Top Teeth!

We've got top teeth!!!!! No wonder I've been feeling pinching while she's nursing! ACK!

Baby This Week: 35 Weeks Old

Your baby is starting to grasp what it means when someone can no longer be seen, the result of a growing understanding of what's called object permanence. An exciting demonstration of this comes the first time your baby tries to imitate a goodbye wave by twisting a wrist or flapping a hand. Not all 8-month-olds can wave bye-bye, but it's a fun new feat to anticipate. It takes a certain amount of fine-motor coordination to wave in the style of the Queen (or Mom and Dad).

Your baby may be creeping (pushing himself around on his belly), crawling, or moving about by bottom shuffling — scooting around on her posterior using a hand behind her and a foot in front of her to propel himself.

Creeping is your baby's first method of getting around efficiently on her own. Usually, she'll first learn to pull himself with her hands and then get up on her hands and knees. Then she'll figure out how to move forward and backward by pushing off with her knees. (A "combat crawl" is a variation in which one leg is the pusher and the opposite arm the lead puller.)

 All of these variations on crawling strengthen the muscles that will soon enable her to walk. Whichever mode of mobility your baby's using, it's fascinating to see how he solves the problem of getting around.

Your baby may be able to pull himself up to a standing position while holding on to furniture. In fact, if you stand your baby next to the sofa, she may be able to hold herself up, although she may be hanging on for dear life.

At this stage some parents put their children in baby walkers, but that's not a good idea. Walkers are unsafe: Your baby can use a walker as a stepladder to reach things he couldn't normally get to, such as a hot stove or bottle of bleach. What's more, they discourage floor play, which helps her learn to walk by giving her opportunities to crawl, pull up, and cruise while holding on to furniture — all activities that lead to walking.

Your baby's newfound mobility means that he's now entering the land of bumps and falls. These are an inevitable part of childhood, and although your heart may occasionally skip a beat or two, try to enjoy watching your baby explore his surroundings and discover his limits.

Restraining your innate desire to protect your baby allows her to grow and learn for herself. However, do make every effort to make your home baby-safe. A good way to do this is to get down to her level to find the possible danger zones. Secure fragile objects so they won't topple, for example, and keep rickety furniture in rooms that don't get much baby traffic.

Now's a good time to move drapery and blind cords out of reach, pad sharp coffee-table corners, install toilet-seat locks, relocate hazardous houseplants to higher ground, lock away poisonous cleaning supplies and medications, cover electric outlets, and secure safety gates at the top and bottom of each staircase.

-BabyCenter.com

Sunday Morning with Mila

Didn't know a bowl and spoon could be so much fun, didya?

Mila is 8 Months!

Dear Mila,

Eight months already?! Where do I begin? You have grown so much!

The biggest change this month is how much you're standing! I think you'll be walking by the end of the month! I can't believe it! You stand so well and when you do it, you're so proud of yourself -- you move your little hands and wrists -- so cute! It looks like you're screwing in two lightbulbs really fast! Haha! You stand in your crib and your playpen all the time now. We even had to move the video monitor because you would stand and knock it over! But we're so proud of how well you're standing. :) You are even already trying to take small steps with assistance and you're a pro at furniture surfing, LOL! And when you're not standing/attempting to stand, you are crawling EVERYWHERE. I can hardly contain you. You just want to explore it all: the sofa, the bookshelf, the dining room chairs... I'm constantly chasing you down and bringing you back to the playmat. But you'll have none it of it - you just go back to trying to go where you're not supposed to. We're looking for a baby gate for you now... we need to keep you safe!

You're eating more solids now too. You're such a big girl! Foods you've tried include: banana, rice cereal, peas, carrots, avocado, prunes, applesauce, pears and sweet potato. You loved rice cereal, avocado and sweet potato from the start, you've grown to like banana, peas and pears, but prunes and carrots are a big NO! The jury's still out on applesauce.

You nurse all day, but at lunch you eat about two tablespoons of solids and then you nurse some more. We try to add a bit more each week, but at the same time we try not to go too fast since it seems to get you a bit constipated. :/ I know, I know, I'm sharing too much info... but you don't mind, right? :)

Along with eating, you're also biting! Ugh...it's awful. You don't do it too often, but when you do -- WOWEEEE it hurts! I think you might even be teething again, but not sure.

You are also showing to be the most curious little girl... everything that is not a toy is what you want to play with. If you have 20 toys in front of you and you see the camera, or the remote, or the phone, or even my shoes -- THAT is what you want. You want everything you can't have! You have to grab everything and it goes straight to your mouth. Honestly, it drives me a bit crazy! I'm can't take my eyes off you for a second!

Here's the perfect example... you have a ton of toys in front of you, but what you want to chew on is the strap from the stroller. I've given up trying to get you to play with your toys... if you want the strap, you can have it. And while you're at it, go ahead, put your feet up and make yourself comfortable. Nice life! LOL!

You new favorite thing to do is that you love to swat at everything, so any spinning toy is your new thing. You have an alphabet wheel that we call "The Wheel of Fortune" that you love to spin and spin and then you stare at it.... and then you slowly lean in and put your tongue on the spinning wheel - HILARIOUS! I've been trying to catch you on camera doing it, but you don't do it very often and when you do, I don't have the camera handy. But it cracks me up!

You're also discovering mirrors. I'm not sure if you realize that you're looking at yourself, but I do see that you look at me in the mirror and then you look back at me and laugh... as if to wonder, "If Mommy is over there... how is Mommy over here?" Haha! And you have a bunch of toys that have mirrors on them and you love to look at yourself and then put your tongue on the mirror. So funny!

And in case I haven't mentioned it or you haven't noticed in your pictures, your tongue is always out. Always. It's permanently out. I love it, although it means you slobber all over me all day long. Daddy likes to call them kisses. At night time during your bedtime routine, Daddy will read you your mirror book and on one page there's a frog or a mouse or a sun, and on the facing page there is a mirror. Whenever he turns the mirror to you so you can see yourself, you lean in with your tongue out and put your face up to the mirror, and "kiss" the mirror. You do this for every page, every night!! It's soooooooooooooo cute! I die laughing every time I watch you do this. :)

And speaking of sleep, you nap so much better now! You do an awesome 1-2 hour nap in the morning, an hour nap in the afternoon, and then a half hour in the early evening. (Just the last few months, you would only do three 30-minute naps! What a difference!) I'm usually nursing you by 10pm and then you'll nurse to sleep or I'll rock you to sleep and you're in bed by 10:30pm. You wake up 2 times, sometimes 3 times a night. But your day routine is sooo much better than it has been. I'm able to get so much done in the mornings! Yay! Slowly but surely!

Now, onto things that are not so cute... (which aren't too many because you really make almost anything cute!) your separation anxiety is clear now. I can barely run to the bathroom without you protesting! You're not so easily passed on to other people and you always want me to hold you. It's so sweet, but at the same time it's exhausting when I can barely take a shower or make some dinner! When Daddy's home though, he does a great job of keeping you entertained, so I usually wait to do things after he's home or while you're taking a nap.

You're also very wriggly. You squirm during all diaper changes. So much so, that I'm actually using the belt from the changing pad to strap you in. And to think I scoffed at it when we bought it: "Who actually uses that?" I thought. Now I understand! If you're not strapped in, you will literally attempt to crawl away from me in the middle of a diaper change - diaper or no diaper! And poopoo or no poopoo!!! ACK!

So that's what was going on in your 8th month. Now we're onto the 9th... I honestly can't believe how big you've gotten in such a short amount of time. It seems like yesterday you were just born and now we're just a few months away from... your first birthday! Eeek! I'm already starting to think of what fun things we can do, because -- I hate to say it: I know it will be here before we know it! 

I love you my chunky little monkey Milaroni Macaroni!

Your Mommy

Study on High C-Section Rate

So interesting. The LA Times had a story on a study of the high C-section rates in this country:

"Cesarean deliveries have doubled since 1996 and now account for one-third of all births in the United States. A new study suggests that a big dose of patience on the part of women and their healthcare providers during delivery might help to lower the rate substantially..."  Read the rest of the article here.

Reflections of Motherhood

So beautiful! For this video, moms were asked moms if they could go back to before their first baby, what would they tell themselves. These are their answers.

Silly Girl

Mila is sooo funny! I put her in the Pack in Play (little baby corral) while I shower and get ready and this is what she does:

She stands up in the Pack N Play and presses her face up against the mesh side of it and makes the funniest faces as she tries to get her teeth in it! It's sooo funny! Such a silly girl! Here's a clip:

Rash

After having introduced Mila to avocados on Monday -- which she loved -- we gave it to her again the next day. After you've introduced a food, you're supposed to continue giving them the same food for 3-5 days to see if they develop any allergic reactions to it. So far, we've had no problems. But on day 2 of having avocados,  Mila developed a rash! It was all over her chest and her back and in all her chubby rolls. Could it be an allergic reaction to the avocados?

We took her to the pediatrician to check it out, and he said he didn't think it was an allergy. He said he thought it might be a virus. Bizzare! A virus in the form of a rash? He said all we could do was keep an eye on it. He couldn't do much else. If she had a fever over 102, than we should go back. He said he thought the rash would probably get worse before it got better.

The next day, just as he said, the rash got worse and went from splotchy to all-over red. Poor thing! It didn't seem to bother her though, it just looked irritated. It was better by the third day, and then practically all gone by the fourth. We're going to try avocados again next week and keep an eye out to see if she has another reaction, just in case. I hope it's not an allergy though -- I can't imagine not being able to have guacamole!!!

New Food: Avocado

Mila loooooved avocado! And I don't blame her! Who wouldn't love some guacamole for lunch? Mmmmmm. She ate it all! I think it was the smooth texture. The peas and the carrots have been a bit gritty, but the avocado is just so good.

"Guacamole??! Now we're talkin'!"

"Where are the chips?"

"Notice how clean my bib is? I'm not sparing a drop!"

Baby This Week: 34 Weeks Old

As your baby's muscles are becoming stronger, she's apt to lunge forward onto all fours from a sitting position. She may go into a "precrawl" exercise, rocking back and forth on hands and knees with her trunk parallel to the floor. Most babies begin to crawl between 7 and 10 months. A few never crawl at all and bide their time until they're ready to walk!

Your baby's emotions are becoming more obvious. Over the next few months, she may learn to assess and imitate moods and might show the first stirrings of empathy. For instance, if she hears someone crying, she may start crying too. And even though your baby's just beginning to learn about her emotions, she's picking things up from you. Over the many months (and years) to come, your child will likely copy the way she sees you treat people.

By now your baby's emotions are becoming more obvious. She may throw a kiss to familiar people, and even repeat it if you clap in appreciation.

If your baby sleeps in a separate room and gets anxious about nighttime separations, spend some extra cuddle time reading, snuggling, and playing mellow music with her before you put her to bed. Having a regular bedtime routine she can count on will give her the security she needs to make falling asleep easier.

Your baby will appreciate the consistency and predictability of a set pattern every night, and even better, she'll be more relaxed and more likely to go to bed easily. Just make sure you choose something that helps calm your baby instead of riling her up.

While you can certainly start your ritual in the bathroom or the living room, it should end in your baby's bedroom or wherever she sleeps. It's important to teach your baby that her sleeping area is a nice place to be, not just where she's "banished" at bedtime.

Even when you're away from home, stick to your routine as much as possible. It can make it easier for your baby to settle down in an unfamiliar environment.

-BabyCenter.com

This child is going to be running before you know it! ACK!

Patch Pezo

I am so excited that one of my best friends Gaby is in town visiting. I'm so happy she's gotten a chance to meet Mila! Gaby is such an entertainer! Her clown nose is reminscent of the Robin Williams movie, Patch Adams.... too funny!

New Food: Peas

Mila tried peas for the first time! I love her funny faces!!!

"Wahhhhhhhhhhhh! Peas yucky! Wahhhhhhhhh!"

"My foot tastes better than this, Mommy."

"Peas, you gotta go. Pffffff!"

OUCH!!!

I was nursing Mila at bedtime, the lights are dim, the sound machine is lulling me to sleep... when suddenly I'm jolted by this fierce pinching on my boob! She bit me!!! I was so surprised by it that I gasped loudly and it seemed to have scared Mila. She started crying. And not the regular crying, no. This was all-out wailing! I felt awful, I didn't mean to scare her! :( She calmed down after a few minutes though. But, man, that hurt!!!!

Since then, whenever I nurse her, I hold my breath, scared that she'll bite again. But days went by and she was great. She didn't bite at all... then last night she bit me again. THREE TIMES. And HARD! Oh my goodness -- I don't know what to do. I swear, she bit me so hard, I cried! Ugh! It brings back memories of those first few weeks of breastfeeding and how painful it was... I flinch when I think about it! I'd hate to go through that again. It was just awful! 

I referred to my baby reference guide, "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears and he says instead of pulling baby off the boob, which can then cause more pain because you're scraping the teeth off of the nipple, to pull baby very close to you so it makes it difficult for them to breathe and then they open their mouths and pull off. This also creates an uncomfortable position that will discourage them from doing it again. But it's so counterintuitive! It's like a shark is biting your leg and instead of pulling your leg away, your giving it more of your leg to chew on. Yes, Mila is a shark. This little shark has chomps that rival Jaws. 

I still have yet to actually do that method though. I can't help but pull her off immediately. She bites so hard that I scream. Literally, I yelp! I can't help it! It hurts! She doesn't seem phased by it now, though. She just looks at me, startled. Then I say sternly, "Mila! NO BITING!" I hate that I might sound a bit mean to her, but in that moment, it hurts like hell! And I really need her to know that biting is unacceptable.

Mila, I gotta tell ya. This biting thing -- it's a serious problem. I really hope we can work this out. I've had every intention to continue breastfeeding for at least a year, maybe even 2 years if I can because I know how good it is for you. So I'd hate for our breastfeeding relationship to be cut short because of this. But biting is definitely a deal breaker. Let's try to make it work, ok? No biting Mommy please.  Don't bite the boob that feeds you. Love you!

Mila's Earrings

This morning we got Mila's ear pierced. Jorge and I have been going back and forth on this for months and we finally decided to do it. I had mine pierced when I was a baby and I'm so glad I did. So we thought we'd get Mila's pierced as well. Not to mention that our family has been asking when we're going to get it done! We finally decided to do it a few weeks ago, but then Mila got the sniffles and then she had her vaccine appointment so it kept being delayed. Finally we scheduled it for today. I'd been dreading this day for months! My mom went with me to take Mila.

Last night I barely slept thinking about it. And all morning I had a horrible pit in my stomach knowing we'd be going. Ugh.

We considered going to Claire's to get it done, mostly because they do it all the time and they had a larger earring selection. But we ultimately decided to get it done at the doctor's office instead mostly because we'd have a private room (at Claire's it'd be out in the open) and I knew Mila would be crying, so I wanted some privacy to try to calm her down without feeling like everyone was staring at us.

We left the house early to stop by CVS and pick up some Bacitracin that my friend Spencer recommended. It's an antibacterial ointment that also helps calm the pain. We ended up getting to the doctor's office half an hour early, but they let us in right away. The pit in my stomach was totally making me feel nauseous. Mila was in a good mood -- she had no idea... that is, until the nurse came in. Mila stared at her. The nurse took out some alcohol to wipe her ears and asked us to lay her down on the examining table... and that's when Mila lost it. I think she smelled the alcohol and knew what was coming.  :(

The nurse had to wipe her ears and then was going to mark a dot on each one so she could make sure they would be even. Mila cried the whole time the nurse tried to mark the dot. She knew. Poor thing! We tried sitting her up, putting her in my lap -- nothing! It was awful. Finally, the nurse had to hide behind Mila so that she could calm down. And even then -- Mila kept turning around looking for her because she KNEW she was there. We tried distracting her with her favorite toys but that wasn't really working. Finally, with the nurse crouched down hiding, she was able to finish marking the dots and make sure they were even. All that took like 15 minutes, when it could have easily taken 1 minute and no tears had Mila not been so aware. Ugh -- we should have totally done this sooner!

The actual piercing was bad but it was over in a minute. Of course Mila cried. I almost cried too. She cried for just a couple of minutes afterwards and then she took the boob. She was actually much better as soon as the nurse left! She cried more before the piercing than during or after!

I thought she might be fussy afterwards, or that it might bother her, but I put the Bacitracin on and she's had no problems at all. She took a nap just fine and even though she's a tummy sleeper, it wasn't a problem.

I'm still untying all the knots in my stomach from this morning, but seeing that she's feeling alright, I feel better. I'm glad so glad it's over with! I'm still getting used to seeing her with them, but I think she looks cute. It was rough, but in the end, I'm happy we did it. I think when she gets older she'll be happy she has them, just like I am happy I have mine.

Baby This Week: 33 Weeks Old

Your baby is beginning to understand a lot about how things in his world work. One example is "object permanence" — understanding that an object continues to exist even after it disappears from sight. That's why peekaboo is a favorite game. Similarly, if your baby drops a toy out of her crib or highchair, she may look for it, whereas in the past she cried for the object because it had gone missing.

If your baby is like most at this age, she's showing signs of separation anxiety. Far from being a cause for concern, stranger anxiety is a sign of your baby's growing understanding of the world around her.

Earlier, when you left the room, your baby was hardly phased. Now she knows that you're gone — and she's able to picture you and miss you — and may begin to cry as soon as you're out of her sight.

Your baby's reluctance to be separated from you may delight you or just plain frustrate you at times. If you head out to do an errand and your baby's staying home, shower her with loads of hugs and kisses before you head out the door and tell her you'll be back shortly. She won't understand that you'll be returning in an hour, but the love and affection might comfort her and tide her over until she sees you again.

Also, try to have a ritual of leaving that she can rely on each time you go and leave her with someone she's familiar with. That way, if she can't have Mom or Dad, at least she'll feel happy with her temporary caretaker.

Note: Even if your baby has been sleeping soundly through the night, she may now wake up periodically if she's experiencing separation anxiety — the two seem to be connected.

Teething can start as early as 3 months or as late as 12 months, but most babies sprout their first white caps (typically the two middle teeth on the bottom) between 4 and 7 months of age. Don't be alarmed if your baby has gaps between her pearly whites. Teeth often come up through the gums at odd angles, and spaces commonly disappear by age 3, after all 20 baby teeth have broken through.

Once your baby starts teething, you can expect more drooling and experimenting with sounds as she adjusts to having these strange new things in his mouth.

To ease your baby's discomfort, give her something to chew on, such as a firm rubber teething ring or a cold washcloth. She may also get some relief from eating cold foods such as applesauce or yogurt (if she's eating solids) as the cold may temporarily numb the pain. Giving a baby a hard, unsweetened teething cracker to gnaw on is another time-honored trick. You can also try rubbing your finger over his sore gums or applying an oral pain relief gel.

- BabyCenter.com

Bedtime Routine

Mila's bedtime routine:

Dinner on Daddy's lap.

Then it's bathtime!

Daddy helps me put on my pijamas.

"This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth..."

Mommy brushes my two teeth.

Daddy combs my hair.

Then I pick out two books...

and then Daddy reads them to me. 

Then Daddy sings to me "Everyone Loves Mila" and "The Wheels on the Bus" in spanish. Then we say our goodnights and Mommy dims the lights and puts on our Rockabye Baby CD and Daddy dances with me to the music. Afterwards, Mommy comes in and gives me a night time snack and I'll usually fall asleep on the boob. :)

Then I'm up again because I want to play, but Mommy rocks me back to sleep. I usually do this a couple of times before I fall asleep for good. This drives Mommy and Daddy crazy, but Mommy and Daddy love me so much, they always come and get me and help me fall back asleep. 

Mommy and Daddy rock. :)