Well this has been a busy month to say the least, but we have had a lot of fun along the way too. A couple weekends ago we drove over to Spokane for the weekend to hang out at Chris' Aunt and Uncle's lake cabin. Generally in the summer we are there multiple weekends, generally long ones at that. However, this summer has been a little tricky. It has been hard to line up every one's schedule. We finally collaborated and decided on Aug 14. It was a long drive for only 1 full day there, but it was worth it! As always we had a blast wake surfing, wake boarding, sun bathing, swimming, eating and drinking. It was about 95 degrees, perfect for spending all day in/on the water. Reese was also an angel. She literally did not cry or fuss all weekend which is a feat for a 4.5 month old! Chris and I were lazy and didn't want to bring the co-sleeper so she slept in bed with us. We have never had her "in" our bed all night and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Before baby I swore I would never co-sleep with my kids, but now I totally see why people do it. Not only did Reese sleep like a log, but it was fun to have extra cuddle time; especially when I was away at work a good chunk of the week. We only allowed it this one time because we don't want a 1 year old in our bed, but it was fun none the less. It was also fun to get to take Reese swimming! Yet again she doesn't cease to amaze me with her love of the water. The lake was warm, but it definitely had that chill when you first got it. She did not bat an eyelash! We just brought her in and she immediately smiled and started splashing around. I love how much fun and easygoing this kid is! So it was a successful weekend aside from sitting in 3 hours of traffic on the pass which turned a 5 hour drive into an 8 hour drive. I realized again how lucky I am to have an easygoing baby who went with the flow. No meltdowns at all!
On the parenting front a lot has changed as well. Last baby update I was struggling with getting Reese down to sleep at night. Amazingly this is not even a problem anymore. It just clicked one day and she started going down without a problem. I bathe her, read a story, feed her, sing a song and she's out. I think a few things helped; first is it started getting dark earlier which definitely made it easier. Who wants to go to bed when its light? She definitely didn't! Then I stopped swaddling her at all. I was putting 1 arm in, 1 arm out since about 3.5 months. When I went in for her 4 month check, the pediatrician recommended to stop swaddling her all together. She expressed that at this age she thinks it can be a bit dangerous because they can roll around and if they made it to their stomach with their hands constricted it could cause problems. She did recommend our lifesaver though...bunny! She went on to tell us that she firmly believed in an empty crib to eliminate SIDS risks, however was totally OK with a lovey (those tiny little blankets with a head on them). She said that she has had a lot of luck keeping a special one in their sleeping space at all times and only bringing it out to put them down. That way they associate that lovey with going to sleep. Reese has a super soft bunny lovey and we put her to work! As we go through her bed time routine at night she holds and snuggles her lovey. Then when we put her down, she no longer flails her arms, not knowing what to do with them without a swaddle. She just grabs bunny and hugs her and falls asleep. It is really the cutest thing I have ever seen. I can tell this bunny will be going to college with her! So now that we have tackled going to sleep we just need to tackle staying asleep. The past few nights we have moved her into her own room and she has kept the same schedule as she had in our room (waking up once to eat during the night and then a few pacifier pop ins here or there). I would love it if we can kick her pacifier pop ins. At this point the night feeding doesn't bother me since I am away most the day and I actually welcome the time to nurse her, but I could do without the extra soothing. I am hoping she will soon learn to do this herself. She is going to have to sooner or later because paci is going bye bye at 6 months because I think it will be easier when she is younger rather than older. I just want to get her completely used to her crib before I make yet another transition for her.
I still can't believe how fast she is changing. Each day it seems that she is doing something new. She is starting to sit without help (for like 15-30 seconds), she is trying to teach herself to crawl and she is babbling up a storm! She has even started to mimic words. She has mimicked "hi" and "cookie" and a few other little words. I know she doesn't know what she is saying, but it is fun getting her to copy your own words! Watching her grow everyday is so incredible and I feel so lucky to be her mommy. I am sure I will have many more updates next time around too. Things seem to be changing right and left in the Holcomb household! Here are a few recent pics!
