We had such a family filled week with my mom and sister visiting us for Christmas day and a quick trip to Bay City to see Pat's family. We had all had a great time with lots of new memories. I was a little concerned about Fiona's mood since she is currently trying to learn to eat from a spoon, trying to crawl, cutting new teeth and still fighting her never ending cold. Girlfriend is busy. Her current crawling status is rotating around a full 360 degrees and scooting backward until she gets stuck in a corner or her legs get stuck under the couch! She was so sweet and cuddly and thank goodness she loves sucking her thumb because that appendage gets her through a lot. Patrick was able to have some time off work and we even went to see the new Star Wars movie. The holiday went so fast but we are excited to play with Fiona's new toys and sweet books. She got a lot of cute clothes, some rubber blocks, which she loves knocking down towers we build so she can chew on their edges. She also got a rocking horse and a stuffed bear that repeats everything you say back to you in a chipmunk voice! Michigan didn't have a white Christmas this year, but there is still plenty of winter left for Fiona to wear her snowsuit. We are so blessed to have this happy baby with us to make the holiday season so bright, and blessed to have a wonderful family who love her so much.

Mobility Squirm

I wouldn't say we're that close to crawling, but we have some backwards wiggle movement going on. Fiona can slide backwards until she gets stuck in the corner and makes her struggle face. This makes CeCe pretty uncomfortable so I was amazed when I saw her laying so close on the floor this morning. Fiona officially passed the 7 month mark this week. She holds her hand out and babbles gagaga, bababa and dadada almost constantly (unless she has her thumb in her mouth or is busy holding her bottle herself!). We tried bananas this week with pretty much the same outcome. Just holding it in the front of her mouth, I'm not sure if she actually swallowed any! She still fits into 6 month tops, but has started wearing 9 month bottoms, she has long legs like her mama....cute, but harder to shop for.

The first week at the new daycare went great for Fiona and made my morning commute a little easier (win!) Besides really short naps, the teachers said she did fabulously and was pretty happy most of the day. We've been able to get some longer naps at home lately once we had a stroke of genius and decided to move her upstairs with the sound machine instead of downstairs in the play yard. And aHa, we should actually close her door all the way so CeCe can't get in there to wake her up. Why does it take so long to figure out these little obvious things?!

Holiday Photos

So happy I took advantage of our two snow days last month!

Motherhood

So far motherhood to me is:

Literally not being able to stop kissing those squishy cheeks.

Obsessing over the temperature in the house.

Dancing around the kitchen to keep her from crying while waiting for the bottle to warm up.

Laying in bed at night wondering if I should go in there.

Tip Toe-ing everywhere.

Breaking down and buying something called the Snot Sucker.

Being satisfied with a solid 5 hours of sleep.

Taping the dog's tags together so they don't jingle when she jumps off the bed in the middle of the night (genius, Pat!).

Carrying a lot of extra bags.

Going to Target twice in one day because I got the wrong kind of bottle.

Feeling proud when she lasts all day in the same outfit.

Getting my hair pulled by those tiny fists and getting scratched by those razor blade fingernails.

Being so proud that she can prop up on her arms by herself and at the same time being instantly terrified that she will start crawling soon.

Roasting sweet potatoes for the first time ever. I don't even like sweet potatoes.

Feeling so heartfull when I pick her up from day care and she smiles at me right away.

Being thankful everyday for a healthy, babbling baby girl.

Snow Day

The weatherman was right, it actually snowed the entire day. Patrick finally had a Saturday off and we spent the whole day at home. I made pumpkin pancakes, brought out all the Christmas decorations and ran around in the snow with CeCe. In just one day, all the holiday cheer came out!

Fiona's First Meal

Fiona is over six months now and we finally tried giving her some rice cereal. I really thought she would be all over the cereal because she is very interested in what we are eating now and even groans sometimes when she can't have any, but girl was not having it! We've tried both rice and oatmeal in the soupiest form, but she just contorts herself in every way possible to get away from the spoon. I thought this was going to be so exciting for her, but we will have to keep working at it. I've heard some people putting apple juice in the cereal to make it more appealing? If only she knew I am trying to prepare her for some mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving! She is however starting to hold her own bottle which is very exciting. The last couple weeks I have only been nursing in the morning and at night and have been slowly decreasing the amount I pump. I'm ready to have some aspect of my life back! It's hard deciding to stop breastfeeding because I always want her to have the best I can give her, but I reached my goal of six months and it has just become too stressful which isn't good for either of us.

In other news, Patrick finished the attic and I could not be happier that it is done! I'm going to ignore the fact that he is referring to it as his dressing room...

My mom came up for her birthday and we all went out to lunch with my sister and the boys she is a nanny for. The boys helped her eat that sundae, I think she had a great time with all the kiddos being there :)

CeCe has been attached at the hip the last couple weeks as the weather gets cooler and it's harder to play outside the way we normally do with her. I know she gets jealous of the attention the baby gets, but cooler weather also means longer bedtime snuggles! She has been very good with the baby as she is starting to reach out and touch her fur more and more. I can't wait until she reaches out for a hug!

End of October

We had lots of family time this week! Grandma Marie came during Pat's days off so he could finish some work on the house. All the shutters are now hung and some of the new storm windows are up. Now I just need to start my fall clean up which will probably involve tearing our some eye sore bushes that are detracting from our mint and eggplant color scheme! The days are definitely getting cooler and more overcast, so we're trying to enjoy the nice weather while we can.

We went to Bay City for the weekend and I don't think baby got put down one time! We changed her schedule to six ounces every four hours and the change must have made her sleepy and more cuddly. All she wanted to do was suck her thumb and be held. She is doing great on the new schedule and this means I will only have to pump twice a day at work instead of three times. woohoo! Definitely a small relief since nursing has become very difficult at times.

We were able to make a short visit to see Pat's grandma Audrey. It's so neat to see Fiona reaching out more and wanting to touch everything. I love these little moments of her discovery!

And since it's Halloween week, we couldn't resist playing a bit of dress up with my Raggedy Ann doll. Fiona definitely chubbed up from the last time we had her in these doll clothes...and how cute are those tights?

We're starting to get a few more smiles during bath time and now that Fi is pretty good at sitting, we might have to graduate from the kitchen sink to the bath tub soon. I had her laying on my lap the other day and she sat up on her own using only her core muscles. She still doesn't like using her arms for very much and flips over pretty much immediately when put on her belly so she still has a ways to go before crawling...which I'm OK with...

 I had to run to Target to get some larger bottles and grabbed these adorable Christmas pajamas. I thought it was hard to resist impulse buying before, but it's like 1000x harder to resist baby stuff! 

FriYAY

I'm trying to find all the pockets of time I can just to enjoy the little moments of motherhood and not think about everything on our to-do list before winter comes. I love that Fi starts to laugh at things now, and not just from being tickled and that she is starting to reach for me when I pick her up out of her crib. Nursing has been better this week and I love the little sigh shes makes when she's dozing off. I noticed I have been holding her longer before setting her into her crib at night. Not for her, but for me not wanting to let go.

I have to say how lucky I am to have a husband you can always make me laugh. Even on the most exhausting days, he can crack me right up. Thanks for putting up with me, Pat. Also, you're getting pretty good at the crock pot, keep it coming!

New this week: how did aunt Becci get Fi to sit up like this?

We put Fi in the standing bouncer (with a book under her feet because she is still a little shrimp!). She wasn't quite sure at first, looking like she didn't want to touch anything, but once the lights and music started she was much more interested.

Oh Fiona, you make each day 10 times harder, but 1,000 times brighter.

And those cheeks...nom nom nom

This cross stitch portrait is about the only thing I was able to complete this week.

Let's get this weekend show on the road!

5 Months

I hate to complain, but the last few weeks having been very trying. Fiona's bottom two teeth have been coming in and giving her fevers to send her home from daycare, work has been overly stressful and the house is undergoing a lot of small projects. Thank goodness for grandmas and aunts coming to save the day!

 Fi hasn't been too fussy overall, except when it comes to nursing. If it's not the very first or last feeding of the day, then it is a constant battle. Arching her back and fussing, slapping me and dragging her razor blade finger nails across my neck, biting me are making her too distracted to actually take much milk. She definitely prefers the bottle and lights up with glee when i show it to her. I've really been struggling to keep up with pumping at work and haven't been making enough to put any meat on those skinny minnie arms anyway. I think I finally feel comfortable relieving myself of some of the breastmilk duties and starting to rely more on formula. Hopefully it will ease some stress on me everyone! 

We have had several home projects going on all at one time and the house is currently a disaster. I can't wait to wrap them up so we can have our space back and just relax. I think I have constantly been feeling stressed because I always try to take on too much or it all hits at one time. It's hard for me to sit still sometimes and that is something I want to work on. I need to just take a breath and realize I am already doing enough.

Despite challenges with nursing and napping, Fi has been making new sounds everyday (cawing and growling, mostly) and she started to reach out for things and is doing great sitting and standing with assistance. I've moved her up to her 6 months clothes and she is quickly drooling her way through them! When she is not fussy, she always has a huge smile on her face and is cool to just chill. It's really amazing to watch how fast she learns and discovers things and to see her curiosity grow and grow. Time is flying so fast and I don't want to miss out on any little moment! Motherhood is truly the hardest and most rewarding things I've ever done. Coming home to her little gummy grin is the highlight of every day.
Mom, I am starting to realize all that you have sacrificed to give me everything.

19 Weeks

Loves to suck on her toes, no mind to socks or not.

Is cutting her first tooth, bottom front right (how is this happening already??)

Still only likes sleeping for about 18 minutes at a time during the day.

Has been waking up once in the night, I think this must be a growth spurt thing? I hope!

Can roll over back to belly, but chooses not to.

Can hold her head up longer and use her arms to prop.

Smiles and kicks whenever she sees a smiling face.

Still can't make it through a walk in the stroller without falling asleep. Unless we stop, moving that is.

Loves to lay and cuddle in the big bed while mama kisses her cheeks.

Loves her bouncy chair and putting everything in her mouth.

Has traded spitting up with drooling.

Loves smiling at that baby in the mirror.

Still rocking that sweet baby mullet.

Looking more like her daddy.

We love you little Finny-kins!

xoxo

Roly Poly

Well I was so upset that Fi starting waking up again during the night last week and now I've decided that it was because she was working hard at her new skill, rolling over! I'm so excited for her at this gateway to more feats of strength skills, but I also know I must keep my eyes even more keen to her! And how cute is CeCe watching so closely like a mama bear.

From the looks of these pictures it seems that all we do is lay on the bed and cuddle with baby and doggy. That is exactly what we do. It's becoming my just got home from work ritual. I had to take this picture because Fiona's onesie matched the sheets and now she holds onto and chews the little ears of Sophie the giraffe. Leaps and bounds this week!