If at first you don't succeed...

The child that wouldn't eat pureed green beans to save her life will now happily munch on whole pieces of them.  I wonder how long this will last. 

More pics...

I love weekdays off.  I get plenty of extra time to stick the lens in Kayla's face.  Thankfully, she's a good sport about it. 

iNom...

So excited to get back to playing, I couldn't get her snapped back up, let alone get the pants back on...

You want me to eat that??

We had a great day today.  Some playing, some shopping, some visiting with daddy and his friends.  I love spending the extra time with her... makes me wish I could have one extra day with her every week. 

Adventures in Self Feeding

Tonight Kayla rejected yet another new pureed vegetable.  I guess I can't blame her - asparagus is a bit strong.  When she gagged on the second bite, I decided to switch it up and pulled some broccoli out of the fridge.  I bit off the stems and gave her the "leafy" tops of the florets, which she grabbed by the handful.  I'd venture a guess that about a third of what I gave her made it into her mouth.  The rest collected on the high chair and on the floor.  Even so, she seemed happy as a little clam nomming away on bits of broccoli with a few puffs thrown in here and there.  She's getting better with getting the sippy cup into her mouth and sucking a little water out of it, and she doesn't seem to mind me still spoon feeding her fruits to her.  Meal times are so much fun now.  Messy, but fun. 

For the moms out there... how did you work moving from purees to real food with your little one?  And how in the world did you contain the mess?  I need to start looking for a splat mat... stat.  OK - that was awful.  But I really do need to figure out the best way to keep food off the wood floors.  Is it worth buying a real mat or should I just go to the dollar store and stock up on vinyl table cloths and/or shower curtain liners? 

Who doesn't love free stuff??

I love CafePress.  I mean love.  I've bought so much fun stuff there.  Ask my mom how much she loves the tote bag I bought her for Mother's Day last year. 

I also love my Nestie girl T.Bird.  She has the an adorable daughter and is a freakin' awesome cook.  Remember me making her to die for coffee cake?  Yum. 

Put these two things together and what do you have?  A fabulous giveaway.  Not that I want anyone else to enter because I want to win... but I do want to help a girl out with her quest to become Top Mommy Blogger, in hopes that someday I'll be number two right behind her.  Once I get my blog listed that is.  Stay tuned on that front. 

Anywho... check out T.Bird's Blog and vote for her to be top Mommy and Baby blogger!

We have liftoff... for real this time.

The little bugger started crawling tonight. I had a toy that she wanted, so she came and got it. Bless her little heart. We had her chasing Shaun's Blackberry and my iPod back and forth across the living room and she endured it. Now she's exhausted. Too adorable. I wonder what's next... walking or teeth?

 

Happy 8 Months!

Dear Kayla,

Is this where I shout "Uncle!"?  I swear, evey time I blink another month has gone by. 

What an amazing little one you are.  You're adventurous.  You're determined.  You're cute as a button, sweet as all get-out and you're pulling yourself up in your crib already.  Holy crap - you're on your way to walking, even though you have yet to crawl forward a single inch. 

I'm short on words to describe all of the ups and downs, smiles and tears of the last month.  We have spent a lot of time house shopping.  Daddy and I are more anxious than ever to get into a forever home - one with a yard where you can play.  We haven't found it yet, but we will. 

We started with some new foods - namely some Gerber Puffs.  You seem to love them!  You're already a champion chewer (or I suppose gummer is more accurate - still no teeth!) and I love watching you concentrate on picking up each little morsel and guide it into your mouth.  The look of joy on your face every time the sweetness hits your tongue is absolutely priceless! 

We're still growing and learning together each and every day, and I look forward to all the fun and milestones to come.  You're loved so very much - I only hope that someday you'll know just how much.

Love Always -
~Mommy

We have liftoff... sort of.

Last night I sat Kayla down in her crib to play for a minute before I started getting her ready for bed.  I took the tank off of the humidifier and filled it in the bathroom.  When I got back, there she was on her knees at the crib rail smiling at me.  I called Shaun over to have a look.  He put her back in the middle of the crib and she leaned back to the rail, got her knees under her, then lifted up onto her tiptoes (still bent at the waist and leaning enough to possibly tumble overboard). 

She may not be crawling yet but this little one is dying to get on her feet. 

Needless to say, operation lower the mattress commenced immediately.  30 minutes later found her fast asleep in her new spot, no worse for having to wait a bit longer than she wanted to for her bedtime.  Not to mention much safer.

It's only a matter of time now, isn't it?

One year ago today

We found out our little girl was a girl.  Even on the ultrasound you could see that she had chubby little cheeks and perfectly pursed little lips.  I could already tell that she was beautiful but I couldn't have guessed just how sweet she would be.  I also couldn't have guessed how fast this year would go.  It's so bittersweet. 

Still wishing I could freeze time

I finally get a night where I could go to bed early (without guilt) and I am completely unable to move.  I'm rocking gently in my glider, with a pink fleece wrapped, freshly bathed and lavender scented, happily fed and sleeping angel in my lap.  Tapping this out on my iTouch so the moment doesn't get lost forever... and wishing for nothing more in the whole world than to be able to live in this moment for as long as possible.  Thankfully there are no dishes to wash, no lunches to pack, and no one to discourage me from spending as much time as I like just sitting here and soaking it in. 

Life is good. 

Happy 7 Months!!

Dear Kayla,

Here we are again; yet another month has flown by and I sit down to try to sum up everything that’s happened in a letter that I hope you’ll read some day. I’m still reeling from the idea that you’re now closer to being a year old than you are to your birth day.

This month we survived another round of illnesses. Somehow mommy and daddy were struck worse than you this time. While it was tough on us, I am grateful that you were mostly spared this time around. I can’t wait for winter to wind down so that hopefully less germs will be circulating at work and at daycare.

Daycare has been good; you are flourishing there.  This month I was faced with something I'd been dreading for a long time - I had to walk away from you while you cried for the first time. That was simply heart wrenching. I walked down the hall and signed you in, and as I was leaving I could still hear you sobbing. It was all I could do not to run back and scoop you up. But I survived, and so did you. Even though the next time it happens won’t be any easier I know that I can get through it. Most of the time you are wonderful while you’re there. You give the teachers lots of smiles when we arrive in the morning and you barely notice when I kiss you goodbye and leave. When Daddy stayed home sick, I got the pleasure of picking you up in the afternoon. I loved walking in and seeing you sitting in the middle of the floor playing. It was nice to be on that side of things for a change, rather than the one always leaving you there. 

You're sitting up really well now.  You haven't tumbled over backwards in quite a while, but I still put the Boppy behind you when I have to walk away.  You know, just in case.  I love watching you roll all over the living room.  You are great at getting where you want to go and just recently I noticed you using your arms to turn yourself to face where you want to go.  You're still pushing up on your hands and knees and rocking like you're ready to crawl. I think it won't be long now.  The other night you were rolling and pushing up and literally bouncing around in your crib while I got your bath ready. I wish I’d gotten it on video!

The most commonly heard phrase in our house goes something like this: “ah da da da da da [breath] ahhh da da da da da [raspberry]”. It makes me giggle every single time, especially the raspberries. You’ve gotten quite good at those.

You still haven’t cut your first tooth and I’m not the least bit ashamed to admit that I love it. Your gummy little grin still makes my day! Though the drooling and chewing would suggest one might pop through any time, I’ve been saying that for at least two months. All in your own time though sweet one. Even without teeth, eating is still fun. You’ve moved on to mixed fruit purees (yum!) and we have started to introduce lunch time solids.  We've tried introducing chicken to you for the first time.  Neither mommy's homemade nor the Gerber kind went over very well.  We're going to mix some veggies in tonight and keep trying though! 

It’s been another wonderful month having you in our lives. We are so proud of you and love watching you grow. Although I still get teary about the fact that you’re no longer the tiny little baby I brought home in July, I love watching you develop and learn. I feel like I’m seeing the world through new eyes. A bit cliché, but the truth. We love you baby girl.

Love always -

~Mommy