Payton has grown and learned so much in the past month! Month 5 must be a big month for new milestones. I have a baby calendar that I keep for her and there are stickers for each milestone that she reaches and this past month she received four stickers! She earned her stickers for first laugh, first tooth, second tooth, and finds toes. We are so proud of her!
Payton’s fifth month started in a sad way for our family. As you may have noticed in my previous post, our grandmother “Deer” passed away. I feel fortunate to have been able to tell her that I loved her the night before she passed away. She passed away peacefully and although I miss her a lot, I am happy for her because I believe she is heaven and reunited with Deck (her husband) and many of her other family members and friends. Although funerals are sad occasions, they have a way of bringing people together. And so it was good to be able to spend time with my family. Payton and Hank were the center of attention at the family gathering. Hank was so cute because he was constantly trying to reach out and grab Payton. Payton, on the other hand, showed no interest in Hank. Payton spent much of her time napping in the baby swing in my parent’s closet, the only place dark enough during the day for her to rest. Everyone seemed to think it was funny that when she starts fighting sleep, we use a hair dryer to comfort her and help her rest. At home the vacuum cleaner works wonders as well. Our house has never had cleaner floors than it has since Payton came into our lives! I don’t see what is so funny about this…. doesn’t the roar of the vacuum put everyone to sleep?!
Payton’s first sticker for this month came on our drive home from my parent’s house. When we travel, I sit in the back seat of the truck with Payton in order to take care of her. I had a stuffed animal (a dog) that I was using to play with Payton. I put it up to her face and said “woof woof woof!” When I did this she started laughing for the first time. I did this several more times and she laughed each time. It was so cute and Charles and I were laughing along with her!
The last weekend of February was the start of Mardi Gras. On Saturday we took Payton to the afternoon Mardi Gras parade that comes down Seawall in front of our house. People love babies and quite a few strangers said things like, “Awww, look at the baby!” We have gotten more attention and compliments since we’ve had Payton than we’ve ever experienced in our lives. It’s kind of fun though I rarely know how to respond other than to say, “Thank you”.
I had bundled Payton up and taken her on regular short walks around the neighborhood throughout the winter, but it wasn’t until the last week of February that the weather really turned warm and we could spend time taking longer walks down Seawall and also enjoying the beach. And by the first week of March, I was taking Payton on walks wearing nothing but an onesie, fishing hat, and sunscreen. My favorite place to walk with her is down Seawall to the 37th street jetty and then out onto the jetty. Sometimes, once on the jetty, I like to sit her in my lap and watch the waves roll in over the side of the rock groin. I’m not sure if Payton likes it as much as I do, but she always sits quietly so I know she definitely doesn’t dislike our outdoor time.
Wednesday of the first week of March we noticed a small white dot on Payton’s bottom gum that we thought might be her first tooth starting to come in. By that Friday we could see a second bottom tooth also coming in. Payton was fussy off and on that week and the following week as her teeth were coming in. On Monday, March 7th, Payton’s first tooth broke through the gums and she earned her second sticker of the month and a week later on March 15th her second tooth came in. Those little teeth are sharp and she has bit me where it hurts on more than one occasion already! I tell Charles, “She’s dangerous!” in a joking kind of way but in all honesty, I keep feeling like I’m getting beat up by her. When I hold her she tries to bite my face, grabs and digs her nails into my neck, pulls my hair, head butts me in the lip, and kicks hard. It’s pretty funny, but boy this little girl is strong! Look out tae kwon do, we may have a little black belt in the making! Of course we knew this when she kicked so hard she broke my water a day and a half before she was born.
Sometimes I feel like we live a bit in isolation but March has been a very social month for us so far. The first week of March my friend Christel and her baby Abigail came over for lunch and then we took the babies on a walk down Seawall. Abigail is so cute and loves to smile and laugh all the time. Payton is still much more serious and has only laughed on a few more occasions since her first laugh.
Then that weekend (the second weekend of Mardi Gras) Charles’ sister Mary, her husband Randy, and their two sons Big Evan and Little Evan came to visit from Thibodaux, Louisiana. It was so fun seeing all of them and letting them get to know Payton. Payton loved being the center of attention and enjoyed their visit. I told Mary they need to move closer so in a couple of years Little Evan can baby sit for us because he was wonderful with Payton. While they were here we attended some of the Mardi Gras parades. Payton and I skipped the night Momus parade, but we did attend the Barkus & Meoux pet parade and the Children’s Parade, both which came down Seawall in front of our house. Then on Tuesday I was able to get Payton to take a late afternoon nap so that she could attend the Fat Tuesday evening parade.
That Friday we went to Dallas to see Charles’ mom for her birthday and also to attend Charles’ cousin Jennifer’s baby’s baptism. Jennifer’s baby, Nate, is a little over a month older then Payton and the two of them were so cute together! Both Payton and Nate were very interested in getting Payton’s dress into their mouths. At this age they really want everything in their mouths. Payton enjoyed spending time with her Nana and the rest of the family and then on Sunday she got to go out to eat for the first time. We met my friend Lindy for breakfast at IHop. IHop was the perfect restaurant to take Payton to because it was already so loud that even when Payton decided to yell a few times, we didn’t feel we were bothering anyone. Overall she was well behaved and we were glad to have a chance to visit with Lindy.
During the second week of March, Payton became a pro at being able to switch objects, such as her rattle, from one hand to another. She is also getting better about grabbing objects and successfully getting them into her mouth. The other thing she learned that week was to squeal loudly when she is excited or when she is frustrated. She doesn’t necessarily squeal when she is happy though. Maybe that will come with time.
Monday, March 14, 2011, Payton made it through the night without a feeding. She did wake up a few times during the night but fell back asleep after we put her pacifier back into her mouth. The following night she slept from 7:30 p.m. until 6:30 a.m. with her pacifier only needing to be put back in once and then after she ate at 6:30 a.m. she went back to sleep until 8:30 a.m. Daylight Savings Time started the previous evening so Payton’s morning biological clock was still set on the old time. Thankfully she is still going to bed at an early hour.
On Tuesday, March 15, I took Payton to the grocery store for the first time. I wore her in her carrier against my chest and had her facing forward so she could see everything. She was very good, but I found it difficult and exhausting trying to get all of my shopping done while carrying her at the same time. I think it will be somewhat easier once she is able to sit up in the shopping cart. I appreciate people’s sweet comments about Payton but it seemed every old lady I passed in the store wanted to talk to me about babies, so it made our errand last even longer. I know we were both worn out by the time we got home. I think for now I will stick to doing my shopping on the weekends when Charles can stay home with Payton.
On Thursday, March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day), Payton discovered her toes while Charles was giving her a bath in her infant tub. He had her feet in the air so that he could clean her bottom and she saw them and grabbed them. She then pulled her foot to her mouth and attempted to suck her toes. I wasn’t in the bathroom at the time so Charles yelled, “Becky, come see this!” It was very cute! Now her toes are just about her favorite toy and she tries to get them in her mouth all the time.
The third week of March was spring break for most all of the schools in Texas, so Payton and I enjoyed people watching as I took her on a stroller ride down Seawall each day. It was a beautiful week and there were tons of people at the beach. On Friday my friend Christina joined us for lunch and then for a walk.
Saturday, March 19, was my 30th birthday. It’s hard for me to believe I am 30 already! For some reason I still think of myself as being about 23. I’m not sure why. The time flies by so quickly now. This is why I am trying to treasure each and every day of Payton’s childhood. Because I know that babies grow up so quickly.
I had a nice birthday. Charles fixed me my favorite breakfast item, blueberry muffins, along with fried eggs. Then Payton took a nice, long morning nap and when she woke up we went to Salsa’s for lunch. I had fun taking pictures of her sitting on the table, sucking her toes and also of her on the toy horses that are in the entry way to the restaurant. We came back home for Payton’s afternoon nap and when she woke up from that we took a walk to the beach. Charles and I took pictures of each other on the beach with Payton, unfortunately the sea fog was really thick so many of the pictures didn’t turn out very good. For dinner Charles fixed tacos, refried beans, and for desert we pigged out on cookie cake. All and all it was a really nice birthday. And my parents are coming this weekend so we get to celebrate my birthday again. Yaaay!
The news this week is that Payton has discovered that she likes playing in her Exersaucer. If you’re not familiar with what an Exersaucer is, it’s kind of like a baby walker only it doesn’t go anywhere. Apparently babies were walking off stairs and into swimming pools in the old baby walkers (neither of which is an issue at our house) so this is presumably the new safer alternative. Basically it’s a seat that they sit in and their feet stand on a “saucer” that rocks and bounces as they move around in it. And there are toys all around that really get their attention. This week Payton can’t seem to get enough of it. She rocks, bounces, turns, and gets a kick out of playing with all the toys. Her favorite toys on it are an alligator that has square blocks attached to it that she can knock around and a lizard that lights up and plays music when she hits it.
Well I think that’s about it. <Wheew! Wipes sweat off brow> If you actually read all of this, let me know because you deserve a cookie or something. Haha
So until next time, adios.
