First Weekend Away

This past weekend, Bryann and I celebrated our 3-year wedding anniversary WITHOUT THE BABY!!!  We drove down to Klamath Falls and spent a day/night there to help transition Callie to Grandma Lainey's care, and then we drove to Ashland for the rest of the weekend.

In addition to this trip being her first weekend without mommy and daddy, it was our first long-distance car trip with Callie, her first full weekend away from her own crib.  I was really nervous she wouldn't sleep well with all the change in scenery, but coincidentally, she was also getting sick and may have been teething (we haven't seen any teeth pop down yet, so jury is still out on that one)... so yeah, she didn't sleep very well the first few nights.  I even bought an extra little mattress pad for her pack n' play crib, but the first two nights were really rough.  Bryann had been gone all week and I had been having a hard time with her before we even left for the trip, so we didn't exactly set ourselves up for success here.  But we had hotel reservations and play tickets, and PTO requests in, so we weren't about to cancel!

We left Portland at 8:30pm on Thursday (Bryann had driven down from Tacoma that afternoon, so we couldn't leave any sooner) and Callie slept pretty well in the car on the way down.  We stopped in Chemult and I nursed her, and then she slept until Klamath.  We thought we could just change her, feed her and put her back down... Boy, were we wrong!  Enter several hours of screaming and crying and several rounds of whose-turn-is-it-to-comfort-the-baby between Bryann, me, and Gma, and we got maybe 3 hours of sleep that night.  Who knows what was going on, whether she was stuffy and not feeling well, the altitude change, the crib change, the different smells, different room, but she also wouldn't nap without being in someone's arms the next day, and Friday night was equally painful to get her to sleep in her crib.  Thankfully I have the best mother in the world who stayed up with Callie until 1:30 in the morning and finally got her to sleep in her crib.  Bryann and I passed out around 10 thinking she'd be in her crib soon and slept blissfully unaware until 7am.  (Thank you, mom!!)

On Saturday morning, we headed over to Ashland via 66 (gorgeous views of the valley) and started the weekend off with AMAZING brunch at Morning Glory (complete with mimosas to celebrate our freedom!) and checked into our hotel early.  We stayed at the Columbia Hotel right in downtown Ashland.  It's the oldest and longest operating hotel, and we found it to be perfect for our needs.  Small, queen room, shared bathrooms, free coffee, friendly and accommodating staff (they let me use their fridge to store my pumped breast milk) and 2 blocks from the theater and park.

One of our reasons for wanting to visit Ashland was to check out all the areas wineries.  They have a warmer, dryer climate than the Willamette Valley, so I was really looking forward to all of the yummy darker reds!  We decided to follow the blue winery signs and started our wine-tasting itinerary at family-owned Weisinger's where we spent a good hour and a half sipping the wine samples on the sunny deck, listening to some music, and reconnecting.  We even got a private cellar tour from the owner and operator, Eric Weisinger!  And in true Kristi & Bryann fashion, we hadn't planned out any itinerary, so we asked the pourer and some of the locals tasting that day where else we should go, and which restaurants we should try.  We visited Dana Campbell (great views, good wines, delicious pulled-pork sliders), Grizzly Peak (Bryann really liked their Syrah),  and Eliana (we relaxed in the adirondak chairs, and really liked the 2010 Bordeaux Blend).

We got dinner recommendations for Cucina Biazzi, but we couldn't stay to enjoy the recommended full 4-course dining experience because we were cutting it close to the play time, so we didn't like the restaurant as much as we might have otherwise.  Needless to say we were exhausted by that point and not at all looking forward to a 3 hour play.  When we got to will-call to pick up tickets, the cashier handed them over and said "Ok, 2 tickets for tomorrow night.  Enjoy!" and we both exclaimed a sigh of relief.  We called it an early night and enjoyed NOT having to stay awake for a play.

On Sunday, we scheduled a nap for the middle of the day so we wouldn't be so exhausted.  We had breakfast at Greenleaf, took a stroll through Lithia park, and left for the wineries around 11:30.  We started at Trium (tasty Viogneir and Cuvees), then to Paschal (our favorite of the trip - we loved everything on the tasting menu, and enjoyed the tree swings after the tastings), and ended at Pebblestone (probably our least favorite place - all the wines were a bit bubbly which means they bottled them to soon).  We went back into town and had lunch at Standing Stone Brewing Co, and then took a nap and had some down time to relax a bit.  That evening, we had dinner at Loft (dungeness Crab Macaroni and cheese... HelloooooO!!!!) and then saw Cocoanuts that night.

We didn't have time to check out ALL of the wineries, or ALL of the restaurants we would have liked, but luckily, Ashland is an easy weekend trip for us and so close to Klamath that I'm sure we'll be back again.  I started to miss Callie by Monday morning and was glad to go back to see her again.  I wasn't sure how I'd feel all weekend without my sweet baby girl, but I surprised myself.  I called my mom to check in on them around breakfast and dinner, and I didn't worry about them at all.  I knew my mom had everything under control.  I think I felt so comfortable because Callie has already spent a lot of time with Gma Lainey, and she does great being away from me at daycare.  I think every mom/dad/parent has a teensy tiny voice in the back of their head saying "if something happens when I'm away, I'll never forgive myself", but whatareyagonnado?  We had a great weekend away together, and had some much MUCH needed time to reconnect.

9 Months

Stats: Callie gained percentiles this month for the first time since she was 2 months old! She now weighs in at 16 lbs (8th %), is 22.5" long (48th %) and her head circumference is 17.22" (43rd%)!

Health:  Callie got a cold right towards the end of this month, but her reflux hasn't been an issue.  I think she's grown out of it because I truly can't remember the last time she spit up more than just the tiniest little bit.

Sleep:  I've heard that babies never sleep consistently until they're well over a year.  Callie has given us some amazing sleep nights, and some really awful sleep nights.  This month has, in general, been better than last month.  She generally sleeps until 2 or 3, and then gets fed, and goes back to sleep until around 6 or 7.  Bryann and I  haven't been crazy sleep deprived this month, so I call it a win.

She did drop a nap this month.  She used to nap 3 times a day at 9 am, 1 pm, and 4 pm, but she's been working on dropping the 4 pm nap.  Sometimes she can do it if she naps for at least an hour at both the 9 am and 1 pm nap, but if not, she needs a 30 minute catnap at 4.

Clothes/Diaper Size:  She's filling out 6-month onesies and jamies nicely now, but the pants are a little on the small side, so we're going to have to move up to 9-month pants.  She graduated to size 2 diapers, and size 3 diapers at night.

Diet:  I still breastfeed her in the middle of the night, and sometimes before a nap, but for the most part during the day, I'm pumping and she's eating either breastmilk or formula from the bottle.  She gets a big bowl of cereal and baby food in the evenings, and a few extra bites of whatever I'm eating, cut into tiny pieces.

Baby Gear Love:  I still use her swing when she's fussy but not quite ready for a nap.  Or I have a meeting (since I'm still working from home 90% of the time) and I need to pacify her for awhile.

I also use the command center and her walker (one stays downstairs and one stays upstairs) when I need to keep her out of trouble for a few minutes - like when I take a shower, or cook dinner.

The Ergo still goes with us to all events and Callie still loves to hang out in it, strapped to our chests.  Sometimes she's just chill and looks around, sometimes she falls asleep.

And we go on long walks nearly every day, so the Bob stroller is getting some serious use, and is still a super smooth ride.

Nicknames:  Baby Girl, Callie Bug, Goo Goo, Boo Boo, Caleesi (GoT reference).

Favorite Songs/Lullabies:"Dancing Queen" sung every time I'm holding her up and she does her Lord of the Dance jig. 

Milestones/Firsts: 

We saw the entire progression of learning to crawl this month.  First, she started rolling from her back to her tummy and sitting up.  Then she was leaning forward and getting back on her stomach, bringing her knees up, but not quite getting on top of her knees.  She would mostly inchworm and propel herself with her hands backward and forward.  Then she got up on her hands and knees, but couldn't quite figure out how to coordinate her hands and her legs to move forward, so she would just kind of reach forward and fall on her face.  Then, on Mother's Day, she figured it out and crawled across the floor - a good 6 foot distance - in pursuit of my hard cider.

She's also learned to pull herself up into a standing position.  She can only do it with things at her level, like window sills, mommy's knees, coffee tables, and most recently using the bars of her crib, but she's sooooo proud of herself when she pulls herself up.  There's nothing else in the world that makes me so happy as the look on her face when she's discovered a new skill.  

Callie also started sleeping on her stomach during naps and at night.  Once she figured out how to sit up and crawl around, she wasn't interested in going straight to sleep anymore.  Sometimes she'll flip herself over, and crawl around her crib for awhile before passing out on her face.  But mostly, she sleeps on her stomach, sometimes with her butt straight up in the air!

This month, Callie also spent her first weekend away from home with Grandma Lainey!  Bryann and I drove down to Klamath and dropped Callie off at my parents house, and then spent the weekend (our 3-year anniversary weekend) in Ashland.  More on this adventure here.  

Likes:  Bath time, moving, crawling, getting into things, chewing on new things.  She also squeals with delight whenever I come to pick her up from Katee's, or when Bryann gets home from work.  She doesn't mind being dropped off with others (yet) and she LOVES it when she sees either of us after a bit of an absence. 

Dislikes:  Having something she's not supposed to have taken away from her, or being picked up and redirected away from the super interesting computer cords/shoes/floor vents/trash cans.  She'll cry for a few seconds, but she's usually redirected pretty quickly.

Things I Don't Want to Forget:

Nap times got WAY more interesting this month.  With her new found mobility and independence, baby girl decided it would be much more fun if she spent the first 20 minutes of her nap flipping herself over, crawling around her crib getting her leg stuck in the slats and crying, making mommy come back in her room and place her back on her back several times before finally falling asleep.  She figured it out eventually, and stopped getting stuck in the crib slats, but we spent a good 4 days doing this routine.

Not sleeping...

One time I had put her down for a nap and Bryann and I were watching the monitor, laughing at her moving around. She grabbed the crib slats and started to pull herself up. We looked at each other and said "Welp, guess that means we need to lower the crib now!" and ran upstairs, lowered the crib mattress all the way down, and moved the monitor off the crib edge. 

When I feed her at night, and she's done eating, she cuddles up to me and falls back to sleep, completely content in my arms.  It's soooo hard for me to put her back in her crib.  Sometimes I sit there rocking and kissing her forehead for a few extra minutes.

This month has been so much fun watching her develop and become mobile and interested in the world around her.  She's so expressive and seems to just LOVE life.  She must have gotten her mommy and daddy's good humor.  :-)  

Mother's Day

All the mothers with their daughters on Mother's Day

Callie flirting with her daddy

She's so adorable when she naps!

Having a ball in front of the mirror at her 9-month check up

Morning cuddle time with Daddy!

First time she pulled herself up in her crib

Dinner date with BFF Hannah!