Absence

I just spent a night away from Payton for the first time since her birth. The opening of a new Starr program in Columbus, Ohio meant an overnight stay for me. I wasn't too worried about leaving Daddy and Payton together; I knew he'd do great and she was in very capable loving hands. Really, he does so much anyway on a daily basis with taking Payton to and from daycare and caring for her for a couple hours before I get home from work. Scott is an awesome Daddy and husband.
I was worried, however, because I had to get Payton around Thursday morning and take her to daycare before I went to work because Daddy was sick. I was worried about him after he slept for almost 24 hours straight. But he's better now.
Payton has been a good girl the past couple nights, and slept all night long last night. Well, she woke at 4:30 AM but only needed help with her paci and a couple reassuring pats on the belly before falling back asleep until about 6 AM. Then after she ate, we took a small snooze in Mommy & Daddy's bed. I wanted to cuddle with my lil' punkin after being away for a couple days. I really really missed her!

3-month Puppy Pic

It's very hard to believe how quickly Payton is growing. It sometimes felt like time stood still during pregnancy, but it seems to fly by now that we're parents. These first few months have come and gone and I can honestly say they have been some of the most challenging yet rewarding times. Payton has blessed our lives and brought us so much purpose and joy! I especially really enjoy watching her and her Daddy bond. Not only is he a great husband, but watching Scott become a terrific father has been so heartwarming. I heard him and another guy talking the other day about having daughters and he said "hook, line and sinker" he fell in love with her.

To me, Payton seems to be growing leaps and bounds, but in all reality she's just a petite little baby doll right now. She weighs about 12 pounds and is about 24.5 inches long. Her eyes are still blue and she only has bits of peach fuzz for hair. Part of me can't wait for the days when she's toddling around and beginning to talk, and the other part of me wishes I could keep her my baby doll forever. No matter what, she'll always be our "punkin pie."

Here she is with her puppy. You can scroll back a ways to see a previous post where she was 1-month and 2-months. You can really tell here how much she has grown and that she really wants to sit up. She's nearly sitting up all by herself.

Recovering

Payton and I are feeling much better. We both still have a cough but I think we're on the upside of this cold now. I went to Urgent Care on Friday morning because I couldn't take it anymore and I had little sleep the night before. Payton slept much better, waking only once around 3AM for a bottle, but I couldn't sleep because I was hacking my lungs out. Then, Urgent Care was anything but. They took for-ev-er (yes, I break down syllables as if to emphasize the 2 hours of my life I'll never get back). The doctor sent me home with 4 prescriptions - cough syrup, nasal spray, antihistamine and antibiotic.
It's too bad Payton had to suffer through without the aid of drugs, but she seems to be doing a lot better. She's still a little congested at night and coughing, but her demeanor and sleeping have improved. I can take waking once a night.
Daddy took the night feeding last night while I was knocked out on the cough syrup. Did I mention it has codeine? Whew. One teaspoon of that and I'm a goner. In fact, I was still groggy this morning after Payton woke at 6:30AM so she & I snoozed on the couch for, get this - 3 HOURS!! Apparently Daddy thought we were cute....
We were getting our beauty rest, but by the looks of it I need to keep sleeping.

Bubbilcious

I need some humor right about now. The past week has been a tough one with my cold, and Payton being ill and getting absolutely NO sleep because of it. Plus I think being back to work full-time is catching up with me. So when I get home from work I talk pretty crazily to Payton and do some silly stuff. That happened to extend over into bathtime last night.


PJ is usually good about taking baths and seems to enjoy them. She gets pretty sleepy afterward, which is a good thing. We only do baths a couple nights a week, because she really doesn't get all that dirty and we don't want to dry out her skin. But as she gets bigger and more mobile, we'll probably do a bath every night.

Original

A friend sent this email to me where you can check out how many other "yous" there are in the United States. In other words, how many other people share your name.

For me, I am one of 16 others sharing a name in this country.

However, Payton is one of a kind!!

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?

Sickness

Welcome to the germ-infested world of daycare. Where viruses have no mercy and bacteria cling to every imaginable surface like fleas to a dog.
I started feeling sick on Thursday, April 17, but have trying to suffer through it. Strike One.
Then Payton spent her first entire week at daycare last week. Strike two.
I don't know if there was Strike Three but she & I are both pretty down and out with this cold. It's so heartbreaking to hear how congested she is and then she gags and coughs because that snot is running down her throat. We've tried it all - humidifier, vaporizer, sitting in steam-filled bathroom, saline spray, bulb syringe, etc. A visit to the pediatrician yesterday resulted in a little peace of mind but not much in the way of how to help her. Basically, a thanks for coming and give me your $20 copay.
We're not getting ANY sleep either. So much for the sleeping through the night. We're lucky to get 2 hours and that's because we propped Payton upright in pillows and placed her between us in our bed.
Oh, the glory days of parenthood. The snotty, crusty, runny, snorty glory days!

Attitude

The look explains it all. This was taken while Grandma Kathy was visiting (that's her hand) and the day after Payton got her shots. It was a bit bright outside and she wasn't feeling all that great.

Despite that look of

"Mom, you really need to leave me alone and get that damn camera away from me,"

I absolutely love this picture.

I'm sure this won't be the last time we see this look.

Piggies

I don't know why, but I'm apparently obsessed with feet. You already know that I LOVE shoes. My Dad often called me Imelda Marcos, who was widely known for her vast shoe collection.

And now Payton already has inherited that trait. She has probably 15 pairs of shoes of various sizes, including Ugg-like boots, sneakers, dressy shoes and sandals.

But my favorite thing is nibbling on Payton's toes and playing with her bare feet. I swear this child was born with huge feet. That was something many people noticed about her - long fingers and big feet.

I can only assume that she'll grow into those big feet someday and be tall. She's already taking after me with the shoes, so she'll hopefully inherit my height too!

Sleeping

There's nothing sweeter than cuddling with your baby when she falls asleep on you, except possibly putting her down in her crib for the night, kissing her and quietly exiting only to not return until 6 AM the next morning.

Payton started sleeping through the night (STTN) the same week she started daycare. Coincidence? I think not. She isn't taking very good naps at school (that's what we call daycare), but she is making up for it at night. We'll put her down around 8 PM and she STTN until 6 AM. Halleluah!! Just in time for me to return to work.

Her day goes a bit like this:
6 AM: Wake, change diaper and clothes, eat
6:30: Leave for school with Daddy
6:45-3:30ish: Play with school friends, go on walks, nap, learn new things
4: Go home with Daddy, play & snooze until Mommy comes home
5:30: Mommy gets home, playtime
7-8: Bath (if needed), eat, jammies and bedtime

Seriously. I'm scared to jinx us, but she is so perfect!!

And as I was often advised when Payton was first born, when the baby sleeps, so should you. GOOD NIGHT!

Sitting

Payton is getting the urge to sit up. When propped up on the couch in her Boppy pillow, she always lifts her head and shoulders and lunges forward like she wants to sit. She likes to grab onto your fingers and pull herself up. Sometimes she even pulls herself up and pumps her leg to stand up. It's crazy how much she likes to stand too for how young she is.

She is a very good "supported sitter" already. Here, she is pictured in one of those Bumbo seats. It's made of foamy cushiony plastic and has a high back to help support her neck. It even comes with a detachable tray, but we don't use that yet.