Week 46-49

Well hello there. I can't believe we are almost to week 50! Only 3 weeks til my little love turn the big O-N-E!!! I am so proud of her and our little family. We have gone through so much in the last year and I wouldn't change a second of it. I love my little princess more and more each day.

Sunday was Mother's Day! My very first with my little one out of my belly (she was very close to popping out last year). I had a wonderful day with my awesome hubby bubby and family. Kevin picked out some beautiful white roses with purple flowers mixed in for me. He also gave me some adorable lady bug earrings. He said they are to wear at Aria's party. He really went all out this year, he even got a new Vera Bradley purse and matching wallet. Aria gave me a sweet little card written from her own mouth (I think her daddy might have helped). In the morning we hung out with my mama (Yaya). We all had scurried around to try and make it a nice day in the week leading up to the event. I had the idea of getting mom a ne gardenia tree, because the one she had before and loved so much seems to have passed away (though we will keep watering it just in case). Gabby and Raph did the ground work and found a perfect tree and picked it up. We had been hiding it on the side on my little house for the past 3 days because we really wanted it to be a surprise. Gabby set it up with a huge red bow in the kitchen and mom saw it and fell in love in the morning when she woke up. At 1pm Kevin, Aria and I went over to Kevin's mom's apartment for a family lunch with Steven and Kira. Carol set up her place beautifully and made us all a delicious breakfast-y lunch. Kevin made his famous pancakes and we all sat together, just us, for the first time in years enjoying each others company. Steven and Kira gave me a little charm to put on my necklace that had an A on it for my baby girl. We gave Kevin's mom a beautiful pair of earrings that I got from Bliss Beauty at the Rancho Center. At about 5pm we came back to my parents' place and went for a picnic in the park. We ordered Erik's Deli sandwiches and brought them to-go. It was so nice just relaxing and playing frisbee with my family. Gabby gave me some adorable scrabble piece earrings with an R on one side and a bird on the other and my mom gave me little owl earring and a little round box with a bird on it, so cute. We also gave my mom an awesome necklace that had 4 pearl peas in a pod from The Vintage Pearl. It went with her very own saying that her children are "the peas of my pod" hehe. After dinner Aria got to swing in the swings and play in the slide. She loved it and that's really all I need to be happy. It was a very nice first Mother's Day overall.

In the past few weeks Aria has become more and more mobile. She can take steps with me holding her hands. Sometimes they are gigantic and we call then "bear steps". She walks around the coffee tables and can nearly free stand in the middle of the floor with no help to get up. She plays with toys on the table while standing and holding something in each hand for long periods of time. The other day it was so funny. She loves to speed crawl and she realized that though she also loves to crawl with toys in her hands, she can crawl like the speed demon that she is if her hands are free. Sooo, she's taken to putting her little toys in her mouth, clamped tightly in her teeth, so she can maximize her crawling potential. It's so cute to watch; she's a baby genius I tell you ;P

Aria now loves her one sippy cup. It's pink with a soft spout, almost like a bottle, and has green handles on the sides. She mainly drinks almond milk, I think she likes the hint of sweetness that's in it. I've tried to get her to use her other sippy cups, but alas this is the one and only for now. I just keep washing it and re-using it. I guess I could buy some more of the same style, but oh well, it's not like I'm incapable of cleaning it out a few times a day.

Aria's interest in real food grows daily. She loves almost anything that I eat. I've taken to just giving her little bits of my food as she prefers it to baby food. She does like the Plum brand baby foods in the squeeze packets. Sometime I just squeeze them right into her mouth. She like the corn/sweet potato/apples, the peas/apples/purple squash and the pumpkin/apples the best. I tried plum oatmeal and she hated it. She wouldn't even open her mouth for me. I don't know why, she's normally likes new foods. I think she is slowing breastfeeding less and less. Hopefully she will self wean without too hard a transition. I'm going to let her go at her own pace.

She's been a really good sleeper the last few weeks as well. It might be related to eating more solids, or maybe she is just growing out of the horrendous sleeping habits that she had. She usually wakes just once at 4 or 5 and a few times, not at all. I'm so happy to have some sleep again :)

Aria loves to do everything in twos. A kiss for mommy and a kiss for daddy, a high five for Yaya and a high five for Auntie Gabby. Offering to share the sippy cup with Uncle Billy and offering to share it with Uncle Raphy (not really sharing, once you accept she takes it back and laughs an evil little sound that it beyond her years…year). Anything she does it comes with a twin. She's a silly babe.

Her kisses have progressed. While she still does the open mouth, tongue out kiss, she also throws in the guppy suck kisses now. I'm pretty sure that's what she thinks we are doing when we kiss each other. She is very generous with her kissing, she even kisses Bailey. Her and Bailey are pals now. Bailey is a little saint doggy and lets Aria crawl all over her whenever she wants to. She let's Aria steal tennis balls directly from her mouth and even poke her grubby little finger into Bailey's stumpy tail (sometimes a little too close to the back door for comfort). It's nice that she is so good natured otherwise Aria might have been traumatized by the "mean, black doggie" we all treat affectionately and call Mr. Burbs (I've given up on his child rearing skills).

The last 2 weeks I've kicked in to full on birthday planning mode. I designed Aria's birthday invitations and even did a little photoshoot all by myself for the card. Her theme is lady bugs, so basically anything red, black or polkadotty will be a go. Gabby and I are going to make some crafty wine bottle flower holders. I'll post a pic when they are complete. I was torn between having a small intimate get-together and just inviting everyone. And well, yeah, birthday bash 2012 here we come!

You're invited!

With a little color correction and touching up of that scratch on her chin, I think these could be fabulous!

I want this bib for her! 

Until next time, xo Rosie

11 weeks, where's my baby gone? :-)

Hello there, let me start ofF by saying this past week has gone from a very dark place to something quite extraordinary. Just last week I was shedding tears of frustration at Aria's sleep schedule. Monday night that all changed.

I put Aria to sleep at 1130pm on Monday night and wonder of wonders, she slept till 650am. Yes I remember the exact minute because I was laying there thinking could this be possible. Could my baby, MY BABY, who sleeps at the most 3 consecutive hours, have just gone 7 hours and 20 minutes without making so much as a peep??? I hopped up the second I heard her whimpering, inspecting her closely to make sure she hadn't been switched in her cradle. It was her, and she wasn't even that upset, she nursed and we cuddled and she went back to sleep!!

So here I am all day Tuesday, having rested for the first time since Aria's birth, the shroud of exhaustion that had so tightly gripped me was beginning to loosen. I was still thinking, this must have been a fluke, yet daring to breathe a prayer that she might revisit this fluke-ish behavior the following night. Tuesday night approached, same deal! Joy of joys! Wednesday night was also a 6 hour stretch, heck I'll take it! Which brings me to today. Is this real? Is this a new routine? Three nights in a row, I mean, could Aria possibly, after last weeks terrible regression, be SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! I still approach the idea warily. I don't want to feel too much exuberance just to have my joy wrecked with folly in a few days. But tentatively I say, I'm a hope-filled mommy now.

Not sure what has caused this remarkable change. One of many things I believe. I cut out most dairy from my diet after several moms told me this cured their little ones colic. I am very depressedly missing my chocolate, milk and cheese at the moment. I bought a "nogin nest", a little pillow with a hole in it to prevent flat heads. I have it in her bassinet. Might just be a coincident, buy it fits the time frame. I started sleeping her on her side and tummy. I stopped giving her gripe water. I let her cry one time and just patted her chest and soothed her with shhhshing until she fell asleep in her cradle. I don't know what did it, or if it was any of these things, but I'm going to keep at it for now.

Aria's personality has manifested so much in the past month. When she's not dealing with tummy pains, she is a very happy baby. She loves to be held. She hates her car seat. It's only sometimes bearable to her if I'm reaching back and violently shaking the seat from the handle She will sit like a perfect little gem at the table while we eat dinner so long as someone has her on their lap facing the table like a miniature grown up. She is very alert. She looks around at everything with interest and wonder. She loves her mobile and if you shake her yellow cow rattle in front of her. She turns her head so much that she has created little dread locks of hair on the back of her head. I had to cut them off so many times that she now has a giant bald patch on her sweet little noggin. She loves it if you sing to her and make silly faces. She enjoys when Auntie Gabby howls like a dog, emitting gurgling excited coos and radiant smiles. Paddy cake bakers man is one of her all time favorite games. She loves to have her arms grasped and moved. She has some mad skills. She loves to cuddle and will never ever turn down boobie time. She rolls her eyes back in her head when she first starts to nurse. I find this particularly funny, because it's like she is just enjoying it so much that she can't bother to think of anything else but the wonders of mommy milk and the joy it brings to her tummy. She loves to lay in the pac n play at Yaya and Pops's house as long as her feet can push against the mesh wall. She loves it when Daddy bounces her while she lays on his tummy facing out. She's still a bit cautious of bath-time. She does splash her feet after the initial concerned face fades to contentment. She still loves to be bounced high in the air and she pushes off before each lift off. She still loves music and the vibrations of her crib. She loves to be swaddled and will not sleep unless she wrapped like a little gordito burrito. She is a very warm blooded baby and often must be kept naked in her swaddle so that she doesn't become an unhappy sweat monster. She gets stinky neck folds and armpits so has to be wiped down everyday. She hates her pacifiers and acts like she is being gagged and tortured if you try to force one on her. She loves bottles, especially with mommy milk, but she won't turn down formula if there is no other option. She loves to be carried in the front pack and will mostly use this time to fall fast asleep, this conveniently allows me to go for walks with her. She loves her swing and will nap for hours while rocking away.

So as you can see she has quite the personality and has changed so much over these past 11 weeks. Everyday I am more in love with her. She's my little princess and I'm so blessed that God saw fit to give her to me. She makes me happier than any words could say.