4 Months

Actually  four months and three days. I couldn't get my act together to snap some images on time. Like the 3 month shots, these were in the morning and rushed, but regardless - adorable.

Her personality is really starting to shine. She is very social and loooooves her kisses. Just in the last couple of days she has started doing big slobbery raspberries; it's pretty darn cute.

AND, on four months to the day, they say she rolled over (tummy to back!) at Day Care. I have yet to see it with my own eyes, and it makes me sad that I missed the official first, so for us, it doesn't count until we see it:)

Happy four months my sweet Shelby Pie!

This & That

Below are a few updates on my cutie and her latest "tricks." It has been a rough little run around here. I am learning that Day Care is a cesspool of germs and my sweet immune systemless Shelby Pie is getting the worst of it.

Here's the latest:

1. She is a drool machine
2. She can pull the hanging toy on her car seat to make the music play
3. She has started to hold on/hug me if I am holding her up right in my arms
4. She babbles ALL the time. Today she even tried to talk and nurse at the same time. The ladies at day care said she is very chatty for her age - I'd believe it!
5. Loves her toes, but they've yet to reach her mouth
6. Tried rice cereal! Ok, just a tad. I put 1 tsp in her bottle yesterday and she didn't know the differnce
7. She is starting to anticipate things and gets excited (peek a boo, patty cake, etc)
8. Loves TV! Oh dear. The moment the TV goes on, it sucks up her attention.
9. She's really into touching textures. As she gets sleepy espeically, she loves to rub a soft blanket
10. Her sleep it a total, complete MESS! Ugh. We're working on it and I have to attribute a great portion of it to her string of illnesses, but wow. Let's just say nowadays four hours in a row is a success....it used to be about 9.5 :(

One With The Giraffes

Dubbed the “World’s Most Famous Teething Toy,” I just knew I had to give Sophie The Giraffe a try once Shelby’s little slobber machine got started. And oh has it ever. One of my clients, Kidville, sells it in their retail space and they can hardly keep it on the shelf.

I was shopping at Sam’s this weekend, saw it, and bought it on the spot.

There is not much to Sophie.  It is a simple rubber toy that admittedly sounds a little like a dog toy when squeezed.  It is known for being good for all the sense and is more than 50 years old…..earning the acceptance of some of the world’s toughest critics: Moms and Babies. I purchased a twin-pack with one rubber version and one plush version.

Well,  I guess we can add Shelby to the list of more than 30 million babies who love their Sophie(s). She took to them right away. I promise it wasn’t planned, but the same day I brought them home, I put her giraffe-themed jammies on.

Net result: adorable photos....

Post Day Care Interview

Baby Blue Eyes

Happy Anniversary To Us!

Three years ago today, before family and friends, I married my best friend. In the dead of summer, we were gifted with a gorgeous 85 degree day with a light breeze. It was a very special day and we try to live the vows that we exchanged that day on a daily basis.

This has been a big year for us. Obviously the birth of our (big!) beautiful, healthy baby girl was the highlight, but we have had some other great times that are not to be over looked...

 The Basics:

• Jack went back to his original gym
• I taught a semester at UNLV

Fun Times:

• I turned 30
• We saw Garth Brooks
• We took went to San Luis Obispo to see my youngest brother graduate
• Took in a David Gray concert
• Meet some really fabulous new neighbors
• Saw the Grand Canyon 
• We found out that Shelby will soon have a new baby cousin in Texas
• * We were probably a little less fun than usual due to that big belly I was walkin' around with.

Home Improvements:

• New counters & sink
• New kitchen hardware
• Painting the upstairs (minus our room)
• Creation of the office in the loft
• New lighting in the house
• Purchased patio furniture

Special Visitors:

• My mom (3x - Thanksgiving, Baby Shower, Shelby)
• My Dad
• Jack's parents
• Jack's sister's family....oddly is was snowing in March when they came
• My Uncle Greg
• My little brother Alex

 And of course, the most wonderful thing either of us have ever "done" - created our sweet Shelby. She fills out heart everyday. Happy Anniversary to us!

The New Norm

This is a very typical look around here these days: hands in mouth, knees to chest, feet in the air. So adorable. She just realized today that she can actually grab her toes too!

Look What I Can Do!

Shelby is getting so much better on her tummy. I think they really work with her at school on this and it's paying off.

(Un)Swaddled

This week I had my first "my little baby is growing up" moment and I got a little sentimental about it.  Up until Tuesday my little pumpkin had spent every night and most every nap perfectly swaddled like the cutest burrito you'd ever seen. Recently, however she has been waking to eat in the night (long story) and then wiggling like crazy when I would swaddle her back up.

I was apprehensive to put her to bed unswaddled, but I figured I really had nothing to lose. My sister got my some Sleep Sacks, so I figured that would be the next logical transition. Success! She is still waking in the night to eat after about 6 hours, but she seems to be going back down to bed much more comfortably.

The lighting was rough, so these aren't the most quality photos, but as you can see - she looks pretty content.

I have to say, it made me a little sad to see my little Nugget in that sack, she just looked so big to me! I think moving forward this will be our new sleep "apparel." So sweet. And I know, she has wild post-bath hair.

Baby Brilliance

There is so much baby "gear" out there, it's hard to determine what you need, don't need, wish you had, etc. I have a short list of must-haves, as well as a list of things I don't think I would get the second time around. This post, however is about brilliant baby items  - things that just makes sense and because of their design, make life so much easier.

1. Pacifiers that land face up, 9 times out of 10 when they hit the deck
2. The little line on diapers that changes from yellow to blue when wet
3. Boogie Wipes! These little tyke tissues are perfectly moistened with saline, to comfortably wipe a baby's nose.

      4.  Bustiers for pumping. TMI I know, but brilliant. Hands free!

      5. Boppy Pillows. I know they've received a shout out on here in the past, but I really love  
         mine....and I have two. They are just so functional and comfortable for babies.

I am hoping that I can soon add a baby carrier to this list, but we're not quite there yet. I have two, but have not used them much - just a few minutes here and there.

If You're Happy & You Know It

Princess and the Towel

No, not princess and the pea, it's Princess and the Towel around here. Currently there is a bath towel, rolled up, under the mattress on one end of Shelby's bed....it's a little bit of an experiment.

My little Miss' sleep has been a mess for the last week. It could be day care, it could be a growth spurt, it could be a variety of things, but one thing is certain - I am not a fan of the twice a night wake ups. Wow. I don't know how mom's do it with their infants, and for so long. I think I have been royally spoiled with Shelby, as this is her first spell of not sleeping through the night (with the exception of 2 days when she first went in the crib), since she was about 5.5 weeks.

Last night I determined that she is a little congested (nasal, not chest) and might be what's waking her up. Sure, once she's up - she eats, but I don't think it's hunger that is making her squirm at midnight and then again at 4am. I'm thinking it's some sort of "drip" that causes her to cough. We're doing the saline and the humidifier, but last night when she wouldn't go down, I just rocked her for a good hour or so in the upright position and she appeared much more comfortable.

Our pedietrician mentioned the towel trick early on and then a colleauge suggested the same thing today, so we thought we'd give it a try. It puts her, at most, at a 20 degree incline, but maybe it's just enough to give all three of us a peaceful sleep. I can deal with the 4am wake up since she is konking out around 7:30, but the double wake up and not going back to sleep is about all I can take, while still being productive at work. More importantly though, I just hope Shelby is more comfortable. We'll see...

Daily Report

Each day when I pick Shelby up they leave a little "report card" from the day in her bag. It's not fancy, but I love reading it and it's the first thing I go for once I get her home and settled.

The activities portion routinely cracks me. On this particular day they learned about Mexico and counted to ten in Spanish. Really?  My friends who take their kids to this same facility swear that all this stuff  really sinks in and one day they'll just burst into a song from day care. I can't wait for that day!