Annabelle officially started daycare this week.  It was a bit of a crazy week getting her and me ready.  And so here is my daycare story.  I had totally psyched myself up for the first day.  I even started getting a little excited about all of the things I planned on accomplishing, including getting my syllabi and other class materials ready because classes started for us the following week.  The night before, I loaded up Annabelle’s diaper bag with all of the things she needed and got bottles ready in the refrigerator.  Many of the local schools around town were also starting back the next day.  It was supposed to be one of the coldest days recorded in a long time so there were announcements of schools were closing. But daycares wouldn’t close, would they?  Needless to say, a little after 9pm I got a phone call letting me know that daycare was closed.  Who would have thought daycares close due to cold weather too.  It was a huge letdown.  So, we tried it all again the next day. Officially, our first day of daycare was Tuesday.  Annabelle did great!  She seems to really like all of the interaction she gets with her teachers and the other children.

I had a lot of friends ask how it went as well as a lot of people who mentioned how difficult it can be at first for parents to take their kids to daycare.  I was very fortunate that Annabelle stayed at home for the past 4 1/2 months.  I went back to work after 8 weeks but I worked half of my workweek at school and the other half from home so I got plenty of time with Annabelle.  I was also lucky to have a friend who nannies watch Annabelle while I was at work.  And then I had the last three weeks off of work for winter break so I really felt Annabelle was ready to go to daycare.  And after a week at daycare I’m even happier about her going.  She’s surrounded by so many great caregivers and is meeting lots of new “friends”.

Daycare wasn’t the only thing that changed this week. A couple days before she went to daycare she started making new noises and talking to us a lot more!  It’s so great because she’ll start making these fun high-pitched noises that make no sense at all but you’d think she was telling the best story.  And if we respond with similar noises she’ll go right on telling her story.

Someday I’ll get more sleep but not right now.  She’s officially in her crib.  No more bassinet.  And I love our baby monitor.  It’s really nice to have since I don’t have her right next to me in the middle of the night.  Annabelle did have a couple of good nights of sleeping this week.  I attribute some of it to her busy days at daycare and being exhausted from all of the new stimulation.  I’m still hoping (and hoping) she’ll go back to waking up once to nurse in the middle of the night but no holding my breath.

It seems that Annabelle has naturally started falling asleep on her own this week (most of the time).  One late afternoon (I picked Annabelle up a bit early from daycare) I was trying to clean the bathroom and had put Annabelle in her crib to watch her mobile while I was doing the last bit of scrubbing when she started to fuss.  Five minutes later I walked in her room and she had fallen asleep.  Since then when it’s time for bed I nurse her and then  lay her in her crib, letting her watch her mobile until she falls asleep.  Most of the time she only fusses for a few minutes before closing those pretty little eyes.  It’s not perfect but it’s making bedtime just a little bit easier.

We welcomed the New Year this week.  I’m still catching up but getting closer.  Sometimes one outfit isn’t enough for our weekly pictures so we tried two!  Dusty got me a new camera for Christmas and I’m loving it!  I thought our last camera was wonderful but this one is so much faster and the lens is awesome!  I’m still trying to figure it all out though.

This week was difficult.  My stepbrother got very ill over the holidays and was rushed to the hospital.  We weren’t sure if he was going to make it but he’s a strong person and is pulling through.  Dusty, Annabelle and I made a trip to see him and my family.  He has a long recovery ahead of him and we keep him and our family in our thoughts constantly.  Things like this remind me how precious everything is and to cherish every moment we have.

When we got back to Omaha we celebrated New Year’s Eve at home.  We had a low-key evening.  It’s so interesting seeing how life changes once you have a child.  Last year we stayed home because I was pregnant and we weren’t telling people yet but almost every year before that we went out on the town and celebrated with friends.  At one time we even hosted an annual NYE gathering.  And this year it seemed so much nicer to stay home.  I won’t blame it all on our little lady but I think we’re just getting older and all the crazy shenanigans don’t seem as appealing.

Dusty and I made a nice dinner while Annabelle took a snooze.  Dusty actually left for a bit and met up with some friends in the Old Market.  And then he came home so we could kiss at midnight as the ball dropped.  It reminds me how we met (for the second time) at a New Year’s Eve party and started dating shortly after.  We’ve officially been together for 10 years!  We’re in the double-digits now!

Annabelle’s still not sleeping at night.  She’s waking up every 3 to 4 hours.  We’ve transitioned her into her crib and she takes most of her naps in her there and starts each night in her crib.  When she wakes up Dusty or I usually bring her into our room to be fed and then we put her in the bassinet.

We didn’t try any new foods this week.  It was a bit crazy with us traveling to Oklahoma.  We’ve tried rice cereal, squash and sweet potato so far and she liked them all.

Annabelle is smiling and cooing more than ever.  She’s very inquisitive and wants to touch everything.  She still loves putting everything in her mouth and really likes looking at herself in the mirror.  We have a huge mirror in our bedroom and she really likes when we lay her in front of the mirror and she can take full advantage of the view.  We’re playing a lot of music and reading books to her too.  She’s soaking all of it and I can see her getting smarter by the minute.

This week Annabelle and I went to visit the daycare she’ll be starting next week.  I’m anxious yet excited at the same time.  I need to get ready for classes to begin and get a few other things done before the holidays end and I know it’s going to be great for Annabelle to meet some new friends.

And my final update is that Dusty and I signed up for the Lincoln half marathon.  Dusty’s been running regularly for a couple of months now but I haven’t so I need to get back into a routine.

Post-baby weight? I talked a lot about how much I was gaining all through my pregnancy but I haven’t mentioned it much since then.  I’ve lost all of the weight I had gained during my pregnancy.  I walked/jogged a lot while I was on maternity leave and really tried eating healthy (not only for me but also for Annabelle since I’m nursing) but once I started back to work things took a nose dive.  I’ve barely worked out and don’t feel like I’ve gotten a handle on when to workout.  I feel lucky that the weight came off but as everyone says, my body isn’t the same (not even close).  I hope training for the half marathon will help me get back into a workout routine.  Exercising with a 4 month old is a huge challenge and I’m working to find a schedule where Dusty and I can both run at some point each day.

Week 18 went way too fast.  It being Christmas I wanted the week to last at least a month.  We took a lot of great photos of her during the holidays but I’m saving those for a recap holiday post I’ll be writing soon.

A couple days before Christmas we went for Annabelle’s 4-month check up.  She’s officially 14 lbs, 11 oz and 25.75 inches long.  She’s in the 62nd percentile for weight and 93rd percentile for height.  And just as a reference she was 11 lbs, 15 oz and 24.5 inches long when she went to her two-month check up.

The doctor gave us the okay to start feeding Annabelle “real” food and cereal.  I had a squash at the house so I pureed that up and fed her a little.  She loved it.  She’s trying to figure out how the whole spoon in mouth works.  It’s fun to watch her discover this new food.  Can’t wait to try other foods.

Annabelle was a lucky little lady and received a lot of wonderful gifts for Christmas.  We had a great time with family and enjoyed the few days that all three of us were at home over the holiday.

A couple days after Christmas I watched my two nieces while they’re on winter break.  I was a little worried about having all three kids together but it was so much fun.  Emma (11) and Mia (9) absolutely love Annabelle and can’t get enough of trying to make her laugh and entertain her.  One girl would hold Annabelle while the other one would make funny faces or noises, trying to get Annabelle to smile or giggle and then they’d trade so the other one could do the same.

She’s still not sleeping all that well at night.  And since she’s pretty much over her cold I thought it might be something else.  I talked to some friends and I guess there’s a thing called the 4-month sleeping regression.  All I know is that if I’m lucky, waking up every three hours in the middle of the night will only last for a month or so and if I’m not lucky, it’ll be much longer.  She goes to bed between 7 and 8pm but waking up every three hours.

This was a big week for us.  Two firsts for our beautiful little girl.  Annabelle has officially gotten her first virus and has a full-fledge cold.  On our flight back from Florida I heard a few extra coughs and I had a feeling she might be getting something.  By Sunday night she had a legitimate cough and runny noise.  Annabelle’s cold did make it a little harder to get anything done.  Because she was so congested at the beginning of the week she didn’t like lying down for vary long and wanted to be held a lot.  I feel so bad for our bean but she was still in good spirits and this hasn’t slowed her down a bit.  I guess these little viruses last 7-10 days so I’m crossing my fingers and hope it’ll be gone by Christmas.

And, drumroll please, she officially rolled over (and hasn’t stopped since).  She can only roll over from her back to front so when she rolls over, after a few minutes, she gets tired and then gets upset.  We turn her over to her back and after a few seconds she rolls over again and the whole process starts over.

Annabelle went to visit Santa this week.  Her first time meeting the big guy was a success but we’ll see how future visits go (picture coming soon).  Seeing Santa was also a big moment for Dusty and I.  It’s at times like these that we realize we’ve joined this whole new group of people.  We’re parents! Yes, I understand that this shouldn’t be a surprise but it’s as though we’re so busy with the nitty-gritty little parts of life that sometimes we forget what the bigger picture looks like.  We’ve been just a couple for so long and then this week we were standing in line to see Santa with all of these other parents, these people that we now have something in common with!

Annabelle has been amazed by her hands for a while now and really enjoys gnawing on them.  This week she’s found another limb, her feet.  If she’s not eating her hands, she’s trying to grab her feet.  It’s so adorable to watch her grab her feet as she examines them so very seriously (as you can see from above).  Then all of a sudden she’ll see her hands and let go of her feet.  Then it’s time to examine her hands, moving them slowly in front of her face like they’re a foreign object and checking them out before stuffing them into her mouth.

Sleep.  It’s not so good this week or it’s not as good as it has been.  I’m not sure if it’s a growth spurt or the cold or a combination of both or something else but Annabelle’s waking up an extra time or two each night.  She’ll go to be at 7:30pm and then wake up between 10pm and midnight, again at 3am and then at 5am.  Most of the time she’s smacking her lips, wanting to nurse.  It’s exhausting and I’m hoping it’s not something that won’t continue for much longer because it makes for an extra tired mommy and daddy.

I know Annabelle will want to be hundreds of different things as she’s growing up.  I’m sure she’ll want to be a princess, a doctor, a teacher, a mom and so many other ridiculous and not so ridiculous things but it’s fun start thinking now.  One day I asked Dusty what he thought she should do when she grows up.  After a fun little discussion we’ve decided, until she can tell us what she’s wants to be, that she’s going to be the top scientist in her field.  We’ll leave it up to her to decide what kind of scientist she wants to be!

It’s the week before Christmas and I haven’t gotten a darn thing done.  Life before a baby, being a teacher (and this being finals week and the start of my vacation), I would have the house completely ready for the holidays, laundry and housework caught up, gifts bought and wrapped, happy hours with girlfriends I haven’t seen in a while and sewing projects started.  I’ve only slightly started on all of these things and instead of happy hours I’m meeting my friends at their house or mine!  I haven’t checked the mail in two weeks (and I love checking the mail)!  One of these days I’ll get used to being a mother and be able to manage more than one thing at a time again.  Thank goodness for family.  Both grandmas babysat this week so I could get some laundry done and go to a doctor’s appointment.

Our little Annabelle is officially 16 weeks old and almost four months.  She’ll be four months old December 23.  These weeks not technically working out to a full month are starting to catch up.  Week 16 went extremely fast and with the holidays approaching I’m feeling the rush to get things accomplished, including this post (today is actually the beginning of week 18 so I thought I’d better finish this post so I can finish working on week 17’s update).

We spent week 16 on Sanibel Island.  It’s a beautiful little island, approximately 12 miles long and 5 miles wide, off the west coast of Florida near Fort Meyers.  More than half the island is made up of wildlife refuges and the beaches are known for their beautiful seashells.  We went with Dusty’s family and had a wonderful and relaxing time.  The weather was perfect, sunny and in the low 80s all week.  And because we were on the beach all week I thought it would be appropriate to take her weekly picture at the beach.

It’s hard to know how a three and a half month old will travel but Annabelle was wonderful.  And a major reason why she was so wonderful is because we had such great family around that wanted to help.  Annabelle was a good little passenger on the airplane with minimal crying.  On the way out we had grandma and great-grandma to help entrain so that was really nice.  And on our flight home she slept most of the time.

Annabelle loved the fresh air and being on the beach.  She also loved all of the attention she got from us all.  I was actually a little afraid to bring her home because I knew she’d miss everyone playing with her and all of the excitement going on.

She slept like a champ.  With such eventful days filled with an ocean breeze she went to sleep early and woke up for one quick feeding before going back to bed.  She’d wake up around 5am for another feeding and then get up for good around 6:30am for her daily walk.  Annabelle’s grandma Jane or Aunt Diane took her for a walk while the sun was rising everyday.  Annabelle had a lot of fun and Dusty and I got a couple extra hours of sleep.

Annabelle really slobbers now.  She still gnawing on her hands and loves to eat her thumb.  No teeth yet though.  She’s still not rolling over quite yet.  She’s so close.  She pretty much rolls over but just can’t quite get her arm moved to make it count.  Her goos and gurgles are becoming louder and stronger and you can most definitely see she’s producing more sounds than she was before.  I still can’t believe how alert she is and how she watches everything that’s going on.  Sometimes I look at her and just see that little brain working as hard as it can to figure out this so called world of ours.

The week was perfect.  Dusty worked with an ocean view everyday and still found time to relax a little.  I was able to take walks on the beach and get a bit of a suntan before we left.  Dusty and I ran on the beach together a few days and even went on a little dinner date.  The trip reminded me a lot of our time in Paris.  I forget how nice it is to get away from the day-to-day stuff that fills up our life and to spend time with family.

This post is coming just a few days late.  Oh how the days go by so fast.  Life was busy before Annabelle but now days can go by and I have a hard time remembering what we did.  Some days we won’t do anything at all but it’ll seem like the busiest day of the week.  I think that’s how life goes with children.  This week did go fast though.  Work was busy, one of my busiest of the semester and then there were so many things we had going on at home.  I put up our Christmas trees (three to be exact) and then we were getting ready for a family trip to Florida (yes, I’m writing this post from the beach) as well as prepping for my annual holiday cookie exchange.  We’re getting really excited for Christmas (or maybe it’s just me) and Annabelle’s outfit this week is just the beginning of holiday attire we have to help get everyone in the holiday spirit.

This week Annabelle continued to go to bed early and wake up a couple of times during the middle of the night.  It was nice that she was going to bed at 7:30pm so I could get things done but waking up at midnight, then 3am, and then getting up for the day at 5am was a bit tiring.  Wednesday afternoon I even took a nap right along with Annabelle to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Annabelle loves our tomfoolery.  We stick out our tongues and make funny faces while she smiles and giggles.  We’ll do about anything to make her smile.  She also loves looking at herself in the mirror.  I’ve read that she won’t realize it’s her own face in the mirror until age two or three but right now she’s just fascinated by that smiling face looking at her.

We love that Annabelle gets to spend so much time with family and friends.  I can’t tell you enough how nice it is to have family close by.  In addition to Thanksgiving last week and having a lot of family around then, most weeks we see family at least once or twice.  She’s not afraid to go to anyone and she loves playing with anyone who’s willing (and I hope these things don’t change).

So this week I cried while reading a book to Annabelle.  I’ve always been an emotional person but to cry reading a children’s book!?!  It’s called Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You.  This little lady has absolutely captured my heart and I can’t imagine my life without her!

And here are a few other weekly trends that continue.  Annabelle loves trying to “stand.”  She’ll stand on our laps, doing squats and building those leg muscles while we hold her.  We’re still working on rolling over.  She’s so close but not quite there.  She’s also continuing to gnaw on her hands.  I think this might be the very beginning of her teething phase 1.

Another week has come and gone.  Annabelle officially turned three months at the beginning of the week (even though she hit three months when last’s week update was posted).  I also returned from my work conference trip.  It’s so good to be home.  We had a fun-filled Thanksgiving holiday week at the Davidson household.  Oh how I love the holidays with a baby in the house.

A little more about my trip away from Annabelle now that I’m officially home.  As I mentioned last week, leading up to my leave I started getting a little emotional but once I was at the conference I stayed busy and was in work mode.  Dusty sent me plenty of pictures, videos, and updates to help make the time go fast.

Overall, it was a good trip.  When I returned home I felt as though I had missed so much in those 4 short days.  She seemed to have grown and changed so much when in all reality I’m sure nothing momentous happened.  It was hard returning and having Dusty know more than I did about what was going on.  Since Annabelle’s been born, I’ve been the one that spends the majority of time with her and I was a bit jealous of Dusty knowing more about our little lady than I did (I’m going to have to get used to someone else knowing just as much or more than me when Annabelle goes to daycare full-time in January).  It took me a day or so to feel like things were back to normal and for us all to get back into our typical family routine.  It’s good to be home and I don’t look forward to my next trip away (potentially in the spring).

Annabelle’s a fabulous little eater.  She’s growing like a weed.  I don’t know why I worried so much about her taking a bottle while I was gone.  No need to worry.  And since I’ve gotten home it seems our little lady is having a 3-month growth spurt.  She wants to eat all the time.  She loves her food though and I’m excited to go to our 4-month check-up to see what the doctor says about feeding her solid food.

Because of Annabelle’s growth spurt and with the holiday, Annabelle hasn’t been sleeping very well.  Her naps have been short and few, which has more to do with having family and friends around to keep her occupied than anything else.  And the last few nights she’s been waking up more than just for her usual one-time 3am feeding time.  She’s catching up on sleep though.  As I type this, Annabelle’s taking a nap and has been sleeping for 3 hours.  Yay!  It’s so peaceful and nice for Dusty and I to be able to get things done.

Annabelle loves sticking her hands in her mouth and more specifically eating her thumbs.  She’s not sucking on her thumb but gnawing at it.  I know some babies at this age are teething but she’s not fussy or showing any signs of pain.

Our smiley little lady.  She’s so much fun! Mornings are still our favorite time of day.  Dusty and I snuggle with her in bed and talk to her.  It’s the perfect time because neither of us is busy quite yet and Annabelle is so happy to see us.  She gives us the biggest smiles.  It’s the perfect start to the day.

Oh that pacifier, how she tricks me into believing she likes it one day and then goes back to hating it again.  When I returned from DC she loved her pacifier for about 24 hours and then that was the end of that.  I should be happy that she doesn’t care for it because I don’t have to worry about it becoming a bad habit but I also think it would be helpful in soothing her when she’s not hungry.

I read about all of these babies who are on almost perfect schedules already and it makes me hopeful that we’ll be there soon (I’m trying to be a half-glass full kind of mom).  I wish we were in a better routine but it hasn’t happened quite yet.  I’ve said it before but I think it has a lot to do with me being home during the work week two or three days and then having a nanny and family the other two or three days (and then of course, not always being at home on the weekends to set a good schedule).  I’m not overly worried about getting into a perfect routine and there’s no rush but I excited for our winter break to start so I can really work on a better routine for us both.