Five Months Old!

*This is long because I don't plan to post again until after Christmas, so MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone!

Krissa turns five months old today: Thursday, December 15th! She had her well visit with her pediatrician last Wednesday, December 7th and was 16 lbs, 9 oz and 26 1/2 inches long with a 16.5 in head. For a five month old that is the 60th percentile for both height and weight and the 40th for head. At five months old, Logan was a whopping 20 lbs! From there he slowed down, as he was 24 lbs at a year, 28 lbs at two years, and now at three-years-almost-eight-months he weighs 36 lbs.

Joe's brother-in-law was right when he said (in my Four Months Old post) that he thought Krissa was ahead on development -- the pediatrician said she is functioning two months ahead of average! Her vision is such as well -- way to go, Krissy Anne!Despite the positive words. . .you might remember me saying in The Last Big One! (And it's a big one) that we weren't sure if we cared for the pediatrician and would stick with him. Well, let me rephrase that -- Joe didn't like him at all, whereas I was willing to give him a second chance.

Well, I gave him that second chance and I walked out of there knowing we wouldn't be back. It's not that he's a bad doctor, I actually think a lot of people would like his style (for example, first time moms who are overwhelmed and just want to be told what to do). . .but as a second time mom it's more important to me that I have someone who I feel like I can talk to about everything. He just has an arrogant personality and is so strict and opinionated that I don't feel comfortable saying ANYTHING to him for fear that he'll jump down my throat. My last pediatrician was the complete opposite. I mean, he did his job -- he told me what to do (which I DO want), but if there was something we didn't have the same view on, he didn't get on a pedestal. I want a doctor who is educated on all sides of everything so as to recognize that there is often more than one way to get to an end result, and treats my situations on an individual basis.

Last time I mentioned that I didn't like his attitude toward splitting vaccines. Even though Krissa's on the normal schedule, I want someone who is accepting of Logan's history of having some delayed until he was caught up at his 3 yr appt.

This time he jumped down my throat that I hadn't fed her cereal yet. Um, okay, so aside from my previous pediatrician who was totally fine with me waiting til 5 months to start Logan, EVERYTHING I read says you can do it ANYTIME between 4 and 6 months. In fact, I just googled it now and the first site to come up said: "For babies who are only breastfed, wait until 6 months to start cereal."

Most moms do it at 4 months for reasons such as wanting their baby to sleep better, if they want to stop breastfeeding, if their baby isn't growing or is losing weight, or if the baby has already been on formula then it's no big deal, etc. It's not like if you start cereal at 4 months that then they won't be picky eaters (plenty of mothers who started their kids at 4 months deal with picky eaters) or if you wait later then they won't ever eat at all. Just like my opinion with the vaccines, I believe it is different for every family -- there is not one right or wrong answer for everyone. There is not "a magic day" that is right for every baby as to when to start eating; as a parent you do it depending on if you think your baby is ready. (If they can sit up, swallow, and act interested.)!Is Krissa ready? Yes. But since having Logan, I have come into contact with so many moms who waited until 6 months (friends of mine, acquaintances, and a lot of mom bloggers), so I've had it in my head that's what I'm going to do this time, too. With the holidays I just didn't want to be bothered with it, since it's easier to breastfeed and not worry about preparing food, bringing all of the supplies everywhere, etc. Plus, last time it made my milk supply go way down and I don't want that to happen this month when I'm already bordering on season depression disorder. :p

However, due to Krissa for the past month trying to eat my food and successfully grabbing my cup/glass from my hands and drinking a sip of water on a few occasions, we've decided to start on New Years Eve (at 5.5 months). That is still in the range, it's not like I'm not going to feed her until she's a year old, geesh!

According to this pediatrician we need to start purred veggies and fruit the minute she turns 6 months old, and although we did that with Logan, I'm not going to be in a hurry for that, either. Dr Sears (my fav national pediatrician) says, "Between four and seven months a baby's intestinal lining goes through a developmental growth spurt..." and then on his website gives 6 reasons to delay solids. Likewise, I don't plan to introduce baby food until Krissa turns 7 months.

I also didn't like that at first when Krissa came out to be 16 lbs, 9 oz he was like, "That is not what we want since that is the 87th percentile which is higher than her height." He went on and on like we should be concerned that she's fat(!!!) until I informed him that she was just one week shy of 5 months. So she is actually only 10% above average!!! Soooo different from my last pediatrician who thought it was great that Logan was a chubby baby; he told us that he doesn't care unless they are on the UNDERweight side until toddlers are three yrs old -- and that you especially don't have to worry if you are breastfeeding. I agree, as Joe and I were both chubby babies -- size is genetic until they're eating, like, cake & ice cream! :p Chubby babies are HEALTHY babies (and cute, too :p). . .I naively thought all pediatricians were similar, but I was wrong. (The following pic shows Krissa with the afghan my maternal grandmother made for her. It is a miracle worker, as when Krissa is crying for no reason, all she has to do is feel this blanket and she's happy! I think it will be her comfort item once she's old enough to sleep with it.)There were other things, too, but to make a long story short (okay, too late for that, haha) -- I posted on my neighborhood's facebook page asking who people recommended for a pediatrician in the area. I knew there was a clinic just 5 min away so while I waited for a response, I researched the pediatricians in the office. There were six, so I didn't know how I could choose between them, but I ended up selecting a woman named Dr. Cooperrider. I saw that she is a D.O. rather than M.D. which I wasn't familiar with. I looked it up and read it is a doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Typically they tend to be more open minded. There were other signs, too, that made me think she might be more similar to our pediatrician in Omaha, so I was debating about calling the office and then I got a response on fb. . .recommending the same doctor!!!

So, I called but didn't say anything about Dr. Cooperrider. I just asked if the pediatricians in the office did meet & greets, as I wanted to schedule one. The receptionist (who was super nice and easy to talk to) said yes and that she'd see who was available the next week. It turned out to be Dr. Cooperrider! So I had a good feeling since I kept getting pointed to her!

She called me back personally to talk to me and it was like talking to a friend rather than a "doctor." She was super friendly and did not seem like someone with a God complex. We met with her yesterday, Wednesday, December 14 and she said that she recognizes that parents know their children best and if there is a different view that a patient has from her, she's going to work to come to a middle ground rather than tell them "this is the way it has to be." THAT is what I want.

We told her about Logan's vaccine history and she was like, "I totally understand that" as she went on to say that her specialty in school was autism and so she worked with families who were concerned about vaccines and, as a mother herself of a one year old son, was concerned about the controversy as well. She was like "of course I can understand why you did that!" Now, though, that the American Academy of Pediatrics has gotten stricter when it comes to vaccines, there aren't any pediatric clinics under the Academy in Des Moines that allow parents to pick their own vaccination schedule. That explains why I couldn't find any. . .but that's okay since Krissa is on the normal schedule and so is Logan now. I basically just wanted a better reaction than the disgusted one that I got from the current guy. Also, I didn't want Logan to get the second dose of MMR and chicken pox this April when he just got the first dose last April. She said it is fine to wait until he starts kindergarten (when he's 5.5) so that'll be two-and-a-half years from the first dose which is perfectly safe (I since looked this up on the internet and that is correct). (In Des Moines they give the first dose at 15 months rather than 12 months, so it's roughly the same timeframe as those who get the second dose at 4 yrs. They just have to give it by the time the child starts kindergarten.)

She gave me a binder and all kinds of helpful information that the other clinic did NOT give (which is why I was frantically searching for a number to call after Krissa's first shots when she cried for an hour that night) and I liked everything about her (oh and she said Krissa was a perfect weight, LOL). Joe, however, has to be all devil's advocate :-) and so he doesn't like that she is new. She just graduated within the past year, but is board certified and did residency for 4 yrs, etc. I reminded him that the current guy here has been practicing for over 20 yrs and has numerous credentials -- but I don't care (nor does he). Even our pediatrician who was in Omaha who was one of the top doctors and practicing for 30 yrs informed us when he saw Logan's brachial cleft fistula that "this is an invasive procedure that needs to be done immediately" but when we met with the ENT he was like, "oh, this is a simple procedure that can be done several months from now."

If God forbid we are faced with something serious, all doctors are going to send us to a specialist. They're not going to be the ones to explain all of the details. Plus, she is in a practice with other doctors who HAVE been there longer so I don't feel she's going to have lack of information or provide us with misinformation. Joe agreed we can give her a try so I'm going to have the kids' files sent there (I still have Logan's as I never gave them to the curent pediatrician) and hopefully that's where we'll go from now on (Iowa Health Pediatric Clinic in Waukee)!Anyway. . .I can't believe it's been 3.5 weeks since my last update (Teething). This Christmas season just really snuck up on me and so I've been overwhelmed and drained. After many failed attempts to start Christmas shopping, I decided on December 8th that I would just do it all online this year or else I was never going to get done in time. I stayed up until 3 am that night/the next morning and got half done.

On the bright side, Krissa ended her fussy month pretty much the day after my Teething post. As I was hoping, Krissa must have gotten used to the teething because the three-and-a-half weeks since then she has been sweet and happy again. (Except she doesn't like when I take showers/get ready in the morning anymore. Until the past couple of weeks, she was easier than Logan in that area because I remember I was always stopping and starting with him but had gotten ready straight through since having her! She used to go in a trance when I'd blow dry my hair, but now she tries to see if she can shout louder than the dryer. :p On the bright side, she only spits up once a day now! Still hasn't vomited or choked since I mentioned that ended a couple of months ago.)

Anyway, she and Logan could have been twins with their behavior for that month. (I guess it was the third month that I don't care for with babies, not the fourth month. I got confused because August and November were the harder months, but that's because they both turn the next age in the middle of the month.) But their differences DO continue -- for example, Logan's least favorite toys as an infant are Krissa's favorites! (And the ones that he favored are just "okay" for her.) Her napping is on an every other day basis, it's very odd. What I mean is that 4 days a week she only naps for 15 min a day and the other 3 days she takes two 1.5 hr naps (totaling 3 hrs a day). I need to start paying attention again to what time of day these naps occur and when/how often she eats. It wasn't predictable once she started waking up in the night, but now I think she's put herself back on a routine schedule.

Especially since last week she started sleeping through the night again!!! I'm scared to say it because it seems like sometimes when I blog that something is going well then the next time it's not and vice versa, LOL. Although - last week was the time period when last month I had written it should happen if she followed Logan's pattern of the same amount of time that he DID sleep through the night. . .crazy!

But yeah, with her sleeping peacefully for thirteen weeks, that stopped for the next seven. Some nights she'd stir every two hours! Thankfully, she only had one other "up for one hour" nights like that one time I blogged about, but unlike pre-breathable bumper pads and the beginning of teething, there seemed to be no reason after awhile.

I was thinking she'd just been too good to be true her first three months and now the remainder of the year was going to be like this. But, on Wednesday, December 7th (which was 7 weeks+two days from our first night in our new house/when she stopped sleeping through the night), she slept 11 hrs straight thru in her crib! (As I'd mentioned last month, she goes to bed at 9 pm and wakes up for good at 8 am.) I thought maybe it was due to getting shots earlier in the day, but she has continued that pattern every night since -- yeay!

We were relieved she handled her shots much better than last time (The Last Big One) There were no side effects/crying this time -- not even during the shots! She was just like Logan who always smiled. It melted all of our hearts when her eyes did start to tear, but just as her lower lip came out, she started laughing at the nurses who were gushing over her because they'd "never seen a baby so smiley." She was still smiling at the receptionists as we made her next appt (that I'm now going to cancel). . .the little sweetheart! So maybe she's gotten a tougher skin when it comes to pain compared to two months ago because I can tell that she is still teething.

She's almost given up her pacifier; only takes it 3 days a week now. The first time that she went four days without it I was about to put them away but then she wanted it again. Logan had given his up by this point. The downside to this is that rather than wanting it to fall asleep, she now wants me to go through a routine again (of rocking, nursing - she's using it for relaxation now, and music box), then repeating like 4 times, so it's been taking an hour for bedtime again. I keep trying to just keep her up to see if that helps, but she makes it clear she wants to go to bed. . .she just won't fall asleep right away. I guess there's always something. :p On a cute note, she sleeps on her tummy with her bottom up -- just like Logan did from this age til like 2 yrs old -- soooo cute!

Speaking of Logan, as mentioned in that Teething post, Sunday, November 20th was his first day of Sunday School! (Here is a pic of our church)I had a feeling he would cry since it'd been almost 5 months since he went to preschool and had been left with anyone other than my mom & stepdad or Joe's mom. But I don't think he will cry next time now that he understands it's only for an hour. Plus, they said he did great and had a fun time which was apparent to me when we picked him up.

We sat with the couple who recommended the church to us; since Shelby hadn't been to our first service, it was nice to see her again after 3.5 yrs. Both she and her husband Brad went to elementary/junior/high school with me in Marengo. I met both of them in the 4th grade (I moved there in third grade).

The first time I remember Brad was at recess, we were playing on the playground together and fell on each other. :p Since we were in different classes, I don't remember seeing him in fifth or sixth grade. In junior high we were all together, but he was one of the few people at my school to blend in. Usually you were a big shot or the one getting shot at. :p He managed to stay under the radar and be neither, as there aren't any memories that come to my mind (aside from we both played the saxophone in band) until our junior year when we starred opposite each other in the play, South Pacific. I discovered he was a nice guy; that's the same time that he and Shelby started dating.

Shelby and I had met on a field trip; we had the same mutual friends. I'm not sure why, but we didn't get along. Such was the case until eighth grade and then we got to be super good friends. However, then there was a falling out in 10th grade and I can't remember how long it lasted -- 11th or 12th grade -- but I know we were fine by the time we graduated because when she and Brad transferred to Iowa State junior year (they went to Kirkwood Community College their first two years), we all hung out a lot until I moved to Omaha when I married Joe. (Brad and I worked on the campus TV station together.)

They moved west of West Des Moines (to De Soto). I came back to visit them a handful of times, but we hadn't had much contact the past 3 yrs until I emailed Shelby asking for all of her recommendations in the area (all of them have worked out great except the pediatrician, but that's actually not the doctor her 6 & 4 year old daughters go to, just the same practice), so we plan to hang out outside of church and get "caught up" soon.

When church was over, Joe, Logan, Krissa, and I celebrated Thanksgiving at Joe's mom's house. Growing up, Joe always had lasagna rather than turkey so that's what Sandi fixed for lunch. We watched half of the Chicago Bears game there, then the rest of it at Grife's house. They won. . .but haven't won any games since. :(

On Monday, November 21 Logan (and Krissa) and I went to the library here for the first time. They have kids' programs and a children's area just like our old library, so I look forward to participating with Logan after the new year. (We also plan to join the Y after the new year for swimming lessons and also Shelly the councilwoman in my neighborhood recommended it's the best preschool -- which both Logan and I are ready for again. :p)Also for the first time the dogs went to the groomer here. I had called 6 places and was bummed that for both my dogs the total is $20 more expensive than it was in Omaha. But, one place (4 Paws Unleashed) offered mini grooms for half the cost so I decided to go with them -- plus they were the closest at 8 min away. Well they ended up accidentally giving my dogs full grooms, but it was okay because they did a good job so I'll be taking them back (although not for awhile, the cost is motivation to get back into bathing & combing them regularly so that I can go longer between appointments).

I don't recall Tuesday the 22nd, but Wednesday the 23rd Logan and I met Joe for lunch at the Valley West food court since restaurants are off limits these days with Krissa as I mentioned last month (the mall 7 min away from us is Jordan Creek. Valley West is a mall 15 min away). Afterward, Logan & I started to go to one of our neighborhood parks for the first time (well, Logan had played there once with Joe and once with my stepdad), but had to go to the bathroom (which was closed there) so we didn't stay long.

Thursday, November 24 was Krissa's first Thanksgiving! It was crazy to think that last year was when I announced my pregnancy to my family! We remembered me saying that I'd have a four month old this year. . .and I did! I had done a pendellum that my mom had, to ask if I would have a boy or girl and it'd said girl. My parents had asked it when she'd be born and had gotten similar answers to each other (privately) which is what they put as their guesses on the Baby Rodgers Challenge Part Two. (My mom's was July 11th at 7 am and my stepdad's was July 12th at 6:48 am. Aside from them coincidentally being so similar to each other, they were three and four days off from when Krissa was actually born; and 7 hrs from the time of day. The pendellum also had her at 7 lbs 7 oz and 7 lbs 8 oz which was 2 and 3 ounces off. . .although, probably accurate had she been born on those days.)

We had a nice meal with my stepdad's family and then they came over to see our house. It was really nice to wake up AND go to bed in our own house!!! I don't think I've ever done that in my 31 years because as a child I either went to my dad's house, or if I was with my mom we went to Kansas City to visit her family. Then once I got married, Joe and I always came back to Iowa for TG weekend.

On Friday, November 25 Joe had to work since he already used up his vacation at his new job when Krissa was born. But they said 4 hrs could count as a full day, so since no one else was there, that was all Joe had to work. By the way, at that time he'd moved to the location by our house, finally. . .but starting on Monday he will be working in Urbandale which is 12 min away. That night is when Krissa began sitting on her own. It is so cute to watch her because she is so proud of herself (she can sit indefinitely). She also thinks it's hilarious that she knows how to turn on and off the light in her bedroom!!!! Her changing table is right by the light switch so when we put her down, she immediately puts her feet on the light switch so that it will move up and down. The first time she realized that she was controlling the light, she started laughing and so now she does this almost every time!!!!

She seems to have a sense of humor because she's also been playing this game with Joe & me where if we have her on our laps, she will lean her head back to look at us upside down which makes her crack up.

Over the weekend she was spitting/making sounds with her tongue out of her mouth ALL DAY which had Joe and me in hysterics.

She has loved peek-a-boo for the past month.

For the past couple of months I've thought she was hugging me but I thought that seemed so early so I wasn't going to write it here but now I am SURE she has been. Whenever I hug and kiss her, she wraps her arms around me and squeezes, and now she also puts her mouth on me to (open mouth) kiss me!

Most impressive is that she understands the word "dog/doggie" already. I realized this when she was playing with the frog on her bouncer and I said, "Do you like the frogie?!" She immediately stopped what she was doing and searched the room for Bella and Cosmo, then smiled. I thought, no way did she think I said the word dog! But after she returned to playing, I asked as a test, "Krissa, where's the dog?" Once again, she searched the room and stopped scanning when she saw them. Joe didn't believe me at first so he tried doing the same thing with her using different words, but she'd either ignore him or just stare at him, however when he said "dog" she always looked at Bella and Cosmo! I got de ja vu when it occurred to me, I am pretty sure that was the first word that Logan recognized, too! AND I had realized it in the same manner (I'd talked about the frog on his bouncer but he'd misunderstood for the word "dog"). It must have happened later, though, because I haven't read it on my old blog (I read each week with him that I'm at with Krissa).Saturday, November 26 my dad and brother and his wife (it still sounds weird to write that!) came over. Jacob and Michele had spent Thanksgiving at his mom's house so they aren't coming back for Christmas. :( So, I guess the idea to have a reception has fizzled. :(

They enjoyed meeting Krissa and she really liked them -- she actually fell asleep in Michele's arms!

We went out for lunch at the Pizza Ranch since they'd never been. . .they liked it as much as we do. I've already eaten there three more times since then. . .okay I really need to start working out since having Krissa!

We finished the get-together by watching my brother's movie. Unfortunately, Nowhere Road will not be in theaters, bummer. But at least I got to see it and it was really good. The "victims" turn out to be the bad guys, so my brother was a murderer!

Since Michele grew up in Santa Clarita, the closest town to Hollywood, both she and my brother told me about meetings of celebrities over the years. During his five years there, my brother met stars like Justin Timberlake and Dakota Fanning who are both super nice in person, while Michele went to high school with Jacob from the Twilight movies who was "nerdy" LOL and Ruthie from Seventh Heaven who was stuck up and mean, and said that although she loves the show Grey's Anatomy, they are not nice people in real life.

On Sunday, November 27 the Grife's came over to watch the Bears game. I also decorated the house for Christmas! I had sent out our Christmas card and letter that weekend, and then we put up the tree on Monday, November 28, and decorated the tree on Tuesday, November 29 (all while listening to Christmas music). :-)Aside from those days, I haven't been into the Christmas spirit because we haven't had a chance to crash yet. No sooner did we get unpacked/organized from our move and it's been the busy holiday season. It's just been an exhausting year. But, Logan is the most into Christmas that he's ever been so I am trying to be! He & I baked gingerbread cookies that Tuesday, after meeting Brooke & Kaelyn at the mall for a playdate since they were in town again. We ate lunch at Chick Fil A and then played on the indoor playground.

Wednesday, November 30th was Krissa's last day in her swing as she could practically get out of it despite being strapped in. She can almost sit up from a laying down position as well, and crawl if she pushes her feet on our hands. My little girl is growing up too fast!!!!

I can't remember anything to report from Thursday, December 1st or Friday, December 2nd or Saturday, December 3rd for that matter. Sunday, December 4th we went to church and found out there was no Sunday School that morning because it was the kids' Christmas program. My mom had met us there to see what the church was like, so we all sat together (Brad & Shelby were in Marengo that weekend). Both Logan and Krissa did great. (It was the first time Joe nor I had to leave the sermon with Krissa. They have a nursing room so that is nice, as well as a cry room, but this time she sat happily on my lap and then fell asleep.)

Monday, December 5th I took the kids to lunch at the mall (Chick Fil A -- Brooke's mom works in the coupon department so her gift to me when I moved was a bunch of "eat free" coupons) and then Joe joined us for the kids' 2011 Santa Picture.

Logan had sat on another Santa's lap the previous week when he'd spent the day with my mom (my stepdad is in Hawaii for business so Logan hasn't been spending the night at their house since the Fri before Thanksgiving and won't until after Christmas). It was the first time he'd actually talked/had a conversation with Santa and he'd informed me that he told Santa he wanted "big toys." Well this time he told Santa he wanted "little toys," so later I asked him why he said something different. He answered, "Because the first Santa was a big Santa and the second Santa was a little Santa." How adorable -- I'm still laughing!!!

He has been saying the funniest things lately. One day he asked for milk and I told him I'd get him some but then I forgot. Later he said, "Why are you being difficult today? I don't particularly care for this behavior." Oh man, words I've said to him are now coming back to me. :p

The other day Joe did something to make Logan mad and so Logan asked, "I'm going to take away either your TV or this house, which one? It's your choice." LOL!!! (We recently told him that he could pick his punishment -- either we'd take away his candy that he's still eating from Halloween or he'd have to take a nap, as there's still only been the one nap since moving into our new house. I suppose at 3.5 yrs old he's done with them since he doesn't act tired or anything without them. He sleeps 11 hrs at night, and the recommended total amount of sleep for 3 to 6 year olds is 10-12 hours.)

We had to do time-out for the first time in our new house a couple of weeks ago, but overall he's still been WAY better on this side of three and a half than he was over the summer and at my dad's house. On Tuesday, December 6 our builder came over to walk thru our house and correct any problems. Everything has been really good, just some small stuff that we weren't even sure he'd acknowledge, but he did -- and then some. He (and our realtor) were really great to work with. We did not care for our realtor in Omaha (that was an understatement -- she was horrible), but the positive is that she made us appreciate our realtor and builder here more.

That afternoon my mom gave me a massage with her massage therapist for the third time. She watched Krissa for the hour but unfortunately Krissa cried for me the whole time. It's so sweet how attached she is to me (I don't want to force-break it, as I feel so close to her and I'm hoping the plus side to this is that we'll be great friends for life) -- but just like with Logan at this age, for the first time I want a real break/need some space. I had just assumed she'd be like Logan was as an infant who took a bottle and was okay with me leaving briefly, so I envisioned family watching her while I did one-on-one activities with Logan or things for myself. Even though Logan has been well-behaved since moving into our new house, there haven't been the one-on-one outings for the two of us the past two months. I try to make the best of Krissa's nap, for example one day when she was taking one of her longer naps, Logan and I tried to see how many books we could read next to each other on the couch which was fun. But as for some time to myself. . .:(

I'm not sure if age will make a difference, since the first four months are when they're usually the LEAST clingy because they're not as aware of what is going on. It's hard to relax and/or have fun if you know you're leaving your daughter to cry the whole time. Repetition might not help, either. I have friends who work full time and their daughters still cry despite having gone to daycare since babies. So, hopefully she'll continue to gain security, as she has often taken two steps forward (it's just that she also takes a step back). Joe and I did find the humor in it the other day -- he was holding her and I left the room and she started wailing. So he came over to where I was and she immediately stopped crying and smiled. Then he moved so I was out of view and she started wailing, so he moved back and she smiled. I am sure that someday I'll be the one crying when she's a teenager and WANTS to be out of view from me, LOL. (By the way, I haven't had a chance to start giving her the cup yet, although like I said earlier she drinks from mine and does excellent; she's taken two bottles in the past two months -- here is Logan giving her one for the first time :-).)At least I was able to get the massage which was excellent, but then I had a horrible migraine afterward that didn't go away for 8 hrs. I wanted to take an Excederin Migraine because that stuff is heavensent -- it makes the worst migraine go away in a split second! But it's not safe while breastfeeding. . .none of the stuff that works is, they all risk causing Reye's Syndrome. It was the fourth headache I've had since Krissa was born, so thankfully she was really good and also Logan was spending the night at Joe's mom's house that night for the second time since we moved in our new house.

By the way, that would have been my grandma's 98th birthday. I will miss celebrating Christmas with her this year. :(

I've already covered Wednesday, December 7th and Thursday, December 8th. (Oh, also we had our second snowfall of the year that night but just like our first snowfall it melted pretty shortly after.) Nothing to report on Friday, December 9th. We were going to go back to Omaha Saturday, December 10th thru Sunday the 11th because ever since 2008 when my friend Stacy & I discovered that our birthdays are just five days apart (her's is tomorrow, the 16th), she has hosted a "December" birthday party with our mutual friends The Kimmels. (The husband Joef's birthday is Dec 29 and the wife Lisa's birthday is the first week of January.) Last year Stacy's neighbors joined us, and this year she invited a few other couples as well; it was going to be a fun first "slumber party" for Jaxson and Logan and Olivia and Krissa. But sadly, Stacy's mom who has been battling cancer for the past year-and-a-half had a setback and ended up in the hospital. :( (I mentioned twice on my old blog that she had cancer, the last post being: The J-Month.)

They thought they were going to have to do surgery but we believe in the power of prayer(!!!) -- because after Stacy asked for prayers on fb, the doctor said they wouldn't have to do surgery after all! I pray they are able to have a wonderful Christmas. As I've gotten to know her mom the past three years, I've discovered why Stacy is such a wonderful person: like mother, like daughter.

So instead, I finished online Christmas shopping on Saturday while Joe went to stores and started his. There were a few things I wasn't able to get over the internet, so I got half in person on Sunday and the rest this past Tuesday, December 13th. Now that I'm 100% finished, hopefully I can relax and watch some Christmas movies (I've watched one so far) and enjoy the season. SIGH.

Nothing to report from Monday, December 12th. . .or in the days following other than what I've already written about, except for the sad moment when Krissa fell off our bed on Tuesday, December 13th :( I spent the rest of the day depressed, but thank the Lord she was fine. I had wanted to rest before getting up because I'd had insomnia the night before and couldn't fall asleep until 2:30 am, so I brought her in bed with me. In the past when I've done that, she's been on my right where the play pen is pushed next to the bed so she won't fall and also so she's not between Joe and me so as to smother. Well Joe was going to be getting up any minute to get ready for work (we were both lazy that morning) so when she rolled over next to him before I had a chance to lay down after going to the bathroom, I didn't think it was a big deal this time to move her. Well I ended up falling asleep and Joe got up for work and so the next thing I knew I heard a loud THUMP and Krissa started crying. Joe heard, too, in the bathroom with the door closed and fan on. :( I thought I was having a nightmare. I immediately woke up, jumped out of bed, and scooped her up. She seemed more scared than hurt and after some soothing she stopped crying and was smiling and laughing at Joe and me. No bruises or any signs of injuries, and has been normal since, whew. But our bed is higher than most (Cosmo can't jump up on it) so I'm definitely not having her in there anymore even if I think I'm just resting!

I'll conclude with the news that Joe's oldest nephew's wife had their third baby (second girl) on November 27th. Despite being three days late, Zara Grace only weighed 5 lbs, 9 oz! Meanwhile, my friend Chris who is due in April (the last of people who I have reported here as pregnant) found out she is having a boy (her second)! Fun news in time for Christmas!

I'm going to crash now.Here were the posts that I wrote at this point with Logan:

All Places Need A Changing Table And Nursing Station (Although this post started off sad with my memory of September 11th, the rest of it was funny to read now as I'd forgotten what an ordeal it was traveling to Iowa for a wedding. Strangely, at the end I mention that Cosmo kept stretching and crying and wanting me to cuddle him -- that happened this exact past week for the first time in a long time! What a weird coincidence. I gave him a pain pill because we think it's when his bad knees start bothering him and now he's fine.)

Then & Now