My Surprise Birthday Party

Momma turned 40 this weekend and Daddy decided to throw her a surprise party!  I cannot BELIEVE I'm 40....dang!  How did that happen??? 

Bryan had everyone down in the clubhouse with the lights off!

Here we are strolling up.  I thought we were coming to hang out at the pool with our other friends Ty and Laura!  I had no idea everyone was inside hiding.

My surprise as I walked into the clubhouse.

So overwhelmed to see my family!

Everyone hanging out.

Mom and Dad!

Me and Ansley, my youngest niece. Of course my mom had to also get a gift for Avery!

Me and all my teacher friends!  I was a Kindergarten teacher once upon a time!

This kiddie pool was AMAZING!  My friend Crissi found it t Target for 5$.  I am definitely going and getting one for Avery.

Avery having fun in her floaty!

It was such a fun day.  I was completely surprised....I can't believe Bryan pulled this off without me finding out!

First Time In A Shopping Cart

8 Months 1 Week

This was the first time I put LL in a shopping cart.....AND SHE LOVED IT!  She squealed and squealed the entire way through the store.  I was debating on getting one of those shopping cart covers, but I thought it would be one more thing to worry about.  So, I just wiped the entire cart down with anti-bacterial wipes about a bazillion times (so glad my store conveniently provides those right by the carts) and we were on on our way.  I didn't have my phone in the store or I would have gotten some pretty good shots of her squealing.

8 Months Today...7 Month Low Down!

Today is LL's 8 Month Birthday --Here's Her 7 Month Low Down 

Bedtime: Between 7:30 & 8:00 pm. We were putting her down at 7:00 pm but she was waking up after about an hour and was getting harder to get her back to sleep. 

Wake-Up: Anytime between 5:00am -6:30am

Naps: For the most part, LL is taking 3 naps.  One around 9:00, then again around 11:00-12:00 and the last one around 2:00-3:00.  Some days they are 30 min. and some days they are 1 1/2hours.  

Bottles: LL is strictly a bottle girl, now.  No more nursing.  She never drinks more than 4oz at a time and I try to feed her every 3-4 hours.  I'm amazed when I read about other babies drinking 6 & 7oz at a time.  I wish she would, I think maybe she would sleep better.

Nursing: NO MORE.  I really think LL weaned herself from me, rather than the other way around.  She was so ready to move on. 

Foods: She's not really interested in eating solids.  I mean she will take a couple bites but then turn her face.  I'm not sure if it's her teeth or what.  I'm actually tired of trying to figure it out.  She's just not a big eater.

New foods this month: yogurt...Chiobani Greek Very Berry Yogurt for children.  She loves it.

Night Time: Guess what??? This month of sleeping has been horrible.  Surprised?  Me neither.  Some nights she slept til 3:30am then til 6:30am.  Other nights (most nights) she was up 4 times.  Again, there is no consistency.  We have always had a diligent nighttime routine with her...and I guess we'll keep up the routine.

Developmental Milestones & Firsts:  Let's see... so much has happened for LL this month.

1.) Pulling up and standing
2.) second bottom tooth
3.) sitting up/playing sitting up
4.) babbling consonants 
5.) stopped nursing
6.) sleeping without sleep suit

Momma's Mental State: I'm feeling the same mentally as last month.  Tired and worn out.  

Teething Tablet Question

7 Months 4 Weeks

OK...so I went to Chamberlain's Whole Food store to pick up some teething stuff for LL.  Her top teeth seem to be hurting her WAY more than her bottom chompers.  So, after talking to the lady there I decided on Humphrey's Teething Tablets and Boiron Chamomilla 30c.  The lady who worked there said she uses the Boiron on her granddaugther and they work like a charm.  SOLD.  Ok, so then I looked at Humphrey's and decided to get those too.  Just in case.

My question......how are those things supposed to dissolve in their mouth???  They are rock hard  (which I was surprised at...I thought they would be soft flat discs)  I tried the directions on the Humphrey'....let dissolve in 1/2teaspoon of water then rub on gums.  That sh*t will NOT dissolve, so I crushed it up and put it water...then tried to rub it o her gums... HAHAHA....what a joke.

OK, has anyone used either of these things?  If so, how did you do it? If, not can you share what you did use for teething?

Also, Humphrey's makes a teething strip that I plan on using next!  Anyone try that???

Look, I'm Standing!

7 Months 3 Weeks

Look what I found this morning after Avery's first nap.  So glad we lowered her crib this weekend.  Not only did she surprise me by taking an hour and half nap but then I heard her squeal from her room and this is what I found!

The last 3 days she has not been napping more than 30 minutes at a time and she has been SO freakin crabby.  So, I was beyond glad to hear the squeal from the room which translates into "I'm in a great mood".  I just know her top teeth are coming in....please hurry up and come through!

Let's re-cap all the changes happening this month for LL:
1. teeth
2. pulling up/standing
3. sitting up--finally!
4. stopped nursing
5. magic sleepsuit gone
6. babbling--ma-ma-ma-ma da-da-da-da ba-ba-ba-ba
7. beginning to crawl--she can do this on the area rugs but still not on the hardwood floors

Poor thing..no wonder she's one big fuss-ball!

LL is Officially Weaned

Last week was the end of breastfeeding for me.  After my left boobie decided not to produce any more milk and LL completely uninterested in nursing, I decided to hang it up.  I thought I would be more emotional about it but LL and I were both OK with it.  I knew it was the right time for both of us.

This is where I sat for 7 months while I pumped....just me, my pump and the computer.  I have to say I won't miss pumping.

Good bye for now.  Here it is sitting on the shelf in the closet.  See ya next time around!

I thought weaning would also be more painful.  But, since my left boobah dried up it was only my right one to deal with.  When I felt it getting full, I would pump just a little.  I only had to pump one time.  It's still a little larger than the left but it's not producing any milk, it has stayed the same for about 3 days.  I guess I should read up on what happens.

Good Bye Magic Sleep Suit....Hello Footed Sleeper

7 Months 3 Weeks

We are finally finished with the Magic SleepSuit!  I still can't believe we had her in that thing for so long.  She seemed to really like it so we were afraid to stop using it in fear she would retaliate and wake up all night long.  Well, guess what??  She was already waking up all night anyway so buh-bye snowsuit!

4 Months Old!

Now, we're onto the footed sleeper and she loves it!  She turns over onto her stomach now and sleeps much better and for longer stretches.

 Yes, and we're even pulling up and biting the sides of the crib, now.  I hate to lower the crib, because we're still patting her back to put her to sleep.  Once that is dropped, our backs are really gonna be sore.  But, she's definitely getting much better at falling asleep by herself so hopefully she won't need patting much longer.  We shall see.

Mother's Day!

7 Months 2 Weeks

Wow!  What a great Mother's Day weekend. Bryan set up the air mattress in LL's room for the weekend.  Now, before you say "poor Bryan has to sleep on an air mattress"  check out our sweet air mattress we bought from Frontgate.

It looks like a normal bed, and is super comfortable.  Pumps up and deflates all by itself.  Fabulous.  Anyway, he set up camp in LL's room all weekend while momma got some MUCH needed rest.  It was the first time in 7 MONTHS that I slept uninterrupted all night...for 3 nights in a row.  The idea also behind this is to wean LL from night feedings and to help her fall back to sleep in her crib without picking her up.  For 2 nights in a row, LL did not eat during the night.  She did wake up around 12:30 and then again at 3:30, but both times Bryan was able to get her back down quickly.  YOU'RE THE MAN, DADDY!  We should have done this A LOT earlier in the game.

This weekend, we also celebrated Mother's Day down at our favorite Thai restaurant.  It was a beautiful day outside...cooler than any Mother's Day I can remember.  So, perfect day to be outside!

LL's has been a little grumpy due to her teeth, but nothing too terrible.  She calms right down when you pick her up.

We love Daddy!!  The best!

LL also got momma her favorite...chocolate!

It was a great first Mother's Day!

Pulling Up, Babbling and her 2nd Tooth

7 Months 2 Weeks

What a week for LL.  She has been waking up every hour to two hours throughout the night this week.  It has B and I on the very edge of craziness. But, I read somewhere that when babies reach milestones it's like that have won the lottery!!  They are so excited and happy that they can't sleep and just want to celebrate!  So, we don't have just one milestone emerging this week, but 3!

Pulling Up:  Both Bryan and I saw LL pulling up this week.  For me, she scooted over to the bouncy seat to play and all of the sudden she takes both hands and pulls herself onto her knees then pulls one leg up to try and get her foot steady to gain balance....that's when I went over to her.  I couldn't believe it!!  I screamed and got so excited for her...and she was just as excited grinning and squealing, too!  Soon after that, she army crawled over to me on the couch (still not crawling) grabbed both my legs and pulled herself up onto her knees then I grabbed her arms and she stood up!  Now, she's pulling up all by herself and so it's time to drop her crib down to the lowest level.

Babbling/Talking:  Out of the blue, LL started babbling consonants...ma-ma-ma-ma....ba-ba-ba-ba.  It's so funny to watch her get really excited about talking!  Before, she was humming, ohhhing and ahhhing to herself.  Now, she has way more to say and wants you to hear!

2nd Tooth:  This week, LL's 2nd bottom tooth is about to break through.  We see it just above the surface.  I read that some babies' gums get really red and swollen and she isn't experiencing any of that.  Drooling and grumpiness has been the only give away...oh and not sleeping.

Such a big girl!  All of this excitement rolled up into one week. 

So, YAY for you LL!!  It's so fun watching you grow up!

Blueberry Picking!

7 Months 2 Weeks

We went to visit MeMe and PawPaw this weekend and while we were there we went to pick blueberries! I have never seen a blueberry field before so I was quite excited!

For some reason I thought the bushes would be smaller and lower to the ground.

The blueberries were HUGE and very sweet!

Here's MeMe doing some sampling!

Avery's first look at a blueberry.

We picked 2 1/2 pounds.

MeMe and LL after we were done picking.  We had so much fun and can't wait to go again.  They are open until July!