Whew.....Pictures

There is so much going on here and not nearly enough time to catch everyone up. So I am going to post some pictures and tomorrow I'll update everyone on how Sophia's pedi appointment went (I re-weighed her today and it was 20 pounds, and since I know that my method isn't exact I can't wait to see what she actually weighs!)

A year ago....

our lives changed.

I had no idea what the upcoming year would hold. There was so much up in the air at the time. Waking up on the 24th and knowing that if I took a pregnancy test, it would be the best Christmas we've ever had. During my pregnancy I had feelings of regret for not waiting UNTIL Christmas to take the test. I regreted not finding a cutesy way to tell Cody. But in that moment, when the second line showed up....I couldn't breathe. I remember walking to the living room and feeling like I was floating. My hands were shaking, I couldn't get anything louder than a whisper out. We were pregnant. Pregnant. With Child. Bun in the oven. Pregnant.

Here we are exactly one year later. I am amazed every day with the lessons that Sophia teaches me. Because of her I try harder to forgive others. I am learning how to forgive myself. I am trusting more in God's plan for all of us. And I am enjoying life in a way I forgot that I could.

With complicated lives, comes complicated feelings. And this year there have been plenty to go around. But healing takes time, and I think I'm getting there.

So a year ago today (this is the digital test that I went out to get AFTER I had two lines on the regular tests, just because I thought digital tests were really cool) :


Today:


Here's the blog entry I wrote the day after I took my pregnancy test. For those who care.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas. I am writing Sophia's letter today, and I'll think about posting it tomorrow. But I'm not sure if I'm going to make it public....hmmm...we'll see!!

We have a roller!!

No longer a baby that we can leave on the bed while we hang clothes in the closet. Now she has to be surrounded by pillows. So the forting of the bed starts.

*She's rolled for a bit before this video. I just finally felt comfortable knowing that she could do it quickly enough to get it on video.

**The mic on my phone video thing is realllly sensitive. So this is REALLLLLY loud. And I sound REALLLLLLY annoying. Just fair warning!

It's a Challenge...

Alright, a few of the blogs I read are taking part in the challenge. I am not...well not the way the challenge was intended. Here's the source so if you choose to follow the rules and do it the right way I suppose it's not too late.

I am adapting it to just a list. Why? Because I love lists. Two I don't want to spread it out over days, I want to do it now...today. And that's it. And three, I figure there are no challenge police coming to take me away for changing the rules to fit me. :-)

Trip. What was your best trip in 2009? Gulf Shores with Marianne. Totally the adventure we both needed! (And of course the entertainment provided by Fort Deposit and Pint Lala didn't hurt either!)

Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind? I really am tempted to say that I haven't had an amazing restaurant experience. The places that stand out in my mind for taste are the queso and salsa from Carlos O'Kelleys. The twisted mac and cheese from Hard Rock. And the salad dressing from The Old Spaghetti Factory or Company or whatever it's called.

Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year. Oh that is easy, I have sent this to quite a few people. I don't know why I like the article so much, I am just glad that science is catching up with what Mothers have known for centuries...there's more going on in there than we realize. Here is the article: Inside the baby mind.

Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies? I didn't read as much as I wanted this year. I could have easily answered this for 2008 (Nineteen Minutes). But I can't come up with one single thing that I read that mattered in 2009. How sad.

Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night? Considering I was pregnant for most of 2009, I didn't do a whole lot of nights out. I either wanted to be sleeping, or I was revisiting meals. But I think I'll put the last time everyone got together at Old Chicago in Manhattan, KS. It was just a good time. (Well I really could have done with out Matt poking my stomach all night and grabbing my cheeks ha ha)

Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn? Simply put? No.

Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year. I have found so many wonderful blogs this year. I don't want to stroke anyone's ego, but Blairs blog stands out. Along with One THOUSAND awesome things, and this lady's blog (and I have no idea how I found her, who pointed me in her direction...but I like her.)

Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there? I remember so clearly this moment when we were still in the hospital after Sophia was born. I remember sitting in the rocking chair and rocking her and telling her how much I loved her. And how she was not expected to be anything more than who she was, and I would love her for it. I am tearing up now...it was one of those super quiet moments in life.

Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you? This yeah pushed me and pushed me and then pushed me a tad more. But I can't get in to any of it.

Album of the year. What's rocking your world? White Noise. Oh wait, that doesn't count? Well it should, it has rocked my world ever since it helped sophia fall asleep on her own and helped her stay asleep. So thank you white noise, I owe you!

The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook? The beach. Laying in the sand, looking up at the clouds. And seeing a rainbow appear and disappear in moments.

New food. Ummmm, I made pork chops for the first time this year. But I've had them before so I don't think that's what this was aiming for. I really need to stop being so safe. Hmmmm maybe I see a resolution starting.

What's the best change you made to the place you live? Well we moved from an apartment in Kansas to a house in Kentucky. I'd say that's a pretty big change! (also major is that we added a nursery!! YAY)

Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year? Finding out if our peanut was going to be McDaniel or Sophia. My heart was beating so hard!

Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves? How strange. well the car seat we bought yesterday came in a carrying bag so we can take it on a plane or where ever we need to. I'm drawing a blank, so that's the best I can do for now.

Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours? MILO'S! (Yes in all caps because it makes me that happy!)

Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____." Life changing.

Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year? On baby stuff. Target and Babies R Us took most of our moolah I think this year.

Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with? We saw a whole lot of Alabama night. We ate...we ate MILO'S! The first time Marianne ever had a Milo's Burger. (I also got a stain on my shirt from the sauce). I smell the burnt smell of my skin...pregnancy skin IS in fact more sensitive!

New person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009? I have been sitting here (eating Cheez-It) trying to figure out one person that's made a difference in my life. That stands out. And there are people that came into my life this year that are no longer a part of it...that I couldn't have made it through certain things with out. There are new friends that I've made here in Kentucky that I think I will always be friends with. There are bonds that were made this year, that I think made 2009 what it was.

Project. What did you start this year that you're proud of? I MADE A BABY Y'ALL! Ok so technically that project started in 08, but so close the tail end of 08 that I think this answer works. I BUILT A BABY!

Startup. What's a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special? Etsy. I am in love with it. Go check it out!

Web tool. It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience. Firefox. Not new to the world, but new to me! Oh and Google Reader. Wow that thing is totally amazing! And it saves me time, and makes blog reading so much more enjoyable! (PS Point me in the direction of some of your favorite blogs)

Learning experience. What was a lesson you learned this year that changed you?
Forgiving is not forgetting, it's just simply letting go of the hurt.

Gift. What's a gift you gave yourself this year that has kept on giving? A BABY Y'ALL! Ha ha ha. Ok how many more times can I use that?

Insight or aha! moment. What was your epiphany of the year? Again, the above

Social web moment. Did you meet someone you used to only know from her blog? Did you discover Twitter? I did discover twitter. And the black hole of a website known as The Bump (Which is great for time wasting, and pretty good for information, but it is a breeding ground for drama!)

Stationery. When you touch the paper, your heart melts. The ink flows from the pen. What was your stationery find of the year? Seriously? Stationery of the year? NEXT.

Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year? "night light" seriously it puts a grin on my face even now. MONTHS later.

Ad. What advertisement made you think this year? Well I don't know much about this, we don't have cable...and I ignore all the adds that pop up when I watch my shows online.

Resolution you wish you'd stuck with. (You know, there's always next year...) I always make good resolutions. With good intentions of following through. I try to stay away from ones about money, weight, or school. I stick with things that have a chance in happening. But saying that, I have no idea what my resolution was last year. I'm sure I decided to take a nap instead of coming up with one! Ha ha.





So now I challenge all of you! You can follow the rules, or do it how ever you'd like. But what's your best of 2009??

It's time to say goodbye....

To Sophia's old car seat that is. I honestly never would have thought that we would have only used it for four months. When we brought her home in it I thought it was too big for her. That surely she'd be using it for a year! Ok, well at least 8 or 9 months! When Sophia was born (8 pounds 4 ounces) the idea of her being almost 21 pounds seemed such a far away idea. But here we are, for months later...and here she is. Tipping the scales at almost 21 pounds of pun'kin!

Today we went to Babies R Us (whoa the crowds!) to find a new car seat. We had one in mind, good reviews, matched my car, and it had all the right criteria for us. We went there, put Sophia in it. And loved it. It actually also comes with a cup holder and a storage thing that you can put on whenever you'd like. Something we don't need yet, but that will likely come in handy in the next 8 months.

So I think the following pictures pay a proper tribute to Sophia's first car seat.

We start on June 9, 2009 when I received the package from the giving UPS man.


Then we move on to a day that makes my eyes fill with tears. The day we came home from the hospital. She has grown up so much and has developed such a personality since this day!! (August 14, 2009)


A month later she had already changed so much, but we still had no idea of how much she would grow in the next few months! (September 25, 2009)


How adorable is this picture of our little flower? We started realizing in the month of October that she wouldn't be growing at an average pace.....At 2.5 months she was in 3-6 month clothing comfortably. Basically they were just perfect, not too big as they SHOULD have been. (October 31st, 2009)


She was pretty much growing out of 3-6 month clothes at this point. So fast. If you do the math you'll see that she got about a month to a month a half of wear out of 3-6 month clothing. I dragged this stage out as long as possible...basically until her clothes started looking silly. (November 18, 2009)


And then we end with today. Her last day in the car seat. I weighed her yesterday and she was coming in between 20.5 and 21 pounds depending on how I stood on the scale with her. Since the car seat was only good up to 22 pounds....I obviously no longer felt comfortable with it. And I don't think she was very comfortable either! I wouldn't be crammed into this small seat!! (December 19. 2009)


And finally her new car seat. My big girl. I took this with my phone, so the quality isn't as great, but you can see that she's got much more room. Did I mention this new seat has memory foam?! I want my seats to all have memory foam! (December 19, 2009)



*BTW in writing this I was trying to upload my pictures from my camera and a "fall apart" occurred. My computer wouldn't read the new SD card Sophia got me. It's an SDHC (high capacity) and I guess my computer can't read this new card on it's own. I almost cried. Tears were actually in my eyes at one point think that three days worth of pictures were GONE. Thankfully a quick search on google told me this was a common problem, and that I'd need to hook my camera up to the computer using the cord in order to upload them with no issue. Huge sigh of relief.

18 weeks (late!)

Age - 18 Weeks

Weight - Alright, so seriously. I weighed her last night and I swear it came out to be 20.5 pounds. I am not feeding her fertilizer. I don't know why she's such a chunky monkey!!

Height - I would guess she's really long, but I missed the pedi appointment so we won't know until the 28th. :-)

Sleeping habit - She sleeps some nights for a straight 10 hours, other nights she sleeps for about 6 hours, eats, and then wakes up again for the day around 8-10ish.

Eating habits - Well we tried avocado's last week, and that didn't go over to well. But now we're on to pears and she loves pears. Three nights in a row now and she eats her oz of pears with cereal like it's no one's business.

Cutest Moment of the Week - Laughing. She like throws her whole body into the laughs. And then startles herself. It's hilarious. Here's a video.

Milestones - Oh my! She rolled over twice in a row yesterday. I had her on her belly while I went to make a bottle (on the floor of course, because you can't fall off the floor-seriously, they tell you that). And I look over and she's on her back talking. SO I go and flip her over again, and go back in the kitchen and watch....and FLIP! I will keep working with her, but I think she's going to be a rolling pro very very shortly.

Firsts - Real Food

*I missed last weeks pedi appointment. I own it, it was my fault for making a morning appointment. We rescheduled for the 28th. I will have a confirmation on her weight and info on her length at that time.

A Sophia Update

What is the difference between an avocado and a pear? Sophia actually likes pears. Pears are a total success. It's not even that her face is more relaxed with pears, but she ate an oz in about 7 minutes. I couldn't get it into her mouth fast enough. At first I was taking my time between each spoon of pears, and she would demand more with her "AH! AH! AH!"

I moved the food eating back an hour, from 5:30 to 4:30 because I think she takes to it a little better.

We will be trying avocado's again. I read to try a food a least 10 times before deciding that your child doesn't like it. It won't be the next thing we try, but it'll probably be right after that!

In other news....ALL the presents are wrapped. I am so excited about the present from Sophia to Cody. And I really want to show y'all, but if he get a wild hair and decides to check the blog...I don't want him to know. So you will just have to wait until after Christmas. It's one of the two great presents that I think are under the tree!!

Sophia and I are working on rolling over. During tummy time I lay with her and I help her. A couple months ago she rolled over a couple of times in one day. Not intentional...but it happened. Now she wants no part in it. She's ok with the view during tummy time, and the view she gets when I put her on her back..and she really doesn't seem interesting in the change of view happening at her control. She will learn quickly that where there's a will, there's a way. And momma's got a strong will! :-)

On the sleeping front, I am really feeling the desire to break her from the swaddle. But I love my sleep so much. And she's been fantastic about giving me lots of it most nights. I'm terrified of the process of breaking the swaddle. I invision her not wanting to go to sleep, and not wanting to stay asleep. As it stands now, when she breaks free of the swaddle, she wakes up. So I can't imagine she's going to be one of those babies that take to sleep unswaddled with no issues. So if anyone has any ideas besides one arm at a time....please let me know!!!

Wordless Wednesdays

Sophia Video (I know...I wrote too many blogs today!

I hope this works!

Ohhhh happy dayyyyy.....

Well Hols just wrote this blog about the things that make her happy. She got the idea from someone who may or may not have gotten the idea from someone else. Either way, she's asked me to do the same. So here I am. Trying to think about all the things that make me happy.

• Sleep.
• Sam's Laugh.
• Sophia learning how to laugh.
• Perfectly Sauced Pasta
• Lists
• Lots and lots of snow (when it comes quickly, I don't have to leave the house, and it all melts in 2 days!)
• Presents. (and I'm not greedy, I like to give them too...but my primary love language IS gifts!)
• Well written blogs (for the record I do not consider my blogs to be overly well written)
• Homemade ice cream.
• Long, super hot showers.
• Long talks in the middle of the night.
• Finding money in a jacket you haven 't worn since last year.
• presents under the Christmas tree (ok so really I think next year I may wrap empty boxes and put them under the tree until there are presents to put under there!)
• Thanksgiving.
• Warm cookies with milk.
• Shirts that are flattering on my just-had-a -baby body.
• Hairspray (the movie, not the hair product)

Come to think of it, a lot of things make me happy. It's really all about finding the joy in everything around you.

A childs experience.

There are things that I wish I had gotten to experience as a child. I had friends growing up who had been able to do so much that I never got the chance to do. This isn't a pity party...my life wasn't perfect, but it was mine and it made me into the person I am today (for better or for worse lol). But I don't want my children to miss out on those things. I want to make sure I take time out of our schedules, no matter how busy they may end up, to do things that build a good childhood.

I don't know any better way to put these out there except to list them:

• picnics
• building snowmen
• building sand castles
• camping out in the living room
• camping out in the back yard
• feeding the ducks
• going on weekend "adventures"
• Disneyworld
• Dress up

There are also the things that I want my children to know how to do before they move out and experience life on their own.

• How to sew.
• How to knit.
• How to cook.
• How to bake.
• How to change a tire.
• How to change oil.
• How to grow a garden.
• How to balance their checkbooks.
• How to put out a fire.
• How to build a fire.

There is no such thing as a perfect childhood. There's a lot of pressure on parents to give that to their children. But I think it's so unrealistic. I think ideally we should be doing all we can to give our children experiences that they can look back on fondly. That we should give them tools to help them in life. Obviously avoiding any major tramatic event would be preferable, but sometimes things happen in life....we can only control the things we do with our children and for our children. But life happens, and that's something that is unavoidable. So along with all of this, I hope that I can be the type of Mom to them so that when life does happen, they can know that I will be here. That they can always turn to me.

Sophia just spit her paci across the room, so I'm taking that as a cue that nap is over. Time to get back to work!

There will be no Santa pictures this year.

I know. I'm a horrible Mommy. How can I deny my four month old from sitting on the old mans lap and screaming her Christmas wish-list at the top of her lungs for the entire world to hear???? Well because I just don't think it's the best idea this year. First of all, she doesn't like to be held my people she's not sure of, and men are even less likely to hold her peacefully. Second, there will be other snotty nosed, germ covered kids sitting on Santa's lap. (I bet Santa has a great health care plan!) I don't want to risk her getting sick, the one cold we've already battled was enough to suck the life out of me for a few weeks. I am not prepared for another, especially if she is sick over Christmas. And lastly (aka Third), I think that Santa pictures are way over priced for a baby. While I buy her way too many clothes....I draw the line at over priced Santa pictures (yes I understand that this comment is coming from the woman who spent 10 bucks to get a letter mailed to Sophia from Santa at the North pole....priorities).

Next year I will arm her with vitamin C, hand sterilizer, and an adorable outfit. Next year we will get Santa pictures. (And next year Mommy will plan ahead of time and we'll go to a photo studio to get them taken and not the mall!!)

Sophia is FOUR months old.

I can't even believe it. Four months ago she was born and our lives were forever changed. She has grown and changed so much in the past four months. I look at her and I'm amazed by what she's accomplished in her short beautiful little life.

I weighed her today. I did it twice to be sure. Once she came in at 19 pounds, and the next time 19.5. Go ahead and take a moment to get past the shock. Of course this is unoffical as I'm not using any great technique to weigh her. She's my little chunky monkey...and I love it!

Because of her intake of formula, the pedi and I had already discussed starting Sophia with baby food at 4 months...so basically today. I was playing it by ear. I don't want to rush her. If she took to it well...we'd go for it. If she wanted nothing to do with it..we'd wait. I also wanted to make sure she wasn't in a bad mood because I wanted this to be a fun experience for her. Her first ever REAL food was avocado's. Neither Cody nor I even like avocado's. But I had ready how they were full of good fats and tons of vitamins, and I knew that's exactly what she needed. Avocado's are also a great first food because they are soft (easy to make) and easy on their digestive system. I couldn't really tell if Sophia liked them or not. I was telling her what they were called and how if she liked them life would be much easier when she's older and goes to eat out at Mexican Restaurants. At the beginning she seemed to enjoy it. Over half the way through you could tell she was starting to have enough. Seriously it's all so new...I was NOT going to push her. When she was done we'd quit. She ate almost a whole ounce! At the first cry we stopped. I'm of course watching her closely for any reactions, and we'll try again tomorrow.

Feeding her the avocado's today made me realize that I'm very proud to be feeding her home made baby food. Not that there's anything wrong with jarred food. But I enjoy that she's eating food that doesn't have a ton of extra stuff in it. I like that it's something I have made for her. And I like that one day I can tell her about her fun first food that I don't even think you can buy in a jar!

I did get some pictures of Sophia today. But I am not going to post them until tomorrow. So you'll have to check back then. In the mean time I've got to search for a cookie recipe for a cookie exchange and I need to wrap some presents!

It was a Ghostrider Christmas Party

I'll be honest....I didn't know what to expect. Having never been to one before and all. Next year will have a lot to live up to. First I can't even believe that we danced in front of everyone! I am beyond excited about my leopard print snuggie (with bonus reading light!). I am wearing it while I blog....it's so comfortable. And kid all you want....I asked for one for Christmas anyways! It'll be much easier to keep warm while holding/feeding/cuddling with Sophia. Since I can't very well completely cover her with a blanket!

I wish Cody could have been there tonight....I know he would have had a good time. Here are two pictures:
Here we are dancing, it's me, Lisa, Nicki and Heather:

And here we are in our ugly sweaters. It's Me, Lisa, Nicki, Ashly, Heather, Marsha and Ashley (I'm naming people off by memory, so it may not be in the right order)

17 Weeks

*This will be the last post of the day.

Age - 17 Weeks

Weight - I haven't weighed her since last week when I got 18.5 pounds. Her eating has slowed down. So it may be fluctuating.

Height - She was 26 inches last time we measured 4 weeks ago.

Sleeping habit - She's still a good sleeper. Or back to a good sleeper. Depending on how you look at it. She puts herself to sleep for naps and to bed at night.

Eating habits - We are doing real food this weekend. We may wait until Sunday just because Friday and Saturday are both going to be pretty busy days...and I don't want too much going on that day.

Cutest Moment of the Week - So many. This one is cute and a little nerve wracking. She has added the sound "Aaaaaahhhh" to her list of sounds. We've covered "Oooooo" and "uuuuuu" and sometimes there's sounds that sound like "ggghhhuuuuuuu" But the "Aaaaahhhhhh" is new. And it's the same sound she makes when she's upset. But when I go to her swing or where ever she is when making these sounds....she's happy and smiling. And when I make the sound back to her she lights up. The "Ooooooo" and "Ggggggghhhhhuuuuu" were a lot easier to deal with than this new sound.

Milestones - She's doing everything MORE, but I don't know that she's doing anything NEW.

Firsts - See above.


**I will have more exact measurements on Tuesday after her appointment with the Pedi.

Belated (again) Wordless Wednesday

Whew.

I feel like I have so much I want to say. I walk around all day going "I should blog about this..." but by the time bed time for Sophia comes around....I don't want to do anything but drink a coke (which we have none of) and watch some TV on Hulu (GLEE is on there right now, it's taking me a lot of self control NOT to watch that vs. blogging!).

I need to do Wordless Wednesday (yet again, LATE because I forgot what day it was until today). I need to do the weekly check in. I need to blog about .... well now I can't even remember.

I will say that taking care of Sophia with out Cody is chaotic. The entire day I feel like I'm trying to keep up with feedings, making sure that I'm doing something to stimulate her, giving her time to play alone, making sure she's not getting overly stimulated, and changing her. Then I realize it's 6 pm. Which means one more bottle, bath time, bonding, and bed. And the day is done. The good thing about him not being here right now is I don't have to add making dinner in there. You see I can live off of a bowl of cereal or grits or whatever....he can not.

This week I went out and bought Sophia some new clothes. Something that I used to take my time doing....picking out the perfect outfits is totally different now. Now it's about needs. She needs something to keep her warm. This item must not be super tight against her big ol' belly, and her rolly polly arms and legs. It needs to be long enough so it doesn't pull down at the neck line. The sleeves need not be 3/4 sleeves. Basically now every time I shop for her it's because she's outgrown things. She's outgrowing things at such a fast pace that as I pack away her 3-6 month clothes I'm again so very sad. I'm sad that there are some cute outfits I didn't get a picture of her wearing. I'm sad that there were outfits that her Daddy picked out special for her that she didn't get to wear very much. I am even more set against selling her clothes because we didn't get the wear out of them that most babies get out of their clothes. So I figure with the chances of having another girl pretty high, it makes more sense to keep it all. For next time......Oy....I'm really not THAT ready to think about "next time".

I realize that there were blogs I wanted to write about. I wanted to write about the must have items that Sophia has. And the things I felt we needed and never used or barely used. I wanted to write a whole blog about baby food making (I even took tons of pictures last time!). I have been meaning to write about the things I really want Sophia to experience that I didn't growing up....I figure if I write about it, I'm more likely to follow through, no matter how inconvenient it may be. Before Cody comes back I will write about these things. I really started this with the idea of writing every day. I miss writing...it's my favorite thing about going to school. But things get busy and sometimes this blog takes a back burner. I will try to be better.

I'm leaving you with this....she only really does this at night. During the day when she eats she's trying to grab her feet while she eats, or the string on my hoodie, or grabbing her two hands together. But her last bottle of the night she always does this (pardon the bad quality of the picture, trying to take it while feeding her was quite difficult, also pardon the unkeptness of my nails...remember I have an ALMOST four month old!!) and it totally and completely makes any of the days activities totally worth it. You can't be in a bad mood when you feel so so needed.

Size Three

That's what size diapers I bought for Sophia yesterday. They say 16-24 pounds (I think, don't quote me on that). I remember when I looked at the package of size 2 diapers thinking "Ohhhhh, this says 18 pounds, we'll be in these for a long time!" False. But this time I expect we'll be in THESE for a long time. There are a few things to note about size 3 diapers. (yes this whole post is going to be about diapers, get over it!) FIrst is that they are no long the little snugglers or whatever they were called before. These are for "movers". Um Movers. These diapers were intended for babies who were crawling. Who were cruising. Not for my little not-quite-four-month-old who can sit up on her own but that's her biggest big-girl move. My little chubstar is getting big ya'll. Of course I know that when the crawling does start the chub will star to vanish. It's because of that logic that I think that she will be in size 3's for a long time. Hopefully. The other thing of change between the size NB-2 and these size 3 diapers is that they aren't so baby-ish. They Sesame Street characters are a little more toddler looking than baby looking, and the colors are a little brighter. Just goes to show they didn't intend for my wee one to be wearing them. lol.

Here's the things about clothes and diapers. They don't allow you to live in denial. You can live in a little bubble that says your baby is going to stay your small little baby forever. Because eventually they don't fit. The onesies will start pulling down at the neck....the pants will push in the belly in a strange way....the arms of jammies will be so tight that you can see the rolls with the shirt. With diapers....well that's really unavoidable. They start to fill up with night time, they have more leaks, and the obvious sign is when you can see the top of her booty over the top of the diaper. Yes, reality. My daughter is growing. I can do nothing to stop it!

Everyone is all tucked into bed.

Well, it's officially looking like Christmas in the Chandler home. Our tree it up and decorated...and this year it's a real tree so it's even smelling a lot like Christmas.

Sophia is LOVING having a tree with lights up. She stares at the lights CONSTANTLY when they are on. Unfortunately, this means that when we tried to get a family picture in front of the tree she was NOT having it. NOT ONE BIT! Sunday's aren't a good day to plan this sort of thing. Pictures like this need to be taken on days when we don't have anything else going on. Because with church, then lunch, and then pictures....it's too much and results in Sophia being way too tired! She was a tad of a cranky pants. I hate that too, because she has such a fun and happy personality. But we can't seem to get it on camera. I'm going to try to get some cute pictures of her this week so that I can send something out with Christmas cards (ok, well we all know you'll be lucky if you get a Christmas card by April!).

Cody and I are so excited about Sophia's first Christmas. She has less than no idea what's going on really. but like most things, the gift giving really is so much fun! Since we already gave her her jumperoo we're sort of at a loss for what else to get her. She's already got a small pile of gifts that I need to wrap (I don't care that she cant open them herself, they will still be wrapped!!).

I can't wait until the years come where we can make cookies for Santa, and she can be an active part in the holiday festivities. But for not we are enjoying her just as she is. She's amazing and a blessing in a tiny little package (ok, not that tiny!)

I think that by the time Christmas comes she'll be a constant tri-poder, and she'll be turning over like a pro. She's so close to doing it on purpose that it's crazy. I still remember when she couldn't do anything but open her eyes and eat. How much changes in four months. I saw a little bitty baby (smaller than Sophia was when she was born!) and I caught my self thinking "Oh look she's a tiny baby like Sophia" and then I looked at Sophia and realized they are so different. Sophia is no longer that tiny. She's not as squishy. She doesn't like to cuddle as much as she used to. She's her own person, her own fun person...not like she was when she was really a tiny little baby!

Ok well I'm dome rambling. I am going to put a picture in here so you can all be rewarded for reading all of this! :-) And since I rarely get pictures of Cody and Sophia, here's this.


And one of the chunkstar napping.

16 Weeks

Age - 16 Weeks

Weight - When I did the ghetto weigh in she came in at 18.5 pounds. I understand how crazy that seems, as do my arms.

Height - She was 26 inches last time we measured 3 weeks ago.

Sleeping habit - We're back to waking up between 2 and 4 and then waking up between 7 and 9.

Eating habits - We aren't doing the spoon fed cereal this week. I was way super sick....and I've been way super tired. Since we're not worried about it, I'm not stressed about skipping it.

Cutest Moment of the Week - She belly laughs like a little chubber (which she IS!). I love it, it makes my heart turn to goo....and I sang "Mommy, Daddy, Sooophia" over and over again today just to hear it!)

Milestones - Laughing. So amazing!

Firsts - Again, real laughing. I can't even describe the cuteness. Her chubby cheeks push her eyes closed. It's so funny!!

(belated) wordless wednesday

I'm a slacker.

In my defense, I've been sick. And then tired. Then shopping for Christmas. Then tired. Then dealing with a child that could very well be on her way to teething with the way she's been acting.

You see very busy.

But tonight I make a promise, I will not only do a belated wordless wednesday, but also a weekly check in, and a regular old 'hey how's it going with the Chandlers' blog.

But first I have to get Sophia darling to bed, dinner for Cody made, and take a shower. Then dear blog, I will return. Swearsies.