Annaliese has experienced her first real belly laugh!
It's kind of a funny story, whereas she was actually having a rough night (or so we thought) and was just discontent for a good hour. Daddy was walking her around the house, because that always seems to help when she is upset. She doesn't like to be stationary, she likes to move around. So because she still wasn't really calming we decided to do what we saw in the movie "Life As We Know It" (which is a REALLY good movie by the way and I recommend watching it). In the movie the little girl who is probably just over a year old is crying uncontrollably and the new adoptive parents are trying and trying to console her and nothing helps. Finally they call the maybe 11 year old neighbor and she has a secret! To hold the baby near the stove fan and the ambient noise of the fan calms her. So....we tried that and it worked!!
Justin and I were in the kitchen talking about how crazy it is that babies seem to have mood swings just like adults do. While Justin was still holding Anna I started to make faces at her because she was calmed and I was trying to get her to smile. Then I started swaying back and forth trying to get her to follow where I was going. Then Justin joined in and she started to laugh! Like a good laugh! It was the most adorable music to our ears! We did this for about 2 minutes and then realized while she was still laughing and in a good mood, we should get this on camera! So here is the video! :)
The joys of parenthood never cease to amaze Justin and I. We are truly enjoying every moment of being a parent and learning each other as parents. We knew that our lives as a happily married couple would exist differently after having a baby, but we didn't realize how much differently. Minutes for each other are very few and far between, but we do still have some time for adult life. When Anna naps in the evening, we watch our recorded shows together and sometimes pop in a movie. We're able to sit down and eat dinners together, or better yet MAKE dinners together. We occasionally have a date night out when one of the grandmothers watch Anna. It's just that because it's winter and so cold out, Justin and I would rather stay inside and hibernate until spring like the intelligent mammals on this planet! haha! It is getting easier as Anna is becoming more on a routine and sleeps through the night more and more. Soon we'll be chasing our little 'busy bug' around the house! Until then, we'll enjoy our little playtime together. :)
Yes, I'm a raging 5ft 4in tall with a heart of gold... But I'm not just referring to myself in the title here. I wanted to write a very short post to tell you all that we're 3 for 3 with sleeping through the night using our new found routine! I'm going to be knocking on wood all day to ensure that I haven't jinxed myself for the rest of the week. Hope you all are having a fabulous day! <3
I love being a mother! As if you don't know that already. ;) It's very difficult at times, yes, but its the best title and feeling I could've ever imagined! I'm sure I'll be less enthusiastic when I have a 13 year old daughter asking permission for Friday night movie dates, piercings and concerts...but I'll enjoy my sweet baby girl while I can. :) For the first time on Saturday morning (2 days ago) we witnessed something that we didn't expect to see! Looking over at the video baby monitor after hearing Anna start to wake up, Justin noticed that she was in the process of moving onto her back from her belly. > Side note: She is a belly sleeper. I know that some doctors and parents are against it. And believe me we juggled the decision in our head for quite awhile, but she doesn't like to be swaddled and her arms and legs would flail after coming to a rest state and she would always wake herself up. Besides Dr. Spock wasn't against belly sleeping for babies and "we" (as in 1980's babies) are fine. The #1 best advice we were given in ANY circumstance is "do what works best for your baby because all babies are different" and so we do. < End side note. Anyway as he slowly woke up, (daddy is not really much of a morning person...in fact he's not at all a morning person...) he went into her room and saw her already on her back and was using the side of the crib as leverage to roll herself back onto her belly. Yesss!! *Proud mommy moment* She did a complete 360 degree roll at 3 months old! Justin let me sleep in a little longer, since those days are hard to come by during his work week. When I woke up, it was the first thing that he told me and it made my heart smile! I couldn't wait to grab my little girl and hug and squeeze her and kiss her chubby cheeks because I was so shocked and proud!
THEN also for the past 2 nights she has also been sleeping through the night!! (Ahhhhhh) We have been trying something different in addition to her nighttime cereal/formula bottle. We give her a bath, play with her and try to wear her out and then feed her the nighttime bottle and make sure she gets good and burped before laying her down for the night. So far it's worked 2 for 2! So hopefully I'll have good news to report tomorrow with a 3 for 3 status! :)
She is just getting so big and growing so fast. It's really amazing how fast children grow and advance right before your very eyes. I truly love every moment and look forward to so many more 'big girl moments'!
That's all for now. Sleep tight little lady bug, preferably through the night.
Hey everyone! Sorry that another few weeks got away from me. I keep telling myself "I'm gonna blog today" and then life happens and tomorrow comes. The whole cycle happens everyday and soon weeks escape me. My apologies :) So, it's 2012 and the last 3 months have breezed by. Another year gone by and another year beginning. It's pretty exciting, though some people might say it's depressing. I have had a great year, personally. 2011 held a lot of milestones for me. I celebrated my 10 year high school graduation and yes even attended the reunion. I started back to college (with a break so I could have a baby). I celebrated by 1 year wedding anniversary. I found out I was pregnant in February and gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby in October. And my life would forever be changed. All of these things seemed only to have happened in the blink of an eye! It really is crazy how time passes so quickly. As a child you don't see this or even care to. You're too busy living in the moment and earning your allowance so you can go buy some candy or a new toy.
Little "Miso"
I looking forward to yet another year of life and living only this time it's different. My first full year of being a mom. Man, you don't even know how those words make me feel. I'll explain: For 9 years, I've kinda been pushing off going back to school because I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up. I finally bit the bullet and told myself that even if I got a degree in Liberal Arts (General Studies), I would still have a degree and that appealed more to me than anything. Which is why I went back to college this past year. But as a young adult one thing that has always remained in my future, I knew for sure that when I grew up, I wanted to be a mommy. I wanted to create a life, give birth or adopt and raise a child. I wanted to be a role model to a young person. I wanted to have someone look to me for physical and emotional support for all of their life. I wanted to teach lessons of life and tell family stories of the past. I wanted to know that I had an influence on another beautiful life in this world. I wanted to experience the unconditional love that mother's feel for their child. I wanted to watch in amazement of how a little human being can look like me, talk like me and act like me. I wanted to listen to those "darn things kids say" all the time. I wanted to experience the most difficult and most rewarding challenge ever in life.
Now here I am. 2011 has begun that lifelong journey for me. "I am a mom." Sometimes I have to repeat it to myself because some days I'm still in disbelief. But believe me, if becomes VERY real when this precious little miracle is screaming her head off and fighting sleep at midnight. It's crazy, but I even enjoy those moments (a little less than the well rested happy giggling baby I know during the day) but because she's my world. My life. I love her in any condition and even more when she cries.
Our dear Annaliese just turned 3 months old yesterday and already she has grown so much. She is a wonderfully round 14 lbs and smiling more and more everyday. She laughs and "talks" now and that just melts me into a huge pile of gooey mush. It's so fun to have a conversation with a 3 month old. I wonder what she's saying... She is very shy too! When daddy comes home from work, he gets down and close to her and says "Hi, bug", and her face lights up and her cheeks rise to give her the "miso" look every single time. That too, melts my heart. In case you're wondering what I mean by "miso look", it's kind of a running joke in my family. When I was a baby I looked Asian. Almond shaped eyes that got even looked smaller when I smiled. And my daughter has my eyes. But as you can see below, she is a perfect mix of both mommy and daddy. :)
Me as a newborn
Justin at around 5 months
Anyway, when anyone makes Anna smile, she gets a huge smile on her face and turns her head as if she is being shy. It's so cute! I was a shy kid too, so maybe she gets that from me? Oh and she is able to roll over onto her side now too! She is very strong willed and seems to get very upset at herself when she can't accomplish something. (Definitely a trait of both mommy and daddy) She is growing longer, has thicker hair and longer eye lashes. I believe she is also teething too. She gets very fussy (I know I know...what baby doesn't ?), always sucking her hands and tongue and drooling a lot. When I offer her my finger she gnaws like she will never have another meal in her life. Although I don't see any teeth yet, there is definitely something happening to where I can see the white part of the tooth and where it will come through the gums when it does make an appearance. Oh...I can't wait for that day. Teething is something you hear a lot about from other parents. Usually when the kid starts sleeping through the night, that comes to a screeching hault when teething is in the picture. But since Anna has only slept through the night about 4 times so far (hey, I am NOT complaining), maybe it won't be such a bad transition when teething is in full force. Good times! ;) Anna has also developed a liking for the television. Of course we only allow her to watch appropriate cartoons and Baby Einstein videos and only a limited time a day. We have also started story time, which she loves as well!
Sometimes mommy reads a non-children's book to her:
Hey, I'm sure Ellen would appreciate it!
Here is a video of Anna at 3 months exactly. Sorry the video is sideways...I am still working on my filming.
Anna on New Year's Day. Her first trip to a public restaurant, Bob Evans.
Sitting up well in her Bumbo seat.
Until we meet again my friends, stay warm, stay well, and look for more posts to come!
