My Little Strawberry

Not a lot going on around the Opitz household, just the usual. While Perri has proved herself not the easiest baby, she is getting better and better as she gets older. Her sleep (at night) is amazing, going from around 7:45pm to 7:30am (and I go in and wake her or she'd sleep later). Her naps were going good then she decided to throw me a curve ball and stop napping and just cry instead, but we're getting the kinks worked out and she's getting back on track there. She's also being better at the child watch at the gym. She's never 'bad' there, just requires them to hold her the whole time. And, she's super serious there and usually just watches everyone with a very serious look on her face. Lately they've told me she's finally starting to smile and 'talk' to them and today I went in to get her and she was in the swing!! Wow! They said today was her best day ever and she was so good and happy. Yea!! Though, of course, she totally fell apart once I put her in her car seat and in the car. Oh well, can't always have her peachy.

Lately I've been trying to clean out the closets and re-organize them and go through things we don't need, which we have a lot of. Around here you can't just have a garage sale any time you want. You can participate in our neighborhood-wide sale they have twice a year or you can participate in the community-wide sales they have at the high schools. We have so much stuff sitting around here unused and taking up space so I'm slowing going through all this junk and getting it ready for the sale. That is what I've been up to most afternoons while Perri naps. That and cleaning and laundry. Fun times huh?

Also, in two months we'll be flying to Reno for my brother and his fiancee' Lauren's wedding and will be traveling with a then 7-month old. Has anyone flown with a baby? If so, any tips? We're pretty nervous about this and really would like to not have a full day of Perri screaming on the planes. Yikes!! Any suggestions are welcome!!

I'll leave you with some pics of baby girl.








Poser

Her favorite thing in the world, her thumb. This sucker is a life saver for her. She has never taken a paci but LOVES her thumb.

Eating her dress. EVERYTHING goes in her mouth.
Hanging out in her slippers.

Dimples

Vroom Vroom

Perri's Lu Lu and Pops got this wonderful car for Perri and she loves it!! It's awesome because right now it's something she sits in but when she starts walking it can be changed up to be a walker for her! The Horn plays music when you push on it and underneath where her feet are, when she presses down on them it does car "vroom" noises and another part sounds like children laughing. It's so cute!! Of course she'd rather just suck on the steering wheel right now though.

A couple more pictures of her in her car



Since Perri likes her car so much we decided we would go ahead and put together her exersaucer and she is loving this too! Her little feet are barely touching the floor so she's really kindof hanging there but she doesn't seem to mind.




The bib is on because we were about to go to the gym and I didn't want her spitting up on her clothes.
Speaking of spitting up, the new medicine seems to be working better, praise the Lord!! She's barely spitting up now!
Also, we went for her 4 month check up Monday (can you believe she's about to be 4 months?!?!) and she is a whopping 11 lbs. 8 oz. and 24 1/2 inches long. She's just long and lean. Her thighs are finally starting to get a little chunk to them, though.
I'll leave you with a picture of Perri from when I went in to get her yesterday from her nap. Notice the crossed feet. She's so proper!

Emma Doggy Dogg

Today, Leah found an unexpected item at our front door. It was a package for Emma...our dog.

Leah quickly picked up the package and looked for the return address to see who it was from. To our surprise, it was from Emma's cousin, Satch! Satch lives in Sparks/Reno, NV with Zach and Lauren.

Satch sent Emma a Snoop Dogg Plush Doberman Dogg Toy with a sound clip! Emma loves it. Check out the pictures below. Every time Emma bites the center of the doberman, Snoop Dogg sings a little tune. It was pretty funny at first but Emma doesn't know when to quit. Thanks Satch. :) I put a short video on our website. Click on the Flicks link to the right.

Headbands and Bows

Perri and I are still recovering from being sick (Craig's only lasted about a day, lucky!) I'm still blowing my nose a lot and she's still got the crusties and is kind of snorty in the mornings but all in all we are getting better, and slowly getting her sleeping at night back. Might I emphasize slowly? haha.

I ordered some headbands off ebay and they came in and I am so excited about these!! Little girl does have hair, but the majority of it is dark and in the back, a lovely mullet, and the hair growing on top is blonde and you can barely see it. Soooo I bought these headbands and am working on making bows and getting flowers to add to them. I just hot glue them to alligator clips then clip them on the headbands. Adorable!!

Here's Perri trying a couple of them out, in what else, but the Happy Chair?





Then I caught this lovely one on camera, yummy huh?


Speaking of spitting up, we're trying out a different medicine so hopefully this will help her reflux. She's only been on it a couple of days so we aren't sure yet if it will help more or not. We go next Monday for her 4 month check up and the dtap and rotavirus shots so we'll talk to her Dr. then about the new medicine and if it's helping or not.

A few more pics of the little one.



All she ever wants to do now, suck her hands or her thumb

Sick

Well, Perri and I are home sick today. Mine started a couple days ago with a sore throat and by last night I was hacking up stuff with a pouring nose. Last night Perri woke around 4am and was super congested and just didnt feel well and today she's just pitiful. All she wants to do is sleep and she just keeps coughing and her nose is running like a faucet. So, we're hanging out at the house today, which stinks, because its beautiful outside and I want to be OUT!! But, I don't feel well either so it's best we just rest.
We did run out to Target to get me some medicine and here's the little girl looking pitiful. You can't tell in the picture but her nose is pouring and has crusties all over it. Attractive, I know.



What stinks is, because I'm breast feeding, I can't really take any medicine. I called her pediatrician and asked what I can take, and all I can take is either Claritin or Zyrtec, both of which are for allergies, not a cold. I guess cold medicine would go through to her so I can only take the allergy medicine for my runny nose and congestion. Hopefully it helps. She can't take anything so she's pretty much stuck with it, poor thing. All we can do is saline spray in her nose then suction it out and use a humidifier.

Also, here are a couple of pictures I took last night.


Getting stripped for her bath


Before her daddy bathes her





Playing with dad after her bath

Lately

Well not a lot going on around here, as usual, but since I have been getting asked when I'm going to update, I figured I'd do it now. But I need to make myself some coffee and then I'll be good. It's nearly 10pm and I'm about to make coffee, yes, but it's decaf so it doesn't really matter. Being in Arkansas in the cold ruined me with coffee, as I would make some every time I got cold, and well, that habit has stuck. Not when I get cold though, because I don't really ever get cold here haha.

Perri went to the doctor yesterday for some more shots and to check in on her reflux. She got two shots again this time and did really well. Only one loud wail and then she just whimpered a little bit and was fine. The nurse gave her two hot looking silver metallic band aids and that made her all better :) They are about the size of her little thighs and looked hilarious so I had to take pictures of her in them. She's also sporting one of her new diapers I had custom made. These are so stinking cute and work great! (Notice the bulging belly? She'd just eaten haha)



A few more pics of little girl in one of her new diapers. Don't mind the wrong side of the burp rag. It's one of the ones I made and this is the side of my awful stitching. Because of her reflux we pretty much have burp rags under her or over our shoulder at all times.





Perri is also weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs. 12 oz., but I'm not sure how accurate that is because she ate 6 oz in the waiting room before her appt so she probably weighs a few oz. less than she was weighed. They didn't measure her because it wasnt a regular appointment but Craig and I did and she's 24 inches long. Skinny little thing. So in 3 months she's gained exactly 3 pounds.

Since birth, Perri has required that we wrap her in her swaddler in order to sleep because her flailing arms would wake her. Well, it's getting to be pretty hot here and she's starting to roll onto her stomach so we decided we needed to wean her from it. We started with one arm out first, and now have both arms out. It went roughly at first but now she's going down with just a little crying and then sleeping fine. Yay!! Here's a picture of her during the one arm out period. Again, notice the sheet saver under her. Something must be under her at all times due to the spit up. But, I have since taken that out due to her squirming and will just have to wash her sheets a lot.



For an update on Craig and I, not much is going on. Craig's busy time at work has finally slowed, praise the Lord! Several weeks ago while Craig was playing basketball, he came down on his foot funny. This was during the busy time at work and he couldn't get off to go to the doctor. Well, he finally went to an orthopedic surgeon and after xrays and an MRI, we found out he has torn ligaments on both sides of his foot and needs physical therapy. And, if that doesn't help after a month, he has to go back to the doctor and there would be a possibility of surgery. Lovely. I just can't believe he waited two weeks to go to the doctor. His foot has been HUGE and all bruised. He took a picture of it when he hurt it but I can't find where that is, sorry. I'm not up to a lot except going to the gym and trying to work this baby fat off. Perri is doing so well there in the child watch and the ladies love her! I really like it because it's the same ladies in her room every day so she's gotten to know them and is pretty happy there. Of course she'll hardly take her nap but she's in such a good mood most of the time and a happy little girl that it doesn't seem to bother her.

I'll leave you with a few pictures of Perri after her bath. She loves her nightly baths from her daddy, especially being all wrapped up in her towel. She'll coo and squeal in it when she gets out of the tub.

Trip to Arkansas

Well, Perri and I are still in Arkansas. After a week here I just couldn't decide whether we should stay or go back, but finally Craig and I decided it would be best if we stayed. He's been going in to work most mornings at 5am or so and not getting home until 8:30 or 9 so that would equal long, lonesome days for Perri and me. So, we're still here. I get to go out occasionally on my own, get my meals cooked for me and have adults to talk to all day. Pretty nice haha. Perri's doing great and changing so much that I know Craig is going to be in shock at how much she's grown and changed in just two weeks' time.

Good news- Perri is just about sleeping through the night now! Yay!! After her 8:30 feeding I put her down around 9:30 and then I get her up at 11 or so to give her a "dream feed" where she's still asleep, then she's down again and I'm not getting her until 7am after that. There's still some crying as she'll wake at the time she used to eat, out of habit, but usually she'll just whimper a bit and then go back to sleep, or I'll give her her paci and she'll fall back asleep. This works most the time, however last night she woke around 4am and was on and off crying up until I finally went and got her around 6:45. But then she spit up all morning so I think her reflux was really bothering her. I was feeding her this morning and as I was joking to dad about her burping on me while she eats and sometimes spitting up, sure enough, she spit up ALL over me. Gross. I'm pretty used to it though with the reflux but this one was extra nasty and cold and wet. Eww.

I am so not used to this cold weather anymore and didnt bring a heavy coat so I've been pretty much holed up the last couple days for the exception of running a couple errands and getting out to run. Brr. Most schools around here are out today for the ice, but Benton is still in session. Though, it's supposed to do more tonight. I pray we keep electricity too. That would NOT be fun at all.

It's been a wonderful visit here but I am looking forward to being home and seeing Craig and Amos!! It's so pitiful that Craig's working so much he's getting home at night and said some nights he's fallen asleep on the couch without even eating dinner because he's so tired. We are very thankful to have such a hard working daddy and blessed that I can stay home with Perri. Thank you Craig, we very much appreciate your hard work and love you very much!! Thankfully, this busy time should be over after this week!!!

That's about it for an update, I'll leave you with a few pics of my little princess, or "Shorty" as my dad likes to call her.



Riding in the new stroller we got to keep at my parent's house. We can't fit hers in the car when we come here since we bring Emma so she now gets to have one here all the time!! She always falls asleep when I put her in her carseat that snaps in the stroller so I thought I'd put her in the actual stroller. She is tiny in it and even with the straps at their tightest, they were still loose on her. But, she stayed awake throughout the whole thing and thoroughly enjoyed it.


Getting her nightly bath from her Lu Lu


Hanging out with her Pops


Visiting my grandparents


Several pics in her new outfit her cousin Caroline got for her. We love it!!