4 month old checkup with Mommy and Daddy

Today Victoria had her 4 month check-up! Everything went well and Victoria is developing just fine. We were pretty surprised that our little porker weighed in at 17 pounds! But the real surprise is that she is 25 inches which puts her among the 95

percentile of her peers. Hopefully she will be a tall woman and with the latest statistics, it's a safe bet she will. My daughter addressed her concerns about her head always pointing to the left. She told her that she mainly uses her left side of her body..discovering her left foot, extending her left hand and waving it in a psychedelic way. The doctor reassured her that all babies choose different sides of their bodies individually and she has chosen her left. Daddy, mommy and I all let out a comforting sigh. At least now we know that she is developing at a good rate and yes..I hope that she turns out to be a lefty. We also found out that she has a birthmark behind her right ear on her head. This form of birthmarks are among 40,000 babies born each year. This birthmark is called Strawberry Hemangioma which appears shortly after birth. This type of birthmark soon disappears as the child reaches their seventh year of living. When my daughter observed it before, she was quite startled, thinking there was something growing on her child's head. “Well, Miss Priss. You, yourself have a birthmark as well. Its called Nevus Sebaceous.” She really does. As the day ended and my daughter was at work, Victoria was taking a nap in her crib. I've been wanting to set up her pack and play for so long. My bestie gave it to my daughter for Victoria. Fortunately I had time even though it kind of upset me. She is getting bigger. Growing up. She isn't that little newborn we brought home from the hospital. I let out a deep sigh and started to take apart the pack and play..or in my day (I'm really not that old) I have always called it a playpen. Isn't that what it is?

http://www.everydayhealth.com/kids-health-pictures/10-types-of-birthmarks.aspx#/slide-1

After a hard day, this smile cheers me up!

It seems as I get older its harder and harder to accept things. I don't always mean to be such a snot, but I am. I want Victoria and I to have a very healthy relationship without any distractions from anyone, including my daughter. I know that sounds harsh but that is how I feel. Today was the day that was decided who has custodial rights to Victoria. I woke up early in the morning to rush to Victoria's crib while her mother was still sleeping in her bed. Her little diaper was full from her deep slumber through the hours of eight o'clock pm til six o'clock am. She has had this type of sleep schedule for a few months now and I am not changing it by sleeping in. My daughter wakes in my absence to take care of her so I am comforted to know that she will wake up at an appropriate hour every day. But today was an extra important day for me to spend with my Photon.

As I am sitting on the couch in a quiet room, I feed her and she is looking directly into my eyes as if to tell me, “Everything will be alright today, Grandma Titi.” My eyes well up with tears trying to believe that they aren't going to take my grand daughter away. I have invested so much time and energy into knowing her, having her know who I am. Holding on to her tight, I start crying but knowing that little girl will never know how scared I am and how heartbreaking it is to see her go. But then I have to realize on how the other grandmother feels. Nana. She is and wants to be an important part of her first and only grand daughter's life too. It's hard to 'share'. I never had to share my daughter with her father so this was really hard for me. Nana deserves to have special times with her grand daughter too. Why is that so hard for me to realize? I stayed home babysitting Victoria and my two nephews while my bestie came over with her two children. We spent the day watching the boys play while we took turns holding Victoria, passing her back and forth as if it were our last time. My bestie is the best bestie I have ever had. She came over with her boys in a pirate ensemble to entice my nephews with a scavenger hunt. They came with eye-patches, pirate hats, scarves and a treasure map for the kids to discover a bounty full of gold coins hidden in the house.

At the end of the day, I learn that the verdict is actually in everyone's favor. My daughter gets full custody while Victoria's father sees her part of the week. That is pretty fair. But why do I still feel stressed? I've been stressed throughout her little life of three months. But I have been extra stressed starting in the month of June. Now you know why I haven't been adding many blog posts. I have to admit I have lost a lot of followers but my true followers have stayed tuned for my updates. And for that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's been a hard month but I promise I will provide more interesting reading material for my followers.

Scheduling a seven week old

It seems like Victoria Renee came with instructions. Am I speaking too soon? Well, the child loves to sleep..and eat..and sleep some more. My daughter was like that. And Victoria's Nana, Daddy's mom confessed that he was a very easy child too. When people talk about 'children do not come with instructions', I assume they are speaking about their parental instinct. Some are stronger than others, I can imagine. But learning your child's language before they can speak seems to be a feat my daughter and daddy has already learned. It seemed so simple that I would like to think I know what Victoria is saying.

A few weeks ago, I was searching online on how one can start a sleeping schedule for their child. I've been racking my brain to remember how I put my daughter on a sleep schedule but unfortunately it has been too long. Luckily for my own forgetful mind, there is the internet. I've read almost every website dealing with 'what to expect' and I have come to the conclusion that this 'scheduling' is a personal thing. The cues I have learned from Victoria have been pretty easy to read. She prefers to be changed before eating?? (I thought that was the norm with babies.) She is also pretty active with the cooing and chatting, exploring and smiling after her bottle. I made it a habit to keep her upright for at least 20 minutes after eating. It has helped with the reflux which is now subsided. She has also made a little friend! Mr. Clock! We have a clock hanging up in the living room. She absolutely loves it! She stares at it constantly and even tries to coo at it as if she is having a conversation with only two of them in the room. But the best part of this whole scenario is that she began to smile....and Grandma Titi was the first one she smiled at!! All in all, she has a way of communicating with me without crying. She uses her eyes and I see that, just before she starts to smile on her face, I can see it forming in her eyes first. She's actually a pretty fun little person.

By now, Victoria can recognize different colors and shapes with detail. Just a little bit of detail. She mostly sits on her lounger to get a glimpse of Mr. Clock and her mother and I offer her rattles or hand-sized stuffed animals so she can become more stimulated with every new shape and design. After this, her mother lays a blanket on the floor, sets the toys around her and lays Victoria on her belly. I've heard this is a great way for them to get ready to crawl. I hear it is termed “Tummy Time”. It's great to see her try to lift her head and her arms try to support her upper-body. It must take so much energy away from her because she falls fast asleep as soon as she's done! For right now, she is comfortable and happy. Next week she goes in for her two-month check-up and will have to have immunizations. That will not be fun but it will keep her healthy.

My Grand Baby's First Picture

Sleep. That is the word of the month. She has no energy for anything and it is scaring the bejesus out of me. As she is in a constant deep sleep, I am pacing the hall hoping to hear her rustle around in her bed or talk in her sleep. But she is REALLY catching up on whatever sleep that her body is craving. Her eating habits have also slowed down which is another worry. When I was carrying her, there was nothing I didn't crave. If you set food in front of me, nine times out-of-ten, it would be gone.

The day is finally here. July 24th, the baby's daddy and my pregnant daughter went to the doctor for her first OBGYN check-up. Everything went wonderful. They heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was strong and powerful. The doctor gave her a prescription of pills to stop her from being so nauseous. Hopefully it will help her regain her appetite. That is an on-going worry for me.

My daughter came home from her appointment with a picture of my grandchild. Like a damn  fool, I put it on Facebook, Google and I even Vined it. Here is HER first picture of my grand  baby's existence. I am so proud to see HER healthy and steadily growing in my daughter's  belly. My daughter's new due date is March 13, 2014. It is close to her father's birthday which  is March 17th. I am hoping that she will give birth during that time....if she can't deliver on

my birthday of March 4th, at least do it for him.