All About Laila: 13 Months

My baby toddler is 13 months, already!!! Didn't she JUST have her birthday? Crazy how fast time flies.

Laila is getting over a sickness but we aren't entirely sure what sickness it is. The doctor said it could be the virus we all got a couple weeks ago, still lingering around in her system or maybe she ate something funky over the holidays because really, that's when everything started happening. She was spitting up, everything that she drank or ate, even if it was a small amount. She had the worst diarrhea ever and fought you when you tried to change her diaper. I don't blame her for fighting the changes, I'm sure it hurt.

She seems to be doing better, still working on getting her system completely back to normal, though. She is finally off the only-liquid-diet and is making her way to bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. The can handle those things but eventually we'll have to start adding other items, I'm just afraid the diarrhea will come back. She hasn't had milk in days, except I gave her some this morning, lets hope that didn't cause her tummy to be upset. She loves the grape Pedialyte and drank that up as soon as possible.

At Laila's last doctor appointment, which was January 5th, Laila weighed in at 19.4 (5?) pounds. Exactly 1 pound less than what she weighed at her 1 year check up, which was on December 2. The fact she she lost 1 pound, just scared me but the doctor told me not to worry, so worry I shall not.

When she isn't sick, she was an appetite and loves to eat, and eat anything. It's pretty amazing what that girl can handle. Bananas are still her favorite and she recently just started to love eating oranges. My fruit girl!

She's drinking milk at her meals and water in between. Personally, I don't give her juice because when she was younger and had some, she wouldn't drink her water. She instantly got addicted to the juice so I took it away as fast as possible. No, I don't completley deprive my daughter of it, she has it once in a while and by once in a while, I mean 3 times a month, maybe, if that. Water is better for you anways :)

She is constantly talking and learning how to say her own version of words. She doesn't sign to often. I've really only been able to get her to do it sometimes. The only one she signs a lot lately, is uppy. But, I also haven't been working on signing with her too much.

She'll pick up her toys but you have to help her. Monkey see monkey do. That's what it's like with her.

She hugs, kisses you, gives you high fives. She tries to ride the dog and will sit on her and cuddle with her. Can't lie, it's adorable.

Laila is still sleeping in her own room, usually going to bed around 7:30-8. The past couples nights, she's wanted to fall asleep in my arms, or come into bed with us. I think that has a lot to do with her being sick. Her bathtimes have been moved to every other night, since her skin has been getting dry, even with moisturizing it.

She is still a big fan of bath time. We have a cup in there, she'll fill it up with water and slowly pour the water onto her body, just like she has seen me do - and yes, we take baths together every once in a while. She's also a big fan of lying on her belly, once again, and blowing bubbles.

She's walking, running, trying to climb the stairs. She tries to climb into her high chair when she wants food. She pushes our kitchen chairs around (they're old school and have the rolly things on the bottom) climbs into one and sits there. She is seriously repeating everything you do now. It's scary!!!

She has to climb onto everything and once she's up, she must come done and then up, down, up down. It's a game to her.

Laila does watch T.V. Not for long amounts of time and usually just in the morning when she wakes up. Those shows on Disney, all the baby ones. She'll lay in my lap and stare. I like this because it's the best time I can get my cuddles in.

Laila has been a daddy's girl since day 1 and there were some nights that she wouldn't let me near her. She would cry and scream if I held her and I would instantly start crying. That hasn't happened in a while, though. The past couple weeks, she seems to be turning into a mama's girl! She always wants me, and not daddy as much. Yes, she still preferes him at times, but everything is mama lately. I don't mind. She's even gotten upset in the mornings when I have to leave her for work. I think it's all the time we've been spending together, since I've been taking a ton of vacation.

Laila has 4 bottom and 4 top teeth. Pretty soon, though, she'll have 6 bottom teeth. Chompers. Oh, and Laila loves to brush her teeth, unless it's just that baby toothpaste she likes to suck off. Either way, she gets all giddy when I pull her toothbrush out.

Laila is pretty calm and doesn't have too bad of an attitude. It's definitely tolerable at this moment. She'll get upset and lay on the floor, cry, and look up at you with this cute face. Haha, I can expect this to get worse when she gets older.

She's also still a huge huge fan of her paci. I haven't even attempted to take it away from her, though. I'm pretty sure her and I are both addicted to it.

Yup, that's my 13 month old. A happy, smiley, friendly, toddler who is the best ever. Being a mom is seriously the greatest feeling ever!

christmas

This year has come and gone just like that and I still can't believe that over a year ago, I gave birth to the sweetest little girl ever.

It's just so crazy to know that this time last year, I was cuddling with my old month old, who needed me to do everything for her. Now, my almost 13 month old has become so independent. She runs around the house, dances, babbles all day long, insists on pulling ornaments off the tree, helps wraps presents then unwraps them the second she realizes no one is looking at her. Hides things in the garbage can, and so much more. But she is still my baby and always will be.

I love this age.

Anyways, Christmas is right around the corner and I feel...rushed. I wasn't expecting this time to sneak up so quickly on us. I still have some presents to pick up and wrap and the cookies we made yesterday have to be decorated today. We'll also being going to my dads parents house tonight for some Christmas time and yet today is a work day for me, only till 1:30 though.

I just need time to slow down and that is not going to happen. Nope. Never.

But, I'll me mia for the next couple days. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

All About Laila: 11 Months

Dear Laila,

This is only the second letter I've wrote you, one at birth and now this one, closer to your 1st birthday. Can you believe that in only 2 weeks, you're going to be one?! I can't because just yesterday, I was cradling you in my arms and singing a lullaby to you. I remember the day you were born, I was lucky and had a fast and easy delivery. You were so eager to come out and once you did, you cried, the most beautiful sound ever. You were placed on my chest and I couldn't stop crying and saying "I love you" over and over again. And since that day, you have grown up right before my eyes.

You no longer sleep in bed with us, or need me to hold your bottle, you love to do everything yourself and are so independent, it scares me. But there are still days where you want to sit on my lap all day long and cuddle. I love those days. I miss having you sleep right next to me though, the warmth of your body, listening to you breath and guess what?! Sometimes, you even snore. But, I can still hear all of that on the monitor.

Your appetite seems to be getting bigger everyday, all you want to do is eat. You aren't a fan of eggs (anymore) avocado, carrots (depending on how they're cooked) and some other items, like fruit. The only fruit I can get you to eat all the time is a banana. You totally love those things. Pretty soon you'll be on whole milk, woohoo! You hate your formula, anyways.

You've been going to bed around 7-7:30 for a while now and usually wake up around 6:30. I enjoy spending my mornings with you, lounging in our pajamas with the sun beaming in through the window. It's always a great morning. I miss taking you for walks but it's to cold for that, and I really think you miss it too. You are SUCH an outside baby toddler.

You wave bye-bye to everyone except me. I think you are just too smart and know that I'll be right back. You love strangers, is that weird and when did that happen? I remember the days you would scream if someone looked at you that you didn't even know. But now, you love when random people talk to you. You even wave bye-bye to them. You also clap, all.the.time, especially in the bathtub.

You also have some awesome moves and love to dance with me when there is music on. You're walking now, and have been since 10ish months. I love seeing you walk everywhere or even run. Although, seeing you run just scares me because you tend to fall a lot. Have to work on that balance a little more. Once walking came along, a few more bumps and bruises also came. But, you picked yourself right back up and continued to walk. You don't give up!

You have come to love the dog, Mykenzie. You give her hugs, pet her, pull her tail, play with her water and food and Mykenzie's favorite, you feed her!! I hope you continue to love animals as you get older.

Last weekend, you spent your first couple nights away from me but I don't even think you noticed, haha. You did awesome. I think I had the most trouble being away from you. I felt weird being so far, not able to give you a hug or kiss whenever I wanted but you and I talked on the phone a lot, that was nice!!

Speaking of talking, you still say the same words that you've been saying. One word you did pick up is puppy! You still love to read books and will sit and read them to me instead of the other way around. You have learned how to open the cabinets so it's time for us to lock those suckers up. You enjoy doing laps around the house, pulling on the gate, looking out the window, and the best - giving hugs.

I'm so proud of everything you have accomplished and I am so excited to watch you grow into this beautiful girl. Just don't grow too fast, mama isn't ready. Mama loves you, to the moon and back and back again.

All About Laila: 10 months!

Laila turned 10 months about 15 days ago and I am know just posting about. Bloggers block? I think so, I've had it for months, what can I say, I've been occupied...

Laila is growing up so quick, right before my eyes. Everyday she is learning something new, saying something new, and it just shocks me. I miss my little baby that slept in my arms all day, she needed me to do everything for her and now...she is so independent, she's her own little person. But, no matter what, she still needs me and no matter what, I'll always be there for her.

Laila is 19 pounds, we currently know this because we had to take her into the doctor for another cold, but this one was bad. She had a fever, double ear infection, runny nose, cough...you name it. You could tell she was just miserable because all she did was sleep and refuse to eat or drink. Laila is almost 100 % better. Woohoo! (Just this past weekend 10/15, Laila had another fever and spent most of her day sleeping on me, I have no idea what is going on!)

She is wearing anything from 6 months to 12 months, big girl! She can no longer fit into anything that is 3 months, which she could for a while. Still in size 3 diapers.

This month we had to switch Laila to formula because of supply issues and stress. *Sigh* Laila almost always refuses to drink the formula, she just isn't into it. We're able to get her to drink a 6 oz bottle in the morning and sometimes at night. During the day, she doesn't want it. She'll maybe drink 3 ounces throughout the whole day. I called my doctor, who told me to continue to try and get her to drink it and to keep her hydrated with water and continue with the solids.

Speaking of solids, Laila is a champ at eating. She eats anything in her sight, she doesn't care what it is, she'll try it. She loves bananas, waffles, those Gerber snack trays, noodles, apples/applesauce. Really, I can get her to eat anything. I hope this stays this way when she gets older. Oh ya, Laila has 8 teeth, 4 bottom 4 top.

Laila is constantly on the move. She'll crawl or push around her toys with her butt in the air. And my favorite of all of them...WALKING! My baby can walk. I was always scared for this day, because it just meant she was getting bigger and I was worried there would be more falls and boo-boos. She can't hold her balance the greatest yet, so she does tend to land on her butt or hands first.

Laila is still sleeping in her crib from night to morning. Bedtime is now around 7:30 sometimes 8, depending on her last nap. She wakes up around 6:30 and is completely ready for the day. Ever since we moved, she has started sleeping completely thru the night, but she has her flukes.

Laila's vocabulary is kind of picking up. She is still saying mom, dada, papa, baba, hi, bye, it sounds like she is saying doggy but it could be something totally different. It also sounds like she says shit...ugh, can she really pick that up at this young of an age? I definitely try to watch my language around her, just in case.

Laila is still in love with the dog, Mykenzie. They're BFF's - sort of - not really. Only in Laila's eyes.

Laila is not shy at all, she will smile and talk to you no matter what. She just loves to interact with other people, especially other kids. But no matter who you are, she'll talk to you.

Loves:
Baths
Staring out the huge living room window
Waiting by the front door for daddy to come home
Strawberries
Remotes
Wall scents (ah!)
Being tickled, mostly behing her ears, neck and armpits
Hide and seek
Laps around the house

Happy 10 months, Laila. Mommy and Daddy love you so much and can't wait to see you grow up some more!

I really suck at taking pictures lately :[ I will regret that.

All About Laila: 8 Months

Holy moly! I have a 9 month old!! Times sure flies and I have to say, I wish it would just slow down. Here is everything to know about my darling at 8 months. And this month has been amazing.

Weighing in at 17 pounds but still wears a lot of 3-6 and 6 month clothes as well 9 months. Size 3 diapers.

Still eating 6 ounces every 3 hours...sometimes longer depending on when she takes her nap(s)

Absolutley loves to feed herself and will eat anything that's in site. The list of food that she has tried in the last month is outrageous.

Normally sleeping through the night (bed at 8:30 up by 6:30) w/ 2 naps during the same (most of the time)

Bath time is around 7:30 followed by a massage, some playtime, books and then in the swing she goes with a bottle. And at first, we never did mind the whole bath/bottle/swing thing goin' on but now we are kind of wishing she wouldn't need the swing/bottle to fall asleep. And don't get me wrong, she will fall asleep without a bottle but it is rare. And we can never just put her down in her crib while drowsy, she'll scream until you pick her up.

She is back to sleeping in our room in her pack n play and we have actually decided that we'll be doing this for a year but you never know, that could change, especially now that she will have a nice large room.

She has 7 teeth. 3 on bottom and 4 on the top. My little chomper and those suckers are sharp. No wonder she no longer wants to chew on her own hands/feet but if you let her chew on yours, she has no problem. haha

Can say "mama" "dada" "papa" "hi" "bye" "baba". She can sign up and more

She is crawling extremely fast, like "where did my baby just go" fast. It's incredible how quickly she moves. Definitely enjoys cruising around on furniture.

When she hears daddy come in the door, she immediately crawls from the living room all the way to the entry way, super fast, making a very weird "I just ran a mile" pant. Adorable

She is so so very in love with our dog, Mykenzie and will always look for her while she's eating. I think she secretly gives the dog food she doesn't like. If Mykenzie is on the floor, Laila will crawl up to her and pet  hit her, we still have to teach her how to be gentle.

She knows what "no" means and sometimes chooses to ignore it, other times, she'll stop doing whatever you say no too. Like playing with outlets, cords, dog food, computers, etc.

She is currently getting over a very nasty cough/cold and has been on Amoxicillin for a couple days now. This is the first time that we've ever had to go to the doctors to get medication. Other times, she was better within a day or two. But this one seems to be lingering forever.

Her favorite book at the moment is "A Wocket in my Pocket" She loves her toy cell phone (but still prefers mine), loves her Leap Frog Learn & Grove Table. Best thing ever.

She just started this...but...she can go from a sitting position to a standing position!!! Although, she falls down in a couple seconds but still...it's pretty amazing!!
Loves playing peek-a-boo, it's become one of her new favorite games
Loves swinging
Addicted to her pacifier
Loves sippy cups (although we are trying to transition her to a new one but she just won't give up her current Nuk one)
Will help with laundry...by pulling out all the clean, folded laundry
Is not as shy as she use to be and isn't as afraid of strangers
Loves going for walks
Addicted to goldfish and puffs
She has a beautiful smile and a beautiful personality
Is way too smart
Does belly flops in the bath tub (and has never pooped in the tub) :]
Enjoys playing with every objec that is not a toy

All About Laila: 7 Months!

Woo hoo. I can definitely say month 7 of Laila's life was amazing!! I can't believe that she is already 8 months, I'm sure this month will be even better..

All About Laila: 7 Beautiful Months! 

Laila is still a little peanut weighing in at __ pounds ___ inches. I'll update this once I find out.

She can still fit into some of her size 3 clothes but is mostly wearing size 6's. We've moved her on up to size 3 diapers because we were having too many blow-out issues. And you all know those are gross. Haha. We've also decided to stop using Pampers Swaddlers and started using Pampers Cruisers and so far, they're amazing. I've had no issues and no complaints.

She sits, she crawls, she pulls her self up. And she just started doing the official crawling a week after turning 7 months. She is definitely on the go, anywhere and everywhere. Her favorite place to crawl and hang out seems to be the kitchen...not sure why but I find it gross because her legs and feet get disgustingly dirty..Yes, we clean our floors but they are SO damaged. Guess that's what we get for living in a old house.

I've walked in on her standing in her crib numerous times, she even manages to do it in the middle of the night. This terrifies me, I'm just worried she'll hurt herself. She also pulled herself up holding onto our coffee table and all I could see was her nose and up. That girl definitely has some muscles.

This month she has been on and off sleeping thru the night. It seem she sleeps longer stretches when she is in our room. I wonder if this has to do with the temperature difference. Our room = nice and cool. Her room = not so much. Another downside of living in a old house, no central AC.

If she isn't sleeping thru the night, she's waking up once to eat and goes right back to sleep...most of the time. Sometimes, she stays awake for a couple minutes talking to her pacifier and pulling your hair {if she's in bed with us} She's also, most of the time, waking up another time, I think just out of habit.

We've also transitioned her to her crib..sort of. It's an on and off battle. But we're working on it.

Laila loves to eat food and gets so jealous when she sees someone eat or drink. We have learned not to give her "Mixed Veggies" from Beech Nut. It makes her throw up a ton on and off all evening. Must be the carrots because we've had the same issue with just carrots alone. She finally loved the Chiquita Bananas by Beech Nut. Delicious.

This month she has also tried real bananas mashed up and cut into little pieces, raspberries, strawberries, goldfish, fig newtons and green beans. The only thing she wasn't a fan of was the raspberries. She also has tried strawberry and banana Gerber Yogurt. She enjoyed the banana but couldn't stop gagging with the strawberry. She also loves pumpkin muffins! That girl has her fathers taste buds, which I am so thankful of.

She is still a total water baby. Doesn't matter what type of water she's in, she's lovin' it. I've bought her a whale pool from Tar-Jay and I can't wait to have her try it out. As for baths, we're experimenting without using the baby bathtub. So far, it's going pretty good but it's time for us to get new grippers and a faucet cover. Safety first!

Speaking of safety first, it's time for us to baby proof our house now that we have a mobile baby. And there is something about baby proofing that scares me. Maybe because it really means my baby is mobile and no longer just lies there playing. Oy.

Her new work is... mama and boy, is it a beautiful word to hear. I have been waiting for the day and she just started saying mama a couple days ago. She is still a total daddy's girl, which I don't mind.

Randoms:
She is an outside baby, all the way
Does amazing playing all by herself in her room
Loves her jumbo Lego's
Has a huge fascination with cords {not good}
Hates her bottle and only gets in in the mornings and nights
Loves to climb all over you
Loves grass
Has a huge love for animals, especially Mykenzie
Will eat anything you give her, she has her daddy's taste buds
Still uses her swing for night time
Goes searching for things when they go missing

7 months has been amazing and I am so excited for my baby to be 8 months!

All About Laila: 6 Months

It's that time of the time {well, not that time, I haven't seen that in a while} to talk all about Laila and share her growth, milestones and much more. Can you believe she is already 6 months old? That's half a year, and in half a year, she's going to be ONE. Excuse me while I go faint...or cry.

Laila weighs 15 lbs 10 ounces and is 25 inches.

She is in size 2 diapers which are getting a little snug on her. We may have to switch over to the size 3's in a couple weeks but are trying to finish the rest of the size 2's we have left. Have I mentioned how much I hate Pampers now? Maybe it's just me but all the sudden Laila was leaking pee and poo all.the.time. It's getting ridiculous.

She can still fit into some of her 0-3 clothes, like some of her jumping beans pants. Most of the shirts are too small, besides a couple. Other than that, she is mostly wearing 3-6 month clothes.

On a normal day, she will eat every 3 hours or even 4 hours. She gets Beechnut's Mixed Fruit Oatmeal & breast milk for breakfast. Sometimes, we put it in her bottle, other times we feed it to her from a bowl. If she is still hungry, she gets a normal breast milk bottle. Around lunch time, she gets one jar of fruit and will drink two ounces of breast milk from her sippy cup!! Around dinner time, she gets a vegetable with two ounces of breast milk from her sippy cup. Between meals, she drinks 6 ounces of breast milk from her bottle.

She still wakes up during the night for a bottle but the past couple nights have been getting better. I've been able to get her to go back to bed...if I bring her into bed with me for a couple minutes. Then I put her into her pack n play. Besides that, she will wake up at least two or three other times in the middle of the night because she has rolled onto her belly or landed in an uncomfortable position. But the second you put her on her back, she rolls onto her belly. That hurdle has been a little difficult.

She stays up much later than she use to, which has also been a challenge with getting household chores done or just spending alone time with Justin. We can get her to go to bed around 9, sometimes 8:30 where as she use to go to bed between 7 and 8. I think this has a lot to do with the face that it is still light out.

She still takes 2 naps a day. Ranging from 30 minutes to 2 1/2 hours. There have been days where she has completely refused to nap for more than an hour the entire day, though. Making for a very cranky and tired baby.

She has one tooth and her second is still cutting through. I'm expecting it to pop any day now. Fingers crossed. Finding something to help calm down the pain has been a challenge though. So far we know cold objects work as well as Tylenol.

She can sit up all on her own for the longest amount of time ever without falling over. That's my girl!

I think I may have a crawler soon but who knows. She gets into the position to crawl and once up, she just plops right onto her belly and moves a little forward, repeating the process all over again. There are times when she uses her head to get some good balance.

She has excellent leg strength and can pull her own weight up, while her hands are being held. I just noticed this yesterday but Justin said she's been doing that for a WEEK now. Really? How could I have missed that? Shame on me.

Recently, shes been very interested in the color green. YUCK. I'm not a fan of it but I think it has something to do with Justin's green beer bottles. She follows them everywhere with her eyes as if it's her own bottle. And every time we eat/drink she insists on doing that same, if not, she gets MAD.

Laila is constantly rolling belly to back, back to belly and side to side, with one leg up and one leg down. I don't know. It's weird.

I can't guarantee this, but I am almost positive that Laila said "mama" the other night. It was a very long "mmaaammaaa" when I walked out of the room, and she followed it with a big cry. I'm very excited about this and have been trying to get her to say it since...with no luck. Oh well, we'll keep trying!

And speaking of crying while leaving the room, that's Laila's new thing. We use to be able to leave her in her bouncy, swing, or play mat for a little bit and she would be content and happily playing with toys. Lately, that has been very different and the second you are out of her sight, tears start flowing down her face and she buries her face...usually into the floor or her feet.

If she wants you, she'll reach for you. You put your arms out, she puts her arms out. If you say "up" she'll reach her arms out...sometimes! It's adorable.

She talks screams A LOT, loves other children, hates strangers, picks up/reaches for objects, moves them from hand to hand, is a huge smiler, loves to giggle, enjoys splashing water all over the place, loves when you clap or play peek-a-boo, enjoys watching other kids and is still a daddy's girl.

Laila's personality is really shining through and everyday her personality emerges a little more. Between all the poopy diapers, spit up, numerous outfits in one day, cry fests...it's been an amazing experience and a joy to be her mother. She's the sweetest girl I've ever met and I can't wait to watch her blossom every month and become the best that she can be. No rush, though!

Happy 6 months Laila.

All About Laila: 5 Months

Laila turned 5 months a couple days ago, so this post is semi-late. I just completely forgot to post about it. And seriously, where is the time going?

Laila doesn't have an appointment until June, so unfortunately, I'm not positive on her height and weight. I can do all of that at home, though. I'll update this once I know.

She's wearing size 2 diapers.

She can still fit into some of her 0-3 clothes, mainly the 3's. She also wears 3-6's but the 6's are ginormous on her.

She still gets pumped breast milk, exclusively now. Big accomplishment on my part, which I feel I mention too much. She can also hold her bottle, for the most part.

For the majority of the night, she sleeps in her pack n play. But, I do find myself bringing her into bed for maybe an hour or so. I've just really missed having her so close and cuddled up with me.

She loves her new swing, her jumperoo, and finally, the bumbo. She use to HATE that thing.

She is cutting her 2nd tooth, which has been making her very irritable. She'll play but cry at the same time. Poor honey :[ I feel so incredibly bad that she has to deal with the pain.

Rice cereal in a bottle does not make her sleep longer, oh well. She still wakes up once in the middle of the night to eat. I'm wondering if this is ever going to pass.

She eats 5 or 6 ounces. If you give her anymore, she spits up a ton.

She still loves the colors orange, yellow, pink, red. Anything bright and vibrant she'll go after.

She does this thing now when you put her into the car seat. It's like she's trying to escape. She practically uses her feet to lift her body up because she doesn't want to be buckled.

And, although she still falls asleep in the car the majority of the time, she just doesn't enjoy car rides as much as she use to. She pretty much wants out the second we buckle her and get driving.

She loves loves loves music. She's my musical baby. And she even enjoys dancing around with mama.

She has awesome hand coordination. You'll catch her reach for her toys, picking them up and I bet you know where those toys go once she picks them up...HER MOUTH! Yup, she still chews on everything. How tasty, right?

She can lift her torso of the ground during tummy time. She can roll back to belly, belly to back. She even enjoys rolling half way and hanging out on her side.

She can sit assisted and even unassisted for maybe 10 seconds before she decides to topple over.

She can laugh but doesn't do it all the time. Instead, she still vocalizes by screaming and babbling "baby talk"

But, I'm pretty sure she said the word "da" the other day. Hasn't said it since, but I'm in know rush for her to start talking. It just means my baby is growing up. Which still scares the heebie-jeebies out of me.

Still a daddy's girl and probably will be for sometime. At times, I don't mind this. Other times, I just want her to want me more often. On the other hand, she doesn't get to see her daddy to often because he is usually gone before she wakes and doesn't get home till later on.

She enjoys being outdoors and we cherish the walks that we get to go on. Especially since the weather was been wonky lately.

Laila went to the Milwaukee County Zoo for the first time on April 30th. I have a ton of pictures that I'm still in the processes of watermarking and editing. Will post once those are finished.

AND she gets to venture down to Gurnee, IL to experience Six Flags for the first time, if the weather cooperates. Although, she won't give a hoot. Lets just hope she can survive the hour and a half drive. There may be a couple pit stops.

But, In just a month, my daughter will be 6 months, meaning 6 more months till she is ONE. Scary.

All About Laila (4 Months}

Guess who is FOUR months?! ... Laila :]

It's amazing how fast time is flying. I'm not ready for her to grow up.

*I want to say she is around 14 pounds.
{will get the exact measurements April 9th for her check-up}

*Size 1 diapers are starting to get small so we started putting her in size 2, but either work.

*Still wearing 0-3 clothes with some 3-6's in there

*She loves to sit by herself. If you lay her flat, she grunts and grunts and looks like she is trying to do a sit up. She looks absolutely funny while doing these.

*Has awesome hand coordination and can grab almost anything by herself. She will also pass objects from one hand to the other.

*And everything she grabs goes straight to her mouth.

*She is always wearing a bib because she is always drooling.

*She popped one tooth already (just a couple days before turning 4 months)

*She loves meeting new people and is very social. This has definitely changed because she hated meeting new people and would cry instantly if someone who she was unfamiliar with, starting talking to her.

*Still getting breast milk during the day and a formula bottle in the middle of the night.

*She tries to hold her bottle all by herself. And will even try to push your hands out of the way.

*She still is waking up once in the middle of the night to eat. Usually after 5 hours of straight sleep. I guess I don't mind this but I would love for her to sleep longer lenghts.

*She is still learning to roll, rarely ever does it..I just don't know if she isn't interested or what.

*Does wonderful at tummy time and can lift her head amazingly.

*Randomly says words like "hi" "ma" "da"

*She is starting to take interest in our food but Justin and I have decided to not start rice cereal or any type of baby food until she is at least 6 months of age.

*She doesn't always sleep in bed with us anymore :[ And this was a very hard decision for myself. But, she has become such a wiggle worm and scoote's her way out of my arm. I've started to get very paranoid, so she now goes to bed in her pack n play. When she wakes for her middle of the night bottle, I bring her into bed with me and she stays there for about 3 hours and then it's time for us to wake up for the day.

*She goes to bed between 7-8 sometimes later. And wakes up between 5-6. On the weekends she wakes up between 6-7.

*And bedtime has been getting easier, she doesn't become very upset as often anymore. Maybe this is because we have started timing bathtime with eating time. She gets a bath about 30 minutes to an hour before she eats.

*She loves objects that are orange or red and takes more interest in those.

*She still isn't a fan of being in her car seat, I guess I can't blame her though. But car rides always calm her down and put she to sleep.

*She is starting to laugh and I've been enjoying this to the max. Before it was always just coos. Now, certain things make her laugh. It's freaking adorable.

*She was called a BOY for the first time (4-3-11) Silly old lady.

*Her vocal cords are amazing and she is constantly yelling, for fun.

*She loves her paci and enjoys pulling it out and then putting it back in. It's become a game to her.

*She enjoys listening to music..anytime of the day. It calms her down. As well as running water and the fan.

*We can "converse" back and forth with her and it's amazing. She loves to be the one to talk and tell you a story.

*When getting diaper changes, she always is touching her butt...what a goof.

*Justin and I have decided to get Laila's ears pierced. Will take pictures and post once this happens.

*She takes 1 long 3 hour nap and 2 short 1 hours naps during the day. This can vary depending on how much she sleeps at night, though.

*Her favorite toys are Sophie the Giraffe and her Owls & Friends Ball Trio along with some others.

*But lately, she doesn't want anything. She wants to be held and walked around. She won't play by herself anymore. I'm wondering if this is due to her teething? You literally can't even walk out of her sight for a second without her getting very upset :[

*I hate HATE to admit this...but she rolled right of the couch and landed on her back. She didn't cry or make a sound. I walked right over to her and she was laying there with a big smile on her face. No injuries. I felt HORRIBLE, though.

Will post pictures of my beauty once I load them onto the computer.


And ladies, I'm sorry I have been missing. I don't want to get into a ton of details...but Justin and I are going through a rough rough time. So we've really been trying to work hard on our relationship.

All About Laila {3 Months}

My dearest Laila is already 3 months old. Yes, 3 months ago, she made her beautiful entrance into this world. Not one day has gone by where my heart hasn't melted from the beauty that radiates off of her. She's such an amazing daughter. My daughter. My heart. My soul. My life.

*She is wearing 0-3 clothes and size 1 diapers.

*I don't know her exact weight or height. I'm guessing she is around 11 lbs and 24 inches. I'll figure that out.

*She has 5-6 bottles a day. Usually 4 ounces at a time. Sometimes she has 5 but if she has anymore than that she is a spit-up machine.

*Daytime bottles are breast milk and nighttime bottles are formula. This has worked fantastic for us.

*She walks up ONCE at night to eat. I don't mind this at all.

*She is still sleeping right next to my side and will be for a while.

*She is more aware of her own body...like her hands. Not a day, minute, second goes by where those little fingers aren't shoved into her mouth. It's insane. She even chews on them to the point of almost making herself throw up :/

*She is starting to roll. How scary. The other day, she almost rolled right into my pump that was currently going. But she still hasn't rolled back to belly completely and then belly to back. She just rolls on to her sides and that's only once in a while.

*She doesn't mind tummy time, FINALLY! I was worried that her neck muscles wouldn't be grand but their perfect. She's perfect.

*She loves to stand on her feet. If I could hold her up all day like this, maybe I would. Although, that would be TIRING.

*She fights sleep...like mad. Honestly, that drives me bonkers. She will be SO tired and just cry. Nothing calms her down. Then she finally falls asleep. I hate this. I feel so terrible.

*Still loves her bath time and gets on every week night.

*She could probably stare at herself in the mirror forever. It's amazing. She makes the cutest face ever when she sees herself. My heart melts.

*She prefers daddy to put her to bed. Such a daddy's girl.

*She loves lights, running water, fans, T.V.s

*When she isn't shoving her hands in her mouth, she is using them to grab something...anything. And that usually means my hair or her pacifier clip. This has lead me to get a hair cut. Nothing drastic, though.

*She enjoys staring at our dog, Mykenzie.

*She gets bored very quickly.

*She tries to SIT UP. For real, I lay her down and it looks like she is trying to do some sit-ups. I figured this was her trying to sit up like a big girl!

*She wants to be held all.the.time. Baby Bjorn has been a lifesaver.

*She looks more like daddy than mommy. But acts more like mommy than daddy. :]

I can't imagine what kind of life I would have without Laila in it. I'd assume it wouldn't be as exciting, sleep depriving, stressful as it is but I love the way I live my life. I love everything about it and couldn't image it any other way. My daughter means the world to me and I am so grateful and so thankful for her.

All About Laila {2 Months}

Birth Announcement 

Laila is already 2 months {turned two months about a week ago}

She is 10 pounds 14 ounces. 23 inches.

Wearing 0-3 clothes. Size 1 diapers.

Yesterday she had shots, I didn't cry but I sure was a mess. I scooped her up immediately. For the rest of the day she slept. My poor baby :[

She loves bath time. Once she's in the water, she's calm and content and the happiest baby ever. But once you take her out, she freaks. Which is understandable because she just went from being in warm water to entering the cold. No one likes that.

For the past couple of weeks all she wants to do is stand on her feet. Which is awesome but my arms get pretty sore from constantly holding her up.

She loves to watch Transformers and I let her. It keeps her calm at five in the morning when I have to get ready for work. If Justin or I turn the channel, she'll sometimes get upset.

She also loves Baby Einstein videos.

She doesn't sleep through the night. Bummer, but that's OK. She goes to bed around 8, sometimes early. Depending on when she gets her bath and bottle. She will sleep for 6 hours {up at 2} and then want another bottle. Go back to bed for 3 more hours {up at 5} and have another bottle. After this she usually stays up and hangs out in her swing while I get ready for work.

She loves car rides. They almost always put her to sleep.  But she hates to be in her car seat if she's not moving.

Her eyes follow you, although she still has some "drunk lag"

She still isn't a huge fan of being swaddled...she likes her arms to be free. But, on super fussy nights we'll attempt to swaddle her and she will just fall asleep.

She smiles ALL THE TIME! And I love this. I love picking her up from the sitters and seeing that big smile on her face once she sees me.

She coos like crazy and even "says" hi. haha

She hates to sleep alone. Hates it. She prefers to be snuggled up next to Justin or I. This leads to her sleeping in our bed. Which I am 100 % OK with. I love her snuggled next to me.

She prefers breast milk over formula :]

She doesn't like huge crowds and isn't a fan of strangers.

Loves her pacifer and even loves to use her hands to suck on. Some days, I find her trying to shove her whole fist into her mouth. This makes me wonder if she's going to start sucking her thumb?

She tries to grab at toys and such but isn't quite there. But she can hold your finger or something small.

She's amazing. Completely amazing.

I LOVE YOU, LAILA!

1 Month Check-up

Laila had her 1 month check up today!
Weight: 9 lbs 7 oz
Length: 21 inches

What she does:
She has been cooing like CRAZY lately.
It's freaking awesome.
She smiles, A LOT...the real smiles, not the gas smiles.
She focuses and follows objects.
She knows my voice along with her daddy's.
She is in size 1 diapers.
Mostly wears 0-3 clothes with the occasional newborn outfit.


She also slept for FIVE straight hours last night. That was HEAVEN for me.
Is this the beginning of something?! 

All About Laila: 1 month

Things I’ve learned about Laila in the past 4 weeks

*She is a loud sleeper so don’t get out of bed every time she makes a noise. I’ve learned the hard way. Every sound, I would pick her up and that woke her up. Leaving me with a tired and cranky baby. 

*Bibs and burp cloths are a necessity, she’s a messy eater.  

*She can sleep through the noise at Starbucks perfectly. My aunt and I have started going to Starbucks every Thursday to relax on the comfy chairs and have some comfy. Couple minutes later and Laila is sound asleep. She loves that place. 

*She enjoys bath time. This worried me because she HATED sponge baths. So, I became terrified that she wouldn’t enjoy taking a bath with Justin or I. Turns out I was wrong. She loves it. And not only is it relaxing for her, it’s relaxing for Justin and I as well and it’s a great way for us to bond with her.

*She loves the sound of running water, the bathroom fan and “shhh”

*She hates tummy time while on the floor but will do a fantastic joy while lying on someone’s chest.

* Her face turns BRIGHT red when she’s trying to poop. She’ll usually let you know she’s all done when she starts crying because she doesn’t want to deal with the smell. Ahaha.

*If she starts to fuss within a couple minutes of laying her in her pnp she is not ready for bed. 

*She hates diaper changes. It does not matter if the wipes are warm or cold, she just hates it. 

*When she gets hiccups, you better have the gripe water ready. It works 80% of the time. Otherwise, she just cries and cries. 

*She smiles all the time. Even when she’s farting.

*She chews on her hands now. She used to only do this when she was hungry. Now she does it for fun. 

*She prefers Justin to put her to bed. Which I don’t mind at all, I actually love this. 

*She is not a fan of diaper changes. And it doesn’t matter if the wipes are warm or cold.

*She isn’t a big fan of being swaddled. Sometimes, she just cries more and more if you do swaddle her. At times she doesn’t mind, though. 

*She’s becoming more vocal besides crying. 

*She loves her mam pacifier. 

*She prefers to sleep next to Justin or I in bed rather than all alone in her pnp. I love this as well. 

*She enjoys staring at lights or anything bright. It’ll help calm her down. 

*Never rush to change her poppy diaper. Sometimes, she is finished doing her business and now you have 2 wasted diapers instead of 1. Wasting diapers is a NO-NO!

*She hates being buckled into her car seat but once you pick her up, she calms down...most of the time.

*She hates being in rooms all by herself. She needs to know that you're there with her.  

I don't know if you can tell BUT she has her pointer finger up for "one" :]