Party Girl

This past weekend I took Olivia to a work Christmas party. Now, I know it probably seems strange that I would go to a work event when I'm not working, but I thought it would be a good opportunity to catch up with my co-worker friends, and more importantly, show off Olivia. Sometimes I worry that Olivia and I spend too much time together and she doesn't get enough exposure to other people. When we first arrived she was a bit apprehensive about being held by unfamiliar faces, but it didn't take long before she seemed delighted to be sitting on several new laps. It was fun for me to be across the room, where I could see her, but she couldn't see me, and watch her grinning away and entertaining all of her new friends. I guess the doctor was right when she told us that Olivia will be social.

That Girl, She's Got Some Lungs

Olivia and I just returned from her 4-month check up. She is crashed out in her car seat, if that is any indication of how it went for her. As you may recall, after her last doctor's visit I reacted to being told that Olivia was in the fiftieth percentile for weight and height. Well, this time her head size and height (23 7/8 inches) are both still in the fiftieth percentile, but her weight is down to the twenty-fifth percentile (12 lbs 3.5 oz). Nothing like making a breast-feeding mom feel inadequate. The doc reassured me that this was nothing to be concerned about, that she is growing at a healthy rate. I still would feel much better if she was in the chunky range. After all neither of her parents is tiny (although her dad will claim that his broad-shouldered, six-foot self is petite), so it is kind of weird to have a daughter with such diminutive features. One advantage is that is that if she was really hefty I might be afraid that I had passed on my own weight issues to her. At least I don?t have to worry about that, yet. The exciting news we heard today was that Olivia is ready to start eating solid foods. I?m going to the store tonight to buy some rice cereal. Each week we can give her a new food, starting with yellow veggies and fruits such as peaches, pears, and bananas. Both Yale and I are excited to see her try out some new foods. I am hoping that this might help her sleep through the night more often. She has slept through the night about 5 or 6 times, but lately has been waking up to eat around 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. Since I don?t have to go to work, those mid-night feeding don?t bother me much, but those nights that she slept all the way through sure were a treat. The most difficult part of the appointment, and probably the reason that little O is still fast asleep was those dreaded vaccination shots. She got two in each thigh. I can honestly say I have never seen her cry that hard. It was that kind of cry that is so intense that she was silent for awhile and it seemed like she wasn't breathing. After it was all over and I had finally calmed her down, she would start to doze off and then wake up to do a few post-crying sobs. She has never done that before. I wasn't even the one who got the shots and I felt like bawling.