techie girl

Slane is into technology. Well, sort of. Maybe I should say, Slane is into eating technology. She likes things like computers, remote controls, and cell phones. We think she might have even eaten things off of Q's phone. She has hung up on people and tried three way calls while chewing on our phones. So, we got her a baby cell phone, and we finally got out the baby computer from J and M. Slane loves them. She loves the lights and the sounds. She recognizes voices on our phones and from videos on the computer, and loves playing with hers. The phone is especially beneficial when we are on our phones, because we give her hers and she doesn't try to chew on ours. And or course, she plays with the computer while we are on ours. Silly girl.

Photoshop this....

Apparently we have given birth to a baby who can shoot LASER BEAMS from her eyes.

the club

Q and I are very excited to meet our new niece who was born yesterday. Her name is Ella Jean, and she was born at 5:53 pm on October 2. She weighed in at 6 pounds and 10 ounces, and is 19 and 3/4 inches long. She was born via emergency c-section and the last word was that she is in the NICU due to fluid in her lungs. My sister hadn't seen her yet as of 9 0'clock last night, but I was texted a picture, and she is beautiful.

So, I welcome my sister to the c-section club as I was welcomed by someone before me. It is a tough club to join. One has to be strong, and willing to let go of previous beliefs that she who gets a c-section is she who is weak. She has to believe that she did the best she could (and after 2 1/2 hours of pushing, I would say so), and now she and her baby are both healthy and happy. She has to stop telling herself she should have done something different, or that she gave up.

The woman who has a c-section is just as strong and tough of the woman who got to deliver the natural way. She will be jealous of those who did not have c-sections, and with every friend or acquaintance who also has the c-section, she will remember her own experience. She will question the circumstances of her own surgery.

Having a c-section can be traumatic, especially if one is not prepared for that possibility, or if one's c-section was super emergency due to complications. The woman who has a c-section will always have a scar to prove that she is amazing, and lucky to be among us.

Welcome to the c-section club, B.

closet battle

My sister gave Slane three big bags of clothes last week, and now Slanes clothes and mine are fighting for closet/dresser space. I think it is time to move on from the changing table and get Slane a dresser. I'm not sure where it will go, but it is definitely needed. Right now many of her things are in a big pile on the floor because we are not sure where else to put them. We also got a bag of clothes that I (and probably a few cousins ahead of me) wore back in the day, and Slane wore one of my dresses to church yesterday. So far we've been making small apartment/bad floor plan work, but as Slane gets bigger it will be more difficult. I tell myself it is just until May or so--keep your eyes open for a decent rental for us.

Speaking of my sister, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of her baby (due on Wednesday!!). We want to meet Slane's newest cousin.

Thanks J for the high chair. It makes feeding Slane her green beans, applesauce, peaches, and carrots so much easier.

One more note--I got the measurements. Last Tuesday, Slane weighed 19 pounds even and was 27 1/4 inches long/tall. What a big girl!

6 month wellness check

We miss Dr. B. Yesterday was Slane's 6 month wellness check. Q and I always make bets on weight and length, so I was so busy determining if I won or lost that I didn't pay close attention to the exact weight and height. Dr. B's nurse always wrote it down for me, but Dr. W's nurse did not. We go back on Friday for flu shots, so I will ask if someone can write it for me then.

Slane weighs somewhere around 19 pounds, and is 27 1/4 inches long/tall. Everything looks good. She did not like having her ears checked, and wasn't really in love with the tongue depresser either. She did love the paper on the scale. First she kicked at it, then began ripping shreds of paper (and loving it, laughing and smiling the whole time). Then she started to eat the paper, and that is when I removed all of the paper from the table. When the nurse walked in she put it back, and I chuckled at that. Why bother? I ask.

Dr. W seemed rushed. He didn't spend a lot of time answering my questions and didn't give me a lot of time to answer his questions. He didn't even show me the percentile chart. He wasn't as personable as Dr. B is, and I hope it was just that he was having a rough day or was trying to catch up or something.

Slane also got her 4 month shots yesterday. I had to close my eyes. Why can I handle getting my own shots, but I can't handle watching Slane get hers? It was a rough day at the public health clinic for us, because Slane also fell off of my lap just before we went in for the shots. She stabbed me in the eye, and I was cleaning my lense and she shifted her balance and landed on the floor with the diaper bag on top of her. I felt so bad, and embarrassed. She was fine, and she got over the shots quickly also.

Slane also got a treat for her 6 month birthday. Sunday we went to Des Moines and picked out a new jogging stroller. She has been trying to sit up and see more from her old stroller, so we decided it was time to upgrade to something more for "big" girls. Q tried it out last night on the disc golf course, and loved it. We got one with extra big wheels that detach so it fits in the trunk. Actually, that is why we chose that one. At first, I suggested a bigger car, but Q sent me out to the car with each stroller we were looking at so that I could try to get it in and out of the trunk by myself (make sense, if I can't do it, what is the point of getting it?). We love the extra features, like an MP3 player hookup, and lots of reflectors, and zipper pockets, and even a pedometer.

Watch out folks, she's mobile.

Q discovered what I already knew. Slane can move. I learned this on Saturday when we were trying to air out diaper rash. He learned yesterday when he stayed home sick, and to take care of Slane since Miss D had surgery.

She is getting really good at going smoothly from sitting up to her belly to her back. Tonight she went as far as her belly and did this little scoot thing to move forward. It was very cute watching, and it also means she will be crawling before we know it, and we need to get the house childproofed sooner rather than later (but high chair is higher on the priority list).

Yesterday Q had her on the bed. He turned for just a second, turned back around, and she was midair. He tried to catch her, but wasn't successful and she bonked her head as she landed. He felt so bad--but they are both okay now.

So, watch out. Slane is on her way.

doctor, doctor, give me the news

I got a bad case of being cute!

I get allergy shots, sometimes once a week, sometimes biweekly, sometimes every three weeks, depending on where I am in the regimen (being pregnant threw if off a bit, so now I am just catching up). I have been getting allergy shots for 4 years, 3 of those here in Grinnell. So between that, OB visits, and Slane wellness checks, I know everyone in the office pretty well.

So, when Slane was littler, I would leave her in her car seat in the lobby while I got my shot. I knew they were watching her and she wasn't going anywhere. Some people give me strange looks when I tell them that. If I lived in the city, I would never do that. But here, I'm not worried. When I get back to the lobby after my shot, it is true, Slane is usually not there. That's because she is behind the receptionist counter, out of her car seat, getting lots of love and attention from the receptionists and nurses. There are times when I am not sure I will get her back.

At my 6-week post-partum checkup, I brought Slane along. And then Dr. B decided we needed someone to watch her, so he took her to the nurses' station, and they had a great time with her.

These days, I take her back with me for the shot. Last time, she tried to grab the syringe, and Friday she tried to get the serum. Silly baby. And then we went to check out. First, I had to put her on the counter so she could be admired. Then she discovered that the window panes move. She had a great time playing with the window while everyone who was still there at 4:45 on a Friday cooed over her and said it seemed like I should still be pregnant, not carrying around an almost 6 month old baby.

Slane is definitely loved by the people who take care of her. And she is quite popular among the people at the doctor's office.