Two Months of Savvie

Happy two months to our baby girl! The last month has been a little challenging as Savvie's reflux and lack of sleep has given us all a tough time.  There have been a few great things happening too that help to make up for the yucky stuff.  I think we are going uphill from here!

 

Personality:
Savvie started smiling real smiles a few weeks ago! It's awesome to see her smile back at us when she's truly happy or amused. She actually does seem to be happier during wake times lately too. 

 

Size:
At her 2 month appointment, Savvie weighed 12 pounds 8 ounces (75th percentile) and was 24 inches long (98th percentile). She is wearing size 2 diapers. Some of her 0-3 month outfits still fit, but they are getting tight/short/small! We are starting to dress her in the 3 months clothes. I don't think she's as excited as I am about new wardrobe choices.

This darling headband was made by my BFF, Jen. I just adore the "Anthropology inspired" look!

Development:
With the help of medicine and some other changes, her reflux has improved. I have cut out dairy from my diet to help with reflux as well as the fussiness and problems sleeping that she was having in the first month. Slowly but surely, she seems to be doing better all around.  Sweet girl is holding her head up well now. She can sit in her Bumbo, and she isn't nearly as floppy when you hold her. She is lifting her head up off the floor during tummy time, and she can "spin" around on her play mat. 

Sleep:
Savvie has moved to her room for naps and nighttime sleeping. We tried the crib for a while, but she was not sleeping well in it. She almost always had to be moved after a short while to her swing to get back to sleep. The pediatrician said that pain from her reflux was most likely the reason for her premature nap/night wakings, so we have been putting her back in the Rock and Play or the swing for sleep as she seems to do better when a little upright. Naps are generally only 30 or 45 minutes to start, and then she will sleep a little longer if moved to her swing or if mommy can get her back to sleep. She usually wakes up one time at night, with a 4-5 hour stretch and another 3-4 hour stretch. The good thing is that she will nap well in the car, carseat or the Ergo if we are out and about.

 Eating:
Savvie is still a great eater. She eats about every 3 hours during the day. I started having a supply issue in the afternoons and evenings, so we have tried giving her some extra breastmilk that I stashed in the freezer. She also took a breastmilk bottle when we had a date night! I have been taking Fenugreek, eating lots of oatmeal, drinking tons of water, and several other milk boosting things to get my supply up. She is definitely happier and easier to get to sleep at night when she has a full belly.

This gorgeous doll was handmade by my best friend, Katie. I am absolutely in love with this sweet gift which will be a very special keepsake doll for years to come.

Fun and Games:
She loves taking baths, looking at herself in the mirror by her changing pad, swinging in her swing (finally!), drinking mommy's milk, and watching her big brother play or dance. She usually enjoys riding in the car and being worn by mama in the Ergo.

This was just too funny not to include. Camp's face is actually not dirty, just bruised on both sides from a run-in with the baby gate!

Dear Savvie,
It makes my heart melt to see you smile at me. You already love your mommy, and I certainly adore you! You look so precious in your headbands and your sweet girly outfits. Thank you for letting mommy dress you up and show you off to the world. I hope your tummy will start feeling better and you can sleep better soon. Did you know that your big brother Camp thinks the world of you? Everyday he tells you good morning and says he likes you. He wants to hold you all the time, and he will hold your hand during our car trips. Your daddy and I love you to pieces and are just counting the days til you will sleep through the night.
Love,
Mommy

One Dollar Wednesday: Dancing Raisins

After quite a break from the One Dollar Wednesday posts, here's a fun one for your Hump Day!

With the heat and new baby, we've spent more time indoors lately. I have also spent a lot of time on Pinterest while nursing little Savvie, so I'm coming up with lots of big ideas for indoor fun that usually don't materialize. This morning I saw a cool science experiment that required no planning, and I already had the needed items for it. Since I had all of the needed materials on hand, the cost for me was actually free.

Get two clear glasses (I used mason jars).  Fill one with tap water and the other with carbonated water (I used Sprite Zero). Put a handful of raisins in a cup or bowl. Tell your mini scientist to drop some of the raisins in the plain water and observe what happens. Then, let your little person drop one raisin at a time into the carbonated water. And ABRACADABRA: DANCING RAISINS!

(Sorry for the poor picture quality on these! Not sure what my iPhone was thinking this morning.)

 The raisins in the bubbly beverage will sink, then float, then sink again. Some will look like they are dancing. The science behind it is that the bubbles from the carbonation will float the raisin to the top and when the bubbles pop, it will sink back down again! It's so simple, yet pretty fascinating. I think I was more amused than Camp, but it was a fun little learning activity to do instead of watching tv.

Hope you and your mad, er, adorable little scientist can have fun with this cool experiment too!

Savvie at 1 Month

It happened again! Time flew. Savvie was one month old on June 28th. While some days and nights seemed to go so slow (think of a newborn who wasn't happy unless she was being held and jostled around in your arms as you walked like a zombie around the house), the month really went by so fast. Even though she can be a handful (literally) at times, I have tried to stop and savor every minute with this sweet babe who will only be a newborn for a little while longer.

Savannah Kathryn- sneak peek from our newborn photo session with Ellen Peek!

Personality:
I guess you can't really say that much about a one month old's personality, but our sweet girl is snuggly and sleepy. She slept more than I remember Camp sleeping in the first couple of weeks. She is a good sleeper when she wants to be. She is happiest when sleeping or eating. When awake, she loves being in someone's arms as long as they are moving around with her (Camp was the same way). She loves being worn in the Mei Tai or our new Wrapsody water wrap. She dislikes the swing and playmat. She can't stand getting her diaper changed, but she also hates having a dirty diaper. She is pretty content during car rides and is on the fence about baths.

Size:
At her 2 week appointment, Savvie was 9 pounds, 2 ounces and 21 3/4 inches long. She is wearing 0-3 month clothes and has pretty much outgrown her newborn stuff. She now wears size one diapers.

Development:
We found out at the two day appointment that Savvie has a heart murmur.  After a couple of scary days, we had an appointment at MUSC and she got an echo cardiogram.  We were lucky to see our friend, Dr. Tony, for the results.  Basically, it's a very tiny hole causing the murmur, and it will most likely close up in a few months. We were so relieved. Baby started showing signs of acid reflux, and she started taking medicine for that after her two week appointment. That has helped a great deal, but she still has some discomfort and spit up resulting from it. Also, Savvie has a yucky clogged tear duct in her right eye. We are constantly cleaning out eye gunk and rubbing her inner eye to get that cleared up. It has gotten better but still keeps us clearing away the eye boogers.  In the past month, our girl has gotten stronger and is a lot less wobbly.  She has gotten some good head control, but she can still be floppy on occasion. 

Sleep:
We have had several times of having nights and days mixed up. SKH would sleep most of the day and then be wide awake at night! It is really hard to keep this tiny baby awake during wake hours. We have tried changing her diaper, getting her undressed, tickling her feet, and thumping her feet. She is a hardcore sleeper because none of those things work. We will be working harder to get her on a good eat, wake, sleep schedule (Babywise) like we did with Camp. When she isn't mixed up with the moon and sun, she will sleep for 4-5 hours at a time at night. I usually get up to feed her once or twice.  Savvie sleeps in her Rock and Play at night and for most naps. We tried the bassinet a few times, but she didn't really like it. She also naps really well in her carseat or in the Mei Tai/Wrapsody when we are out and about or she is too fussy to be left alone.  The next step will be getting on a better schedule and taking naps in her crib to get her ready for nights in the crib!

Eating:
Savvie picked up really fast on breastfeeding.  She did great from her first try in the hospital soon after she was born.  She generally eats every 3 hours but does go a little longer at night and sometimes more frequent during the day.  So far she has not needed any supplements or tried any bottles. I am hoping we can continue nursing for a whole year, but we will just take it one day at a time.

Fun and Games:
There is not a whole lot to say here. Sweet girl tags along on whatever play dates or birthday parties that Camp participates in for the most part. She has already experienced a lot in her first month: a newborn photo session, several pool parties (she slept through every one of them), a beach day, park time, restaurant lunch dates, shopping trips, one trip to church (did not sleep through and got to tour the entire church while Daddy and Camp were in Sunday School), and lots of visitors. In the small pockets of time she is awake, she enjoys the songs and rhymes that involve hand/foot motions like "Miss Mary Mack," "Patty Cake," and "If You're Happy and You Know It." She is like Camp in loving to "ride the bicycle" or "kick and swim" with her legs. She is somewhat happy when Camp holds her. We have fun trying to make silly faces or sounds for her.

First time on the playmat...tolerated it for a few minutes.

Dear Savvie,
You have been a joy to get to know.  I like to call you "Savvie Wavvie" or "Savvigator." I love when you fall asleep in my arms (and especially when you stay asleep and let me rest). You smell so sweet and feel so good when you snuggle with me. It is so fun to have a little girl, and I adore dressing you up and making you wear cute headbands. You are just beautiful in whatever you wear, especially in your birthday suit! I love you more and more every day. Thanks be to God for blessing us with a perfect daughter.
Love,
Mommy

Savvie Meets World

She's here!!! Savannah Kathryn Howell was born to our sweet family on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at 11:43 am. Savvie weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces, and she was 20 inches long. She has a head full of beautiful dark hair with a head circumference of 14 inches (which they told us was pretty big).  She is a PERFECT blessing from God.

First pediatrician check

a little bit cleaned up in mommy's arms

Shampoooo!

Not really loving her bath

Clean with Nurse Debbie

all fresh and clean in daddy's arms

37 Weeks Preggo with Savvie

How far along? 37 Weeks

 

How big is baby? Book says about 6 pounds and 20 inches long. She's head down :-)

 

Maternity clothes? Not really sure how anyone could say no to this question at 37 weeks. Even some of my maternity clothes are getting too small! Eek!

Sleep: I wake up every couple of hours to visit the bathroom. It's mostly a pain because it's hard to actually get myself in and out of the bed. I usually try to nap for a couple of hours in the afternoon when Camp takes a nap. We put the feather bed back on our bed so I haven't had any more backaches since doing that!

Best moment(s) this week: My mom and brother moved to the area last weekend, so we have been able to see them a few times, including for a wonderful Mother's Day lunch and park time. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with friends. I got to see my longest time best friend who was visiting from Italy and attend a baby shower for her and her baby boy!

Movement: Savvie is moving a little less which is apparently normal at this point since she is running out of room in there. She still goes wild when I have something sweet :-)

Food cravings: doughnuts

 

Food Aversions: Nothing

Gender: Still a girl as far as we know...and hope!

Pregnancy Symptoms: VERY HOT!!!

Belly Button in or out? barely still in...You could say it's a half outie I think.

What I miss: adult beverages

What I am looking forward to: Celebrating with friends and Jonathan at two weddings coming up in the next two weekends!

 

Upcoming appointments/events:  Next checkup on Thursday, May 15.

Weekly Wisdom: Get more stuff done before you hit the 36 week mark...it gets a lot harder to do your projects and nesting by then!

Milestones: Camp turned 2 and a half! 

Bump Picture: 

36 weeks

Camp is Two and a Half!

I can't believe that my little guy has reached another big milestone! He turned 2 and a half yesterday on May 11, 2014. I had definitely intended to celebrate his "half birthday" with a cupcake, but it was Mother's Day so that plan got a little lost with the rest of the festivities. We still had a great day because we got to go to church, have lunch, and enjoy presents and park time with my mom (Camp's Nonna)! I'm still wanting that cupcake so we'll try to celebrate the Campster today :-) (Update: We got cupcakes tonight after dinner! Camp had to have the "blue" one.)

Here's an update on what my cutie has been up to lately:

Personality:
This kid is a hoot. He has me laughing all day long (when I'm not pulling out my hair) at the funny things he does or says.  He loves his "friends." Friends can be buddies we play with all the time or anyone under 12 who looks fun to him. He especially loves older and younger girls. He calls them "my ladies." He has a sweet and tender side with babies, so we are lucky for that and hope it carries over to Savvie. Camp thinks he is a rockstar and loves to get the attention from putting on "shows." He gets upset when he waves or says hello to those who pass by and doesn't get a return greeting. He loves, loves, loves his daddy. "Wanna hang out with me Daddy," is a common phrase around here. While he is no perfect angel, Camp is mostly well-behaved. He knows how to push our buttons and charm his way into a lot of stuff we would normally say no to, but most days he is polite and listens to us. He is scared of spankings now so he'll do almost anything to avoid them. He repeats a lot of phrases he hears on tv or what his daddy says, so we definitely have a mini parrot on our hands.

With his birthday buddy, Luke, at Lilly's 1st birthday party in Columbia

Size:
Camp weighs about 36 pounds. I'm guessing he is about 38 or 39 inches tall. He wears some size 2T and mostly 3T clothes. The last time we got his feet measured, he needed an 8.5 shoe.

Easter 2014

Development:
He is potty trained day and night! It was a very short process for my quick learner. We did a three day boot camp, and he was potty trained during waking hours after that. Not too much longer, and he could stay dry during naps. A few weeks later, and we dropped the pull ups at nighttime. It's so nice to say bye-bye to diapers, at least until baby sister arrives.  There have been a few accidents but they are usually pretty minor, and we keep spare clothes with us at all times!

Camp speaks in complete sentences and will talk your head off! He likes to say his own prayers at nighttime and mealtime. He has also started making up songs to sing. He knows a lot of the letters and wants to count everything.

His newest trick is a somersault! He loves to run, dance, and do his "exercises."

Sleep:
Since moving to his big boy bed earlier this year, he has started waking up earlier. He usually gets up between 6:15 and 6:45 am. He still take a great nap around 2 pm. He naps for 2.5-3 hours, and it is marvelous. He goes to bed anytime between 8 and 9 pm. He talks a little in his sleep and sometimes cries out, but he usually sleeps through the night. He is afraid of monsters, wants to have the hall light on and his door cracked when he sleeps. We think he is a mastermind of bedtime stall tactics: "I need my baby doll," "Close the closet doors," "Sing me a song," etc. 

Eating:
Camp has definitely improved in eating more of a variety of foods. He has opened up to more fruits, especially watermelon, and he will eat some other vegetables when there is a prize (like something sweet or more bread) at the end. He still is not interested at all in hamburgers or strawberries! He loves his milk and water, but I have still held off on offering juice. One of his favorite treats is a milkshake :-)

Fun and Games:
We recently took Camp to Riverbanks Zoo for his first real zoo experience! He was not as impressed as I had hoped, but it was successful overall. He mostly wanted to eat snacks and ride the carousel. Later, he did talk about the animals we saw with excitement.

FISH FACE!

Now that it's warming up, he loves to swim at the pool or play at the splash pad. Being outside is still at the top of his list, but it's definitely getting too hot for me already! He really enjoys tennis, t-ball/baseball, soccer, frisbee, riding his outdoor toys, bubbles, and scaring mommy to death by getting as close to the road as he can.

Camp has a great imagination and loves dramatic play. He is often making up new recipes, having "phone" conversations, and building castles out of blocks/crates/brownie mix boxes.


Dear Camp,
I love you so much, my little man. I can't believe that you will be a big brother soon! You are going to be the best big brother to Baby Savvie. We are going to have so much fun together. As of now, you are very excited and even tell God thank you for your baby sister in your goodnight prayers. You are sweet and hilarious, especially when you say the word hilarious. You care about others' feelings and always try to make people feel better. You love your baby doll and your blankets, and you carry them around the house with you all day. Lately, you have been really good about brushing your teeth so that makes me super happy. When I ask you to help put away your clothes or shoes, you do it. You are starting to be very helpful with cleaning up toys, getting your own breakfast, and even helping to empty the bathroom trash cans! Thank you for making me a mommy and opening my heart so wide. I love you more than all the sleep, donuts, and pizza in the world!
Love,
Mommy