Friday, February 27, 2009

Two month check-up

Tali had her two month check-up on Monday and she's doing well. She weighed in at 8 lbs. 2 1/2 oz. and is now 21 inches long. She's hitting all of her milestones and is even one month advanced when it comes to lifting her head. During this coming month, the doctor said her hands will start to open more and she'll begin to smile at me and things I do. 

Tali also got her first round of shots on Monday and she screamed! I had to hold her in my lap as the pricked one leg and then the other. I couldn't watch. I just held her tightly and wished for it all to be over soon. They say that these shots either make babies more fussy or more sleepy. Luckily, she slept more. 

Now that she has built up a bit of an immunity, she can go out in public. This week, she took her first stroll down Greenwich Avenue, went to Saks, visited the mall, explored Whole Foods and took a trip to Buy, Buy Baby. Of course, she slept during every one of these outings but at least she (and I) got out.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt

I think I've been in denial. Since Tali came home, I've insisted that she is a good baby. The baby nurse said she was very gassy but I didn't see it. H said she cries a lot but I disagreed. Now I've come to realize that both these things are true. 

She is quite fussy and very gassy. There are moments in the day when she is awake and calm and just looking around, but there are more fussy moments. I believe that this is partially because she is uncomfortable from the gas. So now I am trying to fix that problem. I've been giving her Gripe Water when she seems gassy and it seems to calm her a bit but has not fully changed her. So at the last doctor's visit, we discussed what else can be done.

It is believed that babies are gassy in relation to their diet. So if they are breast fed, it's possible that there is something in their mom's diet that is not agreeing with them. The most common culprit is dairy. This is everything from milk and cheese to yogurt and butter.

So as of Monday afternoon, I have cut dairy from my diet to see if it will make a difference. As someone who has dairy with almost every meal (and often for dessert), this is not easy. But, it will be worth it if Tali's whole attitude changes. If she can go from being uncomfortable and fussy to calm and happy, then it's worth it. 

It's been four days now and I have yet to notice a real difference. But I am going to stick with this. The doctor says it will take a week until I notice any changes. If this doesn't work, then there are a lot of other foods that I might need to eliminate. And even though I miss chocolate and cheese, I hope this works!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Goodnight Moon

At this very moment, H is reading Goodnight Moon to Tali and it is so adorable. He is sitting in the glider (in her room) and she is resting on his knees, looking up at him with her big blue eyes. She's hanging on to every word he says and is very content. I just passed by and it made me smile and my heart melt. I wanted to share that moment with you.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

She's a real baby now!

For those who actually read this blog regularly, I apologize for not writing recently. I've been a bit busy. Why, you wonder? Well, Tali is a real baby now. She's no longer just a eating, sleeping, pooping, crying machine. Tali now smiles, lets you know if she likes (or doesn't like) something, and tells you when she's hungry or tired. While we still have some time until her personality actually develops, I am enjoying getting to know little bits of her. It's very rewarding to see her happy and cooing. 

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Male Pattern Baldness


Tali has developed male pattern baldness. The hair at the top of her head has fallen out and she's just left with some on the sides and in the back. Yesterday after her bath I tried to do a comb-over but there isn't enough on the sides for that to work. So then I tried to do a comb-front but the hair is too far back for that to work either. Guess I'm out of luck. Right now her head looks like a middle-aged man. I'm considering gluing a bow to her scalp so people know she's a girl.

First Sick Night

When: February 3, around 4:00 in the morning
Where: Home
Details: I was feeding Tali in the middle of the night and she was being very fussy.  After about an hour of trying to get her to eat, she finally latched on. And then she vomited while eating! It got on her and on me. She did this again and I got a bit worried so I called the doctor. Thankfully, someone is always on call. I explained what had happened and we did a physical exam over the phone. The doctor believed the most likely cause was that there was gas in her belly which was blocking the milk from going down. So, up it came. I was instructed to wait a half hour for her stomach to settle and then try again. She ate and finally went to sleep (three hours after this began). By that point it was time for me to get up and take care of Jackson. So I spent the day as a zombie - two hours of sleep. Tali spent the day eating small portions every hour or so leaving no time for me to really rest.