Catching Up

Schedule a bit of time to read this one, folks. It's a doozy.

I don't even know where to begin, today. It's been forever since I've posted (I keep checking my reader and find that others seem to post so much more often than I). I even started taking voice notes on my phone so that I wouldn't forget my thoughts!
This week has been particularly trying. Leila has a few more days left on her thrush medicine, and I can't wait until we're done. She used to be up most of the day, but would regularly go down to sleep around 5 p.m. and sleep the rest of the night, waking only to feed. While she's been on this medicine, though, she's been up until 11 p.m. or so each night, leaving me with the time between then and 2 a.m. to have any time to myself. By that time, I'm not usually in the mood to write anything other than an email or two.
So, here we are today. We went and bought a bouncy seat that runs on batteries and actually bounces itself. It doesn't bounce as aggressively as we would if we were holding her, but, it apparently bounces enough, because she went down around 8 o'clock tonight and slept for 2 hours or so!! That gave me some time to relax, and to sleep a little. Which, still leaves me awake at 2 a.m., but much more at peace than usual.

With all of the medicine drama, here are the things that have been missed this week...
We had our first visit to Target on Wednesday! We recently found out our pregnant friends are having a boy, so I wanted to go and see what I could find for baby boys! Of course, as soon as we (Leila, Aunt Rebecca, and myself) pulled into the parking lot, Leila was awake and unhappy to be strapped in her carrier, so I got her out, carried her into Target, where I changed her diaper in the bathroom, and then proceeded to Mobify her (thank you Rachel, for making that a verb for us :). She was completely happy and asleep the rest of the trip.

Yesterday, we took Aunt Danielle to the eye doctor in Dallas, so Leila and I hung out at Northpark Mall while she was at her appointment. Northpark is now, without a doubt, my favorite mall.
For those of you who didn't know, upstairs by the food court, and downstairs across from the food court and behind Ann Taylor Loft, they have special bathroom areas that include multiple separate "family" bathrooms, as well as "nursing rooms". These rooms are large and are complete with sink, trashcan, changing table, and chair. They do not include toilets, and therefore also do not include bathroom stink!
Leila and I were at the mall for 2-3 hours, during which I ate at the food court, spent time in two separate nursing rooms, and finally made it to two stores before Aunt Danielle was ready to go home. I was amazed at how different a trip to the mall is when going with an infant. For instance, I had to keep looking at mall maps to find elevators! This is something I've never even thought about before, but it had quite an impact on our trip. (It was actually a good thing for us, anyway, because that's how we found the nursing rooms.)

This week, we also decided to see what would happen if we didn't swaddle Leila anymore. It was actually her daddy's idea. He had just wrapped her up tight, and she was grunting and groaning and wriggling, and he thought that maybe swaddling was not as enjoyable for her as it used to be. So, we dressed her in the pretty pink gown her Nan gave her, and put her to bed. I was concerned we wouldn't get much sleep, but I guess our little girl is already growing up, because she did just fine. Tonight is the fourth night we haven't swaddled, and things are going well!!

Today, we made a quick run to a different Target, where Ryan had found the bouncy seat we were looking for. Leila stayed asleep in her carrier until we were loading back up in the car. We had to make a stop at the Gap by our house, and she didn't feel obliged to stay in her carrier this time. Since I was just running in to return something, I carried her. She did quite well until I strapped her back in to go home, so I'd say it was a successful trip!

We also tried out her bed, again, and she seems to really enjoy it. She spent time in there this afternoon, and then again this evening, when her daddy came home. She tends to blend in... can you see her?

Since we have made multiple shopping trips this week, we had opportunity for Leila to be seen out in public. Our first trip to Target was the first time she's received compliments from a stranger, but it definitely wasn't the last compliment of the week. And, who can blame them, when she's as adorable as she is (am I allowed to say that?), and when she wears such cute outfits like the one below (we have Aunt Renae to thank for this little romper).

And, here is our new bouncy seat. If tonight was any indication, I think we are going to get quite a bit of use out of it. Obviously, Leila thinks it's "okay".

Here are a few other recent happenings...
Once we finish this box of diapers, we are officially moving from newborn size into size 1!
Since we are moving up in diapers, I decided to give some bigger clothes a try, as well. Leila will now start to wear her size 0-3 month clothes. Up until now we've still been in newborn. Some of the clothes are still too big, but some fit, which opens up a fun new wardrobe.


Now, here is a bit of mommy ranting...
What is normal?
-Is it normal for Leila to be up so much during the day - the majority of the time from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.?
-Is it normal for her to only be willing to sleep during the day if she is being held, but to sleep so well in her bed at night?
-When she eats during the day, is it normal for her to eat off of one breast and seem content/distracted for 15 minutes or so and then be ready to eat again? This keeps her eating about once an hour from late morning to early afternoon. Is that normal?
-And, at what point does one start disciplining a child? I seriously think this girl already pitches fits and I've considered disciplining her. Ryan has thought I was crazy for saying this until he saw her pitching a fit during his lunch break today. I don't have a clue how I would discipline her, or when it is appropriate to do so, but I've already told her that she's going to be punished for those fits when she gets older. She doesn't seem to care, but it makes me feel better - kind of like saying "just wait until your dad gets home!" You know?

I know none of you who read this are pediatricians, but it makes me feel better to hear you say you've been in similar situations. So, if you have, please let me know!!