12/27/04

This was an unexpected snow day for all of us. Alan had today off for the holiday, I had put on our office calendar that I would be out, but wasn't sure if I would take the day off, and either way, had planned on taking Shara to school. We had a decent snow storm, so no one went out. I still wasn't feeling 100% (I hate that it was a wasted day off!), and didn't want to bundle Shara up and drive in the snow. So we just stayed home. Alan started with the first major child-proofing. He installed the "tot locks" on the lower cabinets in the kitchen. They work with a magnetic "key". I played with Shara and her new toys. She was cranky much of the day - again, think it's the teeth. What's good though is that she's quick to be distracted - tickle her, be silly, etc. and she laughs. It's just hard to keep doing so. So we played and she actually seemed to sleep an awful lot. Maybe she is fighting something. That's still the frustrating part of having a baby - she can't tell us what's wrong.

Shara also tried applesauce today. She seemed to like it, but let us know when she was done by popping her thumb in her mouth instead.

12/26/04

Tried an experiment last night. Since I wasn't feeling well, I decided I'd feed Shara if she woke in the night, rather than waking her up for a 9pm or 9:30 feeding, as I usually do. She already had 7 feeding today, so she didn't really need that last one. She went to sleep at about 7, she slept poorly last night (I think because she missed naps, having partied the night away). She didn't wake up until 6:30 in the morning!

We had our postponed Christmas celebration today and Uma and Jador's. Shara wasn't as happy as she was for Christmas Eve, but it was probably the teething (good excuse). She got some very nice presents - Leap Frog Learning Table, Leap Frog Reading Pad, and nice socks - which she desperately needed.

12/25/04

Today was a family "bed day". Mom was sick and almost through-up on Shara - good thing daddy was there to catch her. Yes, it was lovely. So we basically hung out in bed and mom ate triskets and tried to stay hydrated. I think Shara was a little bored with this situation, but did ok. We keep saying this, and there hasn't been any proof yet, but she's really showing that she's teething now. Or she could be fighting the stomach virus that I had.

12/24/04

We went to Sandra's for Christmas Eve. Her sisters and their families weren't there, but Susan, Cindy, Aunt Lillian, and Aunt Margaret were. It was very nice and Shara got her first Christmas present from Aunt Lillian. A baby doll for her to take care of when she's a little older. It's really cute. So was Shara - the bell of the ball. It was so nice that she had such a good time. She didn't stop smiling - obviously she loved being the center of attention, but I think she really liked having so much going on around her.

12/22/04

Shara tried rice cereal for the first time. I don't think she was too impressed. We'll try again tonight. I'm glad the doctor wanted us to start w/ rice cause she did big spitties after nursing, after the rice. Rice is the easiest to digest. I'm sure she'll like the fruits & veggies though.

12/21/04

Today is Shara's 6 month birthday and we all celebrated by bringing her to the doctor's to get her shots. She's still in the 50th percentile for height, weight and head circumference. I guess she isn't eating too much or too little. Tomorrow we'll start solids. The doctor said the rice cereal is the easiest to digest and we should start with that. It takes about 2 months to introduce all the foods, so that's why it'll take until she's 8 months to do the 3 meals a day. Lots of fun to look forward to! She took her shots in stride. She cried, but not the shreaking she did before, and then was laughing before we even left the doctor's office. She won't stop nursing now, so I'm guessing she isn't 100% herself.

12/05/04 - 12/18/04

Time always goes by fast around the holidays. We went to Bubbe and Papa's last weekend and had a great time. Shara had so much fun. It's nice spending time with my mom and Jill. I learn a lot of fun games to play with Shara. Mom, Shara and I were laughing so hard - Alan got some of it on video! Bubbe gave Shara Baby Tad and Aunt Jill gave her a Winkle and the Brio bell in the wooden cage (which she loves). Her cousins Liz and Sam gave her really cute clothes - warm, furry booties and a knit cartigan. We'll have to be sure to take pics of her in them.



For the first time Shara woke up at 3am, ready to start her day, on the day that we were going to Bubbe's. How was she supposed to know it was the middle of the night? It's dark when she normally wakes up, so why was this different? Mommy and daddy made the mistake of not trying Shara out in her playyard before trying to get her to sleep in it, in a strange house. Needless to say, we were up much of the night with her and ended up having her sleep with us. Good thing she was able to sleep most of the ride home.

Not sure what else is new on the Shara front. She's just growing and growing. On Tuesday (12/21) she'll get another round of shots and maybe we'll need to start putting her in a bigger-girl car seat. I think she may have passed the 26" mark. We think she's about 16 lbs. and daycare tried her in size 3 diapers, which seem to work better than the 2's. She'll give her out-fitted ones to the "soon-to-be" baby at mommy's work.

11/29/04 - 12/04/04

Sending Shara back to school after spending 4 fun days with her was more difficult than I imagined. She's growing so fast! The other night we were laughing and she was touching my chin and laughing. The more I laughed, the more she touched my chin and I'm sure she thought she was tickling me. She's got a great sense of humor. We also started sitting up, using the boppy. She only needs the boppy to keep her from crashing when she leans back too far. Other than that, she's supporting herself. She just doesn't know that she can topple over yet. I'll still do tummy-time, but I know she's strong enough to roll over if she wants to. She just doesn't seem to have a reason to do so yet. Shara's also talking a lot now. In the mornings, going to school, we'll "sing" together.

Saturday night was Shara's first time dining in at Maguires. We had a good time and she was great. She had a good time watching a couple of grade school girls at the bar and her dad & I had a good time enjoying a Black and Tan.