My Little Secret

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I am finally ready to share with the world the secret behind my babybody-bounce-back success. I must admit that I have been hoarding this dirty little secret to myself, but now it is finally time to let you all in on my secret formula. My favorite flavor is the Kahlua.

Apologies

There are so many new developments to share! Sophie has been surprising me everyday with new accomplishments. I am so proud of her. This week in the news...

• Anytime she is laid on her back, she cranks her head up, basically doing a tummy crunch, trying to get up. With only a little help, she can pull herself upright when holding our fingers. She is a very strong little girl.

• She is learning how to swim! She has always been comfortable in the water, and loves bath time. But this week Jared has been giving her baby swimming lessons by dipping her face in the water for half a second. She usually holds her breath or blows bubbles. I am so happy that Jared does that with her, because it makes me too nervous. I want her to be comfortable in the water though, since I was terrified of water until I was eleven. In honor of her progress, we bought her first swimsuit this week. Grandpa and Gram want to take her to the "Y" to swim.

• She is really getting her hand/eye coordination down! When she sees something she is interested in, she can usually grab it. It has been very exciting watching her make this connection. Going along with that...
  
  
• ...she is becoming very interested in food. Her eyes follow my food as it travels from my plate to my mouth. She is just starting to grab at it as it goes by.
  
  



• She started playing in her exer-saucer. She is strong enough now to keep herself upright in it. She started out by just moving her legs a little, and spinning herself slowly in it. Now, however, she is a seasoned saucer queen. She grabs at the toys, bounces herself up and down, and spins, all while talking and shrieking in delight.

• Gram and Gramps Norquist have a walker that she tried out this week. Her feet touched the ground perfectly and she figured out how to scoot herself forwards and backwards all around the kitchen and living room! She was so excited to be able to move on her own. Mommy and Daddy were VERY proud.

• And finally, she slept in her crib for the first time last night! She has been in a bassinet by our bed up until now. She is getting to be such a big girl, and slept all by herself in her own room.

A Peek Into Our Daily Life

It is so fun to watch Sophia as she makes new discoveries every week. She has become very observant and can pick my face out of a crowd now. When there are several people standing around her, she scans the faces and when her eyes come to rest upon my face, she hesitates and smiles. That makes me feel so special.
She is also beginning to take interest in grabbing things. If we hold a toy up in front of her face, she will try to reach out and grab it. Her depth perception is still a little off, but she trying!
Another exciting development is that Sophie can sit up when she is supported! So many nights, she sits next to us on the couch while we eat dinner.

Our big girl, sitting in the rocking chair.
Bundled up and not able to move an inch!
Rocking my girls at naptime
Sophie cuddling her teddy

Dirty Mouth? Clean it Up!

For a Good Clean Feeling, No Matter What!

If their motto is true, then my baby needs some Orbit gum! She got dirty nuk mouth after we gave her a liquid vitamin supplement. I stuck her nuk in her mouth right after squirting the liquid in her mouth, hoping she would suck it down while sucking on her nuk. She is talented. She managed to spit out the liquid while continuing to suck on her nuk... resulting in dirty, sticky nuk mouth.

Sophia displaying dirty nuk mouth

Sophia thinking dirty nuk mouth is no big deal

Paparazzi, ugh.

Playtime With Daddy

Going, Going, Gone

Sophia is teething. She was displaying random fits of fussiness, and drooling a river. She also would chew on anything that came near her mouth. I checked her gums a few weeks ago and saw a faint white spot on her front lower gums. Then I checked again yesterday, and saw a very distinct white spot in the same place. The tooth looks like it is just below the surface.





We got her some teething toys that she is getting very good at holding herself. She especially likes to bite her butterfly's head...

Going...

Going...

Gone!

Baby's First Tear

Last week Sophie was crying in her bouncy seat, and I came over to find her first tear running down her cheek. Adorably cute, but heart breaking too!

My Baby Can Boogie

Side Sleeper

We have been experiencing some trouble getting Sophie to sleep on her own. She is such a cuddler and loves to be held while she sleeps. So we have been trying to put her down in the bassinet while she is still drowsy, but not yet asleep. I would lay her on her back, but every time I would take my arms away, her eyes would would pop open so wide they nearly looked bulbous. Then she would lie there and look around, wide awake for a few minutes before bursting into tears. This obviously was not working.

Last night, something clicked in my brain. She always sleeps best on her side when I am holding her. Perhaps it would carry over to the bassinet as well. So I laid her on her side, and wedged a bolster pillow behind her back, so she wouldn't roll over. She had a death grip on my hand, but she fell asleep! I grabbed her pink teddy blankie and quickly replaced it for my hand. A few minutes later, I peeked over the edge of the cradle and saw the sweet sight of closed eyes, and listened to the soft whisper of her deep breathing.

"Ahhhhh." (The satisfied sound that escaped my lips as I drifted off to dreamland.)

Fantom Kicks

Every once in awhile I still feel a kick from within. I have felt four since Sophia was born. I call them "fantom kicks." Is this weird? Um, yes.

Baby Blankie

I think I am beginning to realize why baby blankets are always so nasty and dirty...

9:00am- Blankie comes fresh out of the wash, smelling like a spring day
9:35am- Sophie sneezes three times, landing more than one gooey boogie upon the blankie
10:20am- Sophie launches spit up, forming a huge puddle that soaks the soft fleece
11:05am- Momma drops noodles in peanut sauce on Sophie's head, blankie and clothes while eating lunch with Sophie sleeping in her lap
11:50am- Sophie poos, which commences to squish out the sides of her diaper, soak through her pants and onto said blankie
12:30pm- Sophie adds to the crusted over pile of spit-up
1:40pm- Momma dribbles a sticky mixture of ice cream and chocolate sauce upon blankie as Sophie sits in her lap looking on
2:00pm- Momma finds unidentified substance crusted onto blankie, and wrinkles her nose saying, "Ewwww"
2:01pm- Momma decides it is time to wash the blankie... again.

Urp