5 months

I love my job, I love the wonderful nurses I work with, I love the patients I get to care for, and I love the flexibility and pay of being a nurse. I loved the experience float pool gave me, but it's so nice having a home on Peds. I strive with each shift to be the best and to increase my knowledge and gain experiences that will help with my skills set. Working graveyards is not near as bad as when I was in float pool. I love the night shift nurses, and there hasn't been a dull moment... we usually get admits all hours of the night. I don't feel as tired as I thought, and I have great support system to help care for Sophie throughout the night and when I get home so I can catch up on my sleep. I do want to get back to days as soon as there is an opening, which will hopefully be soon this summer. The unit is big on seniority, which is great for me, as I am putting in my time with nights now. I usually make it home before 6, get something to eat, and wait for Sophie to stir. I nurse her and put her back to sleep, then I lay down and sleep until she wakes up again between 9-10. This is the hardest time for me because I am SO tired. I nurse her and then hobble back to bed. Kale usually has either work or school (leaves anywhere between 530am and 830am), so after the 9 feeding she stays up and I just call my Mom or Ky to come watch her until the next time I need to nurse.

Yesterday at 5 months and almost a week old, she tolerated three bites of the rice cereal I tried (that was mostly just breastmilk with a little cereal). This is our first success with food. I honestly prefer to just breastfeed her and hope to make it at least a year but probably no longer than 18 months... But the pediatrician said introducing foods at 6 months is not for nutritional reasons but more to help with speech development... and that if I wait I run the risk of a food aversion if I wait.

Sophie loves to stand. She can hold her weight for a long time. If I push her forward while holding her, she'll take steps. She LOVES to bath and does nightly. Usually it's with her daddy in the big bathtub, sometimes with me in the shower, and occasionally in the sink. We like to bath her at night and then lotion her up, get her dressed, feed her, and hang out before she goes to sleep.

We are still using cloth diapers. They work so well for us. I have yet to have a leak or blow out, or even see signs of diaper rash! After the initial investment I haven't had to spend a penny more towards diapering her. I never thought I'd become a fanatic of it, but I wish people knew how easy it really can be, and there are so many myths and pre-conceived notions about it. Sophie is quite chubby and we've moved into the next size.

My latest favorite thing is what some call 'babywearing.' She loves it. She would prefer to face forward, but there are studies that show it's bad for the circulation in their legs and it isn't good on their spine. I never knew that! I used to have a snugli (similar to baby bjorn) but after also doing some research I found out they are a no no. They call them crotch danglers because the crotch area is what the baby is held up and it can cut off circulation and cause hip problems. The crotch area needs to be wider to help distribute the weight, so they are more like a frog. After much research and gathering opinions of full-time babywearing mamas, I bought a Beco. I got a great deal on it, and we love it. It can hold a toddler up to 35lbs comfortably! I can carry her on front or back. I can't believe the difference, my back and shoulders don't hurt like they did with the snugli! We go on walks a lot with it, and I wear her to do chores around the house. I can't wait until it's time to grocery shop again, because I plan on wearing her to do that...

Sophie is such a sweet girl! She loves her mama! She has stranger danger already, unfortunately, and only tolerates mom, dad, grandma, aunt ky. She loves kids, and will watch them play and they keep interest. Sophie used to space out feedings 4-6 hours, which I thought was cool at first, but between that spacing and not always being able to pump when I need to at work, I felt like my milk supply was at risk, so I am doing everything I can to keep it where it needs to be. I offer to nurse her every three hours, which she seems happier when I do anyway. I don't mind, breastfeeding is a huge priority of mine, and I give up my sanity sometimes for it. It's just something I'm passionate about, and my baby means the world to me. I remember it being so hard that first week or two, but I am so glad I didn't give up, and I have goals to breastfeed her for at least a year!

She is SO funny when she wakes up in the morning. I'll hear her talk and play, and when I go in she has the biggest smile. She is so happy to see us. Her hair though... phew... it's a full time job trying to keep it under control. I'll comb it when it's wet after her bath and she'll wake up looking like Conan! It's got this funny cowlick too, so I have to try to style it around the cowlick. I've tired some barretts and little clippies, and it's finally long enough to put little elastics in it. She hates having it done. It's super straight. I want to get some small sponge curlers to try in it. I love her hair, I think it's one of my favorite features about her and it definitely is unique.


What a pretty girl

Her hair in the morning...

Daddy wearing her for our walk, such a Daddy's Girl!