She's still got a bit of congestion and sneezing (and I still think her eyes itch). The pediatrician still thinks she's too young to have developed allergies but I'm convinced it is (whether it's dust or whatever). Well, he put her on antibiotics just in case...it seems to be getting better but I don't know that it's because of that.
We are back in the crib again (as of this week)!! She moves a lot less than she did the first time we tried. I think it's because she's on the Zantac again. She does GREAT at night, but her naps still suck for lack of a better word. But they sucked in the hammock thing too. I realize that some babies only need 30-45 minute naps (and just take more naps in a day) but she frequently wakes up screaming bloody murder and is cranky while she's awake. I know she's still tired because she will go back to sleep for 1+ hrs after waking up from a nap - if I hold her. Clearly this is not the best option but I've been giving in just to keep the peace (I've managed to figure out how to do my resume searches with her in one arm quite effectively - sometimes I can even manage a phone call if she's totally out)! I've read the sleep books and they all talk about how you should let a baby cry at this point when trying to get them to fall asleep initially or during night wakings. No one addresses the problem of waking up in the middle of naps. I've already got the room as dark as possible with black out curtains. I've tried letting her cry when she wakes up during the naps but it gets her too worked up. If I try to soothe her (without picking her up) it seems to make her more upset. So I've been at a loss, until today. I've realized the main difference between her night/day sleep routines is that she (seemingly) has to have her pacifier to fall asleep for naps but she doesn't need it at night (and she never wakes up at night). So today we decided we just had to bite the bullet and put her down awake without a pacifier and let her cry. She cried about 15 minutes and then took the longest nap she has had in weeks!! I think it was about 1.5 hrs and she even woke up a few times but would go right back to sleep with barely a peep. She woke up happy and was able to stay up (happily) for close to 3 hrs after that nap. She usually can't even make it 2 hrs awake!! She cried for less than 5 minutes at her next nap :) So, as hard as it is to do - I think "crying it out" when a baby is at an age when they are ready for it, really does work. Hearing her cry still makes me feel physically ill but I know it's for her own good.
Rolling from tummy to back has become pretty easy for her. But she still doesn't like to hang out on her belly for long. She LOVES standing up (with my help of course, but I barely have to hold her). Once she has the strength to sit up completely on her own and finds her balance, we're gonna be in trouble! I know some babies skip crawling and go straight to walking. I have a feeling she might be one of those. Then again, today she seemed to be trying to get her knees under her while on her belly, so I guess we'll see!
At the suggestion of Stephanie, we got this chair that hooks on to the table for when we eat out. It puts her higher up, closer to the table, more in the action - she seems to love it!! We've made it through several meals now without having to hold her :) As long as she's not tired, she's a happy camper in this thing! She's still a bit small for it but we've made some adjustments to make it work...
For the past week, we've been having success with the rice cereal. I'm not saying that it's no longer messy but she seems to have the hang of things now. I think she likes the cereal all right but I can't get her to ignore the bottle in favor of the cereal. Well, today we introduced sweet potatoes and she LOVES them!!! Just in time for Thanksgiving :)
This is an earlier attempt with the cereal but I think it's a funny pic - the face is priceless...
Fun in the jumperoo!
Clean Princess!
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