Fall Fun!

I absolutely LOVE living in the east during this time of year. I love everything about fall- pumpkin patches, Halloween costumes, Pumpkin Spice Lattes, pumpkin waffles, leaves, and cooler weather.

 

Last weekend we went to a local farm and took a hayride to pick pumpkins. We got lost in a corn stalk maze, which wasn't cool, but luckily Charlotte was happy as a clam so we didn't have a sense of urgency to get out.

 

Hubs wore her most of the time, and we got some cute pictures of her in the patch. She was supposed to wear a different outfit, but suffered a massive blow out minutes before we were supposed to leave. Typical.

 

 

 

This weekend we had an absolute blast. We didn't have much on our agenda, which was really nice for a change.

 

Saturday morning, we discovered that Charlotte had popped both of her bottom teeth! She slept like a champ, so I knew something was up. We were able to get a lot of house work done while she slept, including make homemade Zucchinni Lasagna, Crock Pot Sante Fe Chicken AND pumpkin waffles. YUM!

 

On Sunday, we went off to church and then to a neighbors Halloween party. Charlotte, aka Snow White, was such a babe. She's even sitting up on her own! I cannot believe how fast time flies.

 

 

 

Yesterday, while Hubs was at work, Charlotte and I headed off to the mall to get some warmer clothes for her, and some fall candles/handsoap for me! We finished the afternoon off with a nice walk, which ended in Charlotte being passed out, and me sitting on our front stoop pushing the stroller back in forth to keep her asleep.

 

 

 

 

I love being a mama to this little girl more than anything, and am thankful that, for the most part, how sleep regression issues have resolved. JINX! Ha...let's hope things stay the way they are....

5 Months!

Life has been a little hectic and I haven't been able to post some updates about Miss Charlotte, but the monthly updates are important for me to track so I can remember all of her milestones!

 

 

 

So I'll start off by saying that month 4 was kinda of crazy terrible at times. Between the sleep regression and trying to find ways for Charlotte to entertain herself without becoming completely frustrated we struggled at times.

 

I'm happy to say that this weekend we turned a corner in both departments. Charlotte has been sleeping much better (including naps!!!) and has been content with just playing by herself, which hasn't happened in quite some time.

 

Here's what we're looking at for Charlotte at 5 months!

 

- Typical bedtime is 7 pm, sleeping about 12 hours, getting up once or twice to either eat or have the bink put back in

- Started cereal, but only eating about 10 bites before refusing it

 

 

 

- Still eating about 7 times a day, including 3-4 bottles at day care when she's there

- Napping 2-3 times per day, averaging 30-45 minutes

 

 

 

- Loves anything she can put into her mouth. Literally ANYTHING!

- Favorite toys: A necklace teether my brother bought her, Baby Einstein Activity Saucer, sitting in her highchair playing with whatever is in front of her

- Also loves "boobsicles" haha! I freeze about 1/2-1 oz of breastmilk in a ice cube tray and place in a mesh fresh food feeder. I like to give these to her while I am cooking dinner, although they are messy and sticky!

 

 

- We're working on her sitting up, but she prefers to stand. She's also really strong on her forearms, and has been enjoying tummy time a bit more!

 

 

 

4 Month Sleep Regression/19 Week Leap

I have been dreading the beloved 4 month sleep regression since day 1. I've heard is almost inevitable, and to be honest, our baby girl isn't the best sleeper during the day, so I was afraid of what would come if she didn't sleep at night, too.

 

A co-worker recommended "The Wonder Weeks" to me, explaining that it suggests babies go through "leaps" of rapid development that can often lead to changes in their behavior.

 

Much to our surprise, well, not really, Charlotte is currently in a leap. Long story short, she's super clingy, extremely cranky, and is crying more than usual.

 

 

She also needs me ALL.THE.TIME.

 

I love that she wants me to hold her, but to be honest, the need for constant stimulation is beyond exhausting. I can't do anything while she's like this. I hate bringing her in the kitchen with me because I think it's a major danger zone, and I don't like putting the TV on while she's in the room so we go through every toy in the room until she gets so mad that she starts to cry.

 

She also isn't happy playing with her toys. She's bored with her activity mat, and too little for her activity saucer. She can't reach all the toys with her little arms, and it turns her into one unhappy babe.

 

She also is a very oral baby. EVERYTHING must go in her mouth, and if it can't fit/hurts? She throws a fit.

 

Here are a couple of our 4 month favorites, but it's worth noting that some of these are hit or miss depending on her temper :)

 

 

 

 

 Sassy Grape Teether-Tommee Tippee Chewther

 

So I guess there wasn't really a major point to this post, aside from that I needed an outlet to vent. I hope to post an update SOON that things are back to normal in the Brine household, but I won't hold my breaht ;)

 

4 months!

Happy 4 months, little lady! I'm a little late to this post, but life's got the best of me, lately!

Your Daddy and I adore you more than words can say. You've been such a beautiful blessing in our life and we are so happy you're ours!

Things that are new in the life of Charlotte:

- Pushing up on her elbows while on her tummy. See the proof!

- Enjoying a lot of chewing and sucking and putting things in her mouth

- Touching EVERYTHING in sight! This includes items at the checkout line at the store. I didn't think 4 month olds did that!

- Loving bath time more and more!

 

- Sitting up assisted and using her arms to hold herself up

- Getting frustrated that her little arms can't reach all the toys on her activity saucer

- FINALLY fitting into her first pair of shoes! Size 1 are too big...

- Sitting in her high chair, booster seat and Mama's and Papa's chair.

- Outgrew her bouncer and Mamaroo, which have been packed up and sent to my sister's (who is due with a baby girl on Christmas!)

- Took her first flight to Boston and was an absolute champion on the subway and plane!

- Still fighting naps but we're working on a plan...

- Sleeping 10 hours at night, typically 8pm-6am

- Eating 7 times a day, typically 4 bottles and 3 nursing sessions

Oh and her stats! Miss Charlotte weighed 13 pounds, 1 oz (30th percentile) and was 24.75 inches long (70th percentile)!

Charlotte's 3 Month Photos

I think the images speak for themselves :) I love this little girl!! 

3 Month Photo Sneak Peak!

We were so blessed to find an amazing wedding photographer who captured our wedding day perfectly! We had contacted her when I was pregnant in the hopes of getting her to shoot newborn pictures of our baby girl, but life got quite hectic and we never had time. When Charlotte turned 3 months, I contacted her to see if she'd be able to shoot her 3 month pictures. We had an absolute blast, and Charlotte was so well behaved.

We can't wait to see the rest of her pictures, but for now here is a sneak peak:

This was taken in Charlotte's nursery, on her sheepskin rug. I just absolutely adore and love this little girl to pieces! 

We had quite an eventful weekend with Miss Charlotte. For the last 4 nights, she has been waking up after her "normal" bedtime whining and fussing. The only thing that calms her is nursing/a bottle, which has me thinking it's either a growth spurt or she's not getting enough food during the day. She's still nursing every 2-3 hours, but does seem distracted while nursing. I think she's realized that there is a lot more going on while she's busy nursing, and it makes her curious! 

Other new things in the world of Charlotte:

- We've increased her bottles from 4 oz to 6 oz each, hoping she'll sleep longer through the night. This is our new attempt at stopping her from waking an hour after bedtime. 

- She discovered her feet toes. Now all she wants to do it suck on them...

- Blowing bubbles. This was our wakeup call on Saturday morning! 

- Not interested in the pacifier, which is fine by me!

3 Month Must-Have's

I have to be honest and say that 3 months is really hard in terms of finding toys and activities that baby loves.

I've been finding that Charlotte wants to be able to chew on everything, but she doesn't quite have the hand-eye coordination that she needs to be able to bring her toys to her mouth. This makes for either a frustrated baby or a frustrated Mama (I mean you can only play "drop and pick up" so many times!). She's getting a lot better at grasping her toys, but some of them are either too big and awkward for her to hold or they don't have smaller extremities that she can put into her mouth.

We bought a couple new things that should hold her off until she has better coordination. Here are some things she's currently loving:

Sophie-O'Ball-Buzzing Bee-Dinosaur Ring-Laugh & Learn Dog

Sophie is great because Charlotte can fit her nose, ears, and legs in her mouth. She can easily grasp her legs and/or neck to chew on it. She is a little too long for her, though, especially when she's sitting in her bouncer or booster seat, so she looses control of her easily. 

The O'Ball is so easy for Charlotte to hold on to, but she obviously can't fit the ball in her mouth, like she wants it to! 

As annoying as the Laugh & Learn Dog can be, Charlotte LOVES it. The music, the light up heart and the giggling are really entertaining for her. We keep it in her pack-n-play and turn it on when she gets fussy during diaper changes. Once she figures out how to turn it on herself, it'll play non-stop! 

The Bee and Dinosaur teething toys are new, but she loves them! The dinosaur is so easy for her to grasp, plus the tail and spikes are perfect for her to chew on. Plus, it's a natural product, so that's always nice! The buzzing bee is really fun, since the wings are a soft plastic AND the entire thing vibrates when you push on the stinger. She seems to like this feeling on her gums. The bee's antennas place music, too, which she loves.