Baby + Mama: Six Month Update

Oooh! I'm late with this one! However, here goes...

Mama update: I'm feeling a lot better than six months ago. Although I hear from other moms, it takes a whole year to feel yourself again.  Since Juniper has been sleeping through the night (mostly), I am able to really get a full night's rest. However, my challenge is going to bed early.  She goes down at 6:30, so after that time, I squeeze in a workout, finish making dinner, and if I have the energy, try to work on something creative. I'm still trying to find a balance. 

I've been trying to make a more concsious effort to eat clean and more plant based. I'm mostly pescatarian, but my body feels and works better when I am not eating processed junk. So, now if I do eat something processed, it's just too salty or sugary for me to eat. I'm not perfect, but I am trying. I would say it's not so much about losing weight, but about feeling good and happy.

We tried Blue Apron for about a year or two, I can't remember, but I just felt like everything was super salty, buttery, and carb heavy. Both Justin and I admit that we gained weight eating Blue Apron. Every meal was like 700 calories. As a result, we are trying Thistle. So far, so good. It's about the same price as Blue Apron, it's cooked, and healthy. So, its a win-win for us. They have plant-based meals and you can add your choice of protein. They have snacks and drinks too. If you want to try it out, enter NICOLE079 at the check out to receive $20 off your first order. 

Juniper update:

1. She can sit up with help. To be honest, I was scared when she first learned how to sit up. I would often use the boppy to help her out. However, sometimes I wouldn't and then she would hurt herself. This mostly happened when she was tired and didn't have the stamina to hold herself up.  On the other hand, she learned how to catcher herself from falling straight onto her back by using her elbows to support her from a big fall.So, I would have her practice on the bed.  She is getting better every day. I talked to other moms and its all a learning process. I am super nervous about anything happening to her head because I have old head injury stories when I was younger. 

2. She likes to shake her head back and forth (wiggle) when she is happy.  One day I undressed her on my bed and she started to shake her body back and forth against the wool blanket and would smile. Now, she does this before taking a nap or when she is happy. It's seriously the cutest thing ever.

3. I finally started feeding her solids.  The first food she ate was carrots. Then, we tried zucchini, applesauce, kale, oatmeal, and bananas. So far, she not really into the whole eating process. She prefers milk. However, I am starting to feed her in the morning and at night as a starting point. I really hope she loves food as much as Justin and I do. I started getting Yumi, but only getting it once a month to have food on hand.  If you want to try Yumi, click here to get $50 off.

I usually make her food using the Beaba and will store it in freezer trays. I've been using small ball jars to feed her with because it can be warmed up in the Beaba or a bottle warmer. I was really hesitant about getting it, but I just couldn't see myself steaming/boiling food and then putting it in the tall carafe of our Vitamix.  I also discovered that she likes the Beaba spoons and the Oxo bibs. These bibs are a dream come true because they don't stain from foods and they fold up into a pouch. 

4. She said "mama." We were going to walk the Rose Bowl loop and when I sat her in the stroller she said, "mamamama." It was so cute and I was mega excited. She has only said it a couple of times since, but it was still exciting!

5. She is finally ticklish. She is mostly ticklish on her side, near her rib cage. She tries to fight the tickle, but It's so cute when she laughs. I live for her laughs.

Juniper's Favorites (aka mom's clothing favorites):

1.  bonnets (love all the bonnets from this company)

2. plum dress (similar here)

3. tights

4. headbands/bows

5. stripe dress (similar here)

6. grey knit cardigan (similar here)

7. binky blanket

8. Duck dress (similar here)

9. Brown booties

10. bibs

Baby + Mama: Five Month Update

Mama update: I finally made it out to the dentist and had to fix some fillings. So, mamas, make sure you take good care of your teeth.  I had two cracked cavities. I attribute that to probably grinding my teeth while giving birth or forgetting to wear my mouth guard while taking naps. I'm still losing hair (I talk about it here), but I am getting better at strategizing on how I don't want it to fall all over the place. Braiding my hair has come in handy, as well as keeping my hair in a loose bun.  However, I think things are leveling out because the amount of hair I am losing this month is not like last month's nightmare.

Juniper update:

1. Juniper loves to scream. She screams for excitement and attention. She screams more than she babbles, either way, it's so flipping cute. 

2. She recognizes songs and loves Buenas Noches, Luna. I made up a song I sing to her right before she goes to bed and she smiles every time I sing it.  I started singing this song to her when she was a newborn and it's fun to see how she recognizes it and associates it with going to sleep. I follow her night time feed with Buenas Noches, Luna by Margaret Wise Brown. I love this book. I like that she gets a little bit of Spanish integrated into her day.  The illustrations are classic and somewhat creepy, but I love it. 

3. Drooling, raspberries, and chewing on her hands are her favorite pastime.  Juniper is drooling a lot. She is drooling so much that we have to put a bib on her during the day so she doesn't have a wet chest.  She discovered how to make raspberries and was doing them non-stop for a couple of days.  She prefers to put her hands in her mouth over toys.  She is quite fascinated with her hands and I would find her staring at her hands lying awake in her crib.

4. She rolls to her tummy (preferably the left side) and can sit up with us watching her. She rolled over in her crib for the first time. Justin caught it on the Nest cam. I wish I could have been there to witness it because we practice all day.  Unfortunately, she cannot roll onto her back, so she will often cry telling us she needs help to get on her back.  She can also sit up while using her hands to support herself. 

5. Finally, she sleeps through the night.  I was hesitant about moving from her bassinet to the crib for selfish reasons, but I knew deep down inside she needed more space and peace to sleep longer.  It took her about a week to fully sleep through the night while transitioning to her crib.  She prefers sleeping on her side and she couldn't do that in the bassinet due to limited space.  This began towards the end of her fourth month.

*Her cute green daisy dress can be purchased here.

Baby + Mama: Four Month Update

I am really trying my best to cherish everyday with Juniper. Many people have told me to hold on to every minute and really bask in this time that I am spending with her.

Mama update: I have one word for you: HAIR. I am losing a lot of it. It's not like I am going bald, but everytime I run my fingers through my hair, I am finding quite a few strands more than normal.  I was reading that mom's will lose their hair after the baby is born because our hair goes in "freeze" mode, meaning the hair cycle stops. Before Juniper, I dealt with greasy, limp, fine hair; however, while I was pregnant, I was able to go days without washing.  This is because there is less production of sebum. I guess that is why hair feels fuller while we are pregnant.  As a result, I got a haircut, made sure to take my pre/post natal vitamins (I heard it's good to keep on taking them after the baby is born), and using Oribe volumizing shampoo and conditioner. I also like using their texturizing spray after I wash my hair.

Juniper Update:

1. She has her first giggle.  Justin and I have been waiting for her to giggle and it happened out of the blue.  We were eating breakfast and I had Juniper on my lap so she could feel included. Justin was chatting with our friend on the phone across from me and she just started laughing at him. It was so precious and I recorded it. Success!

2. She burps on her own.  So, burping a baby can literally take forever sometimes, but now, I just have Juniper perform tummy time on my belly and, voila, a burp!

3. She can half roll over.  I mean, what an accomplishment. She can be on her tummy for about 5-8 minutes and then once and a blue moon, she will tip over onto her back.

4. She finally sleeps five hours in a row.  So, apparently, in baby time, this is sleeping a full night; however, I wish she could sleep for a bit longer. Basically, we feed her before we go to bed (around 10-12am) and then she will wake up anywhere from 4-6am. This puts Justin and I in anti-zombie mode. I don't want to get too attached to this new sleep rhythm she has going because many people say to enjoy things for the moment because the baby is always changing.

5. She has her first real playdate. My friend from high school came over with her adorable Oaxacan baby named, Yuuarcanzeni (yu-u-arca-seni). They are exactly one month apart! They had a blast together!

Top: Chambray Romper  /  Striped Onesie  /  Bonnet  

Clockwise: Floral Onesie  /  Oaxacan Dress (similar here)  /  Grey Bow  /  Striped Tank  /  Bloomers  /  Skeleton Jumpsuit  /  Namaste Onesie  /  Pink Bow