Babble Baby

Adia had an interesting day. She woke up at 7am after multiple awakenings during the night. My mom was nice enough to take her and let me get a little extra sleep. Apparently they fell asleep on the couch for a couple hours too. It's nice when Adia will go back to sleep like that. When I got up, I took my shower, ate breakfast and then we went on a short walk to get some coffee. While we were walking back, Adia kept trying to grab my cup. I was so worried she was going to burn herself. The cup was so hot I was having problems holding it. Luckily she didn't burn herself though.

When we got back to the house, Adia was being silly. She was sitting on my lap and pounding on the kitchen table. Since it was getting late and I was going to have to drive back to Eugene, we asked Adia if she was hungry. She started babbling like crazy and looking at me like I was supposed the understand every word. I gave her to my mom and made her a bottle. When I held it in front of her face and asked if she wanted it, she grabbed for it and tried to shove it in her mouth. I guess that was a definite yes. She ended up holding it herself. She's really becoming a big girl.


Showing DiDi that she's a big girl
After she was done eating, she took a little snap. It was so cute. She actually woke up happy too, which is a very rare event anymore. Then it was time to drive back. When we put her in her car seat, she started smiling at her octopus. She really loves that thing. She was also talking to it. She talked for the next 15 minutes and then fell asleep. About 10 minutes from home she started talking again. It's wonderful to hear her talk and it's so much better than screaming.

When we got home, she was ecstatic to see Scott. She just kept staring at him and smiling. Shortly thereafter her Auntie Colie showed up too. She was smiles for Colie too. Colie fed her, but Adia kept leaning her head all the way back so she could see me. She would suck a little and then smile at me, then suck a little more. It was hilarious. It would have made an awesome picture.

We then had to go to the store. I carried her in the Bijorn in Costco. She loves staring at everything in there and of course all the people. After Costco, it was Safeway. We thought we'd try the cart this time since she can sit up so well. We have one of those cart covers so we weren't too worried about anything icky on the car and it adds padding. Adia seemed excited in the beginning. She was sitting perfectly and looking around. She had her arms on both sides of the seat, steadying herself. She started to look worried though when we went across the parking lot and the cart started to vibrate. She had no idea what was going on.


Trying the cart for the first time
Eventually she managed to get her feet out of the holes and started chewing on them. She also kept trying to lay down and get comfortable because she was so tired. We had almost brought a blanket in for her and we should have. She would have probably snuggled up against it and fallen asleep. I guess we'll know for next time.


Look, she's got feet
She didn't last the whole shopping trip in the cart. Scott picked her up and carried her for awhile. Then he held her standing in the cart too. By the time we were checking out I had put her back in though. She was too happy about it until the cashier started talking to her. She gave her a bashful smile and sat up straighter. I guess she knows when she's being praised.


Looking noble on her throne
When we got back home, she was super cranky. It was already 6:30 and she hadn't had her afternoon "snap". I gave her a bottle while Scott unloaded the car. Then we traded so I could put all the groceries away. Adia ended up falling asleep for a bit and I was able to make dinner. We weren't able to eat dinner though. Adia demanded her bath at that moment.

She had a wonderful bath though. She was playing with her cups and turtles. She lasted a long time in the tub. Normally she wants out sooner because she's hungry and tired. Eventually she did grab onto the side of the tub though. Scott dressed her while I made a bottle. At first she grabbed the bottle, but after just a few minutes she wanted to stare at Scott. I think she was shocked he was still here. Then she went back to eating. She finished off almost 5oz and fell right to sleep. She's been sleeping since 9:30 or so. I had no problems laying her down and she hasn't started crying yet. Maybe she'll sleep 10 hours tonight. We can dream, right?

An OK Night

Adia woke up about 5 minutes after I posted last night. She was overheating in her sleeper. I totally understand why. It was so hot here last night. I changed her into a cooler sleeper and fed her another 2oz and she was out. She slept until 5:45am, at which point I made her another bottle and brought her into bed with me. I had to fight with her to eat. I have no idea why, but I finally won out. She then fell asleep and we woke up around 8.

It was then jumperoo time. She bounced for quite awhile and I was just waiting for her usual blow out. It seems that everytime she poops while in the jumper, it shoots right out the side and all over her sleeper. When I finally took her out of it, I was certainly checking for the tell tale sign, but nope. I changed her out of her pjs and into a onesie and bib. She was being silly, grabbing her feet and smiling. I had planned on walking after changing her, but she had other plans. She suddenly decided she was starving and had to eat THEN. She ended up falling asleep in my lap. I never did get my walk today.

When she woke up, I took a shower and then ate breakfast. She sat in her high chair and watched me. She didn't have any oatmeal because she didn't seem very interested in food. Afterwards it was time to head to Florence. She babbled for the first 10 minutes and that soon turned to screaming/crying. I was hoping she hadn't had a blow out because she still hadn't gone for the day and she ALWAYS goes in the morning. Within the next 10 minutes all was quiet and she was sleeping. I guess she always has to complain about sleeping before it happens. She slept all the way and only woke up when I opened the car door. At least she woke up with a big smile.

Adia was still sleepy when she saw my mom. She started acting bashful. My mom got to show her off to the other teachers and Adia was looking at them all suspiciously. At least she wasn't crying about it. After spending some time with my mom, we drove up to the high school to visit her other grandma. She was very surprised to see us and also got to show off Adia to the teachers. Adia was still acting suspicious of everyone. Then it was time to leave Adia with her Unky Eck.

Adia was really happy to see him. He quickly chnaged her diaper and got a bottle ready when we arrived. When I got back to my mom's school, he texted me to let me know that they were watching cartoons together. Ahh.. my little couch potato. Later he called because he couldn't get her to stop crying. He wanted to know if it was ok to feed her more. Umm.. of course. So he did and a few minutes later I got another text message, "Big Poopy". I guess she was saving it for her Unky. At least he doesn't seem to mind changing diapers.

When I came back, Adia was lounging on Eric. They were watching cartoons together. I took her back and she was all smiles. She kept rubbing her face against me. I then put her in her activity center. She so desperately wanted to stand. She started playing with all the toys. There's a little teeter totter on the activity center with a lion on one side and an elephant on the other. She was trying to get it to work, but was getting frustrated. I told her she needed to press on the lion, but she pressed on the elephant. I told her no, that's the elephant, you need to press the lion. And what did she do, she pressed the lion. Then I told her to press the elephant. She looked at me and pressed the elephant. She looked pleased with herself. I really wonder how much she understands. It's kinda creepy sometimes.




A little while later her grandpa came home from work. I honestly think her grandpa is her favorite person. She got the biggest grin on her face to see him. He played with her briefly, but he had to make dinner. During dinner she tasted some sweet potatoes. She gave a priceless expression. It was like she was saying, "what the hell did you just put in my mouth lady?" Of course she wanted more though. After a few bites she was over it though. After dinner she got to play with grandpa some more. He had her sitting and then jumping on the table. Eventually she went after his beard. She was in heaven.



Since it was getting late, it was time to go back to my mom's. She had to have her nightly bath. She was laying in the water with her head on my legs and having a blast. I've never seen her kick so much. She was splashing everywhere and smiling huge. She kept moving like a fish. Everything was great until her head slipped off my legs and she went under. I grabbed her immediately, but she was choking and gasping. I felt so bad for her. She looked stunned. Her sputtering quickly turned into protesting babbling. It sounded like she was getting mad at me and I swear she said, "Daddy wouldn't do that." When my mom had her on the counter, drying her off, she started saying, "mamamama". Luckily she didn't hold it against me. We snuggled tight while I fed her and she's been out since 9:45. I hope she sleeps well tonight.

sleep

She slept 9:30-4 and 5-7 last night. Not too shabby. I actually got a little sleep. I woke to her playing with her mirror in her crib. When I walked in, I saw she had turned herself sideways and was kicking the mirror. She gave me a huge grin, which was awesome. It's been a long time since she's smiled at me first thing. Then it was a diaper change and out to the living room. When I was cleaning out her 4am bottle, she kept grabbing at it, so I figured she hungry. She normally doesn't eat first thing. So I made her a bottle and we got comfy on the couch. She didn't seem too interested in the bottle, but eventually she grabbed it and directed it towards her mouth. That's certainly one way to know she's hungry. She ended up finishing it and falling asleep. I fell asleep too and we were out from 7:30-9! Talk about a refreshing nap.

Then she wanted a little exercise, jumping like a madwoman in the jumperoo. She kept making a sound like tarzan. It was so cute. There's also all the babbling that goes with it. When Scott got home, we did our breakfast together. Adia had some oatmeal and seemed really excited. She kept grabbing the spoon and trying to gag herself. I think she ended up with oatmeal up her nose, but she didn't seem to mind. She wasn't as into it as she was last night, but she was swallowing it. Of course she got the oatmeal everywhere so I had to clean her up afterwards. Did you know how hard it is to see oatmeal? She still has some on her forehead that's now dried on.

After breakfast came my shower. She was playing happily in her bouncy chair at first, smiling and babbling, but she never lasts to the end of the shower. She started screaming bloody murder. I got dressed to her screams and then went into the kitchen to make her a bottle. I'm tired of all the screaming so when she gets like that, I wait for her to calm before I pick her up. Within of few seconds of me not being in the bathroom, she was quiet and playing with the hanging toys on the seat. So I went back in, picked her up, brought her back to the couch and fed her. She ended up falling asleep for 30 minutes. It would have been longer if the garbage truck and leaf blowers hadn't woke her. That always seems to happen.

She woke up from that short nap disoriented, but mostly happy. We played on the floor awhile and she started sitting completely on her own. There were no pillows around her and I wasn't behind her. She sat for a good 15 minutes before she toppled over, reaching for a toy. It was shocking. She must have been tired after that because then she had problems keeping her balance. Every time she'd bring a toy to her mouth, she'd fall over.


Going after the tags, as usual.

We also played peek-a-boo. It's one of her new favorite games. She started laughing everytime I said "Boo!" It was so sweet. She can be so silly. Of course, her interest only lasts so long.

She started to get hungry and tired again, so I made her a bottle and she fell asleep in my lap for about 45 minutes. When she woke up she was a little grumpy, but soon gave me a smile. At that point I was hungry so I set her in the high chair while I made myself a sandwich. She was excellent, playing with her toys. She only complained after I took her back out. I guess she was having too much fun. Her complaining didn't stop too quickly though. It turned into screaming. I laid her down on the floor, made a bottle and tried to get her to eat. She fought and fought, but eventually realized she wanted it.

After eating 2oz she was in a better mood. We played a little more and then she started jumping in my arms. I figured that was a clue that she wanted the jumperoo again. I was right. She started smiling and bouncing like crazy.

Shortly afterwards, we woke Scott up. Adia was so happy to see her daddy. She loves him so much. We played in the bathroom while he took a shower. She was smiling at herself in the mirror and being silly, grabbing my hair and face.

Being silly in the bathroom mirror.
It was dinnertime after that. Adia sat in her high chair, but was very unhappy. She screamed almost the entire time. She didn't want anything to do with her oatmeal or her toys. Scott finished his food as fast as he could so he could give her a bottle and some cuddles. She quieted the second he picked her up and then fell asleep in his lap. It was adorable. When she woke up, she was a little cranky, but got sidetracked with The Simpsons. Adia's already a little couch potato or should we call her a couch tater tot. We thought it was the best idea to turn off the TV for awhile.

Scott undressed her in the living room for her bath again tonight. She started rolling around and grabbing her blocks. Once again, it was the only block with a tag that caught her eye. She just loves sucking on tags. It's such a funny stage babies get into. Who would have thought the best toy would be a tag (of course it has to be attached to something). I'll have to find her taggie blanket. I know it's around here somewhere.

She was silly in her bath. She had all the cups floating in front of her and she was splashing and batting away at them. The only cup she ever picks up though is the blue one. It doesn't matter which cup is closer, she only wants to eat the blue one. Then she looked to the side and saw her turtles. She started reaching for them so into the tub they came too. Once again, she only went after the two blue turtles. I guess we've discovered what her favorite color is. Before too long she was signalling she wanted out. She has an interesting way to do this. She leans towards the edge of the tub. If I get her close enough, she pulls herself to standing (I'm holding her stead, of course). Then she just waits there until Scott picks her up. I don't know what she's going to think when he changes schedules and isn't there for bath time.

After her bath she wanted nothing to do with the bottle. She just kept staring and smiling at Scott. I guess she didn't get enough daddy time today. He ended up holding her. She was so happy to have him. Eventually I got her back because he had to leave for work. She looked so upset. Her eyes followed him around the room. When he kissed her goodbye, she kept grabbing onto him. At least she'll get a bunch of daddy time this weekend.

I was able to get her settled not long after he left. She reluctantly snuggled up against me and started eating. Her eyes were wide though. I figured sleep was a lost cause, but I just laid her down. I'm going to be following to bed shortly too. Hopefully she sleeps well again tonight. Mommy needs her sleep.

not so bad

As usual, she's had her moments today. We took a brief 1 hour nap around 7:30am, but she was not going back to sleep once she woke up at 8:30. Scott came home shortly after that and Adia and I got ready for our walk. She was pretty good during the walk. At the very beginning she was arching her back and complaining, but eventually she calmed down. She started to get fussy towards the end too. She was hungry and ready to leave.

When we got back I took my shower. I set her on the counter at first and she started smiling at the cute baby in the mirror. She went from being a total grump to smiles. It's so weird how she can do that. Then I put her in her bouncy seat while I showered. She was fine in the beginning, but she never lasts long in it. She kept trying to eat the tag and was nearly falling out. There's a reason those things have "seat belts". I got a good video of her complaining though. Now everyone will be able to find out what I'm talking about.





After my shower, it was breakfast time again for Adia. I still hadn't eaten, but Adia wasn't taking no for an answer. She ate and dozed briefly on me. Since she wouldn't sleep, I decided it was food time for me instead. I set her in the high chair and made myself some breakfast. She was playing with her toys at first, but become fascinated with what I was doing. I hadn't made her any oatmeal so I thought I'd share some of my yogurt with her. She LOVED it. She made the funniest face with the first bite and kept sticking her tongue out, all covered in yogurt. She did that with each bite, but then would swallow it like a pro. I'm really glad she already liked yogurt. I may have to start buying some just for her, except I'm not too sure how she'd like plain. I guess I could mix some fruit with it though. I think tomorrow we may try oatmeal mixed with applesauce. It's what every one's been recommending.

We then had to drop off the movies. I loaded her up in the car and she was yawning the whole time. I thought for sure she'd fall asleep, but she didn't. We stopped at Target on the way back. She was so dazed while we were in there. It was obvious she was exhausted. When we came home, I gave her a bottle and she slept for almost 2 hours. I was able to lay her on the floor, but she woke up about 5 minutes later. That always happens, but normally I can't even lay her down.


Asleep on the floor, for a few minutes

Shortly afterwards Scott woke up. By then she was in the jumperoo and bouncing like crazy. She was squealing away. Scott started playing peek-a-boo with her. The grin on her face was HUGE. She really loves it when he plays with her.

When I made dinner, Scott gave her a bottle and tried to get her to sleep. It was no use though. However, she was a sweetheart when we put her in the high chair. She started playing with her toys. I also had made her some oatmeal because I thought she'd get hungry seeing us eat. I was so right! She starting watching us eat and kept opening her mouth. She was also chewing on her tiger.

Eating her tiger
She ended up eating the oatmeal like a pro. The only problem is she wants to hold the spoon. She kept grabbing it and got oatmeal everywhere. It was all over her fingers, the tray, the tiger, in her hair and her ears. It was so funny. She really enjoyed it though and got mad when I would slow down.

Yummy!


Just a little mess

After dinner Scott took a shower and Adia played in her crib while I got her stuff ready for her bath.

She didn't know what to play with.

After Scott's shower, they played together again. He would run the blanket over her face while she tried to grab it. She had the biggest smile on her face. When it was time for her bath, he stripped her down to her diaper in the living room and tickled her tummy with his hair. She loves doing this. It's dangerous though because she's great at grabbing hair.

Adia didn't enjoy her bath too much. She was playing with her cups and when she went to pick one up, she got a mouthful of bathwater. Not only is she just learning to drink out of cup, but she certainly wasn't expecting it. She started choking and gasping. I felt so awful for her. Then she let out a huge burp and started crying. She wanted out and was glaring at the cups.

She fell asleep easy tonight. She snuggled up tight, drank 5oz and was out. I laid her down in her crib AND...

10 minutes later she was crying again. As I type, she's laying in my arms, eating again. Hopefully she'll sleep soon so I can too.

no rest for the weary

She was up again at 12:30 and I was so tired, that I fell asleep feeding her. I woke up at 3:30 and laid her back in her crib. Little good it did me. She was up again at 5:30 and fought everything to avoid going back to sleep. Now she's whining and complaining in the jumperoo. She keeps yawning and I know she's exhausted, but she just won't sleep. I don't understand what's going on. I know she can sleep a straight 10. What am I doing wrong? I'm tempted to just do cry it out, except I'll just end up with a hysterically baby.

Save Me

Today was one very LONG day. Adia woke up at 12:30am and I put her back to bed at 1am. She woke up 5 minutes later and I begged Scott to take her. He was nice enough to try to get her back to sleep so I could sleep. She was up again at 5am and then slept with me until 6:30am. When she woke that time I was totally exhausted. Scott said he'd take her until 9am. I slept fairly well until then, but I did wake to her whining a couple times. When I did take her back, she seemed so happy to see me that I thought we'd have an awesome day. I didn't know how wrong I was.

I tried to start the day with the Mommy and Me exercise video, but Adia just screamed or tried to squirm out of my arms. She did like staring at the baby in the video though and every time he'd make a noise, she'd smile. I ended up giving up on that and tried a bottle instead. She fell asleep for a VERY brief period of time. When she woke up, I was starving, so I got the idea in my head to eat while feeding her. It's been a couple weeks since I last tried. This time I would use oatmeal instead of rice. I put her in the high chair, made her cereal and my breakfast and grabbed the camera. She actually looked interested when I started eating so I gave her a bite of the oatmeal. As usual, she stuck out her tongue and looked shocked. I tried another bite on her and she wasn't so quick to react with the tongue. After a few bites she wasn't spitting out quite so much, but she's far from mastering it. At least I now see that there is some hope. She even started to open her mouth when she saw the spoon coming.


Yumm.. oatmeal.
After a little bit she started to turn her head away. I thought I'd try one last bite though, but not of oatmeal. I have her a tiny bit of raspberry yogurt. Once again, the look of total shock, but her eyes quickly lit up. I think she likes yogurt.



There is one hazard of feeding her now that she's blowing bubbles and babbling though. Now she likes to put her fingers in her mouth and babble at me. It makes a HUGE mess, but it's also adorable. So adorable that you can't get mad at her. The oatmeal probably feels good between her fingers too.



The funny part came when I started to clean her up. She had gotten oatmeal everywhere. Partially because she spit it out, but mostly because she had it all over her hands and everything she touched became oatmealed. I went a grabbed a washcloth to clean her off. Boy was she excited, but apparently I didn't feed her enough.


She wanted to eat the washcloth.

After her feeding, she seemed sleep AND still hungry so I gave her a bottle and she slept briefly. When she woke up, she was very cranky. I wanted to take a shower and brush my teeth, so on the counter she went. She loves to chew on the duck and stare at that weird baby in the mirror.



After my shower we went and got the mail. All junk, but Adia enjoyed the breeze and the sun. When we came back in she was tired again. So back to sleep she went, so another VERY brief nap.



She was still hungry and cranky when she woke up. She ended up finishing off her bottle. Not too surprising, but she HELD IT HERSELF! There wasn't much in it, but she was still holding it all on her own. I wasn't helping at all, nor was it propped.


She started whining when she woke, but I managed to make her happy for a little while by playing on the floor. She sat unsupported for a good 15 minutes. There were pillows around her, but she wasn't using them at all to support herself. The funny part though was she didn't even seem to notice that I wasn't supporting her. She was just playing with her stacker and trying to eat the tag on a block. Tags are her new obsession at the moment. If something has a tag, she'll find it and play with it. I didn't remove the tags from any of her stuff because I remembered how much Tanae loved tags. So all of Adia's blankets, bibs and toys have tags still attached. The tag on her bouncy seat kept her entertained for my entire shower today. She was bent completely over and sideways, sucking on the tag. If the seat had been in the living room, I probably could have left her in it for ages.


After playing, she got cranky again and started crying. No matter what I did, I couldn't get her to stop. It was awful and woke Scott again. (She'd been waking him all day) He finally gave up trying to sleep and got up. I handed her off so I could make dinner and he couldn't make her stop crying either. She did become happy for a little bit when I set the couch. I think she liked the vantage point for watching Scott and the TV.


When it was time to eat, we set her in the high chair, even though she was fussing. She stopped immediately and started playing with her toys, while watching us eat. She even stayed happy in the high chair while I cleaned up the kitchen. It wasn't until I got her out of it that she started fussing again. I entertained her for a bit while Scott took his shower, but it was tough. I bounced her on my knee while singing "ride a horsey, ride a horsey". It was on the exercise video and may actually be helpful. She ends up smiling and almost laughing.

Scott started to get her ready for her bath while I collected all her stuff. He standing in front of the bathroom mirror and she was going crazy. She kept patting the mirror and looking like she was playing pat a cake. She has really become fascinated with mirrors. She enjoyed her bath a bunch too. We just added her stacking cups to the bath and she goes crazy. She's too young to pick them up and bang them together or really care that they scoop water, but she certainly like batting at them. We have them all floating around the tub and she bats at them. Sometimes she actually grabs them, but generally she just sinks them.


I figured she'd fall asleep right after her bath. I was SO wrong. She seemed very calm and tired at first, but before I knew it, she was wide eyed and trying to bounce. She even had a stare down with Scott. It was funny, but after he left, she started whining and I couldn't do anything to make her stop again. She didn't want the bottle, she didn't want me to cuddle her, she didn't want to sit in my lap. I couldn't burp her and she didn't want to be on her tummy. She kept chewing on me so I thought she may finally be teething. I ended up giving her Tylenol and she fell asleep within 30 minutes. Hopefully she'll sleep for a while. She needs the rest and so do I.

Motor Mouth

Adia has been talking and squealing non-stop today. It's been crazy. Somedays she's almost silent, but today wasn't one of those days. When I was doing my 30 minutes walk, she was babbling the entire time. Maybe she was telling me all about her dreams last night or what the lights on the treadmill meant. Then, in the shower, she started saying "dadadada". It was so cute. She's been saying that and "bababa" and "lalala" the entire day. She's also been doing a weird squealing, screamy thing. It's really funny.

After our walk, we went to get movies and go to the store. At blockbuster she was extra silly. Because it was a quick stop I didn't put her in the bijorn. I was just holding her in my arms. She kept patting my back, grabbing my face and eventually I started tickling her tummy. She responded with lots of laughter. It's amazing how different babies can be overnight. One day, hardly laughing, the next day, she's a little giggle monster.


She was not happy to be in the car, but loved the grocery store. She kept babbling away and kicking her feet. She's such a goofball. She also reaches at stuff on the shelves or anything I might be holding. I didn't have a list today, but when I do, she grabs it and more often than not, eats it.

She fell asleep before dinner again and when it was ready, she was asleep in Scott's arms on the couch. When he tried to come to the table, she woke up. We put her in the high chair and she was NOT happy about it. She just wanted out and started whining about it.


So DONE with the high chair
Before her bath, tonight, I was eating some ice cream, and as usual, she was watching intently. I gave her a tiny bite and she looked at me like I was nuts while using her tongue to spit it out. I tried again with another small bite. This time she wasn't so quick with her tongue, but some came out again. I told her, "Last bite," and stuck it in her mouth. She hardly let any out that time and as Scott was walking out of the kitchen it sounded like Adia said, "Thank you." It was so sweet. She also opened her mouth each time she saw the spoon coming towards her. She hasn't done that before, so maybe solids really are in her future.

Adia was funny in her bath. She ended up floating on her back with her head on my crossed legs and her feet against the side of the tub. She started pushing off and splashing with a huge smile on her face. I was waiting for the laughter to begin, but she splashed water in her own face before that happened. Then all she wanted was to get out. We also played with stacking cups, but she wouldn't grab at them. I had them lined up on the edge of the tub and she kept batting at them. She ended up shooting 3 of them to the other side of the bathroom.

When Scott got her out and was drying her on the counter, I said, "Hi Adia." She looked right at me and responded with a smile and "Hi!" Her hi sounded exactly like mine. It was shocking. If Scott hadn't been right there I might never have believed she'd said it.

After her bath we did our usual cuddle and bottle. She had finished her 4oz and looked like she was asleep, so I picked her up to lay her in her crib. There was no problem until I started to lay her down and bonked the mirror that hangs on the side of her crib. It rattles, so of course it woke her up. Luckily she didn't wake up crying, but with a smile. I had to take her back to the living room and feed her another ounce before she was finally asleep again. Now she's back in her crib, sleeping soundly. I hope she stays the right temperature tonight. That way she'll actually sleep straight through the night again.

10 straight hours!

Adia slept through the night last night. I put her down at 8:45pm and she didn't wake up until almost 6:45am. I was in shock. The only problem is I woke up every few hours so apparently I need to train myself how to sleep through the night again. When she woke up she was soaked and starving. I brought her back to be with me and she guzzled 3oz and then fell back asleep for a hour.

When she woke again, Scott took her for a couple hours so I could sleep a little longer. Now she's asleep on him. Maybe she'll have a good nap day.

Busy Day

Adia had an interesting day last night. She woke up at midnight and wouldn't go back to sleep until 1am. Then she was up again at 5am. I was so tired at that point that she ended up sleeping on top of me afterwards. She was up for the day at 7:30, as usual with a near blowout. At least when you're cleaning her up after one of those, she is generally cheerful. She kept grabbing her poster and feet. Normally she jumps for awhile in her jumperoo, but she was mad when I put her in it. She ended up drinking 3oz and falling asleep in my arms for a hour.


Looking pretty in her PJs
That's when Scott came home and took her for a couple hours so I could get some restful sleep. While Scott was in the shower, Adia and I played on the floor. I was finally able to get her laughter on video. Granted, the videos aren't particularly great because I used my cell phone and was holding it, while I gave her belly blows. It's the laughter that's important though, isn't it?









Since she was still in her PJ's at that point and it was getting warm in the house, so I stripped her down to her diaper. She always loves to just be in a diaper. She started rolling around on the floor, grabbing her feet. Then we tried sitting for awhile. She's getting pretty good at that. When she starts to fall, she rights herself, but sometimes over corrects and ends up falling to the side. I'm sure she'll have it down soon though. I'm hoping she'll be able to do it by her 6 month appointment. Only 2 weeks to go!

She had been sitting, but fell sideways again.
My mom arrived shortly after that so Scott and I could go to the movies and leave Adia with her. Adia LOVES her DiDi and was smiling huge when she saw her. She was even reaching towards her. That week in Colorado really made sure she was attached.

Playing with Grandma DiDi
While we were gone my mom was able to get Adia to take a hour and a half long nap, on the floor! I wish I was capable of doing that. When we got home Adia was excited to see Scott. She started smiling and reaching for him. I think she was surprised to see him since Adia and I just spent the last two days on the coast.

She loves her daddy
Then came dinnertime at PF Changs, (our new favorite restaurant, and Adia's too). As usual, they gave us a high chair for Adia. Since it was a VERY clean looking high chair, that certainly had the possibility for Adia to sit in it, we decided to try it out. After buckling her in to prevent her from sliding out, she sat wonderfully in it. Scott went out to the car to get a blanket and we surrounded her with it to help keep her up. She did well without it, but once she had it she kept rubbing the soft fleece against her face. And then, out of all things, she fell asleep! It was nice to be able to eat without her sitting in my lap.

Mama's big girl

looking pretty

out like a light
The funniest part though was my fortune cookie. It said, "A pleasant surprise is in store for you." So maybe we'll be getting a surprise soon, as in baby #2. That would be ironic. I'm definitely keeping the fortune just in case. It would be the first thing in the baby book.

Now she's sitting in my mom's lap. She just woke up from one of her "snaps", crying, as she has been doing lately. Of course it's getting close to bath time so she has the right to be cranky.

Early Start

We were up at 6am this morning. Adia also woke up at 1am since she hadn't drank very much before going to bed. She drank 3oz and passed out next to me. She woke me off and on all night, but it's wasn't too bad until about 5am. Then she didn't want to have anything to do with me so I moved her as far away as possible. Before I knew it my mom was waking us up. I am SO not a morning person, but at least Adia is. She was all grins at my mom when she was changing her and putting on her outfit for the day. She was wide awake and playful when we put her in her car seat. Of course she started to get grumpy before too long, so it was a bottle and her chicken and out she went.


Mmm.. chicken.


She's asleep, but notice she's still clutching the chicken.
She woke up when we were almost to Eugene and was all smiles again. Then we dropped our stuff off at my house and I took a shower while my mom played with Adia. Adia LOVES her DiDi. She was sitting on the floor playing with her musical stacker, pulling the rings off and chewing on them. I quickly threw on some clothes and we were out the door to my mom's doctor's appointment. Adia talked up a storm in the waiting room and flirted with the doctor (my doctor too), who thought she was the cutest thing ever. Pretty soon she was hungry again and was back in a milk coma.

After the appointment we did a bunch of shopping with my mom's friend and her son. Adia was pretty good and got plenty of attention. By the time we got back home she was getting a little cranky though. She quickly drank 4oz and we both fell asleep on the couch for a hour. She woke me up by screaming though. She had obviously woke up too soon so I made her more to eat and she slept for another hour and a half. When she woke up though she was still cranky. She rarely wakes from "long" naps happy. It's usually only the "snaps" that she wakes up happy from. She whined and fussed for another hour. No matter what I did, I couldn't make her happy so I ended up leaving her in the jumperoo while I washed dishes. After that brief 10 minute "time out" she was relieved to see me again. We played on the floor until Scott woke up. She was very surprised to see him and greeted him with a grin.

Since he got up later than he normally does, he had to take a shower instead of holding Adia while I cooked dinner. So I sat her in the high chair. She did remarkably well and by the time she started fussing, his shower was over. She also sat there while we ate dinner. When I rescued her from the high chair after we ate, she saw I was drinking from a cup, so she reached for it. She really LOVES to drink out of cups. Because I was just drinking water, I decided I'd share. She placed her hand on either side of the cup and I helped her slowly tip it back. She actually took and couple sips without choking herself. She looked very proud of herself. I have to admit I was pretty proud of her too. She'll have the cup thing figured out WAY before she has the food thing.

After dinner was her bath. Her new obsession is the edge of the tub. She likes to stand in the tub (with me holding on to her) and hold onto the side. She then runs her hands all over the edge. She must like how cool and slick it is. She's also doing most of the supporting herself. I'm there just to make sure she doesn't fall, but I'm hardly needed.

After her bath and drank 3.5oz and then started smiling and laughing at me, with the bottle in her mouth. It was so funny. She made eye contact with me and smiled huge. Then she laughed so I took the bottle out of her mouth. That led to more smiling and laughing. It was so cute. She ended up playing with Scott for 20 minutes since it was obvious she wasn't interested in sleeping at that moment. When Scott got her she kept looking at me. I would smile and she'd give her shy smile and turn away. One of the times she did that she grabbed Scott's face and kissed him on the mouth! It was so funny and out of the blue. Then it was back to grabbing his nose.

Pretty soon it was time for Scott to leave so I got Adia back. She was starting to get tired by then. She finished her bottle and Scott made her 2 more ounces. After he left she's sucked that dry so I had to make her 2 more. She ended up eating 7oz before bed. Hopefully that means she sleeps well tonight.


Ready for bed
Now she's in her crib. I laid her down with no problems. She actually seemed to relax when I did. It probably feels comfortable and familiar in there. I'm really glad she can sleep in there, even though she wouldn't do it from the beginning. I don't think I would have been comfortable not sleeping in the same room with her before this anyway. I guess I had to just trust my instincts and wait until she gave me the cue that she was ready. It will have to be that way for everything. I have to keep that in mind when it comes to solids too because she's still not eating them. I've decided to give her a break for a little while and try again, this time with oatmeal.

Long Day

Adia has a LONG day today. She started it playing with Tanae. She loves to watch Tanae play and Tanae loves to talk to Adia. They're so cute together. Too bad it will be quite a while before they get to see each other for awhile. We took Tanae back to her parents today. Adia and Tanae slept in the car the entire way there. When they woke up, they looked at each other and smiled. On the way back, Adia looked really worried because Tanae wasn't next to her anymore. Luckily she ended up falling asleep. I'm sure she wonders what happened to her. When they're together they really do seem like sisters. It breaks my heart that I can't keep Tanae and make sure she's safe all the time.


Kisses for Adia, from Miss Tanae

And who's larger?

Anyway, before we came back to the house, we stopped at Freddie's and Adia got two new blanket sleepers. One's pink with sheep on it and the other is yellow and covered in rubber duckies. I figured she really needs some more since she'll be sleeping on her own and I don't want her to get cold. Whenever she gets cold she wakes up and the only way I can get her to sleep is by cuddling her to warm her again. We're trying the duckie one tonight at my mom's house and hopefully it works.

After Freddies my mom and I decided to take go for a walk. Since the Bijorn was in the car and Tanae's umbrella stroller was in the house, we thought we might try it out. BIG mistake. Adia started arching her back and trying to get out. Once she was moving she was ok for a little bit, but every time we slowed, she was screaming again. There's a reason she lives in the Bijorn.

Obviously she doesn't do strollers


Happy to be back on mommy
We dropped some stuff off at school, came back to the house, put Adia in the bijorn and headed off to get a couple movies. Adia promptly fell asleep in the video store and stayed that way all the way home and for 45 minutes afterwards. The whole time I had to keep the bijorn on or risk waking her. It was interesting sitting at the computer with her strapped to my chest, head at a cockeyed angle, but at least she was happy. I wish I could have gotten a picture.

She woke up two minutes before her normal bath time and was actually happy. We took our bath, with her being a goofball the entire time. She kept sucking on her big toe. Another perfect Kodak moment, but impossible to take because I was in the bath with her. Afterwards my mom had her wrapped in one of her hooded towels and sitting on the counter. She was staring in the mirror and smiling like crazy. She LOVES to be naked. She's going to be my little exhibitionist. We dressed her in one of her new sleeper sacks and she promptly passed out.


Asleep on mommy in her new sleep sack
She barely drank 3oz before falling asleep for the night. I laid her down at 9:30, in the pack 'n play. Lets hope she lasts the night without getting cold. We have an early day tomorrow. We have to leave for Eugene by 6:45. I hope I can sleep in the car because I know I'm going to end up with a VERY cranky baby.

Last Night

Last night wasn't a horrible night, but it wasn't a great one either. She started in the pack 'n play wearing a footed sleeper and covered with a blanket. She woke up at 1am, crying and FREEZING cold. I gave her a bottle and she slept with me the rest of the night. I guess I didn't pack a warm enough sleeper. Maybe I'll have to bring those sleep sacks when I come to Florence. When she was younger she couldn't sleep in the co-sleeper because she'd always wake up like an icicle so I sorta had a feeling it would happen again.

She didn't sleep too horribly the rest of the night. She woke me once at 6am and it was basically to tell me to get away. She'll sleep in the same bed with me as long as we're not touching. It's pretty funny. She'll push me away. And to think, when she was younger, she used to start off on one side of the bed and end up smashed against my armpit. I guess those days are WAY over.

We ended up getting up at 7:45am because someone made a stinky. It was nasty. She's become so hard to change anymore. I guess she can probably roll back to front, but the only time she ever attempts it is when a diaper change is occurring. Now she's in the jumperoo and reaching the end of her patience. Time for a bottle and she'll go back to sleep for a hour.

The Amazing Chicken

The Chicken WAS in the car. Adia was so happy to see it again. She's such a goof. Then she got sidetracked with her octopus that hangs on the back of the seat. Every time she goes in the car, she looks for her octopus. Once she sees it she smiles HUGE and starts kicking it to make it light up and play music. Anyway, we drove to meet my mom and Tanae at the doctor's office today and the whole way there Adia was talking to her chicken. I think she was telling him all about her last couple days and wondering where he had been.


Miss Adia and The Chicken Reunited
Adia was shocked to see Tanae. It's been a couple weeks and she kept giving my mom funny looks. After meeting we went to Arby's to get a bite. While we were eating, Adia kept trying to grab food off the table. It's become dangerous to eat with her in your lap. She grabs at everything. She's dangerous in the store too. She wants it ALL.
Then I decided, on the spur of the moment, to go back to Florence with my mom and Tanae. After quickly packing we were headed out, with a quick stop at Target on our way out of town. Adia LOVES shopping and was checking everything out while watching Tanae in the cart. Adia didn't get any new toys or clothes, but we did get a Mommy and Me exercise video. I'm really excited to try it out with her. I've been looking for that kind of thing for awhile since I know she wouldn't let me do a regular exercise video without her involvement. I hope it turns out to be fun.
On the drive back to Florence, Adia kept grabbing her feet and eating them. I used to always watch Tanae do that so it was a real treat to see Adia doing it. It's amazing how flexible babies are. Eventually they both fell asleep. Tanae slept the entire way, but of course Adia woke up about 15 minutes from Florence. She started eating her feet and the chicken again. She also enjoys staring out the back window when there are trees on the sides of the road. I guess her vision HAS really improved.


The Amazing Contortionist, Adia Ellen
By the time we got to Florence it was bath time. Instead of a bath, Adia had a shower. I'm not sure she was too happy with the change, but she didn't start screaming or crying either. Her witching hour seems to have disappeared, thank God. I certainly won't miss it. Afterwards she wasn't tired or interested in eating so I put her in the jumperoo and she jumped for 45 minutes. She didn't even want to come out when I finally pulled her out. After 6.5oz and multiple failed attempts at sleep (thanks to Tanae), Adia finally fell asleep. She's now laying in her pack 'n play in the bedroom. Too bad she's reaching the limit on the top level of the pack 'n play. I don't know where she'll sleep here once she reaches 15 lbs. She's only got 1 lb to go.

She did it!

She slept the whole night in her crib! She slept from 9:30-4 and 4:30-7:30. It was awesome. I guess all this time she just needed to be sleeping on her own. I did wake to her crying at 4, but it's only because I was dreaming and didn't exactly realize she was crying. Then she woke me at 7:30 with babbling. She was playing with her mirror. She didn't smile when I looked into her crib. Instead it was more of a "where the hell have you been lady". But she was soon smiling. I'm in such shock that she did it. She fell asleep in my arms at the 4am feeding and when I laid her down, she didn't even move. She really is growing up. Scott said that maybe we'll know that with the next one when they stop sleeping through the night, we'll know it's crib time. I always knew she wouldn't last forever co-sleeping, and I was right. Now worries about the 5 year old that won't sleep alone.
Now she's in the jumperoo and wearing a cloth diaper. The two don't mix. We raised the jumperoo to level 2 yesterday because level 1 had gotten too short. Well, yesterday she was wearing a pampers, today she's in cloth. Now she can't reach the floor so she's bouncing on a pillow. She doesn't seem to mind.
We're going to go for a walk in a little bit. Maybe when I get the bijorn out of the car I'll find her chicken sitting on the seat. It's been missing for the last couple days. Luckily we've been able to sidetrack her with lots of other toys, but it's the best for chewing.

the crib

For the last couple weeks, Adia and I have been having difficulties co-sleeping. She wakes up constantly, thereby waking me up constantly and we were both exhausted. At first I planned just to have her sleep all night in the co-sleeper, but she killed that last night. She woke up at 3am, completely turned sideways. Her head was at an odd angle and she was completely stuck, crying pitifully. So obviously the co-sleeper was out. So I made the decision that she'd have to start sleeping the crib.
I didn't really think much of it today, except she spent two 15 minute periods in it today, just to see what would happen. She ended up playing with toys, totally preoccupied. Then the crying started. She also refused to nap in there. Actually, she refused to nap all day. Amazingly she wasn't too cranky before her bath and passed out shortly afterwards.


Playing in the crib

I cherished every moment while feeding her and cuddling her before laying her down. I didn't think it would be such an emotional moment, but it was. When I laid her down, she didn't wake. It just kind of feels like an end of an era, and I guess it really is. No more co-sleeping all night. My little girl is growing up and isn't entirely dependent on me anymore. I just hope she sleeps well tonight and this really is a solution to our problem. Otherwise, I don't understand why she's no longer sleeping. Nothing has changed. Her routine is still the same.


Asleep on me before laying her down.

Besides the crib tonight, all we did today was practice sitting. I swear she was better at it a couple weeks ago. I surrounded her with pillows, but, of course, when she fell she hit a toy on the way down. That always has to happen, right?


Playing on the floor.

We also walked to get the mail. She loves being outside and enjoyed the small breeze by sticking out her tongue. Then we had dinner together as a family, with her in her high chair. She only fussed a little bit towards the end and otherwise played with her toys.

She also spend a few minutes sitting on the bathroom counter while I got ready for the day. She watched me intently and smiled at herself in the mirror. Her new game is throwing stuff in the sink while she sits there. It can be funny.

How she spends every morning while I put in contacts and brush my teeth.

So here I am, hoping for a relatively good nights sleep. And understanding greatly why parents cry on their children's first day of school.

Unky Eck

Adia got to spend part of her day with her Uncle Eric today. He had to come to Eugene to buy a new phone and decided to drop by and help us out. We've been calling Scott's mom for the last two days to try to get a babysitter and she's been busy. The sad part is we didn't want a babysitter so we could go out, we wanted one so we could clean the house. That's when you know you're a parent.
In the morning, Scott got up with Adia at 5:30am because I was beat. She had already been up multiple times and I needed some good sleep. He had her until 8:30 or 9, when he couldn't get her to stop crying. She needed her mommy. She gave her to me and she was all smiles. Eventually I got her to eat and sleep for a little bit. Afterwards we went grocery shopping where we were stopped over and over by people wanting to see Adia. That always seems to happen to us. Everytime we go anywhere, the grocery store, mall, blockbuster, wal-mart... doesn't matter, everyone wants to ask us questions about her and talk to her to try to get a smile. It's crazy. Luckily she doesn't have stranger anxiety too bad yet, so as long as she knows she's attached to my chest, every thing's ok. They also always comment on her wide, bright blue eyes. I wonder if they're going to change to green, like her dad's or mine. It just seems odd that two green eyed people get a blue eyed baby, but of course genetics aren't exactly cut and paste.
When we came back from the store, Eric showed up and had a bunch of fun playing with Adia. It took her a little while to get used to him, but she soon started smiling. While Eric watched her, Scott cleaned the living room and I ate and then did the kitchen. Eric then had to leave to run a few errands and Scott went to exercise so I was left with a bathroom that needed scrubbing and a silly baby. She jumped in her jumperoo for a bit, but she's never occupied with one thing for long. She ended up on the bathroom counter in her bebepod while I scrubbed the tub. When Scott came back he asked if she had been in a fume hood. No, but the fan was on and now I have a sparkling bathroom.
Then it was dinner time. The greatest part about having her new high chair is that she sits in it while we eat dinner. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to actually eat using two hands. Of course our meals are still rushed because despite all the toys, she still won't sit in it for too long. I'm waiting for the day when she's actually eating solids too and can have table food. Then maybe she won't get as bored.
After dinner it was bath time. She LOVES her baths. It was a hair wash day and since she loves to sit and stand now, it has become increasingly harder to wash her hair. She refuses to lay back. So tonight I had her lay down and float to rinse the soap out of her hair. At first she looked scared, but she soon got very excited. She had a HUGE smile on her face and was splashing with her arms and legs. It was so cute. She's never happy to get out, but a least I have Scott to help me. He dries, lotions and dresses her while I get dressed and make a bottle. Then it's snuggle time on the couch until she falls asleep.
Tonight she fell asleep before even drinking 2oz. Never a good sign. It usually means she's not really asleep, just catnapping. That was the case tonight. She woke up 30 minutes later and drank another ounce before falling asleep again.


Asleep in my arms
Then I laid her down, but 10 minutes later she was crying again. This time Scott took a turn and eventually got her back to sleep. Hopefully she sleeps longer tonight, but I doubt it. She just hasn't been sleeping and I have no idea why. We haven't changed a single thing, but she's gone from sleeping 10-5 and 5:30-8:30 to 9-1:30, 2-4, 4:30-6, 6:30-7:30 or she wakes even more often. Sometimes she just wakes me up to fall right back to sleep. It's really driving me crazy.
So now that she's asleep, I should too.

I forgot to add that she drank out of cup today too. She's a pro at that. She grabbed it to me and tipped it up to start drinking. Only problem was it came out a little fast and she choked. She ended up getting mad.

Day with Daddy

Adia got to spend the whole day with Scott today. He works so much that I'm always worried she won't recognize him, especially since she's started to develop some stranger anxiety. She spent the whole day playing and sleeping on him and you could really tell she was enjoying it. We also went to the mall, where she rode in the Bijorn, and, once again, did not fall asleep. Everyone kept ooing and ahhing over her.
Scott bought an awesome suit today and while it seemed to take forever, Adia did really well. She enjoyed looking in the three way mirror at all the babies. She was smiling huge and nearly laughing. Towards the end she started to get fussy though since she was hungry and we had been gone quite awhile.


She was playing with daddy and I took a few pic. Somehow I just happened to get her with her tongue out. Course she always seems to have her tongue out.

And this is her new obsession, her Chicken. As long as she has him, the world is perfect.

My Little "a"

I started this blog to record Adia's everyday happenings. I didn't keep a pregnancy journal when I was pregnant, for fear something would go wrong. I still regret that I didn't keep one because all those thoughts, feelings and experiences I'll never be able to get back. I know for sure that next time, I'll do my best to keep one. That way baby #2 will have a record of my pregnancy with them. It's one gift I wish I could give Adia, but I can't.
So I've started this blog as a journal of sorts for her. I'll probably keep one in paper for the days when I don't get a chance to get online and post, but I'll eventually type them up to be on here too. I just want to remember all that I can from her early years because one day, she'll be grown and I won't be able to relive it.
Adia's had a busy month. On August 1st she went on her first plane ride to Denver. She was a total doll and slept the entire way. She didn't cry when the other babies on board did, she didn't even wake up when we landed. She was perfectly happy to cuddle up in mommy's arms and sleep. She met her Uncle Paul for the first time, along with her Aunt Amy and cousin Aaron (Big A). She also got to spend time with her great grandma and various second cousins and great aunts. She went to the zoo, had her first trip in a stroller and took her first bath in a sink. It was a fun trip and despite wearing her out, I think she had fun. She was also great on the trip home, even though she didn't sleep. She was awake half the trip, rolling around in my lap, sputtering and grabbing her feet. She ended the flight by watching cartoons on a nice man's TV. She was completely enthralled by it.
Adia has also been attempting to sit unsupported. She's become pretty good at it, but still falls frequently. We always have to make sure there are plenty of pillows nearby to catch her. She also got a new high chair and began attempting to eat "solids". In other words, baby rice cereal. She mostly spits it all out, but we're trying. Some days are better than others.

She's also decided she no longer needs to sleep all night. She wakes every couple of hours, eats a bit and goes back to sleep. It's pretty exhausting and I feel like I have a newborn all over again. I'm hoping this ends soon and she goes back into a longer sleep schedule.
Yesterday we went shopping. Instead of falling asleep in the Bijorn, like she normally does, she was awake the entire time. She loves to people watch AND shop. She grabs clothes off racks and tries to put them in her mouth. It certainly makes things interesting. We also went to PF Changs, where, like every other restaurant, asked if we needed a high chair. It always makes me laugh since Adia is WAY too small to sit in a restaurant high chair. She traded between mom and dad's laps and eventually fell asleep in my arms. She looks like such an angel when she sleeps.
Today has been a very laid back day. She's taken a couple short naps, or "snaps". She started crying when I tried to feed her cereal, but now she's playing with daddy. We're going to go wander the mall soon. She'll hopefully fall asleep in the Bijorn and get a good, long nap.