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Happy New Year!

All this exploring leads her to exciting places around the house!

Hmm...what can I get into now? Mommy's old records from the '70's!

The gate is up! Help us, let us out!

This mess is a place!
Welcome 2011! Around this time of year, Little P has started taking steps in succession. She's still pretty wobbly, but bound and determined to get where she's going. She goes really fast, takes the steps (anywhere from 3-8) and falls to the ground. She has no fear, and she picks herself right up and gets back on the horse! One good thing about her determination is that she has started to crawl a lot more. Since walking doesn't get her there fast enough, she'll crawl. When she comes at you, it's super fast and you can just see the determination in her face!
We have definitely entered the ugly phase of parenthood, meaning all the babyproofing and toys and gear scattered about. It's hard for me to relax with lots of clutter. Ugh! I had my husband to contend with and his ability to clutter a room in five seconds, now it's the baby's turn!
I'd like for 2011 to slow down a bit. We're enjoying this stage of her so much. She's such a happy baby. She falls asleep smiling and wakes up with that same smile. She can melt a heart of stone with her infectious smiles!

Happy Holidays Sweet P!

Her first Christmas ornament.

 
What are these things on my feet?
Looks good enough to eat.
It is good enough to eat!

Merry Christmas to our Little Sweet Pea! I think our little girl had herself a great time! One thing we have discovered, she revels in being the center of attention. I did not go too crazy in getting her presents, even though this was her first Christmas. Of course, she was mostly interested in the wrapping paper!
She has been really trying to take her first steps around this time. She can usually manage maybe 1-2 really shaky steps. We figured that this was the week that she would really practice, but being around the grandmas, she didn't have much of a chance to walk much!
Christmas time is all about family, and I'm so grateful that P was able to spend time with all her family!

9 Months of Mommyhood!

It gets more fun as each milestone and more of Little P's personality comes out! She is definitely a crowd pleaser! As we have been to more social events (can you believe that we can actual go out some?), we've noticed that she is a ham! She also is not a stranger to the camera, and is definitely a poser!
It seems like we've been saying that she'll be walking anytime soon. While the progress seems slow, there is definitely improvement as each day passes.
Her balance is getting better. She can get up from a sitting position. She likes to be standing almost at all times, unless she's eating or sleeping!
She's starting to babble more with sounds like "ba, ba, ba" and using her front teeth to produce sounds. She is associating sounds with words like the "ba, ba" is used when saying bye-bye to people. So, it's not the initial babble that's typical in child language acquisition--we've progressed to the next stage! P's appetite is very good. All the foods I've introduced thus far, she has taken a liking to. She's just a good eater.
Her legs still kick. When she's excited, happy, in a carrier, her legs are always a-going and people notice.
Anyhow, we're still working on the going to sleep without rocking and the nursing business at 2 am. Looking forward to Christmas and the upcoming months and milestones!


Hamming it up at my holiday staff party.
Checking out all the new stuff.

Hanging out with Mommy on a lazy Saturday morning.
Her reaction when Daddy comes home from work and heads upstairs!

Feeding Frenzy

Seems like my posts have centered around P's feeding times. Could be because that's the only time we're together during the week these days. So, lately, she's been playing around when I feed her. She will bite the spoon and grab it. She is really strong! It's hard for me to get it out of her mouth or away from her tiny hand. She really gets my goose, but when she looks at me and gives me that toothy grin, I have to look away and laugh!
She is also blowing raspberries after I spoon in her food. That gets to be real messy. She's a girl who likes to eat, so she must not be too hungry these days. I'm guessing this is all pretty normal. Maybe I should wait to feed her a half hour later to see if that helps.
Oh, and speaking of O's--we bought some of those Happy Baby melt-in-your-mouth O's. They have been a lifesaver! We had been using these teething biscuits but I've been scared to death that she'd choke on them. (It does recommend on the box that it's for 8 months and older). So, when I discovered these O's, we tried it. She loves them, and it keeps her occupied for a lengthy time! RT and I have been able to sit down for a meal together, and I am able to make dinner by putting her in the high chair while she nibbles on her snacks!

What are you looking at?


Ha! Ha! Ha!

Oops...Mommy doesn't look too happy.

Blueberries for Sal, Blueberries for P!


Need I say more?

8-Month Milestone




Another month has crept by and our little girl's personality is emerging very strongly. We notice some traits about her and often those observations are confirmed by Anne, her daycare provider. She will go after "her" toys. Very possessive. We don't notice this at home since she's the only baby. Right now she's the oldest at daycare and has been dubbed the "Queen of the Pond".
Some of her milestones include:
standing all the time (at times letting go)
walking along the sofa
babbling ba-ba, da-da
big enough to sit in a shopping cart
her two front teeth have come in
saying the sound "esss" a lot
increasing her solid intake, less milk
more aware of mommy & daddy
laughs at our funny faces and sounds
more feisty in general
crawling quickly across the floor
in the last day or so, she's been making this high-pitched squeal

She has a lot of energy and stamina! It's going to be tough keeping up with her once she starts walking. I hope that I have the strength and stamina when that happens.

She's so fun, and we absolutely love it when she recognizes us and smiles. It just melts your heart!

Going Going Going

I'm sure I've said it before but as soon as I wake up, I'm always on the go. The only time I can slow down or unwind is usually in the wee hours of the late night. Lately, I've been settling down around 10:30pm and making it to bed between 11:30pm and midnight. Unfortunately, 5am creeps up pretty quickly. Yesterday, as I progressed through my day, I began to mentally record all my tasks even before I made it out the door.
So, this is how my day begins:
Alarm goes off and so do I!
  • Put drops in my ear [fighting an ear infection]
  • Make coffee
  • Unload the dishwasher
  • Prepare baby's bottles for daycare
  • Make breakfast for RT & me
  • Pack lunch
  • Baby wakes up, nurse baby
  • Prepare baby's diaper bag for daycare
  • Feed the dog
  • Change baby
  • Play with baby
  • Take shower
  • Iron my clothes
  • Get dressed
  • Gather all my stuff for work
  • Eat breakfast [cold]
  • Grab coffee and go
  • Drive to work
  • Arrive at work and decompress a little
  • Work, work, work
  • Pick up baby from daycare
  • Drive home
  • Deposit check at the bank
  • Stop by grocery store
  • Arrive home
  • Carry everything into the house
  • Get mail
  • Grab garbage, recycle cans
  • Greet dog
  • Play with baby
  • Unpack bottles
  • Wash bottles
  • Change baby
  • Prepare baby's food
  • Feed baby
  • Bathe baby
  • Play with baby
  • Nurse baby
  • Eat dinner
  • Rock baby to sleep
  • Unpack baby's diaper bag
  • Wash diapers
  • Chop veggies & fruit
  • Steam veggies & fruit
  • Make baby food
  • Wash dishes
  • Pay bills
  • Watch tv to unwind
  • Get ready for bed
  • Put drops in my ear
  • Go to bed
All in a day's work! Whew! I'm exhausted just proof-reading this...
We can get a little reprieve when she amuses herself in the playpen.