has some toy envy over a couple of other things. Baby toys make some pretty sweet noises and they perk her ears up right away. She has tried to swipe a thing or two, but we simply tell her "no" and she gives up. But not the playgym! She stalks that thing! When we put it out, she is the first one on. When Brooke is on it, Wrigley is too. When Brooke is done playing, Wrigley scoots in. I have a small feeling that this is a sign of things to come ... right now Brooke only owns about 3 toys. What happens when the amount of toys increases, her awareness of "her" toys increases, and Wrigley's desire continues? Guess we will jump that hurdle when we get to it.

For now, Wrigley gets to play with Brooke's things as long as she isnt endangering the baby. It's important to teach your kids (even the furry kind) the importance of sharing ;)

Lickin'

Brooke has really been into licking stuff lately. Her favorite thing to lick is her hands. I'd say her 2nd favorite is her new gloworm. But she has just realized that some of the items on her playgym come right down to her face ... which means she can lick them. Yay!

Time for another video blog :)

You'll notice she gets distracted about 1/2 way through, yet keeps licking. The distraction is a certain jealous dog who can't stay away from the playgym.

Sleep Training

For the first three months of her life, Brooke made all of the rules. She ate when she wanted to, played when she wanted to, and slept when she wanted to. We started noticing some natural patterns developing, like her need to take a nap about 1 1/2 hours after she woke up in the mornings. We also noticed that she showed only a few signs of getting tired prior to having a fit, and that it was awfully hard to calm her down and get her to take a nap after a fit had already begun.

Brooke spent her first night in her crib on New Years Eve, and it went great. She sleeps great in her crib ... at night. I began trying to put her down for a morning nap in her crib and things did not go well. She screamed, she cried, she tossed, she turned. After as much as an hour of this she would fall asleep, only to wake 30-45 minutes later. From what we have read, that does not really constitute a nap. A nap should be between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 hours.

We realized that we needed to do a bit of work in the nap department, thus the "sleep training". There are a lot of methods and ideas out there, and I read all the books and did some internet searching. What I ended up with is combination of two philosphies / books: Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child and On Becoming Baby Wise.

Her sleep schedule is basically derived from her eating schedule, which is about every 3 hours. She eats right after she wakes up for a nap, plays for a bit, has some calming time, and then its back down for a nap! Right now she has three naps in her schedule, plus her nightime sleep. From what I can tell, in the next few months she will drop down to two naps, a morning nap and an afternoon nap.

The schedule makes perfect sense. We can plainly see that she needs to take a nap almost the exact time she is "scheduled" for one. The problem is that she doesnt want to take one - at least not in her crib. She is pretty content sleeping on my lap, or in her carseat, but the crib is a whole different story. That's what we are working on this week ;)

Sleep Training Week 1
So after a week of sleep training, do I have a "trained" baby? I'm afraid not. Napping is still a challenge and she won't go into her crib without crying (though nightime is amazing - she is sleeping 12 hours some nights). I don't know if its just my imagination, but since she has been getting MORE sleep, she appears to be MORE cranky. I think it should be the reverse :)

She seems to get tired after only 1 hour of wakefulness, and her crankiness when she is tired seems to be more extreme. In addition, I feel like my entire days involve her sleeping, or me trying to get her to sleep. It seems like we have less time for play and interaction.

Well, its only the first week and one week in many weeks to come. So far we are both struggling, but I'm going to talk to some friends and seek out some more resources and go from there!

14 Weeks Old

Brooke is now 1/2 way through her 4th month ;)

At this point most babies can raise themselves up on their arms ... which Brooke can do, when she chooses to. Sometimes I place her on her belly and she pushes herself up and looks around smiling. Other times she plants her face into the ground and screams. Its about 50/50 :) Babies Online says some babies start to army-crawl (using primarily the arms to scoot around) at this point. Brooke is actually the reverse - she is all about legs! When I put her on her tummy she kicks and pushes with her legs and usually ends up moving backwards.

Vocal development also continues, and babies "vocabulary" grows. Brooke is babbling all of the time now, and we have notices she "complains" when she is tired. She just talks and talks, but in a complaining tone. You can tell if she could say real words they wouldnt be nice ones :) I think it's a good thing it takes them a while until they master the english language ....

PlayGym Envy

For Christmas Brooke's Grandma got her a playgym. She is really getting the hang of it and loves to spend time on it ... but nowhere as much as Wrigley does. We can't get her off the thing! As soon as I put it out she is on top of it, and she wont leave Brooke alone when she is playing on it. Instead of it being a toy where I can leave her to play for a bit by herself, I have to sit and stand guard because I'm afraid Wrigley will smoosh her!

Here is Brooke on her playgym
















Here comes Wrigley!















Followed by a sneak-attack...
















She never saw it coming ;)

3 Month Pictures!

Brooke went to the Picture People and had her 3 months pictures taken today! She looks pretty darn cute in them, I must say. Here is a teaser for all of her blog readers ;)

Brooke's New Tricks

Brooke has added this shrieking high-pitched scream to her repertoire
of communication tools. It seems to be just a general way if her
saying she isn't happy ... And she uses it primarily with her daddy.

Right now she is trying to tell me that she doesn't need a nap, but
other signs suggest otherwise!

Newborn No More!

According to WhatToExpect.com, at 3 months old Brooke is officially an "infant" and no longer a "newborn".

Which must be why she ...

Slept Like A Rockstar
Two nights ago Brooke had a rough night. Her naps during the day were messed up (as in, didnt happen) and that translated into a bad night of sleep. Maybe 4 hours of sleep in 12 hours (versus what is usually 8-10 hours during that span). Needless to say, this lack of sleep led to a cranky Brook almost all day yesterday. She took a nap during the day (two actually) and though they were long, she STILL woke up cranky. As the day progressed I was sure she would need to go to bed early - and would likely sleep hard. We decided to risk it and take her out to dinner with us, her first dinner out and our chance to actually go out on NYE. So she ate dinner at 7pm and was put to "bed" in her carseat. She actually was awake the whole drive to the restaurant, which NEVER happens. She always sleeps in the car. I'll admit, we were pretty sure our plan would be a bust and we would be "those people" with a screaming baby in the restaurant. But, shortly after we got seated she fell alseep, about 8PM.

When we got home, I put her right into her crib. She stirred a bit, but fell back asleep. Jeff & I watched her on the monitor from our room forever, but she didnt seem to miss us as much as we missed her. Next time I heard from her was 2AM. She ate and then fought going back to sleep, but was back down (in the crib still) at 3:30. Next time she stirred was 7:30AM!

Not only did Brooke spend the night in her crib, and do really well without us, but she also slept from 8pm until 7:30AM with only one interruption in between :) What a great start to 2009!