Baby's first Christmas

Christmas was really nice this year. Because we didn't have Spencer until the afternoon, we opened presents at our house. Here is Sabrina in her new walker. I guess it's a rider right now, because she can't touch the floor with her feet.




Then went down to Mom and Dad's for presents. Well, at least, that was the plan. However, it was just dumping snow at our house, and our tires were bald, and apparently the snowplow drivers here don't deign to spend their Christmas mornings snowplowing even if we do get SIX FEET of snow (breathe, breathe), so I was nervous about going. Well, about 10:30 I checked the traffic cameras, and do you remember The Truman Show? Where Jim Carrey, aka Truman, is sitting on the beach and it starts raining, but just on him? Just a little circle of rain, that follows him as he tries to avoid it? Yeah, that was Ogden and snow. So off we went to Salt Lake.

After the Molly side of the family, we went to the Zane side. We got Spencer and gave him his "Santa" present that Santa dropped off at our house, a remote controlled car (jealous!). Then we went to Huntsville for THOSE presents, a little dinner, and family fun for everyone.

Another exciting event of the day was Sabrina's first solid food. Rice cereal, of course. She wasn't exactly sure what to do with it, but yesterday she ate a half jar of pears. And, of course, ice cream (see previous post). Here is before, during, and after Sabrina's first solid meal.

Sweet baby, sweet tooth

I know CHRONOLOGICALLY that Christmas comes next, but last night was too funny, and I must tell you immediately! We went up to the Froerer Family Compound in Huntsville last night, and Grandpa Froerer was holding Sabrina and eating an ice cream cone. Naughty, naughty Grandpa decided to try to become Favorite Adult and let Sabrina try his mint chocolate chip ice cream (a favorite of her mommy's). At first she pulled away, startled, probably, by the coldness. Then, she registered the taste, and lunged, two-handed, for the cone. I think she liked it!

Zane Does Nativity

It's been awhile since I blogged (blogged? Does this word ever strike you as odd?), so I have catching up to do!

On Christmas Eve, Zane, Sabrina and I went to Mom and Dad's house. Our first activity? Bowling! To make it better, there were 6 of us on two lanes, and the girls got bumpers! It sort of feels like cheating, but it does mean no nasty gutter balls. On the other hand, 2 1/2-year-old Elli beat my score the first game. Embarrassing.

After dinner--a German festive meal, delicious except the pickle in the meat, because pickles are gross--we played a German game, which is to find the pickle that is hidden in the tree. Fortunately (because pickles are gross), the pickle was an ornament, which I found, because I'm awesome, and also willing to knock over the Christmas tree to win.

Unfortunately, Benn and Cheri and their brood had to leave before we could read the Christmas story, so Zane had to take over the job of using the Nativity scene to act out the story of The Christ Child. He did a great job, although he needed a little reminder when the story calls for the Wise Men to fall down and worship Jesus. Possibly the most critically acclaimed part of his performance was when he put Mary on the rocking horse and Joseph way, way, way down below, leading the Giant Horse (donkey) from the floor. Very amusing.

Next: Christmas

Babies babies babies!

Last night, at the annual Froerer Family Bingo night, Karen announced she is 10 weeks pregnant! Yay! She is due July 19, or 10 days before Sabrina's first birthday. Last year, I was planning on announcing MY pregnancy at family bingo, but couldn't wait that long. I'm so happy for Karen! Here is a picture with her holding Sabrina, and Mom holding Julianne's baby Jane.


So, tomorrow is Sabrina's first Christmas. I didn't get her much this year, on the premise that she won't remember it anyway and any presents I get her are really what I want for her. The important things, though, are that she knows she is loved and cherished, and that she knows the true Christmas story. I can't wait for Benn to act out the Christmas story with the Nativity set in the partial fulfillment of goal #2!

Who died and made YOU sleep guru?

Last night I was up until after midnight finishing a transcription project, then up at 2 to feed Tiny. Then Zane got up at 6:30 to go to a trial. Bottom line: I was not in the mood to get up at 7 when Sabrina started fussing. So I though, "Why do I have to listen to the sleep gurus who forbid you from bringing the baby to bed because of interrupted sleep/baby never going back to her own bed/suffocation? Psshht!" So I fed her in bed and then dozed for a couple more hours. Did you know that babies wake up happy and smiling? Well, they do. I can hardly stand how wonderful and sweet my baby girl is.



See? See?

Best. Morning. EVER.

Sabrina thought morning came at 6:30 today. It doesn't. But because Zane got up early for a trial, I brought Sabrina into my bed at 7:00 to feed her. I KNEW she had a diaper the size of Sputnik, but hey, I was tired. Well, we got up at 7:30, and just as I got her out of bed I heard a poop. When a baby is wearing a diaper the size of Sputnik, there is nowhere for poop to go, except out. And out it went.

Obviously, Sabrina needed a bath. So I held her without a diaper (but WITH a blanket) while the tub filled up. You'd think I'd learn. Nope. She peed all over me. Good thing I hadn't showered and gotten dressed yet! Having a sense of humor is an asset for a mom!

And to help with that sense of humor, one of my students got me a book for Christmas, "Porn for New Moms." Men stare seductively into the camera and say things like "Hey the guys are coming over. They want to help me take the baby to the park!" and "Don't worry, honey. Your mother and I will take wonderful care of the baby while you and your girlfriends are at the spa." Now THAT is HOTT.

Let's finish off with some pictures of the Sleeping Baby.

Oh Tannenbaum

Zane and I got our Christmas tree yesterday. Yes, it's 10 days until Christmas. Shut up. Sometimes it's hard to get around to stuff.

One of the presents I got for Sabrina was an ornament with her name and the year. It's a star, and the border...tell you what, I'll show it to you:

Some of my favorite ornaments are those I got as a baby. It makes me feel that I was loved even as a tiny one. And I wanted Sabrina to feel that way too. I tend to not like the "baby's first Christmas" ornaments, because they are often ceramic, with horrible, badly-painted pink shoes and such.

I've taken a few more pictures of Sabrina lately. Here are some of my favorites.
I am Queen of All I Survey.


Dancin' with Daddy

Duck!

Okay, it's been a while since I've posted, but I have a good reason. I took some fabulous pictures of Sabrina, and didn't get them on my computer because my camera was in the other ROOM, and the attachment to get the pictures from the camera to the computer was like FIVE YARDS AWAY, and fine, I don't have a good excuse. Anyway...

Sabrina is getting so strong, and holding herself up so well, that I got out her bouncy-bouncy-baby seat, you know, the type that you hang from the door? You don't know? Here's a picture:


So cute, right? My brother Benn had one, and I would call him a "bouncy, bouncy baaaa-bee." Now it's my own baaaa-bee that I'm doing it to!

Here's the first picture Sabrina ever smiled in, at least that I took. Too bad the strap is in the way, but we can't be picky.

Moms only. No, really.

The subject of our discussion today is poop. Only mothers truly understand. Sabrina had complete blowouts the past TWO days. I mean, I understand one, but you'd think that would clear her out for a few days. Nope. Good thing I remembered to put a new outfit in her diaper bag this morning, or poor babysitter Kelli would have had to contend with Naked Baby while her clothes washed. Of course, Naked Baby IS very cute.

I got nothing more on poop, so we'll move on to topics of general interest.

Sabrina has continued to be really interested in food lately. She's almost like a dog, you know, who watches the food as you move it around in hopes of being so cute that you will lose control of your muscles and drop the food. It's just about time to give her cereal! And to get a plastic floor mat and outfit! Hooray!

The Spencer Wing

Yesterday, four of Zane's relatives were in the hospital. Zane Sr. said they were at the Froerer wing of the hospital. Veeeery clever. Although, technically speaking, it was Marilyn's dad and sister, who are Spencers, not Froerers, who were in the hospital. It looks like they might both have cancer, which isn't funny at all. The other two were Zane's (my Zane) sister Elizabeth, who was in the hospital to have her baby and family member #4, Rebekah. That's not really funny either, but it is happy! Rebekah is beautiful and comparatively tiny--8 12. Still, there's only one Tiny.
Me. It's me.

MY Tiny, THE Tiny, has been a real eater lately. She must be growth spurting, which is annoying at 11, 2:30, and 6:30. Not that I'm counting. She is starting to show some interest in my food, too. Today I was eating a pancake, and Sabrina was VERY interested. I let her put it in her mouth, and she started sucking on it. So I took it away. NO, I'm not mean, she just can't have about all of the ingredients in pancakes yet! She's still tiny, after all.

Twilight II

I just realized that I never gave you my take on Twilight after seeing it twice in one day. I must rectify immediately.

I have to say, I liked the movie much more than I thought I would. There was a little too much (intensely), but overall, the movie felt true to the book. My favorite line, though, was not from the book. The vamps were cooking lunch for Bella, and Rosalie (mean, bitter vampire) says, "We don't even know if she LIKES Italian food." Emmett (big, tough vampire) says, "Her name is Isabella, Rosalie." In rereading that last sentence, I realize that you must hear Emmett saying it like "duh Rosalie. She has AN ITALIAN NAME, so OF COURSE SHE LIKES ITALIAN FOOD." Is it funnier now?

So, in final analysis, except for about 20 minutes from whence they took 90% of the previews, the movie was a fun chick flick that I will gladly see again (and again). That 20 minutes of cheesy cheesiness will be partly enjoyed, partly endured, and ensure that I will never make Zane watch it.

Just as a quick aside: in taking a break to change The Babe into her pjs, I was tickling her, and she laughed for the first time! I was kissing her tiny belly, and she laughed! And then grabbed my hair and pulled it out by the roots. And that was the end of THAT perfect moment.

What a difference a year makes...

It was one year ago tomorrow, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, that I found out I was pregnant. That's right Sabrina, just over a year ago you were a twinkle. Now she's four months old!

And speaking of milestones, Sabrina has recently learned to roll over. Last night (twice) I woke up to SCREAMING from Sabrina's room. I jump out of bed, RUSH to her room, and find that Sabrina has wriggled out of her blankets, turned over onto her stomach, and can't get back onto her back. Her poor little legs were freezing. Still. Do we need to scream?

Thanksgiving

As tomorrow is the traditional Day of Giving Thanks, I thought I'd weigh in. Of course I am thankful for the Tiny One. Being a mom is so amazing! There is no one else that I would regularly get up for at 2 in the morning. Her little body, her cry, her smile...everything! She does not have a single trait or habit that I don't like. I guess I'll enjoy it while I can! I'm also thankful for Zane, who makes being married fun, for my parents, Benn, Cheri, their kids, my in-laws and the rest of my family. How traditional, but who cares. I love my family!



As I was driving to work today, I saw a big line of people downtown around 9am. As I was going home about 1pm, the line was still there. I realized that people were leaving the line with turkeys and potatoes. There were a lot of people who evidently need help putting on Thanksgiving dinner. Not to get too maudlin, but I think I should be doing more to help people by giving meaningful service. I hope I manage to get started before this feeling goes away.

More Shots

The poor baby had her 4-month vaccines today. I'm trying really hard to keep her from getting a shotphobia. Zane has one, and so does Spencer, but Sabrina has really good genes. And a Heritage of High Intelligence. We should be good.

Lisa, one of my fabulous babysitters AND best friends, took some pictures of Sabrina with her daughter, Nora, who is 13 months. Nora, according to Lisa, alternates between jealousy of this weird little kid who takes mommy's time and bringing Sabrina toys and books. Nora can't figure out why Sabrina won't take stuff from her. Here's a picture of Nora reading a book to Sabrina. Cute!

Nasty, nasty people

The more I hear about Prop 8 in California, the more I am glad it passed. For any uninitiated among you, Prop 8 overturned a California Supreme Court ruling that said gays should be allowed to marry. The voters spoke; they passed an amendment to their constitution that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. Now, because church was in favor of it, the LA temple has been vandalized, white powder sent to the Salt Lake Temple, the temples have been picketed, vandalism has been done to church buildings, and lots of businesses and people who support Prop 8 have been harassed and picketed. By people who claim to want tolerance. The problem is, they only want to RECEIVE tolerance, they don't want to GIVE it. Well darn it, people have a right to their religious views! I formerly was glad I didn't live in California, because I wasn't sure how I would have voted. I was torn. Now I'm super, way, extremely glad it passed because these people are such intolerant jerks! I'm done now. Come back later for your regularly scheduled Sabrina news.

Twilight

It's happening. In just a few short days, I'm going to see the movie Twilight. I'm so worried it will be terrible--the previews look way too intense. A soap opera.
Bella (intensely): You are pale. You never go out in the sunlight.
Edward (intensely): Say it.
Bella (intensely): Vampire.
Edward (intensely): Are you afraid?
Bella (intensely): No.
Edward (intensely): You shouldn't have said that.
Soap opera. That's why the boys (Zane and the brothers-in-law) are not allowed to go. The sisters-in-law want to enjoy our teen romance in peace, and not get mocked if it sucks. Austin wonders if he is not allowed to go, or if he is not being forced to go. Potato/potahto.

On the same night I'm going to see Twilight, Sabrina will stay home with daddy. Why do we call it "babysitting" when a baby is taken care of by her dad? It's not babysitting when it's ME.

Sabrina (intensely)

That's how they get you

A few weeks ago, I got an offer for four sessions with a professional photographer to take pictures of Sabrina at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months for $40. At the end of that time, I'd get a 4x5 of each session to see her progress over the year. A pretty good deal, no? Then, I got the prices for their OTHER pictures. Fifty-five dollars for a 5x7! Who are they kidding? A 5x7 costs less than a dollar at Costco!

I have to say, though, that Sabrina was adorable during the session. She smiled all over the place for the first time ever while someone was taking her picture.. Even I could not get her to smile when I took her picture. Also, she can hold up her head so well! She's so strong. Check it out.



Can you guess what both Zane and Sabrina are looking at? Look closely. Notice the glazed eyes, the drool...That's right, it's TELEVISION!!!

Vote! For Pedro!

Sabrina and I went voting last Tuesday. It was, actually, really touching. It's really amazing that we're having a regime change without violence or any expectation, even from the most virulently disappointed, that the change will be other than peaceful. What an amazing country this is.


I'm really excited about Obama. I was a little uncertain about who I wanted to win, but I hope Obama does a good job, despite the crashing economy, war, general disillusionment with congress...Who would WANT to be President?

Also in this election, of course, was the famed Proposition 8 on gay marriage in California. I have to say, I am really glad that I didn't have to make a decision about how to vote in this matter. I do, however, know three things.
1) The people of California had already voted to define marriage as one man and one woman, and chose to do so again.
2) The California Supreme Court justices decided that they wanted to be the legislative branch of the government and make laws. Maybe they're sad they've never been elected.
3) The GLT alliance wants OTHER people to be tolerant. They don't want to be tolerant of people with a different point of view. I mean really, graffiti on the LA temple? Lame.

One thing I know more than anything else: I am SO GLAD THIS ELECTION SEASON IS OVER! HALLELUIA!

Baby Blessing

I have a lot to blog about, what with Sabrina's baby blessing last Sunday and the election on Tuesday, but I'll break it up into two posts. Anyway, we blessed Sabrina on Sunday, and then had everyone over to our house for soup etc. Mom was a superstar, basically making all the soup, apple crisp, salad...What would I do without her? (Actually, I know the answer. A lot.) The blessing was really nice. It was too bad that so many brothers and brothers-in-law had other commitments that day, but it was nice to see almost everyone at our house afterwards. It felt really fabulous to see everyone come support us.

One thing that was hard was that it was our first week at our new building which is so small that a bunch of the family had to sit in the foyer. That was sad. Also, it was pouring rain, which just seemed to make everything harder.

As far as the socializing went, I wish our house were built for people! Apparently, our kitchen was designed by the same guy that designed submarine galleys, so every time someone tried to get from the living room to the family room, they risked someone dumping soup down their back. To say nothing of wild nieces and nephews chasing each other at belly button level. Ah, there's nothing like family.

Sabrina was extremely well behaved, and super cute. Here are pictures if you don't believe me.

Baby Alarm

Do you know the problem with the baby alarm? You can't push snooze.

Halloween Fun

So, at first I just figured that I wouldn't dress Sabrina up for Halloween. Really, spend all that money on a 3-month-old? Then I thought, "How am I going to take cute pictures of her to post on my blog if I don't get her a costume?" So Cheri said I could borrow her pumpkin costume, because Benn says all babies are pumpkins. Problem: I procrastinated getting the costume, and Benn and Cheri are moving, so their house is in a state of barely-controlled chaos. And they don't know where the Pumpkin is, Charlie Brown. So, after three stores and no infant costumes, I give up. There ARE limits. Then, I find the solution. My own striped dress and hat! So, depending on your point of view, Sabrina is Raggedy Ann, Mommy, or Seventies Babe. Hooray! Cute pictures for the blog! And here they are.

Dinnertime

Sabrina is a big fan of eating herself. Specifically, she loves her hands. You know, if you're hungry, baby, I can do something about that. Yesterday, her 3-year-old cousin Ivie kept telling her "don't eat that!" Seriously.

Hi-ho

Sabrina! Stop punching Daddy!
Last week, my first back at work, was actually really fun. I trust my babysitters completely, and I'm only gone for 5-6 hours, so not all day. But Monday I got up and thought "Again!?!" The novelty had worn off, but I still had to leave the Tiny One and go to work. It wasn't as fun and exciting this week.

Sabrina continues to do well on her babysitter routine. I have to say, it isn't all that easy on me, but I still don't really have too much trauma. Yet. Unfortunately, though, Sabrina has been a bit congested, so she's been a little grumpy (bad for the babysitters) and has been snoring really loud sometimes (amusing for the babysitters).

When I get home with Tiny, I feel like "Okay, I'm ready for some good quality time with my daughter!" She, however, is just a baby. What is quality time with a baby? Nursing? Check. Holding? Check. Chess? Not so much. Helping with homework? Another no. Soccer practice? Do they make balls that small? Seriously, quality time with babies feels pretty much like ANY time with babies. You know, feed, burp, change. It makes me feel cheated, somehow.

Parting: sweet sorrow?

Yesterday was my first day back at work. Sabrina was still fighting the bottle, which was the ONLY reason I was teary Sunday night. I took Sabrina to Kelli, Cheri's sister, and tore myself away. I didn't cry or panic, but the amount of adrenaline in my system meant I was driving about 80 the entire way to Salt Lake. Thank goodness the cops were busy catching criminals.

School was actually really fun. When I went in to visit the school a few weeks ago, everyone was happy and excited to see me. Except my students. They were scared. Poor dears, they were nervous about getting a new teacher halfway through the first term. My students are still terrified of me, which is unusual. Usually by this time of the year they know I'm joking when I threaten to dismember them. I guess there are advantages starting teaching in October. It's hard, though, to get a class that is used to different rules and a different style. Not only do I have to train them in my style, I have to untrain them first.

When I got back to Sabrina (you thought I was too busy talking about myself to get back to my babe, didn't you?), Kelli was smiling. What is better than your babysitter smiling? Sabrina had taken 3 ounces and slept for about 2 hours. Good. Today, she took 8 ounces and slept 3 hours. Awesome! She's learning the bottle and is happy even when I'm not around. Curse it. In all seriousness, though, everything is going great!

Here's a picture of Sabrina with Olivia, Jamie's daughter. She obviously knows what to do with babies! And check out the outfit of Sabrina's. Dad brought her the shirt from the US Open.

Is this what ambivalance feels like?

Since I'm about to go back to work, I've been trying to convince Sabrina that taking a bottle is a good idea. Teenager that she is, she would have none of it. Obviously, stress for me. Will she starve while I'm at work? Will she scream and make her sitters crazy? My baby! Well, right now she is sucking down her first bottle ever. After the initial relief, I wanted to yank that no-good fake mommy right out of her mouth and put the real thing in it. I mean, it was flattering when she said, "No, I want my mommy to feed me! Only my mommy! Get this yucky not-mommy OUT OF MY MOUTH!!" Oh what a tangled web we weave/when first we try to give our children independence.

I'm really excited to start teaching again. We are doing 20th century this year, which is an awesome curriculum. World wars, Holocaust, civil rights, Viet Nam...Really interesting stuff. On the other hand, if I'm with 7th and 8th graders, I'm not with Sabrina. I had a terrible dream the other night that she was kidnapped by Sylar (the evil, creepy villain from Heroes). Gah! Talk about worrying that I won't be with Tiny! Geez. My subconscious has a macabre sense of humor!

Oh, and Zane remembered the ice cream cake. He pretended that the freezer at Baskin Robbins was broken, but he really delivered it to his brother Lance, who took it to roller hockey so we all could enjoy it. Good Zane.

Individualality

As Elli has been...um...expressing her autonomy lately, I've been thinking abouot how children don't think of themselves as a separate being from their mothers until they are about two (hence the tantrums and "I'll do it mySELF"). However, I've discovered it goes both ways. I don't think of Sabrina as a being separate from me either. I don't mean that in a creepy, she-is-my-daughter-and-therefore-a-clone-of-me-through-whom-I-can-live-vicariously way. I mean, if she's awake I'm awake, if she's hungry we sit together untiol she's done, if she's crying everyone expects me to know why. It's weird, but in a lot of ways she just feels like an extension of me. The Tyrant in the Nursery.

In related news, it's my birthday tomorrow, and I don't really care. I mean, it's like now that I'm a mom, I am less important to myself. It's probably something about selfless love or a genetic predisposition to care for one's offspring. Of course, this news should not be construed by my husband that he is allowed to forget my ice cream cake.

How big is 0-3 months anyway?

Now, I really, reeeeealy shouldn't jinx it, but Sabrina has been sleeping great lately. The past two nights she slept from 8-2, and then slept another 3-4 hours. Amazing! She was SOOOOO cute this morning. Amazingly, she's much cuter after she gets a good night's sleep. Or, to be honest, after I get a good night's sleep.

Today I dressed Sabrina is an almost-too-small onsie (0-3 months) and a to-be-honest-too-big pair of jeans (0-3 months). She's wearing a tight shirt and baggy jeans. She's a teenager already. And, in this picture, she's showing off her midriff. Brittney Spears, move over.

Workin' hard or hardly workin'?

Hey, you! (I don't know why she's sideways. Just accept.)


Sabrina and I went in to Zane's office to get some accounting done today. Sabrina was not pleased. I managed to get in about two hours, but between fusses, screams, poopy diapers, and a refusal to nap, I probably got about 45 actual minutes of work done. Sigh. On the brighter side, I went to check on her during a rare quiet spell, and she was batting at her car seat toys. Success! Then she started yelling at me again. Well, we're home now, and we've got our swing back, so we're better now.

I've been reading the Twilight series again. Don't judge me. On Stephenie Meyer's website she has the first part of Midnight Sun, which is Twilight from Edward's point of view. I wish I had a vampire. On the bright side, though, with a baby instead of a vampire I get marginally more sleep!

Playtime

So, since Sabrina is already two months old, I've been a little concerned that she hasn't been playing with any toys yet. She hasn't said any words or read Pippi Longstocking yet either, but I'll save those concerns for later. At Spencer's soccer game last night, Sabrina finally started playing with the frog on her car seat. Well, she at least held it in her hands (and mouth) when I put it there.

Sabrina has also been forced to do some tummy time. The other day, she rolled over. At least, she wiggled over, sort of downhill, when she was lying on the bed. We all have to start somewhere. She makes lots of cute, indignant noises when she's on her tummy.

Now, apropos of nothing at all, why do so many cute baby clothes come just as tops or onsies? Babies are so much cuter when they have full on clothes! I have a million tops and onsies, but only six bottoms, and they all came with tops. I was forced to go buy a few bottoms today at Kid to Kid. I love the 99 cent clothes there! There. Rant over.

Up in the Night

Here are some things I worry about when I'm up in the night, which happens at least twice these days.

What if Sabrina's ears stick out?
What if she doesn't like me?
What if we spend thousands of dollars on cello lessons, and she decides to play bass in punk band? And wear all black?
What if she's not breathing right now?
What if she hates soccer?
What if she hates to READ?
What if we go on a fabulous family vacation to Japan and the whole time she is grumpy because she is a teenager and would rather be in Ogden with her boyfriend? Ew, boyfriend.

There are a lot more, but these are the most pressing right now. Moms, please let me know you all had fears like these! She just is so perfect now, but hey, I'm a middle school teacher. I know what she will become! (Not that I don't like my students. I do. I just give them back at 3:30. I don't have to make them clean their rooms or even do homework. I just get to bug them and talk to them about cool stuff like civil rights and WWII. What's so bad about that?)

When Sabrina went to the doctor, we found that she now weighs 9 lbs. 1 1/2 oz. Mom says she heard babies want to be 8 pounds, but once Sabrina hit 9 pounds she really slowed down the eating. I guess she's done with a growth spurt now. I'm a little disappointed, though, that some of her 0-3 month clothes don't fit. I think it's partly because she is long and skinny instead of chubby, so her pants fall off sometimes.

It occurs to me that I should have named my blog "All About Tiny." Maybe when she's a little older I won't be so obsessed. Maybe.

This is the same little pose that I have in an ultrasound. More proof that she is the same person that was once inside me!

As if we needed another reason to cry...

Sabrina is just getting over her first cold, so we had to find a new way to torture her. Naturally, I figured sticking her with pointy objects would work, but as we now use disposable diapers rather than cloth, I was temporarily stumped (no handy pins). Then, I figured, why torture her myself, if there are experts? So I took her to the pediatrician, where (to torture me) they made us wait for an hour, and (to torture her) gave her some shots. Poor baby! She's alternated between fussy and sleepy all afternoon.


Here are some pictures of Sabrina practicing her judo. Thank goodness I didn't try to give her the shots myself!

I TOLD you so

That's right, I'm up for the second time tonight. The sleeping doesn't come so easily when you have a poopy diaper and a stuffy nose, does it? Thank heavens for those bulb things that let you *ahem* clear out a baby's nose. It's sort of fun, in a disgusting sort of way. Of course, I think being a dental hygenist would be fun, in the same sort of way. Poor Sabrina.

In happier (and cuter) news, Cheri and I finished Sabrina's birth announcements and I got them printed out yesterday. I just want to say that Costco's online photo center is the worst EVER. After spending about 30 minutes in growing frustration, I finally went to the Inkley's website. Much easier to navigate, but you can't crop your own photos there. So they did it wrong. So I went in person to Costco, hoping their gross incompetence...okay, MINE...would be alleviated by my actual presence. Not so. They don't let you pick the cropping at their store either. Fine. I went to Inkley's (again), cropped my announcements and photos the way I wanted them, and now everyone is happy. HAPPY! Anyway, here's the finished product.

And here is Sabrina preparing for her appearance in court. Cute, eh?

Poor Tiny One

The tiny baby got sick last night. Her little nose is clogged up, poor thing. No wonder she was so fussy yesterday--it must have been coming on. Fortunately, she's still pretty!

We go walking some mornings with the local Baby Brigade of moms in the neighborhoood, including Julianne. A couple of mornings ago we got home, and, dripping with sweat, I took Sabrina out of the stroller. She, not have exercised, was cold. Yesterday I made sure she was dressed warmly, including a hat. Then she was so cute I had to find my camera and take a picture of her, making us late to the Parade of Babies. Well, it was worth it. See?


When I dressed her later, I found an outfit I thought was a 0-3 month, but was actually a newborn. Sigh. I don't know if you can tell, but it has bees on it. Eat your heart out, Emily. I also thought I'd decorate her a little. I love this little headband. It reminds me of an 18th century turban, the way it fits her.

The Crying Game

After yet another frustrating night of Sabrina refusing to go back to sleep (especially frustrating since she went to bed so easily), I decided to let her cry it out at 3 a.m. It's harder to do when you're not watching TV! Anyway, it took about 30 minutes before she decided to give up and let us all get some sleep. After getting a good seven hours of sleep, I'm feeling almost...smug. A sure sign that disaster is about to strike.

Last night, during feedings, I played with a new toy: scrapblogger.com. I have a bunch of pictures from the Froerer Family Olympics that I wanted to share but didn't want to pay to print out. Solution? Online scrapbooking! I like actually having scrapbooks in my hands rather than online, I think, but online is perfect for something like this.

Well, as I have no more anecdotes, humorous or otherwise, here are some more pictures.



With Grandma and The Bodester


With Grandpa, her future favorite person. We're all jealous.

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

All the sleep books I have read have told me to put Sabrina in the sleep environment I want and leave her there until she goes to sleep (checking on her and comforting her periodically; I'm not a monster!). One book predicted 45 minutes of crying the first night, an hour the second, and 20 minutes the third. Last night, at 45 minutes on the dot, I went downstairs to a screaming Sabrina, touched her little face, and turned off the crying. Astounding. Can I dream that she will learn to put herself to sleep? Of course, I'll probably have to do it all over again if I a) screw up today, or b) ever want her to sleep in her crib.

The other way to put her to sleep, of course, is to use the magical invention known as "the swing." Emily provided me with Grant's old swing and I don't know how I got through the first 5 1/2 weeks of Sabrina's life without it. Check out her enthralled little face. Truly a gift of the gods. The swing, I mean. Well, I guess Sabrina too.


















So...tired...

And, cut.