Thank you, Tylenol

I love Tylenol, if for no other reason (which, admittedly there are several) then for making such an infant-friendly medicine dispenser. 

We got to my parents' house in Portland pretty late on Wednesday night.  Amelia had slept the entire way down and didn't so much as wiggle a finger as David carried her in the house as she sat in her car seat.  Once we got inside, she woke up but only barely.  My mom waited up for us (Dad was out of town on business) and was so excited to see Amelia that we handed over the dazed baby to a very eager granny.  Amelia was obviously still very tired, but after an hour of visiting with my mom, sister, and brother-in-law, she was on an over-tired buzz. 

I tried to nurse her.  We gave her a bottle.  We laid her down.  She screamed.  We sat her up.  She fussed.  I rocked her.  She screamed some more. 

The only thing that worked was giving her that blessed Tylenol bottle and letting her go to town on the rubber applicator top.  She didn't scream when we would sit her up in the portable crib and let her play so that's what we did.  David was exhausted. I was tired and getting more tired every second that passed.  There was a small lamp on the desk in the room where we were staying so I turned that on and we decided to let her play for a bit and see what happened.  She's never been the kind of baby to fall asleep while playing, eating, or anything else, so I really wasn't expecting her to just topple over and succumb to slumber.  After a few minutes she started whining.  Then fussing.  Suddenly the Tylenol bottle was completely abandoned and she was staring at us through the mesh of the crib, lip puckering.

I'm not opposed to a little "cry it out" action, and I would have just let her do her own thing in her crib to fall asleep had it not been for 5 other people in the house trying to get some sleep.   

I had this under control.  My daughter has been on this earth for a mere 6 1/2 months - she can't beat me at this!  I knew that nothing was wrong except that she didn't want to sleep.  Or, rather she really did want to sleep but was so exhausted that she couldn't figure out how to relax herself and fall asleep. 

I picked her up, put her paci in her mouth and assumed "the position".  It requires her head cradled in my left arm with my left hand wrapped around to hold the pacifier in place while my right arm holds, and subsequently pats, her rear end, all the while standing in place and bobbing up and down while swaying side to side.  It hurts.  It hurts real bad, and at first she was really mad. 

Just as a side note, you know how "they" say you should relax when your baby is upset because it helps them relax?  I so wish that weren't true.  I have to go into full-on zen mode to tune her out so I can compose myself enough to relax my body.

So, back to the cradling, patting, bobbing, and swaying.  I was doing all of that.  It started to work.  It's funny that the second it started to work, it worked quickly.  She had been crying pretty hard so when she fell asleep she was still sniffling.  That always breaks my heart.  I thought for sure since she was calm and sleeping when I was holding her that she would wake up the second I dared lay her in the crib.  Nope - she stayed asleep, sniffling and all.  At 1:30am.  She woke again at 6:30am then at her normal wake-for-the-day time of 9am.

It would take a while to explain the sleeping arrangements at my parents' house right now since my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew are crashing here until their house is finished, but I'll say that we are sleeping in my mom's office and I'm sleeping on a twin mattress on the floor while David sleeps on the floor.  Just thought I'd explain the context of the pictures.

Edit from my last post:I love my sisters, and being that they were very young in my childhood memory, I doubt they meant anything by the looks they gave me.  As a matter of fact, maybe I have a Cinderella complex and just imagined that they were glaring at me when, in fact, they were actually not glaring at me at all. 

Unrealized talent

I shouldn't be posting but I decided a quick one won't hurt.  We're packing...heading to Oregon tonight after Bible class. 

It's amazing what we can fit into our car.

It also validates our need/desire for a van.  I never thought I'd use the words "van" and "desire" in the same sentence, but I almost salivate now every time I see a newish Odyssey.  Oh, the space.  Oh, the comfy chairs.  Oh, the DVD player.  Oh, the automatic sliding doors. 

I was thinking today about unrealized talent. Of course, my main desire for my baby girl is that she grow to love and serve the Lord.  I think I will have failed as a parent if I haven't succeeded in instilling how important her soul is to God, to herself, and to us.  Then I got to thinking about how much responsibility it is, as a parent, to scope out what your child is good at (and enjoys) and really foster that. 

When I was 7 years old I was sitting in the bleachers of a middle school gymnasium with my parents watching my younger sister play basketball.  Lindsay was/is the athletic one of our family.  She always excelled at sports and really enjoyed it.  Zoom in on me when I was on a little league softball team and I'm squatted down in the outfield plucking dandelions from the grass.  I know it's pretty common to be 6 years old and completely uninterested in organized sports.  I still wish I would have picked a sport and stuck with it just for the experience of team playing and staying physically fit.  But, anyway, not my point.

So I'm on the bleachers with a blank sketch pad in my hands.  I drew a cow.  I remember this next moment very vividly.  My mom praised me for drawing such a good cow.  I mean, she really praised me.  I felt so good about that stupid cow.  Soon after, my mom took me and my sisters to a hobby store to load me up on some art supplies.  My mom is extremely talented...she was always a skilled art student and looking at her drawings from high school and college always inspired me.  The creativeness I have in my DNA, I'm proud to say, came from her. 

So we're in the hobby store and she wants to buy me an art portfolio - you know, one of those big folders with the handles that you can carry your art around in.  She's squatted down in the aisle of the store, propping a portfolio in her hand, looking at me.  She asks me if I think I could use one.  Inside I screamed, "Yes!" and was literally bursting with pride from the attention she was paying me.  But, I could tell my sisters were less than enthused about our little hobby store outing, and when I glanced behind me in the aisle of that hobby store, my gaze was met with glares.  They were kids.  They saw that I was getting attention and they weren't.  But, I didn't want to cause friction so I declined the portfolio.

I still regret it.

I don't know why - I just do.  My mom was trying to show me that she saw my interest in art and she was investing time in my talent. 

So, my prayer is that what Amelia finds that she's interested in and talented in, that I can also recognize that and support her.  Obviously as long as it's wholesome I want to be able to really let her blossom into whatever she wants to be. 

I do, however, want to start her out with a musical instrument (with her fingers, hopefully the piano or the violin) and a sport and crafts at home. 

Okay this went on a lot longer than I had hoped and now David is waiting on me to finish packing so we can get the car loaded.

This started a whole new line of thinking in my head so I'll probably want to continue with it later. 

And the winner is...

Congratulations, Micah! 

Email me your address and I should have your bows in the mail by next week!  Also let me know what color you'd like the flower clippies.

Thank you, everyone, for entering!  I'm sure this isn't the last clippie/hair bow giveaway I'll do, so stay tuned!

A Giveaway!

I've been having so much fun making bows... take a look at my Etsy store.  I think everything is very reasonably priced and the awesome part is that every bow is completely custom-made for you.  If you don't see what you're looking for - just ask!  I decided to do a giveaway since my business is just starting out and it's a pretty competitive market.  Couldn't hurt to send out some product! 

So, here's what you'd get...

Two (2) owl themed mini bows on lined alligator clips
(yours would have the owls right side up!)

Two (2) cherry themed bows on lined alligator clips

And two (2) flower clippies, the color of your choice

(subject to availability of ribbon I have on hand)

I can make any of the above bows except for the flower clippie on either a plastic barrette or a small french clip - your choice if you'd rather one of those instead of an alligator clip.

Here's how to enter...

• Comment on this post (on Blogger, please) - 1 entry

• Become a fan of Millies Bows on Facebook - 2 entries

• Become a Follower of my blog - 2 entries

• Mention this giveaway on your blog - 3 entries

So, you really have 8 chances if you do all of those things!  Leave a separate comment for each entry.

I'll draw the winner at 6pm on Tuesday, January 26th!

$4 for a box of cookies. And, a question.

First, I just have to say I felt like a genius today.

Millie and I drove to pick David up at work today.  As we were pulling in to the parking garage I was talking to him on my cell phone (I only called to tell him we were there - shhh - don't tell Oprah!) and he told me that he'd be down in a few minutes - he was busy ordering Girl Scout cookies.  We're Samoas people, and apparently David thought we should have 4 boxes.  4.  boxes.  We don't even pretend that we can't possibly eat more than 1 box before they go bad, thereby stuffing the other boxes into the freezer for safekeeping.  I'm pretty sure the last box is still warm from the Girl Scout's hands whence they came as we polish off the final cookie.

Now, my genius moment.

I was waiting for David to come down to the garage and decided to play with Amelia since she was stuck in her car seat and I didn't anticipate waiting long enough to unstrap her and pull her out.  As I was singing along with Do Your Ears Hang Low? on her Baby Genius CD, I glanced at my front passenger tire.  It looked kind of flat.  Because often tires can look a little flat at the bottom and I've been known to point out "almost flat" tires that aren't flat at all, I went to the tire and pushed my foot against it.  Pretty sure it isn't supposed to be squishy like an intertube.  Just to make sure I wasn't crazy, I did my same scientific test on the rear passenger tire...pretty firm. 

David came at that moment and before he could reach the car I said, "Lookatmytireit'sflat!" 

I was completely proud of myself for noticing my flat tire and potentially saving all of our lives. 

David took a glance at it and then back at me, smiling.  "Ooooh, it's fine."  That's the kind of "Ooooh, it's fine" that generally means, "Silly, Jamie.  It's so cute that you think you're right."

"Push the tire with your foot!" I said, and watched as he did.

"Hmmm, yeah, you're right - it's pretty low.  I'm going to try to make it home, though."

AAAHHH!  Ha!  Haha!  I was right!  Not only was I right, I was right enough that we might not make it home.  Exciting!

David filled the tires when we got home and reported that the tire pressure is supposed to be at 30 for all tires, but it was only at 25 for 3 of them, and the "flat" one I noticed only had a tire pressure of 15.  He said he didn't see a nail in the tire, so that's a good thing.

I know realizing your tire is a little low is nothing to get excited about, but when you have a husband who notices everything before you do, it's kind of fun to notice something first.
Now, the question...
What are some of your favorite blogs to read?

I'm trying to expand my blog-reading options and would love to see more of what's out there.

Off to make bows!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy lab rat

Amelia's whining in her crib right now and I'm sure it's because she's over-tired.  Here's her normal schedule (there's a reason I'm posting this - I'll get to that later):

Around 9am :  Up for the day
Nurses, then a bowl of oatmeal with whatever pureed fruit I'm feelin' that day.
Playtime

Top her off before her nap (the girl won't sleep without a full stomach)

10:30-11am :  Naptime (usually she'll sleep for an hour)
Nurses

Playtime
Nurses again, gets a veggie of my choosing

1:30-2pm : Naptime (usually she'll sleep for at least an hour and a half, sometimes two and a half hours)

Playtime

Nurses

Playtime
Nurses then a bowl of oatmeal with, again, a fruit puree mixed in

7:15-7:30pm : Wipe down, jammies on
Kiss from daddy, story read by mommy

Kiss & cuddle with mommy then bed

So, for the last couple of days I've been taking her for appointments at the University of Washington Infant Hearing Lab.  Shortly after she was born, we were mailed something that asked if we'd be interested in her participating in research studies.  David and I both thought it might be interesting, so we signed her up.  David's a UW Alum and knows his way around the campus but no matter how he tried to explain to me how to get there, and no matter what the Garmin said, I still got hopelessly turned around.  Fortunately I made it with time to spare.  Time I spent driving around aimlessly looking for the designated parking lot.

The first day, I opted to carry Amelia the 2 blocks to the Hearing Lab.  If we lived in a normal city, that wouldn't have been such a problem.  But in Seattle, it's hills, hills everywhere.  It's downhill getting there, but wow, lugging 15 lbs of a baby back to the car, up hill, is not an easy task.  Not for me, at least.  I need to get in shape.  Luckily I could still keep at least some composure and not pant with my mouth gaping the entire way.  I get embarassed about that - the cars driving by and the numerous college students walking the streets could see me struggling to lug my baby up the hill and, you know, talk.  That's how narcissistic I am - everyone must be looking at me.

(If you want to skip my explanation, scroll down to the italicized font where I've put links you can follow to hear the process explained by people who know what they're talking about.)

Anyway, we're talking about the hearing study.  So we got there and, as usual, Amelia gets a lot of attention.  Babies usually do - especially when they're as cute as Amelia.  Friends of ours gave us an adorable outfit the night before so I put her in it then realized I didn't have a bow or headband to match.  So, I made one, put a piece of velcro on it so it didn't slip out of her fine hair, and clipped it to her head, right on top of that place on some babies' heads that pulses.  So, not only did she have a fancy bow.  She had a fancy bow that moved. 

Here's how the hearing study worked.  We walked in to a room that is kind of a "staging" area.  I signed a consent form and also a receipt of my check ($15 each visit which will go into Amelia's savings account -she earned it!).  Then I chose a CD from a very minimal selection of CDs.  The best I could do was Billy Joel's Greatest Hits.  I actually like Billy Joel so I didn't mind.  Since it's a "blind" study, the parent holds the child on his/her lap but must have headphones on so they can't hear what the child hears.

Then we walked to a room next door where there are two large sound-proof booths.  The person running the study sits on one side of a one-sided window and then her assistant comes into the other side with Amelia and me.  They place a foam-tipped earplug-lookin'-thing in her right ear and tape it there.  There are a lot of wires connected to it which they clip to her shirt in the back.  The entire time the test is happening, the assistant is holding up toys for Amelia to look at so she stays distracted. 

Apparently, the earplug Amelia is wearing plays a continuous beeping tone that is obviously there and she can hear it but it's not annoying or loud at all.  Then, every once in a while, the tone changes or another beep comes in.  The person running the study who is sitting on the other side of the mirror is looking for signs that Amelia recognized the tone change.  When she sees that Amelia heard it, she lights up toys in a glass box in the corner or turns the TV on in the corner for a couple of seconds as a "reward".  I was encouraged to bounce Amelia on my lap or clap to reward her when I saw the toys light up or the TV go on.  Amelia didn't give two flips about the TV or the toys lighting up - we couldn't even get her to look at them. 

The first day, Amelia was tired.  The appointment was at 2:15 so I didn't have time to lay her down for her second nap before we had to go.  Our time in the booth was, maybe, 5-10 minutes because Amelia would cloud up and rain every time she heard the noise.  If you know my daughter, you know she's not a crier, especially in public.  At the very least she'll just go quiet and straight-faced, but generally she's a really easy-going kid.  Apparently, she did not like the noise because she would turn toward me and try to grab onto my shirt to pull herself to me and cry when the noise happened.  I felt bad that we were botching it, but I really wanted to let her cuddle me even though I resisted the urge and tried to get her to face forward and keep going.

Today was much better. I think we must have been in the booth for 20 minutes.  All I know is that the first day I barely made it to "You May Be Right" on Disc 2 of Billy Joel's Greatest Hits, whereas today I got all the way through "Allentown".  Our appointment today was at 12:15, so Amelia was fresh off her first nap and wasn't quite tired enough for her second.  She was pretty solemn, but not grouchy.

After each test, we go back to the staging area and they stick a little rubber thing (I know, I'm so technical) in her ear that blows tiny puffs of air to make sure she doesn't have fluid in her ear.  Then, we're done!  The whole process, start to finish, lasts less than an hour.

(Okay - seriously I just wrote this entire blog then was able to find the actual lab's website explaining why they're doing what they're doing.  In about 2-3 sentences.  Ha.  Here's the link.

Also, here's the link for explaining the entire process.  In 3 very short paragraphs.)

Today, I wised up and brought the stroller.  It was actually sunny and almost 60° today which is about 10° above normal for western Washington for this time of year.  I had to break out the sunglasses for Amelia and for me. 

So, anyway, yesterday we picked David up from work on our way home since we drove right by Bellevue City Hall then rushed to eat dinner and head to Bible class.  We didn't get home until close to 9:30 and Amelia didn't fall asleep until 10.  Then, today she slept on the way home from the UW but didn't want to sleep once we actually got home.  She slept for half an hour and was done.  I put her back down around 5, though, and she slept for an hour and a half.  Then we ran some errands tonight after dinner and didn't get her in bed until 9 which she wasn't too thrilled about since she whined until 9:30 then fell asleep.  The poor child isn't used to being out and about.  I really should do it more - it was fun.

So, as usual my post is long and boring and I don't even have pictures.  I'm going to ask on Tuesday when I go back if they mind me taking some photos.  For posterity.  I don't know if they will let me, though.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Disaster & every day life

If you can watch those news reports about Haiti and not get a little misty-eyed (or bawl, like me) then you're not human.  I wanted to reach through the screen and grab all those orphaned babies and children and bring them back here to live with me.  I felt an obligation to watch when they showed a 3-month-old baby girl in her mother's arms and the reporter narrated that she was starving.  I felt an obligation, but I didn't want to watch.  I wanted to change the channel and forget what I saw.  Before I became a mother, scenes like that would touch me.  Now that I'm a mother, scenes like that haunt me. 

I remember when my baby girl was that age. 
I remember her tummy, how I'd watch it rise and fall with every breath she took. 

The baby girl on TV was so calm, but her eyes were like saucers - staring at the camera in almost a pleading way.  I have heard that there is a movement to bring as many orphaned children to the United States as possible to get them medical care and, hopefully, loving homes.  However, efforts like that can take time.  A lot of time.
Amelia was napping when David and I were watching the news story about Haiti.  When she woke up, I squeezed her extra tight and kissed her over and over again.  And I looked at the remnants of our dinner, thinking about what some Haitians would do to get even a nibble of what we have to eat.

Keep the Haitian people in your prayers. There are still people buried under those buildings and some are still alive, but they are running out of time very quickly.


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Switching gears...Hard to do, I know.

When I wrote my previous post I said that my laptop didn't have a USB drive.  It was late.  I shouldn't write late at night.  My laptop obviously has a USB drive, however, it does not have an SD card reader so I have to use a separate SD card reader that has a USB adapter on it.  There. 

My right eye, for the last few days, has been leaking like crazy and has swollen to impressive levels.  The most fun, though, is waking up in the morning with my eye crusted shut.  Mmm, details.  I'm sure you want to know more.  I wish I could tell you why my eye is going all Hunchback of Notre Dame on me, but I can't.  I have no idea.  I changed my pillowcase thinking maybe it was allergens, but it didn't help.  I took Benadryl last night before bed but that didn't seem to make a difference, either. 

On Monday morning, David said "Wow, yeah your eye is all swollen and crazy".  He got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom.  I thought, How sweet - he's getting me a cold or warm compress for my eye.  He returns to the room and hands me something.  A mirror. 

Thanks, babe.

To his credit, I did ask for a warm compress and he happily brought one to me.

Switching gears again.  Amelia slept 8 1/2 hours last night!  She woke up around 5am and I fed her then laid her back down and she slept for another 4 hours!  Then, for her morning nap when she would usually only sleep for an hour (her long nap is generally the afternoon one), she slept for 2 1/2 hours.  Maybe it's a growth spurt.  Or, maybe, just maybe, the "sleep training" is working.

On Sunday night, she woke up around 1:30am as usual and it had been about 5 hours since she last ate so normally I would just give in and go feed her.  But, I didn't.  I checked on her 3 times in the hour that she was awake and fussing but she never really cried like she meant it and she would even stop for short intervals to look at something in her crib.  She finally fell back asleep and slept for another couple of hours.  So, woo hoo.

We took this picture of Amelia a couple of nights ago.  She's modeling the super cute, very clever "car seat blanket" that her great grandma Baldwin made for her.  We love it!  And she's sitting on a blanket made by David's cousin, Coralie.  We come from a very talented family! 

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.  Amelia and I are going to the University of Washington to participate in a hearing study tomorrow then again on Thursday.  Innnnteresting!  More on that later.