*The 25 Days of Christmas*

It's finally DECEMBER! The Christmas obsession at our house feels slightly less ridiculous now that December has finally arrived. I have decided to start a 25 Days of Christmas photo challenge for myself. Each day for the next 25 days I hope to capture our family doing something Christmasy.

Today was the first day of the photos as well as the first day of the chocolate advent calendar we got from my Mom. Lucky Lucy gets all the chocolate to herself this year but next year its a whole new ball game... Vada's concentration is hilarious!

 

 

"mmmmmmmmm"

 

 "WHAT!?!?! None for me???"

Lucille at 20 months

• New favorite word is "Thank You" It took us months to get her to say it now she repeats it constantly
• Refuses to wear socks except when she asks for them before nap and bedtime
• Has suddenly become a biter
• Asks for beans everyday for lunch
• Wants to wear jeans anytime I do
• Smacks the floor next to her toy box when she wants you to play with her
• Lays face down on her belly in the tub for her entire bath
• Has started showering us with kisses
• Pulls out the chair for us at dinner
• Packs her purse like a mom; keys, pacifier, lipstick and sunglasses
• Did three tinkles in the potty this weekend
• After a tantrum one day, I asked her what she needed to feel better. Her response was "Beer."
• Finally understands "Sorry"
• Thinks the salad spinner is the perfect place to store toy bugs
• Has been dubbed the sour patch kid by Jameson... First she's salty then she's sweet

Daddy, Mama, and Vada love you infinity Lucille!

Ain't Nothing But a Chicken Wing

I told myself I was going to get better at this blogging thing, and then I didn't. Oh well, no time like the present. And honestly, this story needs to be recorded somewhere.

Sunday evening we went to Jameson's parents house for dinner. His mom made oven-fried chicken and before we left she packed some up for Lucy's lunch the next day. It being 8:30pm on daylight savings day, when she demanded to hold the plastic bag of "chi-en" we let her to avoid a meltdown. I didn't think anything of it as I packed her in the car and she put her little chicken bag in her cup holder. I bundled her up and off we went. A couple of miles down the road Jameson said something about smelling chicken. I turned on the light and found this...

Finger licking good! She thought nothing funny about her late night snack, sitting in the dark, and just seemed glad I turned around as she handed me the bones. Kids, I tell ya...

Halloween 2012

Without further ado, our Fairy Princess and baby Garden Gnome...

 

 

 

 s y

 

So looking forward to future halloween with sister costumes! Hopefully our little princess will decide she doesn't mind things on her head or face and baby gnome will be as compliant as this year :)

 

Vada's 3 Months

 

 What a difference one month can make! Our little Ms. Belle has turned into one smiley chatterbox :) We are having so much fun seeing her personality develop and love that she now really seems to recognize her close family members. In the past couple of weeks her gaze has started following Lucy around the room and I love seeing them interact more and more all the time. I so wish I knew what she was thinking when she launches into one of her rants with lots of "ooooooos" and what sounds like "hi!" Her smiles of recognition make her giant cheeks reach all the way to her eyes and I can not seem to give them enough kisses.

 

                                

 

  After last month's update we switched Vada to Prevacid which seemed to be working much better for about a week. Now, she still "spits up" after every feeding but I can see that it does not make her uncomfortable which is a huge relief. At this point, I am seriously considering stopping the medication and trying a dairy free diet for me.

 

                                

  

Vada is a very active baby who usually has at least one body part moving at all times. She is quite the kung fu fighter before bed and then again around 3-6 am. She sleeps the best in her swing and is the only baby I have met that does not fall asleep nursing or being rocked. She is determined to find her thumb and now likes laying on her activity mat and talking to the light show above her.

   Jameson and I still have differing opinions as to what color her hair will be but one thing is for sure... her eyes are GORGEOUS. When she was tiny they were so dark blue that I thought they were going to turn dark but it seems the smoky blue/ gray color is here to stay for now. I love that the color can shift depending on what she is wearing and with her olive complexion (and blond hair) she is one beautiful little baby girl.

 

 I find myself excited to see her get older as we learn more about who Vada is but I also am trying to cherish this "baby" time. At the end of every day I wish I had held her more or taken more pictures but seeing her recognize me and calm down with me when no one else will do gives me reassurance she thinks I am doing an ok job. I am so in love with this little lady and can't believe how much she and I have worked on together in her short three months. After the changes in the last month, I am so excited to see what month 4 has in store!

Daddy, Mama and Lucy love you baby girl!

Lucille at 19 months

• No longer wants to be rocked to sleep but insists on cow, blankets, and two babies getting kisses when she lays down
• Loves to watch the "quirrels" outside
• Has started wearing her hair in a ponytail or pigtails

• Tells us when she needs a new diaper; or asks to go potty but never if we suggest it
• Favorite foods are grapes, raisins, olives, and cheese
• Now picks out her own outfits; typically including a tutu and hat

• Likes to swim in the bathtub
• Reads to herself on occasion; when she isn't in ornery mood as seen below

 
• Asks to hold her baby sister every morning after breakfast 

• Is a total daddy's girl
• Loves to help mama stir things in the kitchen and goes crazy when she sees cookies in the oven
• Brings more joy, laughter, frustration, mess, and love into our family than we ever knew possible
   

Vada's 2nd Month

 

  Our beautiful baby girl is now 2 months old! She is weighing in at 13lbs 13ounces and is 23.5 inches long... yes, she is chunky. Everyone seems to think she looks like me and has my darker skin tone but we have yet to see what color her hair will turn out. Her eyes have stayed the same blue/grey since birth which Jameson pointed out are the same color as his dad's. She still sleeps the majority of the day and gets up at least twice at night to eat. She is nursing every 2-3 hours during the day except for one long nap stretch where she will go 4 hours.
  Vada is definitely a mama's girl at this age and most times is not happy unless I am holding her. She is fine to nap on her own in her swing but anytime she is awake and all night she wants me. She loves taking a bath and being naked :) She has started smiling when people talk to her and in the past couple of weeks has started "talking" back to us with soft coos. She is a pro at holding her head up and even rolled over from belly to back on the table today at the doctor's.

cooing at her mama

 

  Very soon after she turned one month old, we began giving her medicine for reflux. We could tell that she just did not feel well and was not happy when she was awake unless she was eating. She also throws up a LOT, even hours after a feeding. I started nursing her smaller meals, more frequently to ensure she was not overfull since I was dealing with milk overproduction and forceful letdown. I also cut out dairy and caffeine but neither seemed to help at all. She now takes medication 3 times a day which has been increased as she gains weight. I do my best to burp her for a few minutes after each feeding and keep her upright at all times. It is so difficult as a mother to see her in pain and know there is nothing I can do about it.  We are scheduled for an upper GI x-ray and an abdominal ultrasound tomorrow morning so I am hoping that everything comes back normal.

   Learning to mother a baby who is uncomfortable the majority of the time has certainly taken a toll on me, physically and mentally, but most difficult is emotionally. I know that in no time this whole stage will be behind us but living in the day to day is a struggle. I am sure it is frustrating to other people to not be able to hold her or to have to listen to her cry, but as her mother it is only heartbreaking. I am brought to tears most days but never want either of my children to think it is their fault. I would do anything possible to take that pain away from her so she can just enjoy being a baby and getting to know her family.
  Hopefully things will start looking up as we figure out how much of which medicine is best for baby girl. For now, it makes every smile and coo that much more special. We love you Vada Belle.

 

silly faces... so beautiful