Ready for the Cold

The cold weather is here!  And it arrived just in time for our last Stroller Strength exercise class.  It's a good thing I finished sewing this blanket for Corinne last night.  It's a double layer of fleece with a fleece binding.  I added some straps that can be used to tie it to her car seat or stroller.  It worked out really well in class this morning since it was soooo windy!  I didn't have to worry about her blanket falling off.  Since coats aren't safe in the carseat this is our plan for keeping Corinne warm this winter!

Scragly Hair!

Corinne was born with a good deal of hair on her head.  The pediatrician told us not to get attached as it would likely fall out.  Well, it didn't fall out, but I think it thinned out.  And it definitely got lighter in color.  And now it looks all scraggly!  It's long on top, she's mostly bald on the back with a little bit near her neck.  Some of the pieces of hair are really long, though, and they just kind of fly around!  It's unmanageable!  Her daddy thinks she has a come-over!  Even though it's a mess she's still adorable!!

Belly to Belly

First she was rolling back to belly and getting stuck.  Now that she's figured out belly to back it sometimes ends up as a continuous roll and she's right back where she started.

Pterodactyl

Diapers!

Because we went on vacation for 6 days I bought a pack of disposable diapers for the trip.  It was a good thing I wasn't planning on using cloth while we were gone because the night before we left our washing machine overheated while the dirty diapers were in there!  But who has time to do laundry in a hotel while on vacation?  Not I!  Although now I kind of wish I did.  We had a few diaper issues while we were gone!  Maybe I'm just disposable diaper dumb, but I don't have leaks like that in cloth.  And I used two different brands, so I don't think I can blame a certain diaper!  Maybe I need to figure out how to travel with cloth for future trips.  I really hate using the disposables.......my only complaint about using cloth is portability.  I want them to be easier to travel with for more than just a weekend trip.  They're better for her, they're better for the environment and of course her fluffy butt looks so cute in them!!!

If you want to try cloth diapers check out Kelly's Closet.  It's my favorite diaper store.  And if you follow this link to shop I can earn a little money to put toward my cloth diaper stash!!

Sleep! Where have you gone?

Have you heard the term 4 month sleep regression?  I've read about it and heard other moms talk about it and I was worried!  Well, Corinne hit 4 months and nothing changed.  I thought I was lucky!!  Well, apparently she's a late bloomer.  It would appear that she hit it at 4.5 months.  Nap times are a battle.  They used to occur in the crib with no issue.  Now they almost always occur in momma's arms or in the car seat while out and about.  I don't so much mind the car seat naps, except when I only have one place to stop.  I like when they occur during Stroller Strength class or when I'm at the grocery store.  But the lap naps are killing me!!  My arms fall asleep, my legs usually fall asleep, and I get nothing done!  But she needs the nap otherwise she is a fussy britches.  

Along with the nap issues we're having middle of the night issues.  She just keeps waking up. She used to sleep from 8 pm to 5 am, eat and go back to sleep until 7-ish.  Now she's up every 1-2 hours!!  She isn't crying, just kind of whining in her crib.  She's loud enough to wake me up.  I'm tired of going into her room to give her a pacifier and I'm just plain tired!!  Momma needs some sleep!!  Oh, I hope we get through this soon!!!

Baby's 1st Vacation

 We took Corinne on her first family vacation!  We went to Michigan for a 6 day adventure.  She did really well in the car, especially if momma rode in the back with her while she was awake.  We made our first stop in Dearborn (mostly to break up the drive), but also to see the Henry Ford Museum.  She got to see some toys that mom and dad used to play with, lots of old cars, the Wiener Mobile and old farm equipment among other things.  We had some tasty pizza for lunch and headed on to Traverse City.

 A short drive from Traverse City is Sleeping Bear Dunes.  There we went on the Scenic Drive which had some great views of little lakes, lots of sand, a Great Lake!  We didn't just drive...we got out and took a hike.  1.5 miles doesn't seem too bad until you get out there carrying a baby.  Oh and when the whole path is sand!  I sure got my workout that day.  We had a great lunch at The Cherry Republic and a nice afternoon at the coast guard museum and Lake Michigan shore.

We hit up a few other parks, did a lot of walking and baby backpacking, and looked for moose, elk, and bears.  All we saw were wild turkeys.  In the upper peninsula we saw beautiful falls.  They were just breathtaking.  I would have loved to spend more time up there (and see moose!!).

 We missed the puppy, who stayed at PetSuites while we were gone, but we had a great time.  We'd like to go back up to the UP and spend more time there.  So hopefully there will be pictures of that trip in the future.