One week later and we’re still sleeping through the night! Most nights she cries for anywhere from 15-30 minutes before nodding off, but the last couple of nights she’s gone to sleep within 3-10 minutes. We’ve managed to keep her on the bedtime schedule, which sometimes proves to be a little difficult. I still think it’s worth it! More sleep for her, more sleep for us!
Add comment August 8th, 2006
This last weekend we went on Anna’s first hike. Neal received a baby backpack for father’s day and we just now were able to try it out. Anna needed to be able to sit up on her own (even for a minute) before she should ride in the backpack. She’s been doing a pretty good job of sitting up by herself, so we thought it was a great time to try out the backpack. She seemed to enjoy it - new smells, sounds and sights. She certainly slept well Sunday night! It was great for us, too. We figured out that the last time we were in the mountains was last September when we went to Yellowstone on vacation! After our success this weekend, I think we’d like to try to get out for a hike more often - maybe even once a week!
Add comment August 7th, 2006
It took two horrible nights for Mom to come to the realization that maybe Anna should be sleeping in her own room. Sunday night was perhaps the worst night since she was an itty-bitty baby. She was up every hour and was in no mood to sleep from 2-4 am! I was so incredibly exhausted on Monday and so was she, which meant she was kind of crabby. Crabby baby and sleepy mom…not a good combination.
So yesterday I made the gut-wrenching decision to move Anna to her room (yes, I know, it sounds silly and melodramatic, but it was very difficult). All day yesterday I put her in her crib for naps and we continued when it was time for bed. She only screamed for 30 minutes (broken into 5, 10, and 15 minute intervals) before she nodded off. She woke up once at 11-ish and then slept solidly until 5:30 this morning! Here’s hoping we’re starting a positive trend and that this wasn’t a fluke.
My sleep was rather fitful, but mostly uninterrupted. I’m kind of paranoid about the SIDS thing. When she was sleeping beside our bed in the bassinet, I could hear her breathing or peek in to make sure her chest was moving up and down. Not so when she’s in the other room! You can’t hear her breathing on the baby monitor and checking on her involves opening her bedroom door, which always runs the risk of waking her. I imagine it will get better with time.
On an unrelated note, Anna had her 4-month vaccinations on Friday. Whereas we didn’t have the 3-hours of crying, we still had the elevated temperature. She ran a fever for about 24 hours (up to 101.5 degrees), but seemed to be okay otherwise. The doctor did not give her the DTaP (the one with whooping cough), suspecting it caused her reaction last time, but maybe one of the others is causing the problem? We’ll have to see what happens at 6 months. Needless to say, I’m going to schedule her appointment for early in the day on Thursday. Be prepared!
This weekend Anna had her first day of full health in a little more than a month! Sunday was a great day (until the night, of course). I’m so happy to see her feeling better. What a drag to be sick for more than one quarter of your life.
1 comment August 1st, 2006
You there! Shhh! Heck, I’m probably typing too loudly as it is. And I’m honestly concerned that the crickets chirping away outside might wake the baby.
This realization hit me recently: It seems like we spend a lot of time tiptoeing around our own house these days.
I guess that’s just part of life with a new baby around. Especially when she’s been sick for so long. We try to do everything we can to make sure that when she’s sleepy she can actually go to sleep, and stay asleep for as long as she can. So we throw each other dirty looks as we’re putting away the dishes (that clink might wake Anna!) or get a drink (the ice maker is too loud!), and hope that the kid stays asleep.
Fortunately, the whole family had a good night last night. Tara slept. I slept. Max didn’t wake us up with his usual antics at three o’clock in the morning. And most importantly, Anna slept from about 9:00pm through to 4:30am — without coughing! I don’t think she’s entirely over her cold, but the antibiotics do appear to have helped a bit, and she’s seem to be on the upswing at this point.
I’m going to go and try to sneak off to the gym now. Very, very quietly…
3 comments July 26th, 2006
Anna and I made another trip to the doctor due to this never-ending cold. The doctor gave her some nice pink antibiotics. We haven’t tried them yet, but I’m looking forward to it (not). I guess it is standard practice for them to give you a bit extra due to the fact that it frequently comes right back out of baby’s mouth! At least it is only administered once a day.
Just to be on the safe side, the doctor recommended a chest x-ray. Now that is an interesting process. How does one give a squirmy 4-month old an x-ray? Well, having experienced it today - I can tell you firsthand. They sit her in a little seat (kind of like what you’d have in a walker), which is attached to a verticle plastic tube that can be adjusted to the size of her mid-section. Her arms are kept over her head (also contained within the tube) and her head is strapped in place. Boy, she did NOT like it. The imaging techs said that this was a good thing because the screaming opened up her lungs allowing them to get a good picture. Easy for them to say…they didn’t have to deal with the aftermath!
We don’t know anything yet about the x-rays. I’m assuming the doctor will get back to us ASAP if there is a problem. In the meantime, we’re thankful that babies of 4-months of age do not have good memories. ‘Cause like the shots, she looked at me like I was a horrible mother - “How can you let them do this to me?”
1 comment July 21st, 2006
Last Friday we took Anna in for her four-month check-up. We went through all the questions about sleep patterns, feeding schedules and developmental milestones. The doctor thinks she’s doing great! We are supposed to keep an eye on her “Bob Dole” hand, but the doctor doesn’t think it is really a big deal. In fact, Anna’s started to use her left hand more and more lately, so it is probably just a matter of time. She’s accidentally rolled over a couple of times unaided, but never more than once during a tummy-time session. Soon those accidents will turn into intentional movement, I’m sure.
Anna is still big for her age; she’s in the 90th percentile for both height and weight this time. She now weighs in at 15 lbs. 5 1/2 ounces and is 25 inches long! She’s wearing larger 3-month clothing and is starting to wear her 6-month stuff (and even some 6-9 month clothing). Neal swears that she’s finally growing into her cheeks, but I think they are just as chunky as ever!
Anna STILL has a cold, so the doctor thought it best to delay giving her her vaccinations until she is feeling better. She had a somewhat nasty reaction to her first round of shots and we would like to avoid a repeat of that horrible night! The doctor is considering whether or not to hold off on the pertussis (whooping cough) immunization until Anna’s a bit older because she believes it to be the cause of her reaction. I’m torn…there’s an increase in cases of whooping cough in the general population and whooping cough is most dangerous to infants under the age of one. It seems like a no-win situation.
Of course, if she doesn’t get over this damned cold this may all be moot! We’re currently going into the 4th week of sick-Anna. Help! The doctor checked her out last Friday and said that there was no fluid in her lungs. She said it would just take time for the cold to run its course. Last night, between bouts of coughing, she sounded like she had a rattle in her chest when she breathed. I’ve got another call into the doctor today. Let’s hope they can do something for her. I think she’s growing tired of coughing and of me sticking the bulb syringe up her nose; I know I am.
We have some new pictures to post - we just need to find time to do it! We’ll try to make time this week.
Add comment July 19th, 2006
They say that children that attend day care are sick more often than those who don’t. Well, we’ve started down that road. Anna has her first cold. She’s started snoring louder than her Grandpa Rex (and that is saying something!). She’s been up for the last two nights coughing and snuffling. Needless to say, I’m very tired. When Anna doesn’t sleep, neither do the parents. I took her to the doctor yesterday because her pediatrician recommended she come in - seeing as this is her first cold and she’s still rather young. They confirmed that she has a good ol’ fashioned cold. They did give us some medication for the symptoms if the cold seems to get worse, and gave us the guidelines for when to bring Anna back if things get too much worse.
I realized that I haven’t posted anything about Anna’s new day care. Things seem to be going well there. She’s in a really good mood when Neal picks her up in the evening; wasted, but in a good mood. They have proclaimed that she is a “talker,” which from personal experience I’d say is true. Neal jokes that we should have named her Brook what with all the babbling she does. Ha ha. She’s becoming familiar with her surroundings and caregivers, and has started to enjoy herself! It has been a lot easier for Mom and Dad, too.
And on a very unrelated note: the sleeping through the night thing…a total fluke. She’s yet to do it again. We still get up at 3:30 or so every night. I guess you could say that I’m used to it now. I’ve learned to deal with fewer hours of sleep and interrupted sleep at that. I won’t cry again until she’s been sleeping through the night for a whole week! 
Add comment June 30th, 2006
It’s been a rough week emotionally for Mom. Last week I returned to work part-time (2 days a week), which meant that it was Anna’s first days at daycare. We found a nice, homey daycare on the north side of Longmont called the Cottage School where Anna would spend her two full days without Mom. Although it was a bit rough on Anna, I imagine it was more difficult for me. I guess you just don’t realize how accustomed you become to having this little being with you 24-7. We took her in on Tuesday morning and I cried; thank goodness Neal was there or I might not have left her! It was easier to leave her on Wednesday, but still tough. I ended up calling the school on both days to see how things were going. I’m sure they see this everytime a child is brought in to daycare for the first time, but I appreciate their calming my anxieties regarding Anna’s well-being. On Wednesday I picked her up from daycare and was greeted with a smile and squeal that made my heart melt. She seemed like she was having fun!
Last night was another milestone for Anna and me; she slept the whole night through! For three months now I’ve been dreaming of uninterrupted sleep, but somehow the event has left me with mixed feelings (yes, I know I’m being a bit melodramatic here). Anna still sleeps in our room and I kept telling myself that as soon as she can sleep through the night I’ll move her to her own room and her own crib. I’m not so sure I want to do that anymore! Afterall, her bedroom across the hall is so far away!! Just another sign that Miss Anna is growing up and that Mom needs to get a grip.
On a somewhat related, but different note: we’re moving Anna to a different daycare. Whereas we felt comfortable with Anna at the Cottage School, it was proving to be difficult for us logistically. The school is located on the north side of Longmont and we live on the south side. Dropping her off in the morning added about 30+ minutes to my commute and we were having troubles getting to the school on time to pick her up in the evenings - and that was without an accident on the highways. The new daycare, Sunset Academy, is just up the road from our house - about 3 minutes away, 5 if you miss the light at Ken Pratt. Sunset has the added advantage of having a 1 to 3 caregiver to child ratio (the Cottage school had a 1 to 5 ratio). The idea of having fewer infants to each caregiver is appealing; it means that Anna’s needs may be met more quickly.
When I started investigating daycare options back in April, I was excited about Sunset because of its ratios and proximity to our home. Unfortunately, they didn’t anticipate there being an opening in the infant room until November. We added our names to the waiting list and looked for other options. Imagine our surprise when we received a call on Friday indicating that they had an immediate opening. Knowing that the place satisfied our needs objectively, we had to determine whether it would satisfy our needs subjectively (i.e. did it give off a good vibe?). Anna and I went to visit on Friday and again on Monday and found the caregivers to be quite friendly and certainly on a par with those at the Cottage. The atmosphere was inviting and relaxed. We happened to be there on Friday when parents were picking up their children, and were happy to receive an unsolicted testimonial from one parent. She said that she lived in Boulder and willingly drove the 30 minutes to Longmont to drop off and pick-up her child at Sunset. Despite the inconvenience, she said she had absolutely no intentions of moving her daughter to a different daycare! Boulder has several top-notch daycare centers - so this truly says something about Sunset Academy.
Anna will spend this week at the Cottage and will move to Sunset starting next week! Let’s hope Mom doesn’t cry again next Tuesday.
1 comment June 13th, 2006
We had a fun-filled trip back to Kansas this last weekend to help celebrate grandma Anna Hess’s 90th birthday. Baby Anna was named after this fantastic lady, and we think that both Annas were happy to be able to spend the time together.
This was baby Anna’s first plane flight, and despite a couple of over-zealous security agents (Anna, it seems, has already managed to get herself on some sort of terrorist watch-list) and some turbulence that gave her mom some trouble, Anna slept through the whole ordeal like a little angel. As soon as we landed in Wichita, Tara’s dad picked us up and took us back to Towanda to meet with the preacher (for Anna’s baptism the next day) and then we all met for dinner to celebrate grandma’s birthday.
In addition to the birthday celebration, Baby Anna was baptized at the United Methodist Church in Towanda, Kansas on her great grandmother’s 90th birthday on Sunday, June 4th, 2006. Honestly, this was the highlight of the whole trip. Grandma Anna was recognized during the service, and was able to stand next to her great grand-daughter during the baptism ceremony, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Later in the day she gave both Anna and Henry bibles to commemorate the event.
We stayed with Tara’s mom, who stayed up until well into the early morning hours finishing Anna’s dress baking a delicious cake for grandma Anna’s birthday celebration on Sunday.
Although the trip was short, we had a wonderful time visiting with Tara’s family. And it’s great to know that Anna tolerates the hour-long plane flight to Kansas fairly well.
We took lots and lots of pictures, which are now up on the site. Go directly to our Flickr site if you’re interested in getting the most bang for your buck. Note that we’re still working to categorize many of them, but feel free to browse! We’ll also be uploading a couple of movies here soon.
To everyone in Kansas: We miss you already, and look forward to visiting again or seeing you in Colorado soon!
Add comment June 7th, 2006
My brother Colin and his wife Roby were able to come out and visit over Memorial Day. Roby had been dying to see little Anna, and this was their first chance to get away from San Diego and come visit. There are some pictures available, though probably not as many as there would have been had I not been called to upstate New York to attend my buddy Sten’s wedding on Saturday. (Yep, yet another crazy weekend! But congrats to Sten and Rebecca!).
Everyone had a fantastic time, and we ended up having to work fairly hard to convince Roby that she wasn’t going to be able to pack Anna away in her carry-on luggage.
Add comment June 3rd, 2006
It’s been some crazy days, folks. Two weeks ago we packed up the Honda Civic, loaded the roof-rack, secured Anna in her carseat, and made sure Max was a comfortable as possible, and drove ourselves out to visit family in Kansas. The trip that normally takes us about eight hours took twelve, what with three or four stops to feed the kidlet. But Anna and Max slept through most of it, which made things go pretty smoothly.
Tara, Max, and Anna spent the whole week out with her folks, and had a fantastic time. Neal had to fly back to Colorado to attend a work retreat in Vail, and then flew back late in the week to catch up with folks and drive the twelve hour trip back home.
We’ve been super busy since then, and we’ll do another post or two about why, but we’ve finally managed to find a few minutes to share some photos. Check ‘em out. Movies should follow shortly.
Add comment June 1st, 2006
Our digital camera has a “movie mode” on it, and we’re finally getting around to putting it to good use.
Here’s Anna in her first movie, cooing, giggling, and really trying to smile. The major Hollywood studios are still in a bidding war over this one, but “Anna vs. Pooh” will probably be released in widespread distribution later in the summer.
Enjoy.
Note: Grandpa Sam brought it to our attention that this movie will not play with QuickTime version 6. You must download version 7 in order to view this. QuickTime is a free download - you do not need QuickTime Pro (which is the version that costs you money).
4 comments April 30th, 2006
It’s been a while since our last posting. Anna is now just over six weeks old. I think it’s safe to say it’s been both the longest and the shortest six weeks of our lives. We’ve been pretty frantic. Work is picking back up for me, and Tara’s been feeling better herself, and enjoying her time with Anna. And if April was frantic, then May will be doubly so: We’re planning on taking a trip out to Kansas, my brother and his wife will visit, I’ve a corporate retreat, I’ll be out in New York state at my buddy Sten’s wedding, and we’ll be working to finalize some child care for the wee one before Tara heads back to work part-time in June.
Anna’s doing just great. She’s healthy, happy, and almost ready to smile — something that will make her parents enormously happy (those giant cheeks have been giving her trouble, we think!). We’ve posted some new pictures in the usual spot, including dad’s new favorite.
Add comment April 30th, 2006
Anna was one month old yesterday evening. It is incredibly hard for me to believe that so much time has past. I suppose it is probably normal, but I’m having a difficult time remembering life PA (pre-Anna). Currently almost everything I do during the day revolves around taking care of this cute little being! What did I do before? (work, laundry, dishes, to name a few of the things that I used to do but do not do now!)
Anna is growing like a weed! She’s pretty much able to hold her head up on her own, but we still have bouts of the floppy-newborn head. At her 2-week check-up she was 22 inches in length. We were shocked to find out that her cousin Henry is only 24 inches and he’s over 4 months old! As Neal likes to joke, we’re in contact with WNBA recruiters already. I’m anxious to see how much she’s grown by the time we go in for her next doctor’s appointment. One month old brings us to the point where most of her newborn clothing no longer fits! Her 0-3 month clothing just fits and in some cases is getting a little snug. Time for me to go shopping. And for those of you who know me, this is a daunting task.
I’m finally feeling better - not 100%, but decidedly better than before. I have a doctor’s visit coming in the next couple of weeks and hopefully my iron levels will have returned to normal. It is tough being tired and weak all the time - especially with a newborn that doesn’t yet sleep through the night! I think another part of the “feeling better” has to do with my comfort level with Anna. That’s not to say that I understand why she freaks out sometimes and screams bloody murder, but I do understand that those noises she makes while sleeping aren’t anything to worry about, and that the scrunched up face she makes usually indicates that a diaper change is in my future. I guess you could say we’re getting to know one another.
Max is looking skinny these days. We think it is the stress - that or he’s just shedding his winter coat. I like to think it is the latter. He’s supremely interested in Anna and enjoys sniffing her head and car-carrier, but when she starts crying he seeks out quiet hiding places in the basement. He’s certainly missing all the attention he used to get and has begun acting like a small child who misbehaves only to have someone pay attention to him. I often feel like a broken record when it comes to Max - “no, no, no.” We have one chair that will never be the same because he’s taken to scratching the crap out of it - especially in our presence. Luckily the weather is warming up so that we can take Max outside on his lead. This tends to calm the savage beast (actually it wears him out what with all the birds to watch and grass to eat).
So as you can see, life here at the Enssle/Hess house is going well. We’re all a little sleep-deprived (including Max), but enjoying ourselves. Hopefully we’ll have some new pictures soon. I need to upload them from the camera.
1 comment April 13th, 2006
Tara’s mother Debbie left for Kansas on Saturday, and we already miss her. She spent three full weeks here in Colorado helping us prepare for and then deal with Anna’s arrival. Without her help our house would be (more of) a disaster, and we probably would have starved without her delicious cooking.
We love her dearly and know that we couldn’t have done it without her. Thanks Mom!
(And yes, we’ve posted new photos!)
1 comment April 3rd, 2006
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « Sep | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |