Laila's First Christmas

This Christmas was our most special ever because we got to spend it with our precious baby girl! We spent the holidays with Collin's family who made the trek from snowy Massachusetts out here to sunny rainy California.

Christmas Eve was spent having lunch at The Rusty Pelican, Christmas Eve service at Mariners Church, visiting Collin's Grandma Bonnie and then hanging out at our place with the family.

We then celebrated Laila's first Christmas morning by both going in her room to get her out of bed and then showing her her first Christmas stocking! She had no idea what was going on, but we enjoyed it none-the-less :) Collin and I opened presents from each other (which included a new super zoom papparazzi-esque lens for our camera!) and helped Laila open (i.e. eat the ribbon on) her presents.

We then headed over to Collin's parents' condo to celebrate with the family. They have a tradition of reading the birth story at the breakfast table so Laila got to help me with that. We had breakfast (and added mimosas for a new addition to the traditional egg and sausage breakfast casserole), put Laila down for a nap while we opened presents and then got to open gifts for her once she was up. Thank you so much to all of our family who were so generous to our little bug. She got so many books, toys, clothes and even college money! She is a very lucky little girl :)

We love our families so much and are so grateful to be able to spend the holidays together. But most importantly, we are grateful for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ and what that means for our eternal future. In future Christmases when Laila is old enough to comprehend, we will be sure that she always knows the real meaning of Christmas and what we really celebrate.

Merry Christmas to all of you and we wish you a blessed 2011!

Can never decide which is the cutest...

Random Happenings/Complaining About the Rain

The past week+ has been nothing but rain, rain and more rain out here in Southern California. I know I shouldn't complain because I am not having to dig my car out of the snow or shovel my sidewalk or scrape ice from my windshield, but c'mon people, when you're used to sunny weather year round, over a week of rather torrential downpours can be somewhat depressing. I told Collin this morning that I now know how Noah and his family felt. I know, that's probably overdoing it a little, but well, that's how I felt this morning.

Due to this unfortunate circumstance, we have been rather cooped up in the house. We have made a gingerbread house (thanks to a kit sent from my mom) and delicious sugar cookies (I don't know about you, but I can't have a Christmas without them).

We have wandered out on one of the not-so-rainy minutes in the day to have lunch with my great uncle Sherman, great aunt Lenore and my cousin Jordan.

We took a gazillion more pictures of our little bug...but what else is new?

Also during one of the not-so-rainy seconds in the day, we ventured over to Jax Bicycle Shop on Main Street to pick out some belated birthday presents! Collin's parents had given us both bikes for our last birthdays, but we hadn't gotten around to picking them out. We finally did and we're so excited! Thank you Debbie and Randy! Unfortunately it's been raining ever since we got them so we haven't had a chance to ride them yet.

Last night Collin and I braved the weather and headed over to 25 Degrees, a little burger and wine bistro near our house. My Stroller Strides group was having a little get together so we could all meet one another's husbands! Unfortunately due to the weather the attendance was sub-par, but it was our first date night since Laila was born so we enjoyed our time none-the-less. Collin's parents babysat Laila for us and it was so fun (and weird) to get out of the house without her for the first time together!

The North Pole

A Holiday Photoshoot with Mom

 

We Have Ourselves a Thumb Sucker

Two nights ago as we were watching Laila fall asleep on our video monitor, we noticed that it looked like she was sucking her thumb. She had never done this before, but I guess there is a first time for everything! Ever since that night she has become a habitual thumb sucker. I guess in the process of letting her cry it out at night, she is learning how to self soothe and that is what is working for her.

While I find it absolutely adorable (I'm not totally sure why...), I am also somewhat unsure as to whether this is a habit I want to allow or try to stop. Can you stop it, if you want to? I don't want to be one of those moms whose kid is in school and still sucks their thumb. (Sorry if you are one of those moms, I just don't want that!). We were planning to get rid of the paci at a year (or try to, at least!), but I am sure you have less control over the thumb as a parent because you can't just take it away.

Thoughts? Opinions? Anyone?

Four Months

Laila is four months old today! She is changing so much every single day it's hard to keep track of all of her little milestones, but I'll try to remember a few. Thanks to my trusty new iPhone (yes, I caved and got one), we have lots of photos and videos to share!

-She had her four month checkup today and she is weighing in at 13lbs and 10oz (50%) and is 25 1/4 inches long (75%). She had a few more shots and I handled it much better than last time (and she was a brave girl too!) Doctor says all is well!
-She has discovered her feet. She enjoys grabbing them, pulling her socks off, and sticking her feet in her mouth.

-She learns how to grab onto things better and better every day and she particularly loves her Sophie the Giraffe. She has now learned how to grab it and stick the legs or ears into her mouth and chomp down. It can keep her occupied for quite some time.

-She has started reaching for things rather aggressively. If I am holding her and a drink, she always wants to grab the cup or bottle. We have started letting her experiment with a sippy cup with some water. She loves the cup but it's more of a toy at this point. She sucks on it but I'm not sure she's figured out how to actually drink yet. She also likes to reach out for our faces and touch us, and then stick her hand in our mouth! She thinks it's rather funny.

-She can now safely sit in her bumbo seat. We have it up in our bathroom, so she sits in it on the counter (with me standing safely in front of her, don't worry!) while I brush my teeth, do makeup or blowdry my hair.

-She has developed a serious love for the New England Patriots and cheers them on whenever they play, which makes her daddy very happy. He is trying to make sure her first words are "touch down!"

-She is starting to get big enough to spend some time in her entertainer and her jumperoo. Her tippy toes just barely hit the ground! She definitely gets interested in the toys, music and lights and every day she will be content in them for longer periods of time.

-She has really found her voice in the last couple of days and has started to squeal LOUDLY in delight. She is also giggling quite a bit which (in my opinion) is one of the best noises in the whole world. She giggles when Chloe shakes a toy really fast, when her daddy makes a fake snoring noise (who knows why...), when daddy makes toys talk to her, and sometimes just randomly.

-She has really gotten interested in Chloe in the last few days. Any time the dog is near her she immediately reaches out and tries to grab her fur. Chloe isn't such a big fan of this game :) Poor Chloe has to wear a cone now because she has developed an obsessive fur biting problem. :(

-She really responds to music, so we are slowly collecting lots of musical toys. Daddy also sings to her often and her favorite is Old McDonald (when Daddy sings to her there are some very interesting things on Old McDonald's farm! Sharks, Chloe, Zerberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger...)

Other items of note:
-We will probably start experimenting with rice cereal and other solids after the new year.
-Collin and I are actively training for our half marathon in February. We're up to 5 miles!
-I'm still loving Stroller Strides and have met some great women. We're getting closer and learning more about one another every day. It's so fun to have moms who are in the same life stage as you so you can be excited for each others children's milestones, commiserate on lack of sleep and lack of time to do anything around the house, share parenting advice and ask questions.
-I am now done with MOPS as of last week. I really enjoyed it but I'm not sure I will continue at Mariners right now. I may join the one at a church down the street in order to meet some more local Christian women.

Laila just becomes more and more of a little person every single day. She's growing up so fast!

Starting Life the Babywise Way

 

Two nights ago we started sleep training Laila Babywise style. She has been consistently waking 4-5 times a night for quite some time and it has really become too much for me, so we decided to take the advice of a number of friends and start sleep training. According to BW, we are starting quite late but can still make it happen with a lot of patience and listening to music through headphones as Laila cries it out to sleep.

It is SO HARD as a parent to listen to your little one cry, but we have to keep telling ourselves that she is safe, fed and changed and nothing is really wrong. We aren't punishing her or torturing her, but rather doing her a favor and teaching her good sleep habits that will benefit her in the (hopefully near) future. We are told once these habits are established she will be a happier and more content baby during the day because her little body will be on a schedule and know what to expect.

Our first night she did great. She went to sleep without much fuss at her usual 7:00pm bedtime. She then woke up about an hour later and we let her cry it out which only took about 12 minutes and 36 seconds (I know because the whole time I was starting at our video monitor and my phone - watching the clock!). She then slept until 11 and cried that one out for 10 minutes, and then slept straight until 6:30AM! We thought we had a BW genius and were so psyched she went 7-6:30 without needing a feeding.

Not so much. Last night, she had to cry it out for about 30 minutes but then slept until 2:30. At that point she cried for about 20 minutes before I decided to go in and feed her. Unfortunately I think she got a little too worked up and after feeding WOULD NOT go back to sleep. She cried with eyes wide open for the next 2 hours (don't worry, we're not devil parents - we kept going in and trying to soothe her and let her know she is loved), and then by about 4:30 I couldn't take it anymore so I got her out of her crib and brought her to bed with us.

Part of the BW plan is to have her on a 3 hour schedule of eat - play - sleep throughout the day. We tried that today and will continue it as best we can going forward. She is not great about napping (taking sporadic 30 minute naps throughout the day) so I'm hoping we can transition her to 1.5 hour naps like BW says she needs.

Needless to say, it's a heartbreaking process but one we believe is in her best interest (and ours, eventually). Please pray for us as we strive for dedication, determination, patience and deaf ears for the next (supposedly) 7-10 days of "training".

Any and all pro-BW comments/advice/stories would be welcomed and much appreciated! You can comment here or email me at hvataha@gmail.com. Thanks!

Thanksgiving in Colorado

We just got back from a great trip to Colorado for Thanksgiving. My mom's parents live there, as well as a few of my cousins and my aunt and uncle. Laila did a great job again on both flights...she is becoming a seasoned traveler!

Collin and I finally got to meet my cousin Jared's two kids - Ariana (almost 2) and Gabriel (3 weeks older than Laila). They were so sweet and it was so fun to have our kids spend some time together! Laila and Gabe were buddies and enjoyed laying around and having tummy time together.

We took lots of photos and had a great Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for - always - but especially this year celebrating with our new baby girl.

We're now back safe and sound and looking forward to decorating for Christmas!

Playing Catch Up

Two weekends ago my sister's boyfriend called me to tell me he was planning to propose to Courtney! I was feeling so bad that I wouldn't be there to celebrate with them, so we booked tickets last minute and jumped on a plane to Boston last Thursday night. Laila did great on the red-eye to Boston, only waking once to feed and then slept through landing. We had a great few days in Boston celebrating Courtney and Jeff and spending time with family. It was a quick trip but well worth it!

While we were there Laila turned 3 months and learned how to roll over from back to front! She loves being able to whip herself onto her side now, though she only occasionally finishes by getting onto her stomach. Her head and neck are getting so much stronger now and she doesn't hate tummy time quite as much since she can hold her head up higher. When she's in a good mood she is starting to follow along when being read to as well.

She was an absolute rock star on the flight home to California. We were a little concerned about a 6 hour flight with a 3 month old, but she did great! She slept for the first 2 hours, was up for about an hour, slept for 2 more, and then was up for the last hour or so! She enjoyed walking up and down the aisles and meeting the flight attendants. :) She also enjoyed looking out the window!

Now we're hoping for a relaxing weekend and then we're off to Colorado for Thanksgiving!

Look Over There

I don't have much to say today so check out my sis in law's blog about Laila Girl.

Laila Learned how to Laugh

What Laila's Up To These Days

Laila...
   ...is officially sleeping in her crib
   ...is grabbing at her toys and bringing them to her mouth
   ...is sucking on anything and everything
   ...is sleeping seven(ish) hour chunks rather consistently
   ...enjoys facing outward in her bjorn carrier  
   ...still has bright blue eyes and lots of dark hair
   ...is officially in size 2 diapers and out of newborn size clothes
   ...is smiling like crazy and learning to coo and laugh  
   ...loves her activity mat but still hates tummy time
   ...continues to melt our hearts on a daily basis

Happy Halloween

Halloween is always a good time. We almost didn't get Laila a costume because she's so little, but we were shopping yesterday and The Children's Place had this costume for $4.99. How could we resist?

We also did our pumpkin carving, although this year ended up being a much simpler process than years past. Collin and I generally spend hours carving out intricate pumpkins like these...

...but having an 11 week old in the house made it a little trickier to find the time. Therefore, we ended up making some rather simple pumpkins, but we're proud of them none the less :) We even made one for Laila!

1) collin 2) laila 3) heather

The best part of the day was that those pumpkins (plus a small 4th that we bought for Chloe but didn't carve) yielded a LARGE number of pumpkin seeds, which are one of my favorite seasonal treats. We ended up with three cookie sheets full of seeds! Thankfully Collin doesn't really have a love for the seeds, so I get to eat the majority of them myself.  I am always sad when they are finally gone.

I also made peanut butter cookies - because they sounded yummy. And they are.

Guest Bloggin'

Check out my guest post on my sister's blog here.

Enjoy.

Baby's Sweet Feet

Sorry if no one else thinks these are precious...