Spittin' Image

I know that our sweet baby girl will grow up to have her own unique "look" and will more than likely not favor me a whole lot in the future. But I have to say that it is such a joy to look back at my own baby pictures and see such a resemblence. My mom has always said that Gianna looks just like me as a baby...but you would expect a mom to say that, right?

When I started looking at my baby pics, I have to say - there are more than a few similarities. I think it's just God's way of confirming what we have always known in our hearts: this is our child, chosen for us, meant for us and gifted to us - on loan from her loving Creator. His fingerprints are all over our lives!

Tick Tock - It's six o'clock!

It's pretty amazing how young these little creatures can develop patterns. Both Iain and I have a pretty strong internal clock - waking up at the same time every day without an alarm clock (both for different times, but super accurate, nonetheless.) Now, it seems our sweet baby girl has one too - and we don't even share the same DNA! No matter what time she goes down for the night (usually at 7:00ish) I will hear that little munchkin begin her baby babble at 6:00am (or with 3 or 4 minutes either way.) How amazing is that? Well, now that I think about it - the MOST amazing thing is that she sleeps for 11 hours straight (and sometimes longer). AND...I just discovered if I wait a little longer after 6pm. She may babble herself back to sleep for another good hour or so. Halleluiah!

Before people tell us how lucky we are (we're claiming 50% luck - 50% working pretty dern hard at developing good habits) we are currently emerging out of a little disruption to our formerly perfect routine. All of a sudden, about a month or so ago, Gianna would start screaming when we placed her in the crib (that horrible, pitiful scream) which she's never done before. And if she didn't scream when we put her down, she'd scream about an hour into her sleep. We couldn't figure out if she was in pain, going through separation anxiety, etc....until I got her out of bed on New Year's eve. Her cry was panicked and tears covered her face...I was heartbroken. I picked her up (first mistake) and she began to quiet as she sniffed and caught her breath. I brought her into the living room (2nd mistake) where Iain and I were had a little snack spread and wine to ring in the New Year. That little monkey saw Iain and the spread and squealed with delight, as if to say, "Oh boy, a party! What our we celebrating? I didn't know y'all were playing, Mommy & Daddy?" Oooh....she's a crafty one.

After a little bit of "Ferberizing" (adapted to suit our us) we are back on track.....for now.

P.S. You would know the night after I wrote this we had "going to sleep issues" with the munchkin. I swear, I think she reads this stuff. Oh well, that's what I get for blog-bragging!

Here are just a few random pics (like you haven't seen enough!)

That face!

I am continually amazed and delighted by this tiny little face - and this precious baby girl who wears it so beautifully.
Happy Birthday to Me!! Yep.....today's my day. Age: young enough to be a mommy of a six month old. :)
Best gift: wrapped up in a 17 pound package (usually with a big honkin' bow on top!)
Life is good. I'm not old.....I'm seasoned. (No smart comments, thank you very much!)

Hey Mommy - can I have a bigger bow?

We were on our way to a funeral last week (one of my h.s. classmates died) and I grabbed a bow to match the leaves in the smocking of her romper. It wasn't until I got to the church, that I realized just how ginormous the bow was. Poor baby. She was a good sport.

Rub-a-dub-dub...who gotta new tub?

From the get-go, we knew we had a water baby. She’s always enjoyed her bath. We started out in the sink, then a baby tub, back to the sink (once she could sit) and now she’s graduated to a great big blow up rubber duck tub. She thinks it's just ducky! She LOVES, LOVES, LOVES it. It’s soft, doesn’t take as much water as the sink, and it even quacks – which she gets quite a kick out of. (See video.) Here are a few bath time pics before and after the duck tub. (Did I mention she LOVES it?)

Our Gerber Girl

As soon as that little face started filling out at about 3 or 4 months old, people start calling Gianna a Gerber Baby. What a face! Now if we could only get a deal with Gerber so we can have college paid for!

Along the same lines, just a few weeks ago (when she turned 6 months old) I began my quasi-ambitious endeavor of making my own baby food. I really liked the idea of preparing healthy food (no preservatives or additives), saving a ton of money, and getting Gianna used to my cooking. A worthy venture, I would say, just not sure if I was more optimistic than realistic.

The first veggie I tried was sweet potatoes. I washed them, peeled them, chopped them, cooked them, pureed them, spooned them into ice cube trays, froze them, popped them into Ziploc bags and stored them in the freezer. It actually tasted really good. Gianna, who has eaten everything we’ve offered her up to this point, didn’t quite share my enthusiasm in this matter. She gagged and choked and glared at me almost as if to accuse me of trying to poison her. Turkey. All that work – out of love - for THAT reaction? Hmph. Oh, and the only way I could get her to eat them was to mix prunes, of all things, with them.

I was a little discouraged after that first day, but really that’s about as rough as it got. So far, I’ve prepared and stored six different vegetables and fruits and she’s doing really well. I’ll always keep a few jarred foods available for convenience sake, but I have to say: I’m actually having fun with it.

Playin' Possum

Lately, Gianna’s favorite way to view the world is upside down. She is intrigued by how things look from that vantage point and doesn’t think twice about throwing her head back so she can be amused – no matter where she is. Little monkey. It’s so much fun watching her learn about her world…..not so much fun in church, however. :)

Oh, and on a side note: Little monkey has learned to kick free from her sleep positioner in crib in order to “move about the cabin freely.” The other day I heard music coming from her nursery during naptime. (I hadn’t put any music on.) When I got to her room, I saw her tiny toes kicking about in the air – aiming for her little musical aquarium. By golly, she managed to turn it on herself. Crafty little munchkin, isn't she? Thank goodness she can at least entertain herself!

6 Month Stats

We went to the doctor this week. Growing like a weed! Healthy as can be....thank heavens. What ever happened to that little five pound baby we brought home? My, how time is flying.

What's in a name?

Why is that we spend months/years coming up with a baby name, when we end up using so many other “pet names” to address our babies? For whatever reason, “L’il Monkey” seems to be the #1 term of endearment we use with our sweet baby girl. I found these little pajamas with monkeys on them – and a sweet pink stuffed monkey she got as a gift.

The myriad of alternative names we use regularly, include:
Angel Baby ~ Sweet Pea ~ Puffalump ~ Monkey Doo ~ Pumpkin Doodle ~ Pumpkin Head ~ Sugar Plum ~ Sugar Bear ~ Tut Tuttles ~ Toodle Bear ~ Love Bunny ~ Pork Chop ~ Sweet Potato ~ Love Bug ~ Cupcake and then there's Meatball Cheeks.

Ninja Baby

It doesn't matter how "girlie" we dress her, how much pink she's wearing, or how many bows or ruffles are on her clothing -- people invariably will say, "He sure is a cute baby!" HE? How dare they? :)

Since Gianna doesn't have a thick headfull of hair, we (I) typically put a headband on her with a big fat bow on it. She's actually a pretty darn good sport about it...until she gets tired...then she starts yanking. She usually pulls it over her eyes so she can fall asleep. (Since she was a wee little five pounder, we had to cover her eyes with a little silky blanket, so she could fall asleep. She's very curious and alert, and if there is somethin' to see - she ain't missin' out!) Sometimes she just pulls the bow off and chews on it until we notice, or she falls asleep.

Iain & I get so tickled when we drive somewhere and arrive at our destination, get to her carseat only to find her asleep with her headband over her eyes. She looks like a little ninja. Funny girl.

And my personal favorite....

She cracks me up...

I spent a little bit of Gianna's naptime today editing pictures. I came across this one I took last month...and it just makes me laugh. Just thought I'd share a little sunshine on cloudy Sunday. Enjoy.

Will post more later. M<><


More new pictures at www.lewisland.shutterfly.com.

Six Months Already?

Today, January 1, 2009, our sweet baby girl turns six months old! Wow. We cannot believe it. Thankfully, we have been drinking up every sweet moment with her.

• Gianna is now sitting without support or assistance - but you have to stay close in case the Weeble starts to Wobble... you know, so she doesn't fall down!
• She rolls over somewhat regularly from front to back - and is super close to achieving the back to front roll.
• Her absolutely favorite song from the very first month is Itsy Bitsy Spider and she's now begun to "sing" along when I sing it to her. She can be in a full-on fuss and still smile when she hears it! She also gets a kick out of the Twelve Days of Christmas - although mom's a little burned out on that one.
• She grunts only occasionally these days, and if she starts it up, I sternly say her name and say,"Oh, no, no." She thinks that is hysterical. Ruh-roh...We're in trouble.
• Yesterday, I was folding laundry and was shaking out the clothes to get the wrinkles out - making that snapping sound -- and she got the giggles.
• She has been eating like a champ! Rice cereal, oatmeal (single grain), peas, sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, squash, carrots and her very favorite..........PRUNES! Today, I begin my new venture in making my own baby food. More on that later.

Wishing you a blessed New Year! Don't forget our "real website" http://www.lewisland.shutterfly.com/.