So, apparently I was so convinced that August 31 did not exist, I went ahead and didn't take any pictures. I'm shooting suspicious looks at my calendar as I write this.
Day 142: September 1, Happy Birthday Cousin Ashley!
We celebrated Ashley's 18th birthday in Ocean Shores. Her mom made her a confetti-chip cake, and Kai looks very interested...
Day 143: September 2, Missed It
Day 144: September 3, Giddyup!
Kai's first horsey ride. With Daddy's help, of course. Hi ho Silver!
Day 145: September 4, Being Sick is Exhausting
Mommy's little princess has a wee cold. Not really a big deal. Yet.
Day 146: September 5, Missed It
Day 147: September 6, Butterflies Are Yummie
Butterflies are not only tasty, but they're quite the distraction when you're sick...
Day 148: September 7, She Really Likes Her Sophie
The only thing on her mind is sweet dreams as she holds Sophie the giraffe close. What's on my mind? Finally, a chance to turn off the flash and use natural lighting for a picture!
Day 149: September 8, I'm Too Squirmy for Natural Lighting
The setting was perfect: nice lighting and still, quiet subjects. Until the camera comes out. I kept it on the no-flash setting, and the result is blurry. *sigh*
Day 150: September 9, Game Day for Touchdown Baby!
No amount of Touchdown Baby hijinks could save the game. Is that unimpressed expression due to the game, Daddy's forcing the issue, or her cold?
Day 151: September 10, Being Sick Really Is Exhausting
Her cold has become an ear infection. It's more punishing now, and it shows. Hopefully the antibiotics will help.
Day 152: September 11, Missed It
Day 153: September 12, First "Solids"
Kailea had her first "solid food": yogurt. She's been sick for over a week now with a cold, and we think the antibiotics are upsetting her stomach because there was much screaming yesterday when we tried to feed her, and then again when we gave up: she was obviously hungry and upset about it, but just as upset about us trying to feed her. When I called the doctor's office today, they suggested trying solids, specifically yogurt because the probiotics of it combats the yuck-tummy side effects of the antibiotics. I hate yogurt, so it was a huge coincidence that I actually had some on hand for some upcoming baking.
She really seemed to like the yogurt in the end. The experience was fun for us, watching her reactions, and also fun for her as she seems to enjoy anything new. She responded well to the spoon, wanting to grab it (but still not coordinated to help feed herself) and opening her mouth on most passes. Some of her expressions in the beginning were hilarious - she looked like someone eating something sour and tangy for the first time. Usually it's not quite so easy to gauge her expressions. There was a moment or two when I thought maybe she was going to throw it up, but that quickly passed and she was ready for more.
Much later that night, she did throw up. A really big one all over Daddy. There's no way to tell exactly what set her off, no way to rule out or blame the yogurt, but it's far more likely it was triggered by the bottle feeding Daddy had just given her. She has gotten blissfully better in the spit-up department over the past few weeks, going multiple days without. Unfortunately, when she does spit up, it's usually massive. Luckily for me, it's also usually right after her last feeding of the night so Eric gets to deal with it! It's tempting to just cut out that feeding, but she really needs the calories!
So now I'm guessing it's time to finally break out the research on solid foods. I was hoping to put that off for another few weeks. Life with baby is never what you expect!
(This was originally posted here: Milestone: Solid Foods + First Cold)
Day 154: September 13, 5 Months
Kailea Christine Cairns
9/13/12
5 months old
head circumference: 23.5 cm.
body length: 23.5 in.
weight: about 13 lbs.
Kailea is 5 months old. To celebrate we danced and sang songs and read books and took pictures and had some more yogurt. She also continued to be sick and slightly more grumpy than usual. The day wasn't all roses, but it wasn't all bad either. As sick babies go, Kailea is remarkably easy going.
In five months, the most notable change is just how much bigger she has gotten. She practically fills her co-sleeper now, which used to be so big for her that we would have to bolster her up to ensure she didn't slide down into a ball at the bottom by morning (it has an incline at the head for her reflux problems). Another noticeable change is that the reflux seems to have finally, blessedly, cleared up. It's hard to say if it's 100% gone since she's had some spells since she got sick, but we are pretty sure that's just from the antibiotics-induced-nausea and coughing fits. Another nice turn of events is just how happy she is. She's always been a pretty mellow baby, except when she's not (on or off, there is no middle ground in her moods!). But now she's obviously happy, evidenced by her constant smiles whenever she makes eye contact with anyone. They say that stranger anxiety begins soon, and I am dreading that, because watching her interact so happily with everyone and everything has been such a joy
As far as activities, we've remained home bodies for the most part, with just the occasional trip to the grocery store. Hopefully this changes soon, now that she's getting over her cold and she's getting more tolerant of not having her every need met instantaneously. Watching her hunger cues has been vital in keeping the meltdowns to a minimum, but it never used to keep them from happening - she would go from normal to hungry to screaming for food in about 60 seconds flat. Now, finally, she typically displays her cues and acts hungry for 5-10 minutes before the screaming begins. Well, except while she's been sick - when there have been no hunger cues because she has been too nauseated to be hungry and we've had some very frustrating days trying to make her eat enough to keep from getting worse.
There were some special activities thrown in: we went to cousin JR's birthday party at the Everett Children's Museum and we spent a weekend in Ocean Shores. She enjoyed the party because she really enjoys noisy, active scenes. She slept through almost the entirety of our afternoon at the beach, but definitely enjoyed the trip as a whole because so many family members were there to cuddle and entertain her.
In the next month, we're going to start the next level of PEPS, do some serious research on starting solids, and have more tummy time in hopes that this inspires her to begin to crawl. There's been a lot of talking from her this weekend, so I'm also anxiously waiting to see what her first real word in English will be.
(This was originally posted here: 5 Months Old)
Day 155: September 14, Missed It