Rosie is 4 months, and there is only 4 months left of the Deployment

So this is what has been going on in the May household lately. Rosie is doing great. She lays on her belly and plays for longer periods of time now, and has a growing sense of humor. At her 4 month appointment she was 14lbs and 24 inches long. I can't believe she's gained 8 lbs since birth! She loves her jumperoo now. Also, she isn't such a fan of being nursed to sleep anymore. She prefers to nurse early, and be lain down while still awake. She then wants to watch her mobile and suck on her fingers until she falls asleep.

While many babies start solids at 4 months, we are practicing delayed solids. This means Rosie won't be getting any solids until 6 months. There are a great many reasons for this. Here is some information about delaying solids.

I also think Rosie might be having the stirrings of teething. Her drool output has doubled (what happened to my always clean baby?!?), and there are two little holes in her bottom gums.

In some non-Rosie related news, Dave got a promotion on August 1st, and is no longer a private, but a Specialist. He got this promotion 5 months early!

Here are some photos:

This is Rosie's bedroom

Here is Rosie at the zoo in June.
Rosie's first trip to Frankenmuth

Here we are in my Mom's pool
Just hanging around the house

Life with Rosie

Hello everyone! I haven't posted much in the last few months, because as many of you know, life with a newborn can be a bit hectic. This is especially true when you are essentially raising the little one on your own.

For the first month and a half of her life, I feared that Rosie had colic. She cried, A LOT. I was struggling to nurse exclusively, and at one point developed a large fissure on my breast. I had to fight off the hospital about giving her formula a number of times, and at her 2 week appointment she was still slightly under her birth weight. After six weeks or so, both Rosie and I got much better at nursing. Now I can literally do it in my sleep. (And so can she!)

Well, her two month appointment rolled around, and she had gained 4 lbs! She is still slightly under the 50th percentile for weight, but she is also slightly under the 50th for height, so she is very proportioned.

This last month Rosie stopped her constant crying, and became much more social. She started to coo "agoo, agaa." She hardly cries now, and usually lets me know what she wants by complaining with her newly discovered voice instead. She also moved into her crib from her bassinet. And on June 21st, she was propping herself up on her tummy, and suddenly tipped over, and rolled onto her back! Later in the day I was tickling her, and she gave me her very first little giggle. So as you can see, she is doing just great!

Here are some photos of her:

Here she is horsing around in her Led Zepplin Shirt.



She is sleeping in her crib. Look at those hands!



There's that goofy grin.



Look what I can do!

Trying this video thing

Here is a video of Rosie playing on her playmat. (I hope so anyway)

Rosie pictures!

Our little girl Rosie arrived on March 28, 2008. Dave was enroute and unfortunately missed the birth, but got to spend all 18 days of leave getting to know his little girl. Our moms helped me through my natural labor.

Rosie was born at 3:55 pm. She weighed 6lbs 10oz, and was 20 inches long.

February Update

Well I don't have a whole lot of news for you. Me and Rosie are doing good. I had an appointment last week, and although I feel like a cow, the Dr. says she is right on target, size wise. I've been feeling pretty good too, I just have the minor pregnancy discomforts, such as back pain, frequent bathroom visits, and some difficulty sleeping. I have a few new pictures for you, including me being a very large 32 weeks pregnant, and more pictures of our baby stuff, including the quilt from Mom May, and the layette set from Mom Bozyk.

Hurray, a new post!!

It's been a while since I have posted. I had a nice, relaxing vacation for the holidays. I went to Frankenmouth, Huckleberry Village, had a baby shower, saw a few movies, and of course spent lots of time with family! When I got back here to Tennessee, I had plenty to do, getting caught up on housework, unloading the shower gifts, and getting caught up on doctor appointments for both me and Regan.

My appointment went well. Rosie's heart was beating loudly, and she didn't at all like the doppler. She was kicking it (and the Doctor, how embarrassing!) so hard that the popping of it was being magnified along with her heartbeat. I also passed my Gestational Diabetes test which, of course, is great news.

I signed up for my labor and delivery class in March. Unfortunately, they don't really offer the 6 week lamaze anymore because 90% of patients opt for the epidural. Instead, I have decided to study a book about hypnosis and birthing. It's not the kind of hypnosis where the person is unconcious; rather, it involves visualization, and believing you will not be in pain. Here is a link to some information about it, if you are interested: http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/vaginal-childbirth-methods.html

As far as baby gear goes, I am getting more and more things. In addition to what I got for my shower, I purchased a dresser, and some clothes. I also have a few items on special order at Walmart. One day next week, I will make a trip out to Nashville, and visit Babies R Us.

Here are some photos from the last couple of months.

Here I am at my baby shower.

Smokey, get off those shower favors!!!!

Thanksgiving at Grandma Ochab's


Thanksgiving at the May's

Christmas at Grandma Colletti's

This is before Julie's holiday party. I was about 23 weeks.

Here is New Year's Eve at Jamie's house At this point I was just shy of 26 weeks.

A peek at the nursery so far

And finally, here is my most recent belly picture, at 28 weeks