Mom n Me Monday

I take a LOT of pictures.  I am, by no means, a professional photographer, but I really do love taking pictures.  I also, however, love to be in front of the camera... even though I often over critique myself.  "Ugh, that's a big wrinkle!" or "Dang, my hair looks terrible!" or even "Geesh, I look too skinny."  I don't want Lea or myself to look back on these days of our lives and wonder, "Where's Mom?"  (and I certainly don't want to raise her to have low self esteem.)  So, in an effort to be in more pictures with my daughter and to stop worrying about the details, I am going to participate in 'Mom n Me Mondays'.  :)

Here's the first one!  Lea and I enjoyed a few minutes of playing on the floor while Daddy captured the moment.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Lea's first visit to the neighborhood playground!

"Not so sure about this, guys."

Daddy makes it fun!

"Hey, mommy!"

"Ok, I got the hang of this now."

On the slide with Daddy.

Stressin' over nothin'!

Last night we had absolutley no crying!  I rocked Lea long enough to sing one song and when her eyes became heavy, I placed her in her crib.  After a quick kiss good night, I slipped out... waiting outside the door as I just knew she would begin crying when she noticed I was gone.  I waited... nothing.  And waited... nothing.  So, I went downstairs to look on the video monitor and she was fast asleep.  We did it!  She didn't wake up until 4a.m. and after allowing her to nurse for only 5 minutes, she went right back to sleep until we had to wake her at 7:30 this morning.  Maybe I've been under estimating my daughter?  Maybe this was just luck?  Only time will tell!

This morning we went to AquaMoms class, again.  Lea really enjoys playing in the water and I get a good workout.  We sing songs to our babies and help them be comfortable being in the water, all the while exercising.  Needless to say, we're both pretty tired afterwards!  Here's a couple pictures from our first class a few weeks ago.

To cry or not to cry? That is the question.

We're having a slight dilema in our household.  Should we let Lea cry... or not?  For the first four months or so of her life, we never let her cry.  The first sign of distress and we were there to the rescue.  Even at night, if she began to squirm or fuss, I would immediatley run to her and nurse her back to sleep.  This actually worked great, believe it or not.  She was always a great sleeper and would only wake once, around the same time, every night and sleep until well past 7 in the mornings.

Our pediatrician said there is no physical reason why Lea should still be nursing in the middle of the night.  He also said she should be placed in her crib awake but drowsy at bed time.

So, we've tried putting her to bed awake.  It works ok... some of the time.  Sometimes she will play a little, then fuss, then fall asleep.  Sometimes she will go right to sleep.  And sometimes she will scream and cry.  I've also tried to avoid nursing her in the middle of the night a couple times.... MUCH more difficult than putting her to bed awake.  If I don't nurse her, she will scream and cry until we help her back to sleep.  Then, an hour later, scream and cry again.  And, an hour later, scream and cry again... the entire night.  Needless to say, I have continued to nurse her at night.  I am, however, only nursing her for about five minutes, hoping she will wean herself from midnight feedings.

Now that you know the background... here's my problem...  While I have heard and read that a 6 or 7 month old should be able to put themselves to sleep and shouldn't be eating in the middle of the night, I have also heard and read that babies do just that because they are babies and it's ok for the caregiver to assist them in getting and staying asleep.  Everything I've read says the most important thing is to be consistant.  no matter what you decide to do, just be consistant.  How can I be consistant, though, if she isn't being consistant?

Perhaps I am just trying to talk myself out of letting my baby girl scream and cry.  I can't stand to hear her upset!!!  When she cries, my heart aches.  I hear her cries as if she's saying "MOMMY! MOMMY! PLEEEEASE HELP MEEEE!!!"  Now, you tell me how I am supposed to ignore that?!  It seems impossible!  But, is it?  And is it in her best interest to let her cry herself to sleep?  Is there really such a thing as "sleep training"???  And, what's so wrong with me wanting to comfort my baby?

Please let me know your thoughts.  I am seriously at a crossroads.

Yummy!

Lea has tried several foods now. Here's a list of what she's had, in order of when she tried them, and what she thought/thinks about each one...

Organic Rice Cereal - yummy, at first.
Avocado - yummy mixed in with rice ceral. just ok by itself.
Sweet Potato - really yummy!
Green Peas - the yummiest so far!
Beets - pretty yummy.
Cheerios - after a few tries, super yummy and fun to play with!
Carrots - not so yummy but we'll try again.
Banana - really yummy, even though the texture is slimy and weird!

It's so much fun to watch her expressions and reactions when she tastes something new.  And, yes, I am making all of her food.  I'm actually pretty proud of myself but I must say that the Beaba Babycook makes it so easy!  I can make a couple batches (steam, puree and freeze single portions) in less than 20 minutes.  I have baggies in the freezer filled with single portions of peas, carrots, sweet potato and beets.  I simply put a few in the fridge the night before and they are thawed and ready for her to eat the next day.  I hardly ever warm her food.  She will gladly eat things cold, room temperature or warm.  I'm trying not to raise a picky eater!  I'll let you know how it turns out.

She really likes Cheerios, although she hasn't perfected eating them by herself. She can grab one in her fist and bring her fist to her mouth, but then she can't figure out how to get the little Cheerio out of her fist and into her mouth! After a few tries, she gets frustrated and requires adult assistance. :)

What should we try next?