The Kello Show

Hannah turned two months yesterday and today was her doctor's appointment.  At two months, our girl weighs 9 lbs, 12 oz and is in the 10-25th percentile for weight.  She is 22 inches long and in the 25-50th percentile for height.  I think she's got daddy's metabolism (thank goodness for small miracles!).

She "chatted" and smiled with the doctor.  She was a perfect little patient.  And then she got her shots.  Three of them. She cried some, but was fine once she got her breast friend.  She slept on the way home and has been her normal happy self ever since.  That's our girl!


And now for something completely different...

I am a domestic goddess. That's right. Yesterday, I decided to whip out the stand mixer (thank you Aunt Jackie!) and I made chocolate chip cookies, bread, and cinnamon rolls. I don't know exactly what got into me, except to say that I can't do anything without going big. That's just how I roll.  So, the house has smelt delicious for two days now and I think Kelly might just be coming out of a butter-induced coma.   

I never want to buy a loaf of bread again. It's so easy when a mixer does all the work for you. And, I can actually pronounce all the ingredients that go into the bread that I make.  Definitely no high fructose corn syrup here (says the girl who loves a nice coke every now and then).

OK, they didn't MAKE me do it, but I've always wanted to be a cool kid, and I feel like this is my one chance. 


In case you don't know what the hey diddle diddle I'm talking about, head over to Supah's blog and see what it's all about. 


5 Quirks


1. Let's start with a pretty pertinent one: because I am tragically unhip, I had no idea that "meme" was may-may, I thought it was meeeem.  I have this issue sometimes because I read a lot, so sometimes I know a word and what it means, but I haven't got the foggiest how to say it.  Yeah, didn't learn the Greek and Latin roots.  Perhaps that's why I didn't rock the verbal GRE.  Bring on the analytical!


2. I'm not a very good speller. This is particularly odd when you know me pretty well, because, well, let's see: a. I was an English undergrad major (and read a lot - see #1) , b. I studied linguistics in graduate school, c. I formerly made a living as a college writing instructor, and d. I currently make a living as an editor and writer.  I blame this on my dad who has been known to spell his own daughters' names incorrectly (Sorry dad, it's true). Thank goodness for spell check.


3. I have a deep-seated desire to be musical, and I am in no way musical.  I played the cello as a child, but quit before jr. high because I didn't want to be a "band geek." Oh, if only I had known.  I have very musical friends. In fact four of them live in the same house (Julia-Rach-Jack-Cody).  It's rough.


4. I like all things medical.  I like watching having my blood drawn. I get this one from my mother-the-nurse. Family dinners at our house growing up often involved discussions of blood. I used to watch the surgery channel quite a bit.  I like hearing what procedures people have done and I ask lots of questions of doctors.


5. I'm not really a fan of clothes or shoes. As soon as I get home, all non-essentials get taken off.  I don't want to wear anything "nice" around the house, including jeans. It's usually all about the sweats.  

So, Supah, I played along. Ain't you proud?

...with a capital "T" and that rhymes with "E," which stands for "energy," which I have little of these days.
So, our little munchkin has a cold (Oh, the guilt! Do we take her out too much? Did we let someone hold her who was sick?). She started feeling yucky on Tuesday night. Her eyes were all watery and she was congested. So, for the last few nights, she has been waking up every two hours or so. Mostly, she snorts and then coughs or whines, and I run to pick her up because I'm paranoid. I spoke with the doctor's office and they said no need to worry. Just use a humidifier and elevate her head. Check. So, she's starting to feel better, but this not sleeping has got me thinking about sleep. A lot.
I wonder if our sleep routine is "normal." I hate the word "normal" when it comes to babies, because they're all different. But, who are we kidding? We compare anyway.
So, this is the nightly routine for us, give or take half an hour:
7:30 breastfeed
8:00 bath
8:30 bottle with daddy (this one gets her good and full for a longer sleep stretch)
9:00 humming and rocking with mommy
9:30 if the humming and rocking didn't work out so well, top off of breastfeeding and then more humming and rocking
She's usually down by 9:30, but often 10:00. I would love to get her to go down a little earlier, so Kell and I can do the things we like to do, but never can find time to (Sewing for me, and writing for Kelly). But, even if we bump the routine up a little, I'm still rocking and humming until 9:30.
Then, she wakes up somewhere between 1:00 and 3:00 and then again between 4:00 and 6:00 and is usually up for the day between 8:00 and 9:00. It's not too bad, really, except for this last week. I feel worked.
So, anyone want to come for a sleepover? MommyBrain? You can bring ToddlerBrain. SupahMommy? BroadBrains? Bueller? Bueller? I promise to save the 3:00 AM feeding for you. And, Hannah's room is really comfy.

Today our girl is 8 weeks old. She is really strong and smart (don’t all parents say that?). Here’s what she’s up to these days:

• She sits up against her Boppy.
• She loves to have us sing to her. Kell and I make up all kinds of crazy songs for her, often involving lyrics like “Bella Girl loves Hannah Beth” and “Mommy wears her glasses at night” and “Daddy loves to kiss the baby” and "I'm a duck, quack, quack." You know, whatever seems pertinent at the time.
• Two nights ago, she went down at 10:30 and slept until 4:00. Wow! But, then last night, she was back to every 3 hours. You win some; you lose some.
• She can hold her rattle and shakes it, but it’s completely unintentional.
• She loves mirrors. When I change her in the bathroom, she turns her head to watch me in the mirror.
• She will copy what you do. If I stick out my tongue, she tries to stick hers out (and she’s pretty successful).
  
• Kelly swears she says things like, "Momma," "no," and "Hannah." I don't have the heart to tell him that's just how babies cry.
  
• She recognizes Kelly and me and smiles in response to us. This has to be the coolest thing ever. Melts my heart every time.

Yesterday, Hannah went for her first hike. We went up to Wildwood to hike along the Salmon River. It was lovely. The trail was really well maintained and there is even an underwater viewing area ala Sea World. Hannah slept the whole time in the sling (thank you, Aunt Jackie!). Bella had a blast splashing in the river. It was so much fun.

Speaking of birthdays (What?!? We weren't speaking of birthdays? Oh well!)... my 30th was yesterday, hence the day off for Kelly and the hiking. It started with breakfast -- chocolate chip pancakes and bacon -- then the hike, then Kell made dinner (meatloaf, at my request -- he makes the best meatloaf). We even watched Pride & Prejudice, which I've seen at least a million times and still love. Jane Austen rocks. And, Kell got me a gym membership and an offer to watch the girl for a couple of hours so I can hit the gym. That is so awesome. It was the best birthday ever.

Hannah is six weeks old now and getting bigger. She is finally filling out the newborn clothes and we might even be able to start putting her in 0-3 month stuff. It's been too big thus far.
While I'm on the topic of clothes, perhaps Carter's can explain something to me: Sleepers. They fit her in length (maybe even a tiny bit short). You can fit another whole baby in around the waist. And, the arms are insanely long. Who are these long-armed fatty shorties that Carters designs for? I'm sure other people have other issues, which makes me wonder, do any babies fit perfectly in these things? But, I digress.
Our girl is getting stronger every day. During tummy time this morning, she lifted her whole upper half up off the mat. She's getting good at finding her thumb for sucking too. She's happy about 98% of the time and when she's not, I'm sure it's my fault (I'm just prepping myself for when she's a teenager and loathes her mother). But really, she's the best thing since sliced bread, which, if you really think about, is pretty great and useful.
Kell's mom and brother are in town from Tacoma for a visit to meet our sweet girl. Uncle Nick is excellent at rocking her bouncy seat to put her to sleep and Grandma Sheila tells us things that daddy and Hannah have in common. Everyone agrees that she's beautiful. :)

Hannah turned one month old on July 30th and we wanted to post some updated pictures. She's growing up so fast. She's started to get a little bit of chub to her legs, but not much. She is sleeping longer at night (mostly 4 hour chunks) and she spends more time awake during the day. She is particularly alert in the morning around 9:30, and at night around 7:00. She's so much fun.
This was a busy weekend for us. We had the Sandy Relay for Life on Friday. We only stayed a couple of hours, but got to catch up with friends. Our friend Cody's daughters, Ava and Melody were so excited to hold Hannah.
Saturday was Tyler Ferguson's second birthday. For those of you who don't know, I met Ty's mom at work and we've been great friends since. We sometimes discuss an arranged marriage. Ty's little sister Olivia is just a few months older than Hannah and we know they'll be the best of friends. The party was lots of fun and it gave Hannah a chance to wear her new yellow sundress from Grandpa Frank. Isn't she pretty?
When Grandma Anna was here, she planted a Sweet Hannah rose. Well, because of all the heat, she's blooming already, sweet little off-white blooms. So delicate, just like our girl.