Meighen

Meighen is now four months old, well as of yesterday (17 weeks, 4 days). Today we had her monthly check up and she’s still doing really well. She’s up to 13 lbs 3 oz and 26 ¼ inches tall. She grew two inches this past month! She also had her second round of immunizations and took it like a pro. She started to cry a little as the first needles was done and finished crying before I could pick her up after the second one – what a trooper! No more needles or check ups till the new year at her six month check up.

Just in the last few days Meg’s really progressed with holding her bottle. She’s fed herself a few times now and it’s awesome not having to hunch over her while she slurps away – although I do miss the snuggle time. She’s also got real good at grabbing and hanging onto the toys that hang above her play mat and playpen – it’s so cute!

We went to Grammy’s for a few days earlier this week and Grammy had fun with Meighen around. The weather was terrible so we didn’t get to go out but Meg had fun with all the stuff I hauled up there (play mat, bouncy chair w/ activity bar, rings, l’elephant).

Tomorrow’s Meggy’s first Halloween. Ben and I don’t usually do Halloween and seek refuge with dinner and a movie. Not this year though. Since Meg will be out and about next year collecting candy I thought we should do our part and give out to the neighbourhood kids this year. After Meggy’s appointment today I stopped by Party Packagers to get her a costume. Of course there wasn’t much left the day before Halloween but there was enough for me to have variety. It was down to a bunny or a bat – Ben voted for the bat. I thought why not since she’s girly every other day of her life so far and it is kinda cute. We’re not taking her door to door but will stop by our neighbours and do the traditional photo shoot. I was torn about weather or not to even do a costume this way but I’d feel like a bad parent if I didn’t. I didn’t want her getting mad at us when she looks back on her baby book and realizes there was no “first Halloween” pictures. I’ll be sure to post one when it’s all said and done.

Not much on the agenda for next week. We had a really busy week this week – Grammy’s, shopping, doctors, Halloween! I think we’re still going to Ben’s friend’s place this weekend for a play date. They had a little boy (also named Ben) about 7 weeks after Meg was born. Can’t wait to meet the little guy – he’s bigger then Meg already!

There’s been a few little changes with Meighen over the last week = ) She’s trying to hold her bottle more and more. She’s done it a couple times now and fed herself but often she lets go and the bottle falls. It’s a start! Another cute thing that Grammy calls “baby bird” is when she sees the bottle coming in to feed her she opens her mouth and waits for it. If you just hover it over her mouth she follows it, mouth open like a baby bird. Sometimes she even lunges for it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I tease her every time but it’s cute once in a while.

She’s also been experimenting with her voice. We hear something new every day. Sometimes she likes to learn about volume – yikes! It’s cute for now but we’ll see how long that novelty lasts. Her hand/mouth coordination is getting pretty good. She likes to take out her soother, babble for a bit and try to put it back in. She’s always gets it in the right region but only sometimes gets it back in her mouth.

She’s been sleeping awesome this week – although she’s always been a great sleeper. She’s been going down by 11:30 pm and not fussing at all over the night till 7 am when she wants a bottle. We then cuddle up together in bed and sleep till noon. She’s so my daughter, heh. Last weekend she even put herself to bed around 11 pm and let me and Ben head to bed together – a rare treat!

Next week Meighen turns four months which means back to the doctor and more shots. I am not looking forward to that. She took them well last time but it still sucks having to hold her down watching her cry.

I know it’s only October but I’m totally looking forward to Christmas! Since I’m home with Meg I see myself starting to decorate early. Ben and I have even talked about getting up the house lights soon. We’re replacing our current red and white with new LED blue and white – should look great. I also have to change all the hooks on the ornaments to plastic thread. Meggy could be mobile by Christmas and I don’t want her getting a hold of any ornaments.

Something weird I thought about the other night. Sprocket often hangs downstairs with me while Meggy falls asleep. Sprocket did something totally normal (I can’t remember what) but it dawned on me that Sprocket knows more about life, the world and daily stuff than Meighen. It just seems kinda crazy that a dog knows more than a person. I know Meighen’s only a baby and it makes complete sense but still made me go – “huh!”

Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! It’s been a while since the last update but boy we’ve been busy.

Last Wednesday Meighen and I headed to Grammy’s for the night. I had to drop Sprocket off for the weekend cause Ben and I were heading north to see his Mom for the holiday. Brighton wasn’t too eventful for Meg but I had a hair appointment and we did a bit of shopping. Sprocket on the other hand was groomed and had a trip to the vet for an ear infection.

Friday morning we all crawled into the car and hit the road for Meggy’s first Thanksgiving and trip to Smooth Rock Falls (one hour north of Timmins). We left around 10 am and arrived around 7:30 pm. Meg did really well considering that was a long time in her carseat. We stopped every few hours for coffee, food or gas and gave her a stretch and a clean bum. She fussed a bit here and there but really had enough about a half hour away from our destination. I think she had a good time and slept really considering she was away from home. We brought her bassinet with us to give her a familiar sleeping environment. There were 13 of us in total at Mere’s and one of them was another baby just a bit younger then Meighen. Sunday we went into Timmins to see Ben’s friend Pete and meet his fiancé Rachael and daughter Carly (who’s six months old). After that was the family dinner. There was no traditional turkey dinner for Meg this Thanksgiving. To give Mere more time with the grandkids (five of them were there) and celebrate her 10^th wedding anniversary we went to the local Chinese restaurant (truck stop?) for a buffet dinner. Being a really small town the selection was pretty small but it was still good regardless. Monday morning we hit the road around 10:30 am and got home around 8:30 pm. Again – Meg did pretty good considering the time on the road but she started getting really cranky about 20 minutes from home. What a good sport.

The rest of the week is getting pretty busy. Today Grammy and Grandpa stopped by to drop off Sprocket and visit with Meg for a bit. Tonight we went to the mall to get Ben new glasses and do some groceries. Tomorrow we’re picking up the glasses and doing a bit of Christmas shopping. Thursday night we’re going to see Pere. Saturday we’re doing lunch with my friend Ali (who’s up from the states) and her little boy (almost 11 months old). Saturday night is fight night and I think we’re having my friend and his girlfriend over for that. I can’t believe how full our weekends are getting! It’s insane but good at the same time cause it gets Meg and I out and gives her new experiences.

On the baby development front, Meg’s still drooling like a fiend and often babbling at me, Ben and her toys. She still loves to practice standing and is interested in everything she sees. She gets bored of her bounce pretty quickly so I take her to different rooms in the house so she can check them out. We still try to read a book a day and she’s quite taken by the fridge (lots of magnets and colourful things stuck to it). She likes to spend time with me in the kitchen while I make Ben’s lunch and prep dinners (tomorrow we’re making turkey noodle soup with home made turkey stock – yum!). Meg’s totally interested in food and stares at whatever we’re eating. When prepping meals I let her touch and smell the ingredients and sometimes depending on what I’ve eaten I let her lick my finger to give her a new taste. I’m looking forward to her trying foods for the first time and her reactions – gotta have the camera handy for that.

That’s about it for now – but that was quite a lot.

Yesterday Meggy had her three month check up. She’s 12 lbs 3 oz and 24 ¼ inches tall. That’s roughly a pound and inch a month. She’s doing good and reaching all her development milestones on time or early. Her head control is unbelievable for a baby her age. She’s starting to take interest in what we eat and is drooling like mad (too early to start teething?). She almost hangs onto me when I’m walking around with her at my shoulder and recently she’s been really grabby – Mommy’s lips are the choice de jour. She hangs onto her drool rags, clothes (hers or ours), our fingers and toys. Most things she hangs onto goes right to her mouth. We practice standing every day and she’s goes for longer and longer periods of time before dropping to her bum (don’t get me wrong, she’s not standing on her own at all). Every day Meg makes more and more noise– often new sounds which surprise me every time – where’d my baby go … who’s this little girl? She’s also dying to roll over and can go from her back to her side when on the couch. She’s still on the verge of laughing – she gets closer every week. She’s good with tummy time and can now lift her head and shoulders off the group. She gets frustrated that she can’t go anywhere and usually starts crying after a few minutes. She’s so eager to grow up!

Meggy’s gone back to being a great sleeper. She only had a few nights of getting up for a bottle in the wee hours. She still cries a couple times overnight but usually a quick cuddle puts her right back to sleep. I love my night time with her. She’s so sweet when she’s tired and snuggling on my shoulder. I just want to squeeze her and love her. Mornings are pretty great too. We get up, have a bubby and a snuggle then curl up together snoozing till noon.

We have a busy week next week! Got a bit of shopping to do, going to Grammy’s for a night and getting away for the long weekend which means lots of pre-trip laundry and packing Meg’s things.