Camera shy

When Kalina smiles, rainbows appear randomly throughout the house, the cats behave and I magically lose another pregnancy ounce or two. Plus, she's just plain cute. We try, therefore, to encourage this behavior.

While she's all too happy to oblige for antics such as funny noises and songs from Mommy and Daddy doing pushups, the one time she's guaranteed not to smile is, unfortunately, when we're trying to take her picture. (See photo)

Of course, we have to try. On the weekends when Matt's around during the best-mood part of the day, we sometimes make several attempts, one of us waving frantically at the baby, making every funny face imaginable, and the other manning the camera, which she eyes as if it's a life form from another planet (and a hideous one at that). She looks at virtually nothing else this same way.

Does she just not like having her picture taken? Does she think she looks fat on film? (She doesn't as we've tried to tell her.) Maybe she's not happy with her hairstyle, or what she's wearing. Perhaps she's one of those people whose religious beliefs restrict them from having images made of them (don't worry, we'll work on converting her to a more photo-friendly belief system).

Of course, each attempt begins with a happy, smiling baby ("Look, she's smiling a ton, let's get a picture!") and ends with an annoyed, bored little girl who's ready to move on to a new activity ("I've seen the freaky alien creature you all seem to like so much, show me something new now please").

And you should see the lengths we will go to to capture Kalina's smiles on film. We'll sing, dance, tickle her and break out painfully wide smiles ourselves to get her to crack a grin. However, I think we could march a circus through the living room and she wouldn't take her eyes off the camera--and very seriously, worriedly give it a good look-over.

It's the same way for the video camera, by the way, which can also completely stop Kalina in her tracks as she's doing something amazingly cute.

The only exception is my friend Anna, who somehow manages to get Kalina to smile and take a picture at the same time, which truly takes talent.

But for the most part, you'll have to take our word for it that Kalina flashes her smile all the time nowadays, and is cuter than we ever thought possible. We think she's starting to laugh--yesterday she seemed to at the baby in the mirror. Apparently, she thinks that baby's smile is as cute as we do. Too bad she can never get a picture.

Pediatrician visit!

Today was Kalina's 4-month checkup at the pediatrician's office. It was also her second round of vaccinations, which I've been dreading since her last appointment. This time, I had to field the shots alone, seeing as asking Matt to come with me would have classified me as a baby myself, and there's only enough energy for one baby in the house right now. He did, however, advise me not to watch.

I wanted to give Kalina a fighting chance at getting through the shots as well as could be expected, so I made sure her napping, eating and awake time schedule lined up as closely as possible to her appointment. I also gave her some Tylenol beforehand, taking a good 10 minutes with the eyedropper to measure the right dose (Matt can get it right on the first try, thanks to his science background).

The poor girl was in a particularly good mood as we headed out the door. She was clueless, and I milked it for all it was worth, coaxing smiles and coos for the selfish reason of making me feel better about what I was going to put her through. She even played with her carseat toy all the way to the office. She must get her "trooper" disposition from Matt, because it's certainly not mine. As we waited for the doctor, her undressed to her diaper and me trying to contain her in a small blanket, we explored the room and said hello to the baby in the mirror. Smiles all around.

The first task at the office was the weigh-in. Once again, I'd guessed almost a pound too high (I think because I'm responsible for every feeding I get overly optimistic), as she weighed a nice 12 lbs. 6 ounces.

The doctor commented what a beautiful baby Kalina is (we love hearing this, because we know it's true) and complimented her rosy, pink cheeks. She took the rest of Kalina's measurements as well, telling us that her weight and head circumference are in the 25th percentile while her height (about 25 1/4 inches) is in the 75th. We have a tall, thin baby. The doctor was very happy with Kalina's growth--the baby started in the 3rd or 4th percentile for weight and has been in the 25th the past two visits. Good baby!

She then did the overall examination, and we learned one potential reason why Kalina doesn't seem to like tummy time: her arms tend to flay out and don't support her well. The solution? Bring her arms in, and tuck them close in front of her. We tried it at home, and found that it cut back on the tears considerably. Why could no one have told me this 4 months ago? I'm glad to know it now.

The doctor noted that Kalina had a bit of stranger anxiety. I was relieved to hear that it's normal around 4 months, and that it was okay if it takes her a while to warm up to people--that I don't have to force it. Not liking anything that makes my shy little baby cry or fuss and happy for the excuse, I resolved, if only for the moment, to keep her firmly in my arms at all times when we're around other people. (Is it just a month or two ago we were thinking she's an extrovert?)

And then the really interesting news: I told the doctor that for the past week or so, Kalina's been waking up a lot more often to eat--last night, for instance, a tiring 9:00, 11:00, 2:30, 5:30 and 7:00--and eating a lot more often during the day as well. The doctor recommended starting Kalina on solid foods (if you can call rice cereal, which has the consistency of a melted milkshake, solid) and promised it'd help her sleep better at night. I grabbed the advice with both hands and haven't let go, although I've since heard and seen that that could just be a myth. Matt and I have since agreed to wait a week and see (so far, though, he hasn't agreed to handle the night feedings that week).

And Kalina is the very picture of health! That only left...the vaccinations. Kalina cried for the oral one again, and screamed, as anyone would, for the pokes. I watched her face, not the doctor, and was glad that it was over soon.

I'd like to thank Tylenol for the fact that she soon calmed down, and didn't wake up screaming in pain later like last time.

Upon arriving at home, we both found ourselves overwhelmingly exhausted (I wondered if somehow I'd gotten some of her vaccine). Kalina headed to bed and I called Matt to tell him about the appointment. As I was unable to form complete sentences due to my extreme fatigue, he sent me straight to bed and told me not to drive. I couldn't sleep, of course, but enjoyed laying down.

I was happy to find that Kalina was her usual happy, smiley self once she awoke from the nap. I'd been expecting her to sleep the rest of the day, as she did last time, but was just glad to have my baby back.

We made it!

Kalina vs. the experts

Ever since Kalina's been born, we've been reading "How to raise a baby" books, all of them chock full of advice. We like to laugh at them together. Here are some of our reactions:

"Sleep when your baby sleeps."
Kalina: Hope my grunting doesn't keep you up.
Me: Seven 15-minute naps per day don't add up to any decent amount of sleep.

"In the first two weeks, your baby should eat at least every 2-3 hours. If your baby falls asleep, you can wake her by gently tickling her or touching her with a cold washcloth."
Kalina: I want to eat every 3 1/2 hours.
Me: The baby will only eat every 3 1/2 hours. We sprung eight rambunctious monkeys, a fire hose and a marching band on her and she remains unmoved and asleep.

"After the first two weeks, continue to feed your baby every 2-3 hours during the day."
Kalina: I changed my mind. Now I want to eat twice an hour.
Me: The baby will not stop eating. Is this payback for the rambunctious monkeys?

"Between the third and fourth months, your baby will lengthen the time between feedings."
Kalina: Yes, but I still reserve the right to eat absurdly often.
Me: The baby is now eating every hour and a half to two hours. Finally, some relief!

"Burp your baby at least once in the middle of a feeding."
Kalina: Interrupt a feeding? Don't even think about it. I'll burp when I want to.
Me: The baby is a really good burper.

"If your baby spits up a lot after feedings, keep her upright for at least 30 minutes."
Kalina: I'll find a way.
Me: Can I buy stock in Stain Stick?

"Between the third and fourth months, your baby will begin a sleep schedule, with 2-3 naps a day."
Kalina: I want five short naps. I will complain about each and every one, but I will complain more if I don't get them. Any deviations must be approved by me in advance.
Me: She's a good sleeper, but we can't leave the house.

"To calm your baby when she's crying, try putting her in her swing. The motion will calm her down"
Kalina: If you do, I'll just scream louder. I'll always make you regret putting me down when I'm unhappy.
Me: The baby sometimes seems to cry all day long.

"Babies are fascinated by their hands, as well as colorful objects."
Kalina: Only as a last resort.
Me: The baby is hard to entertain. Could that be because all of her toys look like they came from a pet store?

"To help your baby relax and get ready to sleep, use a bedtime routine, for instance, bath, change into pajamas, book, bed."
Kalina: Frankly, I don't think anything could prepare me for bedtime.
Me: I'm the only person on the planet who can get Kalina to fall asleep, even if she's not at all hungry. How could a bath help the situation?

"Make sure you give your baby plenty of tummy time every day. Don't do tummy time soon after meals, and if your baby fusses, turn her over so she doesn't learn to dislike tummy time."
Kalina: I've always hated tummy time.
Me: Based on the above requirements, there are only about 3 minutes a day that Kalina might possibly be content to do tummy time and not spit up. But we give it our best shot and promise to do better the next day.

And our personal favorite:
"Around this time, your baby will sleep longer and longer stretches at night. She may even start to sleep through the night!"
Kalina: No.
Me: Do we have a newborn? She wakes every 1 1/2 to 4 hours between 7:30 pm and 7:00 am. If this isn't a growth spurt, I'm going to cry.

You're all invited to a public book burning.

Kalina's newest tricks

We've been busy at the Odegaard household. Kalina is hopping her way from milestone to milestone, and her parents are trying to keep up. Here's the rundown:

1. Toenails. Until recently, Kalina's worn down her toenails as fast as they've grown. We don't know why, although we do know it's not because she sits on a rough-surfaced perch like a bird. She would never sit still that long.

2. Standing. A little less than a week ago I pulled Kalina into a standing position and she didn't cry--therefore, I added it to the all-too-short list of activities I can do with Kalina that she won't loudly protest. Personally, I think she likes the fact that when she stands on our laps, she's as tall as we are. She's continued to let us pull her up like this and has never cried, so we'll keep doing it and call it a milestone.

3. Rolling. She rolled over on her own a few weeks ago. It must've been an accident: she looked very startled afterward and she seems to have decided that the whole experience was too scary to repeat. However, she's turning to her side, usually to stare at a ceiling fan or bad cat, and with a little nudge we can get her to flip right over. (She still looks a bit concerned about the ordeal.)

4. Hands to mouth. Kalina will happily gnaw on both hands nowadays, and will even bring a blanket, burp cloth, parent's finger or the occasional toy to her mouth for a good tasting. And can you believe we encourage her? Definitely newbie parents here.

5. Batting. Rather grumpily, Kalina will deign to bat at the toys hanging from her activity gym, but only if no one thinks she likes it. She requires a pacifier for this activity.

6. Not screaming. For the vast majority of her lifespan, Kalina has screamed during every change of clothes and after every bath. Now, we're about 50/50, and we're thrilled about this progress.

7. Recognizing/detesting bedtime. All the baby instruction manuals tell us to set up a bedtime routine so that Baby will know when it's time to go to sleep. We're going to go ahead and ignore this advice, seeing as Kalina can smell bedtime the way dogs can smell fear, and loudly lets us know she's not on board with the idea.

8. Sitting. With a bit of help, she'll sit fairly well. I try to remind her that eventually her choices will be to sit, lay on her back or lay on her tummy, and then she seems to try a little harder.

In case you haven't noticed, we'll accept any little thing as progress and I'm more than happy to celebrate any of them with ice cream. Just say the word.

Photo: Taken today, one of the only times Kalina has not complained about tummy time. Note the look of grim fortitude she wears.

Road tripping with Baby

My choices were:
1. Camp in the depths of the Amazon with raw meat strapped to my body
2. Redecorate Martha Stewart's house for her
3. Take a road trip with a 3 1/2-month-old
4. Stay home and dust

I chose #3, mostly because I knew I had a good friend, Sara, waiting at the end of the 250-mile journey.

On Friday, I loaded up my station wagon (with Matt's help), bundled Kalina into her carseat and raced my little one's patience to South Carolina. Matt looked concerned as I was pulling out of the driveway. Did he know what I had in store?

I was proud for having bought a mirror to attach to the backseat so I could see Kalina and she could coo back and forth to the baby inside it during the trip. It promptly fell off as I pulled out of the driveway, so I can only assume Kalina drifted off to sleep for the next hour and a half.

The temptation to speed when you have a sleeping, yet volatile, infant in your backseat is astounding. Every mile you check off while Baby is in dreamland is one more you won't have to drive while listening to the sounds of backseat screaming. To cancel out the negative effects of speeding on safety, I'm hoping for a Baby on Board sign for Christmas.

Our first stop took a full hour. Kalina was thrilled to be out of the car, and comforted to see that the gas station/restaurant we stopped at had a ceiling fan she could make friends with. While I ate lunch, she sat on my lap and contentedly chatted with it, a little sad when it was time to leave. In fact, I mentally planned to have one installed above her carseat when we got home. I re-adjusted the mirror, which then fell off again by the time I'd merged back onto the interstate.

One trick I've learned when driving around with Kalina is that it helps to have a pacifier (or 10) in my purse, so that if hers falls out I can put a new one in without digging around in the carseat for the old one (all while driving, of course). In theory, she could literally end up covered with pacifiers in the course of a trip this big. Thanks to this tactic, she once again fell asleep.

Only temporarily. This is when things got tough for both of us, the problem being that in her heart of hearts, Kalina really just wants to be held 100% of the time. Her tolerance for not being held decreases as the day wears on.

So when she awoke and started to cry, as Matt warned me she would at some point, I had to choose: press on with an angry baby or stop for half an hour trying to trick her into being okay with her carseat again. Always an optimist, I stopped.

Kalina's nobody's fool, however. Soon after we pulled back onto the interstate (mirror, once again, having slid off), she realized something wasn't going the way she'd planned, and said so (I use "said" loosely here). We kept going. She let me win this time and settled in for another nap.

One more meltdown later (Kalina's), we arrived. Whew. Good thing I'll never have to do that again. Oh, wait...

Fortunately, Kalina was a pro at the whole carseat business on the way home and the trip was too uneventful to write about, except for the fact that it being uneventful is something to shout to the world. The mirror, by the way, was a pro as well and I spent probably far too much of the drive happily watching Kalina sleep.

Photo: Kalina and I enjoying mini donuts at the South Carolina State Fair (as you can see, she politely declined)

Puffins and ducks and trees...oh my.

Who would take a 3-month-old to the zoo? That's ridiculous. The baby won't even care while the parents focus every minute on trying to find an acceptable place to change their clean little child's diaper. Weirdos.

Okay, so we admit--it was more for us than for Kalina. But we had several good reasons for going, one of which was the beautiful fall day.

The zoo is an hour and a half away--which is three times as far as Kalina has ever traveled in her life. We began by overpacking and overthinking the entire trip. My goal, for instance, was to have every combination of weather-appropriate clothing, as well as a change of all of the clothing because we were planning to use disposable diapers (which seem less reliable than our bulletproof cloth ones). I also narrowed us down to 2 diaper bags, 2 changing pads, 12 diapers, 2 extra outfits, 2 blankets, 3 pacifiers, 3 toys, 2 front baby carriers and asundry other items. We used 1 changing pad, 4-5 diapers, 1 blanket, 1 front baby carrier and 2 pacifiers.

We overslept, but then "hurried" out the door. Meaning we left at about 9:30. Kalina pretended to be asleep the entire car ride so we wouldn't sing silly songs to her the whole way.

Matt commented that the zoo seemed to be not so much a place to see animals, but more of a place to wheel a stroller. He was right. The zoo even rented strollers for those who didn't have them. I think there were more stroller seats than children, and we even saw rather large children riding in them (rednecks).

We had a good time, but it felt like we were on something of a scavenger hunt, simply checking items off a list. "There's the lion!" "Oh cool, let's go get Kalina out of the sun." "There's a monkey!" "Great! She's waking up and needs a diaper change." "Did you see the grizzly bear?" "No, but that's okay, I've seen them before." And so forth.

Kalina seemed to enjoy herself, or at least tolerate the trip, but we don't know if she saw more than 1 or 2 animals the entire time. "Look at the elephant, Sweetie!" "What's an elephant?" And she'd gaze at yet another tree.

There were two exceptions: puffins and ordinary ducks. In the puffin room, the lights were dim, but the tank was lit. This made it so Kalina knew where to look (like a moth, she always looks toward the light when given a choice). There were two puffins swimming around right in front, so chances are at least one of them caught her eye. We think the puffins were her favorite.

We think she also managed to watch some ducks at a small pond. We were standing over them on a bridge, and I held her so she could see over the raling. Sure enough, she stared right at the ducks! She kept staring, then, as they swam past--at the water where they'd been. Oh well.

Tragedy struck as Matt and I were enjoying irresistable, yet vile, hotdogs at a picnic table (Matt said they were the type of food you only had to have once or twice a year to get enough of them--which means they were greasily delicious). Kalina's favorite pacifier fell in the dirt. Trusting nothing except heavy-duty cleaning at home to remedy that nastiness, we resorted to backups. The first was too big--the poor girl couldn't get a good grip. The second was acceptable, albeit clearly second-rate. We wonder if the ride home would've gone better with Old Faithful.

On the ride home we had a few tears. Kalina let us know it'd been a big day and she didn't appreciate having to ride home in the backseat all alone, facing back no less. A month ago we would've had to spend the night along the highway in order to get her to stop crying. Yesterday, however, she fussed a little and actually calmed down, although we could tell by the resolute "I'm suffering but I'm a big girl now so I won't complain" look in her eyes that she wasn't happy about the whole business.

I've never been so exhausted, by the way. I was a stress bucket the whole day. Has she had enough "Mommy" time? (She's really attached.) Is she getting hungry? Does she need a new diaper? Has she been in the sun too much? Is she tired? And repeat. However, each successful trip will only add to my confidence. Who knows? Maybe next time I'll only pack one extra outfit.

1st picture: Mommy, Kalina, Lion 1, Lion 2
2nd picture: Kalina, Mommy Not pictured: Elephants