Teething!!

Peyton just turned 7 months!! And with this has come teething...

We had been struggling greatly with sleeping. Peyton will wake up in the middle of the night and scream bloody murder. The only place she seems to me content sleeping is on me!  Bryce and I couldn't figure out what was going on.

Then one day last week, Bryce said he tought.her saw a tooth. And sure enough...one of her bottom chompers was coming in.  This now seems to explain her fussyness in the evenings and need for mom! The poor thing is in pain!

Finally in the last few days the tooth has broken the skin....I'm hoping it decides to make it's full appearance soon...because I am tired! Unfortunately, I think the tooth's neighbor is coming in right behind it. Teething is dreadful!!

Though, despite the horrors of teething, there are sweet stories that go with it.  The other day, early, early morning, I was exhausted from Peyton sleeping right on top of me....and dying to lay on my side (I'm a side sleeper...so sleeping on my back night after night with the little one on top of me is tough).  So I gently put her next to me...about a foot away. Peyton woke up, turned and looked at me, rolled until she bumped me and then went back to sleep. Seriously....how cute is that?!?!!?

Doing our own thing!

Becoming a parent is by far, the most amazing thing that I have ever done. But it is also the most stressful! Especially if you are an axious worrier like me. I am known for thinking of the worst case scenario and dwelling on it.....that doesn't bode well with parenting.

From the moment I was pregnant I worried about EVERYTHING (which to an extent, especially for a first time mother, is normal). But I worried when I felt odd or uncomfortable and worried when I didn't!  The first time I felt Peyton move was a huge relief....there really was a baby in there! But when movement slowed down...I freaked out!

Right before Peyton was born I kept having fears that she was really a boy. So on the day she was born I asked the Dr.,  about 10 times..."Are you sure she's a girl?" And finally I made the Dr. show me that she was, in fact, really a girl!

Babies are amazing. They start out doing nothing but pooping, peeing, eating and sleeping and before you know it they are acting like legit little humans. But through that journey I always have that constant worry, is she doing what she's supposed to be doing? Should she be doing more?

I know that Peyton is perfectly healthy and right where she needs to be; but I know many many babies that are right around the same age as her....and that makes it hard, for an anxious mom like me, to not worry.

The truth is that all babies do different things at different times. But seeing babies the same age as Peyton do different things....is hard.  As Peyton is approaching 7 months she is doing so many fun things but it's hard to see others babies her age doing things like crawling and pulling themselves up, when Peyton isn't doing those things.

I have to remind myself, with my husband's help, that Peyton is just perfect and doing her own things.  And so my goal is not to dwell on what Peyton isn't doing (because she will do it all eventually), and focus on what she is doing! Because there is lots that she is doing.

Currently Peyton is showing no interest in being on her knees,  but she is showing interest  in standing up! She can't do it on her own but she tries REALLY hard to pull herself up and LOVES it when we let her hold on to things and lean so she can stand on her own. Those legs are getting stronger by the day.

One thing I have learned about Peyton's personality already is that she has drive and determination. Once she wants to do something she tries and tries until she gets it.  We saw this with sitting up. From 3 months old this kid tried so hard to sit up everywhere. In her car seat she was constantly pulling her head up to try to sit up. And once she got it, there was no stopping her. She did it all the time.  I suspect we'll see a similar behavior with standing!

While I know that I won't be able to stop comparing Peyton's development to other babies, I am learning to embrace and encourage her own development. So if she doesn't want to crawl.....I'll help her stand!  Who knows....maybe she'll go straight to walking.....eeeek!

Sleep like a baby??

From 5 weeks old Peyton slept through the night!  It was amazing! Not many new babies do that so I knew to enjoy it. At about 4 months old she stopped, but we quickly got her back on track. Until recently....... 

My once blissful sleeper now wakes up at 3 am crying.  She's not hungry, she doesn't need a diaper change....no, she just wants to sleep on mom! The minute I pick her up she passes right out on my shoulder.  While this sounds sweet....her wanting to sleep on her mommy, it is not all pleasantries. 

Peyton is an active sleeper, just like her dad. She tosses and turns and rolls. And now she does this on top of me. Let's just say my sleep from 3am until morning is not so sound!  The part that, let's face it, really sucks is that I highly valued the time I had after I woke up and before Peyton woke up. Sometimes it is only 30 min....other times it's an hour and a half. But I had that time all to myself. I could catch up on my latest sewing project, enjoy a cup of coffee, or even shower!! Now that time is gone because my child has decided I am the new bed!

I consulted my favorite baby sleep guide, The Alpha Parent... and this is what it said "Your baby now has a growing sense of being an individual, and may wake up and miss you in the night."  And so that seems to fit and explain her new odd behavior. While I love and miss her too, I sure do hope this phase passes quickly....or perhaps it has just been a behavioral fluke the past few nights! (Wishful thinking!)

On the plus side,  I do get it see this sweet little face when she wakes up! Man this kid is all smiles in the morning!

Adventures in moving and eating!

6 months is by far my favorite age...so far! Peyton has been showing so much personality and doing so many fun things. She's not crawling yet but boy is she mobile! Peyton is mastering the art of pushing her self backwards. Between that and rolling....this girl can get about anywhere she wants to go!

Food has been another fun adventure that we've embarked upon. Much like her mother as a child, Peyton prefers fingers over silverware!  (Let's hope she grows out of it before her teen years like I did). As a result of this preference, Peyton gets lots of fresh fruit and some veggies (we need to work on that!). in the past few weeks Peyton has shown interest in eating anything we are...beans, guacamole,  hamburger, pasta and ice cream! 

Can't wait to see what's next with our spunky little spit fire!