I'm done

I think I'm finally done breastfeeding.  Since going back to work, I have still been nursing my daughter before she goes to bed.  Tonight, I decided to give her some milk in a sippy cup.  She drank about half of it and then went to bed.  I'm a bit sad but mostly satisfied and relieved that it's finally over.  I thought I was done with breastfeeding about 2 months ago.  It has taken this long to wean and finally give it up altogether. I'm now ready to move on.

More milestones

My daughter is almost one year old.  This week, she continues to amaze us with more 'firsts':
- learned to sign "all done" (it's so cute watching her tiny hands pivot on her little wrists)
- started to wave hello (and goodbye)
- learned to feed herself little bits of finger food (like bits of bread)
- started to get her two upper front teeth (she only has 2 lower front teeth so far)
- learned to play "peekaboo" using a napkin

Milestones

It seems like my daughter just had a growth spurt.  Over the past 2 weeks, she's been more interactive than ever.  She learned how to clap while we were at the cottage in early Sept and can now clap on command.  She can also sign 'milk' which my son was never able to do.  She smiles when we smile at her and she plays with us by tilting her head or sticking her tongue out.  Her crawling has improved; she is fast and is no longer gimpy with her right leg.  This past week, she has been pulling herself up and standing.  She even took a few steps with assistance.  I wonder if she'll start to walk while we are in Hong Kong, just like my son did when he was 11.5 months.

Easy homemade baby food

Here are some of the baby foods that I have been feeding my daughter:

No cook:
- Avocado - Peel and mash with fork or puree in food processor.
- Banana - Peel and mash with fork.
- Mango - Peel, cut into chunks, and puree in food processor.
- Canned beans - Drain and puree in food processor.
- Canned chickpeas - Drain and puree in food processor.
- Hard cheese - grate or cut into small pieces.

Microwave: Add enough water to cover.  Microwave on high for 1 minute.  Puree in food processor.  Add baby cereal to thicken if desired.
- Frozen peas
- Grated zucchini
- Blueberries

Roasted: Roast in the oven at 350C until soft.  Mash with fork or puree in food processor.
- Sweet Potato - 60 minutes
- Potato - 60 minutes

Steamed: Peel and cut into pieces.  Steam for 30 minutes.  Puree in food processor with some of the cooking liquid if needed.  Add baby cereal to thicken if desired.
- Apples
- Pears
- Green beans
- Sugar snap peas
- Carrots

Boiled: Boil for 15 minutes.  Mash with fork or puree in food processor with some of the cooking liquid.  Add baby cereal to thicken if desired.
- Egg yolk from hard boiled egg
- Chicken
- Fish
- Beef
- Pork
- Lentils
- Rice
- Oatmeal

My daughter is mobile...sort of

My daughter started rolling from back to front earlier this week.  She has been trying to do it for some time now.  Every time she looked like she was close to doing it, I would get my video camera ready to try to capture the first time.  However, whenever I had my camera ready, she would stop trying.  So the first time she really did it, I wasn't even there to witness it because she was in her crib.  I just went into her room one morning and there she was, in her crib, doing the "cobra pose".

Yesterday, we were at a friend's house for a playdate.  I put her down at one end of the playmat and went to get something to eat.  By the time I went back, she had "traveled" to the middle of the playmat by rolling back to front and front to back.

My daughter is growing up too fast!

Big brother, little sister

It's amazing how different kids can be.  My son didn't sleep through the night until 7 months but my daughter has been sleeping through the night (10-14 hours) since 3 months.  My son was a good laugher by 4 months but my daughter rarely smiles.  Thankfully, both are good kids so far.  My son really loves his sister and wants to help whenever he can.  The other night, I put her in her crib for the night but she started crying.  I was going to let her cry-it-out but, after a few minutes, he went into her room and sang her a song to soothe her.  She stopped crying almost immediately and fell asleep.  He's such a sweet brother.

 

Finally caught a smiling one after taking 70 pictures - thank goodness for digital cameras!

Slept through the night

My daughter slept through the night last night from 6pm to 6am without a dream feed. She is only 3 months and 1 week old! My son didn't sleep through the night until he was 4 months old and he didn't consistenly sleep through the night until he was 7 months old.  Keep it up!

Thumb sucker

Yesterday, I found my daughter sucking her thumb for the first time.  My son never sucked his thumb but my daughter liked to suck since she was born.  It just took her 3 months to finally find her thumb.

An update on the sleep situation... she went down at 7pm last night, did a dream feed at 11pm, woke up at 4am and 6am.  9 hours of sleep is not bad except that I didn't sleep at 7pm.

Sleep Training Tips

I had to remove this post because I got a nasty comment.  I will no longer be recommending this person's sleep training workshop again.  

it's like riding a bike

ACL is 4 days old today.  As a 2nd time mom, all the memories from being a first time mom is coming back.  I remember breastfeeding, dealing with engorgement, being (TMI) constipated, feeling like a human pacifier, enduring the sleepless nights, being amazed at the tiny little fingers with ultra sharp nails, and most of all, staring at this brand new human being that God has entrusted us with to bring up in this world.