preparing for winter

Well, here it is, November 8, and there is snow in the forecast for this week. Thanksgiving is fast approaching with December on its heels. I am dreading winter already. Even with the nice, warm fall we've had, there have been days that can feel so long because I can come up with only so many things to do with an infant. Every time I take her out for a walk, I wonder if this will be our last outside walk of the year. Once the cheery atmosphere and fun of the Thanksgiving and Christmas season has passed, the long, dreary, bitter cold days of winter will be upon us. I need a plan for winter: things to look forward to; activities to pass those depressing days. I know I can bundle Stella up and take her to the mall and stroll her around, but I can only do that so many times before even that gets old.

I knew becoming a mom would be a big life change, but I didn't know just how drastic it would be. Being a stay-at-home mom is absolutely what I want to do and I have no doubts about that, but it can be very lonely sometimes. Stella still isn't on a concrete schedule, so it's hard to set up times to see other people or hang out with other moms who are at home, too. And besides, they have their own babies and older kids who have their own naps and feeding schedules, so it's hard for them to receive visitors, too.

Anyway, I didn't intend for this to take on a negative tone...I am just brainstorming ideas for winter, so I can bookmark them and refer to them when the dreariness sets in. What do you do to brighten up your winter? If you are a mom, what do you do with your baby in the winter?

In other news, Miss Stella turns 5 months old today. Her personality is really blossoming, and it's so fun to watch her make more facial expressions and talking sounds. She loves when we read books to her and will often sit still enough and listen for up to 6-7 books in a row. We have been trying to let her cry it out a little bit more every night since she is older now. It is really hard to hear that crying! We let her cry for 5 minutes and if she is still crying hard, then one of us goes into her room and strokes her stomach and shushes her and consoles her for about a minute and then leaves the room again and repeats the process if she continues to cry. She has been difficult to put down at night whereas at 3-4 months old she went down more easily and stayed asleep for the night. The last three nights she has been waking up anywhere from 4:30 to 6:00. Daylight saving time is partly to blame, I think. Last night we tried feeding her rice cereal mixed with formula last night. Babies eat this sort of thing first so that they can learn how to push food to the back of their mouth. She gagged on it and made a funny face as she is not used to the taste of formula much less having to swallow something thicker than milk. At first she was so fascinated and distracted by the bright colors and texture of her bib that we had to take it off so that she would see the spoon and learn to open her mouth when she saw it. It was pretty funny.

Let me know your ideas for winter...and any encouragement for mothering an infant would be greatly appreciated, too. :)

My friend Michelle R. lent Stella this fun play gym/mat toy. The first time Stella played on it she smiled and laughed non-stop. :)