4 Month Checkup

We took Kirsten to her 4 month visit yesterday, and it was interesting to say the least. My dear sweet baby just did not want anything to do with the doctor. From the second we walked in, and her eyes popped open from her nap, she was against being there. I tried shaking her pink kitty in front of her, but she only wailed even louder. I picked her up, showed her the fish tank, and talked to her about how we have been here before, and the doctor is a really nice guy. She gave the place a sideways stare (I think she watched way too much Max & Ruby) and decided to go with it... for now.

Once inside the room that is when everything just fell apart. She saw the nurse and knew the jig was up. This was not something that would be fun and exciting as I had tried to explaint o her. No, this was going to be terrible, and she wanted to get out ASAP.

Kirsten 4 Month Stats:
weight: 12.5 lbs
height: 23.4 inches

Basically Kirsten is doomed to be a shorty like her mama! Sorry kiddo!

The shots went as well as expected. She screamed from start to finish and no matter what toy I shoot in front of her, or what song I sang, she screamed.

The doctor advised us that he wants us to only do rice cereal for now, twice a day and then adding a lunch time meal when she is ready. I was sort of confused, because she loved her sweet potatoes so much. I figured, as long as she doesn't have a reaction and wants to eat it, then there is no problem. He said he wants to wait on veggies or fruits for her until 6 months!

Once we got home Kirsten wanted to show us that she is not that demon child that took over her body at the doctor's office. She was really great and happy, which was good because some babies can have bad reactions to shots. To show us that she is a big girl she decided to sit for about 2 minutes by herself. And me, being the super photographer, captured it!




She fell asleep around 7:30pm (a lot earlier than usual) and was up and ready to party around 3:30am. So I joined her party, and we both passed out around 5:30am.

All in all it was a good doctor's visit. I'm over being upset about the whole solids thing. Maybe I did push her, and maybe she is ready. We will try the rice cereal when I can convince my husband that it is a good idea to keep practicing it with her. Untul then, I'll just enjoy my little 4 month old girl!

Solids -- Take Two

The solids have been going very well, and this time I managed to get some photos! We are still on sweet potatoes, they seem to be an over-all hit! Everyone I talk to tells me that their baby loved them too in the beginning.

I keep second guessing myself, wondering if I rushed this. But then I see how she gobbles down the jar, with a big smile on her face, and I know it was the right decision for us.

Next week I think we will try a fruit, maybe pears, and see if this continues. We do have a doctor appointment next Thursday and I will address the issue further with him. However, it appears she loves it so I'll keep on this path.

I will say, the sweet potato colored poo has been interesting!!!!



For the record, Kirsten turns 4 months on Saturday!

Starting Solids

I have been reading books and researching online for weeks about starting solids. As we approached 4 months, I constantly questioned, "when will she be ready?" Well, for whenever she decided to be ready, I wanted to be ready.

We decided that once she was full on eating solids we would make a lot of her food, but to start we would try out some brands to get us started.

Over the weekend I decided to take a test run with the solids. Everywhere I looked it appeared that rice cereal was the first place to go. I bought a can of Happy Baby rice cereal a while ago and cracked it open. I mixed it with formula, making a really soupy little bowel of bland looking mush. I sat Kirsten down in her bumbo and tried to feed it to her. She wanted nothing to do with it! She absolutely hated it!



Discouraged, I figured she just wasn't ready for solids. Yesterday, however, we were home in the morning and I decided to try to see if it was just the taste that she disliked. I cracked open a jar of the Earth's Best sweet potatoes (pictured) and figured if she didn't like it, then we would hold of for a few more weeks.

And you know what? She really enjoyed them! She ate almost half the jar! I was so impressed and excited that she liked the sweet potatoes! I gave her a bottle afterwards and she was a happy baby all morning!

This morning I tried the sweet potatoes again, and this time she gobbled down the whole jar! Not one bite left. She chewed on the spoon, opened her mouth when she saw it coming at her, and could not get enough. I'm sure if there was more she would have eaten it all!

She loves to wipe her own face with a towel, and look up at me with an orange colored face, smacking her lips and smiling.

I did call the doctor before starting the solids. He asked us how much she was eating as far as formula, and said that really it is up the baby whether they are ready. A lot of families wait, and a lot start around 4 months. So whatever our decision, he was fine with it. Kirsten was sucking down 6 oz bottles all day long, so she definitely had the hunger for it. And really, if she showed that she wasn't ready, we would be very willing to wait.

I will continue with the sweet potatoes this week and venture into something else next week.

We also have a lot of the Plum Organics food packets and are excited to try those out as well. But one step at a time!

and she grabs stuff....

As if over night, Kirsten went from just mindlessly batting at her toys on her mat, to grabbing them! She studies them, follows as they swing around, and watches as her hands grasp onto the little rings. It is amazing how this happened in the matter of a day.

She is also on the verge of rolling around! She goes in a circular motion around her mat, scoots on her back around the bed, and nearly rolls completely over.

At 15 weeks our baby girl is discovering a whole new world and it is really exciting to watch happen right before our eyes! We will begin nailing stuff down now, because crawling can only be right around the corner!

Post Baby Body Update

I haven't done an update on how things are going post-baby as far as weight and getting slimmed down.

I decided today would be a good day to post about it because this morning my scale decided to play a really cruel joke. I honestly haven't gotten on the scale in weeks. I would probably say two week ago was the last time, so this morning was really just a shot in the dark. I stepped on the scale and it read "89.5" WHAT???? That can't be right! So I stepped on it again and got the same number! I decided I would hold Kirsten and see if we got different results, and it showed "99." Something is definitely wrong with our scale! When Todd gets home we will have to investigate this further!

Anyway, the true test is really just how I feel and what pants I can fit into, and honestly, I have been fitting very nicely in my size 2 pants, and some size 0 pants. I know, I get it, most women really struggle with their weight post-baby. I am in NO way posting photos or bragging about weight to discourage or put anyone down! I really never had any weight issues. I have always been small, and until recently, never really went above 105 lbs. So dealing with weight is something very new to me. I am so used to be extremely active, and being pregnant for 9 months really changed that, and I am just getting used to not snacking on McDonald's every day!

So here are some photos, because they are a better indicator of how well things have been going than just writing down some crazy numbers (seriously, 89 lbs? I'm not 12 years old!)



These two photos were taken this morning. Pete, my shih-tzu, decided he wanted to be apart of the photo shoot!


And just a reminder of what I looked like at 145 lbs (my end birth weight)!!!

"I can do it mommy" - sitting

See mommy, I got this!


okay... maybe this is harder than I thought!


whooooooooooa!


Laying down, now that I can do!

Immediately insert in mouth

It's begun!!!!!!!

a new video

Kirsten has really been amazing me lately. I hate being that mom who thinks their child is advanced or gifted, but her development has been amazing.

Today Todd was cooking dinner so I placed her in her Summer Infant Super Seat and talked to her and jiggled some toys in her face. She did her usual looking around, not really paying attention to anything in particular, and some smiling. But then she started saying "oh!" and I repeated it back to her. I read in my books that babies learn best from repetition and "call response" type games. I started to say it back to her more and more and soon she would make a HUGE "o" with her mouth and say "OH!" It was amazing. At one point she said "oh" three times in a row, I said it, she repeated then giggled!!

I am really loving playing with her now. It has been so much more fun since she is focusing on things and starting to want to play, instead of eat/sleep/poop/repeat.

So here is the video!!!!