7 Month Update

Can you believe that Lydia Patience is 7 months old?! She is 16lbs 3oz and over 27 inches long! I can't believe how big she's gotten! She can still fit in most 3-6 onesies, but usually wears 6 month onesies. She doesn't fit in 6 month pants...she can still fit in her newborn pants! She's got a skinny waist, but long legs, so she needs the 3-6 month pants. She's got a lot of hair that curls when it gets wet and just sticks up all over her head. I have to put it in a pony to control it. She's getting her haircut today or tomorrow so it won't be so scraggly and stick up in the back. She has two bottom teeth and I keep thinking she's getting the two top, but they refuse to come in - they just like to cause her to get a mild temperature and drool a lot!

New things Lydia does:

• She started sitting up unsupported at the end of November. She can't get into a sitting position on her own, but she's really steady when she sits and can get onto her tummy (by accident and on purpose) while sitting. She loves sitting and playing with toys and watching her friends.
• She loves to stand and hold onto furniture. She sometimes forgets that she can't let go, so she will fall over. She has a new play table toy that she loves to stand at! She no longer likes tummy time. I try to get her on her tummy so she might start crawling and moving, but she doesn't like it for very long!
• She loves it when her friends arrive at daycare! She just starts smiling and kicking her legs. As soon as we walk into Leah's house in the morning she gets excited. She loves playing with the toys and watching her friends play. Her friends are good at giving her hugs and kisses and they hand her toys to play with.
• She has started using consonant-vowel combination sounds. She likes to go "mmmmmaa" and will say "na" and "ga". I love hearing her babble to herself.
• She sleeps mostly through the night! She is usually in bed by 6:15 or 6:30 and will sometimes wake up at 9:00 or 9:30 and I will nurse her (if she doesn't wake up I will dreamfeed her). She usually won't wake up again until 3:00 or 4:00, or not at all! Sometimes I even have to wake her up at 6:30 to get to work on time! She will usually take about an hour nap at 8:45 or 9:00 and then another hour nap at 12:30 to 1:30 and about a 45 minute nap at 4:30. On weekends, she will take about a 2 hour nap in the morning and then another 2 hour nap in the afternoon.
• She has started Stage 2 jarred foods. I have given her garden veggies and she loves them, and the bananas. I'm sure she'll love all the new flavors! She loves to eat jarred food and snack on crackers, goldfish, and French Fries. She tries to drink whatever I'm drinking and prefers my cup to her sippy cup.

I love all the new things she does and watching her grow bigger and bigger! It's so exciting when she does something new! She can be so goofy and playful and I love it! She's not much of a cuddler (she moves around too much), but my favorite time is early in the morning when I nurse her and she is still and sweet! Love it!

Ah, Yes, I Remember It Well...

We just finished putting away our Christmas presents, and will start putting away all the Christmas lights and the tree after New Years. It was an amazingly fun first Christmas in our house, and an even more amazing first Christmas for Lydia!

Christmas started last week, on the 18th when Brian's parents and sister came for Christmas #1. They are in Ecuador to be with Brian's sister, Tamara, for Christmas, so they came a week early to celebrate with us. Lydia was up and ready to play by 6:30. We had breakfast at 8:00, then Lydia went down for her morning nap. Surprisingly, she slept 2 hours, so we started opening presents late. Lydia loved tearing and eating the Christmas paper. She would look at her presents for a bit, but then go back to the paper and the bows. The Pfeiffers gave her a Little Tykes swing for outside. Brian put her in it inside and she loved it! She laughed and laughed! We can't wait to have it hanging up on our porch - Lydia's going to enjoy that for a long time! Another cute gift Lydia got was a pair of Brian's old shoes from when he was a toddler! Too cute! 

The Pfeiffers stayed until Sunday. We were able to play games and stay up late Saturday night, then went to church Sunday morning. They are in Ecuador now and enjoying their Christmas with Tamara.

The work week at Family Infant Home Care was easy. We had 4 kids on Monday, 3 on Tuesday, and 2 on Wednesday and Thursday. Leah and I did half days on Wednesday and Thursday. I took the morning shift (6:45 to 1:00) on Wednesday, and of course Leah was able to get off by 4:30 that day. I took the afternoon shift on Thursday, and didn't finish until 6:00! Oh well! Brian and I went to San Marcos on Wednesday to get gifts from Colloquium. Then we stopped off at Marketplace Theatre (where I used to work) to chat with our friend Darla and her two boys. Then we headed to Rolling Oaks Mall to finish up Christmas shopping. Thursday we dropped Lydia off with my parents then went to see UNSTOPPABLE (with Denzel Washington) - it was really good! Then, I went to work, and after that we dropped Lydia off again with my parents to go to Maggianos for our date night. It was pretty good, though we both like Olive Garden better.

Friday we spent most of the morning in bed, relaxing. Lydia woke up at 6:00 and watched The Wiggles Christmas show on my iPhone while Brian and I dozed. She then took a nap from 8:00 to 9:00 with us, which was nice. We stayed in the house until it stopped raining, then headed to Barnes & Noble so I could get two new books, then over to my parents house. Lydia did really well during the Christmas Eve service at church (she was very quiet, though wiggly), and slept while we drove around looking at Christmas lights.

Our Christmas #2 was at 6:30am Saturday. We opened up our stockings and present from Santa (I got SOUND OF MUSIC on DVD), then our presents from each other. It was so nice just opening presents with the three of us there, loved it! Lydia took a 2 hour morning nap, so I did, too. Then we headed over to my parents to have Christmas #3. Lydia got the cutest little chair from my parents! And a cute little rocking pony from Aunt Nellie!

All in all, it was a successful, fun 2010 Christmas! I can't wait until New Years!

This Story is About A Little Girl

We just got back from a great trip to Georgia for my friend's wedding! We met Leah C. when we lived on Long Island, New York - we were next door neighbors. Leah C. was friends with Rachel B. The four of us then became Leah, Leah, Rachel, Rachel! We have kept in moderate contact since we all left New York (in 2001). We went to each other's high school graduations, they came to my bridal shower (stayed a few days), Leah C. came to Leah's wedding, and now we all went to Leah C.'s wedding! My Leah was a bridesmaid, as was Rachel B., and I played the piano. It was a blast!

This was Lydia's first time on an airplane and I was so worried that she wouldn't do well! But, luckily (I guess), Lydia was up at 6:00 Thursday morning, went down for a nap by 8:30, but only slept until 9:00 - she usually takes an 1.5 nap in the morning. She was very tired by the time we got to the airport around 10:30 and very tired by the time we got on the plane! She slept off and on in my arms the whole way. She didn't even cry when we were taking off or landing! Plus, I actually nursed her in the plane, which was totally un-embarrassing for me.

We drove from Atlanta to Marietta to our hotel (got stuck in traffic) and met up with Leah and Rachel that evening. We went to a "Mexican" restaurant, which was actually decent and had spicy salsa! My Leah went to stay with Leah and Rachel at Leah's house, while I stayed at the hotel with my mom and Lydia. This was Lydia's first time in a hotel. She went to sleep around 8:45 and slept in my bed. I went to bed at 9:45. Lydia was up about every 3 hours and wanted to nurse (not be patted back down) and had a really stuffy nose. The plane ride made her cold worse. She woke up at 5:45 and was ready to play. We played in the little bathroom - sink area so Grandma could sleep, then went down for breakfast at 6:30. Lydia took her morning nap (and I took it with her) at 7:30 and slept until 8:30. We went to the mall and Lydia took her first photo in Santa's lap and didn't cry!

The wedding rehearsal was at 5:00 that evening. My mom took Lydia on a stroller ride all around the church while I stood in for a bridesmaid that wasn't present, since I wasn't able to go through the music that night. The rehearsal dinner was at Nathan's (Leah C.'s new husband) parent's house and it was delicious! Everyone adored Lydia and wanted to hold her. She slept in my mom's arms while chatted and we left around 8:00. Lydia slept a little bit better Friday night, but woke up around 2:30 screaming and crying and didn't fall back to sleep until 4:00. She then woke up at 5:30 but didn't really want to get up and it took me an hour to convince her to go back to sleep. Her nose was bothering her, again, and she was coughing.

Lydia was dressed in her pretty red wedding dress for the wedding ceremony. She was asleep in the cry room the whole time, but then enjoyed hanging out with the bridesmaids while they were taking pictures. The ceremony was beautiful and I played really well with a professional violinist. The violinist was really nice and understanding (and said I played beautifully) and helpful. Leah C. (now Leah F.) was beautiful in her gown and my sister and Rachel B. looked beautiful as well.

The reception was lovely and Lydia loved watching all the little kids running around and even made friends with a little boy who liked to give her kisses! She fell asleep during the loud music and dancing (somehow) but was awake to blow bubbles at the bride and groom. Rachel B. came back to our Atlanta hotel with us, so we had a chance to chat on the way, which was great. Lydia was able to get a pack and play crib from the hotel and slept much better Saturday night (although Aunt Leah said she felt like she woke up a ton of times that night - she's used to sleeping through the night).

Lydia's return flight was really good. She fell asleep across my legs and slept almost the entire way! I am so thankful and amazed at the great job she did the entire trip. If only she didn't have a cold she would have had much more fun! I am also thankful for my mom who was such a big help! I couldn't have made the trip without her!

Thank Heaven For Little Girls

I have been extremely busy the past month. We moved into our new house at the beginning of November and it has been non-stop since then, and it's going to be non-stop until next year!

The house is wonderful! It's great living on our own with all our own space. I still am in the process of decorating the way I want it, but everything is out of it's box and put away. I love that Lydia has her very own room, the computers have their own room, we have a guest room for Brian's family when they come visit, there's two bathrooms, a front room we never go in (unless I play the piano), and our comfy couches from IKEA! Brian, of course, had to buy a huge TV for the living room, while our smaller "huge" TV is in the guest room. I have the upright piano from my mom's house and am trying to sell the electric. Our next goal, for 2011, is to get Brian a new car!

Brian and I have gotten into a good routine in the mornings and evenings. I now get off work at 6:00pm, since I get to work at 6:45am and Leah doesn't come in until 7:30am. This way, I have time to start dinner and get Lydia to bed by 7:00. Brian is good at deciding which meal he wants each night and setting out the ingredients. He will usually take Lydia for a walk or an "adventure" after work (if she's in a good mood) so I can start dinner. Then, when they get home, he gets Lydia in her pajamas and I put her to bed. After that, we try to sit at the dinner table as much as possible and talk about our days. In the morning, we both get up at 6:00. When Brian's done getting ready he will get my snacks and Lydia's stuff together for the day, and get Lydia dressed if she's awake. After dinner we both clean up and it's nice to just hang out with each other.

Lydia is now 6 months old! She is sitting up on her own, eating jarred food as well as "real" food (French Fries, graham crackers, bread crust, and tastes of other foods that we're eating. She likes to drink water from my cup or a sippy cup. She's tried all the vegetables in Stage 1 foods and 2 of the fruits, plus baby yogurt. She has two bottom teeth and I think she's working on her two top teeth. I'm still nursing her about every three hours during the day, but I'm trying to stretch that out to every 4 hours. So far, I haven't found a schedule that works for Lydia and meshes with the center's schedule. She can go longer than 3 hours when she's not with me, of course. She now sleeps through the night! She goes to bed at 7:00, I dreamfeed her at 9:00 or 9:30, and she usually won't wake up until 4:30 or 5:00! And then she'll go back to sleep until 6:00 or 6:30. She takes about 1.5 hour nap in the morning, 2 hour nap in the afternoon, and a short nap in the evening.

We are headed to Georgia for my friend's wedding this weekend. I am not looking forward to going on a plane with Lydia, but am thankful that my mom and sister will be with me. I'm worried that Lydia will scream and scream! She also doesn't like to sit still for long periods of time and is very squirmy. Hopefully she will just sleep! My mom is coming along so she can take care of Lydia during the wedding events. I am playing the piano for the wedding and Leah is a bridesmaid. Lydia and Grandma will get to spend a lot of time together! I know my friends will just love Lydia, but she usually only lets me hold her, so hopefully she'll enjoy them and stay in a happy mood! I also don't know how she'll do sleeping in a hotel bed with me. Hopefully this doesn't create a bad habit!

December has been so busy already, I don't know when I'll find time to do my Christmas shopping! Last weekend, Brian and I had dentist appointments that took us from 11:00 to 1:00 to finish (lots of waiting - at least I didn't have any cavities!). Leah and I then went shopping for wedding outfits. Sunday we went to church, had lunch at my parent's, got a Christmas tree, then went to a community meeting at church. This weekend, I'll be in Georgia. Next weekend is Pfeiffer Christmas - Brian's family is coming to our house to celebrate, since they'll be going to Equador for Christmas. Then the next weekend is Christmas! I  may have time tonight or tomorrow night, or maybe Thursday morning before we leave. I love busyness, but I wouldn't mind some down time!