Turkeys, projects, and TOES!

Sophia is turning 5 months old next week, and she is definitely showing off her personality more and more everyday.  At her 4 month check-up we found out that she is almost 13 pounds now, and it's mostly in her thighs. Sorry sweet pea, but you have some major chunka munka action happening and I absolutely love it!

Dr. O'Brien told us that she's in the 15th percentile for height and weight...guess she's got my genes in those areas.  But she is perfectly healthy, and we were told we could start feeding her oatmeal from a spoon!  I was so excited to give her a first taste of solid food!  She, on the other hand, was not as interested.  She spit most of it out and pretty much cried the whole time.  3 weeks later, she's still not a huge fan, and she's still trying to figure out the whole "where's my bottle? I'm hungry" part, but she's getting more used to it.  Next week I'm hoping to introduce some new flavors, most likely starting with sweet potatoes or avocados.  Wish us luck! 

Sophia also found out about a new body part...her toes! And she absolutely fascinated with them.  She's constantly pulling off her socks and trying with all her might to eat them.  Not only are toes fun, but thumbs turn out to be quite practical!  She's learned that she doesn't need a pacifier anymore, and prefers her thumb for soothing.  It is so adorable to watch her find her tiny little thumb and use it to calm herself down as she snuggles with me, ready for sleep. Watching Sophia explore her ever-changing world is the most amazing sight I've ever witnessed.

We celebrated out first Thanksgiving this year with our new addition.  We spent the afternoon with Rob's family, and then headed over to my parent's house for dinner.  I'm glad that everyone got to see her for the day, and she was able to interact with her cousins (or second cousins?) to see some familiar smiling faces.  We are thankful for so much this year, especially our little bug! 

Christmas is right around the corner, and since I am sticking to an extremely tight budget, I have been quite the Do it Yourselfer, if I do say so myself.  One thing I've learned is that baby things are expensive!  So, I've been quite the Pinterest queen these days and I've been able to whip up a few small necessities that we'll be able to use.  My newest creation is a shopping cart seat cover I made with super-cute and soft fleece material.  These things cost at least 25 dollars at the store, and I made this one for about 10 bucks.  I can also re-purpose it as a blanket in the car seat, as well as a cover for the highchair. Who knew I had such a talent! :) Next project to tackle are Christmas gifts.  I'll post some pics after the holiday of course so we don't ruin any surprises.





Well, life is good! I am so happy with where we are in our lives at this very moment, and I couldn't ask for a single thing more.  Loving my wiggly, giggly, rolling, thumb sucking, cereal eating little girl!

Pumpkins, Halloween, and Cool Weather

We have been having so much fun this month!  Fall is one of my favorite times of the year, and we have been enjoying all that it has to offer.  There is a definite chill in the air as we say goodbye to October and welcome a new month of firsts.  It's hard to believe that the holidays are right around the corner and quickly approaching!  People always say that time flies the older you get, and this is especially true once you have children.  Everyday is a new experience for all three of us, and it's easy to get caught up in the daily routine, and the next thing you know another month has flown by.  Some things that have kept us busy in October were: a weekend trip to Coco Key Water Park (Sophia's first "vacation"), Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch, and Sophia's first holiday, and our favorite, Halloween!

Other exciting moments and milestones reached:

• slept from 8pm - 6am (this is still a very new and exciting change. It doesn't happen every night, but we're hoping it remains part of her sleep schedule!)
• can roll on her side and almost all the way over.  If she could just figure out what to do with that silly arm!
• Favorite song: 5 Little Monkeys...it works every time she's having a melt down.
• Favorite toy: Winnie the Pooh 
• cooing and babbling all day long
• grabs and holds onto small toys
• puts hands together
• can hold up her head for 15-20 minutes when doing tummy time
• loves to look at red, black, and white colors, as well as any toy that lights up and plays music
• giggles!!! 

Here are some pictures of all the fun this month! Enjoy!

Pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch

Bundled up at Daddy's Softball game

Just chillin with some pumpkins

Sophia's first carved pumpkin

Scarecrow friends

Some pretty happy dads!

First swim!

Look at all my cool toys!

BFF!

Story time with Grandma Linda

Ready for fall!

Just hangin with my daddy

3 months old, and having a ball!

Sophia turns 3 months old this week, and I feel like we have been keeping her very busy!  We've had trips to the apple orchard, Bears game parties, visits with Grandma and Grandpa, and just yesterday she was Baptized! We have had many new experiences together, and  Sophia is quite the curious little girl!  She really does not want to miss even a second of her life, even if that means forgoing a nap here and there.  She loves to look at everything in her little world, especially faces.  Every morning I am greeted with that beautiful smile that melts my heart.  I never thought a simple smile could bring so much joy and happiness to our lives.  I can't wait until she really starts laughing and giggling!




We started giving Sophia formula this month.  She gets about 2 or 3 bottles a day as a supplement.  I wasn't too excited about it, but the Doctor explained that formula is perfectly fine for her to have.  I was kind of glad to hear this also, because full time breastfeeding was wearing me out,  But you want to be a good mom and do everything you can for your baby, so I did feel guilty as I watched Rob feed her the first bottle.  But as time has gone on, it's gotten easier for me to get used to, and it's nice to know that I can actually leave the house for more than 2 hours without having to rush home to feed a screaming baby.  Sophia actually enjoys this new liquid treat and hasn't had any tummy issues so far.  Best thing about formula is that Sophia is actually sleeping much better at night.  She usually has a 6 hour stretch in the beginning, wakes up to eat for about 10 minutes, and is right back asleep for another 3 hour stretch, up again to eat, and down for another 3 hours.  Hopefully that waking time in the middle of the night will stretch out a little more, so we're only getting up once a night, and then *fingers crossed* we can sleep a whole night without waking at all!!!

She really is changing all the time, and it is so much fun to be her mom.  Here are some things that she can now do or really likes to do at 3 months old:

• Bats at toys on her activity mat
• Grabs and holds rings, fingers, etc...
• Can hold her head and chest up (almost) during tummy time
• Coos and smiles 
• Recognizes faces
• Sleeps in her own crib 
• Loves music and to be sung to
• May be a thumb sucker? But loves her pacifier
• Likes to be outside to feel the wind blow through her hair
• Can sit up (leaning against something) and keep her head up without any support

Here are some pictures of things we have done this month!

Love this chubba wubba!!!!

In the blink of an eye...

The weather has finally been nice enough for us to get outside and enjoy the end of summer. It's hard to believe that it's already August! But that means fall is just around the corner, and I can not wait for some cool air!  We've been taking advantage of these past beautiful days with lots of walks, including a trip to Brookfield Zoo!  I wasn't sure how it would go over, but I think it was a pretty successful trip.  We went with my two best friends, Rebecca and Stefanie, and their little ones, so it was a group event.  Sophia slept most of the time, but I tried to get her in as many pictures as I could with the animals.  Most of them turned out to look like the Travelocity commercials where the Gnome placed strategically in front of famous structures to look like he'd actually been there.  They're pretty funny.  

Giraffes!

I enjoyed spending the day with the whole group and watching my college friends be mommies!  It's so crazy to think that just 5 years ago we were dancing the night away without a care in the world, and now we are married with kids, and in bed by 9:00 on a Saturday night. My, how the times have changed. I'm so glad that the three of us have remained so close, even though we all live about an hour away from one another.  These two girls mean the world to me, and I'm so happy that they are a part of my life. It's nice to know that Sophia will have some friends her age to grow up with.  I foresee many play dates in the future!  Here is a blast from the past...the college years.

At Starbusters skirtin it!

Graduation...we're a little excited!

Tres Amigas for life!

In other news, Sophia is sleeping like a champ!  The past two nights she slept 5-6 hours, and probably could have slept longer if I didn't wake her up to eat.  I couldn't believe it when she didn't wake up after only 2 hours of sleep.  I had to check and make sure she was still breathing!  It was a very nice surprise, and something I'm hoping will remain a pattern. Mommy and daddy definitely appreciate it! 

One Month Old Today!

Happy One Month Miss Sophia! 

We are having so much fun watching Sophia grow and learn new things. I could seriously sit and watch her all day every day and be perfectly content. Having a child has changed my perspective on life, and has shown me how precious life really is.  Sophia is so pure and innocent, and has never had a single toxin brought into her life.  If we could only stay like this forever.  Sweet, small, and happy.

I don't know exactly how much she weighs, but I'm guessing she's put on a good pound!  She is much heavier to hold, especially when she's in her car seat!  I guess I better start hitting up the gym if I expect to carry her as she gets even bigger!  She has grown out of her newborn diapers and a couple of her newborn onsies!  Luckily this happened the day that we ran out of newborn diapers, so we don't need to buy any more! Good timing! :)




Sophia is now getting one bottle per day, usually right before she goes to bed.  This has been a great break for me, and some wonderful bonding time for her and Rob.  The moment doesn't last long between them, because she drinks that bottle down within 5 minutes!  She definitely has her daddy's appetite, and usually eats every 2 hours.  Sometimes we can stretch it to 3, but that's usually if she's been sleeping.




We have had lots of adventures this week! Sophia and I made it out of the house quite a bit, and it feels so good to finally be able to take her out on my own.  We had a couple of lunch dates with some friends, trips to Target and Buy Buy Baby (our new favorite stores), the Farmer's Market in Crystal Lake, Daddy's band practice, and Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We also had some visitors this week, Aunt Rebecca and Baby Griffin, and Aunt Laura.  We have had so much fun doing so many new things.

 New Milestones this week:  

• I can hold my head up for more than five seconds.
• I can focus on objects-mainly faces, trees, and anything black, white, or red
• I can hold my pacifier and bottle (for only a few seconds)
• I love to listen to music and to be sung to, especially jazz music.

Parks, Bottles, and New Best Friends!

Every day that goes by seems faster and faster than the day before. My baby girl is 3 weeks old today, and I still can't believe that it's gone by so quickly! We are all learning new things about each other, and I think we are all finally feeling comfortable with our new lifestyle. Each week, I will try my best to update everyone on all of the new and exciting moments that occur, so stay tuned each week to see what we've all been up to!

A lot has happened this week. I got the okay from my doctor to start driving again, so I no longer feel like we're trapped inside this house, and it also gives Rob a break from being our personal limo service.  We have the freedom to go where we please and it has definitely helped my sanity! I was really nervous to drive with Sophia by myself for the first time, but it actually wasn't too bad.  She slept the whole car ride, and I made sure to go about five miles per hour under the speed limit.  Yep, I'm one of "those" drivers now.

One of our big trips out of the house this week was a trip to Randall Oaks Park.  Rob, Sophia, and I had a picnic in the park, watched the birds, and enjoyed the outside for the first time since Sophia's birth! Even though it was a short amount of time, I really enjoyed this family time together.  Rob and I talked about how much fun it will be when she can run around and play with the other kids (or future brother or sister).

Sophia had her first bottle this week and loved every second of bottle time with daddy! I was a little worried that it would take her awhile to figure out how to use a bottle, but she drank every single drop of her 3 ounces of milk in about 7 minutes! I couldn't believe how quickly she adapted to the bottle! I am so glad that she enjoyed it though, because the look on daddy's face while feeding her was priceless.  He was all smiles and finally felt like he could do something important for his daughter. It was also nice for mommy to have a good four hour break from feeding! We will definitely include this in our bedtime routine!

We've had so many visitors coming to the house in the past 3 weeks, but Sophia finally met her first baby friend, Carly Rose, daughter of one of my best friend Stefanie.  Carly is 6 weeks old and we couldn't wait for the two to finally meet! I'm not sure if either one really noticed the other, but it was fun to take some BFF pictures of the two beautiful girls! I am sure that they really will be best friends as they grow up. It's so much fun to be able to share this experience of new baby girls with such a good friend.