The Bea Hive: Week 10

Week 10
January 11th - 17th

We did a LOT of fun things this week. Bea went to our friend's birthday party. She was the only baby there and did great. We didn't stay very long - in order to be sure we didn't wear out the baby welcome. :-) Next year we'll have to get a baby sitter for the Schneider's annual birthday party.

Watching Daddy play Super Mario Brothers on his Wii U. Great start to a lazy Saturday.

We've started getting into a routine now that we're home after the holidays. I'm learning Bea's needs and when she needs certain things. Right now she's eating every 3 hours. She'll get about 6 oz. of formula in the morning to start the day once she wakes up. Then I give her about 4 oz. of formula in 3 hour increments after that. Her last bottle of the night is 5-6 oz. to tide her over for a good long sleep. I could give her more and feed her less, but she seems to spit up a lot more with 5 oz. and is still hungry in the same increments throughout the day. This system seems to work and has been for the past week. Of course now that I've written about it she'll change it all - but that's ok. I'm learning with her.

Our day starts around 7:30. Bea wakes up and Matt goes to get her from her crib. He brings her in the bed with us and we snuggle and talk to her as she fully wakes up. She gets a little fussy and I go and make her bottle while Daddy gets in a few of his own snuggles before work. Then I get back in bed and give her her morning bottle right there. She knows what it means when I lay her back and tuck the burp cloth up under her chin. She starts opening and closing her mouth like a baby bird. It's pretty cute. After she finishes her bottle she plays in our bed for a bit longer.

About an hour hour and a half to two hours after waking up she's ready for her morning nap (rough life). I cuddle her and get her back to sleep all while still in our bed. Matt gets up and gets ready for the day around us. By the time Matt leaves for work she's already down for her morning nap or getting close. I just let her stay in our bed for this nap. She's cozy and warm and happy. I put a few pillows on either side of her to keep her from moving around and she snoozes away. I get up and take the chance to grab some breakfast, wash bottles, clean house, do laundry, work on a project, or do whatever else needs to be done house-wise. After sleeping from about 9 - 11 a.m., Bea wakes up and is ready for bottle number 2. She and I usually snuggle up in the chair in the living room for this feeding. I'll flip channels on TV while she eats.

After that bottle she's in a very good mood and is happy to play on the floor while I grab lunch. I'll eat and then play on the floor with her for a good while. This usually is when I take tons of cell phone photos and videos of her impeccable cuteness. The afternoons vary - sometimes we head out to the grocery store or somewhere I need to go. Walmart, Target, the mall, JoAnns, etc. Other times we stay in. If I'm out she'll take a nap on the car ride. If I'm in we find a place for her to settle in for another nap. Sometimes in the swing, sometimes on our bed again, sometimes in the bouncy seat on the floor, sometimes on the couch, sometimes on me. She's sleeping GREAT in her bed at night so I'm afraid to put her in it to nap during the day. She's not so great at settling down for a nap and I don't want to turn the crib into a stressful place for her.

She'll wake up again for another bottle in the afternoon and kinda chills for the evening with a very short nap. She's not a great napper after her long morning nap and I am happy just to see her doze off for 30 minutes - which is why she naps in lots of different locations.

Matt comes home and we eat dinner. Then we snuggle Bea up in warm clothes and a warm hat for our evening run. We got a BabyTrends running stroller on Amazon and I love it. Bea loves it too. Usually she stays awake for the first half of the run and falls asleep in the second half. Once we get home she wakes up when we get her out of the stroller. She then takes a warm bath and plays in the water. Then I or Matt give her her last bottle, snuggle her a bit and then swaddle her in her swaddle sack. We lay her down when she's still a little bit awake. She's in her crib with the sound machine and her seahorse playing music. She's usually out within 5 minutes. Most nights she's asleep between 10:30 and 11:30 p.m.

Sometimes you just need a fistful of Momma's hair.

She's doing VERY good about sleeping nights in her crib - we hear her on the monitor a couple times in the night making little noises but so far she is content in her bed and she falls back asleep. I think the swaddle helps a ton. She's up anytime between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. and we start the day all over again.

I realize how lucky I am with this sweet baby girl. As long as she has a bottle and a soft place to nap she is pretty content. Everyday waking up to see her is so fun. She smiles as soon as she sees me or Matt. I love watching the monitor in the mornings when Matt goes to get her from her crib to bring her in with us. She's a fiery girl who knows what she wants, but lucky for me as her Momma her wants are pretty basic and she's easy to please.

Wearing her bib that Daddy made while waiting in the delivery room.

I had to take her out of church this particular Sunday. She woke up with a wet diaper and was ready to talk and tell some stories. She spent the rest of church on a bench outside just talking and jabbering away. She got lots of smiles from the other church folks.