Leah 7 Months Old

 Leah JoAnn, you are growing up so fast! Right now you weigh 17 pounds and are 28 inches long. You are still wearing some 6 month clothes, but you are mostly in 9 month and 12 month clothes. You are still in size 3 diapers.

Our big milestone this month is that you figured out how to crawl! Here is a clip of your crawling action at about 6 1/2 weeks back when you were new at it and not racing around the house like you are now.

You initially had some difficulty crawling on non-carpet surfaces, so you developed your own method.

About 3 seconds 3 days after you had crawling down, you started pulling yourself up onto things. The Saturday before Halloween, I came into your room in the morning to get you out of your crib. You were STANDING UP and HANGING OVER THE EDGE looking down at the carpet! I ran to get you before you tumbled right out of the crib. Laid you back down again and you repeated your little trick right away for a video.

Your daddy played with you while I lowered your crib... THAT morning!

Once you had your crib figured out, there was no stopping you!  You started transferring yourself between toys, climbing up on mommy... you even have to stand while playing with your toys (even if it is a sit down toy)!

One morning you were standing at your dinosaur ball popper, when I noticed that you started grabbing your the bead roller coaster on another one of your toys. I didn't think you would be able to do it and skeptically took this video with one hand behind your back (off camera).

A problem that we are having right now with the standing up in the crib (even though it is all the way lowered) is that you stand up in the middle of the night, but then you can't sit back down. It has caused (is STILL causing) some very sleepless nights. We're working on getting back into a sitting position once you have stood up during the day. I hope that you will figure it out soon!

Your daddy introduced raspberries to you a while back, but Grandpa H. introduced this fat tongue thing you've been doing.  You just sit there with your tongue sticking out. It looks so silly!

Now that you are mobile, we've had to put baby gates up. Here you are "pushing" your favorite toy. I use quotation marks because you push it until you are at an angle where you look like you're about to fall on your face and then your feet catch up... most of the time. Becoming mobile has unfortunately resulted in more bumps and falls and cries. :'(

You LOVE chasing Darwin around the house. He is always near us, but keeps his distance. I haven't figured out if he thinks it's a game or he's terrified and unwilling to turn his back on you. It wasn't long after you started crawling that I caught you chasing Darwin up the steps in the basement. You seem to always be one step ahead of me!

You also get into everything help mommy with her chores.

You have developed a love for all things buttons. I wonder where you got that from??? Here you are pushing the button that stops and starts the flow of daddy's salt water aquarium. When you have a goal in mind, you can crawl SUPER fast!

You STILL have yet to have any teeth pop out of those gums! You can see where they will eventually come in, but they still aren't out. I love your little toothless grin though!

A little after you started crawling, you started getting annoyed with pureed food. You used to be such a good eater, but then you started spitting it out or clamping your jaw shut when I brought food to your mouth. I tried some more variety, but that didn't help much, so I went ahead and bought some "Puffs." Puffs are these quick dissolving cereal-like food. You love them! Unfortunately, you can't (or won't) put them in your mouth and I have to feed them to you. In my next batch of baby food, I made sure to leave chunks and you have been happier. I am hoping that your lack-of-teeth situation resolves itself soon because you don't really have the tools for solid food yet! 

You were a tiger for Halloween. We went to library time the morning of Halloween and you crawled around the room making your "dinosaur noises" at toy time. Everyone thought that it was so cute and asked me if I had taught you how to growl like a tiger! I wish I would have gotten it on video! We got to have a little photo shoot before the trick-or-treaters arrived. I'm not sure how much you liked your pumpkin look-a-like/imposter.  You kept on pulling the pacifier out.

After library time, we went to Miss Caitlin's house and you took the LONGEST nap in your tiger costume... in her (clean) doggy bed. I'm pretty tempted to get one of my own if this means you will take longer naps!

Your Grandma S. sent a cute little Halloween outfit that we took pictures in as well. You were more interested in eating leaves than you were in smiling at the camera!

Your Aunt Morgan came for a visit, so we decided to hike up Maryland Heights. I carried you all the way up the mountain... and THIS was the best picture I could get of us together. Being carried up a mountain is rather tiresome I guess.

I captured these two silly faces today while you were playing. I LOVE all of your cute little expressions! ...especially your skeptical one. It reminds me of your daddy! You seem to be understanding more and more each day. Sometimes when you're crying, I think I here you say "Mama" but I'm not sure if you have made the connection that I am "Mama." I've been coaching you plenty, so maybe you'll catch on soon. ;-)

I'm excited to see what things you will be doing by my next month. I love you very much my little Leah. You are amazing!

Leah 6 Months Old

Wow! My little Leah, you are 6 months old... halfway to 1 year old! For the first time, your stats have remained basically the same, but that could be due to the fact that my measurements a month ago were not quite accurate. We had our 6 month checkup today and you weighed 16 lbs. 12 oz. (61%) and were 27.5 inches long (96%). You are still wearing the same size clothes and diapers. I bought a TON of size 3 diapers on clearance (0.15/diaper for Pampers), so you can't grow out of them too quickly!

You continue to LOVE food! You eat everything I put in your mouth whether it's vegetables, fruits, curry.. you name it. Your Uncle Johnny declared that you were "the neatest baby eater ever" because you open your mouth really wide and don't really allow any food to not go into your mouth. (That doesn't mean that I haven't gotten the occasional raspberry with squash speckling my face though!) The last few days, you have started grabbing at the bowl with your food in it and you try to grab any food (even mine) if it is within your grasp. I think you might be ready for some finger foods soon. 

You are getting better and better at sitting up, but you still fling yourself backwards so I have to keep a hand on your back or a boppy behind you. One evening, I put you on your knees and went to do something. When I came back like 5 seconds later, you were sitting up. You have yet to repeat this when I am actually watching though!

Crawling/scooting is coming along. You can scoot anywhere you want and at a decent speed. You get up on your hands and knees and rock back and forth frequently. You do this stance where you have only your hands and feet on the ground with your knees in the air. You have been inching your knees forward and you get one hand forward, but then you end up crashing to the ground and get upset. It will only be a matter of time before you have it down. You are definitely strong enough! You just lack the patience.

The standing position continues to be your favorite. I'll try to sit you in front of a toy and you'll refuse to bend your legs, so you can stand holding onto the toy instead of sitting. We have a push toy that you have taken a few steps while pushing, but you aren't walking along and holding onto anything yet. You've let go of whatever it is you're holding a couple times and stood on your own for a few seconds.

Every time someone wants to hold you, the first thing they say is, "Wow! She's REALLY strong!" Then they follow up with, "Does she ever stop moving?" I chuckle and respond that you slow down a little bit when you're sleeping. This last Sunday, Doug had to work and I was alone, so some DEAR brave souls decided to help hold you. It's like being in a baby holding marathon with you Leah! If you weren't grabbing their face/jewelry, you were turned in every direction opposite from the way they would face you, or bouncing on their lap/out of their arms.  Another baby the same age just SAT on his grandmother's lap. I don't mind (mostly). You are a mover and a shaker my little Leah and you will change the world!

All of this moving takes a lot of energy and you nap pretty well for the most part. You are definitely getting better at sleeping through the night. You were waking up every 2-3 hours to nurse, so I decided to start some sleep training. It stunk and your little lungs got quite the work out, but you started sleeping longer periods of time within three days of starting. You are pretty regularly sleeping through the night 7:30pm-5:30am, nursing, and then waking up for the day at 7:30am. This is an IDEAL day and we still have QUITE a bit of variance, but it's MUCH better than waking up every 2-3 hours like before.

Potty training is going great! (See previous post if you're clueless about this.) The diaper pale doesn't fill up nearly as fast and isn't nearly as stinky. I would say that you go poo in the toilet about 75% of the time and pee maybe 25%. It's really helping to cut back on diapers. It's probably more mommy potty training because I've had to learn to read the signs that you need to go, but I've heard that some infant potty trainers are officially done with diapers by a year old. I'm not counting on it, but that would be a dream! I really think this comfy Bumbo potty seat should get a lot of the credit. We were at a friend's house and you tried her daughter's potty seat and wouldn't go. Comfort is key!

I can see that your fine motor skills are just barely starting to develop. You rake at smaller and smaller things with your fingers and sometimes you are even able to pick up smaller objects. There are beads on this toy of yours and you love feeling them between your fingers. You can also grab your pacifier now and put it into your mouth the right way.

Things that you love... You still love to read Dr. Seuss's ABC's Book with me. These days, I usually read to you while you are sitting on the toilet because it's the only time that you're really staying still, You also LOVE Darwin, our kitty. You smile really big when you see him and have tried grabbing at him a few times, but he gives you a wide berth. You love bright colors... It may just be my imagination, but you seem attracted to the color yellow right now. You continue to love being outside. You love watching people, especially kids! It fascinating to see you develop interests and preferences. Your personality is showing more each day.

Your Grandma H. and I finished your quilt. (FINALLY!) I'm pretty excited about it! Your name is embroidered on the back in the lower right corner. The colors are some of my favorites and it really did turn out beautiful. We are thinking about making some matching valences to go in your room. (This picture below is you in the cradle your great uncle Al made for you with the quilt grandma and I made as the background. You were making raspberries the whole time I was trying to get a picture!)

We just decided to move you into the next car seat. You have adjusted well! This one should last you until you grow out of car seats. I was worried that you would hate it because there are no buggies toys to talk to like on your old car seat, but you have your feet to chew on and I sometimes place some toys on your lap. This last Sunday was kind of a nightmare because there was no place for you to sleep besides my arms. We're going to have to figure something out!

The weather has started cooling down and I have started layering you up. Here's a favorite picture that showcases your beautiful brown eyes! The sweater is awesome. It is a hand-me-down from your Aunt Heather and it actually zips up the back!

You are amazing, my little girl. I love you more and more each and every day. (If that's even possible!) I feel very blessed to be your mommy. 

Thank You, Mom

Let's rewind 12 or so years back... I'm in the height of my teenage years and like most teenage girls, I fought with my mom. I remember this one in particular because of the guilt and shame afterward.

I made my mom cry.

We were getting out of the car after my mom had driven me home from one of the many activities she carted me to and from each day. I was angry because she was "always bragging about me." I still remember the harsh words as they came out of my teenage mouth. "Mom! The ONLY reason you brag about me is because you have no REAL accomplishments of your own!"

Ouch.

Here's a picture of my mom sleeping in the car around this same time period.
She probably had just dropped off one kid and was waiting for the next one to get in the car. 

Fast forward to now.

This week, I was sitting in a group of mommies with babies similar in age to Leah. We were all talking about what our babies were doing and the mommy problems we were having. I didn't realize it until after the mommy I was talking to moved over to talk to another mommy. She wasn't trying to be rude, but I realized pretty quickly that I probably had been talking too much... and probably even bragging. :/

My cheeks flushed red with embarrassment for a brief moment and I silently chided myself - Jen, you need to be a better listener. LISTEN, DON'T TALK! - (This self-talk happens frequently.) I played silently with Leah on the carpet and smiled listening to the other moms in conversation in the room... but I was embarrassed. Then the memory of the argument with my mom resurfaced. 

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I am now just starting to understand what I didn't all those years ago. Being a stay at home mom is a thankless task and your children are your accomplishments. There is no annual evaluation that comes with a shiny star and no raise. Your job fulfillment comes from seeing your child/children progress.

Yes, THEY are the ones scooting forward on their own, but gosh darn it... YOU were the one dangling the toy and changing the diapers and feeding them and bathing them and and...

YES, as a teenager, I was the one that practiced, that worked hard, that made good decisions, etc. BUT, my mom was the one on the sidelines. She stayed up late listening to me talk about my day. She made cookies for my friends. She carted me everywhere I needed to go. She made sure I was fed, clothed, sheltered...

I guess I just want to say, "Thank you, Mom."

...and I'm sorry for all the crappy things I said as a teenager. Leah will probably get me back.

I still need to work on the less bragging and MORE listening. Unfortunately, that's just my personality flaw and it's something that I'll probably have to actively work on for the rest of my life. 

It's just so dang hard when your daughter is as amazing as Leah. ;-) 

Lesson learned learning.

Potty Training Adventures

WARNING: Potty terms will be used in the blog post below. Read at your own risk!

What??

Yes, that's right. I'll start from the beginning...

Leah started sitting in her Bumbo at around 6 weeks. I noticed that each time, I put her in it in the morning she would go poo in it. I thought it was funny and we started calling it her "poopy seat." At the reunion in July, I showed my family Leah's "little trick" and my sister Heather said that it was great and it should be easy to potty train her.

About a month after the reunion, I was bored one day, so I decided to search for Bumbo potty training seats. One came up on Amazon and I read the reviews. In the reviews it mentioned that the Bumbo toilet seat was perfect for "infant" potty training. I posted a link to it on my sister's wall on Facebook and she said that it couldn't hurt to try. I still didn't act on it because the idea of potty training a baby seemed kind of ridiculous to be honest. About two weeks ago, I got bored once again and decided to just go for it and buy the seat. If she didn't use it, fine. She could just use it later when she was ready. No money wasted.

I bought it and it was shipped to me the next day. Love Amazon! I wasn't in a hurry and waited until the evening to even open the box. I put the little seat on the toilet, took off Leah's diaper, and just sat her on it. We read her favorite book, played with some toys, and nothing happened. She was comfy and just kind of hung out on it like she was sitting in her actual Bumbo. Oh well. No big loss. I put her diaper back on her and we went about our day.

The next morning, I put her on it and about a minute after she sat on it, she went pee. I was so excited that I started clapping and I actually scared her. :) I picked her up off the seat, praised her, hugged her, and then put a diaper back on her. I tried periodically throughout the day just randomly putting her on the seat. The next time she actually went poo. I never thought I could be so excited about a bowel movement. It is a sure sign that I have become a mommy. She went about four times that day with just randomly putting her on the toilet.

The next day didn't go as well, so I decided that I needed to study her to look for cues. We've now had the potty seat a week and some days are more successful than others. I never get upset if she has a wet or poopy diaper. It feels like an experiment at this stage. The good thing is that I rarely change poopy diapers. Maybe once every other day. When she poops in her diaper, she gets REALLY upset, like inconsolable, and I have to actually nurse her to calm her down. We haven't had this happen when we are out and about yet. I'm worried I might have to start carrying this seat around. She doesn't really have peeing in the toilet down. If we catch it, it's by luck. I'm trying to figure out what cues she gives before she wets her diaper. Poopy is easy because she usually has gas and I just walk her to the toilet.

Now I read somewhere that doctors say that babies under the age of one do not actually have control on their bowels. All I know is that I put Leah on the toilet and she goes... Most of the time right away. It's really quite unreal.

My main reasoning for doing this is purely financial. I've already cut down on the amount of diapers I've been using by about a third. It's mostly work for me because I'm the one that has to read her cues and put her on the toilet. I've heard of some pretty terrible potty training nightmare stories from parents and I'm just trying to get her used to the potty so maybe it won't be so foreign when it is time to "officially" potty train her. We'll see. This is just my latest adventure in mommyhood.

Leah 5 Months Old

Leah JoAnn, happy 5 months! You continue to surprise me on a daily basis with the new things that you can do. Right now you weigh 17 pounds and are 28 inches long. You are wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes and you just started wearing size 3 diapers.

Our big milestone this last month was trying solid food. You had been watching daddy and I eat during dinner time every night with complete fascination. One night about a week after you turned four months old, your daddy and I were sitting at the table and you were in your Bumbo watching us. We were discussing whether or not you were ready for solid food and then I said, "She probably doesn't even know what this spoon is for!" and I brought it near your mouth. You leaned forward, opened your mouth, and nearly bit the food off my spoon. We decided to start you the next night. :-)

  

I mashed up some avocado and mixed it in with some breast milk. I started with very small bites and you picked it up rather quickly. You loved solid food! It's been several weeks since then and you have tried rice cereal and oatmeal, sweet potato, butternut squash, acorn squash, green beans, bananas, and applesauce. I've been making your food and freezing it into ice cube sized portions, so it's pretty easy to get your dinner ready. I always taste test your food and have actually developed a taste for the different squashes. :-) Your daddy thinks I'm crazy! I'm not sure it's "recommended" but we give you a taste of our dinner each night if there is some sort of sauce. You loved the Indian curry we had last night! You are good at eating your food every night, but you LOVE to try mommy or daddy's food!

You started sitting up by yourself this month with support. I still have to keep a hand or a boppy behind you because you still fling yourself back and have bopped the back of your head more times than I would like to admit. Whenever you are laying on your back, you struggle and try to sit up. It looks like you are doing mini crunches!

We still do tummy time every day and you will lay on your tummy and play with toys for almost 10 minutes on a good day. I thought last month that you would be crawling by now, but you have not put together the different motions. (Whew!) You recently have started scooting backwards, but you do not have forward crawling motion down yet.

You surprised me this month by starting to stand while holding onto things. You've liked to push yourself to a standing position from a very young age, but you always needed help. We have a wooden toy with a bead roller coaster on top that a friend gave to us and you INSIST on standing up and playing with the beads. You always look so grown up when you do it.

You still love your Jenny Jump Up, but you aren't merely standing in it and moving around anymore. You are JUMPING! You have also become increasingly vocal. We call them your dinosaur noises because you're not really making any consonant sounds like mama or dada.  You just like to yell... and sometimes scream which is not the greatest, but I know that you are just experimenting with your voice (and giving daddy a headache).

In order to stay busy, we walk to our local library once a week for storytime and drive to a bigger one with more programs twice a week. We go to a Rhyme, Rhythm, and Tune time with your BFF Brooke which is pretty noisy, but you love to watch all of the excitement. We also do Babygarten classes. Those are nice because they are more developmentally appropriate for you and we get to hang out with babies the same age as you.

You FINALLY have become ticklish to the point where you laugh. I've been waiting for this moment for a while! You used to just squirm and look at me like, "Hey lady, that's uncomfortable!" but now I can get you to squeal and smile. It makes my heart melt!

Each day we try to read a story, and this month I decided to start giving you choices. I put 2-4 books in front of you and wait for you to grab at a book. I always just assumed that you were touching the book that was closest to you, but one day I switched them up and you reached for the SAME book in a different place! I couldn't believe it! Your favorite book is still Dr. Seuss' ABC's and you barely sit still for any other book. You like to help me flip the pages in the books we read. A couple Sundays ago, you grabbed at the hymn book and started turning the pages. Your daddy and I were pretty entertained.

A little over a week before you turned 5 months, we decided to move you into a highchair that hooks on the side of the table. It's nice because you can't break out of it like the Bumbo and I can prepare and cook most of dinner while you are entertaining yourself with toys on the table. Your favorite toy right now is this musical farm themed toy. You love to spin the wheels on it. You always turn your head and look excited when the opening musical sequence plays " Welcome to our learning farm..."

Grabbing things isn't so new anymore. You grab at EVERYTHING! You even like to grab at my face and hair.... and pull! Your accuracy is improving and you can pick something up or even grab at the hanging toys on your play gym and get them on the first try. You are still working on getting your pacifier into your mouth. Speaking of pacifiers, here is a picture of you using one your Aunt Morgan got for you.

We recently tried a sippy cup and you caught on pretty quickly. I let you chew on the tip and put some breast milk it. You got really excited and started grabbing and it and bringing it to your mouth. You usually hold onto it with just one handle which doesn't get it to your mouth so well. It's pretty hard to get much out of those sippy cups anyway with all the spill proofing!

On Sundays, I coordinate our dresses. You are my best accessory! ;-) I sure do love being your mommy! I can't wait to see what you will do this next month!