Jane Christina Johansen

Jane Christina Johansen - Cute and Sweet

4.5 Years Old

4 Years Old

3.5 Years Old

3 Years Old  

2.5 Years Old

2 Years Old

1.5 Years Old

1 Year Old

11 Months

10 Months

9 Months

8 Months

7 Months

6 Months

5 Months

4 Months

3 Months

2 Months

1 Month

1 Day

Sad Alyss...

Sweetie Pie

Well, this is kind of a sad and worrisome post but I'll write it anyway to have it in our records. I'll start with Alyss' 6 months appointment. Everything went great and the doctor said that she is very proportionate and healthy. She was in the 50th percentile for everything, weighing 15lb and measuring 26in. We haven't had many problems concerning her health since she was born. She had some colic when she was 2 months old and a couple of mild colds that pretty much gave her a runny nose but other than that she's been mostly healthy and happy. She's only had breast milk which is the best food for babies and protects them from bad stuff too. At her appointment she got her shots as part of the shots study. She did really well but that evening she ran a pretty high fever of 103. She had a fever at after her 4 months shots but it went away and she felt much better even the day after. This time though things didn't get better the next day when she started vomiting and not being able to keep anything down. All she was able to drink was Pedyalite. The next day I took her to the doctor and he told me to keep giving her Tylenol and Advil and to keep taking her temperature. With the medication the fever subsided and went away only to return about a week later. In the mean time she also had diarrhea for a couple of days but thanks goodness I had the Pedyalite which seemed to help her stay hydrated. The day the fever returned Alyss started crying really bad soon after she woke up int he morning, and after about two ours of it I took her to the doctor once more. He said that she has a sore throat and gave her some antibiotic and more Tylenol. She got better after a couple of days and finished the treatment in 5 days. Even though I didn't think she was 100 percent better, at least she wasn't as hot and fussy as she was before I took her to the doctor so I thought that she was finally getting better. At the beginning of September David got pretty sick, after him Jane started having a temperature, coughing and not feeling well and eventually it caught up with Alyss who got a high fever again and started not eating. Tried giving her Tylenol and she threw in up so I decided to give her FeverAll suppositories which helped almost immediately. The next day her fever went down a bit but I could tell that it was still there because whenever the effects of the FeverAll went away she would feel hot again. Today I took her to the clinic to get her blood drawn for the vaccine study and while I was there I decided to ask the nurse about the symptoms Alyss's been having. ONe of the doctors said that she is available to look at her and after checking her lungs, heart and ears said that nothing seems wrong but that she might have a Urinary Tract Infection, which gets passed over many times by doctors even though is pretty common in little girls. So, she inserted a catheter to get some urine and said that the initial results seem to point to a UTI. There were white blood cells in her urine and the Ph was a bit higher than normal. We still need to wait for 3 more days for the culture to grow and in a way I hope that the result is a UTI and not something more dangerous, like an immune system compromise, that the doctor mentioned as a possibility. Don't know why she would have an immune system compromise or a chronic infection of any kind...
Update: she took the antibiotic and her fever went down, she is not fussy and is just happy and as cute as can be. The doctor said that she didn't have a UTI. We'll see if she gets a fever again without a reason and if she does than we'd want to check her health more in depth.
I'm so nervous and I get pretty scared whenever her fever goes back up or when she just cries and is not happy. I want to make it all better but it seems that she is in a bit of a bad place right now. I'll write more in here when we find out the results and the course of action. Let's hope that our little sweetie pie is ok and healthy. We love you so much Alyss and really hope that you'll feel better real soon. Te iubesc mult puiul meu mic si drag.
Update: Alyss hasn't had a fever since. She is healthy and happy. She had her two flu shots at 7 and at 8 months and she did really well. She didn't cry much and she didn't get sick at all. I'm a bit nervous for her 9 months shots but I hope that her little body is stronger now and will fight off the bad stuff. Sanatate multa puiutule drag!

Alyss has a fever

What is sleep?

Sleep's been a rarity for me since the third trimester of pregnancy on. When Jane was born she woke up to eat twice at night and slept quite a bit during the day but once she was about 2 months old she started sleeping less and less and now, at 8 months she takes a one hour nap during the day if I'm lucky and wakes up every couple of hours at night crying and wanting to take a few sips of formula. I don't know if she's hungry or just wants the comfort of that bottle but she wakes up and interrupts our sleep. We expected sleepless nights while having babies but not like this. I read about letting your baby cry-it-out - ask my neighbors if they'd like that - giving her the pacifier (that doesn't help, she still cries until she tastes the formula) or trying to ignore the cry for a few minutes, soothe her and then let her cry again for a bit. I'm willing to try this last one but having David work so much is pretty much not an option right now. He needs all the sleep he can get so I always try to give her the bottle as quickly as possible. This routine has really taken a toll on me and now that I'm pregnant again I find myself tired, irritated and even depressed at times. I need a good night's sleep. Jane sleeps with us right now because we didn't have a crib. We got a crib now but we're waiting to move before unpacking it. I hope that having the crib will help but I'm worried that I won't get to sleep at night even more then, not having her with me and knowing that she's ok. Plus, whenever she'll be crying I'd have to go all the way to another room to see what's wrong. I don't know what to do and how to treat this situation... I really need some rest.

Sleep baby, sleep...

Sleeping... What is that? Any new parent knows what I'm talking about. Here's our experience so far (Jane's 7 months old)
- First month - Jane would sleep most of the day and night but would nurse every 2.3 to 3 hours - not much sleep for me
- 2nd to 4th month - Jane would sleep a few good hours every day and night but nurse every 3.5 to 4 hours and cry because of colic sometimes until 3AM - still not much sleep for me and even for David sometimes
- 4th to 6th month - Jane would not go to sleep until 1AM would ask for a bottle at night every 4 or 4.5 hours. She would take a couple hour long naps during the day. Jane eats every 3 hours during the day - more sleep for me than before but I'd also be more exhausted from watching her during the day
- 7th month - Jane has a bedtime routine and goes to bed around 10PM. During the day she has one 2 hour nap and sometimes a short 30 mins nap. She still eats every 4 or 5 hours at night and every 3 hours during the day - I get more sleep now but still can't go to bed earlier that 1AM
- 8th month - when she doesn't fall asleep during the last feeding, Jane rolls all over the bed and cries really loud when I try to hold her still. She naps for about an hour during the day. She wakes up every couple of hours crying for a bottle at night. Sometimes she only takes a few sips and falls back to sleep. Pacifier only doesn't do the trick
Bedtime Routine
- we start around 9:30PM by dimming the lights in the bedroom, turning the Zen fountain on and sometimes playing lullabies
- I give her a bath - she loves her bath and playing with the rubber ducky :)
- David makes her a bottle while she's in the bath
- I get her dry, rub her with baby oil and get her into her pajamas - almost always she screams really bad during this part
- I give her the bottle, her sleepy-time blankie and her baby-doll Veronica
- David or I read her a bedtime book or story - sometimes she's already asleep before she finishes the bottle
- if she's still awake, I lay her in bed

7 months, baby!

At the Highland Games Scottish Festival - Thanksgiving Point

Fun in the sun
Domnisoara Fifi - LOL

Jane is 7 months old. For her anniversary we took the traditional pictures and it was so great that David was actually home and is in some of the pictures. Since a month ago Jane has grown two teeth in the bottom front, sits up by herself for extended periods of time, cries less, has a bedtime, eats almost everything that is easy to chew (mashed potatoes, boiled carrots and rice, fruit in small pieces and Gerber puffs) and is as happy as can be. People always comment on how cute and happy she looks. She loves to dance, go on walks, smile for pictures and play with Sophie the giraffe and with Veronica, her first baby doll. Here are a couple more pictures of our beautiful baby girl.

Stylish Jane

Oh, yeah! Dancing is FUN!

Jane at 6 Months

It's sometimes hard to know what a baby thinks or feels but I think that parents usually figure it out, especially if they spend a lot of time with their baby.
In our case, I love how David, who works 16 hour days still understands Jane and can tell the different types of cries she has. It's mostly three types that are very prominent and easy to understand. The screaming cry that usually shows that she is experiencing some kind of pain or discomfort, the 'strained' cry that shows that she's hungry and the whiney cry that means "I'm sleepy". What I like most though is the fact that Jane tries to communicate with us her thoughts and feelings even though she is very young. I love how she shows excitement by moving her arms and legs or by smiling really big, especially when David comes home from work, or how she tells us that she's upset by scratching or biting us. I don't necessarily love the last one but I think it's cool that she figured out a way to express her feelings. The best in expressing her feelings is when she grabs our face or neck in a big hug way and then kisses us or licks us. I know then that she really loves us.
On a different note, Jane is 6 months now and life with her is getting more and more exciting every day. We watch 'Baby can read' together and she gets excited when the "Itsy bitsy spider" or the "Twinkle, twinkle little star" songs come up. She eats cereal in her milk once or twice a day and fruit/vegetable/meat purees once a day. She sits up even without support for a little bit but still falls over on her side when she gets tired. We go for walks and to the library and she really likes it - she usually falls asleep in her stroller for about 30 minutes.What Jane doesn't like is crowds and noises. Every time we are in a situation where there are many people and a lot of screaming or loud laughing she just cries and is not happy. Hopefully this will pass in time.
We went to WIC on her 6 months anniversary and she weighted 16lbs 15oz and was 26in long. She's in the 75th percentile and is very proportionate. The nutritionist was very happy with the way she's developing and growing. In a week we'll have her 6 months, well-child appointment and she'll get another round of shots. I home the doctor will be happy with her as well. She's got no teeth yet but it looks like she might be teething. After having a growth spurt last week, when she ate all the time, now she just wants to sleep, is not eating much and is pretty whiney and her lower gums feel swollen. I think it will be so cute when she'll have teeth :)
We love you, Jaynitza!

Happy Easter, spring and haircut

Life in pictures

First time seating in a high chair (Cafe Rio restaurant in Provo)

First time in a shopping cart (Buy Low in Provo)

The day Jane and Mommy were really sick (April 15) - Jane slept all day

Mommy's little bunny (at Joanne's in Orem)

Dying eggs with Mommy

At the Great Cloth Diaper Change in SLC  (we help set a Guinness World Record - 63 little bums changed in Salt Lake and 10000 worldwide)

Cute outfit chosen by Daddy

With the Easter Bunny at the University Mall in Orem.
Jane liked touching her furry face and didn't cry one bit

Bunny ears are fun :)

Christos a inviat!

'My First Easter' outfit - at uncle Daniel's apartment in Provo celebrating Easter and Daniel's graduation - Easter day

Jane excited to open her gift

First time opening a gift by herself!

Cute pyjamas from aunt Terri

Jane rolling over all the way - Easter - 24 April 2011

New haircut - haven't had my hair this short since I was 10 or so :)
I love it and it's so easy to take care of and dry after a shower 

Daddy's little girl - Jane loves her Daddy

With my friend Codruta (at temple Square) - She is 7 months pregnant
I have so many friends who are due in July. So exciting. Can't wait to see all the little babies.

Easter with Momma - Christos a inviat! Adevarat a inviat! Cioc!!! 

Mommy and Daddy sleepy on Easter morning :)

I just turned five months!

Oh my goodness! I can't believe that our little Jane is five months old. She's growing up so fast. I'm excited to see her do 'big kids' things soon but I also enjoy spending every minute of the day with her and seeing her grow.

This month's been pretty good for us and for Jane. We still miss mama Lucy but we're doing ok. We talk with the grandparents and our siblings on Skype every week and they are doing ok as well. We had another party with Eni and Lia at Lia's home and made cute Easter tutus for the girls. Also, Charity, David's sister went into the Missionary Training Center on March 9 to prepare to go on a LDS mission to the California - LA mission, Spanish speaking. She's excited and writes to us every week with updates on how she's doing as a missionary.

Hermana Charity Johansen went into the MTC on March 9th

Jane and I go walking every day and we love the spring warmth and scenery, such as flowers and blooming trees. We decided to take different routes occasionally to explore and see new neighborhoods. It's fun!

Out for a walk in our neighborhood

Jane in her St. Patrick's Day outfit that she wore outside that day

We both enjoy springtime and the nice weather

A month ago I tried giving Jane more solid foods such as oats and vegetable purees but she started having diarrhea so I decided that she might not be ready. Her diarrhea is gone now. I started giving her organic brown rice in her formula and so far she's good; just a little gassy. I'll wait a week and try some puree again. I know that I need to wait a week between introducing a new food and that she needs to get used to the green vegetables first then the fruits and only after all this she can have two things mixed together. We'll see how feeding solids will work out this time... I'm not too eager to have her eat solids but she gets really hungry with just formula so, since the doctor said that it's ok, I'll try solids and see...

Here are the different milestones Jane's accomplished.

She sits up with support and for a few seconds even without support (she supports herself by leaning forward and holding herself up with her arms), she can roll-over from back to front and on her side from her back (almost going all the way to her tummy!), she 'talks' a lot with her toys and with us and sings when I sing to her, she holds her toys and if she drops them she picks them up again, she can put her binky in her mouth by herself, she occasionally sits up by herself in her stroller, laughs when she's excited, looks at us when we call her by name and is very curious about everything.

First time Jane sat up in her stroller

One of the cutest things is to see Jane so happy when David comes home from work or how she looks at me with questioning eyes when she hears something loud. I just love to see her interact with us and develop a personality (sometimes a quite strong personality) :) She knows what she wants and asks for it :) It's so cute when she sees me make her a bottle, how she waits with anticipation but if I take too long she starts screaming and pulls the bottle to her mouth eagerly when I bring it close to her face.

Jane doesn't cry as much when she's on her tummy. She can roll over now! 

No teeth yet and no sign of them either but she still drools a lot and puts everything in her mouth, including her fist or my face :)

Jane sits up with little support for a few seconds

Sleep-wise, we tried co-sleeping in the beginning and it was great when she was a tiny baby, and then we wanted to do it again just recently but it didn't work out anymore. Jane is used to feel the walls of her bassinet in her sleep and would wake up for anything and we were always careful and would wake up whenever she moved.  She's been sleeping in her bassinet for the past couple of months. For her naps, sometimes she wants to be put to sleep on the bed and falls asleep alone but most of the time she requires a bottle. I tried the CIO method once but I just can't have her scream for minutes on end and then wail in her sleep for hours. I'm here for her so I can afford to be her mom and care for her. She goes to bed at night around 1am and asks for a bottle every four to five hours by crying in her sleep. I got her to sleep for about 5 hours just by giving her the binky but she gets really hungry and wakes up early (7am) if I don't feed her. She usually sleeps until 8 or 9am, wakes up, I change her diaper, play a bit and feed her and she falls asleep for another couple of hours, then plays and eats a bit again and falls back to sleep until around 1PM. It's an interesting routine but I don't mind it too much since I need the sleep just as much as she does.

One of Jane's 5 months pictures

Another thing that I like is taking showers with her. She doesn't mind the water running on her face and doesn't cry afterwards like she used to when we gave her baths. Of course that she still takes baths in the sink sometimes but she can sit up now so it's much easier to do then before. Oh, and she loves typing on the keyboard, looking at the pictures in books, listening to music, playing bowling on the Wii in our arms and watching the 'Baby can read' video.

All ready for Easter with her tutu and stuffed animals

Here's a sample of Jane's typing: Ω®rc4zç fhjjjjjjj                  nnnnn                   kk7700  y∫      9n3638hhhn.l5nA8T116YFCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCXdeddl.,t6t6. .7`   (Isn't she smart? :) I don't even know how to make some of those characters. Hahaha)

I'm glad that, even though Jane is becoming more independent, she still loves to cuddle and play with us. We love you Janney, so much!