Nighty NIght

So it has been a little over a month since our trip to California and thus our new sleep routine. Though it took some time, Alana is now sleeping through the night. As planned, we moved her into her room and crib the night we returned. That went well enough but we ran into another problem... the swaddle!

She hated being swaddled. She would fight it and fight it but I thought that was the only way she would fall asleep and stay asleep. Well I was wrong. For about a week, we would struggle to go to bed and she was waking every 2 or so hours. It was like the first month all over again. Luckily for us all, Alana learned to roll over on May 25th. Ever since then, we no longer needed to swaddle her because she would simply roll over on her tummy and fall right asleep.

So no more swaddle and a baby that sleeps through the night. We put her to bed at 9:00 and she wakes up at 8 or 9. Sometimes she wakes up around 2 or 3 and I feed her and put her right back to bed. But I only get up with her once a night max. Sometimes she will wake and cry but she usually puts herself back to sleep in a couple minutes.

Our trip to Cali...

PART 1

We have been in CA for about 5 days now and this is the first time I have gotten a chance to blog. To say that we have been busy would be and understatement! Here is what we've been up to:

On Monday night, we arrived at the airport to fly out. Passing through security went fine but took a lot longer due to the carseat, stroller and various other baby gear. Alana also did great on her first plane ride. She nursed during takeoff and landing and seemed to have no problems with the change in pressure. She did however, insist on being held the whole flight. Every time I tried to put her in her carseat, she would wake up and cry. Rather than disturb the other passengers, I decided to just hold her. When we got to baggage claim, my dad, Tonia and Malcolm were waiting to greet us. What a nice surprise! My mom was there to pick us up and after picking up my Uncle Michael's car, we were at my mom's house. This was a really late night for Alana. She didn't go to bed until after 11:30 (bedtime is 9!) but she held up like a champ!

Tuesday was a day packed full of visiting family. We started the day by going to my grandparents' house were Alana met her Great-Grandma Arnetta, Great-Grandpa Ray and Great-Aunt Debra. Boy did they LOVE her! After a nice a nice visit and lunch it was time to go.

And off we went to visit the Burkes followed by a yummy BBQ at my mom's house with the family. Alana got to meet her other Great-Grandma and her Great Uncle David. Unfortunately, by this point, Alana was on family overload and she was kind of fussy.

Wednesday we played it kind of low key. But Thursday, was a day filled with more firsts... Alana's first road trip, her first trip to Santa Cruz, and her first stay in a hotel. After getting settled into our room, we headed down to the lounge for Alana's Welcome Party. So many friends came out to see us. I think we counted over 30! Everyone loved her of course and she was passed around from one set of open arms to another. Again she did great with all the new faces.

Friday we woke up late and we wanted to hit the road so as to not hit any traffic. So we didn't get a chance to go to the beach... but we did drive by it. All I have to say is, I miss Santa Cruz and living by the ocean. When we got back into town we met my Dad and Tonia for dinner. And after a nice visit, it was time to call it a night.

Today is Saturday. Alana has another party at my mom's house. We are looking forward to seeing a few more people. Let's hope Alana holds up!

PART 2

Home at last!!!

Everything but the kitchen sink

I am a notorious over-packer. And now I over pack for my daughter. We are leaving for our trip to CA in a little under 3 hours. We will be gone for a week and I'm sure I packed enough for two... clothes, toys, blankets, diapers... everything but the kitchen sink!

This is our first trip to CA as a family and I am so excited! A little nervous about the plane ride with Alana but overall excited. We have a lot planned including seeing my grandparents and a mini trip to Santa Cruz.

California, here come the Morarus!!!

Oh and Alana gave me her first Mother's Day present... I was lifting her up over my head and she spit up right in my eye! This was this first, and I'm sure not the last time!

My First Mother's Day

I'm sure I will remember this Mother's Day more than any other. My first time being celebrated as a mom. I received so many calls and wishes for a happy day. The day started with a yummy breakfast made by Danny and a very thoughtful card. We then went over to the in-laws for lunch with the family. The rest of the day was spent getting ready for our trip to CA tomorrow. But it was just nice having my baby and my honey with me all day. The best part of the day was bath time. Alana was in such a happy mood. Now its time to relax and enjoy the rest of the night!

A new wardrobe

Alana is such a trooper! This morning, she patiently sat through about four outfit changes before we found on that fit. My little baby is now wearing 3-6 months onsies. So its time to reorganize her dresser and closet. I feel like I just made the change from newborn to 0-3 months clothes and here I am again. However, the funny thing is that she is still wearing newborn pants. She has a long torso like her Momma and she would look like Urkle if she wore the 0-3 months pants.
So its great! I have a whole new wardrobe to start dressing her in. Plus we leave for CA in a couple days and she'll get to wear all her cute "summer" outfits. Even though all this means my baby is quickly getting bigger, I can find the bright side of anything!!!

Ahhh... Sunday!

Sundays are now my favorite day of the week. Why, you ask? Well most weeks, Sundays are Danny's only day off. Sundays are "Family days".

This morning, Alana woke up at 8:14 (right on schedule). I brought her into our bed right in between Danny and myself. We spent the next 20 minutes together watching Alana stretch, smile, and stick out her tongue... It was heaven!

Right now, Danny is changing her (I have vowed not to change a single dirty diaper today. Wet ones, okay, but dirty ones NO!) and I have Trader Joe's chocolate croissants in the oven (another piece of heaven). We have no plans today except for a walk in Cook Park and I couldn't be happier!

Ready, Set, Blog!

I have been thinking about starting a blog for awhile now. I have been following several and I really like the concept. I want this blog to be a way to capture all (or most) of the family moments and milestones happening in our lives. With Alana nearing 3 months, I feel that I am behind in the game. But its never too late to start... right? Well starting is the easy part. The hard part will be finding time to post with an infant in the house. But here it goes!

This past month, Alana has changed so much! She has transformed from a blob to a baby. She is playing with her toys, cooing, smiling and laughing all the time and sleeping through the night... most nights. We spend our days together in a happy routine. A typical day looks like this:

We wake up anywhere between 8-9:00. After a diaper change and a new outfit, Alana goes into her crib to say "good morning" to her "buggies" (her mobile). Alana loves her "buggies"! As soon as she is set down, a huge smile creeps on her face and she immediately starts talking to them. This usually buys me about 20 minutes, just enough time to use the bathroom, wash my face, put in my contacts and grab a quick bite to eat. In all honesty, Alana could probably spend an hour looking at her buggies. But morning is also her most alert and happy time of day so Mommy wants some play time too.

We come downstairs and I lay Alana down on a big blanket on the floor. We spend the next 40 minutes or so playing with Alana's favorite toys (an octopus mirror, a crinkly star toy, and my personal favorite a sheer blue scarf that I throw in the air and let flutter down on her face). After play time, its time to eat. (She is still eating about every 2 hours except at night when she goes for longer stretches between meals.)

By now Alana has been awake for about 2 hours and now its nap time. For the past week , Alana has been napping in her crib. Though she still sleeps in our room in a bassinet, we are trying to get her used to sleeping in her crib during the day. The day is coming soon when she makes a permanent move! Thankfully, we have almost entirely eliminated "napping in the swing". We reserve that for her most fussy moments when Mommy and Daddy NEED a break.

The rest of our day follows that pattern. Nap, play, eat, nap, play, eat. Sometimes we run errands and when the weather allows, we do go out for walks. I am so looking forward to the summer time! Danny gets home around 6:00 and by that point I am ready to play "pass the baby". Danny is great and happily takes her right away. I use this time to finish dinner (if I was lucky enough to get it started) and take a shower. We are still eating in shifts at this point. By the end of the day, Alana has had about all she can take of being put down and she usually insists on being held.

We start our bedtime routine around 8:30 (we try to not let her nap past 7:00). Baths are given every couple days and by 9:00 I am rocking and singing my sweet baby to sleep. Lately, its been taking only about 20 minutes to get her down.

So there you have it. That's our basic routine. Alana is a great baby and I am truly blessed. She is growing so fast and I am just trying to savor every moment with her. My hope is that with this blog, you will be able to as well. =)