It seems that in this last month Bean has gone form being a baby to a big girl! I guess what I really mean is we've transitioned from that newborn stage of being an observer in the world to an infant and active participant in the world.
It seems like in one week, Bean transformed over night. She now plays in her jumper/exersaucer for around 20-30 min at a time. I can leave her in there and get other things done around the house. When she's done jumping and playing with its toys (she can't spin herself in it yet, but she can reach from side to side, hit the buttons that light up an sing, and grab at the other toys), she'll lay on her activity mat for another 20-30 min playing with the critters that hang as well as with her own feet. She loves her feet and loves taking her socks off her feet.
(She LOVES this thing. We have a pillow currently placed under it, but she can finally reach the floor with her toes. She holds herself up so well in it and can reach from the left (toys on yellow tray) all the way to the right (toys on orange tray). You can get her excited while in it by pretending to jump and telling her to jump. She'll mimic you and make herself bounce! She can also hit the buttons to play music. What a big girl!)
Bean has also started eating rice cereal. She gets a serving of it at night in between nursing sessions. I try to get her to eat the cereal around 6-7, with her last nursing session between 7-8. She loves the rice cereal! I mix it with breastmilk and make it thick in the beginning, but by the end of eating, it has thinned out (breastmilk has an active enzyme in it that thins out the rice cereal). She's doing very well at using the spoon (even though she often grabs at it and tries to shove it in her mouth) and swallowing the mix. When we first started, I wasn't sure how much was actually getting in, but now it is all going in. Also, the frist 3 nights we started the cereal, she slept through the night! I had very high hopes of that continuing, but after night 3, she went back to her waking up once (sometime between 4-6).
Bean isn't set on a schedule according to time, but I am working on trying to get her into a better routine. This past month, we did some traveling to IN. I am usually pretty lacks when we are visiting with family as far as her routine. I try to get her to bed around the same time each night, but don't stress out about the naps. If she has a couple of days of limited naps, I know she'll make up for it when things settle back down.
(On a trip to Indiana, we were able to get all the grandkids together - minus an add on- which is quite the rare occasion! Another rare thing - everyone was looking at the camera! Well, at least all who were awake for the picture were looking!)
In general her schedule looks like this:
8am - wake up, nurse, play in jumper & mat
10:30am - nap time!
11am - nurse, play in jumper, nap (or we do errands at this point)
12:30pm - nap!
2pm - nurse, play in jumper & mat
3:30pm - nap!
5pm - nurse, play with mommy &/or daddy, sit in Bumbo or bouncer seat while mommy makes dinner
7pm - bath time, eat rice cereal
8pm, nurse
9pm - if she hasn't fallen asleep while nursing, we go upstairs, rock & read stories
4:30am - nurse & back to sleep by 5am
Now, that schedule isn't the same time every day, but it is that general routine. Recently, she's back to picking up a little catnap in the evenings (around 6:30) for 20 minutes. I think that's a sign that maybe we should be moving bedtime up sooner. That's one of the new goals I am working on. We've at least achieved eating every 3 hours which I started working on in January! I'm also trying to figure out a more consistent nap schedule. I never know how long a nap will be. Generally, her morning nap is around 1.5 hr, and then her afternoon naps are around an hour each. Although, sometimes she'll randomly have a 3 hour nap that screws up her sleeping the rest of the day. I've often gone into her room to wake her up, but seeing her so peaceful while sleeping, I usually just leave her and let her dictate her own nap needs.
Other accomplishments this month - Bean can roll over both ways! She doesn't last long on her tummy when we put her on it. She immediately flips either to the right or left to get on her back. She can go from her back to her tummy, but doesn't do it often. Usually this happens when she's craning to see the tv or reach for a random toy. I still lay her on her back on her mat and leave the room to do other things. I try to peak in on her every 5 min or so to make sure she's still doing okay. A couple of times, I've heard her struggling and return to find her flipped on her tummy with her arm pinned under her - silly girl!
(Almost there! She can completely roll over, but usually she likes to roll into this position.)
Bean shows no signs of crawling, but often scoots around on her back, especially while sleeping in her crib! Every morning, I never know where she'll be positioned in her crib. Sometimes she's wedged up in the top corner, or even perpendicular to the way I left her. I'm waiting for the day where she's a complete 180 degrees turned. I also never know how her blanket will end up. Today, I found her hiding under it, but usually it's wrapped around her wasted with her arms and legs out and in the air.
(Wedged in the corner after a nap.)
(I heard a bunch of coos and laughter on the monitor after a nap. When I went into her room, all I could see was her little feet above the crib wall. What a goof!)
(I loves this photo, not just becuase of that little cutie, but because it's all washed out from SUNSHINE!! The weather is finally starting to show signs of spring. Last week, we even pulled out the stroller and went for a walk when Daddy got home from work. We tried to explain to Bean that this is what the real world looks like - since she usually is in her car seat, under a blanket. I don't think she believed us, though. It snowed the next day and we went back into hibernation.)
(Another new thing - Bean can pull her pacifier out and attempts to put it back in. A couple of times, she's actually put it back in properly, but usually just chews on it. Yesterday, she took her paci out of her mouth and put it correctly into mine. I guess that's a sign she likes to share??)
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