Week Ten - Blessings

This week I've finally started to feel like I'm not playing catch up anymore and am making progress and moving forward. I have more of a routine down in terms of activities during the day and chores during the week which provides a good structure for me to work off of. Also, this week I cooked my first full meal which felt like an accomplishment. (I have been VERY blessed to have a husband that can cook far better than I can and dear friends who serve us through the meal ministry)!

We love our small group! Thank you Kandace!

LOL
On Friday Karis made Daddy's weekend  by gracing him with a set of real laughs, her first ever! At first we just thought she was making noise, but she was actually grinning and letting out some real chuckles. It was so precious!

Breaking the Diet
Since Karis has been thriving so well, I decided to try to start fiddling with some things that I put on hold due to her reflux/gassiness issues. Out of the various options, the first item I decided to test out was re-introducing chocolate back into my diet (good first choice, huh?) and so far so good!! I made a yummy batch of chocolate chip cookies and she hasn't been reacting to it at all. Praise God! Next up? Cheese!

Independent Play
Overall Karis is such a content baby now so at times I will give her some independent playtime. She can stay happily entertained for a good 10-15 minutes in her papasan or bouncer looking at her crib gallery which is perfect for finishing up things for dinner, eating or getting ready for the day! What a blessing that she is able to self-entertain! I just started to make it a more structured part of her day so that we can keep extending the time as she gets older. But of course, most of the time I just want to be around her hanging out!

BBQ Outing
This past week we took an impromptu outing to enjoy Mark's Feed Store. It was our first time out to dinner since our parents left and was a lovely time. However, we didn't get the guts to ask if we could have a free kid's meal since it was kids eat free!

Sickness
I developed either some super severe allergies or a cold in the middle of the week and probably went through a box of kleenex an hour. It made me again realize how fragile I am and how much I need to continue to put my trust and hope in God and not my abilities, health or anything else I take for granted. I definitely have huge respect for moms who are sick with sick babies. Thankfully Karis seems to be in good spirits. It is just a reminder that there are no sick days as a mommy!

Bjorn to Be Wild
Through our amazing essentials room at church I found a free Bjorn baby carrier and this week we tested it out. We had tried the Moby, but currently she doesn't like the newborn hug hold, so we'll have to try it again a little later when she is big enough for different styles. It turns out she is rather fond of the Bjorn which has been super helpful to regain both of my hands! We've taken walks, done chores around the house and let the boys out to play using this helpful carrier. However, like just about everything else, I want to balance out the use of it to make sure Karis doesn't always have to be carried 24/7, but it is sweet to have her snuggled up to me.

Blessings in Disguise
We are just finishing up recovering from the flood this week and next week. One of the blessings in disguise out of the whole fiasco was that we got new carpet for our upstairs hall, stairs and spare rooms. It made for a hectic day (Karis and I were basically sequestered in the master bedroom and she had a hard time napping with all the noise), but I am thankful for the beautiful new plush carpet!

Karis and I camped out in our room.

 
Karis-isms
- Smacker- she LOVES smacking on her hands, particularly her right hand. I guess we don't need the paci after all, but I think we may have a  future thumb sucker in our midst.  I even tried one nap to unswaddle one of her arms for her to smack on, but I think we'll keep her in it for now.

- New clothes- just when I start to get tired of her small rotation of outfits she seems to jump into a new batch. She is now wearing some 0-3 month onesies (although sizing is all over the place based on brand)! I think it also helped that she hit another growth spurt (right on target at 9 weeks). Unfortunately the growth spurt threw off her sleeping through the night and she hasn't returned since. Boo!

- Klepto- Karis has started grabbing at things. At first she would grasp onto pinkies as a newborn (which Daddy loved) but now she is grabbing things in her environment. This includes hair (which I am already loosing as is) and her first toy!

Until next time!