My perfect afternoon

I rushed out of here (work) as soon as I was allowed (315PM) and quickly made my way to Lovie's day care. It was beautiful out -sunny skies, cool breeze.

I made my way into the center and immediately noticed that it didn't reek of poop. Yahoo! When I made my way into Lovie's room (it's a huge center with classrooms for every age group including a Kindergarten - and though I call it a day care, it's actually a preschool as every teacher is degreed in education), I immediately saw her sitting in a Bumbo nearby the entrance. She was facing the door so when I said, "Hiiiiii" in my momma-loves-you-more-than-anything-and-everything voice, her eyes darted to me and her face immediately lit up like she had just won the lottery even though it was me who feels this way anytime I'm with her.

I scooped her up into my arms and smothered her with kisses and she rewarded me with some chunky spitup. One of the teachers gave me a light blue tissue wrapped something. I figured it had something to do with Mother's Day. They gave me her "report card" (states when she ate, how much she ate, when and how long she napped, when her diaper was changed and if she pee'd or pooped, if she needs clothes or diapers or wipes, etc) and told me she guzzled her bottles down at each feeding. I also noted she napped a good amount which made me happy because it meant she might stay up with me until bedtime!

While the car ride home wasn't her best (she's normally pretty quiet but wasn't too happy for some reason), she eventually passed out and we made it home and up the stairs as she continued to nap. I quickly logged the times and quantity she ate and threw her last bottle into some hot water as I knew she'd be hungry. After changing my clothes, I got her out of the car seat and into my arms where she stretched and molded herself into me (god I love that feeling). We talked for a minute, I gave her a ridiculous amount of kisses, and then I fed her the bottle which she guzzled.

We chatted for a bit and practiced standing (she just loves to stand and sit straight) before I let her chill out in the bouncy chair (she used to hate sitting in this until recently) while I opened the tissue wrapped gift from earlier.

How absolutely ridiculously sweet is that? The stems of the flowers is a cutout of her hand imprint. And the pot says I am like a flower that's raised with love by you. You help me grow up big and strong. Mom, thanks for all you do.

So darn sweet. :)

We played and talked and sang and giggled the next hour and half. (Lovie's getting very close to sitting on her own; I think we both can taste it.)

At 630, we made our way into the kitchen where I sat Lovie down in the Bumbo and made some rice cereal and another bottle. She ate up all of her cereal and cried again when I didn't put more into her mouth (there was no more but I think that after 3 days of tasting it and liking it and crying when there is no more proves I can start making and giving a bit more). I scooped her up and assured her that she was getting a bottle, too. We made our way to the couch where we relaxed while she drank up her bottle. (And again, although it was only an hour and 45 minutes since her last feeding, she drank it all up!)

I changed her diaper, put her in some pj's, read a book, sang "Momma loves you" (a song I made up to the tune of some Christmas song) to her as I rocked her for just a minute before laying her down in the crib, popped in her binky, danced with the Seahorse, turned on the noise machine, placed my hand on her belly as I bent over and into the crib to kiss on my baby doll, and said Good-night.

I left her room to wash the bottles and prep them for today which was when the hubs finally got home. He went in to kiss his baby girl and said she was just about asleep.

After bottle duty, I farted around with some pictures on the computer, ate dinner, and went to bed only waking twice to pop a binky in Lovie's mouth (third night in a row - shhhhh - she's slept through the night without any feedings!).

And I get to do it all over again today! Cannot wait until 315!

time for a highchair!!

Last night was one of the hubs's "late nights" at work and then he went out with friends who he hasn't seen since before Lovie was born so I was flying solo.

No biggie, to be honest. Lovie makes it pretty easy and to be blunt, I already do most things on my own anyway: I get her and myself ready in the morning, I drive her to daycare, pick her up from daycare. More than not, I clean all her bottles from the day and prepare the next days bottles. More than not, I give her her baths every other night (though this may change to every night now that she's covering herself in food). More than not, I get up with her on the weekends.

The hubs is great with Lovie, please don't misunderstand any of what I've said. He feeds her, changes her, plays with her, tends to her, bathes her, too. If I vanished tomorrow, I'm pretty sure he'd be able to handle life with her alone though it would be trickier than if the tables were turned (primarily because he doesn't know the codes to get in and out of daycare).

It was night two with solids and Lovie did fabulous again.

this pic was taken on 5/4/10 and is Lovie's first solid food experience

I popped her into her Bumbo and put her on the kitchen counter (yes I know very well that the Bumbo was recalled so that they could put a sticker on it stating that it's to be used on the floor because there were lots of injuries as a result of people putting their baby in a Bumbo on an elevated surface and the baby falling but I promise you that I'm a very attentive parent and kept her far from the edge of the counter and kept her right next to me at all times) so that she could be right next to me while I prepped her cereal and bottles. She loved sitting up so high and looked around and smiled the entire time. I kept her there when I fed her the cereal too and she did great again! I think she likes having something other than liquids in her mouth and belly. She gobbled up everything I prepared (two baby spoonfuls of rice cereal) and then cried when I stopped feeding her! Fortunately I had a bottle warmed and ready to go so she sucked that thing down straight away following the rice cereal.

My only concern is that she ate all of this only an hour and a half after her previous bottle and she typically goes 3-4 hours between feedings! (Her bedtime is no later than 7PM because she has to be up around 515-530AM so regardless of when her last feeding is, I've been giving her a bottle before bed so that she's not waking at 10PM to eat. And it's been working. In fact ::knocks on wood:: the past several nights, Lovie hasn't had anything to eat until the next morning!) Did she drink so much because the rice cereal got her little taste buds stimulated?Or did she drink because she was hungry even though she had just eaten 90 minutes prior?

I'm a believer that babies don't overeat... but what about once they start solids? I mean, I know for damn certain that *I* overeat so now I'm concerned about Lovie.

We'll see what transpires tonight.
So now we're on the quest for a high chair. I told the hubs that once we get one and if she takes to it like I think she might, maybe I could actually... I dunno... prepare a meal again (I'm ashamed to say that I can't recall the last time I cooked)! I envision Lovie sitting in her high chair with toys or food, while I talk to her as I cook. If we start doing this now, maybe it can become habitual and thereby making it easier to continue doing so in the future as well.

The money we would save if we stopped ordering delivery or takeout is, I'm sure, a lot. And I really want to raise Lovie in a fashion so that she can value dinner time.

Without really looking into any high chairs, I'm hoping to find one that has an adjustable height (so she can sit high when I'm cooking and lower when we're at the table), that has the option to recline (she's still not able to sit on her own), that won't take up a ton of room (maybe something that can fold down??), and that will last until she no longer needs a high chair. Also, it would be nice to have something that's not too babyish. Or pink. Lovie may be a baby and a girl, but that doesn't automatically mean that everything has to have pink puppies on it.

If you have any loves or hates when it comes to high chairs, I'd love to hear from you.