11 Month Accomplishments!

At 11 months, Lydia has filled in all her "firsts" in her baby book. Word for word what I have written in her baby book.

Slept Through the Night: July 25, 2010 (almost 2 months), slept over 7 hours! From then on, Lydia slept at least 4.5 hours at night and then went back to sleep in her bassinet for another 2-3 hours! Yeah!

Smiled: July 15, 2010 - Lydia loves to smile at people. She smiles a lot while being changed or talked to!

Found Your Hands and Feet: 2nd Month - Lydia likes to suck on her fists all the time! 4th Month - Lydia likes to hold her toes!

Laughed Out Loud: 4th Month - Lydia laughs when Daddy gives her kisses and dances with her. She likes being tickled and cuddled.

Clapped Your Hands: January 5, 2011 (7 months) - she claps when really excited and we say "Yeah!" and clap our hands.

Rolled Over: August 31, 2010 (3rd month) - found you on your back twice during nap! October 20, 2010 (5th month) - rolled from back to tummy!

Sat Up: November 29, 2010 (6th month) - can sit for several minutes without support! Can even play with a toy while sitting! March 2011 (9th month) - can sit up on her own from laying down!

Crawled: January 9, 2011 (7th month) - started pulling herself across the floor on her tummy! April 2011 (10th month) - crawls on hands and knees all over the place!

Ate Solid Food: 4th month - Lydia is tasting rice cereal! She likes to suck on French Fries! 9th Month - starting table food.

Stood By Yourself: March 1, 2011 (9th month) - standing up from sitting in the little blue chair and standing for awhile.

Took Your First Step: "cruised" January 23, 2011 (7.5 months) - held onto the coffee table and moved halfway down! March 23, 2011 (9.5 months) - took 3 steps!

Waved Bye-Bye: April 21, 2011 (10.5 months) - waved bye to all of her friends after the Easter Egg Hunt!

Danced: April 2011 (10 months) - dances to all music. She gets excited when I go to turn music on at the center! Dances along with The Wiggles!

Spoke Your First Word: January 2011 (7.5 months) - says "uh-oh". April 2011 (10.5 months) - says "mo" when signing for "more". (March 2011 - signs for "more" by clapping.)

What Have We To Hide?

This past weekend was a blast! We were incredibly busy the entire weekend, and, although it was fun, I am looking forward to this weekend when we have nothing planned (other than a dinner/movie date!).

Thursday:

We had an Easter Egg Hunt at the center for the kiddos. All of the moms (and one dad) came to watch their child hunt for eggs for the first time! The kiddos did amazingly well. One would find an egg, open it, and play with the stickers inside before heading off to get another egg. Lydia found one egg and was done - I had to convince her to get another. Then, one little boy took Lydia's eggs and basket, and filled the basket up to overflowing with eggs! We had a blast! The best part was that all the parents took their little ones home so we were off by 4:00! It was great!

Friday:

Lydia didn't realize that we didn't have to go to work, so she still woke up at 6:30ish. We hung out in our bed with her until almost 7:00. Then, after I took a shower and got ready, we headed off to run errands. We picked up food we needed for the weekend at HEB, went to Best Buy for a new iPhone cover for Brian, checked out Ross and I got a new pair of shorts and Lydia got a princess back pack, and then to Babies R Us to get a baby gate. We then headed home, around 10:30, so Lydia could have some lunch and a nice nap. After she woke up, we went to Home Depot for wood and screws for the baby gate.

Brian's parents arrived around 4:00. Lydia, Karla and I went outside on the porch and played in a bowl of water with spoons and measuring cups. Lydia then had a snack and watched The Wiggles. Brian and his dad worked on putting up Lydia's new play area. Brian grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, so Lydia sat in her swing while he cooked. I got to play the piano (finally!) while I waited for dinner. Lydia ate 1/2 a hot dog and some applesauce, which was great. She then took a bath and went to bed. We played Guesstimation, which is a super fun game. It has (very) random questions and whoever guesses the closest to the number associated with the question, wins! Brian, of course, won.

Saturday: 

Lydia woke up at 6:00, and we hung out in our bed until 6:30. She had breakfast and I got ready for the day. We played in her play area most of the morning. Brian headed off to his dentist appointment at 8:30, and we headed off to The Little Gym at 8:40. We met up with my mom there and they had a blast watching Lydia play at the Gym! Lydia had huge smiles for her teacher, Miss Jenny!

We then went to Bass Pro to get Lydia's picture taken with the Easter Bunny. We had to wait in line for about 40 minutes, and then Lydia cried when the Bunny held her...but the picture still turned out cute! We then went to Chick-fil-a for lunch. Brian and Karla went to Home Depot to get flowers and plants for the pots out in the back yard, while Lydia and I went home to nap, and Al went to Starbucks and Borders.

After napping, we went to the pool! The big pool was cold and Lydia didn't want me to let go of her. We then went in the baby pool and Lydia had so much fun! She loved holding onto the bar and crawling up the steps. When we got home, she played in her play area while I got dinner ready. Halfway through, I ended up stabbing myself with a knife, causing a lot of pain and blood. I ran outside to tell Brian. This upset Lydia, and then seeing me crying upset her more. Karla took her outside so she wouldn't see me crying. Brian got the blood stopped up and my hand bandaged. No need for stitches, thankfully. I got Lydia calmed down and was able to finish getting dinner ready. 

Before cleaning up the kitchen, I put Lydia outside to watch Karla and Brian working. She ended up being carried around by Grandpa Pfeiffer the whole time (which was great to see). We had chicken enchiladas for dinner and Lydia loved it. We watched TANGLED after Lydia was in bed. I love that movie!

Sunday:

Lydia was up by 6:15 and we were tired! We played and hung out until 10:00, when we left to go to Einstein Bagels for breakfast. Church was at 11:45, but we got there at 11:10. We sat in the sanctuary with Lydia until 11:30, when Brian dropped her off at the nursery. My mom & dad, and Leah and Jessie joined us for the service. Lydia only had a good time at Sunday School because Uncle Thomas helped out in her class!

After church, we headed to my parent's house for sandwich ring and deviled eggs. Lydia found 2 eggs at the Easter Egg Hunt in the backyard and was done! The "big" kids got to search for eggs. Some had coupons and dollar bills in them! I found $3 and one coupon!

Lydia napped while we ate home made ice cream and carrot cake. The Pfeiffer's headed off and then we played Banana Grams (very fun) and then watched Lydia play and try walking. Brian and I had leftovers for dinner.

The whole group for Easter Lunch!

Lydia's first egg!

Hunting for more eggs!

Lydia likes to share her eggs.

Lydia didn't want to share with Denzel.

Grandpa held Lydia while the "big" kids hunted for eggs.

The Big Kids with their eggs!

 It was a great weekend! I love long weekends with my family! But, like I said, I'm looking forward to doing nothing this weekend!

I Gave You My Mind Blindly

We had such a great weekend! On Saturday, Brian took Lydia to Gym Class so mom, Leah and I could go to Concordia Lutheran Church's Rummage Sale! It started at 8:30, and we got there around 8:20 - and there was a super long line waiting to get in! By the time we got in, all the good toys (like Little Tikes outdoor stuff, cribs, dressers, etc.) were all taken! Leah was looking for a crib, but managed to get some cute gender-neutral baby clothes. My mom got clothes for Abram, a swimsuit for Lydia, and more toys. I made out with a ton of new summer outfits for Lydia (plus one of those cute swimsuits with the tutu), pants for this Fall, pajamas, and lots of cute shoes! We spent $70 and got a ton of stuff!

The line to get in!

Sunday we went to see Jesus Christ Superstar performed at the Woodlawn Theater downtown. Local singers/actors put on shows there and they're actually really good! I just love JCSS, especially during the Easter season! My little sister, Nellie, watched Lydia and Abram at my house while we were gone. Lydia napped, ate a snack, watched The Wiggles, and played outside. She had a great time with her Aunt and Cousin!

Lydia has been doing so much better with eating table food. She still won't feed herself the table food, but is enjoying trying new things. Today she loved the meatloaf we had for lunch (I was able to sneak some carrots in with the meatloaf), she liked the fruit, but she didn't like the mashed potatoes. For dinner she had our leftover spaghetti from last night, and even tried feeding herself (I couldn't put the food on her tray, she wanted to eat it from the bowl). I'm so excited that she's eating table food now! We're going through baby food jars a lot slower. I still give her Stage 3 fruits and veggies when she doesn't eat enough during meals. She can eat a whole jar of Stage 3 fruit, but not the veggies (fruit is yummier). 

We did two cute activities with the kiddos today that I wanted to share.

Easter Cards:

I wanted the kiddos to make Easter cards to give their parents on Thursday, during our Easter Egg Hunt. I painted one of their feet white and had them stand on construction paper. Then, I painted their thumb white and made their thumbprints into rabbit ears. I cut the foot-bunny out, glued it to cardstock, and put a cottonball for the rabbit's tail. Leah wrote "Some Bunny Loves Me" on the card. Since the kiddos are still pretty young, they needed a lot of assistance with this. We always allow them to paint and draw independently, but for something cute like this, we wanted to "help" them. They like to feel the texture of the paint on their feet (it tickled their toes) and watch their footprint appear on the paper.

Washing Chairs:

We needed to clean the kiddos' chairs, and the kiddos needed to go outside. It was in the 90s today, so we couldn't stay outside very long this afternoon. So, we brought their chairs outside, as well as their outdoor push toys (car, tractor), a bucket of soapy water and some sponges. I put everything in the shade then showed the kiddos how to "wash" their chairs with the sponges. At first, they were more interested in splashing the water in the bucket at each other (while I cleaned the chairs and Leah took pictures), but once the water was dumped out (by one of the kiddos), they started to clean their chairs and toys. This was a great way to keep everyone cool in the heat, and to entertain them while outside. Lydia got soaked because she squeezed her sponge on herself, but it was a great way to keep her cool. The kiddos got a little wet, but not so wet we had to change them when we got inside.
This will be a great activity with Lydia while at home. Just put a bucket of shallow water out on the porch. Provide sponges, cups, spoons, and other toys for her to play with. Also, blowing bubbles while she plays in the water will be fun to! Adding soap isn't recommended if your child will put the water in their mouths. Our kiddos are old enough that they don't do this anymore (we had to take Lydia's sponge away from her). This is a great activity if you're not ready to get the swimsuits out and have a soaking wet child! 

Recall Those Days, Look Back at All Those Times...

We've been struggling with getting Lydia to eat. She eats her snacks just fine - she loves lil crunchies, puffs, crackers, animal crackers, graham crackers, yogurt, etc. - and she loves breakfast - she eats pancakes and French toast sticks really well. But, she's not eating her lunch and dinner! She had started eating two jars of food for meals (one veggie and one fruit) so well, and then started wanted to eat whatever I was eating, so I decided to pay the $20 at the center for Lydia to eat what the other kiddos are eating. She has always been so interested in food, eats snacks all on her own just fine, I thought she'd do great!

However, she has started throwing tantrums during meals. She will take a bite or two of the food, then start to scream and turn her head away from the spoon! I would then offer a jarred food, and she would do the same thing! It wasn't until she got some puffs or crackers in front of her that she would eat something. This stressed me out because I was worried she wasn't getting enough to eat. Since she has stopped nursing and only drinks about 10oz of formula a day, I was worried about her weight gain. This is why I would give her snacks if she didn't eat the food - so she at least had something to eat! But, this was my downfall. Lydia definitely has a personality, and at only 10 months, seems to know what she wants and how to get it. She knew I would give her a snack after meals, so she decided she only wanted the snack!

Well, this week I have started being stricter with her about what she eats. I make sure she gets something she likes for breakfast, but for 9:00 snack, she only gets the same amount the other girls get. I would usually just keep giving her food until she was done, but it's just a snack! Now, I don't give in to her screaming during lunch time. She gets the food that is offered. I will give her a jarred fruit or applesauce if she's not eating the table food right away. Also, I had Brian get her early from the center on Monday and had him give her dinner (mac n' cheese and applesauce). She ate perfectly for him - no tantrums! Leah says Lydia knows she can get away with a lot with me...smart girl.

Yesterday and today she did great at lunch! She had beans and dogs yesterday and ate them all down! She even fed herself a little bit. Then for dinner she had mac 'n cheese with jarred squash mixed in and some jarred fruit. She ate it all! Today she had a quarter of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich and applesauce - yummy! She didn't want to eat her dinner of mac 'n cheese tonight - but she wasn't in a very good mood this evening. I make sure to praise her when she started eating the food and tell her how yummy it is. I think this is helping her because it always makes her happy when she's praised. 

I need to keep track of the meals that she likes, so I can remember them for the weekends and dinner. So far she has eaten:

• mac 'n cheese
• beans and dogs
• grilled ham and cheese sandwich
• cheese pasta with broccoli
• peach and pineapple
• hot dogs

I don't mind if she wants to eat hot dogs and mac n' cheese for lunch, but I want her to start eating what we eat at dinner. She is able to join us for the weekend dinners, since I can have dinner ready by 6:00 on the weekend. This weekend I will encourage her to eat what we're eating. Brian wants her to be like him - eating all kinds of veggies and fruits and foods. Hopefully she's not picky like me!

He Was Bound to Love You When He Heard You Sing

There was a post on my babycenter.com Birth Board about items we bought/received that we never used for the baby. I think I have three categories for this: (1) Things I wanted but didn't need, (2) things I needed but didn't ask for (or know I needed), and (3) things I wanted and needed.

(1) Things I Wanted But Didn't Need:

• Boppy: I thought this would be handy when I was nursing, but it was actually more cumbersome than helpful. And, since Lydia didn't drink a bottle, I never propped her in it. She rarely used it for tummy time or laying in, since I couldn't leave her on the floor or the kiddos would get to her. Maybe if I hadn't been working with other children, I may have used it more. I used her Newborn Lounger way more!
• Shopping Cart Cover: Luckily I didn't spend my money on this, but was I was given one by a friend. Brian and I tried it once and realized that it took way too much time to put on than it was worth, since Lydia usually doesn't last the whole shopping trip in the cart, anyway! And, I'm not a germaphobe, so just sitting her in the cart doesn't bother me.
• Travel System: I really wanted a Travel System, but am glad that my sister gave me one of those strollers that's just the car seat and the base of the stroller. They are so much easier to move around and put in the back of your car! Using an umbrella stroller is a lot easier than the huge Travel System strollers.
• Swing: I asked for one of those "travel" swings, since they're smaller and would fit in my house. Lydia, however, did not enjoy this swing. I also got the one that didn't sit up, just laid down. Lydia likes the big swings in the Church Nursery that sit up. Should have gotten her one of those.
• Swaddlers: I knew the benefits of having your baby swaddled at night and all the special swaddlers they have now a days. But, I'm glad I only purchased one, because Lydia didn't like the swaddlers at night. She liked being swaddled in a receiving blanket during the day, but not in a swaddler at night. She wore the pajama sacks, but nothing that restrained her arms or legs.

(2) Things I Needed But Didn't Ask For (Or Knew I Needed):

• Glider: I didn't think I wanted one - I would just sit on my bed to nurse her or on a couch or chair. But, my in-laws surprised us with one when we got back from the hospital. Now I have no idea what I would do without a glider! I love it! When Lydia was tiny, I would get out of bed and nurse her, then would have to rock her for awhile before she would go back to sleep. Sometimes I would fall asleep in the glider. And, though I know you're not supposed to rock your child to sleep, I still use it to put Lydia to sleep!
• Burp Cloths: I didn't think I would need these, either. I didn't ask for any. My co-workers gave me a few that were super cute and I loved using. And my friend gave me the cloth diapers that make good burp cloths. Lydia spit up quite a bit when she was teensy, so they came in handy! If I had known how I would have liked them, I would have gotten more.
• Pajamas: Now, don't get me wrong, I knew Lydia needed pajamas, I just didn't realize how many! When they're tiny, they wet through PJs all the time! Luckily, my friend gave me her daughter's pajamas, so Lydia had a lot. But, she's outgrowing them and I need to get her more. 
• White Onesies: These came in very handy, but I never thought about them until much later! I should have asked for them and collected a lot! They're great during the winter and to wear under t-shirts!
• Bumpers: I was freaked out about bumpers, because of SIDS or suffocation. But, Lydia has recently started sticking her arms through the bars when sleeping and I was worried that she would get her arm stuck and wake up. So, we went out to get her the "breathable" bumpers and they're working great!

(3) Things I Wanted and Needed:

• Play Gym: Lydia loved her little floor play gym! They're expensive, but she would lay underneath for an hour or so and play and play! We still have it set up and she will play in it every once in awhile.
• Newborn Lounger: The first time I saw it was when I was registering for baby stuff. I loved it! And so did Lydia! She would nap in it (I know, she's not technically supposed to) and just relax in it. Now it's a great pillow that will come in handy when she's older.
• Changing Table/Changing Pad: Technically, I never got a changing table, but what I do have has come in handy. I am using my old desk as a table, with a big changing pad on top. I love that it has drawers to store everything in, and space underneath to put stuff, as well. It's much easier changing Lydia on top of the table versus on the floor.
• Angel Heartbeat Monitor: I know it was expensive, but I asked for it anyway. Thankfully one of my friends gave me this and I love it! I don't know how I would have slept without it! Lydia slept in a bassinet next to our bed for the first 3 months with the heartbeat monitor underneath the small mattress pad. I could barely sleep worrying about my baby, so this definitely helped. If it detected no movement (or heartbeat) for 30 seconds, an alarm would go off. The only drawback is that you have to remember to turn off the monitor when you pick the baby up! If Lydia wasn't such a mover, the monitor would be underneath her crib mattress...but she moves everywhere and the alarm would go off all the time. I know some people complained about false alarms...I never had one...but a false alarm is better than it not going off when you need it to!

Watching The Wiggles

I'm Here, With You, Beside You....

This month's title movie theme is PHANTOM OF THE OPERA! It was my very first Broadway musical, and it is currently the movie I am exercising to. I was able to run 10 straight minutes today - very proud of myself. I just told myself I could run til the end of the song ("Phantom of the Opera/Music of the Night"). I can't believe that movie came out in 2004! So long ago! I also forgot how horrible an actress Emmy Rossum is, but I love Gerard Butler!

I received Lorie Line's new music book in the mail on Monday! So excited!! This book is all her arrangements of modern songs...except "Feed the Birds", but it's still on Broadway, so it counts. I wish I could play Pop music on the piano, but even with Lorie's arrangements, I still don't feel comfortable playing Pop songs. She has "Love Story" by Taylor Swift and "I've Got a Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. I can play them decently, but they don't sound good to my ear. I was immediately able to play "Feed the Birds" (love the arrangement - simple and beautiful), and I'm good at "I Can See the Light" (from TANGLED), and "The King's Speech (from THE KING'S SPEECH). I'm working on "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms" (a song made popular today from TRUE GRIT), and will most likely work on "As Long as I Have You" (from WICKED....but that's not my favorite song).

I was finally able to really play the piano this afternoon. I was able to get off work at 5:00 and Brian surprised Lydia and me by getting home early. After Lydia ate dinner, Brian took her on an adventure (to look at grills) so I could play the piano! Love him! I try to get Lydia to sit and play while I'm on the piano, but in the evenings she's not in a good mood so won't sit for very long. And it's very hard to concentrate on a new song when your baby is crying. I love that Brian took it upon himself to take her out of the house so I could practice my music. I love playing the piano and wish I could do it more often. But, I also love playing with my baby. When she's older she'll let me play more...and then she can start playing! I can't wait to play duets with her!

I finished Jasper Fforde's new Thursday Next book and have restarted the series. I'm still on Book #1 (or TN-1) and am in love with it all over again! I totally forgot some things that happened (despite reading it twice a long time ago) and can't wait to finish it and move onto the next book! I'm reading one of Leah's books at her house (can't remember the name) - simple Chic Lit, which is a nice break when I'm over there. Fforde's books usually require lots of thinking and remembering facts about literature, but Leah's Chic Lit books are easy to read (and sometimes skim), are funny, and fun to read.

Lydia has started crawling on her hands and knees now! She started all of a sudden this past weekend while we were in Austin! She's learning to crawl and walk at the same time, silly girl. She will usually take a few steps every day, and will sometimes start walking on her own (I just have to make sure I'm paying attention and will catch her). She has gotten the other kiddos to start wanting to crawl around, since we praise her when she starts crawling. Lydia spent most of the day with Grandma and Katie, and Cousin Abram. She went to BSF and then Chick-fil-a for lunch. My mom then took her to the park and they went on a walk. Lydia had a blast! She always cries when Grandma comes to pick her up, but always has a blast!

This past weekend I left Lydia at my in-laws' church nursery. She was the only baby there at 8:30am. She cried for 20 minutes before falling asleep! It made me want to cry when I said bye to her and then again when I found out she had been crying for so long! My precious baby. We're leaving her in the 9-12 month nursery this weekend, so we'll see how she does. Hopefully she won't cry the whole time. Although it would be kind of fun to be paged while in church - to see her name on the screens! Lydia needs to work on her stranger anxiety and I need to work on leaving her with other people.