Favorite Things

I am Cayden's favorite. He cuddles close whenever someone comes near.

Ava is stubborn. We will give her the option of water or nothing after she brushes her teeth for bed and she will say nothing and roll over. She really wants juice or milk.
Her dad gave her the option of saying sorry for biting him or staying in time out and she chose time out.
I told her she needed to come in from outside or I would throw her bubbles away. She told me to throw them away.
This girl I tell ya :) only problem is I know she gets it from me

Ava showed me a magnet for our fridge. We have letters and numbers  magnets.  When she held it up I told her that it was a zero. She looked at it and said no no mommy that's not a zero that's a circle!

The kids were hunting Easter eggs in my in-laws backyard.  Cayden was just hanging out in one spot and I told Ava to show him how to hunt for eggs and she picked a couple up and brought them right over to him and said here you go baby. She is the best big sister sometimes.

The other day I was changing Cayden and I head Ava yelling that's yucky that's yucky over and over again. I rush to clean him up to see what mess I'm going to run into and I see that Ava got the broom out and is sweeping dog fur into a pile and she points to it and goes mommy that's yucky. My little helper.

Cayden likes to hear his voice and he will squeal and we will squeal back and it just keeps going back and forth and he will get the biggest smile.

Ava and him will play peek a boo in his crib. He will crouch down and see her between the bars and then pull himself up quickly and smile at us over the crib.

Cayden splashes a lot in he bath tub and him and Ava will compete to make the biggest splashes with their hands

If Kyle and I are laughing about something both kids will start cracking up like they understand what we are laughing about. It's so cute that they copy us and are trying to be part of the conversation.

Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things

• Ava calling Cayden 'baby Cay'
• Ava practicing her colors and calling almost everything blue the first time until you ask again and then she typically gets it correct if it's green, red, or pink
• Cayden has stranger danger already - the pediatrician said it's a little earlier than normal which means he will be smart. Who knows if that's correct, but she knows how to make a mom feel good.
• Cayden cried at daycare and they called to have me come calm him down and he was immediately content in my arms
• After a bath Ava will lay her head on my should and cuddle with me while I hold her. One of the few times I'm guaranteed some snuggles.
• Caydens giggles when I talk in his ear and say 'mamama' or tickle him.
• Ava wanting to have me set Cayden in her lap and giving him kisses or holding his hand. My heart just melts.
• Ava sleeping like me, squirming like me, wanting to hold bags when we leave the house,  rocking babies, and pushing the strollerr. And sleeping on the floor instead of in her bed one night. She is a Daddy's girl, but she is undoubtedly my mini me.
• Ava shouting 'no koda no' when he jumps at the back door or 'move dog move' when she walks past them in the kitchen. She is always listening and always watching and it's funny to see what she learns from us
• Ava grabbing caydens face and giving him kisses like I do. Or tickling his feet or armpits and saying 'tickle tickle tickle' like I do to her
• Ava wanting to sit on the counter when I cook so she can help out. I give her bowls to mix cereal, or she helps pour ingredients, or something so she can 'help'
• Ava putting diapers on her stuffed animals and doll
• Ava yelling 'I poo' the second Kyle walked in from work
• She also shouts 'I burp', 'I toot', and 'I pee'- staying classy around here
• Ava sharing her toys with the baby. Although she also shouts mine when he has her things...but at least she shares some of the time
• Ava helping feed the dogs and take out recyclables

• When I'm holding the baby Ava will pat on the pack n play and say 'baby down baby down' and when I set him down she runs to me and say 'up!' Smart girl. She does the same thing at night to Kyle so he will hold her when she is tired. The other night Kyle was sitting up with her rather than reclined back and Ava told him 'down' so he would lay back and she could be more comfy :) wrapped around his finger
• Cayden will grab his toes with one hand and suck on his other hand. You can hear sucking noises and he will have most of his fist in there. He won't take a paci so pretty sure he will be a thumb...or hand...sucker!
• Ava will see us use something even just once and remember what it's for the next time. Like when I plucked my eyebrows and she put the tweezers up to her eyes the next time she saw them. Or the reflex hammer in her kiddy medical bag and she used it on caydens knee.
• Today at the doctors I was counting books as Ava put them back in the basket and she has never counted by herself but after I said eleven she said 'telve' 'tirteen' and 'fourteen' ! She's catching on!
• Caydens bright blue eyes...not sure if they will stay that way. His blonde fluffy hair and his toothless grin. Sweetest boy.
• Ava will take a you or something and then out it behind or back and say 'where is it where is it' and sometimes the toy will drop and she will scatter to pick it up again and hide it behind her back and do the same thing with a funny look on her face...trying to be all deceiving like she doesn't know here the toy is either. Sometime she stuffs the toy under her armpit with most of the you still visible and ask where it is. She cracks me up.
• She has just started laying in the other side of the door when you close the bedroom or bathroom door.  The other morning I was getting ready for work (at 6:30 am) and there are footsteps down the hall and then I hear giggles under the door and she shouts hi mama!
• Lately Ava will need something and we will tell her to get it or for her to do it and her response will be 'mama do it' or 'daddy get it' and look all innocent and nice. Already learning to pull our heart strings.

Life is good with our two babies.

Toddler Status

Our little girl is growing up. Well, duh. But once in awhile I feel like we officially have reached another stage. And we are there.

At 12 months our infant - who was already walking - was changing to a different room at daycare.  I assumed there was like a pre-toddler room.  I wouldn't even be able to classify what this age group would be called but I assumed there was a stage between infant and toddler.  There isn't.

Ava moved up to the toddler room and I panicked a little bit.  They had a few new rules and I was nervous if Ava Mom was ready for this next step.

The kids had to wear shoes. I know other parents put little shoes on their kids because it's cute but I was not one of those parents. For one, this was back in summer and we went barefoot all the time. Two, she had just starting walking a couple weeks prior so it was unnecessary up until this point.  Anyhow, we went to the store and picked out some cute sneakers together, went home to try them on, and Ava began walking like she had gum on the bottom of her feet. And walking wide-legged like she was on a horse or something. It was very funny to watch as she would take a few high-stepped, wide-legged steps towards us and then just reach towards us with her arms stretched out so she wouldn't have to go any further.  But after only a few minutes she sat down and looked at us frantically while trying to undo the Velcro and get them off her feet.  I couldn't imagine how this would go when she had to wear them for ten hours.

The kids had scheduled nap time.  Ava has her own schedule. Our routine is there is no routine. Not to say that it varies by like ten hours...but sometimes it does vary by as much as 4 or 5 hours.  Sometimes one nap. Sometimes three naps. Sometimes they last 20 minutes. Sometimes 2 hours. Sometimes they start at 10:30 in the morning. Other days not til 3pm.  We go with our own flow or lack thereof.  I was terrified that for two and a half hours they would force our child to lay there and not get up. My child knows no true schedule and I was sad to think of her crying for over two hours in a crib until designated nap time ended.

The kids drank out of sippy cups. My child drank a little out of a sippy but preferred a bottle. Especially before a nap. She drank only a couple ounces if she was given a sippy opposed to finishing the whole bottle. Despite my child being in the 95% for weight she would surely starve, right?! If her tears from nap time didn't drown her first.

These kids played outside. There were bees. She inherited my husbands pale porcelain skin and the sun would surely fry her.  The times we took Ava outside she tried eating rocks. And grass. And mulch. And that is when the parent:kid ratio was triple what the daycare requires.  Ava would obviously devour the playground like a cow after starving from only getting a sippy cup to drink out of.

This toddler room was ruthless.

And yet she survived.  She adjusted with ease to their schedules and activities. She grew into a toddler very shortly after entering that room.  And we lost our little infant.

She has grown so much.  Looking back on just the last month it astounds me how quickly she picks up on everything. So quickly that we are going to need to clean up our occasional potty mouth moments. And stop laughing when she does something disobedient and stubbornly...in her very cute way of ignoring our requests and doing her independent thing.  In her way where Kyle and I look at each other and say, 'Yup she takes after us!'

In the past couple months she has starting climbing. And balancing on the arm of our couch. And balancing on her car while dancing to the music she plays. And spinning around the room until she gets dizzy and falls (just happened yesterday). Loves standing in a shopping cart like she is surfing (while I hold her hand and move at a snail's pace). And speaking a lot more including tell the dogs 'No!' like we do. And trying to copy when I say 'I love you' (can't wait to hear those words back). And trying to put socks and shoes on. Trying to brush her hair. Trying to brush her teeth. Pointing out her nose and more recently her belly. She also pokes your eyes, mouth, and ears trying to figure out what everything is. Drinking out of a real cup. Using a fork to eat her food (not consistently but she has done it all by herself on several occasions). Walking around talking on our cell phones and pushing on the phone like she is texting.  Helping feed the dogs by tipping the cups of food into their bowls. And trying to climb over the gate. Helping stir food.  Stacking four cans. Reading books to herself. Climbing up in chairs. Helping put away toys as well as clean dishes.

And with toddlerism brought her new attitude. The tantrums. The crying when things are taken away from her. Like taking away the toilet plunger she discovered. Or the Chapstick addiction she is developing like her mom, but instead of wearing it on her lips she is taking bites out of its cherry flavor.  She has begun the pinching of my neck skin. The scratching of my cheeks. The biting of my leg. The pulling of my hair. The slapping Daddy's back. And so we also got to experience her first  timeout the other day. The sitting of silence in a corner with Mommy for eternity. Or really just sixty seconds. But to Ava the last 45 seconds, after she realized we weren't playing or talking, was basically eternity.


This stage has also brought out some of my favorite moments. Like her learning to spin til she is dizzy and falling down and thinking it's hilarious. Or clapping her hands when she stacks her Legos. And clapping her hands even when those Legos aren't connected and fall apart but she still thinks it deserves an applause. So we clap, too and chuckle to ourselves. And I love the jumping on the bed and then tickling her as she cracks up in only the way that I have been able to make her laugh. Makes you feel like a million bucks. Or how she wants to be in my lap to read or sit and pat her feet on the ground. And the way she hugs me tight and holds on before we are about to get in the car, looks up at me quickly, and then buries her head back on my shoulder. And the way she gives me kisses. Then looks at me and falls towards me again for another kiss. And another til she just looks at me with a huge smile like we just had the best inside joke.  And high fives on command. And she loves turning light switches on and off.  And closing doors.  And she loves climbing in drawers and cabinets and closets.  How she run up to me and screams when I get home from work, reaching her arms up as far as they can go so I will pick her up for a hug and kiss. How if I try to get away for even a couple minutes to change clothes or go to the bathroom I will hear the little pitter patter of running feet and then a few bangs on the door as she shouts different words to get me to let her in with me.  How she sees something new or fun and her face makes the 'oooooooh' face.  How she hides behind our living room chairs and waits for us to say 'where is Ava?' So she can poke her head out with a huge grin and giggle.  How she carries pillows down the hall to plop on top of them for nap time. And how she recently copies exactly what I'm doing at home. Like wanting a wet cloth to help me wipe down cabinets. And grabbing the broom on several occasions to sweep the floor.  The way she reaches for my hand when we walk through stores. Or runs the other way so I will catch her and she can squeal once she has been caught.  And when she turns into a cuddly little girl and curls to sleep on us, wakes up only to make sure we are still there, and cuddles up again to fall back to sleep.

We love this girl with all our hearts.

Meal Planning

I forced my husband to set New Year goals with me.  I thought it would hold us a bit accountable and also keep us on the same page.

One of our goals is to be more frugal with money. We don't eat out at fancy restaurants, but we also don't normally think twice about eating out with friends at a chain restaurant.  And we typically wreak havoc on grocery bills. Two weeks ago that changed and we thought it would be smart to meal plan. Ya know, have a goal at the grocery store where the ingredients didn't just sound good, but had an intended meal. Otherwise, we wander through the store and grab fresh veggies that go bad because there wasn't a dish to put them in or we end up with nachos for dinner because we only have shredded cheese and tortilla chips left.

We sat down and made a list of meals for the week. Nothing fancy, just normal foods we like such as spaghetti. Then we went through the fridge to see what we needed to make  everything. Also, adding on other essentials for breakfast or snacks. And then we set a goal for the price.  Really didn't seem to difficult so we were on our way through the store, proudly standing at the check out line with a cart that seemed half as full as normal. And then the price showed up on the screen. $50 over our 'budget'!  We figured this is week one. We can make up for this, right?

So, all week we made our meals and had leftovers for lunch each day which was perfect.  And then we planned for the next week. This time trying to be even more frugal so we picked a couple crock pot recipes, noodles, Mexican food, and a day of leftovers.  We walked proudly to the check out line again with our discounted items and off-brand food. And bam - $25 over budget. What the hell?

I am thinking we may switch grocery stores. Or maybe wait til the end of the month and see how much cheaper everything ends up being. I'm thinking since we aren't eating out that our grocery bill may be slightly higher than normal, but overall it will cost is less each month for food costs. I hope.  I mean we aren't buying organic, fresh fruits and veggies, steaks, and gourmet cheese.  We are buying the cheapest price per unit for everything and still end up overboard. Ridiculous.

Even more ridiculous is that we decided to not eat out about two weeks ago.  We were more so grabbing fast good for lunch because we wouldn't make a lunch, so we have solved that problem. But within these last two weeks we have been asked out for lunch or dinner 5 times.  I felt rude at first because someone would ask us to eat and I'm turning them down and feel like I'm saying I don't want to hang out with you.  But I an also uncomfortable talking about money - saving money, spending money, making money.  I don't like any of the topics.  But luckily, after about the third time Kyle spoke up and was honest and just said we are trying to save money and not eat out as much. Seemed easy enough, but several friends then offered to just pay for us which just makes me uncomfortable.  Anyhow, just so surprising how frequently road blocks appear when you set a goal for yourself.  And makes it that much more difficult to stay on track.

New Year

We spent New Years at home. Like just us three, er 4. Or 6 if you count our furry kids. We made dinner, watched a movie, and around 9pm Ava and I were ready for bed.  I get excited to do things as a family, but a bit bummed we don't have friends with families that live close by.  And as the night gets later I get a bit lonely that we decided to stay in while we have friends in other cities that won't be in bed for a few more hours. But honestly instead of wanting to go back in time to our spontaneous lives of bars, late nights, and little responsibility - I really hope in time our friends will get married and pop out babies, too. Instead of searching for singles in downtown bars, I hope one day a friend would prefer a play date or dinner in and still consider it a fun night. In time right?!

As the year winds down I had been thinking back on our years together.  I reflected on our lives so far and how our plans used to focus on where to party and now it focuses more on what we want to do as a family and who we want to be around.  Choosing who we want to make time for and make part of our lives.  And sadly sometimes still not getting time to see those people due to time, work, distance, and money...you know, responsibilities.  I thought of this year being Ava's last as an only child. And I got sad because it will make our baby seem so grown up. And I thought of all the changes we have made and told Kyle that I think even in the beginning of our relationship that this is the life we both wanted in a few years. Then I firmly asked "right?!" :)

My favorite part of New Years is the ball dropping in New York. And up until like 5 years ago (yes, I'm pretty sure I was in college) I thought the ball re-dropped every hour which for some reason made it more magical. Like I was counting down with all Times Square. And then I found out the ball drops once and then is replayed each hour. Seriously one of the most disappointing things.  So this year I was expecting to fall asleep early and wake up in 2014, but surprisingly at like 11:50pm Kyle woke me up, turned on the TV, and we watched the ball drop together. Love those little surprises. Ava even woke up, too (I am guessing from the light of the TV since it was basically muted). And the dogs were freaking out from the fireworks going off so they joined as well and we rang in 2014 as a family.

Some of my goals for this coming year are
-being smart with money
-being more patient
-not raising my voice
-lastly I want to have balance in the next year. Mostly family and work balance. But I think it should also include friends, husband/wife, and personal life balance. I think when Ava was born I either wanted to be with her or I would be at work but I wouldn't be caught dead leaving her for a few hours to see friends or to work out or to go on a date with Kyle. That would just cut into my time with her and although I still feel strongly about that and want my extra time to be with her there does need to be a balance.

Here's to a New Year and a better version of us all

Hallelujah

Written 3/21/13:

We slept through the night.  All of us.  OMG.  It has been over 6 months since we have been getting sleep and now it's been a couple nights in a row.  And it's glorious!

I have asked and asked around (just about the only thing I have asked advice for because I'm a bit stubborn proud independent the best mom ever and I don't need to follow advice) about how to get your child to sleep through the night.

The first couple months people said:
1. She's a bigger baby and she won't sleep the whole night because she will be hungry more often (funny they say this about small babies, too, but because they need to eat to grow so whatever)
2. She's too young and will not sleep through the night so don't worry about it, it will happen in time
3. Breast milk goes through her faster so she will need to eat more often
4. Take her out of our room so that we all sleep better and not hear each other in the middle of the night

Then people said:
1. Only a little longer and she will sleep through the night
2. Or they just looked at us with /pity faces

And finally when she got around 5 months old:
1.  Still got the sad/pity face of people thinking "what are you guys doing wrong?"
2. Don't rock her to sleep
3. Don't feed her to help her fall sleep
3. Lay her down when she is tired so she learns to fall asleep
4. Take her out of our room
5. Have her take less naps (not possible...she takes 3 power naps a day...like 20 minute naps and then she is ready to play for 4 hours)
6. And finally...let her cry it out

Well first, some of this advice around 5 months would have been nice at one and two months (even though I'm not sure I would have followed the advice if she started crying)!  It made me feel like I had already screwed up my child and we were stuck with our nightly snuggles, feedings, and diaper changes.

And my second thought was who are these demon moms who let their kids cry it out?

But time after time everyone insisted - Crying it out works!  I had several moms say that they waited til their baby was 8 months and finally gave in to letting their child cry it out so they could get sleep and not be the crazy mom.  Other moms said they waited til 18 months and finally caved to the crying it out method.  But the one thing that was not said was that crying it out did NOT work.  100% effective.  And I knew we had to look into it.

There was basically the cry it out method and the not cry it out method.  And in all actuality these are the same method.  The latter method is really for the parents to feel better and not the child because the child cries just the same.  The cry it out method is letting your kid just cry...and cry...and cry...but with no intervention.  No hugs, no affection, no peeking into the crib, no bottle, no rocking.  Nothing.  Well, except for listening to your kid cry.  The second method, unlike the title states, also involves crying.  And more crying.  And some more after that.  BUT at different intervals of time you are able to console your kid.  Not with hugs, rocking, or food.  But with pats on the back and hushing for about a minute and then disapperaing again.  So that your appearances do not mean food or play time, and eventually they give up and go to sleep.

The last part is what got me every time.  They give up.  They know you aren't there for affection.  For love.  To take care of their wants and needs.  They basically think "Screw it, Mom doesn't love me so I guess I'll pass out".  And this is part of the reason we postponed trying this 100% effective method for so long.

In general I didn't want Ava to "give up", but I also was affected by a little boy at Ava's daycare.  At daycare there was a family who took in foster kids and infants.  When Ava was only a couple months old there was a little boy who came to daycare who had the worst diaper rash the employees had ever seen.  They told me that it was bleeding and still the little boy wouldn't cry.  At only 5 months old this little boy had already learned that when he cried noone would come.  He "gave up".  So he had already stopped crying for help when he was tired, hungry, or in pain.  It broke my heart.  And this little boy came to mind every time someone wanted me to have Ava cry it out and learn that I wouldn't be there for her every need and want.  And even with people telling me that he was a foster kid and his situation was very different from me trying to get Ava just to sleep thru the night...my heart said there was no difference and I just couldn't handle doing that to her.

Our baby is happy just about all the time.  No crying.  Just a bit of whining when she is tired or hungry and then smiles.  I didn't want to flip her life around and have her crying half the day just to sleep for her 15 minute power naps!  I didn't want to have her cry herself to sleep when I know I could simply rock her for 5 minutes and have her stay awake part of the night just to wake for a feeding or two.  Or sometimes seven times.  But I could fake that is was always just once a night just so we didn't have to try this method :)

But at last the time came.  And we had to choose.  To sleep or not to sleep?  Although it really felt like...to love your child or not to love your child?

With my research on the different sleep training methods, most said to start around 3-6 months.  But none of them listed the starting age at 6 months.  Oops.  Did this mean we were going to be defective?  Out of age range for sleeping?  Shit.

Last Thursday we experimented with crying it out for the first time.  The experiment would begin when she woke up in the middle of the night so we still helped Ava fall asleep for bed like usual (entails about 10 minutes of feeding).  She passed out around 8:30 and we headed to bed a bit after that (because we are late night party animals).  Around 1am the monster had awoken.  And Kyle and I stared at each other like "are we really going to do this?".  And so she cried.  And after a couple minutes we kinda looked at each other again like "are we still doing this?".

I tried to grab my phone and play games to distract myself from the time.  But I did keep track of the time.  We kept track of every minute.  Minute by minute as they dragged on.  At several point one or the other of us wanted to cave and we would discuss that at some point we had to do this or she would always wake up for a bottle or for Mom and Dad in the middle of the night.

And the time kept passing and she was not calming.  20 minutes went by.  I covered my ears tried to fall asleep.  Started crying.  Thought she would think I didn't love her.  Kyle would want to cave knowing that we could calm her back to sleep.  Also wanting sleep himself.

And then 40 minutes went by.  And I'm thinking my Mommy & Me fitness teacher told me at 40 minutes her baby finally "gave up" and passed out.  And I'm like ok it can't be too much longer.  Because 40 minutes was the longest amount of time I heard from anyone.

And then 45 minutes came and went.  And I'm like well she beat the longest record I've ever heard of for crying it out.  And again we wanted to go in there to save her.  But I was like I can't do this again.  I can't handle another night of 45 minutes of crying.  So if this is what it takes then we need to keep going because I can't go thru this gruelling process again.  I also thought of our pediatrician saying that it is easier now to have her cry it out while she is only able to push up on her arms and lift her head off the ground rather than when she is older and can stand on the side of the crib screaming.  So we kept going.

And finally we surpassed an hour.  And I'm thinking "what the fuck?".  Because honestly what else is there to think.

But I continue to think that for an additional 30 minutes.  For a total of an hour and a half of crying it out.  And baby girl finally "gives up" and falls asleep.  And sleeps the remainder of the night.  And I don't know whether to cheer or feel like a shit ass mom for letting her baby girl cry for that long.  But either way night 1 was over.  And I can hug her and feed her and go about our day...a little more tired and zombie-like than the day before.

The next night consisted of 45 minutes of crying before she fell asleep...and the next night 30...and then 20...and it slowly got less dreadful as bedtime approached.

Regardless of the outcome,  I am still not convinced I would recommend this approach to others.  But like everyone else who told me about this approach, we are yet another product of it's 100% effectiveness.  And I guess you can't beat that.  Or a full nights sleep!

The Crib

Before Ava was born I read up on SIDS.  Not to an extreme.  But enough to know that even though they didn't know what "causes" SIDS, there were recommendations on how to prevent it.  Doesn't exactly make sense to me to have recommendations on how to prevent something if you don't know the cause of it.  If there are ways to prevent or decrease the chance of something happening it seems they have found the cause.  Right?! Whatev

Anyhow.  One of the ways to decrease the chance of SIDS was to have your child sleep in the same room with you for the first 6 months.  Well, honestly, I wanted Ava to be near me anyways.  So this was A-OK with me!  And regardless, if we heard her moving around, coughing, or had a feeling something was wrong we could either get up and have to go to the other room to make sure she was alive or we could peak in the crib by our bedside.  We opted for the bedside.

I have loved having her in our room.  Sometimes she moves around and wakes up the hubs...Mr. Lightsleeper.  But we also love peering over to see her smile, listen to her talk, or see her hand grab the side of the crib like she is trying to escape.  And sometimes we just watch her as she sleeps contently like a little angel.

A few times we contemplated moving her to her own room because we thought we were all waking each other up.  Making for interrupted, restless nights.  But in the end we kept her in our room and were comforted all being together.

I knew I wanted to have Ava in her own room at 6 months because if she slept in our room any longer we would both have separation anxiety.  At 6 months, I am really the only person who would have to deal with the separation anxiety.  And if we cut the cord at 6 months, we kept her safe according to SIDS guidelines while also giving her her own space before she ever knew that she had only stayed in our room her whole life.

And so on her 6 month birthday we got everything ready for the move. 

We set up the monitor.  And I turned the volume all the way up.  So much that we could hear our voices in our speaker...from talking in our room which carried our voices to her monitor in her room and was then heard through our speaker in our room where the noise started.  Uh, yeah.  I might have been a little nervous about going to our separate rooms.  And yes, our rooms are only about 10 steps from each other, so the noise didn't have to carry that far.  But it was still funny and a bit ridiculous.

So Ava already fell asleep in the living room so Kyle went to set Ava in her crib.  And we both stood there and watched her.  Waiting for disaster so we could take her back to our room.  She rolled to her side and stayed peacefully asleep.  We went back to the living room for a bit only to check on her a few minutes later.  Now she was sleeping on her stomach.  Gosh dang it girl!  I know once a baby is strong enough to roll over that it's ok for them to sleep on their stomach.  But this is only the third time she has done this.  And really?  Sleeping on her stomach the first night out of our room.  I would really just prefer all possible dangers to be eliminated so Kyle flipped her back to her back.  But then she quickly rolled back to her side.  And shortly later back to her stomach.

Such a small girl in such a big crib

 

We gave up on flipping her to her back.  So Kyle went back out to the living room and I went into our room to get ready for bed.  I looked around at her pack n play pushed to the side of the room.  Where Ava had slept her whole life.  And it was empty.  And I felt my eyes fill with tears.

 

How did 6 months fly by?  She has laid by our sides for the past 6 months.  Protected by us from this SIDS creature that lurked in the night.  Comforted by us when she was hungry.  And loved by us when she cried.

 

 

I laid down in our bed and cried.  And cried a little more.  And I'm turning into such a sap these days.  But for the past 6 months I was able to watch her chest rise and fall next to me.  Hold her hand when I just wanted to know she was there.  And wake up to her smile every morning.  Or the smell of her poopy diaper or look at the dried spit-up on her face :)

 

 

Yes, for the past 6 months we also woke up several times in the middle of the night.  And we still wake up at least once to feed her.  But I have still loved sharing our room with her.

 

 

So while she was peacefully sleeping in the other room, I was trying to adjust to this new sleeping situation in our room.  And I began going through all the thousands of pictures of her on my phone.  Scrolling back to last days of my pregnancy and the first days of her life. 

 

 

 

 

 

And she was so tiny and so beautiful.  And there were pictures of us look a wee bit weird and awkward as first time parents.  But we took it all in stride.  And we grew into our new roles immediately and have loved our growing family.

 

 

 

  And sometimes Ava looked like a big goof. And sometimes she still does.

 

 

Statue Girl

 

 

Mohawk Girl

 

 

But these are the pictures we have to document her life.  And having this little milestone in her life of moving to her own room has made me already go back and look at the days when she first came home and to see how much our lives have changed up to this point.  And I have loved every minute. And I've loved being a mom and learning to be parents with my husband.  And learning to communicate and help each other out as we learn and make decisions together on how we will parent our baby girl.

 

 Kyle camed and joined me in our room.  Seeing my red, teary eyes.  And we lay together looking at pictures.  And we intently listened to the monitor fuzz waiting for any little noise so that we could run to the other room and rescue Ava.  Waiting for a whimper of discontent.  And it never came.  The only sound we heard was the sigh of Koda laying down next to her crib.  And I was glad Koda came to the rescue as her protector.

 

But around 4:30am Ava finally cried out for food.  And we both jumped up faster than we would have if she was next to our bed.  And we swooped Ava out of her crib to cuddle with us in bed while she ate.  Making our room feel complete again.  And making my heart feel complete again.

 

We  will continue to get used to this new arrangement.  And eventually this separation will be less taxing on me.  Everyone jokes that this separation anxiety that is talked about in every baby book is really talking about the anxiety on me and not on Ava.  And so far that seems to be true.

 

Some of this parenting stuff is hard.  I feel like some parenting decisions have to be made more with the head and less with the heart.  Because if a parent only made decisions based on their heart their kids would live close by and be taken care of and pampered for the rest of their lives so that nothing could hurt them and they would always be ok.

 

 

 

But while we adjust, if Ava ever wants to be rescued from her large, lonely, evil crib again we will be right there to swoop her up.  For her well-being, and also for ours!

 



Mommy & Me Monday

Last Monday we participated in our second week of Mommy and Baby exercise class.  If you read last weeks experience you know that the first week had a few mishaps.

This week I was much more confident walking in.   Got my baby with me. Check. Paid for the class. Check.  Brought my carrier.  Check.  We were good to go!  I get out of the van, grab everything, and run inside since the weather has switched back to winter this week.

I walk into class and see two new girls.  I said hello and they were a little stand-off-ish.  Okie dokie.  Still not meshing with these other moms too well.  They told me that they only came to this class because their other Mommy/Baby exercise class switched locations this week.  So I guess I won't be seeing them much anyways.

I set Ava down and start getting my carrier on.  I start looking around and every other freaking mom has the Ergo carriers.  The name brand, top of the line, expensive carrier for their baby.  The carrier I described last week as a strait jacket.  The one with 60 straps and clips that I couldn't handle.  I don't even know the brand of mine.  I got it from another mom at a garage sale last summer for super cheap and it was still in the box because she had never used it.  That's the brand of mine.  And I was ok with it until these judging eyes looked my way.  Whatever.  I'm fine with it as long as Ava doesn't fall out of mine during class.  And not to ruin the suspense of this story but she did in fact NOT fall out of the carrier during class :)

I get all set up and a girl from last week sets her stuff down right next to mine and says hello.  Yay a friend!  Hello...uhhh...dang it I forgot her name.  So instead I say "hey there!" which worked just fine.  We chit chat a little bit and it was nice to have a familiar face in class to talk to.  We made a little bit of a bond even if this is really only the second hour I have known her.

Class starts and I'm feeling much better than last week.  Ava is smiling and swinging her legs and talking a bit.  I think it made all the difference to face her outwards in the carrier so she could see the world rather than my neck during the class.  She liked looking in the mirror and looking at everyone else in class.  This week I felt like I was actually working out.  And I'm feeling good that it can't go any worse than last week.

This week there are about 4 babies younger than 8 weeks, two babies around 3 months, and two around 6 months.  One of the younger babies starts crying in the first ten minutes and the mom goes to the corner of the room to nurse.  I'm a little taken aback.  I'm not against breastfeeding in public, but in general I'm still pretty uncomfortable and awkward with a mom nursing in public while I'm near her in public.  I'm actually pretty uncomfortable with all bodily functions in general.   Farts, the sound of peeing, blowing your nose, #2, and most recently the sound of a breast pump.  These all make me uncomfortable.  I'm finally able to blow my nose in public, but I get stage fright with all of the other listed bodily sounds if they are not coming from me and I'm by myself.  (If you are wondering how the birthing process went we turned the volume up while Pretty Woman was playing on TV so that no possible bodily function sounds could be heard).  But in general I'd rather not be in earshot of these things if it comes from other people.  So the sound of a baby breastfeeding even if it is under a blanket is still the sound of a baby breastfeeding and I know what's going on under that blanket and I'm awkward about it.  But we are all moms so I guess this is one of those things I'm just gonna have to get over.

So I ignore that corner of the room...and a few minutes later I have to ignore the mom nursing in the other corner of the room...and I continue doing my lunges and bicep curls and tricep kickbacks.  And this week I'm magically asked to introduce myself to the class.  The teacher remembers my name and Ava's name from last week so she basically introduces us to the newcomers in class.  Apparently I made enough of an impression last week to be remembered.  But I was glad not to be left out of introductions this week. 

The teacher is great and makes a conversation with the class after each person is introduced.  Sometimes she will ask about teething or sleeping habits or how this baby is different from your last.  Just anything about being a mom.  But it's nice to hear opinions.  Input that although it's biased on what worked for a particular mom, it is just conversation.  It isn't advice from people who think you should or should not be doing something.  It's not critical or intrusive.  And it's input that is always preceded with something along the lines of "this worked for me but every kid is different" or "I tried everything and this finally worked".  It's open conversation for moms to let other moms know what worked for them without stepping on anyone's toes.  So I enjoy this throughout the class.

The rest of class goes well and I feel sweat drip down my face.  My legs are tired. My arms are tired.  Ava is still smiling.  And I'm really happy that I came back this week.  We do the last part of class which is still my favorite - where we get on the mat with our baby and do push-ups, planks, and sit-ups while interacting with our kids.

We finish with stretching and I have a big smile on my face with how the day is going.

And then an elderly gentleman enters the exercise room. 

I half-expected him just to want to say hi to all the babies and to let the mom's know how cute they are.  Instead he informs us that there is a vehicle outside that has its door wide open and he wanted to see if it belonged to any of us.  He goes on to describes the vehicle and where it's parked.  And he describes my vehicle to a T.  I didn't speak up at first thinking this is the end of class so we are heading to our vehicle anyways - no need to embarass us again this week.  But he sticks around and describes it again and everyone looks around to see who it could belong to.  Finally I pipe up and state that it is mine.  Arghhhh.  So close to the day being a complete success!  My best guess is that something was in the way of the automatic sliding door that made it open back up or that I hit the open door button on my keys on the way in.  I just hate to have anything happen where I look like a frazzled new mom rather than having it somewhat together.  But we head back outside to a cold car and made our way back home.  And we continued to enjoy our day together - just Ava and I.

Exhausted after exercise class

6 months

Ava turned 6 months today!

She has her 6 month doctor appointment about a week from today so we can get her actual height and weight measurements.
We have weighed her a few times in the last couple weeks because I got nervous we would be over the weight limit for her carseat.  She is pushing 20 lbs, but we still have a pound or so until we need to switch to her bigger carseat.  She is growing too fast :(

She slept on her stomach for the first time last weekend.  We layed her down on her back...because duh we are good parents.  "Back is best" is what I always say. And every SIDS advocate and pediatrician and sleep sack and mom you run into on the street.  So anyhow I woke up and there she was sleeping on her stomach with one leg bent up.  Just like her mama sleeps :)

 

First night in her crib and out of Mom & Dad's room :(

She has only tried a couple new foods - sweet potatoes and green beans.  She is eager to put everything in her mouth.  When we are eating I will sit her on my lap and she pulls every plate, cup, and fork towards her.  It's fun to watch, however, we are learning to be on high alert with baby dangers because she reaches for everything and puts everything in her mouth. 

I love to see how curious she is about everything around her, but I am nervous about all small objects, sharp objects, heavy objects, every object.  Everything screams baby hazard.  Too hot of food hazard.  Too small of object for baby to choke on hazard.  Small ant crawling towards Ava when we let her feel the grass hazard.  Sometimes I think something isn't a hazard and am really laid back and think that the heavens have opened up and Ava is going to survive the day.  And then Kyle jumps in to kill the ant crawling towards her...seriously this happened.  Or the time I allowed Ava to do tummy time on the table...with my arms around her because duh I'm a good Mom...but she might have stuck her mouth on the table and licked it.  I thought it was cute and funny but the hubby informed me of all the germs that were on the table that are now in her mouth.  Oops.  And so I am learning all the potential baby hazards one day at a time.

I can make Ava laugh when I say "uh-oh" and "mama".  She loves to sit (with assistance), roll (stomach to back, back to stomach, left to right, right to left, somersaults...just kidding on that last one), throw toys (no assistance there), jump in her jumper (because that's what jumpers are for), and pull on everything (hair, neck skin, leg hair, dog ears, shirt strings, the drink in your hand).  She has no teeth yet.  But everyone insists that she has teeth coming in because she drools all the time.  She has drooled for 3 months now so I think everyone is full of it and we will just wait for a tooth to actually  make an appearance.

She has been giggling a lot.  It is so cute.  She cries and pouts when Kyle or I leave the room.  She is interested in everything and squirms a lot.  She loves to grab things so bowls, cooking utensils, and plasticware are now her new toys to play with.  And she is even sweeter when she falls asleep on us.

With how happy she is it makes me wonder about nature vs nuture.  Am I making her this happy because I'm so awesome and probably the funniest person in the world?!  Or was she born this way and even if I slumped around all day and wasn't very involved with her would she still light up the way she does because of her genes?  I guess either way it's because of me and the hubs but still makes you wonder.  Either way I love acting like a fool just to break out her smile and giggles throughout the day.

 

Ava in her goofy Grandpa flannel PJs

She wants to move and watch everything.  But sometimes I have to set her down just get get ready and she gets bummed that she is not sitting on the ground with all her toys or being held.  On this patricular day I set her in her pack n play while I was getting ready and she looked like she was in jail behind the mesh lining :)

 

What a goof

Yesterday we watched the KSU vs KU game for the Big 12 Championship game.  I really didn't watch the game but KSU lost.  I was too busy taking cute pictures:

 

Happy Girl

 

Practicing her KSU Cheerleading moves

 

 

More interested in her foot than the game

 

Happy 6 months Ava!  We are already thinking about how to celebrate your first birthday!

Love you :)

 

 

And Happy Saint Patricks Day!

 

 



Mommy & Me Monday

So I have been trying to not get on the computer as much.  Or the internet on my phone.  Hence Mommy & Me Monday is getting written on Friday.  Oh well.

Our Monday started off with a little bit of playing and a few errands. Hooray!

But just before 10am we were off to our first Mommy & Me exercise class!

I joined this gym a couple weeks ago which is a part of the business I work for and is only offered to employees (this is important for a bit later in the story). The front desk lady informed me when I joined that there was this Mommy & Me fitness class.  I was stoked. So I called last Friday to double check the time and we showed up 15 minutes til 10 on Monday morning.  I got there early just to make sure I could get settled in and what not...whatever settling into an exercise class means.  I made sure Ava had a little bit of food so she wouldn't get fussy but not too much food because I didn't want to get spewed on.  I made sure she had a fresh diaper on even though that wouldn't prevent a blowout from happening at any given moment. And I filled up my water bottle because hell I haven't done anything more than walking since about halfway through my pregnancy and I knew my diet pop from the morning wasn't going to help keep me hydrated through this workout.

Four other ladies and the instructor come into the fitness room with their kids.  There is an 18 month old boy whom I thought was about 3 before the mom revealed his age.  The boy was running around, picking up mats, playing with weights, and just in general hard to keep track of.  I guess I'm in for a lot of running around a making sure Ava doesn't kill herself in the next year because this litte boy was into everything.  The other moms had infants 6 weeks to 3 months.  Crazy to see how much Ava has grown since then.  There were 2 other first time moms which was nice because you can tell we are all a little frazzled to travel outside the house with our diaper bags, car seats, purses, extra food, etc.

The class is about to start and the instructor asks if everyone enrolled.  Oops definitely not enrolled.    Then she states that she can take checks now or after class.  And I'm like uhh strike two.  Definitely didn't know this class cost money.  Thanks front desk lady who told me about the class and listened to me say that I would definitely attend this class and thanks to the lady who talked to me on the phone when I called to confirm the class time and didn't ask if I had paid or signed up.  And thanks to me for assuming my monthly gym membership included this awesome class.

Then the instructor tells everyone they can get their babies in their carriers.  Carrier?  Did she mean car seat?  I was about to set Ava back in her carseat and was trying to picture swinging our kids in their carseats or doing bicep curls for a good workout.  And then magically the rest of the class gets out their carriers - like the strap over your shoulder backpacks that your baby sits in.  And I look around like a deer in headlights and just hold Ava in my arms thinking maybe I can just hold her and do the exercises.  We start with squats and arm exercises with no weights.  And it's completely obvious I do not have my carrier.  I inform the instructor that I did not know we were supposed to bring one.  Feeling stupid because now that I see what a Mommy and Baby exercise class is like how did I ever think I would just hold Ava through the exercises?  I really didn't know what to expect - I thought maybe we would be lifting our babies up in the air for arm exercises or lunging with the extra weight of our babies.  Or maybe just setting our kids on the ground and doing crunches next to them.  The mom with the 18 month old running around comes to my rescue and runs out to her car to get her extra carrier.  She even helps me strap all 17 million straps on and get Ava into the carrier.  Thank goodness for Mom comradery.

We start exercising and the instructor introduces herself and starts having other moms introduce themselves and their kids so everyone can get to know one another. Ava is enjoying herself and looking around for about 15 minutes.  Then all of a sudden she is like what the hell - I'm strapped in, I'm restrained, and I want food.  And she begins to cry.  The instructor informs everyone that "no matter how this class goes that we are all welcome next time and to keep trying".  It's nice of her to say this but at the same time I'm thinking please point it out a little more that this totally isn't going well for me.

So anyhow Ava is fussing so I grab a bottle for her and keep doing my lunges.  She starts squirming and getting angrier so I finally stop and go to the corner of the room to try and unstrap all 17 million straps.  I try to loosen one strap and Ava starts wailing.  I try to find a way to loosen another strap and it doesn't loosen as much as the other one so Ava is kinda hanging at an angle.  I try holding her up while trying to sneak my arm out of one strap.  It's not loose enough and my arm gets stuck halfway and looks like a chicken wing.  I loosen that strap a little more to get my arm out and then try to pull Ava out.  She is still stuck.  Finally the mom who lent me the carrier asks if I know how to loosen the straps.  I look over at her with one strap off, one strap on, baby crooked in the carrier and crying, and my shirt getting all out or sorts as I attempt to rip off this strait jacket.  She comes over and is like oh you just loosen this one and then clip off this one and 8 clips and straps loosened later we are released from this crazy device.

The instructor continues to ask other moms about themselves and I learn that another lady has a 2 year old boy, the lady with the 18 month old is pregnant again, and the mom with a 6 week old is sleep deprived and a bit nervous about her first baby.  It's nice to hear moms going through similar things and offering up advice.  The sleep deprived mom discusses how she is trying to get her kid to sleep and another mom offers up advice about a book she read that helped get her kid to sleep.  I then let the mom know that Ava is going on 6 months and still doesn't sleep through the night.  My intentions were to let her know she wasn't alone or whatever and some babies just don't sleep as much, but I quickly realized that I basically told her "things will never get better so get used to it".  Looks like making mommy friends isn't starting off on the right foot.  I decide not to speak anymore.

 Next up is going around in circles as we continue with lunges and arm exercises with weights.  Since the carrier was a disaster, I decide holding Ava is best and I will just do lunges by holding her and skipping the actual arm exercises.  The instructor notices that I carry Ava facing me and comments on how it may be easier to carry her facing outwards so that I don't hurt my back.  I try it and it works pretty well, however I don't think my arms are strong enough for this.  So my shoulders are hunched up to my ears as I try to hold Ava's weight and continue with lunges.  I am also taking a few cheat steps in between lunges because I can't keep up with the pace of this mom behind me with her 8 pound child she just popped out 6 weeks ago.  I thought I was in better shape than this.  Super instructor then informs me that I should try to relax my shoulders.  No shit Sherlock.  I mean thanks for the advice. I will try to relax my shoulders while not using my back to support my child's weight and try using my one pack abs that I have not used since they deflated 6 months ago. Perfect.

The next exercise was my favorite.  For real - no sarcasm.  It was more of the child involvement I imagined the class to be.  More playing with our babies rather than just holding our babies while we exercised.  For this exercise we did planks and push ups over our babies and gave them kisses on their foreheads and sang to them.  Very cute, right?  Then we began stretching.  And we all know stretching means the end up class.  Which means although I didn't necessarily survive this class at least I didn't walk out :)  And since I paid for the next 3 classes it looks like these ladies better get used to me.  Plus I gotta teach Ava not to give up, right?!

By the end of class everyone had been asked to introduce themselves...well except for me.  I guess she forgot?  Or maybe they got to know me too well with all our mishaps.  Either way I wasn't going to point it out and draw more attention to us.

And then just to add to my list of warm, fuzzy exercise class moments a mom strikes up a conversation with me at the end of class.  She asks me where I work and I just stare at her.  I'm thinking well this is an employee facility so I'm an employee HERE.  Like at least ask me a question you don't already know the answer to.  Instead of saying what I'm thinking, I politely tell her where I work in the facility thinking that must be what she's asking.  And then I ask her where she works where she proceeds to tell me that she works at this business downtown.  Apparently these classes are open to the public while the gym itself is only open to employees.  How many strikes do I have for the day?  Add one more.

We drove home and enjoyed the rest of our day off together.  Maybe we were just glad to be out of our class, but it was fun to play and hang out just the two of us.  I'm already loving having Monday's off and here's to next week's adventure.

Here is my one picture of the day.  Ava got to dress up all girly after working out so hard :)

Dear Baby Girl

Dear Baby Girl,

You are almost 6 months
In my mind that makes you almost a year
which makes you almost ready for school
which means you are already grown up

That is years down the road but oh goodness it's going so fast.

I read all the books - ok all 2 of my books - and briefly skim through them to see what milestones you will be reaching week by week and month by month.
At 5 months I read what you would be doing by the end of the month and I would be thinking oh we might be a little late on this or that.
And then one day you just up and reach that milestone!
There aren't really any baby steps in between you just go from 0 to 100.

We have watched you grow up and be more functional and independent in so many ways

From spitting out all your solid foods to holding the spoon and shoving the food near your mouth.
From hating tummy time to lifting your whole chest off the ground with your arms.

From being entertained by us reading you your books to reaching and grabbing the pages yourself.
From being stationary on the changing table to squirming and grabbing the lamp behind you.  Baby-proofing is starting now!

From laying on your play mat and reaching up to the toys to flipping from back to stomach (first ironically) and now from stomach to back (We think you do this to get out of tummy time because we are only able to get a few seconds in before you flip to your back every time).

My video coverage is like a classic home video from the 90s

From having a bobble head to sitting up between our legs to play with your toys.
From shoving towels on the sides of you so you wouldn't flop around in your carseat to now sitting with no carseat in your stroller for a walk.  Enjoying watching the world head on.
And from Mommy crying when she had to leave you at daycare or with family to you crying when Mommy leaves you...and Mommy still crying.

Baby girl you are growing up.

You are sweet, happy, and make us laugh with all your little quirks. 

We were never morning people, but the second you wake up we sit and listen to you talk to yourself for a bit and then are ready to play with you before 7 in the morning.  I have so many favorite things about you that I hope I can remember.  Some of my favorite things from the first weeks and months you have already grown out of.  Like the silly *sigh* you made after each time you sneezed.  That was your Daddy's favorite.  Or how excited you got when we said "hi" in a really high-pitched voice.  It used to always make you break out a smile.  I'm always learning the new things to say or do to get you to break out your cute smile.

I love how when I get down by your face you reach your hands out and touch my face - kinda like you are a blind person discovering something new.  Grabbing my lips and teeth, pulling our noses, grabbing my cheeks.  I love it.
You get really excited and smile when I make a face like I'm chewing a huge mouthful of food.  You will watch me while I eat and just be tickled when I chew.  So I started doing it without food in my mouth and you still get a kick out of it - and it works perfect for pictures!
You also love when I say "mama mama mama" over and over.  I get the biggest smile.  And the same happens when Dad says "dada dada dada".  We can't wait for you to say one of these words yourself.  And sometimes we keep saying mama or dada to you so that we will be the one to win and get you to say our word first.
You love your hands.  You shove them in your mouth.  You help shove one hand in your mouth by pushing it with your other hand.  And you suck on your fingers and thumbs like it's your job.

I will kiss you from one cheek to the other and you will squeal.
You also squeal when you spot one of the dogs across the way.  We have set you near each of them and you love to pet them and pull their hair and ears.  You will come up with handfuls of fur, but luckily the dogs are pretty good with it.  And Koda loves to get you endless kisses - we let him have a few before we force him to stop - he loves your face and feet.
We have gotten you to do a really cute belly laugh only a handful of times - and we aren't sure what it was that tickled you so much so we haven't gotten it out of you that much.  It was the cutest sound.
You make a funny growling sound throughout the day.  Not for any reason in particular.  But we have started calling you our little monster because of this funny sound.
I love that you grab onto me when I'm holding you.  That you grab my clothes or my shoulder and just hang on.  It's almost like you're hugging me back or at least grasping on because you need me.
You snore and it's the cutest little sound of contentment.
I love when you pass out in my lap - we will have trouble getting you to sleep and I will pick you up and you are immediately asleep and it makes me feel good that I make your world better and that I'm that comfort for you.

I love that you cry when I leave you - that when I set you down with someone else you make this huge pouty lip and whimper and cry.  Saddest pouty lip I have ever seen.  I probably shouldn't but I run back to you and pick you up and give you kisses all over to make it better.  At some point I will have to walk away so I don't make the separation worse - but I'm not at that point yet.  I want you to be ok when I leave.  But when I first took you to daycare you were the youngest one and all the other parents would leave their kids and they would cry and they would pick up their kids and their kids were grinning ear to ear and bouncing up and down.  And you were too young for those reactions and I would think to myself that you didn't know I was your Mommy or that I was doing something wrong that you weren't super excited when I picked you up.  You even cried a few times when we would leave daycare to come home (because it was time for food and a nap) but I would think to myself that you loved daycare more than you loved being with me and would think you were sad to leave them and sad you were now stuck with me.  All thoughts of a first time Mom?  I tried to act like you were just well-adjusted and loved everyone but it got me right in the heart each time.  And as selfish as it is - Now that you cry when I leave - I love it beause I know you know me and know I'm Mom.  And besides that you know I'm Mom - you also want me to be there more than you want to be with whoever I dropped you off with.  And I feel on top of the world to be that one person you just can't do without.  Because that's how I've felt about you all along.

Tomorrow is our first official Mommy & Me Monday.  We are going to an exercise class where the moms are able to work out with their kids - by holding their kids and doing different exercises with them.  I am so excited this class was offered on Mondays.  What are the chances that is my only day off work and that's the only day it's offered?!  In the next couple weeks the weather should warm up and I can't wait to share the day with you to let you explore the world in my favorite seasons - the warm seasons.  We have these cute summer clothes just waiting to put on you.  Your first little pair of shorts that will show you cute little legs off that have been covered up since you were born.  Cute little tank tops.  And I'm so very excited to get you your first little bikini.  I've had to hold off on buying it because you are growing up so fast and I don't know what clothes you will be in when summer weather finally rolls around!  But I've been searching since December.

Little girl you have made our lives so wonderful and we feel so blessed to have you.  As much as I love watching each stage as you learn and grow a part of me just wants to have you stay little and dependent on me.  I never want you to out-grow loving me and cuddling with me and thinking I'm the best and funniest person in the world.  Sometimes I look around and wish I could just freeze time because our times as a family with the dogs just seems so perfect and I don't want to ever forget it or ever have it change.  And sometimes I think it can't get better than this.  But I would love to be proved wrong like I have been so many times in the past.

I love you with all my heart forever and for always

Mommy

Solid Foods

We have started Ava on solid foods.  Our first trial was around 4 months.  I didn't really expect her to start chowing down, but I really wanted to start experimenting so she could get used to the spoon, highchair, and different textures and tastes of food.  Our first food was bananas.  She liked the taste, but her tongue moved in the wrong direction which was expected.  However, she didn't cry with the introduction of everything so I thought it went pretty well!

Then one of my friends told me I may want to try veggies first because otherwise after the sweet tasting fruit it can be difficult to introduce veggies.  Makes sense.  So Iwe introduced Ava to carrots.  And then peas.   And now we have been stuck with carrots for awhile because Mom pureed wayyyyyy too many carrots and we have a few servings left to finish.  Although, solid feeding hasn't been a consistent day to day thing, she has gotten a lot better with keeping the food in her mouth and is now trying to hold the spoon herself.

I'm looking to try and make a few more pureed versions for her.  I'm no Betty Crocker but season-less, steamed and mushed up fruits and veggies is right up my alley.  We have a couple trays to freeze the food into little baby ice-cube portions and so far it has been really simple.  And so far I've only done peas and carrots because I wasn't that smart with how many carrots you need to fill up and ice cube square.  Just FYI it's not that many!  And if you want to freeze a variety of baby foods then I would suggest starting with only a few carrots :)

Feeding time begins

Grabbing for the spoon

Sometimes we get nervous she is going to sling-shot her food at us

Other times she gets it just right!

But either way we have a pretty good time :)



Snow Day

Every year I countdown until warmer weather.  Once the chill comes in the air around October or so I'm thinking ok the holidays are coming up so that is good.  And the cold weather will come and go by January.  So then January rolls around and I'm thinking just make it to February and then winter is over because if it's February then it's basically March and if it's March then it's SPRING!  And everyone knows you can't have snow when it's spring time so in February there can be no more snow!  This is my thought process and once in awhile the weather does not agree with this train of thought.

This is one of those years.

In the middle of my work day on Wednesday we were already told that we did not need to come in on Thursday.  The weather forecast predicted over 10 inches of snow!  Schools and events were already being canceled before a single snowflake fell.  Anyhow, I was excited to stay home - not excited for the snow part.  I woke up Thursday morning and looked out the window around 6am.  No snow.  What the hell?!  I was half waiting to get a phone call in the early morning to come on into work.  But about 30 minutes later the snow begins.  And it keeps going and going and within a few hours we had several inches of snow on the ground.  Kyle got to stay home, too, but he worked from his computer.  So we got our first snow day on February 21st.  Seriously only a week from March and we are getting snow?!  I hate this.

The dogs were ecstatic and leaped around the backyard for hours.  And later in the day we all ventured out as well.

 

She was happy to go out.  But once we got out she was kinda like Mom - looking around and thinking what the hell is this cold with a scowl on her face.  We are warm weather folk.  But she looks pretty cute as an eskimo baby!

 

 

 

This pic is from the next day with the roads cleared.

 

Apparently we are getting another round of this on Monday.  Not just another couple inches.  Another 10 inches.  Then hopefully the sunny skies open up and melt all of this so we can start going on walks and wearing shorts!

 

 

Happy almost end of snow season!