There ARE no assumptions in parenting!

I just had to share this, because I had a full out belly laugh when I heard and saw it.

Tuesday nights are my nights to go out with my sister-in-law and her sister and we do Zumba Toning (very fun!), so it's Daddy Duty for Pat. He very much enjoys spending his time with Holly and then when I get home, it's perfect timing for Holly's bath and my shower. Why not kill two birds with one stone? We're definitely big on showering with the babies in my family and the babies certainly get a huge kick out of it.

So I just hopped into the shower and was in the process of getting the water to the perfect temperature for Holly when Pat comes in with her, telling me to let him know when he was ready. The next thing I hear is, Pat spluttering and telling me he needed to give me Holly RIGHT NOW. Turns out he had assumed that he was going to be handing her right in to me and thus had already removed her diaper. BIG mistake! She peed all down the front of his shirt and his pants (as I got to see when he was handing her to me) and I just about lost it. Funniest thing I had seen and heard all day. Holly, of course, was all smiles and very excited to be showering with Mommy!

In addition, tonight marked another milestone for us. I had already left to pick up the girls for Zumba when Pat had called (this was about two minutes after leaving the house) to tell me that Holly had rolled over! I was sorry to have missed the first time she really, truly rolled over, but I know I'll be seeing it for years to come. I can't wait to see her do it again this week!

Mmm, carrots!

Holly's introduction to food began with a tablespoon of carrots and a few flakes of rice cereal mixed in to thicken it up.

4-Month Appointment

Holly weighed in today at 15 pounds 5 ounces and has grown to 25-3/4 inches in length putting her in the 80th percentile for weight and 90th for length. Our child is growing like a weed!

She was given her second round of vaccines today and she's doing well. She took an awesome two-hour nap when I brought her home and in her crib, no less! This from the child who only sleeps in her crib at night. Shots and Tylenol are good for naps in our household!

Developmentally, she's holding her head up on her own while in a sitting position and can lift both her head and chest while laying on her stomach. She's grabbing at toys that are near her and bringing them to her mouth for inspection, she's cooing and "talking" and the drooling and fist chomping have begun in earnest. I wouldn't be surprised if the next step is teething. She's been arching her back and doing everything in her power to roll over, so I know that that is also right around the corner. One of my favorites is nuzzling her along her ribs because then she just lets out the most adorable laugh and coos. It's one of our favorite games to play. :)

Holly is also a huge fan of her cereal. We've been giving her cereal just before bed time and she gobbles it down and then happily plays in the bath after. She'll then sleep through the night for us, usually logging about 10-11 hours of sleep. I'm really excited to say that we're ready to start her on veggies and fruits! Pat and I haven't decided what we're going to start yet, but it's likely going to be green peas, corn or carrots. I almost can't wait to see what Pat's reaction will be to the first poopy diaper Holly has post-vegetable introduction since he's unfamiliar with the change in coloration. ;)

What is it?

Holly was extremely frantic earlier and being a first-time mom, it naturally scared the living daylights outta me. Let me set the stage.

She went to sleep last night at 8:00 and slept until 2:00ish when she woke because of a wet diaper. After changing that, trying to soothe her with her paci and handing her off to Pat, she then proceeds to wet the next diaper and demand food. I'm not sure what time she went back to sleep, but she did. She awoke this morning demanding more food a little after 7:00 and put down 6 ounces.

She's then happy and playing, ate another 6 ounces at 10:30 and taking the occasional cat nap until approximately 12:00. Noon hits and we can both tell that she's exhausted. Pat tries to put her to sleep and she begins her usual fussing except this time it escalates. Her cry sounded nothing like it usually does and when I took her after a little while, I could feel that her stomach was rock hard.

We determined that she is not fevered, and after one (half-dollar sized amount) spit-up, that her only other symptom is that of a rock hard stomach. I, of course, turn to the one person I always turn to when in distress - my mother, The Nurse.

After listening to her cries and my descriptions of Holly's morning (over speaker phone), she suggested that Holly might be gassy and/or constipated. Holly's diet has gradually begun changing from solely breast milk with about 2 tablespoons of rice cereal before bed to a mix of breast milk and formula (still with the cereal before bed) to almost entirely formula. I wanted nothing more than to continue breastfeeding my daughter for a few more months, but I was hit with the sad reality over Christmas that I was not producing enough to satiate my daughter's demands. I fear that within another month she will be entirely off breast milk, but for now, I'm going to continue to give her what I can.

However, as a result of this change in diet, I think that it has finally caught up with her. I will not deny the fact that my daughter is my weakness and that when I can't figure out what's wrong with her, I fall apart emotionally. All of my years working with children never truly prepared me for my own child - not in this instance. I'm helpless, clueless and an emotional wreck when my daughter's cry of distress sounds.

Pat finally managed to get her to calm down, though, around 12:30 or so and they're both sleeping (I hope his snoring doesn't wake her!) now. My husband is my Superman and my daughter is my Kryptonite. This is what I get for being married to a nerd.

Addendum: Holly finally had a successful poop (twice!) around 4:00 PM. She's back to her happy, jolly self.