Making Moves for Memorial Day

Last year on Memorial Day weekend, I was about 25 weeks pregnant. I was just beginning to really feel Jayla moving in my belly. We took a trip to Memphis with family and they spent the better part of the weekend with their hands on my belly in anticipation of Jayla giving them a swift kick.

This Memorial Day weekend, Jayla is again moving - only this time in the form of a crawl. Maybe it has something to do with the conversation that I had with her on Wednesday: "Baby girl, you are 9 months old today. You really need to figure this crawling thing out already." Or maybe it is the fact that her newly developed separation anxiety requires her to cry every time the mere thought of leaving the room that she is in enters my mind. On several occasions this week, I have told her that if she could just crawl, then she could follow me around the house.

Whatever the reason, she saw something she wanted on the floor last night and crawled (very slowly and unsturdily) across the family room to get to it. That thing was our stereo system that has shiny bright lights. Yes, it's currently on the floor. Yes, we will spend our Memorial Day weekend baby proofing our house.

Mobility

She's not quite crawling but, she can scoot to where she wants to go.

She's not quite walking but, she managed to participate in the March of Dimes. Here she is after that feat (notice she's wearing a very small version of the company t-shirt - it was cute!):

Bittersweet

Last week, we dropped one of Jayla's feedings...the one she has used every single night of her life to go to sleep. I'm not sure why I decided to do it. I think it was a combination of wanting more time to myself at night (on average we started that feeding around 9:45pm...and she generally nurses about 35-40 minutes), thinking it was time for her to learn to fall asleep on her own, and adding a third feeding of solids during the day. Regardless as to what the original reason was, I think a week later, I am glad that I did it.

The first few nights were hard. I wanted to nurse her. She wanted to be nursed. And yet, my husband was forcing her to lay in the bed and cry. Now, the longest she cried all week was just 20 minutes and I ran an errand to the store during that time. That was Sunday night. And by Thursday night, we put her in the crib awake and didn't hear from her until 6:45 on Friday morning. She has started to compensate for the dropped feeding by spending more time snuggling with me during awake times, which is fine with me.

So, I'm sad that we don't have that time together. But, I am so happy to have a big chunk of my evenings back and most of all - an 8 month old that can put herself to sleep on her own!

No fun

Okay, since none of you wanted to play along - the answer to yesterday's question is "Fifth's Disease". Jayla has been exposed and so we wait...

4 Clues

1. I am a viral infection that tends to affect young children.
2. I have an incubation period that ranges from 4 to 28 days. During this time I am very contagious and those I have infected have no idea that they are infected.
3. My most visible symptom is a red blush or sunburned looking rash appearing over both cheeks. But, I also give cold-like symptoms and a low grade fever.
4. I have infected at least two babies in Jayla's classroom and I hear that Jayla had a low grade fever yesterday along with a runny nose and a cough.
   
   Who am I?