Happy Days

Hello everybody. I'm so happy today, even though I look so serious. I slept for 9.5 hours straight last night. Aren't I such a big girl? Plus, I look pretty cute in my jeans. Mommy was practically glued to the green chair while she was healing and she's finally feeling good enough to give me a turn in her chair. It IS pretty comfortable. I'm glad she's not hurting anymore.We've had some good times since my last blog entry. I went grocery shopping for the first time and I particularly enjoyed the bakery section. It was very bright and colorful. I was awake and alert the entire time we were at the store, but I was very content. It was such a beautiful day that we went for a walk afterwards. Mommy took Euclid with and he was an extremely happy camper. We went around the pond near our house and mommy had to blaze a trail through the snow. All of the jostling put me to sleep. It was very good exercise for mommy since she had to off road it for a while. It reminded her of the time she went disk golfing with my friend Gavin in his stroller (in the woods, no less). Silly mommy, she never learns!

Yesterday I made a couple of new friends. Mommy's friends Jenny and Natalie came for a few hours. They've been friends since they lived on the same floor in college. I got snuggled up and then mommy went out to lunch and left me to hang out with daddy. Speaking of daddy, I hope he gets home soon. I have some giggles saved up for him.

Mommy Training

Mommy's friend Cori has it right - mommy is in training and I'm her trainer! She tried the EASY method for one night and it wasn't too great. Her back hurt from picking me up and putting me down over and over again. She decided to go back to what we were doing because it worked. Why fix it if it ain't broke? Excuse my bad grammar. Anyway, last night she fed me right before bed until I got sleepy and then I slept for almost 8 hours. After she fed me again, I slept another 3.5 hours. Thanks mommy for doing what I want instead of what that stupid lady recommended!

In other news, I'm a bit of a TV addict. Yes, mommy did her research and knows that TV is not recommended in any amount for kids under the age of 2. However, Baby Mozart allows her to cook and eat supper. My attention span is great and I can be entertained for a very long time. They shut off my video after a while and I was fine with that as long as they entertained me. Later on I fussed until daddy and mommy moved me into position so I could watch American Idol with them. I had the same blank look on my face that daddy had. We were both tired.

Daddy is trying to figure out the video dilemma. The problem is that their computer doesn't have a DVD player in it so they can't just pop the DVD into the computer. They might have to make a small investment in order to share videos. Don't nag them quite yet since they are trying to get videos figured out. It will be worth the wait because I'm very entertaining these days. Mommy talked to Aunt Emily this morning and I was talking up a storm. I make the cutest noises according to mommy. I reserve giggles for daddy though. He's the funniest.

All Comfy and Cozy

Mommy put me in the most comfortable outfit today. She took a few pictures (of course).

What else is new, you ask? Mommy is reading Secrets of the Baby Whisperer and I think it's making her a little crazy. It teaches the E.A.S.Y. approach and mommy isn't finding it all that easy. The strategy is to have a routine for me to help everyone in the family get more sleep and make life more predictable. You know how mommy likes to think ahead and try to control things. Yes, you can roll your eyes. Anyway, I'm supposed to eat, then do some sort of activity (diaper changes, playing, bathing, etc.), then sleep, and then it's time for you (or mommy and daddy in this case). I prefer E.A.E.S.Y. I don't like to fall asleep unless it's right after I've gotten a belly full of milk. I guess that's bad because it could prolong the 3am feedings that mommy isn't that fond of and it doesn't foster independence which mommy is very fond of. Sometimes my Y stands for yell. Yesterday mommy tried to put me in my crib for a nap and it just didn't work. I prefer to take naps in her arms or in my swing. She'll probably try something really nuts like taking away my bouncer chair at bedtime soon. Maybe she'll wait until she knows she'll have reinforcements coming so she can take a nap the next day if needed.

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However, mommy found out that there are some things that she and daddy are doing "right" according to the book. They treat me respectfully by explaining what they're doing for me. They talk with me and listen when I talk to them. They let me soothe myself back to sleep (sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't) instead of jumping up and taking care of me right away. They're also pretty good at interpreting what's wrong when I'm crying. They were pleased and not surprised to find out that I'm a cross between an easy and textbook baby according to the author.

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Mommy is trying to not let Tracy Hogg get to her because some of her advice about breastfeeding was just plain wrong so she's definitely not perfect. Mommy reads these books to get kernels of wisdom, but hasn't found a book yet that she fully agrees with. If you have any recommendations, feel free to share!

Bumbo

I'm getting to be such a big girl. I wore jeans for the first time today. Daddy and mommy discovered that they're much harder to put on than my other pants, but they're so cute! Daddy exercised me after we got home from shopping and mommy took some pictures.

Here I am standing with daddy's help.

Here I am in my bumbo. I liked it, but got sick of it after a while since my neck isn't very strong.
Here's what I look like when I watch TV. Mommy and daddy put on Baby Mozart while they ate spaghetti for supper.Mommy is determined to figure out the videos this week so nag her if she doesn't have any videos on here by next weekend.

Instructions

Who says babies don't come with an instruction book? Check out this website for more very helpful parenting tips. Mommy and daddy did a combination approach for me this afternoon. I had a huge booger that was stuck so daddy used the bulb to get it out, but then it got stuck. Mommy isn't afraid to get her hands dirty so she had to work it the rest of the way out. I just stared at them while they laughed so hard mommy almost peed herself. The more I stared at them, the more they laughed. We're having a wonderful day since daddy has the day off!

Last night we went out for dinner and I slept the whole time. It was daddy's first experience dining out with me so I wanted to impress him. Mommy was relieved.

Daddy has been exercising me today. Here's a picture of him making me sit up (kinda blurry because the sun was so bright). We also tried out my bumbo this morning and I didn't mind it at all. My neck is getting pretty strong. Soon enough I'll be able to play in my jumperoo!

Mommy tried to get a picture of my pout yesterday, but this is all she got. Don't I look terribly upset? Hahaha...next time she tries to get a picture of my smile, maybe I'll give her the pout. I can stick my bottom lip out soooo far and it makes mommy laugh. It's really not very nice of her.

Mommy and daddy really need to figure out how to transfer some videos of me onto this blog. They film me every now and then and I'm sure you'd like to see me in action.

My Favorite Things

Overall, I am a very happy baby and a joy to my parents. Sometimes I post about the problems I give my parents so I decided to devote a post to all the things I love and make me happy.
-I love mylar balloons. Grandpa and Grandma D bought a balloon when I was born and mommy tied it to my changing table. I really started to show interest in it at the time it was going flat so mommy bought me a new one. I love to watch it move when the ceiling fan gets turned on. I also like it when it gets moved close to my face.
-I love the radio in the morning. Mommy gets up when I tell her it's time, feeds me, then brings me into my room where she puts on the radio and changes my diaper. She also dresses me and talks to me. Most of the time she sings along and dances for me. I love it when she shakes her milk makers. :)
-I love it when daddy talks to me and uses big words. Apparently he used to do the same thing for cousin Hailey and she liked it too. Last night he talked to me while mommy was folding laundry and he made me giggle out loud. For some reason mommy and daddy got very, very excited about that.
-I love to take a warm bath. Mommy and daddy pour water over my tummy and it feels so good. After the bath, they put me in front of the fireplace and I get a nice massage before bedtime.
-I love my new kicking toy. I sit against my boppy on someone's lap and kick like crazy. After I kick enough times, it says either "peek-a-boo" or "hello baby" to me. I love the security of being on someone's lap while I play.
-I love mommy milk. Anyone that looks at me can tell that! I look up at mommy while I'm eating and smile. Sometimes I play with my food and it makes mommy laugh. There are times when mommy milk is all that I want in the world.
-I love my vibrating bouncer chair and I think mommy and daddy love it too. I sleep in it every night. Mommy puts me in it in the bathroom while she showers and sings silly songs. Last night I sat in it in front of the TV and watched a cool DVD with puppets and toys and Mozart music. Mommy and daddy ate an entire meal together that way instead of taking turns.
-I love my fish swing. It puts me to sleep. I especially like it when people talk to me and sit in front of me while I swing.
-I love all the funny noises that my parents make to entertain me. My favorites are doggy noises, anything silly with the tongue, and the rolling of r's.
-I love to have my legs touched. I don't care if it's bicycling, massaging, or tickling. I just like the touch and the undivided attention.
-I love to take naps while being held. Daddy and mommy are so comfortable and I know they love me so much. I like them to hold me as much as possible. Afterall, I can't be spoiled yet, right?
-I love my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They give me so much attention when they visit! I can't wait until I'm bigger and can run around with my cousins.

That's all for now. I need to get something to eat.

Vitamin D is Yucky!

My mommy started giving me vitamin drops today and they are YUCKY! I spit them out and made a mess and cried most of the morning because of them. However, by this afternoon I was happy and tired. We went shopping and I was extremely well behaved. Now mommy and daddy are trying to figure out if I really need to take the vitamins or not. Also, mommy went crazy buying me more toys. I got a piano that plays music when I kick it and a jungle soother for my crib. Pretty soon mommy and daddy are going to kick me out of their room so they're trying to make my crib a nice place to be.

I had a good weekend. I wasn't sore past Friday night from my shots. I got to see my daddy and we played together. Mommy took a picture because we were both awake, which is a miracle. All last week we had an extra dog to take care of. Here's a picture of me keeping him in line.


Mommy and daddy are planning our first family vacation. We're going to San Diego in April. It will be the first time that I get to see an ocean and the first time that mommy gets to see the Pacific Ocean. Now we need to figure out our itinerary. So far we just have the plane tickets.