Single Mom for the Weekend

This weekend is almost over. It's 6am and I've been up for an hour waiting (like a little kid for Santa) for Kevin to call. I was very nervous about being the only one to take care of the baby and how I was going to cope. The anxioty leading up to Friday was insane. I actually found myself an emotional rollercoaster for the past week just because I was really worried about how I was going to do.

Well... I'm proud to announce. We made it! And we made it without an emotional breakdown.

I have to give a major thank you to Manny and Yannery (& Ian) for coming over Saturday and watching Ainsley. This allowed me to go teach. I'm also glad Sommer and her mom stayed over Saturday night. And Faride allowed us to come over for dinner Friday night.

I was also surprised that everyday someone asked me to work for them. But it was nice to have an easy out. I can't Kevin is on the cruise.

I was worried I wasn't gonna be able to handle her all by myself with out anyone to assist/ relieve me if it got bad. Ainsley was amazing. She was such a good girl. The only fussy time she had was when we were at the party.

I think it helped me to have something planned for each of the days Kevin was gone. Almost like I had back up if needed. Also planning her favorite things to do and ending our days before normal time also helped out a lot. I would start bath time earlier and we played more in the tub. But that also had her falling asleep earlier so I didn't have to fight her to go to sleep. Plus when I put her in bed I went to bed too so I felt like I was more rested and able to deal with whatever she sent me.

This weekend has proved to me that I could do this! And... It also made me very thankful for all Kevin does and ready to have him back home!

But I will be very proud to say "we had a great weekend!" when Kevin asks...

Ainsley turns 2 Months Old.

It's hard to believe our little Froggy is 2 months old today. During this past month we have had a blast watching her every day grow and discover new things.

Our little "Milk Monster" is still eating as much as she can. The "Monster" is now a whopping 11lbs 2oz. She is starting to fill out her New Born clothes and we have graduated to size 1 diapers.

"Fun Time" with Ainsley consists of sticking out our tongues, the Gentle Giraffe, humming, and playing peak a boo with a blanket.

At the beginning of the month we noticed that she was becoming more aware of her surroundings. While Kevin's mom was here Ainsley started tracking things. A few weeks later and she's constantly wanting to sit up so she can look at all that surrounds her.

There has even been a few times she has gotten frustrated and all because she want to look around.

Because of this wanting to look at the world around her we started using the jogging stroller when going out instead of the carrier stroller. The first time we took it out I'm not sure she knew what to expect. But during that little visit to Target I kept hearing little coo's and "happy" noises from her. Last week we added the Maclaren to our travel accessories.

Ainsley's first outing with the Maclaren was when we went to Merrick Park to go shopping for Kevin's birthday. She loved walking around outside and checking out the trees and water fountains. It was fun to hear her come alive as we walked through stores. Her favorites stores to look at were Pottery Barn Kids, the childrens section of Borders, and Anthropology. Sad to say... She was not a big fan of the Banana Republic but hopefully that will change one day.

I love to hear her "happy" noises and see her smile. In fact I don't mind some days waking up so early for that first feeding because sometimes she can be so active. I call her my little morning person. I'm just thankful that the past two mornings have started around 6:30-7am instead of the 5am it used to be. And I just have to laugh when her little legs and arms start a moving when she's happy... It's just too cute! Her whole body gets into her enjoyment.

Ainsley's love for the swing has grown a bit this month as well. The time she will stay swinging has increased to 20-30 minutes. And there has even been a few times she has fallen asleep while swinging away. I love it because I'm actually able to get a few things done in that time... Including a shower. She's still not a big fan of "tummy time" but we keep at it. What has suprised us is her love for bath time. I actually think she looks forward to it every night and God help us if we run past her normal bath time.

During this month Nana Collins came to visit and Ainsley helped celebrate Zach's 1st Birthday, Manny's Moms 75th Birthday, and the future arrival of Jack at Alisha and Eric's Baby Shower. She also went with Daddy on his visit to Key West where she had her picture taken at the Southern Most Point and went shopping with Mommy down Duval Street.

We are so anxious to see how our "Froggy" will grow in the next 30 days and what wonderful adventures she will go on.

My Saving Grace - The Sleep Sheep and Gentle Giraffe

I have to share my saving grace and new favorite baby item. 

The Sleep Sheep! 

When we registered for this item at Pottery Barn Kids and BabiesRus I didn't think this would be my life saver.  But it has.  To be honest, I just zapped it because I thought it was cute and would go with the crib set that we picked out.  And to be honest... I did not think anyone was going to gift it to us.  

Actually, the sleep sheep was one of the last items we got before Ainsley's arrival and everyday I say "thank you Abe and Doris" for this gift.     

 

I now understand why the Sleep Sheep (a Plush Sound Machine with Four Soothing Sounds) has received so many awards.  Awards including:  National Parenting Center Seal of Approval • 2006 Creative Child Magazine-Preferred Choice • iParenting Award Winner • Good Housekeeping Editor's Choice • Baby Talk Editor's Choice • Shown on the CBS-The Early Show.

IT'S AMAZING!!!!

This little Sheep is the perfect night-time (or nap-time) companion to ease your baby (or you) to sleep in a relaxing and calming way.

During my pregnancy I found it hard to relax and get to sleep at night.  Heck, there were some nights the baby was more up than I was.  Sometimes I thought she was having her own little party in there.  One desperate night (at like 3am) I picked up my iphone and searched itunes for a white noise album.  I came across the album "Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night: Natural White Noise for Babies".  Listening to this album became a nightly thing.  I would even place my iphone near my belly the nights she was being the night owl and within minutes she would calm down. 

A few weeks before I had learned about the fabulous book "The Happiest Baby on the Block" from my dear friend Gina.  She told me about how this book explains the theory of the 4th Trimester and the 5 S's (shushing being one of them).  I quickly became a fan of this concept and adopted the "white noise" theory.   
So I don't know why it was such a surprise on how well the Sleep Sheep works on Ainsley.  Heck it worked in the womb... why not out in the real world.   

The Sleep Sheep is pretty much an adorable plush sheep with a sound box tucked inside playing three different sounds from nature and the sound of a mother's heartbeat. 

Sadly, our Sleep Sheep sat in the box for a week or so after our arrival home... then one night our "good" baby was having a fussy moment.  I couldn't get her to go to sleep and I was starting to become just as fussy.  As I paced around our bedroom trying to think of what to do... It hit me!  The 5 S's!   

I quickly swaddled her, gave her a pacifier, held her in my arms on her side, started to gently rock (shake) her, and shushed her.  It was working... but then after she fell asleep... I needed to put her in her bed.  How do I keep this up?   That's when I noticed the sheep.  Looking up at me and sitting there in its little box.  I quickly opened it up and pulled the sheep out and put on the "Rain" button.  There she was... sleeping like the good little baby she is.  And the Sleep Sheep has been used ever since.  
  

The Sleep Sheep (and other fabulous products) is made by the company Cloud B.  They have the idea that "When babies sleep better, parents sleep better".  And God Bless them for that!

The Sleep Sheep is ideal for newborns and up and features:  

• 
  
  Four Soothing Sounds (Mother's Heartbeat, Spring Showers, Ocean Waves and Whale Songs)
• 
  
  Simple push-button sound selection with volume and on/off controls
• 
  
  Two sleep timer options: 23 and 45 minutes
• 
  
  Velco tab to secure Sleep Sheep to the outside of a crib
• 
  
  Two AA batteries included

Both Kevin and I love this Sheep.  Heck, sometimes we turn it on for us... not the baby.   

So when it came time for me to buy a gift for Alisha and Eric's little boy I was thrilled to see they had the Sleep Sheep on their registry.  Kevin and I both agreed we just had to get it for them.

But while we were shopping we came across the Gental Giraffe.  I was trying to decide wither or not to get it instead (not sure if Alisha had seen it when registering).  While asking Kevin his opinion he says to me "I think we should get it!".  As I put back the Sheep and grab the large Giraffe, he grabbed the On the Go Giraffe and the large Sheep.  I realized at that moment he meant "WE" as in for US...  Not for Alisha and Eric.  They were getting the Sheep.  He wanted the Giraffe for Ainsely.    

At first, I didn't understand why we needed another one.  The Sleep Sheep works great!  Then Kevin starts going over the Gentle Giraffe's features and after playing around with it I am suckerd in!  We opted to get the Gentle Giraffe On The Go (Travel-Size Plush Sound Machine).

Gentle Giraffe On The Go (like the sheep) helps recreate sleep time routines by bringing familiar soothing sounds but making it easier to achieve this while away from home. The selling factor for me was that the Gentle Giraffe has four unique Serengeti sounds that are not just to put Ainsley to sleep but are also designed to entertain and educate. 

We, like the kids that we are, had to test the sounds out in the store.  And instantly I fell in love with the "PLAY" button.  Also called the Safari Groove, it plays rhythmic drums of a native tribe.  As soon as I hit the button I could see that Ainsley was reacting to it.  So needless to say I lost the debate with Kevin and we bought it for us.

Now, we don't go anywhere with out the Gentle Giraffe. 

Just recently I have noticed Ainsley becoming more aware and reacting to the Sheep and Giraffe.  Today as we were walking around Target and listening to the "Play" Safari Groove.  It's was nice to have a soothing sound for her to listen to and at some point I could hear her cooing.  And when we play with them her little face lights up and smiles (something she has not done with her other toys).    

The Gentle Giraffe On The Go is ideal for all ages and features:

• 
  
  Four peaceful sounds: Safari Groove (Play), Victoria Falls (Sleep), Safari Trails (Calm)  and Gentle Stream (Relax).   
• 
  
  Push-button sound selection with volume control
• 
  
  Two sleep-timer options: 23 and 45 minutes
• 
  
  2 AA batteries included           

Also... on the Cloud B website the Gentle Giraffe On The Go is part of the Cloud B Endangered Species Series which helps bring awareness to our animal friends who need our attention. A portion of your purchase will go to an international wildlife organization.

 
These products have made my life easier these past 7 weeks.  And needless to say I have also found my new favorite Baby Shower Gift! 

Now... I just have to refrain myself from going on a shopping spree and buying all their other products in one purchase!   

Kevin's Mom comes to visit

Ainsley got to meet her Nana this week. Kevin's mom arrived here in Miami on the 18th and was here till the 24th.  They got to spend lots of time together. One of the highlights included going to Merrick Park for lunch and getting the books "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (a book Marcia would read to Kevin when he was a kid) and "Papa, please get the moon for me".  During Nana's visit Ainsley became more aware. She started smiling more and checking out her surroundings. We also discovered she LOVES to take baths. I'm so glad that Marcia was here for this milestone in her life.

Ainsley turns 1 Month

Here is Ainsley with her Hedwig
(that Kevin made for her before she was born.).

It's amazing how time flies... Today Ainsley turns 1 Month. A few months ago it felt like she was never gonna get here and here we are celebrating "1 Month".  In the past month she has grown quite a bit. She is up to 9lbs 4oz and 21 inches long.  Her sleeping patterns consist of "Up all night, sleep all day!". We take lots and lots of naps during the day. Hopefully we will be able to switch that around soon.  One of her nicknames is "Milk Monster" and that couldn't describe her eating habits any better. She is always eating.  Ainsley is becoming more aware of the things around her, discovering her hands, using her voice when she wants something, and building those neck muscles.

A few of our favorite Ainsley things:
- her smile (even at 5am)
- her free fall arm reach when she sleeps
- her "gangster" cry when she's hungry. "yeah... I'm hungry... Ya See!"
- and Daddy just loves to watch her sleep