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Teething and other topics

Well, I'm like 99% sure that Stella is teething. Here's why:


1) Tylenol actually helps. 
2) She chews on her hands constantly.
3) Is refusing the pacifier more than ever. It appears to make her mouth hurt when I try to get her to take it.
4) It totally feels weird when she nurses, like she's scraping my boob.
5) Is insanely fussy.


I had thought this was the "meat" of her 3 mos. growth spurt, but after begging for help on Facebook yesterday, it seems that I'm wrong. My mom has been insisting for about a week that she's teething. She saw the video of Stella chatting, and, in my most eloquent Pam vernacular, said, "With the way she's a'slobberin', she's teethin', Mindy." So, I looked up the symptoms.


When I say that she feels different nursing, it just feels like she's almost chewing on my boob. I know that seems weird, but I can tell her gums feel different. One of my old coworkers (who is an expert baby advisor) said to feel her gums. I didn't usually stick my finger in her mouth, so I didn't have a good point of reference. They just felt like baby gums to me. Yesterday, I noticed a different "feel" to her nursing, so I think I can safely say her gums are different. 


The fussiness is insane. I mean absolutely insane. Derek came home last night, and I was like, "Today was one of those days where I wish I could have some whiskey straight right now." It was rough. My back was aching from carrying her around all day. Obviously, she was in pain and wanted to be held for comfort. I can't blame her, but it is physically difficult to cart around a nearly 14 lb baby all day. 


I guess we'll see if a little tooth pops through soon. I hope it does since everyone has been telling me that the pain subsides then. I just wasn't expecting to go through teething issues already, but I guess every baby is different and there are many babies who teeth at this age. 


Thanks, everyone, for your advice yesterday. I sincerely appreciate it, and I do think the Tylenol is helping. She's at least able to be pleasant after she has it. 


In other news, Kaylie - our nanny - came yesterday. It was sort of like a "Stella Orientation" for her, heh. I showed her around our house, and I showed her how we do things. I have a dr appointment today at 2, and she's coming at 1. We'll see how she does with Stella on her own. I have some pumped milk in the fridge, and I already sat out some disposable diapers for her. I hope I don't scare her away! She's super sweet!


And lastly: Wow. Last night was crazy. After Derek came home and I complained for a good twenty minutes, he was sitting on the couch with Stella. I was eating, and he goes, "You're pooping, aren't you?" I was like, "She hasn't pooped in a couple days." Well, he checked. It was an all-out insane poop. Her poops have become crazy. She poops about every 3 days or so, and when she does, you need to call in reinforcements. Derek had to do a wardrobe change, and we had to wash all of her changing table stuff. He gave her a bath right away, too. Everyone said this would happen, but just wow. I had no idea it could be that crazy. 


I also think it's pretty darn funny that she waited until her dad had her ;) Maybe she was sparing me because she knew I had a rough day, haha. 


Stella seems to be waking up from her morning nap, so I need to run. I hope the teething is over soon! My poor girl is miserable! :( 

So I hops in my Schwinn!

Wow, so much to blog about! 


I'll tell more about our big "date" but first I have to share a few pictures and tell about our snazzy jogger! Stella and I went for our first run together this morning, and it was great! I ordered this jogger the other day at a super huge bargain! It was 50% off at Amazon! That is why I love, love, love Baby Cheapskate! Well, it came on Wednesday, but Derek and I hadn't had time to put it together. On Friday night, Derek and I assembled it while Stella took a nap... 

We had big plans of getting up and going for a Saturday morning run together, and we spent most of the assembly time talking about how excited we were. BUT we didn't think about the tires needing air... boo! :( So on our date last night, we picked up a bike pump. After Stella woke up from her little snooze, we popped her in to make sure everything fit well and we had the straps safely adjusted:

Well, Derek filled the tires last night, and this morning, Stella and I went for a short run while Derek cut the grass. I LOVED it! I am SO pleased with this jogger. I had heard fabulous things about BOBs since one of my former coworkers had a BOB Revolution. Let's be honest, BOBs are crazy expensive, like 400-450 dollars! Also, we had read that a swivel front wheel can be dangerous if you're running fast enough and turning quickly, so we checked out Consumer Reports. It rated this one as the number one jogger, so we waited for a good sale. And when I saw 50% off, I knew I couldn't beat that! 


It's absolutely perfect. It turns easily, and it's SUPER light. Stella just lays back and bounces along! I had asked Dr. DeMauro about joggers a while back, and he had recommended just waiting until she could hold her head up. He also mentioned laying it ALL the way back so she gets a swinging effect. It worked perfectly. We only ran maybe 2-2.5 miles since I wanted to be careful. I didn't want to be far away from our house and Stella have a complete meltdown or anything. 


I am SO pleased and I cannot recommend this jogger enough! I am in love! I'm so happy that I can run in the mornings now when Derek goes to work. I had been waiting for Derek to come home, but it's so hot here that I hadn't been running. It gets so hot during the day that the other day I thought my brains were cooking. Running in 100 degrees sucks. 


Anyway, so excited! :D


As for our date! Wow... we both nearly chickened out at the last minute. At around 3, Derek came in the nursery as I was playing with Stella, and said, "I am so sad. I just don't think I can leave her." I flipped. I was like, "I'm calling Ashley. We're not leaving." Well, we decided to be tough and just get it over with. Ashley came at 4:45, and we showed her around and left around 5pm. We had some dinner (which was mostly spent talking about Stella!) and then went to Target to get a bike pump and a few other things.


We wanted to get some onesies and sleepers for Stella and we figured we'd just pick some up there. We had these grand plans of going to the outlet mall, but the road into HHI was insane. It was bumper to bumper and all of Hilton Head was packed for the holiday weekend. We opted for good ol' Target. We can take the back roads there super easily. Besides, we love Target stuff. It's always super cute and at a good price! 


Derek had been wanting to buy Stella some plain white onesies since she was born, and I kept telling him that it was dumb. I finally indulged him after he said, "You could take a fabric marker and draw on it!" Haha! He likes to keep things simple, so I probably won't draw on them. I mostly gave in because I want her to have things that he picks out, too. I shouldn't hog that privilege. We bought size 6 mos. onesies, and they totally fit. I can't believe how big she is! 


We also bought a Halo Sleepsack since Stella hulks out of her old swaddlers. We want her to be warm at night, and we thought this was a good option. They had one on clearance, so bonus for finding a good sale! 


We also picked up some different pacifiers that mimic boobs. I'm trying to break her of the habit of sucking her lips. Sounds weird, I know. She does this thing where she starts sucking her bottom and top lips, and I want her to use a pacifier. Derek thinks it's totally fine for her to do that and says she'll likely stop when she has teeth. It just freaks me out for some reason, but she won't give in on the pacifiers. :( She hates them -- even the new ones! 


We had a lot of fun, but we definitely missed her. It was super hard to be away from her. It was the first time she wasn't with one of us since she was born. She's only been away from me for an hour or so when I've been running and Derek has watched her. I definitely don't want to do it all the time, but it was a good treat to get to eat in peace and just chat with Derek. 


Anyway, I want to get back to relaxing while Stella naps this afternoon! :) 

3 months old!

Wow... our little girl is already out of the fourth trimester. I can't believe it! Now, I realize she was born on the 31st, but June has no 31st so we're using today. All the same really. 


How she's progressing:


Weight: 13 lbs and 3 oz. She's a chunk! 


Milestones: can roll back to belly and belly to back, gets up on her knees and scoots a little during tummy time, lifts her head to 90 degrees, babbles and coos A LOT - we have some fun conversations!, brings her hands together, can use the iPad ;), can handle some weight on her legs.


Appearance: Her hair is lighter than it was at birth. It seems to be an almost auburn tone in places, and she gets that from her father. His hair is a much lighter brown than mine. Her eyes have changed. Right now, they're currently a shade of hazel. My eyes are a light brown-hazel color, so she seems to be taking after me. We'll see if they darken up anymore. Needless to say, she's definitely not a blue-eyed girl. She's also pretty chunky. She's not long compared to other babies, either. And, she definitely has my skin tone - very warm and golden colored. 


Clothes: She's currently in 3-6 months stuff. She can wear some 6 mos stuff, like creepers. 0-3 dresses still fit well, but 0-3 sleepers and onesies are too tight. Her shorts and pants are still 0-3. 


Overall, she's a very happy baby. She smiles and laughs a lot. It's so cute when she smiles. She'll usually bring her hands up by her face and make this sweet little smile. It's so cute! 


She's still sleeping in her bassinet, but Derek and I are trying to move her to the crib at night. She's attempted to do it on her own a couple times, but I'm such a wimp. We've finally stopped co-sleeping since none of us were getting any rest. She'd just root all night and kick Derek in the face. She's still using a swaddler, but she hulks out of it religiously. She doesn't ALWAYS use it either. She definitely naps here and there without it -- for some inexplicable reason. She's sleeping for about six straight hours a night, and she goes back down quickly after her change and feeding. 


Still breastfeeding! It's going super well, but this growth spurt this week has required a little formula. She'll have both boobs, and look at us like she ate nothing and start screaming. She usually will eat about 8-9 times a day, so the feedings have finally slowed a little.


I can't believe she's almost - emphasis on the almost - to the point that she can take rice cereal soon. I'm so excited for her to get to eat baby food. I think it will reveal more about her personality. I bought a book on how to make your own, and that's what I plan to do. I figure it's better for her since I'll know there aren't a bunch of crazy preservatives. 


The Zantac is amazing. Her reflux is gone, and she's so much happier. Her colon, though, is not, haha. She farts CONSTANTLY and it stinks so bad. Derek and I gag when she farts during a diaper change, and there have been a couple times that I've had to hand her over to him. He has a much stronger stomach than me... I guess it was all that poo burning he did during OIF 1, haha.


Our nanny, Kaylie, is coming on Tuesday to get familiar with our house. She's going to watch Stella on Wednesday so I can go to a doctor appointment. I'm using Mirena, and I need to go in for my follow up. 


And here's some big news! On Saturday, Derek and I have asked one of Derek's coworkers to watch Stella for a few hours so we can go on a date! Yes, a date! Neither of us have been apart from Stella in 3 months. I'm a little nervous, but mostly, SUPER excited! Ashley is great, and we know she'll be perfect with Stella. I just can't believe it: I get to eat an uninterrupted meal! We think we're going to go eat some Mexican food and shop at the Outlet malls in Hilton Head. I think it will be great for us to get to just chat and be like our old selves. We haven't been on a date together since January!  I guess that's where folks who live close to family have an advantage - lots of babysitters! 


Anyway, I know this blog isn't about me, but I am so excited that I still get to be in the NACADA Emerging Leaders program. I was worried they'd disqualify me since I left SCAD, but they said they completely understood. The woman in charge even said, "I did that, too. It's not a problem at all!" Derek, Stella, and I get to go to Denver in October for the National Conference. We can't wait! :)  I got my books from TCL, and I can't wait to start teaching. I think this will be perfect for me. It all worked out so, so well. I'm so thankful and happy. Alright already! Enough about me! 



Well, I need to clean up our house while Stella finishes up her nap. Here's a cute picture of her from the other day. Oh, and that sleeper so doesn't fit... haha. We plan to buy her some cute clothes on our date! :)

The Swimsuit Edition

Stella was in a good mood, so we decided to revisit the crab pool this morning. Remember this posting? Well, it went much better. 


While Derek blew up the crab pool, I dressed Stella for her swimsuit debut. Here she is, ready to play:

And, here is the crab pool... ready to go:

He's a bit of an amputee... one of his claws has a hole in it, so it stayed deflated :( 


We popped her in, and she seemed rather confused:

And we tried the bumbo to help things out:

That seemed to confuse her even more. She's not such a fan of the bumbo. So, I hopped in...

Don't judge me. haha.

She seemed to be having fun, splashing around with her legs. 

She seemed to be getting a little irritated by the bugs - which are horrible here - and by the sun. We had to do this early since it gets so hot here. By the afternoon, it's so hot that our dogs don't like to go outside. Being outside feels, I imagine, the way a lobster feels as he's placed into a stock pot. Hot and humid. Bleck.


Anyway, we came in.

Derek changed her out of her wet suit while I changed. Then, she ate and is now chilling in her swing. I think she had fun. She's still a little confused by it, but I think it will be perfect in October or so when the temperature is reasonable and she's a little more independent. I really don't want to take her to our community pool since it's full of chemicals. I worry they'd get in her mouth or irritate her skin.

Anyway, I think she looks adorable in her swimsuit! She's a natural beauty :) 

More on Nannies... and online classes!

So, let me start with the good news: I'm going to be teaching FOUR online classes! Yes, you heard it here, folks! No going in or driving to Beaufort or any of that stuff (not that it would've been hard). I'm so happy. So, I'll be doing my TAing for Ashford University - which I'm already doing - and that makes 1 class every four weeks. Classes at Ashford are 5 weeks long, and they always overlap by 1 week for the TA since there are never assignments due in week 1. Then, I'll have two classes that start on August 18th for TCL and then two more classes that start in October. Those two are for accelerated semester classes, so they're only 8 weeks long. I am SO excited. Best part: I get to teach 2 ENG 102 classes. ENG 102 is Composition and Literature. Yay!


Now, I did interview the girl I'm most interested in for the nanny position today. Since I'll be doing five classes at once, I knew I'd need an extra set of hands so I can get my grading done. Derek and I decided that we'll have the nanny come for about 2-3 hours one day a week, maybe two if things get hectic, just to watch Stella while I grade in our office. I'll be in the house with her, so I'll hear everything going on and I won't have to worry about anyone stealing her (thanks, Mom :/). 


As for the nanny, she seems super. Her name is Kaylie, and she's new to Bluffton. She just got married last month, and her husband is a pastor in the area. She has six years of experience, and she seemed really nice. She knows CPR, and her references have been fantastic. I really like her, and I think she'll be a good fit. I just hope I didn't weird her out. I was talking about cloth diapers and being environmentally friendly, and then, she asked where my husband works, and I said SCAD. After I left, I thought, "I bet she thinks we're total hippies." I was talking about how I like to let Stella make her own schedule and if she wants to be in a sleeper all day then that's cool with me. Oh well. Hopefully, I didn't scare her away. I'm sure she'll shit when she sees that Derek is covered in tattoos. 


She's really nice, and I hope that she'll accept the position when I offer it to her tomorrow. I really think it will work out well since I won't be worried about Stella and I'll be home with her. 


I spent some of this afternoon - between grading - setting up my office space. It had always been the hub for bullshit and coupons and random crap. I wanted to make it more "workable" and feel a little more like an office. I also moved Stella's swing next to my chair so I can have her right next to me when I'm grading. 


Overall, I'm thrilled with how things are turning out. I feel so blessed to be given the ability to be home with our girl. I would have really missed her if I had gone back to work full-time. Well, I better run. Derek is due home from work any second now, and I need to go throw the frozen pizza in the oven. Oh, how I slave over dinner... haha. 

Father's Day, Ikea, and Nannies... a quick update

Well, I only have a quick second for a posting. I still have a lot to do. Derek and I haven't totally unpacked from being out of town all weekend, and we have some new Ikea stuff to put away. I just finished grading, and I wanted to take a second to share some photos from our weekend in ATL.

Derek took this one when she woke up from her nap. We took her pack and play for her to sleep in. It worked out really well. 

Stella and Derek as we were getting packed up. 

In the elevator on the way out. I wanted to get a good "Father's Day" shot of them. I put that onesie on her - it says "I <3 Daddy" - but she wouldn't move her little pig arm. 

I hope Derek had a good Father's Day. I made his favorite dinner - pear and gorgonzola pizza - and I baked a chocolate cake since he LOVES chocolate. We just chilled and enjoyed spending time with Stella while she was in a good mood. We played some music for her to keep her happy:

Stella and Derek "dancing" to Miles Davis. Stella pooped out at this point, but it was cute to see Derek bouncing and swinging around with her :)

Anyway, all is well. I went and cleaned out my desk at SCAD today, and that made me really sad. I think it's always sad when you make a big transition in your life. I still need to pick up my books from TCL, and I caved and emailed Dr. Fletcher (our Dean) to see if she'd let me just teach the two online classes. I'm still waiting to hear back from her.

I interview a nanny tomorrow at 11am, and I'm still working on the backup. I found a great one from Hilton Head who has 10 years of experience. I think she'd be perfect, too. I may interview her on Friday. I think this nanny search will turn out to be good even if I don't teach classes regularly. We could use this person as a sitter for a movie night or something. We'll see what Dr. Fletcher says...

Well, I better run. Lots to do while the pig sleeps.

BLOOMSDAY posting

SAD
Well, I'm sure some of you have read on Facebook that I'm searching for a nanny. What? A Nanny?  I thought you were doing daycare? Well, no. In fact, I'm not returning to work.


I turned in my resignation to SCAD on Wednesday after a lot of thought. Derek and I had been discussing this for nearly a month, but for most of that month, we hadn't decided who was going to quit. It went back and forth, "No, you quit your job!" "You're the one that's breastfeeding. You quit." Well, finally, I caved. I started crying that I wanted to be home with Stella. 


Now, I'm not going to be just a stay at home mom... You know me. I'm too busy for that. I'm already working for Ashford University again in an ENG 122 class. I've been offered an adjunct faculty position at Technical College of the Lowcountry. I'm going to be teaching 2 classes online, and so far, 2 on campus. I'll teach for 3 hours on Monday and 3 hours on Friday. I'm so nervous about just being gone for roughly 6-7 hours from Stella that I want to bail on those two classes. Derek keeps telling me that it'll be fine and that it will be good for me to have a professional self and get to interact with adults in a "real" environment. 


I'm currently searching for an experienced nanny. I was going to do a daycare, just paying whatever the cost. My friend, and Stella's godmother, Emily suggested using Care.com to find a nanny since we have no established network. She's quite experienced in childcare, so I trusted her and went for it. I created the position yesterday, and I've had 7 applicants. I'm interviewing one on Tuesday, and she looks awesome. I'm currently corresponding with another to have a back up. She has a lot more experience and costs a bit more. I'm going to be paying by the hour, so it ends up being a lot cheaper for me. Rather than paying 140/week for daycare, we'll be paying anywhere from 70-90/week. 


I am so sad to leave SCAD. It was a tough decision. I had just been offered a promotion, and I was selected as one of ten internationally as NACADA's Emerging Leaders. I loved my students, and I really loved my coworkers. I know this is for the best, though. I was so busy that Stella would've spent roughly 50 hours/week in daycare. That killed me. This way, she can be in her own home all the time and I get to spend 99.9% of the time with her. 


My classes will start in August and run until December. Then, I get to spend most of December not worrying about teaching and grading while she naps. I can just watch Flight of the Conchords and bake Christmas cookies... ahhh! 


Anyway, I'm going to miss you, SCAD folks. I'm coming in on Monday to clean out my desk, so if you're reading this, stop by. :)


IN THE HEART OF THE HIBERNIAN METROPOLIS
Derek, Stella, and I leave for the big ATL tomorrow (which *cough cough* is my birthday). I'm so stoked to get to visit Ikea. I feel like we make pilgrimages to Ikea. I see it's glorious yellow and blue sign, and it takes my breath away. Haha...maybe that's dramatic, but I do love some Ikea. I'm also looking forward to visiting Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I really wish we'd get something like that here. I just don't understand why we don't have one. I'd shop there every week. Can somebody please open up a natural foods store in the Lowcountry? Somebody... anybody?! 


I'm not sure what else we'll do. I love Piedmont Park, but it may be a bit hot for our piglet. We'll likely just chill and enjoy being away from home for a couple days. The pups aren't coming this time. We usually take them everywhere with us, but since Stella came along, we just don't have the room for them, or the energy. I feel badly about it, and I know we try to pay attention to them. I figure they'll enjoy being together in a nice big run at Bluffton Veterinary and being away from me. I'm usually pissed at them for something - like barking when Stella has finally fallen asleep and I've been trying to get her down for like 45 minutes. 


A DAYFATHER
And on Sunday is Father's Day. It'll be Derek's first Father's Day, so I hope to make it a special one. He already opened his present. I decided to get him an iPad, too. He liked mine so much that I thought he needed one, and besides, he can make apps and test them on it. It's academic!  We'll be in ATL for half of it, so hopefully we can grab some nice lunch or brunch or whatever he wants. He's an amazing dad, so he deserves to have the best Father's Day ever. :)


Well, I better run. I'm out of Aeolus-inspired headings since I'm burned out from dealing with a reflux-y baby all day. Oh, and quick update on that: Stella is just fine. She has reflux and most babies get that. She's now taking Zantac, and we hope to notice a difference in a short time. We've also elevated the head of her bassinet and crib to combat the reflux until it works. Poor girl :( 


Phew... I'm pooped. I hope everyone had a fantastic Bloomsday, and I'll update more on the nanny search. If you know of anyone, please send her my way. My reqs: has experience; non-smoker; comfortable with pets. Obviously, must pass a background check. 


Okay.. that's it! I'm going to bed! 

Now tell me she looks like me...

Stella has had a busy week, meeting a lot of new people and visiting new places. I've been getting a lot of "she looks just like you" comments. Well, I took this picture of her during playtime the other day, and I couldn't help but compare:

Derek in 2007 when he was in the Army... 

Stella, just 2 days ago.

A Random Assortment of Topics

I realize that the title for this blog posting is very unoriginal, but cut me some slack. We had a rough night last night. Stella screamed uncontrollably for about 2 solid hours. Derek and I both said to each other, "I'm so over this." There was nothing wrong with her, other than just some random farting. Either way, we put her down to sleep at 9 (that's her usual bed time) and she slept all night again. I don't know if she really needed to blow off some steam or what. Derek and I are both over the night fussies but we're really digging this all night sleeping stuff. I only woke up at 6 because I was in pain from needing to feed her. I went and pumped (because take it from me, you don't wake that child unless you want to ruin your entire day) and I got 8 oz. I could quench the thirst of a grown man! 


And a quick weigh update: Derek and I weighed Stella on Friday and she was a whopping 12 lbs and 1 oz. Go Stella! :) 


Derek and I decided that since Stella was such an angel during mass last week that we'd take her to mass again this weekend. Note: we did not say that she was an angel during the baptism. She wasn't. She screamed through the entire thing. Well, I had put this ADORABLE pink and orange dress on her that Megan gave us as a shower gift. I was so excited for her to wear it, and she looked so stinking cute in it. Hot pink and orange really go with her skin tone. Well, on our way out the door, she spit up all over herself. And not just a "spit up." I'm talking a full, blow-out quality vomit. Well, we did a fast wardrobe change, and thankfully, she didn't get it all over me. 


We made it to mass with plenty of time - which is so unlike us - and we sat down. I like to sit in the front of the Cathedral so I can see, so that's where we sat. During the first reading, she started fussing. Derek took her outside, and I was left in mass by myself. She lost a shoe in the aisle, and some nice man picked it up and gave it to me. After the profession of faith, I decided Derek and Stella had been gone too long. I went outside to see what was up, and she was just being generally irritable. I took her, and we came back in but sat in the back. Well, she lost it again, and I had to go outside with her. I looked back in through the doors just in time for communion, and I ran up quickly with her. We sat down, and she managed through the last five minutes of mass. I'm telling you - taking a baby to church can be rough. I had always thought, "Why don't they shut that thing up?" Now, I think "Wow, your baby only screamed once?" I think it's important for her to go so she gets accustomed to going, and she needs to understand the importance of it. I know that she's too young for that now, but I think this is more for us to get the hang of dealing with a fussy baby during mass. 


We made it home, and she seemed to be in a good mood. She got a wardrobe change and a feeding, so Derek and I decided to blow up her baby pool - I realize she's a little young but I thought that since she loves her bath so much that she'd like it. Well, no. We sat her in it, and she started screaming. We tossed the whole plan of spending some time in the sun and took her in for a change, feeding, and a nap. Now, we have this hilarious crab baby pool in our backyard. I guess I'll go play in it. I'm still wearing my swim suit. Here's the stock, Target photo of the crab. I haven't had the mental energy to take any of my own photos, and besides, it's not as pristine as this one...

I realize you're probably thinking, "You morons, a baby pool! She's too young!" But I really thought she could do it since she loves her bath. I didn't want to take her to our community pool since it's full of chlorine and deep. I thought a little puddle of water in a baby pool the shape of a crab would be perfect. Mom gets some sun and plays with Stella, and Stella gets to splash and have fun like she does in the tub. Oh well, we'll try again some other time. Maybe she was just in a mood.


On to other things.. We received her baptism certificate in the mail. Evidently, I'm related to our friends, the Mullens, since it listed my name as "Mindy Mullen." I imagine the secretary probably just made a mistake or misread my maiden name, "Madden." Or, better yet, maybe I'm misreading her handwriting. I haven't decided if I'm going to call them about it since I think it's so stinking hilarious. We did order some prints of her baptism and I made a collage of the best pictures. I bought a frame for it yesterday, and I hope to get it up in the nursery soon. It's tricky hanging things in there. We only have time to do that stuff when Stella's sleeping but most days, she naps in there. 


And speaking of her nursery, we tried rearranging the nursery yesterday, and we had a little success. We moved the rocker since it was in a weird spot, and we scooted the crib over some and moved her bookcase. I don't know what to do with it. I'm not entirely sure I like it how it is, but I'll keep working on it. 


Now, the other day I posted on facebook that we were having a hell of time with getting Stella to sleep. I had a lot of suggestions about white noise, and we had tried that in the past. We have a white noise machine, and I had stopped using it because I was under the impression that it was bothering her. She usually would get pissed off if I turned it on. 


I downloaded a white noise cd - not the most exciting thing to listen to - but it seems to have helped. I play it really loudly on my iPad next to her bassinet. That combined with the noisy humidifier seems to knock her out a lot more quickly than just the humidifier and us shushing her.  In other words, thanks for the suggestions. It seems to have helped! 


And lastly, this week is a busy week for Miss Stella. On Wednesday, I'm going to visit my former boss Ellen at Georgia Southern. We're making the trek to Statesboro without Derek, so this will be interesting. I'm excited to see Georgia Southern's campus - I love it there! - oh yeah, and I'm pretty excited to see Ellen ;) 


This week will also be Stella's first Bloomsday so I guess she and I can read Eumaeus together or maybe I'll dress her in all black. Then, my birthday is on Friday, so we're going to spend the weekend in Atlanta. I SO miss living in a city. I realize I was born in the middle of nowhere but I LOVE cities. I much, much prefer to be in a city. I hope that someday we can move to a decent city and Stella won't have to grow up in the country. Regardless, I'm stoked to hit up Ikea and Whole Foods. I just hope Stella enjoys the trip. It's her first long car ride, so I'm a little nervous. We figure we'll just have to take our time and stop as often as it takes. 


Anyway, I better run. It's super sunny outside and Stella's napping. I want to take advantage of this sunshine! 

Stella's Baptism

Today has been such a great day! Wait, scratch that! It's been a great weekend! 


Stella's godparents, Emily and Marcus, arrived Saturday evening. They spent some time hanging out with Stella while I prepared some dinner. Stella was in a good mood, but she was ready for a nap. Emily held her, and she fell asleep in Emily's arms. It was so sweet! After Stella went to sleep for the night, we stayed up for a bit - maybe a little late since we were all pooped - hearing about Emily and Marcus's recent move to Minneapolis. In the morning, we all got up early to get ready for the 8 am mass. 


Of course, I was stressing. Not only did Stella find her gown and bonnet (thank you, Jessica!) terribly uncomfortable, I didn't get much sleep. The little piglet woke up at 4:15 am for her night feeding and change, and we put her in bed with us. We put her down parallel to us, but, well, here's how she ended up:

How can 11.5 lbs of baby take up most of a king size bed? 

Stella decided that she HATED the bonnet, so we just took it along. Chris tried it on, but unfortunately, it didn't fit :( 

Emily and Marcus gave her this beautiful Pearl and Aquamarine bracelet. She wore it with her ensemble:

In typical Ratcliff fashion, we all made it to mass by the skin of our teeth. Amazingly, Stella was an angel. Chris and Kerry sat behind us on the pew since we ran out of room, and Stella was mesmerized by Chris until about the Homily, and then she pooped out on me. She slept for the rest of mass and woke up just before 9 am. 


Well, from that point on she screamed and screamed. Father Mark could barely speak over her, and Derek and I were doing our best to console her. It was often hard to concentrate, and I was a little flustered. 

Here Derek, Stella, and I are, waiting for Father Mark 

With Emily and Marcus 

Getting Started 

I think you can see the embarrassment on my face and the absolute misery on Stella's

Trying desperately to console her

The actual baptism

Chris went to light her candle

But had trouble figuring out how to get up there, so Father Mark had to go help

When it was over, Derek, Stella, and I made a fast break for the car for a diaper change, feeding, and a wardrobe change. 

She was an angel in J. Christopher's

We had a lot of fun, and Chris even broke out the napkin man, haha 

She finally pooped out on Daddy

While at J. Christopher's, she opened a gift from Kerry and Chris:

The lamb is a rattle - so sweet! 

When we came home, Stella got a wardrobe change, feeding, diaper change, and a nap. Meanwhile, we spent some time with Emily and Marcus before taking them to the airport. Minneapolis sounds so awesome that we think we need to move there! We're so jealous, and besides, we think Stella needs to see her godparents more often! :)

And here's a better shot of her candle:

Now, we can burn this candle every year on June 5th to celebrate the anniversary of her baptism :)

Today was such a wonderful blessing, and we're so thankful to get to share it with such wonderful friends, celebrating such a beautiful and perfect daughter! All of our love to Emily and Marcus and Kerry and Chris. Thank you for making our girl's day so special! 

2 month check up!

Wow - our little piglet is already 2 months old! She had her check up (and yucky vaccines) yesterday, and everything is great. Here she is, just before her appointment:

Her stats:


Weight: 11.5 lbs! Dr. DeMauro said, "What was her birth weight?" Derek and I replied together, "6-15." He said, "Well, the milk is agreeing with you!" 
Length: 22 1/4 inches. Dr. DeMauro said she's only in the 50th percentile or so, and he says she will likely be very petite. Derek and I looked at each other after he said that and said, "We didn't think she'd be very big!" and all of us were laughing. Derek is only 5'7" and I'm barely 5'3" - Stella will definitely be very small.
Head Circumference: 41 cm - Yep, she gets it from Daddy!


He said she's very healthy, and he's pleased with her progress. I asked them to check her eye, and Dr. DeMauro said it's very common and that it's not really anything worrisome until about 9-12 months. He said to keep doing warm compresses and massaging it. He advised to stop the antibiotic drops that Dr. Kreh gave us. 


She then got her vaccinations. She handled it very, very well. Obviously, she screamed like crazy, but the rest of the day, she was very sleepy. She kept giving me this sad little look like, "I don't feel well, Momma." It made Derek and me so sad. They told us to rub her thighs to help the pain, and when I tried after her bath, she flinched and acted like, "Get your damned hands off me!" so I stopped.


Dr. DeMauro said she'll likely start sleeping through the night when she's somewhere between 12-14 lbs. Derek and I were very excited to hear that since she's very close to that weight range. 


Before her appointment, we stopped in York Hall to see Daddy's desk. People were stopping to see her, and she got to meet the SCAD Pizza Fairy (Counselor Pat Mooney - one of my favorite SCAD people!) Bernie, who works at our front desk, said that she looks just like me. Now, I've heard that she looks exactly like me, she looks exactly like Derek, and that she's a blend. Derek and I were talking the other day, and he said, "I can see both of us. I think she looks like Stella." I think that's what I'll go with. She is a good blend of us both. I imagine people see me in her more because she's a little girl and wearing tons of pink. 


As far as her developmental progress, she's really amazing. She's SO close to flipping over, and I honestly blame the heavy cloth diapers for not having already done it. She is definitely raising her head up to 90 degrees and getting her chest up during tummy time. She smiles a lot, and she likes to mimic my faces. She can bring her hands together, and she can grasp things. She loves to swing around a wind chime that my coworker Alexis bought for her. I have to watch her really, really carefully with it, though, since she likes to "nom" things. Our favorite saying is, "Nom on Mom!" she spends most of her time nomming my shoulder or any other bare skin I have.  She's still an eating and shitting machine, eating about 10 times a day. She loves to look at her baby books since they're full of bright pictures. Her favorite is this one:

I think it's hilarious that this is her favorite. I imagine its red background and black and white contrast make it easy to see. She always smacks her lips and stares at it, and when I show it to her, she'll usually squeal in delight! 


Her other favorite toy right now is this one:

It plays music. It was a gift from her Aunt Maureen and Uncle Greg in Indiana. She loves it, and she usually hits it and knocks it over for sport. Derek likes to make remixes with it.... 


And speaking of cloth diapers... we tried a Fuzzibunz overnight last night, and when Derek went to do her 2am change, she had peed everywhere. It was all over her and in her bassinet. We had to change her clothes and swaddler, and then we moved her into our bed for the remainder of the night. In fact, she's still in our bed right now. I made a little fortress for her - inspired by Megan and Justin's sleeping compound for Truman (they shared an adorable photo on facebook of it!). 


We're so excited for this weekend. Stella's gown fits perfectly - we did a little fitting on Sunday - and I'm so excited for her to meet Emily and Marcus. Our friends Kerry and Chris will be at her baptism. They've become known as Aunt Kerry and Uncle Chris in our house! 


Anyway, I better run before the little piglet wakes up! I'm so proud of her for being so tough yesterday!