Scarlett Monthly Update: Month Seven

I know I am late on this but I kept forgetting to get her measurements.  She officially passed up Miller this month in size but if she is like Miller, as soon as she gets mobile she will slim down (not that I am saying she needs to).

Weight: 20lbs 1oz (+11lbs 6oz) (Miller was 19lbs 8oz)

Height: 28.5in (+8in) (Miller was 28in)

Head: 18in (+4.25in) (Miller was 18.5in)

Sleep: This is no better than last month. I have the most inconsistent little sleeper and she is driving me bonkers. Some nights she will sleep for an hour or two in her bed before waking up again. Some nights it is 5-7 hours. Sometimes she can be soothed by rocking, or nursing and some nights she is inconsolable until she lays down in bed with me. I do not mind cosleeping halfway through the night but not my entire night. A few nights ago we started making a push to soothe her and leave her in her crib. Two nights in a row it worked and then the next night we tried for 2 hours while she just stared at us and intermittently cried. We had some mild success the next few nights and she eventually put herself to sleep.

Naptimes stink too. Almost everyday, she will take one long nap in the middle of the day. She starts in her bed and normally she will sleep for an hour and a half there. When she wakes up, I move her to her swing. Then this week she would only sleep a half an hour in her bed. However, for the last week she has only been sleeping for 30 minutes and then maybe taking another 30 minute nap in the early evening.

One of the greatest lesson I learned as a parent was that nothing was permanent and it is always a phase that will be over soon enough. Not with this chick and her sleeping. I am convinced that she will never get better and I will be dealing with this for the rest of my life.  Okay I know that is overdramatic but I am tired and not able to  think clearly.

Eating:  She is still nursing like normal. We started solids and so far she has had avocado, carrots, sweet potato, watermelon, broccoli, cantaloupe and apple. Oh and a rice cake she stole from Miller one day. She really liked that one.

Best Moment: I love her smile. Her whole face lights up and can just make anyone's day brighter. She is so sweet and friendly to everyone she meets.

Milestones: She is starting to scoot on her booty. It is so funny to see how she starts somewhere and in just a matter of moments, she is a completely different spot. She can also go from laying down to sitting so that helps her to be independent so she can maneuver herself some. She can pull up to some things.

Monthly Wisdom: I keep telling myself that it will get better eventually. I just need to keep my head down and this phase will be over eventually (please God let it be soon!!!!).

Goals for the Upcoming Month: We are really trying to work with her on sleeping better. We are not really militant with the kids sleep when they are born. We just kind of go with what works for them and us while trying to establish good habits. I remember Miller getting to a point where he just decided that he did not want to do what we have been doing all along. Well that is where we are with Scarlett. She is just getting more demanding and only wants to sleep on or with us. Not cool little lady! I hate it but it looks like we are trying to let her learn to self soothe herself and that involves crying some. There is just no way that I can only have her sleeping on us, at least no way where I maintain my sanity. I love her and I hate to hear her crying but her (lack of) sleeping is really interfering with everything in our lives and I feel like it can not be healthy for her either.

Things Scarlett is doing
- Pulling up to a stand on some things. If she can not get a great grip, she at least pulls up to her knees.
- She has really good fine motor skills for this age. She is good at gripping things and manipulating them. 
- Trying to bring food to her mouth.

Why is it that a boy can have hair grow super fast but a little girl's hair is stubborn and slow growing? She is cute as can be with her hair as it is but I wish it would grow in faster. After 20 years of trying, I finally figured out a fish tail braid and I need my daughter to get hair that I can play with.These two kids definitely look like siblings and especially in person now but they look so different in these pictures. She is chunkier and Miller has a bigger head, but there are looks that she gives me that are so Miller.  

4th of July 2014

The 4th of July is always an odd holiday to me. I love all holidays and any excuse to celebrate but I never seem to feel satisfied with this one. I know it is typical to go to a parade, cookout, go swimming, and see fireworks. 1) We never go to parades and I am not even sure I would know where to find one. 2) The lake is way too busy to deal with on 4th of July. 3)We normally do a cookout so that is one plus.

This leaves us with fireworks. If we could end our day with some fireworks, I would be  super happy. One big problem is that they are so late in the evening and my kids are melting down, so the last thing that I want to do is fight traffic and crowds. The other problem is that Miller does not seem to be a fan of fireworks. Like, screaming, crying, tense, covering his eyes and ears.

Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed our day hanging out with family, it just seemed so lackluster since we did not do any of the fun activities associated with this holiday. 

I could not get a good picture of them in their 4th of July outfits. One of them always looked upset but they were actually fine.

Dad preparing the pulled pork. He has 4 dogs at his feet hoping he would drop something.

Scarlett playing with my Pappaw. He loves babies!

That evening, we went to a family friends pool. My dad and Miller had a blast.

This is my kid, just watching fireworks on TV.  We went outside to see some around the neighborhood too and Miller would not move from the couch. Anytime he heard them that night, he reverted back to this position. On the plus side, Scarlett seemed to enjoy them.

 

The next day we went to my grandparents for a cookout. He loves his mommy!

Miller found a nice place in the yard and quietly played with his cars for hours. When I went out there later to clean them up, I found little ceramic frogs from an outdoor checker set. It was adorable that they completed his menagerie of trucks. 

It was a fine holiday but I hope we can make better traditions in the future.