Sensory Play-Pom Poms

A few weeks ago we had some sensory play with pom poms.  I originally got them (a while ago!) to make sensory bottles, but in the move I wasn't sure where my glue gun went.  So I figured we'd just play with the pom poms on their own.

At first I just gave her a muffin tin and a bowl of pom poms and waited to see what she would do.

At first she took them out one at a time, inspected them, and then began making a circle around her.

This was no surprise to me, since both of her parents are lovers of organization and order. :)

I tried to show her about putting one in the muffin tin, but she wasn't interested.  She just kept taking them out of the bowl, laying them on the ground, and every once in a while putting one back in the bowl.

Then she started sharing with me.

Next, I filled up the tin with pom poms and handed her a spoon.

After a little fun with the spoon, I tried to give her a scoop.  This only lasted for a few minutes and then she went back to using the spoon.

This activity lasted over a half hour.  She probably would have kept playing and exploring, but she started pulling the sparkly tinsel out of the pom poms and that was game over for me. :)

6 Month Check Up

We went to Olivia's 6 month well visit yesterday.

She is 28 1/2 inches, which is the 99th percentile.

She is 20 pounds 1 ounce, which is the 98th percentile.

Her head circumference is 18 inches, which is the 99th percentile.

Near perfect! ;)

When the nurse took her temp and length she couldn't see me and started crying.  I just got her calmed down and the doctor came in.  He didn't even go near her and she screamed bloody murder.  She's never been that upset about a stranger before.  He said, "So she's starting the stranger anxiety?"  I said yes, that it had started last week.  He said it's a good thing and is normal.  He was so good about it.  He did the rest of the visit with her on my lap.  He even handed his stethoscope to me and had me put on her chest and move it around.  He is not our normal doctor, but rather a different one in the practice.  I really liked him.

(How can a 6 month old have so much sass?  Oh right--she's mine!)

 He was not the least bit concerned about her size.  He just kept saying how healthy she was.  He said, "She must be a good sleeper."  Ha!  Sure.  No, really, 14 hours a day is good.  He said that she is proportionate and there is nothing to worry about.  If she was 98th in weight but 30th for height (or something like that), then we'd have a problem.  He said we are feeding her exactly the amount we should be.  Michael asked if it was an indication that she would be tall or big when she grew up.  He said not necessarily.  He said some babies are just big.  He went on to say that if she goes well above the 99th percentile for weight and stays there, then we would talk about decreasing the formula intake and upping the solids.

He reiterated what I said yesterday--that her main source for her first year should be formula and solids as "the icing on the cake".  He asked if we had started solids.  When I said she had avocado and sweet potato he enthusiastically said, "Good! Good choices!"  Ha!  Yes, I knew that. Thanks doc! :)  Then he went on and on about how good avocados are and that it is a great food for babies. See all you people who judged (who don't really read my blog anyway)--I wasn't crazy!

 

We asked if we could go ahead and try a different formula.  Babies can grow out of MSPI.

Some doctors say to wait until they are 6 months.  Some say to wait until 9 months.  Others say wait until a year and then try cows milk.  $300 a month for formula is killing us.  If we can at least try something different then we'd like to.  He gave us the OK to give it a shot.  We have about a day of Alimentum left and then we are going to try the Similac Sensitive.  Since she is already drinking the Ready to Feed, we decided to go ahead and try that to start.  If it works, we will likely switch to the powder (which she's had before).  Even if we have to stick with the RTF, it is $3 cheaper a bottle, which would save us close to a hundred dollars a month.  If she needs the Alimentum, then by all means we will continue to buy it for her.  We'd just like to at least see if she's grown out of it. (PRAY!)

We can't introduce any new solids while we are trying this experiment.  Otherwise we wouldn't know if it was the formula or the new food that is causing a reaction.  I guess it's a good thing she likes avocado and sweet potatoes! :)

She got her DTaP booster. When she was crying after the nurse took her stats I joked that she was probably crying more at that point then she would when she would get her shot.  I was right.  She didn't even flinch when she got the shot.  I'm honestly not even sure if she knew she got one! :)  We go back in a month to get the Hib and PCV booster.

I asked the doctor if we had to get her the flu shot.  I am not a fan.  I have never had one--even when I was teaching.  I don't plan on getting one ever.  I think the last time I had the flu was in 5th grade.  Even if I get the flu tomorrow (knock on wood that I don't), I stand behind my decision to avoid the flu shot.  Therefore, I really didn't want to get it for Olivia.  However, if the doctor had said it was a must then I would have done it.  When I asked if she had to get it he kind of chuckled.  Before he answered I said, "Because I'd really rather her not".  Then he said, "Well if you'd rather she not then I'd prefer she not".  Meaning, he wasn't a fan either.  He gave us a name of an over the counter homeopathic spray that we can use.  For babies you spray it under their tongue a couple of times a week to prevent it.  If they get the flu, you can use it to help improve the symptoms.  I like the idea of that much better than injecting her with all that gunk.  I'm really not a hippie.  I swear.  But I sure do love my holistic pediatricians! :)

SOLIDS!!!

Olivia turned 6 months on Friday and we decided to start "solids" just a few days before.  Like most things, solids aren't done the same way these days as they once were.  Back in the day it was always "start with rice cereal, then do all the vegetables before doing fruit".  The thought process was that fruit is sweet and if you give sweet stuff first, then they won't eat the veggies.  That has sort of been proven wrong in the recent years.  Besides, breast milk is SUPER sweet, so that thinking doesn't even really make sense. Plus, I figure with formula that smells (and probably tastes) like dog food, all food has to taste better than that. Also, you no longer have to start with the cereals.  Since I am making my own baby food, I've been using a few different resources.  One website that I use is found here if you are interested.

Going off the advice of that website and my pediatrician, we started with avocado.  

(Apparently this is shocking to some most people!? :) )

I'm not sure how much she actually ate.  She was trying to figure out what to do with it.  She kept gagging too.  I don't think it was because she didn't like the taste.  It might have been a texture thing.  The next night I added more water to the smashed avocado to make it even thinner.  She still gagged. She got into it a little more, but was still trying to figure out what this whole thing was all about.  We also broke out the high chair.

 (As you can see, we played a little before eating.)

By the third day she was all about the solids.  She was opening her mouth for the spoon, leaning her head forward, and looking for more.  She also was done with the gagging.  I guess she got use to swallowing.  She might have eaten a little more than she needed to that night.  She ended up puking some of it out later. :(

So far we've been doing it at night.  Since she's still learning what it's all about (and pretty much has a constant fountain of drool coming out of her mouth), it's sort of messy.  We go right from there to the bath.  We aren't being super strict about it.  Babies main source of nutrition is suppose to come from formula/breast milk the first year.  Solids are "just for fun" at this point.  There have been two nights where we weren't home, so we skipped solids those days.  If she was underweight or a preemie then I may be more anal about it.  At this point I'm just going with the flow.  We went from avocados to sweet potatoes.  She seems to like them.  I'm still trying to decide what we are going to do next.  She has a few more days of sweet potato (following the 4 times rule).  I'm thinking peas...or maybe bananas.

Here is the video of her trying the avocados for the first time.

Our Christmas

Warning: This post is going to be a little picture heavy and is mostly for the grandparents... but feel free to take a peak if you are interested! :)

Our morning started at 7:15 with Olivia awaking after sleeping 12 straight hours!  Woo hoo!  She is right on the verge of cutting a tooth, so I was expecting her to wake up in pain a few times throughout the night.  Her bottom gums are swollen and you can see the two white lines of the teeth, but they haven't quite poked through yet.  We had a yummy breakfast and then set out to open some gifts!  Michael and I didn't exchange gifts this year, so it was all about Olivia!

I tried to pick some of the best pictures.  I am not looking my prettiest, but that's what Christmas morn is all about. :)  We didn't wrap everything she got.  I didn't want it to be too overwhelming.  We did make sure she had something to open from everyone who sent her a gift.  She had a couple things from most people.

I tried to get a picture of her sitting in front of the tree, but sitting was not on her agenda for today.

So I laid her down and took a picture of her reindeer butt!

She did have socks on, but after kicking them off 3 times I gave up.

One day I want to get matching stockings with our names on them.

It was not in the budget this year. Plus, I couldn't find any I loved.

Then I couldn't find any "O" stockings or even an "O" pin to put on a stocking.

So we went the kiddie route and got a moose stocking. :)

She almost always knows when the camera is on her.  

She was looking at the camera instead of the gift in most of the pictures.

(Look Gramma Kathi-no bow!  Just crazy hair)

She really did rip the paper.

She liked this package because the paper crinkled after she unwrapped it.

She loved the red tissue paper too.

She started getting sleepy.

We had a bit of a rough mid day due to her discomfort.

I think she was having tummy issues on top of teeth issues, but we eventually got it all resolved.

We headed over to our friends John and Alison's house.  Michael went to high school with John.  They ended up moving here just months after us.  It was nice to be able to hang out with them and their family.

Silly girl!

When the teether isn't close by, the fingers will do.

That was our Christmas. We hope you had a great one too.

Five Months!

Olivia Grace, you are five months old!

(Ok, so I'm a week late.  Forgive me!)

 

What have you been up to?

*Well, for starters, you were totally in to this months photo shoot.  It went so fast, you cooperated, and I got some great pictures.  I swear, you even posed yourself for a few.  I was thrilled!  Finally! :)

*You are still wearing size 3 to 6 month clothing.  I don't quite understand it since you are in the 98th percentile.  It seems you should be in bigger clothes, but not yet.  I think you'll be making the switch to the next size in about a month.  You have such a great wardrobe for this size.  I hope you stay in it a while longer! :)

*You have moved to size 6 to 9 months for pajamas though.  You are too long for the smaller size.

*You moved to size 3 diapers right before our trip.  We probably should have moved you a week or two sooner, but we were trying to use up the rest of the 2's.

*You are using your hands MUCH more now.  You will grab for toys and hold items for good lengths of time.

*You haven't rolled from your back to your belly on your own yet, but you are *this* close.  Your one arm always seems to get in the way.

*You've decreased your formula intake.  You now take anywhere from 4 to 6 ounces per bottle.  Your norm is 6 bottles, but every once in a while a small seventh bottle is thrown in.  Either way you take between 30 and 34 ounces a day.

*Apparently you are a fast eater (like your mommy!).  We sort of already knew this, but it was confirmed by the large number of people who commented on it during our trip to Indiana.  You average about an ounce a minute.

(This picture cracks me up!)

*As seen above, you have personality! :)

*You have started to giggle and laugh more regularly, which makes me happy!

 

*You are still the little talker.  You've added some squeals and throat gurgles to the mix.

*You have a constant fountain coming from your mouth.  A bib is generally soaked (and I do mean soaked) within a half hour.  You are constantly shoving everything in your mouth as well.  There are still no signs of teeth coming through though yet.

*I'm happy to announce that your cradle cap is gone--with the help of some olive oil and a baby brush!

*Unfortunately, you started losing your hair.  You've been losing large amounts of it for the past 3 to 4 weeks. Thankfully it's starting to grow back in quickly.

*Despite losing a lot of hair, you still have a ton and it's super long in parts.  It's to the bottom of your ears on the sides.  Its also pretty long in the back when straightened out.  If you were a boy, you would have already had your first hair cut!

*We officially made the switch from the car seat carrier to the convertible car seat.  We figured the more room you had for the trip, the better.

*You are not sitting up on your own yet, but we are working on it.  It would be oh so helpful now that you are in a convertible car seat instead of the carrier.  (Sitting in the chair does help her sit up some, so it does appear that she can do it.  She can't without support and even then she topples over a lot.)

*You have gotten much better at lifting your head when on your tummy.  Yay!

*Your sleeping is a MESS.  I have tried everything I can think of.  I have read and read and done what the books said.  Nothing seems to be working.  You fight sleep like it's your job!  You hardly nap and since our trip, you have begun waking up more often in the night.  Ugh!

*I'm not sure how it is, but I think you are getting cuter by the day!

*We adjusted some things at bath time and it seems to be getting better.  (Except at my grandma's house where you had to take a bath in the big tub and you screamed bloody murder the entire time!)

(Yep, the swing is still around.)

*Your favorite things right now are: your jumperoo, Olivia the owl plush, your fingers in your mouth, watching daddy move about the kitchen doing dishes, mommy holding you, and anything music related.

*Your least favorite things right now are: SLEEP!,  NAPS!, and getting buckled into your car seat.

HAPPY FIVE MONTHS BABY GIRL!

WE LOVE YOU!

A few more... for the grandparents, of course.

Ok, so I like them too. :)