Da da da da da...

Typical

It’s been awhile since I’ve shared a daily schedule with you. This is partly because I don’t want to brag, and partly because I don’t want to temp fate. Our schedule has been really good. I’m lucky enough to have a husband who can take the baby to daycare, a job that is extremely flexible, and (since about the time Aurora got good at eating solid foods) a daughter who’s the best sleeper. So, here’s how our days have been going lately:

6:45am – Aurora and I wake up, Rora’s first feeding
7:00am – Chuck wakes up, I shower and get ready
7:30am – I pack everybody’s food and head to work
8:00am – I get to work, Chuck brings Aurora to daycare
11:00am – Aurora gets an 8 oz bottle and ½ jar baby food
3:00pm – Aurora gets her second bottle
4:00pm – I leave work and pick Rora up from daycare
5:30pm – Aurora eats rice cereal, fruits and veggies
6:00pm – Bath time, playtime, and story time
6:30pm – Rora’s last feeding and bedtime
7:00pm – Dinnertime
I watch TV and do the dishes, Chuck keeps working… then we go to bed some time between 10:00-11:00pm.

How could this be more perfect? Well, I really do wish I could spend more time with my baby. I basically get just over 2 hours/day with her, and on the days Chuck goes into the office, he only sees her for an hour. Also, if we could go out every now and again while Aurora’s sleeping, that would be nice. Luckily, I do enjoy cooking, and we’re both homebodies for the most part… but really, by 9:00pm I miss my baby and often feel a little bored. Thank goodness for blogging and weekends!

How many car seats does one baby need?

Last month we put the big girl car seat from my baby shower in the Element, and it's been great. I've still been using the infant carrier in the Scion, and have been hesitant to change it out. She does still fit in it and it's very convenient, but more so I had to do some research to find a seat that would actually fit in my tiny car.

Today we installed a Britax Roundabout, which was expensive, but fits and looks great in the Scion. I'm hoping it'll be comfy for the little Rooster... she was pretty sad this evening when we put her in it for the first time, but I think it was because I'd just brought her home from daycare and she didn't want to go back out again!

I borrowed the infant carrier and stroller from a coworker, but I don't think I'm ready to give them back just yet. The travel system will be good for our trip to AZ. Chuck suggested that now we may need another stroller so we can keep one in each car... so, how many car seats and strollers does one baby need? A LOT!!!

McWhat!?

Yesterday Julian posted a blog about McTeacher Day, where the teachers served all the kids at McDonald's. In the last couple of days I've reconnected on facebook with several friends from WAY back in the day when I worked at McD's (for more years than I should admit to). So, it seemed appropriate that Chuck & I take Aurora to McDonald's this morning for breakfast. I have to say, the McCafe is a good addition, and their high chairs are better than most restaurants. Rora enjoyed herself despite not being able to actually eat anything. Perhaps they should add McBaby Food to the menu next?

Afterwards, in an effort to offset the trip to McD's, we headed on down to the local Farmer's Market. What a beautiful morning to shop for fruits and veggies! I came home with more than I expected to... sweet potatoes, zucchini, basil, okra, tangerines, peppers and onions... delish.

Then we headed on over to Babies'R'Us, in pursuit of winter outfits for Aurora to wear to Arizona for Thanksgiving. We found some very cute stuff, including this adorable cap. While we love the sweet little bald head, I have to say she looks awfully cute in hats!!!

What a nice day we've had - and it's not even Noon yet!

Finally!

Our pumpkin patch photos came in the mail today. They turned out SO cute, and came on a beautiful scrapbook-style frame. Actually, one came in the frame, and they sent two other shots in addition to this one. They didn't charge us a penny, we just showed up on a Saturday and bought a pumpkin from them. How nice is that!?

And here's a cute picture we took that day... Chuck insisted I include it :)

Six month check-up

Okay, so she’s closer to 7-months old, but today was Aurora’s 6-month well baby visit. I was actually surprised by her most recent stats – I honestly thought she was bigger than she really is!!! She hasn’t grown a whole lot since her 4-month appointment, but she’s in the 50% percentile so she’s right where she needs to be at 15 lbs 12 oz and 25 ¾” long.



They gave her 4 shots today – three standard vaccinations and a flu shot. Of course, she screamed and cried pretty hard while the shots were going in, but she recovered quickly and took a good long nap afterwards. She’s been eating and sleeping great, and really has been the best little daughter we could’ve asked for.

And you thought I’d blog about the election!!!

Crawl Position

Rora Rooster!

Well, my eyes are finally clearing up, and while I still felt too sick to go to work or our Halloween party (total bummer), I do feel like my energy is coming back and I’m on the mend.

Our Halloween fun came in the form of the one and only Kim Barnett. She could not bear to miss seeing Aurora as a Rooster, so she decided to stop by after work. Aurora surprised her by dressing as a KIM BARNETT when she arrived!!! That’s right, we just had a feeling the KB might be wearing a white t-shirt and denim shorts, and Aurora was prepared!

And here’s Aurora's “official” costume:

We don’t get any trick-or-treaters on our block since there are no sidewalks or streetlights, but I hear the mega mansions about a mile down the road stock up with all the good candy so everybody just drives down there anyway. That’s fine by us… Aurora’s already asleep and Chuck & I may actually watch a movie.

Happy Halloween!

Daddy Takes Over

As you know, I’ve been sick all week long. I’ve been staying home from work and keeping Aurora with me, but this morning I was feeling worse and knew I couldn’t take care of her. Chuck’s been extremely busy at work, but he still has the flexibility to work from home, so he stayed home and took care of both of us.

First he dropped Aurora at daycare, then took me to the doctor’s office for a follow-up visit. I found out that I have a 101 temperature, most likely strep throat, and my pink eye seems to be in both eyes now. I’m such a mess!!! Dr. Crook started me on antibiotics, which should help pretty quickly if I have strep. I am very contagious right now, but by tomorrow evening I should not be contagious at all... unless it's not strep, in which case the antibiotics won't help.

The only downfall to the antibiotics is that they will likely cause Aurora to develop a yeast-diaper infection, but it’s treatable and I’m still better off continuing to nurse her. I’m really just hoping the sweet baby girl stays healthy… and her daddy too!

At 5pm, Chuck picked Aurora up from daycare and did the whole nighttime routine while I sat on the sidelines. If I’m so contagious, I figure I should keep my distance until feeding time. But I did take pictures…

Here’s Chuck playing with the baby:

Feeding Aurora rice cereal, carrots, and green beans:

And giving her a bath:

Could our daughter be any cuter? Thanks for your help sweetie. I don’t know what we’d do without you…

Scooting Around

When I said in my last post that Aurora was scooting “around,” I meant it. She can’t go straight ahead yet, but she’s got the pivot & turn move down.

Earlier this month we bought her a tumbling mat, which may seem a bit much, but she was bonking her head on the floor and I wanted her to be able to move around safely. Plus, I figured it’s a good investment – I’m sure she’ll be able to use it for years to come, and it folds up pretty small.

Okay, here she is… in position for the turnaround:

“Here I go!”

“Wait, wasn't I just holding this toy?"

“Oh wow, what’s back here?”

“I made it all the way around!”

“I have a lot of energy Mommy! I can’t wait to crawl!”

A good egg

Today I stayed home sick, and decided to keep Aurora home with me. She was such a good sweet girl, taking long naps, scooting around like crazy, and sticking her tongue out to blow raspberries a lot. I tried my hardest to keep our hands clean and keep her from touching my eyes, but boy is she getting grabby! Here's hoping that I'm only spreading immunity to her, and not disease.

One thing I missed today was our Farm to Work delivery. Last week we started getting fresh organic local veggies delivered to work - a huge bag of whatever’s in season for $25. I opted in and really like it, as it forces me to use veggies that I wouldn’t usually buy and make new and interesting things. We got to meet the farmer last week - she’s about my age and has a young son. It’s a pretty neat deal.

Kim Barnett was so sweet and actually came by our house tonight to deliver my veggies. I was sad that she wouldn’t get to see Aurora (it was past her bedtime), so I took pictures of her wearing this cute bib that Helen gave us. She wore it in honor of Kim bringing us eggplant. I have to say, nomatter what anybody else thinks - that KB is a good egg.

Speaking of veggies, Aurora’s favorite food so far seems to be carrots. She also likes apple sauce, sweet potatoes, and peas. Her least favorite hands down is squash. We’ve tried it a few times and it makes her scream!

Voting with pink eye

Today Chuck and I pre-voted at the Bee Cave City Hall. Aurora wanted to cast her ballot, but I told her she'll have to wait until the 2028 presidential election. Until then, she'll have to settle for a sticker.

By the time we voted, I'd already had a pretty eventful day. This morning I woke up with pink eye. I don't think I've ever had pink eye before, but last week at daycare Carole told me that Adelina had it and her eye was swollen and goo'ed shut. She didn't seem overly concerned, so when I awoke with a swollen gooey eye, I knew what it was and stayed pretty calm. I was (and still am) afraid of spreading it to Aurora and Chuck, so I made an appointment at Austin Regional Clinic right away. The doctor said pink eye is most often viral and is basically like having a cold in your eye - it'll go away by itself and there's not much you can do. He did give me some antibiotic eye drops which may help clear it up faster.

I'd also like to mention that I woke up with a sore throat too, and am feeling pretty crummy overall. I've read that I should keep breastfeeding because I'm passing along tons of antibodies to keep Aurora from getting sick, or at least help her fight it faster if she does catch it. So far, Aurora's doing fine - but needless to say, we're monitoring the situation and washing our hands a lot around here!