Nine Months: Thriving (No Matter What They Say)

Anneliese is nine months old today!  I have to say, she finally doesn't feel like our new baby anymore. About time, right?

She just seems so much older and more independent now than she did a month ago.  Like she's finally losing some of that new-baby helplessness.  I think this could partly be due to so many of her firsts over the last few weeks:
- first night without Mommy (and it was a whole weekend!)
- sitting up without help
- clapping her hands
- shaking her head no
- waving at people
- trying to feed herself finger foods (without much success, but still)
- kissing us
- turning the pages of board books
- riding in a big car seat
- riding in the front of the grocery cart
- giving up that third nap (for good, we think)

I'm so excited as I watch her become increasingly more interactive with people around her, and as I see her personality really start to emerge.  But in truth I am also feeling a tad bit distracted, even discouraged, by her physical growth.  Does this look familiar? 

In case you're curious, growth charts are not supposed to look like this.  But apparently my children have a knack for it.  With two months of weight loss, and three (three!) standard deviations fallen on her chart, we officially have another failure to thrive (FTT) baby on our hands.

For the record, we're not nearly as worried about Anneliese as we were Nathan, and there are currently no medical interventions planned -- this time around, there will be no hospitalizations, no physical therapy, and no buttinski social workers.  Like her brother before her, it seems to be a phase where her metabolism is just way ahead of what she's eating.  The solution?  Eat more. 

But the problem is that keeping an upset baby in a high chair when she doesn't really want to eat any more causes a rush of dark emotions to come flooding back to me.  The calorie-counting, the panicky can't let baby skip a meal! feeling, the prayers during nursings to stay latched on just one more minute, one more ounce... it's an ugly place if I let my brain go there. I remember all too clearly the day I got fed up and just decided to be done with it with Nathan.  It was so freeing.  But I'm having trouble re-capturing that freedom right now.

A slower growth curve I could just take in stride, but the fact that Anneliese is losing weight is troubling enough to distract me from all the ways she is developing well.  For instance:  All organs seem to be functioning correctly.  She sees and hears well.  Her cognitive development is on par or even a little ahead.  Our doctor said yesterday that she's one of the most social nine-month olds he's ever seen.  Her height and head are growing normally.  She sleeps well.  Her fine motor skills are, for lack of a better word, fine. She's happy.  And I don't want to let worrying cause me to lose sight of that.

Praise the Lord for our beautiful amazing nine-month old!  Any of you who have seen her in recent weeks can attest to the fact that she is, everywhere except that stupid chart, thriving.

38 weeks and 6 days

As of today, Anneliese has lived outside the womb as many days as she lived in it.  Yep, I totally counted. 

A normal pregnancy lasts forty weeks.  Mine with Anneliese was just shy of forty-one.  But accounting for the first two weeks of "pregnancy" before the baby is actually in there, and basing her fetal age on her first ultrasound (that's a safe bet, so early in gestation), that means Beanie lived inside me for 38 weeks and 6 days. 

And today, she is 38 weeks and 6 days old.  That's 272 days.  She's now officially spent just as much time out here ... as in there.

Mark considers me the queen of this kind of seemingly (but not really) obscure statistic, and loves to mock my wide-eyed wonder when I say things like, he's as old now as she was when such-and-such... or, whoa we're twice as old now as when we met (which, coincidentally -- or notsomuch -- is true). It produces lots of eye-rolling 'round these parts (he's doing it right now, I promise), and reminders that those age relationships are not really interesting considering everyone (God willing) will be every age at some point, and therefore these "milestones" were always coming.

But I continue to revel in this kind of thing* anyway. Because it is interesting. To me. 

Which is why today, I'm thinking a lot about this.  I'm having trouble deciding why Anneliese's doubling of her gestational time is boggling my mind.  In some ways, it seems like she's been with us for years and years.  It's kind of unfathomable to me that the pregnancy, now just a distant memory, lasted as long as the time we've been holding her in our arms.  To be fair, I didn't know about the pregnancy the second it happened, so that could account for some of it.  But still, it sure didn't feel like I was knocked up for that long.

Except, on the other hand... it kind of did.  So much changed over the course of those nine months (most notably, opting out of the workforce), making the pregnancy encompass so many different "seasons" of my life, that it seemed to take forever.  The early weeks of that pregnancy almost seem like part of a different lifetime.  Plus, those last few weeks were loooooong.  (Go back and read blog posts from early October if you don't believe me.)

It's amazing to me that in nine short months, a sperm and an egg can turn into a squirming screaming human.  And it's just as amazing that in that same time span again, the squirming screaming human can become a person -- an interactive game-playing giggling little girl with likes and dislikes and fears and favorites.  It's a miracle.  An everyday miracle.  And just because we can explain how it happened, doesn't make the fact that it did happen, any less miraculous.  How could anything or anyone but God have orchestrated something so mind-blowing?

Anyway, as monumental as those gestational 272 days were for both Anneliese and me, the 272 days since then have been even more so.  She's growing, I'm growing, we're both learning new things every day.  Have I mentioned lately how much I adore my little daughter?  I'm excited for many more weeks, days, and obscure milestones to celebrate with her. 

*And I'm not the only one!

There's Always 2014

I'd love to be sharing pictures with you of Mark going crazy happy at the outcome of today's world cup final or at least a fun shot of our group of friends cheering as the Netherlands scored a goal.  But... he's not.  And they didn't. 

But we can take solace in three things:

First, that we have friends who love us (well, Mark) enough to come over, wearing orange, to eat orange food and drink Dutch beer and help cheer on his team.

Second, that my kids look really cute all crazied up in orange themselves, and they don't seem to know or care who won the game. (Thank you to emu for these cutie pics!)

And third, there's always 2014.  Or 2018.  I have a feeling that at some point in his life, Mark will get to see his team win a world cup. 

Let's hope the umbrella hat dies a peaceful (or notsomuch) death before that day comes.

Sitting! (And a Kiss and a Raspberry)

Last night, just shy of nine months old (even later than our "really late" Nathan), Anneliese finally sat up on her own.  She's been kind of balancing with couch cushions or our laps behind her for a few weeks, so we knew she was close.  But last night she did it for real.  On the floor.  With no support.  It's totally legit.

And as old as I thought she looked yesterday... well she looks that much older now.  And tall!  Look at those loooong legs stretched out in front of her!  (When she finally stands and walks I'm going to be completely freaked out by how close she is to Nathan's height.)

In case you're wondering who the random stranger with fascinating shoelaces is, that's our friend Nathan -- aka "Another Nathan" (and his mom, visiting from Iowa).

And because I can't get enough of our fast-growing little lady today, here's one of those kisses I mentioned yesterday.  With a bonus raspberry at the end, which makes me laugh every time.  Shows exactly what she thinks of Nathan's chattering stealing her thunder.  :) 

(If you can't see the video embedded above, click here.)

Congrats, baby girl!  The world looks different from your new vantage point huh?  Think how much cooler it will look when you start crawling!  (Just kidding.  Don't do that yet.  Mommy isn't ready.)

Don't Blink (Or Go on Vacation, Apparently)

My kids suddenly seem older now that we're back in town after a long weekend apart.  I remember this happening to Nathan, after Mark and I spent a week in New York in 2008.  And I think after Dubai, too.  Is this some kind of universal phenomenon, or is it just me?  And my kids?

Nathan got his hair cut right before we left town, so he looks older.  And somehow he sounds older too.  He's constructing thoughts and sentences I didn't know he was capable of.  When he wanted five more minutes yesterday before cleaning up his toys, he told me we don't negotiate. 

Ummm say what now???

And Anneliese moved this week out of her bucket car seat into a toddler convertible seat (turned backwards, of course).  

She was just too tall for that other thing (and has been for months) and anyway it's just too danged heavy to carry around with her in it anymore.  Seeing her riding around in the new backseat barcalounger makes her look old though. 

And seeing her riding like a big kid in a shopping cart (because, you know... the bucket seat is no more) makes her look old too.  (Yes, I am a bad enough mom to let her dangle by the seat strap.  No, I am not a bad enough mom to let her eat those pretzel m&m's.)

And, for real I am not making this up, she started kissing us this week!  At first she was just imitating kissing noises, but now she leans in and plants smackeroos all over our faces, and laughs through the whole thing.  How can she do that already?  How is she suddenly so old?

Stop it, you two!  This is going too fast!  Be babies, just for a few more minutes.  Please?  I need to get off this computer and wake them up* from their naps and drink in every second of their babyness before it's totally gone!

One of those age-old cliches that is so completely true, you know?  They really do grow up too fast.

*Just kidding, I would never wake a sleeping baby.  Duh.

While We Were Out...

Since I know you're all dying to know (right?), Anneliese and I survived without each other just fine last weekend.  After all her finicky bottle-refusing and her sudden (and drastic!) separation anxiety... I was worried.  More worried than I let on.  But it was fine!  (Just like everyone told me it would be.  I know, I know.)

Anneliese stayed with my mom and they had fun.  According to the very very detailed papers my mom wrote out with notes about her visit (Finn's GJo would be oh so proud), they did about 15 miles in the jogging stroller, watched soccer, went to two parties, ate lots of yogurt, and stayed up late every night.  Past midnight on Sunday, when they watched fireworks together (the description of Anneliese sucking her thumb and staring in wonder makes me a little sad I missed her first fireworks, not gonna lie... although if I were there, she would have missed them anyway since she would have been in bed five hours earlier... just sayin').

I have no photographic evidence of any of this. But (except for the lack of camera capturing every moment) it seems like it was everything a Marmie weekend should be. 

Including follow-up text messages as my mom cried* her way through some sort of weird grandmotherly post-partum depression that had her feeling lonely, let-down and bored in the 24 hours after we took Anneliese back home.  She even said** her stroller looked sad.  (Projection what.)

Meanwhile, Nathan had a blast too.   He spent a night with my dad, who put him to work painting his mailbox (no, I am not kidding, and yes, Nathan loved it).  And then he went to my sister's house for the rest of the weekend.

Ashley's notes weren't quite as detailed (I crack myself up.  There were no notes.  You knew that already, right?  It's not her way.) but there were some pictures on facebook of fighter jets drawn with sidewalk chalk and giant pb&j sandwiches eaten by the backyard pool.  When we asked Nathan how his weekend was, he just kept talking about how he went swimming with AshleyRitaMickeyUncleJohn&Nathan (Rita and Mickey are dogs, in case you're curious).

And about the blue frisbee Ashley put in the sky (and apparently one in a tree).  And Uncle John's huuuuge lawn mower.  Oh, and this little gem, which he will not shut up about:

Note to anyone who hasn't heard about it yet:  he doesn't like the spray.  And no, he isn't talking about Anneliese blowing raspberries beside him in his armchair.  He's talking about Ashley's shower. No more showers, please.  Baths only.  (If you can't see the video embedded above, click here.)

So now we're home, and back to the status quo.  Which I have to say is actually a really good thing.  I missed both kiddos way more than I thought I would.  I'm so glad to have them back.  So glad to be a mommy again.

*No one out there is still wondering where I get my crazy, right?
**Yes, it's totally fine for me to make fun of her on the internet because a- she's fine now, and b- she already admitted it on facebook anyway.

Ortigoza

Yesterday we celebrated the marriage of one of my favorite friends, Sarah, to her handsome beau Eric.  It was a multilingual affair -- a Brazilian (turned nationalized American) groom with roots in Panama, and a Texan-turned-Carolinian bride -- and the guest list and food reflected a wonderful mix of all these cultures. 

I have known Sarah for over a decade, and have watched and waited and prayed with her for the right man to make a family with her.  Not that my vote matters, but I'm so pleased with her choice in Eric.  It was an honor to be a part of their celebration, and to make my own vow to love and support them in their union.

It was a fun and chaotic day, as most wedding days are.  We laughed.  We hairsprayed.  We spanxed.  We decorated.  We prayed.  We sang.  We danced.  We drank.  We kissed our own grooms.  And we celebrated that Sarah, while still a part of our little fold, is also now a part of the Ortigoza clan.

Tchin-tchin, and vaya con Dios.  We love you both.

(For more pictures of our weekend in Charleston, click on Mark and me in the hammock, below.)

by mgoetts

Awendawesome

**This post brought to you by the Androblogger app on my phone, which means it probably won't have pictures added until I'm back home on July 5th.**

Let me present to you three reasons I feel like I'm in some sort of parallel universe right now:

1.) Mark and I are in Charleston (for Sarah's wedding), miles and miles and miles from our children (who are spending the weekend in the Charlotte area with family members).  The back of our mazda currently contains nary a car seat.  We realized that today is the first time we've woken up sans kiddos in over a year.

2.) It's like 80 degrees here, with low humidity and a lovely breeze.  In July.  In Charleston.  I'm pretty sure the bride and groom used some of their wedding budget to pay off Jesus for the best weather in the history of this normally hot and humid city.

3.) After a delicious dinner and wine date last night, followed by drinks on a rooftop bar with great friends, I woke up this morning slightly (ahem) hung over.  Whaaaaa?  I'm almost thirty!  Pretty sure those days should be behind me.  (But if it's a hangover or morning sickness, I'll still take the hangover.)  ;-)

See?  Parallel universe.

After the wedding rehearsal this morning, we spent the rest of the day in Awendaw (where Sarah's parents live, just north of Charleston).  It was fun and beachy and awesome.  Actually, it was (dare I say it?) ... Awendawesome.

I relaxed in the hammock with Mark.

Even our feet were relaxed.

I ate a Brazilian feast and tchin-tchined with friends.

I spent some time with the other gals in the wedding party. (Why are we all happier than the bride?)

I made out with a cute guy on the dock.  And then let him take my picture.

Mark perfected his Blue Steel look.  (Whoa, look at that, Sweetie... I was lying about not putting it on the internet!)  

And I got really excited with my gorgeous and wonderful friend Sarah about her nuptials tomorrow!

(Wow, look at all the pics you get of me when we don't have kids around to take pictures of!)

See?  Awendawesome.

My New Favorite Old Picture

I found this picture of Mark last week when I was going through lots of old pics from our seven years of marriage.  It made me really happy.  He's just so content, and relaxed, and it reminds me of everything that is good about going on vacation with him.  And therefore makes me excited about our weekend away in Charleston.  I am trying really hard to think about this face, and this smile, and my excitement at seeing so many of my really good college friends in one place... so that I don't have to think about my first weekend (first night, even!) away from Anneliese. 

This picture is helping.  :)

Charleston or bust!!

Bum Fluff Rainbow

Happy July!  I'm ringing in the month with new bum fluff!  Exciting!

Don't question me on this.  It is exciting.

I had been wanting to add just a couple more diapers to our stash so that I can comfortably go one more day between washings, so I finally got serious about finding some.

First, I got very very excited about the idea of a turquoise diaper.  It might or might not mostly be because Annie-Bop came swimming and she wore the prettiest diaper I have seen in a long time, in a sweet and bright turquoise.  (Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's cutie diapers?  What's that now?  Huh?)  I just couldn't get that color out of my head.  I explored lots of options, did lots of hunting, and eventually decided on diaper that's new to the market, which I had been wanting to try -- the Tots Bots EasyFit.  It's similar to the other pocket diapers in our stash, but on this one, the insert stays attached to the diaper (it agitates out on its own in the wash).  And it has bamboo in the absorbent layers, which makes it really soft, and a little trimmer than our other pockets.  And, more importantly, it comes in a gorgeous shade of turquoise.  It arrived on Saturday (after several days of mailman-stalking) and so far I can say yes, it's everything I hoped and dreamed it would be.  {happysigh}

Then, my lovely internet friend soul mate Erin decided she could live without some of her pocket diapers (what?!)... so I managed to talk her into unloading a BumGenius (still the staple of our stash), and she talked me into also taking a Rumparooz (which she originally introduced me to) in a pretty red and orange swirly plush fabric.  Ummm it's awesome.  Yes, it's a little bulky.  But it's soft enough to snuggle with.  No joke. And ohmygoodness it's so cute!  (Picture here, in case you missed it earlier this week.)

Then, BumGenius announced yesterday that they're upgrading our beloved BG3.0 diaper to a 4.0.  Apparently they fixed the velcro and elastic and made it fit bigger babies or something?  I didn't really get bogged down in those details, I just saw a pretty light green sage and a pretty lavender and then I got this funny bubbly feeling in my tummy that has been welling up for the last twenty-four hours until I hit the preorder! button.  Yes, I ordered them before they're even technically available... I'm That Person.  (Hey, one man's iphone is another's awesome cloth diaper.  Don't judge.)

Lest you think I'm some kind of cloth diaper nutjob (ok I can see now that nothing I say at this point will really convince you I'm not), you should know that both of these purchases came with free (!) diapers that I am not keeping.  I already sold one online and I will do the same with the other when it comes.  I'm caught up in the cuteness, but I'm also still caught up in the frugality.  Kind of.  ;-)  

So the lesson of the week is, don't make diapers in awesome colors I don't have yet, or I will want them to complete my diaper rainbow.  I was actually hoping that BumGenius was coming out with some brighter colors (not that I'm not excited about my bubble and sweet; I so am).   But the second they make a paladin-colored diaper, I will own it.

Yes, actually, I do continue to be amazed at my own fascination with pretty pieces of fabric for my daughter to relieve herself in.  Thank you for asking.