She likes the pattern:
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Fashionista File: Funky Pants
I bought these pants for Julia for the warm weather of the Spring. I had no idea she'd wear them in February.
She likes the pattern:
She likes the pattern:
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Hold on tight to your feet.
Just when Julia thought her feet couldn't be more fun, she found out she could put them in her mouth. Over the weekend, Robert exclaimed that she had all five toes in her mouth at once. Lately, if she needs something with which to play, I'll just take off her socks. What fun!
She will often fall asleep holding a toy. Today, that toy happened to be a foot:
She will often fall asleep holding a toy. Today, that toy happened to be a foot:
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Babybook: Rolling Over
Little Miss is on the move now. She has officially rolled over (from back to tummy.) I didn't see it, but two nights in the last week, I put her to sleep on her back and found her on her tummy in the morning. It's fun to go in every morning and see where in the crib I'll find the baby. We're definitely moving out of the "stays where we put her" stage.
For the last few weeks, she has been extremely "kicky" in the crib. We didn't put bumpers in her crib, based on recommendations regarding SIDS. I have found her with her feet tangled in the slats of the crib enough times to think about reconsidering that decision.
Julia enjoys kicking the slats of the crib and mattress. She doesn't seem to be angry or upset when she's kicking; she seems to find it fun. Her latest move is to kick the mattress with both feet in unison. It is especially amusing when she is wearing a sleep sack, as the whole bottom half of her little body pounds the mattress. It reminds me of a WWF wrestling move.
I'm amused and delighted, as usual.
For the last few weeks, she has been extremely "kicky" in the crib. We didn't put bumpers in her crib, based on recommendations regarding SIDS. I have found her with her feet tangled in the slats of the crib enough times to think about reconsidering that decision.
Julia enjoys kicking the slats of the crib and mattress. She doesn't seem to be angry or upset when she's kicking; she seems to find it fun. Her latest move is to kick the mattress with both feet in unison. It is especially amusing when she is wearing a sleep sack, as the whole bottom half of her little body pounds the mattress. It reminds me of a WWF wrestling move.
I'm amused and delighted, as usual.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Crazy Jake
There is a standing full-length mirror in our bedroom and every few months, Jake will see the dog in the mirror and try to protect us from him. This morning, he noticed the dog and started to growl at him. It wasn't good enough. He had to stand and move towards the dog. The hackles were up on his back, and he was growling loudly at the mirror. I thought he might cross the line and attack the dog this time, so I had to stop laughing long enough to call him down.
(There is also a dog he discovered in the oven door the other day, and he gave that dog some warning growls, too.)
(There is also a dog he discovered in the oven door the other day, and he gave that dog some warning growls, too.)
Baby Book: Sleep
I don't want to jinx anything by posting this, but Julia has slept through the night for the last 4 nights. Knocking on wood...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Baby Book: Clothing Sizes
Our very tall baby has made the transition into mostly 6-9 month clothing at 4.5 months. I guess this is par for course, as she was in 3-6 month clothing at 2/2.5 months.
I look forward to being the mother of a WNBA superstar.
I look forward to being the mother of a WNBA superstar.
Baby Book: Toys & Motor Control
Focusing on Toys
I remember the first time Julia focused her eyes on some toys. She was sitting in her bouncy seat and looked up at the cow, pig, and lamb mobile. It was very early on, but I can't remember when. Maybe it was 3 weeks? (That's part of the reason for these blog entries. It all starts to blur together!)
Batting at Toys
When we were in Georgia in December, she was in a bouncy seat, and I noticed her batting at toys for the first time. Before that, she really had no interest in toys. Friends with babies around the same age would say that their kids had "favorite toys." Julia just hadn't been interested, so it was fun to see her enthusiastically batting at the toys on the bar above the bouncy seat.
Now, she is really interested in her toys, and she can sit (well, be propped up) in a corner of the sofa and entertain herself with a toy. When I needed to drive somewhere the first week in January, I put a toy back in the car seat with her. During the drive, I heard it rustle and rattle as she entertained herself for the car ride. Amazing!
Pacifiers
Julia really enjoys a pacifier when she is in the mood. If she is not in the mood, she will simply spit it out. She has clear preference for the Nuk pacifiers over the Avent ones. At the very beginning, she never cared for the Soothies, but I know other parents who say their babies LOVED them. It is amazing how a teeny baby can distinguish between pacifiers and have a favorite.
At a couple months, she would bat the pacifier out of her mouth with her little flailing arms. Then, she would get very angry, because she didn't have a pacifier in her mouth anymore. Over the last couple of weeks, she has started to use her newfound motor control to take the pacifier out of her mouth and study it very intensely. She'll turn it around in her hands looking at all sides. Occasionally, I'll give her two pacifiers: one for her mouth and another that she can study.
"Oooh, my hair is sooo soft."
From the early days, Julia liked to have her little head rubbed; it would help her fall asleep. When rocking her, as her eyes were getting heavy, I would trace my fingers over her eyelids and eyebrows. It relaxed her and put her to sleep. R said that he would lightly run his fingertips over her entire head when rocking her, and she loved it.
Around the first week in January, Julia found the top of her head with her own hand, and while nursing, she would rub her hand all over her head, enjoying the softness of her babyfine hair.
I remember the first time Julia focused her eyes on some toys. She was sitting in her bouncy seat and looked up at the cow, pig, and lamb mobile. It was very early on, but I can't remember when. Maybe it was 3 weeks? (That's part of the reason for these blog entries. It all starts to blur together!)
Batting at Toys
When we were in Georgia in December, she was in a bouncy seat, and I noticed her batting at toys for the first time. Before that, she really had no interest in toys. Friends with babies around the same age would say that their kids had "favorite toys." Julia just hadn't been interested, so it was fun to see her enthusiastically batting at the toys on the bar above the bouncy seat.
Now, she is really interested in her toys, and she can sit (well, be propped up) in a corner of the sofa and entertain herself with a toy. When I needed to drive somewhere the first week in January, I put a toy back in the car seat with her. During the drive, I heard it rustle and rattle as she entertained herself for the car ride. Amazing!
Pacifiers
Julia really enjoys a pacifier when she is in the mood. If she is not in the mood, she will simply spit it out. She has clear preference for the Nuk pacifiers over the Avent ones. At the very beginning, she never cared for the Soothies, but I know other parents who say their babies LOVED them. It is amazing how a teeny baby can distinguish between pacifiers and have a favorite.
At a couple months, she would bat the pacifier out of her mouth with her little flailing arms. Then, she would get very angry, because she didn't have a pacifier in her mouth anymore. Over the last couple of weeks, she has started to use her newfound motor control to take the pacifier out of her mouth and study it very intensely. She'll turn it around in her hands looking at all sides. Occasionally, I'll give her two pacifiers: one for her mouth and another that she can study.
"Oooh, my hair is sooo soft."
From the early days, Julia liked to have her little head rubbed; it would help her fall asleep. When rocking her, as her eyes were getting heavy, I would trace my fingers over her eyelids and eyebrows. It relaxed her and put her to sleep. R said that he would lightly run his fingertips over her entire head when rocking her, and she loved it.
Around the first week in January, Julia found the top of her head with her own hand, and while nursing, she would rub her hand all over her head, enjoying the softness of her babyfine hair.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Snow Day
Jake doesn't much care about the weather; he wants to play fetch. Julia was bundled up and made a very cute spectator.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Baby Book: Sleep
A couple of friends and I have talked about the fact we aren't keeping traditional baby books, and our blogs are really serving that purpose. Inspired by reading my own baby book, I'm going to keep some notes about Julia's development. This much detail may bore some blog readers, but that's OK, they can skip these entries and just wait for more pictures. They won't have to wait long! ;-)
Sleep:
Julia's sleeping got more regular around 2 months. I remember being at playgroup before Halloween, and I was so loopy from sleep deprivation that I couldn't string a coherent sentence together. Shortly after that, I started using the white noise machine I bought to drown out traffic noise while living in NYC. Robert had put it in the nursery early on, and I don't know why I didn't try it earlier. I remembered that the white noise had helped our nephew sleep, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It worked well, and that was a turning point in Julia's sleeping.
Around 2 months, Julia was waking about 2 times each night to eat. This was about the time that she gave herself a bedtime. She started getting fussy around 9 pm, and we quickly began to recognize her tired cry. So, we started a nighttime routine that around 8:30 pm: getting her pajamas on, turning on the white noise machine, and rocking her. She responded well to the routine, and we enjoyed having some of the evening for just the two of us.
Around 3 months, she started waking only once per night to eat (most of the time). We also switched her from the SwaddleMe that had served us so well to sleep sacks at 3 months. I enjoy getting more rest (obviously!), but I don't mind the one feeding per night. Jake usually follows me into the nursery and snoozes while Julia eats. She's so sleepy and goes right to the business of eating. She's all snuggled up to me, and it such a sweet, quiet time. Occasionally, she'll wake up a couple of times per night, and I'll ask her, "So why did you go back on the 'one feeding per night' deal we made?!" Apparently, she wants to keep me guessing!
A big milestone came on 1/15/08 when Julia slept through the night! She slept from 8:45 pm until 5:47 am. I celebrated this milestone, but I also have talked to enough friends to know that babes can regress in their sleeping patterns. Teething, growth spurts, and travel can have us all back to sleep deprivation, so I'm not counting on getting 8 hours of solid sleep from now on. Last night, she woke at 2:30am for a feeding, instead of her more typical 4:30 am. For now, I'm counting my lucky stars that she is a good, night-time sleeper. (Knock on wood!) Next, we're working on getting her naps a bit more predictable!
Sleep:
Julia's sleeping got more regular around 2 months. I remember being at playgroup before Halloween, and I was so loopy from sleep deprivation that I couldn't string a coherent sentence together. Shortly after that, I started using the white noise machine I bought to drown out traffic noise while living in NYC. Robert had put it in the nursery early on, and I don't know why I didn't try it earlier. I remembered that the white noise had helped our nephew sleep, so I thought I'd give it a shot. It worked well, and that was a turning point in Julia's sleeping.
Around 2 months, Julia was waking about 2 times each night to eat. This was about the time that she gave herself a bedtime. She started getting fussy around 9 pm, and we quickly began to recognize her tired cry. So, we started a nighttime routine that around 8:30 pm: getting her pajamas on, turning on the white noise machine, and rocking her. She responded well to the routine, and we enjoyed having some of the evening for just the two of us.
Around 3 months, she started waking only once per night to eat (most of the time). We also switched her from the SwaddleMe that had served us so well to sleep sacks at 3 months. I enjoy getting more rest (obviously!), but I don't mind the one feeding per night. Jake usually follows me into the nursery and snoozes while Julia eats. She's so sleepy and goes right to the business of eating. She's all snuggled up to me, and it such a sweet, quiet time. Occasionally, she'll wake up a couple of times per night, and I'll ask her, "So why did you go back on the 'one feeding per night' deal we made?!" Apparently, she wants to keep me guessing!
A big milestone came on 1/15/08 when Julia slept through the night! She slept from 8:45 pm until 5:47 am. I celebrated this milestone, but I also have talked to enough friends to know that babes can regress in their sleeping patterns. Teething, growth spurts, and travel can have us all back to sleep deprivation, so I'm not counting on getting 8 hours of solid sleep from now on. Last night, she woke at 2:30am for a feeding, instead of her more typical 4:30 am. For now, I'm counting my lucky stars that she is a good, night-time sleeper. (Knock on wood!) Next, we're working on getting her naps a bit more predictable!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The Courtship of Julia
Frequent readers of this blog may remember the first meeting of Julia & Max. Julia continues to play it cool, but Max's devotion seems unwavering.
Dec 13, 2007
Jan 11, 2008
Dec 13, 2007
Jan 11, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Friday, January 04, 2008
What a cute hat!
Thanks to Elizabeth & Mark for this smashing sleeping outfit. When they gave it to us, it was so big she couldn't wear it. Now, it won't fit much longer.
The hat cracks me up!
The hat cracks me up!
When Dad dresses Baby
I slept in on a Saturday (thank you, honey!), and when I woke, Julia was dressed in this ensemble.
No fashionista file here. In R's defense, she spat up on the top that matched, and he just grabbed another shirt.
No fashionista file here. In R's defense, she spat up on the top that matched, and he just grabbed another shirt.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Julia stats: 4 months
Dr. Myers said Julia is thriving!
Weight: 14 lbs 12 oz (75th%)
Height: 26 1/2 in (97th%)
Head Circumference: 16.5 in (75th%)
There were 4 more shots today, and Little Miss got very red-faced and cried some big, fat tears. She's fussy today, but she still treats me to one of her dimpled smiles from time to time.
Weight: 14 lbs 12 oz (75th%)
Height: 26 1/2 in (97th%)
Head Circumference: 16.5 in (75th%)
There were 4 more shots today, and Little Miss got very red-faced and cried some big, fat tears. She's fussy today, but she still treats me to one of her dimpled smiles from time to time.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Minor Milestone: Found Her Feet!
Julia found her feet today! She woke up from a record-setting 3.5 hour nap, she was lying on her back on the sofa, and she grabbed onto her feet for the first time I've seen!
I read my baby book and the baby books of my siblings with renewed interested while I was home in Georgia, and I loved the detail my Mom managed to put in them. (I was quite impressed she was able to get this done, especially since she has 4 children!)I'm going to try to capture more of these little developmental milestones.
I read my baby book and the baby books of my siblings with renewed interested while I was home in Georgia, and I loved the detail my Mom managed to put in them. (I was quite impressed she was able to get this done, especially since she has 4 children!)I'm going to try to capture more of these little developmental milestones.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Home, Sweet Home
We are home from our Christmas celebration in Georgia. I have such mixed emotions about this long-anticipated Christmas being behind us. I loved introducing Julia to the rest of my family, and it was so great for my entire immediate family to be together for Christmas. I've missed those Christmases of 200 Waverly Way. It was chaotic, wonderful, and noisy.
On the way home, Little Miss decided that she wasn't in the mood for a flight. She cried much of the way, and all of our attempts to pacify her didn't help. Her first three flights were easy, so I guess we were due this experience. Thankfully, it was a short, nonstop flight.
This morning, Jake is quietly snoring on his dog bed. (I really, really missed him. Thanks to Roger for taking such good care of him.) Julia is sleeping contentedly in her swing. It's peaceful and quiet. I want to eat something before I start unpacking all the suitcases. I decided on the only appropriate breakfast for a Southern girl with a tinge of post-holiday letdown. I've got a pot of grits bubbling on the stove.
On the way home, Little Miss decided that she wasn't in the mood for a flight. She cried much of the way, and all of our attempts to pacify her didn't help. Her first three flights were easy, so I guess we were due this experience. Thankfully, it was a short, nonstop flight.
This morning, Jake is quietly snoring on his dog bed. (I really, really missed him. Thanks to Roger for taking such good care of him.) Julia is sleeping contentedly in her swing. It's peaceful and quiet. I want to eat something before I start unpacking all the suitcases. I decided on the only appropriate breakfast for a Southern girl with a tinge of post-holiday letdown. I've got a pot of grits bubbling on the stove.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
First Christmas
Apparently, I was too busy behind the camera for us to get a family photo. Here's a picture of Julia and her Dad on her first Christmas. Note the adorable sleeper, a gift from Grandma.
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| Papa & Julia First Christmas, Dec 2007 |
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Making Biscuits with Grandma
My nephew, Scott, enjoyed making biscuits with his Grandma.
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| Step 1: Pat the dough |
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| Step 2: Cut the dough |
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| Step 3: Pick up the biscuit |
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| Step 4: Put the biscuit on the pan |
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| Step 5: Put the pan in the oven |
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| Step 6: Move the ladder |
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| Step 7: Clean up the boy |
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| Who needs an apron? |
Friday, December 21, 2007
Tractors, Cows, Haybales, and Dirt Roads
Hello from south Georgia! Julia and I are here to visit my parents, immediate family plus my grandmother and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Robert arrives on Sunday. It has been so much fun introducing Julia to the family. There have been some priceless moments with my Grandma holding Julia and Dad singing to her. The two Julias have happily spent hours of quality time together. I don't have Internet access at my parents' house, but my uncle was kind enough to let me use a computer at his office. I'll have many, many pictures and a few videos to post when I return home.
Hope you all have a very Happy Holiday!
Hope you all have a very Happy Holiday!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Four Generations
When we arrived in South Georgia, we went straight from the airport to my Grandma's house so she could meet Miss Julia as soon as possible! Introducing her to my daughter was a very special moment.
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| Four Generations |
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Fashionista Files: Doggy Jacket
Thanks to Amber & Bill for the adorable Gymboree clothes!
Here's the cute jacket with polka dots and a doggy:
Here's the cute jacket with polka dots and a doggy:
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| Fashionista file: doggy jacket |
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
Happy 2nd Jake-iversary
Two years ago, Jake selected us to be his family at a Lab Rescue event, and he has been my shadow and constant companion ever since. He was a great source of comfort when we lost Trooper, and he has adapted well to being an only dog.
He's a persistent playmate, source of laughter, and diligent watchdog. It's been two great years with our funny, affectionate, goofy yet dignified, sometimes needy, loyal, tennis-ball-obsessed, charming, flatulent, atheletic, and completely wonderful dog. Hopefully, there will be many, many more Jake-iversaries in our future.
For more about Jake, check out our update on the Lab Rescue site. (BTW, Jake was MUCH older than 4.5 years when adopted him.)
He's a persistent playmate, source of laughter, and diligent watchdog. It's been two great years with our funny, affectionate, goofy yet dignified, sometimes needy, loyal, tennis-ball-obsessed, charming, flatulent, atheletic, and completely wonderful dog. Hopefully, there will be many, many more Jake-iversaries in our future.
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| Jake Dec 7, 2005 |
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| Jake & Trooper Aug 26, 2007 |
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| Jake Nov 17, 2007 |
Thursday, December 06, 2007
First Visit with Santa
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| First visit with Santa Dec 2007 |
First Snow
Julia's first snow was last week, on the day we arrived in Denver. Yesterday, it snowed in Virginia, so she has already seen two snowfalls.
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| This morning, our back deck |
Monday, December 03, 2007
Happy Birthday, Papa
Oma and Opa came over to help us celebrate Papa's birthday. We had such a good time!
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| Happy Birthday, Papa |
Saturday, December 01, 2007
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