Solids???????

Well we started solids last Tuesday. I do have to say she took it really well the first day. I went back to work on Wednesday and Russell tried feeding her but he said she cried and wouldn't take any of it. So on Friday when she became sick I tried once and when she didn't want it I just thought it had something to do with her sore throat. With her sore throat and being sick and all I decided to give her Saturday off. So today we try again to get her to take solids....Well she didn't cry but she didn't really take it either. I know that it takes time, but she doesn't seem to be warming up to it at all; it seems to be the other way around. A couple people I know that have kids around Penelope's age within a month got over the rice cereal and moved onto 3 or 4 different foods. They both have said it was a little unusual for their baby to do solids so quick. But maybe Penelope isn't ready and I should try again in a couple of weeks. Or maybe she is just being picky and I got to charge through it. What do you think?

great expectations

I was browsing through the book corner and realized that I had not yet made a review of Charles Dickens "Great Expectations". Let me first say it is very difficult to make comments on 'classics'. After all they are classics aren't they. But here I go...

Great Expectations by C. Dickens
*****

This is a great book. It is a little slow at the beginning but Dickens wonderfully paints the picture with words to keep you interested. The language in it makes you want to run to a dictionary. And makes you wish you were the elegant with words. I wish the ending had a little more of an umph. The original ending was quite depressing and I would have been more unhappy with it, but I still wanted more even though it was rewritten. That should speak of an authors heart, if what they want isn't there then you can tell.

happy birthday

Happy 6 months birthday my sweet little girl. I love you so much. This time has gone by so quickly; I'm so glad to have you in my life.

Love, Mama

the continued dilemma

Anyone who was around during my pregnancy and my work dilemma knows that I was very close to leaving UCLA. But I stayed because I had my health insurance through them. When I had the baby we took the opportunity and switched the health insurance to Russell's work, so that I could switch jobs if need. When I was on maternity leave I went back and forth on where I was going to go when I went back to work. (Previous to maternity leave I worked at UCLA and Torrance Memorial.) I liked Torrance Memorial but it just wasn't challenging at all. And I knew it would be a temporary job, not a job I would be happy at. But I was going to go there for my little baby. Torrance Memorial had previously stated that they were going to hire me on full-time after maternity leave. But after a rush of applications during my 5 month leave they didn't have a position open. So I went back to UCLA hoping that the same problems wouldn't happen as during my pregnancy. After about a month stuff started surfacing. But I have stated to everyone that I am staying here till I'm done breastfeeding.

Part of me about a month ago was happy about staying at UCLA. I didn't let having a family change my career. I am becoming a great seasoned nurse.

I felt and still feel that it would be too strong of odds against me to learn a new place and take 20 minute breaks every 3 hours. But a couple of things have happened, first leaving my daughter so darn early in the morning and not getting home till 9:30 at night is just not fun. Nursing is already a long day and I'm tacking on an additional 3 hours. I hold my daughter in my arms and wish I didn't have to let her go. Also I was reflecting to a friend-co worker the other day on all that has happened and went down and how they are regulating my breaks for breastfeeding. And how I had to come into work and fight for the little time I have and show them California laws. And just hear them respond, "you don't want to make yourself look different. People don't like that." It furiates me. (I just found out furiates isn't a word, but you get the point.) People that work the night shift don't have a problem. But they say it is because the unit is more busy during the day. Then slowly people have started coming back to work from maternity leave. (There was 9 of us pregnant.) And some come back on days but only work part-time and no one questions them about their time they take. Part of me wants to say "hey!" but I think that would just give them less time and more hardship pumping and that wouldn't be beneficial to anyone.

So here I am. I got another 6 months of breastfeeding, if I can in this environment. And Russell and I are planning vacations as late as October and if I switch jobs I might not get the time off for vacations. But October seems so far away. I don't want to stay at UCLA now let alone next October.

so inspirational...

Here is an article about a mother who is defending our freedom and spending her little free time she has pumping breastmilk for her little boy. Read the article, it will break your heart.

Long journey for mother's milk

"da-da"

Today my little girl said "da, da" officially. She said it shortly on Christmas eve, but not repeatively. So Russell doesn't want to count that one. But today she went on and on whispering "da, da, da, da" coping her father. Oh so cute! I missed it, because I was working. : ( But I get to spend the whole weekend with her because Penelope and I are going to Murrieta Hot Springs for a Woman's retreat. Can you believe my little girl who is not even 6 months old has already gone on 2 woman's retreats not including the time she was still in my tummy. Now she has to grow up loving God. : )

maybe a God thing

"Nature is the one place where miracles not only happen, but happen all the time" --Thomas Wolfe

Can we say divine intervention?

sips out of a cup

I've been itching to give her food but trying desperately to wait until she gets closer to her 6 month birthday. But today with her persistent interest in our food we gave her water out of a cup. It has to be luke-warm but she loves it! And even fusses a little if we take it away before she is done with it. She does so well. At first she had a lot of tongue action, but I think tonight she got the hang of it. What to expect the first year and the Rie method both recommend that you should introduce the cup first. (The Rie method says not to introduce the sippy cup at all.) But my plan is to introduce the cup and then use the sippy cup later for car rides and stuff.

fun times!

and lots of pics!


I went over to my friends house who had a baby 22 days before Penelope. And we introduced them. I had such a good time. Thanks Yvonne, Chris, Rocio, and Caleb; you guys were great!





We also celebrated Cousin Matthew's 8th birthday by going to the local bowling alley and rolling it down. (And man, was my score down.)

i taught my baby how to cough

Yep I have had a cough for so long that my daughter has learned how to immitate me. As bad as this sounds, it is so cute to watch! She is my little copy-cat. It is the funnest thing. Russell and I can't stop laughing, in between my coughing.