Luck or good parenting?

The last few nights, Alice has done something amazing...

Sleep.

The doctor gave us some ideas of how we should be doing it, and we tried it...and it worked. We've been putting Alice in her crib (yup, no more sleeping in Mommy and Daddy's room) somewhere between 7-9 p.m., and she's been sleeping through the night. (With a few feedings here and there), but the last few nights have had 5-6 hour stretches. It's a HUGE break for Jaime, who's been brought to tears by long nights of fussyness and feedings, and nice for me--as it will allow me time at night to get back on the freelance wagon (that is currently rolling along at a pretty good pace).

We went to an art opening at the FIRST AMENDMENT gallery (the gallery in the print studio I'm part of, along with Burlesque of North America, Amy Jo and others), and Alice slept the whole time. I guess she didn't feel like talking to anyone, and Mike's DJ skills were tailor-made for baby meditation.

When we got home, Jaime fed her quick, and now she's sound asleep. Yay! Can this become routine? I sure hope so. Three days in a row gives me hope.

Jaime and Alice were hanging out today (while I was at work), and Velcro decided to be friends with Alice. When she got near, Alice waved her arms around (like she does...I guess she doesn't quite have control over them yet), and that was close enough to petting for Velcro. Photo attached.

Shots

Alice had her 2 month check up today. Everything is looking good! She weighs 11 lbs 4 oz and is 23 inches long. This puts her at about the 60th percentile for weight and the 75th for height. Dr. Deroche said her head and neck control look good too.

Alice unforunately has eczema and cradle cap, which makes me a little worried about the dry months to come. Hopefully we can get a handle on her dry skin before then. Dr. Deroche gave us suggestions for some lotions to try, so hopefully something will work.

Alice also had to get three shots. The nurse did the shots as quickly as she could. Alice cried, but not too much and actually calmed down pretty quickly and fell asleep in her car seat. This may also have something to do with the fact that she didn't go to sleep for the "night" until after 4:00 this morning. Dr. Deroche gave us some suggestions to fix her sleep schedule too, so wish us luck tonight!


Alice at home with mommy after her dr. appointment

More pics

Alice hanging out with mommy. Check out the chubby little arms.

Alice taking a nap with daddy.

Modeling her Lil Tuffy onesie. Thanks Dale and Amy Jo!

Smiley!

2 months old!!

Time has flown by...Alice is two months old today!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty exciting. Alice is starting to smile a lot, which is just the cutest thing ever. She also had her first scream-free bath. There was a little crying at the end, but no turning-red-in-the-face from screaming. Yay! A lot less stressful for mommy and daddy.

Also, last Friday was the first night she slept in her crib. The cradle was getting a little small for her, so we figured it was time. So far the crib sleeping is going well...although she is still a little confused about her bedtime. (no Alice, it is not 2 a.m.)

Alice had her first sleepover on Saturday night. Daddy was in Fargo playing a reunion show with his band, so Mommy and Alice spent the night at Grandma Olesen's in Elk River. Alice, in true sleepover fashion, stayed up way too late. But Grandma and Auntie Jenessa helped mommy try to get her to go to sleep (which she finally did at 3 a.m.)


Alice's new toy. The star plays music and has flashing lights. Alice finds it mesmerizing.

1 Hour of Sleep

That's roughly what Alice and Jaime got last night. So Jaime asked me to stay home with them today so she could get some zzzs. So, I did.

Alice slept from just before 8 to almost 11. She had to make up that nightime stuff somewhere, huh? That gave Jaime some nap time, then she got a shower in. Now she's at work, talking about what's next with her career. I have a feeling we'll be a one-income family later on today.

Now I need to catch up on sleep!

Found That Smile!

A photoshoot in the bouncy-chair brought out the Alice's "fun side."

Finally...an update

Sorry for the lack of updates recently. Alice has been doing well. She still is a little confused about day and night and when she should be sleeping...she has been staying up until 2 or 2:30 the last couple of nights. Still not great, but much better than up-until- 5:00 am nights. Her face is looking a little splotchy from her baby acne, but it's looking way better than it did a couple of days ago. Poor girl.
Alice went to a baby shower last Friday thrown by her auntie's Liz (who came in from L.A.), Amy, Kate and Kate. She got a couple of cute outfits and some awesome books. Thanks aunties! Unforunately, in the rush to make sure there were diapers, and a change of clothes, and a pacifier, etc in the diaper bag, mommy left the camera on the desk at home. Oops!


Alice striking a pose on the changing table

Watching Daddy talk on the phone to Grandma and Grandpa

Talking to mommy

Snuggling with Mommy on the couch

Looking for a smile...

Labor Day and Beyond

Alice has been very inconsistant with her sleep-patterns. But last night she gave us a real treat...

After spending the day at our friend's house, eating kabobs and playing games, Alice slept 5 hours straight, followed by another 3 1/2 hour stretch. Then she was good enought during the day for Jaime to get up and shower, and get ready for the day before I got home from work. What a good girl!

Tonight she's following the same pattern, so we'll cross our fingers.

Alice has also begun smiling. I'll try and capture it on film. It's rare, but every once-in-a-while, she'll look at me or Jaime (usally during out "nose beep" game) and crack a big smile. I got an ear-to-ear grin tonight when I got home from work. AWESOME.

Tomorrow we're bringing Alice to the doctor to get an ultrasound. Because she was breech for so long, the doctor's recommend that we get her looked at at 6 weeks to see if her hips are good. So far, all signs point to "good hips", so we're not too concerned. The way she kicks and "stands" when I hold her above my lap, I'm sure her hips are fine.


Alice in her cute purple outfit ready for a fun day at Grandma Olesen's house.


Some quality time with Mommy on the changing table.


Daddy's getting some "artsy shots" on the changing table.


Her new passion (or at least something that keeps her quiet for 10 minutes at a time), the bouncy-seat.


Jaime dressed her up cute for the day today.

Date Night

Well, the Ren Faire was brief, but fun. I grabbed a turkey leg, Jaime had some chicken, and Alice had a very bumpy ride on the grass & wood-chip path. I think we're a few years away from her really being able to appreciate something like that. Anyway, we snapped this shot after a quick tailgating baby-changing party. Doesn't she look happy?




When we got home, I fed her. I think she liked that.


Here's a pic of Jaime trying out the Baby Bjorn. She says she wore it around the house today with Alice in it, and she was able to get a few things done. So, that's good.

Thursday we decided to take Carrie up on her offer to babysit for us, and we took in a movie. Carrie and Alice watched some Vikings pre-season football, and when we came home, it looked like Carrie had everything under control.



Alice still doesn't have her days and nights figured out. Some nights we have her asleep by 10, some nights she keeps us up until 4. (Well, Jaime...not me. I need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for work).

Alice is also currently bridging the size-gap between diapers. She's a little too big for the newborn size, and a little too small for the step-up size. We've had the next size up diapers on her for a few days, and she just peed out the leg-hole tonight and all over my shirt. I think we'll try and stick with the newborn size for a little while longer.

We've got a few plans this weekend. A trip to Elk River to hang out with Grandma Olesen and the fam, and a trip to the Turman's on Monday, for some baby-bonding and BBQing. The Turman's have two daughters; Ada, who's recently turned 2 and Mae, who was born about a month before Alice. We'll do all we can to make Alice and Mae "BEST FRIENDS FOREVER."

Look for more pics after the weekend.

Baby's first trip to IKEA, etc...

As Grandma Jerome got ready to fly back to Las Vegas, we decided to make a trip to IKEA. Grandma had never been there, and it turns out, neither had Alice.


Grandma getting some more "face time" with her #1 Granddaughter.


In all it's glory, but not with snow. That's all I could find on Google.


Alice parked in front of a very swank Swedish living room. You can tell she's impressed.


One of many crying fits. Grandma fields this one.


Oooh. Artsy lights.


In the warehouse.


Wave "bye bye."

On Saturday, we met up with Justin and his girlfriend Kate. They were in town for the pre-season Viking's game. We did breakfast (at 11 a.m.) at Maria's Cafe in Minneapolis. Corn pancakes all around!


Uncle Justin meets Alice for the first time.

I've finally gotten my new computer set up. (Well, I"m ALMOST there). Alice and I played with the built-in web-cam. She liked it.



That's it for now. We need to run to the Renaissance Faire. Huzzah!

Photo Time

L to R: Jaime, Lon, Grandma Jerome, Alice, Grandpa Jerome, Carrie


Grandma Mary Jo holding a sleepy baby.


Grandma and Grandpa with a fussy girl.


"Hi Grandma!"


"Grandpa?"


A cozy place to sleep.


An even cozier place to sleep.

Two Days In

Two days into Jaime's 'home alone' time with Alice, and she's doing GREAT!! She's a little tired, and a little tired of feeding Alice, who doesn't like to sleep much during the day, but I'm super impressed with how things have gone so far.

Alice is still on a "get up to eat every two to three hours" schedule, so that's keeping us up at night, but Jaime's been letting me sleep through one of the night feedings, so I'm rested enough for work in the morning. Bad news is, my car has decided to stop working. It's been sitting idle in the driveway for a month or so, and didn't start--or do anything--on Monday morning. So I took the "family car" to work, and jumped the Hyundai when I got home. It stared okay, and I ran it around the block to charge the battery. This morning it did the same thing, so I jumped it before work, and nothing happened. When I turned the key, the engine just made a clicking noise. I'm thinking it's the alternator, but need to get this car in the shop ASAP. It's still under warrenty, so most of the issues it has right now are probably covered.

Jaime and Alice weren't too stranded today, because Auntie Carrie came over for a few hours, and brought Jaime lunch.

Speaking of Carrie, she and some cousins went to a Polish festival last weekend, and she brought us some home-made pierogies on Monday night. So we cooked those up with some Polish sausage and some ribs. It was a MASSIVE dinner, and both Carrie and I were feeling the effects of the food well into the night. (TMI?)





Alice's cord fell off last week, and the scabs that remain are almost gone as well. She's very close to having a real, live, belly-button. She got a bath tonight, and you can see how much she loves it in the following pictures...





So, now we just need to nail-down a routine. I still don't know when I'll find time to work on my freelance stuff...but I'm not too worried about it all right now. Is it bedtime yet?

End of the Road

Well, today marked the last full day I get to spend home with Jaime and Alice. I'm pretty sad about it, and I'm sure Jaime is too. Getting back to work will be good, I'm sure, but it's been super-nice having all this family time, and time for me to work on stuff around the house. (Even though you can't necessarily tell!)

Alice has been pretty consistant the last few nights. Up every 2 1/2 to 3 hours for feeding/changing. We're "kind of" getting used to the routine. I've gotten a lot of advice from friends and family that it "keeps getting better every week." And so far, it has.

Alice is really starting to notice her surroundings. She's looking around and definately starting to recognize Mommy and Daddy's faces. I'm pretty sure that in the last two days, she's actually smiled at both of us.

Jaime says that breastfeeding is "better" than in the beginning. She's really a pro at it now...she can get Alice latched on in no-time. I think she'll probably start pumping this weekend, and that will help her out at night, since she will no longer be the only one who can feed Alice at 3 a.m.

We went to the Women's Clinic at Fairview today. Jaime wanted a doctor to look at her incision. It's been a little sore, and a little leaky. Turns out, it was fine, and that gave us both a lot of relief.

I think that's about it for the last few days.


Alice winking up on Jaime's shoulder.


Geeking her up at a young age.


Some quality couch time. It doesn't last long, but I enjoy it.


Alice testing out her new swing, courtesy of Grandpa Olesen. I think she'll like it, once she warms up to it.