Molars!

Someone has molars! Not just one, but two! I let her chew on my finger for a few seconds today and discovered them- both on top, on either side. She's also officially cut the two teeth on either side of the top front center two. That makes for 9 teeth! I'm hoping this is what all the dirty diaper 5 times a day business was about. Today she woke up at 7:15 with only a wet diaper, and it felt like I was sleeping in. :-) Only we forgot to turn on the heater last night so my little girl was an ice cube! Bad mommy moment. The days have been getting so warm but apparently it was down to 28 or so last night- eek! So tonight she's in long sleeves, pants, and socks, and the heater is on. Hopefully she won't overheat!

Tonight Ryan is at a basketball game with his BFF Michael. I was certain they'd hop up and down and giggle like girls when they saw each other (Michael lives out of state and stopped in for a "business trip"- nice and conveniently scheduled) but there (sadly) was only hand shaking. I'm betting when they got in the car, out of my earshot, is when the giggling started.

Enjoying the beautiful weather!

She refuses to look at the camera when we're outside.
Too many other interesting things to look at!

Pictures

Beth has been waking up every morning around 5:55 with a dirty diaper, like clockwork, so I am a sleepy momma these days. Usually she goes back to sleep after I change her and nurse her but it's a rude awakening to be smacked with the smell of poo that early in the morning! So this will be a short post. Things are going very well with the addition of Finley, Beth accepting him more and more each day. Last week we were able to stay home pretty much all week and help him get acclimated to his new home, but this week we're super-busy! Beth is growing and changing as all toddlers do, but there are no new milestones right now to report! We're really working on "using words" when she's in the middle of a tantrum. Usually it calms her down enough to sign something to us and help us get through the issue. But her temper is really starting to show through! It's something all toddlers go through, I know! I'm just trying to be a good mommy and help her communicate with us so hopefully we can all make it through with our sanity in tact. Wouldn't that be nice. :-)

Lazy dog. He's so mellow.

His ear does that a lot.

Whenever she goes into his crate to check it out, he follows her in. Usually
this is okay with her, sometimes she prefers to be in it alone!

I like the lighting in this picture.

She's brushing him. She's become very brave in touching his tail!

Lost shoe

Since Finley has entered our lives, I've really made an effort to go walking twice a day with him. It's good for me to get out of the house and exercise, it's good for Beth to get out of the house, and it's good for him to wear off some of that puppy energy! So we've been going at least once a day, sometimes twice- the weather has been rainy, boo. We just got back from our morning walk (and now Beth is sleeping, yay!). I always put shoes on Beth just because I never know when she is going to want to get out and walk, but now that she's pulling her shoes off at every opportunity it's probably not a good idea. Yup, you guessed it, she pulled a shoe off and tossed it overboard and I didn't even notice until we got home! Her brand new shoe, her brand new expensive shoe, gone! I may have said a bad word, threw Finley inside and strapped Beth in her car seat and we took off. Thanks to St. Anthony we found it in the street and it hadn't been run over. I apologized to Jesus for saying a bad word, thanked St. Anthony for his help, and came home and now Beth is asleep. Yay for happy endings. :-)

We're going to the mall this afternoon because I need some new foundation for my face. Actually I needed new foundation about 5 weeks ago and somehow I've managed to squeeze enough out of that tiny plastic bottle to last me this long. Well I'm officially out now, so time to buy some more! Beth will enjoy the mall, she always does, I haven't decided if I'll let her play in the kid area or not. Yesterday her nose started running again so probably not... We still have yet to take her on the carousel, I'm not sure she'd enjoy it yet though. We plan to meet Ryan for lunch but now that I think about it, that might not be such a good idea for me since I got my bottom braces on yesterday. My mouth is hurting!

And she's awake. I don't even think that was 10 minutes. :-(

Introducing Finley

Finley arrived at our house today! We (obviously) were approved by the Boxer rescue, but Finley actually came from a foster mom from a local humane society. Her information was cross-posted on the Boxer rescue site, so that's how we found him. He's a big boy- around 60 lbs or so, and around 1 year old. He was a stray that had been picked up last October, so no one is positive of his history. In fact, it's possible he's a Boxer mix, because of his long legs and longish nose. He's got his natural ears and tail though, I love it. :-)

We met him on Sunday (yesterday) then met some other Boxers afterward, none compared to him. Plus he had such a complete history from his foster mom, she really talked him up and so far everything she said has been true! He knows a couple of basic commands and of course is house trained, and has been perfect with Beth. And surprisingly, Beth is doing wonderful with him too. She's not hanging all over him, but she'll touch him and let him lick her a little without squealing. This evening Beth and I took him for a walk and he did very well on the leash, walking right by the stroller. She was laughing like crazy at him in the backyard when he was playing chase. I think she likes him!
Meeting him for the first time yesterday.
Our new boy
Greeting Ryan for the first time at home!
She touched his tail! Progress!
What is this?
Insert witty comment here
She locked herself in and wouldn't come out!
Right now, passed out next to me. I think he just passed gas.

Today!

We're getting a dog! A boxer! His name shall be Finley.



More pics later!!!

I'm so impressed

Beth is just getting smarter and smarter! I am so impressed lately with her growing knowledge. She constantly is doing things that surprise me or crack me up. Right now he favorite attention-getting trick while I'm on the computer is she walks up to the desk, *lightly* taps her head on the corner of the desk, then fusses while she rubs her head. She knows that previously when she's bumped her head (not on accident!) I swoop her up and rub her head. So she'll do this over and over again until she gets my attention. Meanwhile it's so funny and cute to me that I watch her out of the corner of my eye and giggle while she does it!

Recently we've also discovered that she can shake her head yes and no. If you say "yes?" to her, she'll nod her head up and down. If you say "no?" she'll shake her head (and her body!) back and forth. She's so smart! We're trying to teach her how to use a spoon right now- she's really never been interested in holding a spoon during feedings so I've just fed her. It makes for a very clean meal! Now things are getting totally messy and disgusting, but she's just about figured it out. She prefers to bang the spoon on the tray, then toss it and say "uh oh!". Someone must have forgotten to tell her that "uh oh" is for accidents only!

A few days ago she was with Ryan and he was trying to help her say "banana". He's say "ba" and she'd say "ba". He'd say "na" and she'd say "na". He'd say "na" and she'd say "na". Then he'd say "banana" and she just said gibberish. It was so funny, it reminded me of the Friends episode when Phoebe was trying to teach Joey to say something in French. He got every syllable correct but when she tried to make him say it all together it came out in gibberish! Not that Beth is anything like Joey, lol!

She got some new shoes also because she's outgrown the pair I bought for her after Thanksgiving! Just in time too because those were starting to get smelly! These are her new shoes because they are the *only* soft-soled shoes I can find that fit her right now! She's between sizes in the Pedipeds and I hate the look of the Robeez and similar shoes. They weren't my favorite but she couldn't wear her other shoes anymore! And when she outgrows these, she has a pair of shoes from Christmas to grow into- pink and brown Pedipeds. Shopping for little girls is really too much fun!
Beth "feeding herself" with her spoon
Outside before Valentine's dinner. She was really excited about some water!
Pretty girl
Stuffed with yummy food, our little family.

Our busy week

Beth's taking a nap so I have maybe 5 minutes to write something. ;-)

We had a good, very busy weekend! Let's just say we learned we do NOT want a puppy anytime in the future- dog, yes. Un-housebroken puppy, NO! We had a puppy over for a few hours and she was so darling but in the time she was at our house, she had more accidents than Vegas ever did! Yikes!

Other than that we kicked back and relaxed. Well, sort of. I had a babysitting gig on Saturday night that was a fundraiser, and I actually enjoyed myself! There were 3 adults, a few teens "helpers" (if you call texting and giggling in the corner "helping") and about 28 kids. I read books to a few girls (and was told by a friend I'd be a good homeschooler!) and played poker with a 10-yr-old (with torn-up paper as our chips). They watched a couple of movies and some ran around like crazies, but overall I really enjoyed myself, plus we made a lot of money! I didn't get home until 1 am, yikes!

Sunday we stayed close to home so I could recover! We went to mass early (I love going at 9 am)and just chilled out the rest of the day. Monday and Tuesday Beth and I have been running around to meetings and trying to do chores, today we ran out to do a bit of shopping. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and the busiest day of our week! We have my Regnum Christi meeting in the morning, then a presentation at the Fullness of Truth bookstore about Jesus and the founding of the Church, then we come home for a bit and at 4:15 we'll meet Ryan at PF Changs for dinner. YUMMY! That's where we went last year for Valentine's day (with Beth- she slept!) so we'll make it a tradition. Plus I realllly want some noodles!

Then on Friday we have a big afternoon. A lady from the local Boxer Rescue group is coming to our house for a visit. Since Ryan and I have been looking into dogs, we've been told by some very knowledgeable friends that Boxers are one of the most family-friendly dogs out there. So we're going to meet with her, and ask her some questions, hopefully meet her Boxer and see how Beth does. We're really excited!


She looks like such a toddler!
Christmas present from Daddy...
She didn't really understand the blocks yet, she thought they were for eating.

A sampling of moods

"the itsy bitsy spider..."
"where's your belly button?!"
"but moooom!"
pensive
"noooooo!"
"huh?"
"pat a cake..."
"my teeth hurt so I think I'll chew my finger!"
"I know I'm cute!"
Big, beautiful, blue eyes!

Thunderous Applause!

The first part of this video is super-cute! The DVD she is watching is called "Classical Baby"- we checked it out from the library and it is a hit! It's classical music played by a REAL orchestra (not the silly Baby Einstein orchestra) and there are different animations for each song. It's pretty cute, it has a lot of Nutcracker music, Gershwin, West Side Story and some others. At the end of each piece the "audience" of animals claps and Beth stops everything she is doing and claps wildly! It's incredibly cute! Then the music starts again and she "dances" by swaying side to side, switching feet.

Filmed by her daddy. :-)

Finally a few pics!

Beth is doing much better, thanks for the prayers and well-wishes! Today she pretty much had a normal day, except she's still nursing a lot. That is getting old very quickly, but I know it's what's best for her right now! Tomorrow we have to leave the house for a meeting and errands, and I feel better about taking her out now.

Here are a few pics for your enjoyment! I don't have many good ones right now since we've all been sick, but a video will be coming up soon!

Reading
She actually picked up all three cell phones and brought them to me. This does not bode well for the future.
Her favorite new way to play with her firetruck thing- open the seat and get inside; stand and rock back and forth.
My first loaves of homemade flax-seed bread, thanks to my mother's bread machine. It was soooooo delicious!

Baby's got the flu

Not an awful case though, don't start feeling too sorry for her. She's playing like nothing's wrong, but she still has that runny nose/cough/fever going on. And she's nursing up a storm- I think this is probably the most accurate at-home diagnosis of sickness! When they want to nurse once an hour (or more) and they take their sweet old time... And refuse a banana! When Beth turns down a banana I KNOW something's wrong! She also has an ear infection, but he said it's in the very early stages so it won't get bad since I'll be starting her on the antibiotics first thing in the morning.

My throat is scratchy but her pediatrician took a peek and said it's not red, he said if it doesn't go away soon I should just call my Dr. for a prescription. I don't think I have it- I'm drowsy (I'm always tired though) and my temperature has been around 99.3 for the past 4 days (technically not a fever- just enough to make me warm!) and my throat is scratchy. I'm not really concerned, if I get any worse though I will go in.

One thing to share with the moms out there (I stole this from a post on my NFP board!)regarding rear-facing carseats! Protect your precious babes! This is from a study done in December 2007 at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

Findings:
* Children 0–23 months were less likely to be severely injured when using a rear-facing car seat (RFCS) than a front-facing car seat (FFCS).

* The benefit of an RFCS was particularly great in side crashes.

* Children 12 months to 23 months old are five times less likely to die or suffer serious injuries in a crash when riding in rear-facing car seats than those in forward-facing seats.

Abstract: http://injuryprevention.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/13/6/398

Hello again!

Beth and I have been out of town for about a week, which is why I have been absent for so long! We went to visit my parents and 3 of my brothers, and wouldn't you know now that we're home Beth has a fever. So I will probably remain absent for a few more days while she gets better. It's been 24 hours with the fever so tomorrow we're going to the doc. One of my brothers was diagnosed with the flu so I'm hoping Beth doesn't get that bad! Overall we had a very nice trip but I'm glad to be home with my hubby. :-)

Our days

We've been sticking around the house this week as much as possible to try to get a feel for a new nap schedule. Well, it's not working too well! I've come to the conclusion that since she is no longer co-sleeping (which she has done since the day she was born), she is missing out on high-quality mommy "touch" time. And now that we no longer are co-sleeping, she is craving more mommy "touch" time- which would be the reason she refuses to let me (but not her daddy) put her down to sleep for a nap. I have many other theories but this is the only one that sort of makes sense! So this week we've spent a lot of time together- I hold her a lot, sling her in stores (usually she goes in the shopping cart), and spend a lot of time nursing on demand. I've noticed her nursing sessions last a little longer now, too. Today we napped together in my bed (co-sleeping? maybe.) and I let her take her second nap on me while I watched some T.V. I'm just afraid to try to lay her down because she immediately wakes up and refuses to go back down, which makes us both cranky. I've decided my sanity is worth it!

I've also come to realize that my life, from here on out, will be lived in phases. I no longer care for only myself- I care for Beth (and hopefully, God-willing, many more babies!) and children live in phases, right? That's what "the books" say, lol. So right now, she's in a "bad nap" phase. But next month, it'll be a different phase, and after that it'll be something else, and- as Yule Brenner might say- "etcetera etcetera etcetera". Phases-and letting go of planning my life- it's a new concept for me. Everyone knows about my love affair with my day planner. I'm learning to let go of some things, catching myself when I'm feeling too worked up, and giving things that are obviously out of my control to God. It's a good feeling, sort of cleansing. Now I just need to go to confession and make it official!

Here are those re-birthday pictures I promised! I want to post a video of Ryan dancing with Beth, but I don't know if he'll go for it!
Yay! Fire!
Learning to use a spoon...
...Not very well, apparently!
Dancing with Daddy!

Re-Birthday

Yesterday was Beth's re-birthday- her 1-year baptism anniversary! We had a mini-celebration by lighting her baptism candle, eating Angel food cake, and reading a bit from Ephesians (my personal favorite book!). She was sort of cranky so we cut the party short. And after she was asleep I was kicking myself because I forgot to bless her with the holy water collected from the font on the day she was baptized. Doh!

Today is the 35th anniversary of Roe v Wade. Let us continue to pray for the injustices against the dignity of human life- especially for a change of heart in the doctors, nurses, counselors, "escorts", and the mothers and fathers considering abortion. In talking with some friends, we realized that a wonderful way to be nourish the culture of life(a term coined by John Paul II in Evangelium Vitae) is to always edify our children and speak highly of them to others. We especially should remember to see Christ in our children- they are not a burden but a blessing!

Pics of Beth to come tomorrow! I must go to bed now!

Our backyard

Here are our new trees. And by the way, in my post about Arbor day, I meant to say we've planted Red Bud, not Red Oak. I don't know what I was thinking.

Cypress
Magnolia
Our new compost bin, built by my ever-so-handy hubby
Red Bud
Frozen water in the "Marilyn Mary" birdbath- I didn't realize it had gotten that cold that night!

I've been tagged!

I never do these things in email/myspace or whatever because I think, who really cares? But now I know that Blair cares, so anyone else who wants can read and play along. :-)
1. WERE YOU NAMED FOR ANYONE? My dad- Steven Michael (I'm Stephanie Michelle)
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Yesterday, for a few reasons (same as you, Blair)
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? not really
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? turkey usually
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? 1 baby girl
6. WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? yes, on a good day!
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Depends on who I'm with, but only in moderation!
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Maybe? I think I could.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? High fiber cereal, lol!
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope!
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I have much stronger arms and back than I used to, thanks to a kid that prefers to be held. :-)
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Blue Bell... Dutch Chocolate or Cookie Dough
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? If they look me in the eye and recognize me as a person, or if they're wrapped up in themselves.
15. RED OR PINK? Pink
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? Right now, my mood swings.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I wish my family lived near me. :-(
18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Jeans and the "Hobo" shoes
19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Angel food cake for Beth's baptism party
20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Silence is oh-so-sweet when you have a 1-yr-old!
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? pink
22. FAVORITE SMELLS? Freshly-baked bread, coffee shops
23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom
24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Aggie football and Astros baseball! The only sports I watch!
25. HAIR COLOR? Brown with highlights? Strawberry blonde? This is the question of the century...Depends on the season, my mood, what I eat...
26. EYE COLOR? Brown with flecks of green
27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No
28. FAVORITE FOOD? Chocolate! And Fajitas!
29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings, I hate scary movies
30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? LOL! Anyone who knows me knows I don't really watch movies... All the way through? Uhh... Umm... Eh... I really have no idea! Bella?
31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Cream
32. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer!
33. HUGS OR KISSES? Depends! Usually big hugs!
34. FAVORITE DESSERT? Double chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and maybe chocolate slivers on top.
35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Parenting with Grace by Greg Popcak
36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I have a laptop. :-)
37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Nothing last night. Tonight is Prison Break.
38. FAVORITE SOUNDS? A snoozing baby. ;-)I crave silence now, but I also enjoy real (not fabricated) nature sounds.
39. BEATLES OR ROLLING STONES? (dittoing Lillian and Blair) Neither. I wouldn’t know the difference between the two. Seriously, who really cares?
40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Rome!
41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I could be a professional home organizer. I can vibrate my uvula (yes, that is completely G-rated, I promise)
42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Conroe, Texas

I'll tag Kyla, Caroline, Mandi and anyone else who wants to play!

Baby Signs

Arbor Day

Today there was an Arbor Day festival in our area and we went! They were giving out free tree seedlings, and who can say no to free stuff? Today was pretty chilly outside (finally!) but the sun was shining so we bundled up and had a good time. Really there wasn't too much for a one-year-old to do, but we got our free seedlings, took Beth through the petting zoo (don't worry, there wasn't much petting going on) and walked around through all the "big kid" games- all the big, blow-up jumping things and mazes. I have no idea what any of those things are called, but Beth was definitely waaaay to small to play in any of them! They also had a zillion people in costumes- Spongebob and Patrick, the Chick-Fil-A Cow mascot, Spiderman, Dora, the lion from Madagascar (don't remember his name!), the Hamburgler from McDonalds and some others. Again, Beth wasn't too interested in them but surprisingly not too scared either. Spongebob came up to us to say hi, and it was pretty funny because he actually sounded like Spongebob from the cartoon! That caught me off guard, usually they don't talk. :-)

When we got home we planted some new trees in our backyard. Now if you have ever been to our house, you know we have a pretty big backyard, and we really didn't have enough space for all the seedlings! We planted some Cypress, a Magnolia, several Pecan, and some Red Oak. I really really really hope the Magnolia takes off, and Ryan really wants some Pecan trees! We had lots of Live Oaks, Pine, and more Cypress that we just don't know what to do with now- we think we'll just plant them in the center of our cul-de-sac and see what grows. Unless anyone wants some seedlings? By the time we were done planting everything, it was dark, so I'll snap some pictures of them tomorrow!

Today was also a wonderful day in that Beth took TWO naps- one in the morning for ONE HOUR and the second around 3:00 for ONE AND A HALF HOURS. She was such a happy girl this evening! It's amazing how good, solid sleep really makes for such a happy baby!

What is that thing?!
The one time she reached out- it had to be a goat's rear end.
Happy girl! She likes Thai food!

Trip to the Mall

Today we went to the mall with some friends, to get out of the house and play! We had a good time, Beth loves playing with Mary Clare and Ellie! They're the "big girls" and Beth enjoys watching them move all around her (much quicker than she can move!) and they always act so motherly toward Beth, it's so sweet. :-)

I want to ride the carousel!
Playing in the mall play yard.
I love how long her eyelashes are! (click on the picture to make it bigger!)













If you're a mom, The Children's Place is having an awesome sale right now- I bought a $50 coat reduced to $10 for Beth next year- it will be perfect in the event we take a vacation to a place where there's such a thing as snow! I can't believe how warm it's been around here lately, I remember this time last year I was bundling up my newborn to bring her out- now we barely need a sweatshirt on- but just cold enough that we can't stay out for too long. Her little hands get cold and I haven't tried to put gloves on her- I wonder if she'd wear them?

We're really struggling with our daytime naps right now. Really. She's still sleeping in her bed all night (though she wakes up still- just not coming to bed with us anymore). She's not sleeping till 8:00 anymore either- in fact this morning she was up for good at 6:45, despite my best efforts. And, ALL DAY IN TOTAL, she slept a whopping 30 minutes. This is absolutely no good for several reasons- including my sanity around a cranky baby. So I think next week we're going to stay home all week- as much as possible- and try to figure this out. When she was younger, maybe 6 months?, I stayed home about 2 weeks without bringing her anywhere other than HEB and church, and kept a sleep log of her naps. It really helped me understand what she needed when she was uninterrupted by car trips. I think I need to do this again, because really she's still just a little girl who needs me to help her out a bit. I have to keep reminding myself of this- she's not inherently bad, trying to anger me, or even disobedient. She's just a baby who needs her mommy!

Which brings me to a sad note, please pray for my friend Danielle and her husband tonight. She was due with her third child any day now and she lost her sweet baby today. I cannot even fathom carrying a little life to full term- anticipating meeting this little person any day now- only to tragically not find a heartbeat on a routine checkup. May Jesus and Mary be with them tonight, comforting them in their loss.