Our First Weekend Away (and without Dad!)

Two weeks ago (yes, time has gotten away me from lately!) McKenna and I had our first full weekend away from home and with Mike. Mike’s best friend had offered him a ticket to the Michigan State vs. Michigan game in East Lansing that weekend and, having not been to a game at his alma mater (MSU) in 5 years, he went. I had a few vacation days saved, so I took that Friday off and McKenna and I headed down to Fort Myers, FL – where I did most of my growing up – to stay with my best friend and her family. With Mike being a firefighter, he works 24 hours on and has 48 hours off, so we’re used to spending a night or so without him. We sure did miss him that weekend, but he had lots of “guy time” fun, and we had plenty of fun ourselves! (Although I do think loading/unloading the car would have been much easier if he was there!)

It was quite the weekend! Kim, Kirby & Lexi played amazing hosts (though I wouldn’t expect any less) and spoiled us with food, fun and a trip to the zoo! McKenna wasn’t as interested in the monkeys or giraffes as she was of the trees and bushes (Nature lover this one, I’m tellin’ ya!), but it was a beautiful day outside regardless, spent doing one of her favorite things (walking around).

Below is my recommended packing list for a short road trip out of town. With road trips (and larger cars) you have the liberty of taking a little more with you and not having to worry about improvises once you get there.

• 2 outfits per day: You never know what the weather will be like or whether or not baby will ruin their outfit! (This includes socks.)
• Pak-n-Play: I set this up in my room and McKenna slept in it at night. Of course we had
• Fitted Sheet: for the Pak-n-Play and a
• Long-sleeved, footie pajamas: My obsession. I packed 1 pair per night just in case there was a diaper leak in the middle of the night.
• Play mat: Okay, so in hindsight I probably didn’t need to bring this. We were so busy all weekend McKenna maybe spent 2 hours on it tops over 3 days. It was nice in the morning when we were all getting ready though.
• Fisher Price Space Saver Seat: This thing makes me top must-haves list for the first 6-months (and beyond! But that post will be next week). With McKenna on solids twice a day, I really didn’t want to get her out of her routine for 3 days. So I packed this seat to feed her in along with…
• Bibs (1 per meal)
• Baby cereal: I packed the entire container, but in hindsight I should have measured it out beforehand in Tupperware to save room.
• Pureed fruits/veggies (1 per day)
• Stroller
• Baby carrier (optional)

Of course we had the diaper bag which contained other essentials like diaper cream, burp rags, bottles, etc. I always have one bottle in her diaper bag, but I packed an extra so that I wasn’t constantly washing the same one. I also picked up a new container of wipes and a new package of diapers for the road so that I didn’t have to worry about whether or not her diaper bag was well stocked. I knew we’d use the extras!

McKenna’s 4th Month!

I’m FOUR months old!
Weight: 13 lbs., 13 oz. (56th percentile)
Height: 25 1/2 inches (90th percentile)
Eye Color: Baby blues
I Cry When: I have to sit in one place for too long. I yell or talk very fast, loud and high-pitched when I’m hungry or when my diaper’s dirty.
I Smile When: Mom and Dad make up songs and sing them to me. I also like kicking my legs around.
What soothes me the most is: still walking around outside. This seems to do the trick 95% of the time. There’s just so much to look at!
Can’t Leave the House Without: lots of food, lots of burp rags and a change of clothes.

Well, this was another months of firsts. Of course they all will be for awhile, but this particular set of firsts were not always the exciting kind…

McKenna got her first big injury. Her poor, sweet, baby leg met Rigby’s evil rope leash last week when they were on a walk with Mike. She cried for a few seconds at first, but then was fine. It doesn’t bother her a bit, of course, but there it is.

We battled our first stomach bug about 2 weeks ago. Can I just say how terrible it was? She was running a fever on and off for about 3 days while having lots of diarrhea which came with a major diaper rash. Oh, and she was congested. Poor girl just couldn’t catch a break! She was a trooper through the whole thing, smiling and being a goof. After a 5-6 day battle of this and a diet regimen of Pedialyte and soy formula and lots of Dr. Smith’s Diaper Ointment for the booty (I swear by this stuff now!) she was feeling better just in time for the Michigan State game…

Oh, yes, I did say soy formula. I haven’t breastfed since Week 10… Did I forget to mention that? I’m still trying to figure out when/how/if I feel like telling that story.

All in all, McKenna is thriving and doing well. She’s classified as a “bigger baby,” at the doctor’s office mostly because of her height and her strength. Because of this, our pediatrician mentioned the possible need to introduce solid foods a bit earlier than the usual 6 months. We may run into McKenna not feeling full enough. It’s like she was psychic or something seeing as how recently M’s been eating up to 8-9 ounces in one sitting (not every time, but still).

How McKenna felt about 90 seconds into our “photo shoot.”

Seriously with these pictures? You’ve gotta be kidding me.

 

‘Merica!

Our holiday weekend started on Thursday, July 3 which was Mike’s birthday. We spent his birthday at his parents’ house in Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton, FL), lounging by the pool and spending time with his nieces and nephew — quite a different celebration from last year, when we stayed up ’til 6 a.m. drinking and partying at the Hard Rock in Tampa. Oh, the life pre-parenthood.

McKenna got her first pool experience! (Heated, of course. It was like bath water.) She only stayed in for about 10 minutes (per advice of her pediatricians), but she seemed to really enjoy it. She then napped with me underneath the cabana. It was a breezy, beautiful day. This baby really loves feeling the wind against her face!

Swimming with Grandma

Happy birthday, Daddy!

All the excitement wiped her out!

My mom and her husband, Dave, had a small gathering at their house in North Port. McKenna sported her white and blue (we don’t own much red) and got lots of love throughout the day! At night we took my mom’s Great Dane, Sophia, for a walk and Sophia was petrified of all the booming fireworks. M, on the other hand, slept right through them – that’s my girl!

In awe over the ceiling fan

 

“Whoa, Grandma! This dog is way bigger than Rigby!”

We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing (oh – after I went dress shopping and said “Yes!” to one) in preparation for my first day back at work… which was today. I’m fortunate enough to work for someone who is letting me gradually come back. I will be putting in half days through next week and resume my full time position on July 21st. My experience of going back to work after baby will be documented after I get through at least this week.

21 Weeks

I feel: Great!

Happy or Moody: Happy – but maybe I should be asking Mike this question to see what his opinion is.

Showing: Absolutely. So happy the “fast food phase” is over.

Maternity Clothes: I purchased my first batch of tops online during an after-Christmas sale. Tops and tunics, mostly, but I am sure I will be trying on pants in the next month or so.

Exercise: Rigby walks.

Miss Anything: Food-themed drinks (beer with a football game, margaritas with Mexican food, etc.)

Anything make you sick/queasy: Not this last week.

Movement: Lots! Baby M (name to be announced publicly  sometime soon… maybe) is getting much stronger, and she is very active in the mornings and at night before bed. Michael & Grandma got to feel her move this last week, and I loved sharing that with them! It’s the best feeling ever when she’s moving around in there.

Excited for: Finishing up the shower invitations and registry! Now I just have to get the invitations printed and send them out… So happy to be able to cross that off my list!

Favorite Moment of the Week: Introducing our families (my mom to Michael’s parents) and meeting one of Michael’s sisters. It was a great holiday week!

The holiday week was a perfect week off spent with my mom and Michael and his family. Half was spent lounging around doing absolutely nothing (perfectly okay in my book) and the other half was spent galavanting around town running errands – some Baby M related and some not.

As it was Michael and my last Christmas before Baby M’s arrival, it was nice to be able to receive some last minute things we needed for the house before she comes along. This week I was also able to find adorable fabric for the crib bedding for the nursery which my mom graciously offered to sew for us. As determined as I am to have Baby M be feminine without being a pretty pink princess (at least not all the time), I couldn’t help but coordinating some pink into her nursery! This week we were also able to finish registering for the baby shower, and solidify enough plans for the shower for me to create the invites. It’s all starting to come together, and I am so excited!