This is what 8.5 months looks like

Isabella at a little over 8.5 months, 10/16/09

She likes to tilt her head to one side and gives you a cute smile

She started batting her eyes at Grandma and Grandpa the other day.  She did this for just one day a month or so ago, but out of the blue, without anyone telling her to, she did it again on Tuesday night

She is taking bottles again at daycare! YAY!  I can’t stress how much of a huge YAY that is in our lives.   Jodi had to force her for about a week to take the first bottle of the day, and then the rest would go down fine.  Now she’s drinking all 3 of them without a fight.

While Beto is in school on Tuesday nights, Isabella and I are enjoying going to my parents’ house for dinner.  They get to see each other and spend time together, and I get a little break from being the only one taking care of her on Tuesdays.  We come home just in time for some cuddle time, one last nursing and then bed.

She’s cruising – she will hold on to the wall or the couch and move herself around the room.  She also is getting braver and will try to take steps without holding on to anything.  We’ve had a few falls, but nothing big (yet), and she gets up and just starts trying again.

She’s started to dance/bounce to music.  She has a LeapFrog music table that she loves to stand at, and when it’s in music mode (vs the ABC/123 mode), she starts to bounce and dance.

She LOVES to grab my glasses every chance she gets.  Everything goes in her mouth and she’s started play biting again.  Teeth must be moving again

The minute I walk out of the room, she cries, but she is getting better about it (most days)once she sees I come back.

Last Friday, went to the peds and found out Isabella had her 3rd (maybe 4th) ear infection.  In both ears. Just like her mama – I had double ear infection, bronchitis and probable sinus infection last week too.  I really hope she doesn’t take after me with all the ear infections I had as a child.  We got her (and me) antibiotics and we’re both feeling better.

We let her cry it out a few nights this week, and after one real night of it, her and our sleep got better quickly!  Tues nite/Wed AM she woke up in the middle of the night, I fed her, she fell asleep, I laid her down, she woke up as soon as I laid her in her crib.  Repeat 3 times and the 3rd time she woke up, I gave her a nebulization because she was coughing (from all the crying), fed her, she fell asleep but woke up as soon as I laid her in her crib. I was exhausted (after 2 hours of this) and I put her back down in her crib and went back to our bed.  Beto was up (how couldn’t he be?) and we decided to let her cry it out (since we knew she wasn’t hungry, in pain, etc.) it took her between 30 and 45 minutes, and she conked out.  

I have been exhausted this week because I think I’m still recovering from my cold/infections.  So I started doing her last nursing in our bed and then putting her in her crib.  It seems to be working.  Wed night she slept from 9pm until 1am and then from 1:45 to 5:30am.  She was wide awake at 5:30 though!  Then last night, she slept from 8:15 to 9p, nursed her a little more, and she slept from 9:15pm until 3am, I nursed her and she went back to sleep until 7am!  She and I are BOTH much happier people!

We’ve been reading a lot more books lately, and Isabella will sit still very well for it.  She likes to hold the book herself and lets me just flip the pages.

In other news (and I don’t think I’ve shared this here yet…) we bought our tickets for Mexico for Christmas.  Can we say EXPENSIVE? but definitely worth it to have Isabella spend time with her grandparents, aunt and cousins.  I cannot wait! I’m worse than a kid counting down to Christmas.

It’s started to get very cool here, we’ve had our first hard frost already, and they just started picking corn this week, but I think have only been in the field one day for just a few hours.  I wish it’d stop raining, I know this is very late (and very cold) for them to just be starting to harvest.  Praying they will be able to get in and get it done asap.

We are hoping to take Isabella to a pumpkin patch this Sunday.  It’s supposed to be a little warmer (high 50s and sunny) and I really want to get her a pumpkin and take some pictures in the pumpkin patch.  Beto is busy studying for another test next week, but said he could take a short break Sunday to do this.  We will be so glad when this semester is over – only one more class to go after this semester!!

Productive day!

Well Isabella and I were up at 8:30 this morning while we gave Beto a chance to sleep in since he had been up until 3am studying.  I took some pictures of Isabella trying to get one good enough for her passport, and finally succeeded, thank goodness.  In the afternoon, we ran up to R.F’s post office and ordered her passport, then had a late lunch at the Candlelight and went grocery shopping at Walmart.   I am on a freezer meal kick again (seems to be a fall thing?) and bought myself a new book that just got here yesterday callled Fix Freeze and Feast.  So far  I am really liking it.  I got enough food today to make 4 different recipes, where each recipe makes 3 meals each.  I already have made two of them, and it literally only took me about 30 minutes to throw both recipes together (or less).  So I now have 6 meals ready to be frozen – how cool is that?!  Now tomorrow I just have to clean out the freezer we bought on an auction a few weeks ago.

Isabella went to sleep about 10 but woke up at 11 wanting to eat some more.  I just got done feeding her again and put back to sleep.  I’m tired and it’s late, so that’s it for now.  Hope you all are doing well!

My baby girl is changing so fast

Well my baby girl is just doing so much so quickly. 

She is now saying mama.  Of course she only says it when she’s “whining” – it goes something like mamamamamama while crying for me.   She first said it on Wednesday night when I was trying for hours to get her to sleep.  It is still really sweet to hear :)

She’s pulling herself up to standing everywhere now.  Her favorite place is at the gate between the kitchen and the living room.  She’s gotten a lot steadier on her feet and even tries to let go now and can balance herself for a few seconds on her own.

She moved to her own bedroom this week.  After 3 nights in a row where she woke up right when we tried to go to bed, I decided it was time and the best for all of us to sleep better.  In fact, it has helped.  She is still waking up 2-3 times a night but I have heard her wake up occasionally, cry and then soothe herself back to sleep.  We are keeping it dark in her room on purpose though so she can’t see we aren’t there.  This has been coupled though with her going to bed later and later.  The last few nights she hasn’t been in bed until after 10.  This is after we were doing really well with an early bed time between 8:30 and 9pm.  I think that’ll work itself out though, and she isn’t whiny or anything, basically just wants to play quietly on the floor a while longer before bed, so I’ve let her.

She and I both have had another little cold this week, but we’re both starting to feel better thankfully.

She has started waving bye bye now.  The first time she really did it was Wednesday with my dad – he was waving at her and she started waving back.  It’s so cute!

Tomorrow we’re hoping to go get Isabella’s passport; we have to get some pictures of her that meet passport requirements first though, which is easier said than done.  We tried tonight, but it didn’t work, so we’ll try again in the morning. 

Oh yeah, and our big news is we made an offer on a house here in town today.  We are pretty sure it won’t be accepted though because we made a low offer due to all the updating the house needs.  We’ve estimated a good $30,000 in updates, so we’ll just have to see how desperate the owner’s son is to sell.  (The owners are in a nursing home)  If it goes through, I’ll post more details soon.  We should know by end of day Monday.

I’ll try to update again soon.  Sunday is her 8-month “birthday” so I’m hoping to have some nice weather to take some good 8-month pictures.

Isabella at 7 1/2 months old

Isabella, You are about 7.5 months old (32 weeks, 2 days) right now, and here is a summary of all the things we are enjoying about you!

• You can crawl fast when you want to - i.e. if Mommy's behind you saying she's gonna "get" you :)
  
• You have started kneeling a lot more and looking at things on higher levels.  This means we've had to move things up higher on tables. 
  
• You are very close to pulling yourself up on things.  IN fact Jodi says you pull yourself up on a chair she has, and I've seen you trtying to figure out how to get ahold of the couch to get yourself up.
  
• You're into everything we don't want you to be.... cables are your favorite.  We finally got all but one baby gate up though, so we've ruined your efforts... for now.
  
• You give kisses to Mommy and Daddy, but so far to no one else.  When we ask, we generally get them though.
  
• You've made it through all of the veggies and fruits, except for pears, which we'll start this week. Your favorites are green beans and bananas so far.  We're still not sure if you are allergic to sweet potatoes (it may have been the antibiotics you were on at the time)
  
• Ever since your Abues were here, Mommy has stopped calling you Bella and gone back to Isabella.  I really do like the sound of Isabella better for some reason, and just use Bella when I’m typing your name or feeling lazy ;)  It’ll be interesting to see which you prefer!
  
• Your hair has gotten so long, I have to pull it up for daycare every day or it is in your eyes and bothers you.  We want to give you a trim on your bangs but Mommy is afraid to get scissors near your eyes, especially with the way you are in constant movement.
  
• While Daddy is in class on Tuesday afternoons/evenings, you and Mommy are hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa Dail’s house.  It works out great, we get to spend time with them and they get to enjoy seeing you grow and share in all of the milestones you are quickly hitting.
  
• You were amazed when Mommy took her glasses off last week and acted like you had never seen my eyes before.  You just started at one eye, then the other, and then got your face reallllly really close to my eye, checking it out.  Daddy says it’s because you were just noticing I had blue eyes instead of brown like Daddys (and yours)
  
• You just started batting your eyes (or haciendo ojitos like we say in Spanish) tonight.  Daddy bats his eyes at you and you do it right back.  You are so cute and such a flirt! 
  
• It is obvious how much you adore your daddy.  When he walks in the house after work, you start bouncing and give him such a huge smile.  When he takes study breaks at night, you are thrilled and love to crawl all over him when he lays on the floor with you.  You are turning into a huge daddy’s girl, and we love it!  (Although c’mon baby girl, I’m the one who feeds you, gets up with you in the middle of the night, etc. etc.  You’d think I could at least get as big of a smile! haha! just kidding!)
  
• You are pulling a funny "stunt" this week where you won't eat more than one to 3 ounces the entire day at daycare.  We've tried different bottles even, and nothing makes you eat.  You are making up for it in the  evenings but still worrying Mommy and Daddy….
  
• Our big news this week is that you have slept through the night with only one 3am wake up (to eat) for the past 3 nights.  However we've been giving you Tylenol because something is bothering you, so we aren't sure if that's what's making you sleep (although it hasn't helped in the past).  Tonight we haven't given it to you, and you fell asleep early (at 8:15) but have been up once already, ate some more, fell back asleep and I can hear you crying right now in fact wanting someone to come get you...  This is it for now I guess!

Bella baby, Although we didn’t think it was possible, we are enjoying you even more every day.  It’s so fun to watch you learn and grow.  Sometimes I look at you and you look so small, so defenseless, and I still see the tiny baby we brought home from the hospital, and then other times I look at you and I see glimpses of the little girl you are already becoming.  It makes me sad and proud at the same time.  You are growing up so fast, and even though I am making a conscious effort to enjoy every minute, I still feel like we don’t see you enough or spend enough time with you.  I think that’s the dilemma every working mom/dad faces though, so we just do our best to spend quality time with you and teach you all we can in the time we see you!  Daddy and I love and adore you, Isabella, and we always will.

Seven months old

Bella, You just turned seven months old, and in the past week, you have started to

• Recognize your name when we call you
• Discovered you can bang toys and other things together and they make noise
• Give kisses when we ask you for one – you know the word kiss and are starting to recognize the word ‘besos’
• You know the word eat
• You have started to have a voracious appetite – yesterday for example, you finished a whole pack of Step 1 Sweet Peas, 1/2 of squash and 1/2 of sweet potatoes.  You’ve now worked your way through all the veggies – starting with
• Daddy swung you really fast in your carseat yesterday, and you just loved it.  You are not scared of heights at all, and get thrills out of moving fast.
• You are starting to not fit into your 3-6 month clothes, and have started to wear 6-9 months.  You aren’t getting to wear much of your summer stuff anymore because I had to start to put you in onesies and long pants for daycare because your legs would be like ice when I picked you up because of the air conditioning or the windows being open.  The weather has also started to turn colder, being in the lower 50s at night and upper 60s/lower 70s during the day this past week.
• You have actually crawled on your hands and knees from one place to another about a week ago (I guess you wanting to get something out of the entertainment center was motiviation enough)  but you’ve only done it a few times since then.  Instead you commando-crawl whenever possible.
• You’re not eating much breastmilk at daycare though, having dropped to only 2 oz at a time, fighting with the babysitter anytime she wants to give you more
• You started sleeping one 4 or 5 hour stretch a night for about 3 or 4 days, but it didn’t last long.  You are back to sleeping in 2 hour stretches again, until of course it’s time to get up on weekday mornings when it’s hard to wake you up to go to daycare.  You still are a pretty happy baby when you wake up though in the mornings.. :)
• You are able to get from a sitting position to a crawling position now for the most part without bumping your face like you used to when you first tried.  You’re mastering this skill and it’s fun to see you practice :)
• You are the joy of our lives.  Daddy and I keep saying to each other how big you’re getting and what a happy baby you are.  You make us laugh on almost a daily basis and we love to spend time with you.  As always, we are blessed and we love you now and forever!

A glimpse of Bella at 6.5 months

Bella, You are about 6 1/2 months right now, and here are some of the things that you like to do at this age:

• You are starting to pronounce different syllables – this week we heard “Pa” and “fa”
• You’re becoming increasingly mobile.  If we leave you alone for 1 minute, you are halfway across the living room going towards something new that caught your eye.  You like to crawl around sin a bear walk fashion on your hands and toes now, and last night you were getting frustrated because you wanted to stand up already and couldn’t figure out how to get from your hands/toes to standing.  Daddy and I secretly think by 9 months, you are going to be walking!  Lord help us :)
• You grab at everything that comes in your sight.  You love to “touch and feel” things.
• It cracks you up when Daddy rubs your hands on his cheeks – his 5 o’clock shadow must tickle your hands, we love to hear your giggles.
• Speaking of your giggles, you are just starting to giggle and cackle more and more.  You have a 1000 different laughs but my favorite is your throaty “HA” that you do :)
• You love to touch everything that you are not supposed to – we give you a bunch of toys and you ignore those and go for the remote, Daddy’s book, etc.  You especially love to grab things above your level – like the strap of your diaper bag hanging off the couch, the camera bag strap on the table, books we put on a higher shelf so you couldn’t get them.  You keep us on our toes! :)
• You are now eating carrots and cereal, and will be starting sweet peas soon.  We got some adorable video of you eating carrots the first day, you would take a bite, squeeze up your face like you hated it, and then shiver like an adult does when they eat something they can’t stand.  But now you want carrots instead of cereal.  You still do not like to eat solids in the morning though, we’ll keep working on that.
• You’ve entered the stage where you are cautious about people you haven’t met or people you haven’t seen in a while.  You look at Mommy or Daddy when someone approaches you that is a “stranger” as if asking us how you should react or if they are to be trusted.  If we smile at you, then you usually will give them a smile too but not always! You’re becoming more reserved with your smiles :)
• You’re the apple of your family’s eye.  Abue Don Beto loved to dance with you (and you loved it too!) Abue Celina loved to take you out every afternoon and swing with you on the porch swing, and the two of you would take an afternoon nap together.  Your Grandma Julie lights up anytime she sees you and just loves to watch you learn and grow; she’s also Mommy’s sounding board for any worry I have about you and gives very good advice!  Grandpa Max turns into a softie when you’re around and we catch him lying on the carpet next to you any time he can.  Uncle Todd  still hasn’t held you, but he does try to get your attention and get you to smile at him.  You’re starting to warm up to him.
• You seem to be most used to Spanish nowadays, since your abues were here.  We speak to you in mainly Spanish at home too, just out of habit.  Our hope is that you will be bilingual, fluent in both. 
• You spent your first night in a hotel when we went to Peoria for Danell’s wedding.  It was an eventful night, as we’d brought your pack-n-play with us, put you down to sleep and were getting ready ourselves when I heard a weird noise, looked over and saw you vomiting quietly all over yourself, the pack-n-play and the only pair of pajamas and sleepsack that Mommy had brought for you.  So you also got your first bath with Mommy and in a big bathtub at 11:30pm, and then slept in a onesie in a queen-size bed crossways, with Mommy and Daddy beside you and pillows at your head and feet.  You slept well.  Mommy and Daddy, well not so much.
• You’ve had yet another cold and I took you to the pediatrician yesterday to see what was going on, as you have been coughing at night, not eating as well, have been fussier than normal and just haven’t seemed yourself as much lately.  Plus honestly the cough and congestion have been going on for much too long, and the allergy medicine your regular ped, Dr. Brodd, told us to give you didn’t seem like it was doing the trick.  Dr. Brodd was on vacatoin yesterday, so we saw a new ped, and he thinks you may have asthma like Mommy.  We sure hope he’s wrong, but we are giving you albuterol treatments and Benadryl now for the next few days to help you get over whatever this is.
• You get so excited when your daddy gets home at night.  You swing your arms, kick your legs, and give him huge smiles the minute you see him.  When he goes to take his shower (so he’s not so smelly), you search for him, and are happy when he comes back out.
• Tonight Mommy and Daddy will have their first real childless date just by themselves.  You are going to be staying with Grandma Julie and Grandpa Max, and Grandma is so looking forward to it (she’s been asking to babysit you so we would go out, almost since you were born!)  Mommy and Daddy are looking forward to it too, but I am sure we will miss you and be thinking about you the entire time we’re gone.

If you can’t tell by all of the above, my sweet baby, you are oh so loved!  And we are oh so blessed.

Almost the weekend!

Frustrations

I am so frustrated... I am having trouble getting enough milk to send to daycare for Isabella (not a problem when she stays home with me…!)  and have debated since she was very first born about renting a Lactina (hospital grade) breast pump, but have somehow squeaked by and never wanted to spend the money, since I already spent over $300 on the Pump-in-Style and tons of accessories for it.   But this week ever since Bella went back to daycare, I literally am getting JUST the amount of milk she needs and that’s with adding in at least 2-3 more pumpings and chugging the water.  On top of it, I have dwindled my freezer stash down to next to nothing.  So I’ve been debating again this week whether to spend the money and rent the Lactina again, before resorting to giving Bella one bottle of formula during the day (which I REALLY don’t want to do). 

So I called Illini Hospital yesterday to see if they even had a Lactina available to rent, and was so glad to find out that they did.  I debated all night last night whether to go for it or not, and finally decided that even though it meant spending $45 a month, plus $45 deposit and purchasing a $50 kit (because of course Medela can’t make two of their own models use the same tubing/accessories).  I decided it was worth not having the stress every day of whether I’d get enough milk for Bella the next day.  But then today when I called back to confirm I wanted it and find out when I could pick it up, I find out it was already reserved earlier this morning by someone else... ugh! I am just so frustrated. 

I am praying that the person who reserved it doesn't actually go pick it up... because generally when someone rents a b.p, it’s not just for a day or two, know what I mean?  The hospital is supposed to call me if she doesn’t pick it up, so I can go get it.  If so, then it’s going to be trying to work out when I can get it, since I’m working today.  Otherwise I did at least find one other place that rents it but it’s more expensive, and they don’t rent it by the day like Illini does.  I liked the day option in case I would get it and discover it wasn’t making any difference, then I could take it back early and not spend the entire $45.  Oh well… such is life, right?

It seems like life’s little frustrations are getting to me more and more lately.  I really need to chill out but that’s really easier said than done when I’m getting an hour or two of sleep at a time at night.  I need to just concentrate on my blessings, which I know are so plentiful it’s unbelievable and know that God is in control and has Bella (and my) best interest at heart, and that it will all work out the way it’s meant to.

Weekend Plans

I am looking forward to tomorrow, as we are heading out to Peoria to my friend Danell’s wedding and reception.  We are spending the night down there, and I’m looking forward to some pooltime with Isabella, hopefully sleeping in on Sunday morning, and am hoping to do a little toodling aka shopping around town before heading home Sunday afternoon.  Beto’s got to be back to do chores Sunday afternoon though, so we won’t have as much time as I’d hoped but we can hopefully make the most of the time we have in Peoria.  I miss living there sometimes and it’ll be nice to have more than a one-day hurried visit down there.