Seriously....

That exersaucer is a laxative.
Hopefully P will soon realize the need to at least check to see if she's dirty when he takes her out of the thing, rather than just leaving it for me to find.

Easy...

Speckles is really gentle with kids. Isla loves her and keeps trying to pet, hug, love, pull her collar. I keep telling her "easy, easy" when she approaches Speckles. This morning we were playing in the floor and Isla grabbed at my face. I told her "easy" and she turned around to look at the puppy. Guess she thinks Easy is the puppy's name.

We can see toofer #3 tonight! It's just a tiny little nub but I think it's through the gums.

I swear....

This baby fills her diaper every time she's in the exersaucer 5 minutes. If this keeps up, I'm going to cut the fabric seat out, replace it with a plastic bowl and commence to potty training!

Tidbits

Long time, no update. I gotta get in the habit of doing this on a more regular basis--it's so much easier! Now I just feel like I have so many tidbits to share and I won't be able to remember all of them.

We went for our "6 month" pictures a few weeks ago--our photography had been on maternity leave so we were late for them. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the preview pic she posted...



I can't believe how big she is getting! We played outside a lot over the beautiful holiday weekend even though mommy was sick. She tries so hard to work those legs to push herself into a crawl and gets frustrated when she can't do so. She also gets upset when she wants to sit up. She hasn't begun to try to figure out how to get to that position.

I sat her in her crib Monday and she was SO close to pulling herself up to a standing position! I think if she hadn't had on footed jammies, she would have made it.

Ditching the pacifier was a good thing. She hasn't really missed it and stopped waking up for no reason during the night. She is waking up for bottles multiple times a night though. She's been going to bed around 6:30 or 7, waking up between 9:30 and 10 for a bottle, then again around 1 and 4. Eating is good though.

We still only have 2 toofers. Those top 2 will show up where we can see them just below the gums for a day or 2, then they'll retreat. This week we've been able to feel them pretty good. Isla likes to lean over and chomp to let mommy feel them.

Mom and I have known for awhile that Isla doesn't like to take care of her personal business when she's sitting down. Lately it's become obvious that her preferred position for this is standing in her exersaucer. Maybe this will help us down the road somehow potty training. I told P Monday when I put her in her exersaucer that she'd probably do a job while she was in there and sure enough, mommma knew what she was talking about.

We're babbling more and more all the time. For awhile most of her vocalizations were just screeches, screams, and various vowel sounds. Last weekend we really started practicing the "b" sound. Unfortunately we'd do this with exagerrated lip movements while eating.

Isla definitely lets it be known that mommy is her favorite. Sometimes I feel bad for whomever else (usually daddy) isn't her favorite at that moment, but mostly it just warms me that my little girl loves me. We're having some separation anxiety lately. Mom's started taking Isla outside as I leave in the morning to help keep her from crying.

What else? Oh, Isla LOVES her Leap Frog table and wants to stand and play at it all the time. She also loves walking. Both of these activities require assistance at this point, which usually means someone leaning over our petite little girl.

This weekend we'll take her 8 month pictures with Winston. Sunday Isla has a playdate with some of the babies of my coworkers. I can't wait to see how she and 9 month old E, 8 month old T, and 5 month old S interact and play. I hope they don't just sit and stare at each other! It it's okay with their mommies, I'll post pictures and video.

Oh, green peas are our favorite food lately. She'll screech for peas if she knows they're on her plate and we try to feed her something else. She's trying more and more "table scraps" too. She has several tiny bits of a breadstick at Olive Garden the other night. She grabbed some rice off my plate tonight. She was eating the pulp from my lemon one day. She also likes the soft inside of a tater tot, ice cream, pudding. She's not sure about watermelon.

Isla loves drinking from a juice box and has gotten the hang of the straw pretty well. She likes it when we get some water in straw covering the end with our finger and letting it run into her mouth. She started trying to suck out of it some that way so we started letting her try a juice box. We'd have to squeeze it a little at first, but now she can do it herself. It's funny to watch though. She doesn't realize she should keep her mouth closed around the straw so she makes the sucking motion with her mouth as she drinks. Tonight she kept screeching for some of her white grape juice as she ate.

A friend's stepdaughter has had 2 foster girls for 3 years and has been through a lot to protect them. She found out last week that their adoption will be final next week. I wanted to do something for her so I wrote this and framed it for her:

When Motherhood Begins…

The first hug…
The first wiped tear…
The first nursery rhyme…
The first scraped knee…
The first bad dream…
The first bedtime story…
The first picture colored together…
The first batch of cookies baked…
This is when motherhood begins

HBU
December 26, 2003

AAU
April 8, 2005

In my heart
August 15, 2007

Forever Mommy
September 14, 2010

Congratulations to the U family!

Upsie Daisies!

I wrote this last Thursday and never got it posted.....Things are going well without the pacifier.

Last night we were playing in the floor and Isla was sitting on my foot at her Leap Frog Activity Table. She kept pulling herself up to a standing position with mommy supporting her. Then mommy let go and she did it all by herself! She doesn’t realize what she’s doing when she stands at her table and she frequently lets go and lands on her bottom. But it’s still another sign that Baby Girl is growing up way too fast.

Speaking of growing up, we got rid of the pacifier last night. P knew I didn’t want her using the pacifier past a year—it’s just a personal preference thing--and we talked about things the other day and decided that since up until a week ago she didn’t really seem to care if she had it or not, we’d go ahead and take it away now. In the past week she’s started whining for it and putting her lips out waiting for someone to put it in her mouth when she’s tired. I didn’t want her to get any more attached to it—everything I read said taking it away now is so much easier than doing it later. We were going to wait until next weekend to do it over the holiday but the Farmer’s Almanac said last night, tonight, and tomorrow are the best nights to wean a baby so rather than just worry about it another week and let her get even more attached, I played mean mommy last night. (Ok, I don’t know if I believe Farmer’s Alamanac’s signs or not, but mom said her grandma always used it and that woman raised 8 children so....) Isla fussed and cried awhile at bedtime last night, then she’d sit up and look over at the table where a paci usually lays, then she’d lay her head back down. I just held her until she went to sleep. It seemed like her little wake-ups were easier last night. We’d hear her say something but she’d go right back to sleep without us doing anything. Going back to sleep after the middle of the night bottle was a bit more challenging than usual, but still not too bad. We’ll see how night 2 goes.

Winston!

The morning I took these pictures Isla suddenly seemed to realize she has some control over her balance when she's sitting up--although she can't keep upself up through a sneeze--that's when she fell over. She's doing so much better sitting up by herself. Last night she sat in a big girl high chair in a restaurant and today we went to Wal-Mart and she sat in the shopping cart.

As you can tell in the pictures below, I put her hair up in piggy tails yesterday. They stayed in all day through 3 clothing changes and some naps. When I took the rubber band out, the curls did a pretty good job holding their shape.

Piggy tails, hats off, computing, and look at that cute little butt!

Peas, please!

Isla was quite insistent that I keep feeding her peas last night. Every time I'd try to give her a bite of prunes (hey, it's a favorite!) or macaroni and cheese, she'd screech until I'd give her another bite of peas. She polished off the whole jar, but a good serving of prunes and a few bites of mac-and-cheese.

Peas? Really? Whose kid IS this???

A video...

More pictures....

2 weeks, no pictures!

Wow--I just installed my camera software on this computer and transferred ALL Isla's pics. I haven't taken ANY pictures of her for 2 weeks! We'll be sure and correct that this week--after all, we'll have to do the 7 month Winston pictures in a few days.

Here are some of the more recent favorites and a video. They may have to be done in more than one post.

And more...

Seeing her accomplish something she's been working at. At this stage, this means turning over, getting a block to fit in her hand JUST right so she can pick it up, reaching the toys on her exersaucer.

The way she twirls her pacifier around trying to get it in her mouth. I try to let her do it herself.

When I pick her up for a nighttime feeding and she leaves her eyes closed and just opens her mouth, knowing mommy will take care of everything.

More of those "little" things...

The look on her face when I come home from work.

The way she kicks her legs when she's excited.

That moment she decides she's ready to go to sleep and she just turns in to me.

Her cute little bottom up in the air when she's asleep on her tummy.

The twinkle in her eye right before she tries to grab something.

I'm still here...

This baby girl is a handful to keep up with...and she’s not even crawling yet! She’s trying though. She’s really good at scooting and creeping. Next weekend is Isla Proofing the House Weekend. She has both bottom front teeth and is working on the top ones. She was Princess Fussy Pants last weekend but has been in a better mood the last day or so. Last night I could feel a nub on top even though you can’t see it yet.

I got a new laptop for my birthday/anniversary so I need to install my camera software and organize some pictures this weekend. I’ll upload some new ones then. I have a cute video I’ll try to get uploaded also.

I’m taking off Friday so it’s a 3 day weekend! J is going to hang out with us tomorrow afternoon and spend the night tomorrow night. He’s 8 and SO good with his little cousin. I was worried that he’d be jealous or have a hard time adjusting because this is the first time he’s really had to share Grandma’s attention but there was no reason to be concerned. He loves playing big brother and she adores him. We’re going to see Ramona and Beezus tomorrow afternoon. I loved those books when I was a kid. He hasn’t read them but wants to see the movie. The 3 of us have seen a few movies this summer—Isla does really well. She’ll watch about half the movie, take a bottle, then go to sleep.

One thing I’ve been trying to do lately is keep a journal of letters for Isla. I’ve only been able manage to write a few and I feel like I’m saying the same things over and over. I hope someday she’ll understand how my day automatically brightens whenever I see her and how I see pure joy on my mom’s face whenever she picks Isla up and how much her Daddy absolutely adores her. But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to convey to her how much I love her. Maybe it’s something she won’t be able to understand unless some day she’s blessed with her own little girl.

I’m writing this in the early hours of the morning. I’ve been thinking about all the little things no one ever told me. Sure, I knew the mommy job was a good gig even though it’s a lot of work. But I find joy in so many little things now that I never would have dreamt of.

Like the way it feels when she cuddles up against my chest in her dimly lit room at 3:00 in the morning. Everything so quiet and peaceful—like everyone else in the world is asleep but us. I love wearing a nightgown with a wide, open neck instead of my old t-shirts so I can feel her snuggle against my skin.

And the way she smells right after a bath. The smell of HER mixed with the scent of the lotion I rub on her arms and legs mixed with the lingering aroma of her shampoo clinging to those beautiful curls.

And how if she starts crying at 2:00 in the morning, part of me wants to just roll over and sleep but a bigger part of me smiles because it means I get to spend some hidden time with my baby girl. The more active she gets during the day, the more I love that time when she’s sleepy and drowsy and wants to cuddle.

And how much I love rocking her to sleep and just holding her. Even though I know she needs to learn how to soothe herself and put herself to sleep, it’s hard to let her do it sometimes. Sometimes I have to selfishly just sit and rock her and take all of her in. I know it won’t be long when she’s too big for mommy to rock her to sleep.

And how I feel warm and smiley inside those times when she just wants mommy and no one else will do. I know it won’t last but for now, Mommy is her favorite. If no one else can fix things, mommy can.

And how she’ll stick her right hand under my arm when she’s taking a bottle. As she moves her fingers, it seems like she’s trying to tickle me.

And the way she giggles when I kiss her cheeks.

And how she grins whenever she sneezes twice. Doesn’t always happen if she just sneezes once, but if she sneezes twice, she gets the biggest smile on her face and mommy says “those are so funny!”

And how mommy loves that she’s active, even when it means that it takes twice as long to change a diaper. I told her daddy when she was only a few days old that the way she squirmed on the changing table then, it was obvious that she was going to be a handful at 6 months. It’s 6 months later and you have to give her something to play with when you’re trying to change her diaper. Even then she flips over onto her tummy and tries to get away half the time. Mommy’s changed some diapers with her on her tummy but for some reason, she tends to pee when I’m doing that.

And how she raspberries me when I’m trying to clean her teeth and gums.

And how much she loves when we clap or cheer “Yay Isla!”

And, and, and.....I could go on and on. I’m sure my next few posts will be ones I remember and want to add. I just can’t believe how much of my life is wrapped up in that little girl.

Friday is P and my 3rd anniversary. That day 3 years ago will always be one of my perfect days. So peaceful and relaxing. I love you honey.