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Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:21:01 -0500

Another milestone reached!

4 Months Old!

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 12:13:06 -0500

Meadow will be four months old on Tuesday. Time is just flying by! Our daughter is super-awesome and Jason and I really enjoy being parents.

Meadow is steadily improving her hand-eye coordination, and it is really cool to watch her progress as she becomes less and less of an infant, and more and more of a little person.

Here is a video I took today that shows off how much she loves to talk, and her new hand skills.

Nothing New Here!

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:13:35 -0500

Nothing really big and exciting happening here, but I thought I'd update since it's been a while. Meadow is nearly 16 weeks old now, and we are enjoying her more than ever! She smiles and "talks" frequently now. She has just started to use her hands; she can pick up large objects with both hands (and, of course, they go right to her mouth).

As I said in my last post, Meadow is a very particular baby, and she expresses her opinions loudly! She wants nothing at all to do with a pacifier or bottle, and gets very angry if you try to give her one. She also still hates her carseat and stroller. We think it is because she likes being social, and those are not social times for her. Speaking of social, she loves to "chat" with everyone, especially other babies. It is fun to hear her make her baby noises to everyone.

Meadow has started refusing to go to sleep, both at night and for naps. We have started sleep training her because, like her mother, she gets quite grumpy if she doesn't get enough shuteye! Fortunately, once she is asleep for the evening, she usually does not wake up more than once to eat.

However, last night she woke up four times! We decided to remove the wedge that she used to sleep on, since the sides kept her pretty stationary, and she hasn't yet rolled over. My thought was that this would give her the freedom to move around a little more at night, which would strengthen her "rolling over muscles." Well, move around she did! Every time she woke me up she had her head rammed up against the bars! Poor kid. Now, I did not get a crib bumper before she was born because the AAP says they increase the risk of SIDS, but last night I sure was wishing I had one! Finally at 4 AM I rolled up some blankets and placed them at the sides of the crib. Not very SIDS friendly, but waking up four times at night is not acceptable, either! I would welcome suggestions for a more permanent solution that does not have the risk of suffocation (however small).

Well, I know you all came for the pictures and not my babbling, so here are some funny ones I took to try and show my mommy that her eyes are changing color (to brown, I think).

All About Meadow

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 13:04:50 -0500

Meadow, now 12 weeks old, has developed an awesome personality. She is a lot of fun to have around these days, and even lets us sleep every once in a while!

Almost everyone we meet comments on how "interactive" and "alert" she is for such a young baby. She loves to watch what others are doing, and smile at them if they look over at her. She especially enjoys watching young children play; today at church Meadow squealed with happiness as a four-year-old did a little dance for her! I think she will enjoy having foster kids around when we decide we are ready for that.

But Meadow is not always bright and chipper; she is quite vocal about her preferences, and if she doesn't like something, she will let you know! For instance, because she is such a social bug, Meadow hates being in her car seat. Being alone in the back of the car is not her idea of fun. She also gets quite angry if you aren't in the same room she is in (even if you're just stepping into the bathroom for a second)! Yes, she is a big fan of attention and people!

Another strong preference she has: she does not like to lay down except when sleeping. She doesn't have reflux or anything; I think she just likes sit up so she can see everything. Also, when she is carried she only wants to be held facing outward - nothing else is acceptable!

I know, we have a pretty high-maintenance baby. But honestly, I don't think I would want it any other way. It's great having a child with a strong personality at a such a young age. She will grow up to be "her own person," and that is exciting to me.

I will end my little post with the obligatory "baby in the bath" video that it seems every parent is supposed to make at some point :-)

Racist!

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:09:46 -0500

I promise I will write an update about Meadow soon, but something interesting happened today that I just have to write about.

Jason and I have started looking for another house. We would LOVE to live near Reid Park, a giant park in the center of Tucson with four playgrounds, an outdoor stage, baseball fields, two ponds, a rose garden, a golf course, a zoo, and pretty much the only large trees/grassy areas in town.

The only downside to this plan is that all of the surrounding communities were build in the 50s and 60s. One thing we have to do with these older properties is look through old paperwork in the property's file for addition permits, major repairs (or lack thereof), etc. Today I came across a phrase in a property contract which shocked my socks off. I copied it so I could share with you:

Yes, I know it was the 50s, but it is still baffling to me that they would actually write in the contract that no one except white people were allowed to occupy houses in this neighborhood! Also, why were "Asiatics" allowed to own the houses on Campbell Road, but nowhere else? Apparently they are only marginally acceptable?

I know racism is still around in our day and age, but I am soooo glad that I live in a time where, at the very least, our mortgage contracts are no longer racist. Because that is just crazy.

Happy Holidays!

Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:37:05 -0500

We survived four different plane rides with an infant! (Hopefully the other passengers survived, too!)

We first traveled to Colorado where we spent a week with Jason's family. We had lots of fun spending time with the relatives as well as some of Jason's childhood friends. Meadow loved the side-to-side baby swing so much that we bought one off Craigslist when we got home - a great investment!

Christmas Eve was the last day we had there, so that was when we opened presents. The best part was seeing Grandma and Grandpa open the present we bought them, which was just perfect for our poker-playing hunter Grandpa. Thanks, Ebay!

Jason's sister Candace is starting up a photography business, so she took a bunch of cutesy pictures of Meadow and the fam. Here is just a taste:

On Christmas day we flew to Iowa, since my brother Taylor was getting married the next day. It was a beautiful wedding, and we had a lot of fun despite the bitter cold and loads of snow. Here is Taylor with his bride, Anna. What a great couple they are.

We also finally got to meet our nephew, Reuben (Taylor and Anna's son) for the first time. He is adorable in every way!

I didn't take very many pictures while on holiday, but I am hoping to get some more from the relatives that did take some - especially of Meadow and our other nephew, Nathan (Candace and Jeremy's son). But here is one last picture that I have - a picture of Meadow Joyce Ard with her Grandma Joyce, who she is named after:

One Month

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:11:02 -0500

Meadow is a month old now! Time has gone by so fast. I don't know how I would have gotten through it without the help of my mom coming for two weeks and Jason's parents coming for the week right after.

I've got just a few weeks to survive on my own before we go off to Colorado and then Iowa for Christmas. So far things have been going pretty well. Meadow loves to be held all the time, which is a huge adjustment - I have learned to do so many things with one hand!

We are so grateful that so far our baby has been very healthy and is growing well.

Thankfuls

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:38:20 -0500

The heavy stuff -

I am thankful for a wonderful husband who is also my best friend.
I am thankful for a beautiful, healthy daughter who already has a wonderful personality!
I am thankful that my mom and in-laws have been able to help out the last three weeks so that I wouldn't lose my sanity!
I am thankful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and God's love for us.
I am thankful for nature and all of God's beautiful creations.
I am thankful for music.
I am thankful for laughter.
I am thankful for so many supportive and loving friends and family members.

The B list -

I am thankful that my ankles are finally down to their normal size!
I am thankful for an Internet to surf while feeding the baby.
I am thankful for my favorite food - potatoes - and all of the wonderful fattening creations you can make with them.
I am thankful for the comfiest pillow in the world, which is also a "family heirloom" (Nana says that the pillow was probably made from feathers that her mother plucked and stuffed herself!)
I am thankful for tie dye and bell bottoms.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Video of Meadow

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:23:05 -0500

I now completely understand why people's blogs focus almost exclusively on their children once they have them; my life has been almost exclusively devoted to Meadow since she was born, so she is all I can think to blog about!

I have good news about the fussiness - we haven't had a fussy night since my last blog post! I'm not quite sure what did it, but at least one of the following things helped. First, many people suggested that the baby might be sensitive to certain foods I eat that get passed on in my breastmilk. Ceasing the consumption of chocolate seems to be correlated with a decrease in fussiness. Second, Meadow's awake time has shifted to be during the day instead of at night - hallelujah! Finally, I have given in to holding her all the time, even when she sleeps. It helps that I can just put her in the baby wrap and leave my hands free. She wants to be held all the time, but I am told this is pretty normal behavior for newborns - they were used to feeling bodily warmth and hearing your heartbeat 24/7 in the womb, so anything different is scary. Anyway, at least one of those things (probably all three combined) has really helped the situation. It's still difficult to get used to the erratic sleeping schedule of a newborn (which is also my erratic sleeping schedule) but at least it is no longer punctuated by bouts of inconsolable crying!

Most of you will find this video incredibly boring, and that is okay. I thought I'd post it anyway, mostly for the benefit of relatives and baby-hungry friends. Watching it is completely optional! (SPOILER ALERT: It is a video of a two-week-old baby doing baby things, like looking around, crying, and spitting up. Riveting, I know. A few interesting points - you can see in the first clip that she definitely has a dimple on her right cheek, and the second clip shows off her very flat head, which I have been told by every nurse who sees her that it is indicative of her breech status in the womb.)

Crying Baby

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:41:52 -0500

Five hours of wailing last night. Thank goodness my mom is here so we could take sanity shifts. Mylicon didn't work. The methods from "Happiest Baby on the Block" (swaddling, side lying, shushing, sucking...) didn't work. The swing, diaper changes, white noise, feeding, changing, singing didn't work. Crazy baby finally wore herself out at 3 AM! Any suggestions?