Friday, May 25, 2012

All Hail Antacids!

Bridget is suddenly an all-around happy baby! She has slept eight or nine hours in a row since last weekend (before that it was seven--still great, but this takes the cake), and better yet, she is cheerful when she's awake. Some of this might be due to the rapidly approaching twelve-week mark; I remember Will getting easier then, too, and Bridget reminds me a lot of Will as a baby. But we're also somewhat in debt to a handy-dandy $2 fix I like to call The Holy Grail of Infant Medicine: the Almighty Zantac.

Behold the magic:





We resisted asking for the prescription because Bridget was sleeping well, and the spitting up wasn't too terrible. But at the start of the week she wasn't settling in the Baby Bjorn the way she had been, and the spitting up had become bothersome. So I requested the Zantac, and she's honestly a different baby. Her daily spit-up count has gone from maybe eight to three. She actually enjoys her bouncy seat, and she's ALWAYS smiling, cooing and laughing. Dave finally feels like he can get to know his daughter because she's not constantly draped over or snuggled up to me. 

Of course, by the end of Bridget's first week of true Awesome Baby status, I'm already jonesing for full nights of eleven or twelve hours in her crib and for her to suddenly go to sleep on her own. I'm wondering when we can/should take the pacifier away, and planning to review the Ferber method. So I have to remind myself to take baby steps here and enjoy this feeling of relief and gratitude before setting the bar even higher for my little two-month-old and her overtaxed parents.

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Pacifier Rejection

It appears that Bridget is my first in yet another way; she's my first baby to doggedly reject the pacifier. I've been trying for two and a half months, and she does allow it now and then...but this morning I tried to cajole her into taking it and she gagged, puked, and then threw up a few more times for good measure. I called our pediatrician's office, and the nurse suggested checking for fever (she had none) and letting her nap (she took one), and only making an appointment if she threw up again (she hasn't, so far). The nurse also posited that Bridget might just not like the pacifier, and that's what got me thinking. She spits it out regularly, she doesn't seem to require it to fall asleep--or at least, it doesn't help her fall asleep more quickly. So maybe we're done with them, already? 

A baby--
 wrapped in a swaddle--
 wrapped in an enigma--
--well, not quite.


Friday, May 18, 2012

Big Day for Bridget

We celebrated Bridget's christening last weekend. It was a lot of fun, and the little girl was pretty exhausted throughout. Which is understandable, considering this little ten-week-old monkey has an "awake" threshold of about twenty minutes during the day and one longer stretch of alertness after she's slept all day long. Anyway, I'll stop digressing. Here are some photos from the ceremony itself; more pictures from the party and family visits to follow!



Will was hanging onto the side of the font...


...so Fr. Steve asked if he wanted a little of the holy water and splashed him!



Bridget was quiet and looked a bit puzzled as she was baptized.

Her dad, brothers and godmothers looked on.

Daddy lights the baptismal candle.

We join the procession out.


With godmothers Kerry (L) and Jen (R)



Will's BFF Connor surprised him by showing up at the church with Auntie Ceci, and they were happy to see each other and romp a little after doing a GREAT job during the ceremony. (Finny was very well-behaved, too.)






Bridget's fan base!

Monday, May 7, 2012

Will at 3.5 Years

Okay, the first half of "three" was a bit tough. Or, more specifically, the second quarter of age three. Will was testing and whining and falling apart over nothing like we'd never seen before. Literally--we'd never seen him act like that before, ever, which was lucky in retrospect but horrifying in the present. And now he's back (perhaps temporarily, but I'll take it).


He had been doing things like coming out of his room every few minutes at bedtime because he needed Chapstick, and refusing to nap even though he really needed a nap, and piling all of his blankets and animals in the corner of his bed and then complaining that "my bed is messed up and I need help fixing it." He was also crying after purposely knocking into Finny, because Finny was crying and he wanted to avoid blame, or at least avoid a harsher punishment. It was SO annoying.

Who, me?

Now his most annoying behaviors are things like coming out of bed because he needs to pee, and playing too long in his bed before nap so that when he does fall asleep he's groggy when it's time to wake up; he sometimes still pushes Finn or cries at the drop of a hat, but he also is doing things like finding pacifiers for Bridget when she makes the faintest of whimpers, or reporting that "I told Finn to go to sleep, I told him and told him. That's my job because I'm his big brother."


He says things like "I'm just gonna pause dinner for a sec, 'cause I have to go pee. OK?" His tone is the funniest shade of blasé when he says it.
Or, when I tell him I don't want him to grow up because I love him just the way he is, "But Mom, I HAVE to grow up to be a grownup!" 



He also tells elaborate stories (just like I reportedly did as a kid) and I have to purse my lips to keep from grinning at them. He knows I know it's fiction, but he gets embarrassed when my expression betrays how cute and clever I find him.
So I try to keep a straight face.






It's so hard, though, with this guy around.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Two Crazy Kids


Kerry & Christian are getting married!

 Remember when they did this for us?

They are truly wonderful friends,
and an even better couple.


Congratulations to the future Mr. and Mrs.!
We love you guys!


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Friends These Days

Bridget (on the couch) and Gracie's first "slumber party"

With friends at the annual Myers Easter egg hunt

Jack and Will co-piloting the bus

Julie loving on Bridget
(she also gave B her first pair of shoes--and they're gold!):

Will and Connor, of course

Here's Riley!

 And Ethan!

 The Orr girls came for pizza



And Jim, Lauren and CJ came all the way from New Jersey!