Look at Me! I have a brush!

I think there is a limit as to how many pictures you can put in one post. I've been trying for days to get all my pics in the last post, but to no avail. Here are 2 more pictures from September that I just love.

come on, this is adorable




oh she loves her Cinko.

My Baby Is Seven Months Old

The last few weeks have been fairly quiet. Sophia still only has 2 teeth, but they have come in more. She caught her first cold from one of the kids with whom she goes to day care. The sick kid, her parents insisted that she wasn't sick at all. She was just "teething." Teething that causes your nose to run and to cough. Well, Sophia caught "the teething." Then the Husband and I both caught "the teething." This teething disease we have going around here is a real pain. Sophia has had "the teething" for two weeks now.

Sophia is still very vocal- lots of sounds "ma ma" "da da" and other things. She still isnt' crawling yet, but she's realy thinking about it. She scoots around the kitchen on her belly, and every now and then gets up on all fours. She's not there yet, but she's close.

So Sophia's new big girl thing is that she takes baths in the real tub now as she has outgrown the baby tub. She's doing really well, as she can sit up really well now. As you can imagine, its made for some really cute pictures. So here's some pics from the last two weeks of September. I'll post October pictures later.



Now, here's why I love this picture. Everyone says how much Sophia looks like me. I think it's the coloring- she has my hair, skin and eyes (more or less). But in this picture- this is the Husband's face. My eyebrows can't move like this, and this is totally a look the Husband would shoot me.

It's like she's saying- what ARE you talking about, lady??





She is sooo happy!!!

TWO bunny teeth

Tooth number Two was right behind the first. I thought I'd share the cutest picture ever of MAH BEH BEH and her two teeth:


So the lady who watches Sophia went on vacation for 10 days (lucky...), so my mom came out from Chicago for a week to hang out with Sophia. They had a blast together. Sophia went for walks, and to the park and sang and danced for her Nana (well, to Nana it was singing and dancing, so that's what counts, right?)
Sophia and her Nana

Because my mom was staying with us, it allowed The Husband and I to have our first night out without The Baby. For those of you who are curious- that would be the first night out since JANUARY. It was fantastic having my mom watch Sophia for the night. I didn't worry at all - which made it soooo much easier to enjoy my wine.....
Dressed to go out...that top is silk and WAS clean....


And for those of you who follow these things- I had ANOTHER birthday. Twenty nine again. How do these things happen and why do they keep happening? I'm sure I will be just as amazed when I turn twenty-nine next year.
It wasn't the greatest of birthdays- The Husband had to work all weekend, and my mom had to go back to Chicago. But I looked good:

My brother Martin suggested I have a "mulligan" birthday- a do-over in order to have a better celebration. I think he's on to something. He even offered to call me up on my do-over birthday if I tell him the date in advance. Isn't that nice?

Teefers

On August 29, Sophia cut her first tooth. The Husband and I were very excited and emailed everyone. So naturally, I wanted to preserve this moment on film.

Have you ever tried to get a baby to open their mouth for a picture? Impossible. So, here's how my efforts went....

Me: Sophia, open your mouth so mommy can take a picture of your new tooth.
Sophia: No mommy. (Yes, I know she didn't say exactly that, but look at that face. I knew what she meant.)



Me: Oh come on, Sophia. Let me see that tooth!
Sophia: NO MOMMY.



Undeterred, I played with her and tickled her until I managed to get this picture:

Now, I think that's a picture of the tooth. The Husband thinks that is a picture of a big spit bubble on her gums. Maybe it's a spit bubble on the tooth? You be the judge.

But today- today I managed to snap a great picture. You may not be able to see the tooth here, but click on the picture and let it take up your screen and you will definitely be able to see Sophia's first tooth.


Yay for bunny teeth!!

Almost Six Months

Sophia is 5.5 months now, and every day continues to be an adventure. She has mastered rolling over- front to back and back to front. Not only does she roll well, but she rolls FAST!. We are already finding ourselves saying- how did you get over there? She isn't crawling...yet. But I can tell she's thinking about it. She basically scoots and rolls herself to where she wants to be.

Booties courtesy of Elizabeth. Thank you Elizabeth!!
In addition to the cereal I told you about last time, we recently added some jarred baby food. Sweet potatoes were a big hit. Carrots do not seem to be as magical. The best thing about introducing new foods is the expression that crosses her face when she tastes something new. It is definitely a "what is THIS?" face. She ate sweet potatoes with no problem. Half the carrots are finding their way out of her mouth onto her bib. Pears are next. I'll let you know how that goes.

Speaking of eating, we put Sophia in her high chair for the first time- and she sat up like a big girl. She didn't flop over, which is what I figured she would do. Nope. Sat there and looked at me like "what's for breakfast?" Dont' tell anyone- but it made me a little said to see her so big already.


Mike, Danielle and crew came over again, and I took some more pictures of Sophia and Zoe. If you go back to the May blog entries, you can see the picture of Sophia and Zoe side by side when Sophia was only about 9 weeks, and Zoe was 2 weeks. See what a difference a summer can make! Sophia is 21 weeks in this picture, so Zoe is 14 weeks.



Sophia and Chloe


In addition to working on crawling, we're working on sitting up. She has her moments...




It has been very hot here. Some of you may not know, but The Husband and I do not have air conditioning. Generally, its not needed here in San Diego. But last weekend was bad- it was 89 degrees in my kitchen. Sophia seemed soooo uncomfortable. She wans't eating well and was basically refusing to nap all weekend. So we threw her in the pool. Ok, not literally. But naked baby went into the pool to cool off. I think she found it a little overwhelming at first. That's alot of water to splash around in.

After first introducing her to the pool, I went to Target and purchased some swim diapers and a floaty toy for her. As you can see, she wasn't quite sure what to think of her "speedboat", but I think she warmed up to the idea. (and between you and me, I dont get the whole swim diaper thing. it still got wet....I just don't understand...)





So, as summer comes to a close, I find myself opening and closing chapters of Sophia's life. I'm already packing away clothes that no longer fit, and washing and folding new clothes that at one time seemed so gigantic. But they aren't gigantic at all. These clothes fit my baby girl, who gets bigger and bigger every day. In addition to packing away clothes, we'll be packing away the baby tub soon, too. Sophia is getting a little to big for it, and she's too heavy for the "ramp" that she would lay on (plus Ginger peed on it, so we had to throw it out!!)

Hey daddy, what's up?

The last of the baby bathtub.


crusing in mommy's new car (Back off Brittney- at least I put my baby in a seat and not my lap!!)

Pictures of Zoe and Sophia

As promised, here are some pictures from last weekend. We had Mike and Danielle and the kids over to celebrate Mike's birthday. I grilled some chicken and burgers and we all sat around having a good time. Zoe is sooo much bigger than the last time I saw her, but she is still so tiny compared to Sophia. The Husband and I would comment how heavy Sophia feels in our arms compared to Zoe. I guess that's the difference 7 weeks can make!






Happy Daddies
Happy Mommies

Happy Daddy, content Zoe

So many new things

The best part about having a baby is that every day there is something new. A new noise, a new face, a new ability- everyday is a surprise. The last three weeks have proven this to be true. Sophia is getting bigger and bigger and stronger and stronger.


15 weeks

She now weighs 13 lbs and is 24 inches long. According to the doctor, this puts her in the 75th percentile for height. As you all know, The Husband and I are shorties, so this is very amusing to us both.

Sophia is making lots of noises, and is grabbing at and for everything. Then whatever she manages to get her hands on goes in her mouth. And she's a drooling machine. I know what you're saying- she's teething. Well, baby got no teeth so far (that joke is for Deana).


How does that hand taste?? (15 weeks)


(15 weeks)



Both pics at 16 weeks

The most exciting thing for me is that Sophia has started solid foods. Althought you're "supposed" to start solids at six months, Sophie started waking up EVERY night in the middle of the night to eat. It was killing me. After talking to the pediatrician, we decided that Sophie can have some cereal at breakfast and at night. It works on keeping her asleep about 75% of the time. Now she wakes up to eat in the middle of the night every couple of nights. I guess I'll take what I can get.



(17 weeks)




(18 weeks)

Sophia is also woking on rolling over. She can roll on her side with no problem. She loves to roll on her side the most on the changing table, and on the kitchen island when we're getting her ready to get in the tub or fresh out of the tub. So basically, any time and place where rolling on her side risks rolling off a high table onto the hard floor. Rolling from tummy to back, or vice versa, is something else. I've seen her roll onto her back once. Naturally, I didn't have the camera. She's done it a few other times, everytime I've been out of the room- going to get the camera. Hopefully soon she'll get this rolling thing down, and I'll capture it on film.



(18 weeks)

She's still a wiggle worm- trying to spring from our arms and out any chair or swing we put her in. Strapping her into things is an offical necessity now.


Hanging out...

Reading with daddy

too young to teach her how to examine the cork????
(all pics at 18 weeks)

Work is still exhausting, but it's getting better. The highlight of my day is still picking Sophia up at the end of it to bring her home. All week long The Husband and I look forward to the weekend- when we get to spend two WHOLE days with our "beh-beh girl."

I'll be posting even more pictures soon. Sophia's cousin Zoe is coming over tomorrow, and I promised my mom I would take lots of photos of the two cousins. I can't wait to see how big Zoe is now!!

Can you believe it's been four months?

I can't believe that Sophia will be sixteen weeks on Saturday, and it's been six weeks since I've had the chance to update the blog. There will be lots to tell, and lots of pictures. I just hope I can remember it all...


Completely adorable at 11 weeks.

I've been back at work for about 4 weeks now. Overall, I'd say it's going well. It can be hard and tiring, both working and caring for a baby, but I'm slowing getting back into my groove at work. Slowly it's getting easier to get ready for each day and each week.


See, she fits in my briefcase, so technically, I should be allowed to take her with me to work.

On June 2, 2007, Sophia was baptized. But this was no ordinary baptism. The parish The Husband and I reside in is rather Old School Catholic. The Husband and I were not married in the Catholic church. As many of you know, we had a civil ceremony in Napa when we were married in 2003. We renewed our vows with Elvis in November 2006. But in order to have Sophia baptized, we had to exchange vows AGAIN, in the house of God.

Now, there was a certain amount of hoop-jumping to go thru in order to get married for a third time. But I didn't care. I'd marry The Husband over and over again, and it was just one more chance to promise to try and be good to him and by him. I don't grow tired of marrying him....I know there was some jokes that hopefully this will be the last time we get married, but I hope that it is not. Maybe next time we can renew our vows with a Vegas Showgirl!!

So, The Husband and I get married in a 5 minute Catholic ceremony, then turn around and take Sophia up to the baptismal font in order for her to be baptized. My friend Deana, reprising her role as matron of honor (formerly the maid of honor) and my brother Sean were the godparents. My brother Martin stood in as The Husband's best man for the wedding.








After the baptism, we had a little party at the house. Of course, there was a "God Bless Sophia" cake. Can't have a baptism without a "God Bless the Baby" cake, right?







Overall, the weekend was a little crazy- everyone came in to see Sophia. It was the first time she met her Grandpa Marty and her Uncle Marty. Sean had seen Sophia when she was only a few days old, and it was Gina's first time meeting her. Deana and Jason came in, meeting Sophia for the first time. Deana is expecting in September, and demonstrated her natural mothering skills!



As for the rest of the time, Sophia just keeps getting bigger. She sleeps through the night every night now. She takes loooong naps during the day- which is wonderful for us. She holds her head up really well and is just starting to roll over. She's done it twice, but I think it might have been a fluke. She napped one day on her hand, waking up with what looked like a smack mark on her face. So no, I didn't slap my baby. But it is sort of funny....




All pics at 14 weeks

She's become more aware of her surroundings, so she likes mirrors and mobiles now. Her swing has a mirror on the mobile, so this is what happens when we put her in the swing-




She's vocalizing more and more, making humming and singing noises. The past few days she's started to make noises sort of like a squacking noise. But when she does it, she opens her eyes and mouth really wide, like she's surprised and is about to gasp. I keep insisting that one day I'm going to wake up, and she's just going to be speaking in full sentences.


12 weeks

But the funniest achievement of all has to do with how big Sophia is now. She officially weighs more than Chloe. It took 4 months, but Sophia weighs 1 lb more than my big old Chloe

15 weeks