Operation Sleep in Crib commences

We finally got a rocking chair for the nursery!  I was so excited to have it delivered last week so that I could start my plan to get Millie in her crib and out of our bed.  Last week, we concentrated on having her take naps in her crib to get used to it.  Last night was her first night spent in the crib.  It went....okay...but not great.  She ended up in bed with us around 3:30, but that's just because mommy was tired.  I have hope!  I think this is going to work...eventually.  It has to; we all need more sleep.  Although, it sure is hard to resist that sweet girl when she's crying in her crib and then smiles when she sees me.  I just want to plop her right back in bed with us and snuggle her.  Instead, I pick her up and rock her back to sleep and then back in the crib she goes.  We aren't using the Cry-It-Out method (yet), but we do have to let her cry for a bit to see if she can get herself back to sleep on her own.  I'm just not strong enough to listen to her cry for very long.  Wish me luck that it gets better and better with each day and week! 

here's the new rocker:

you can't see just how much drool is in this pic; she is making her raspberry sound here, which is her favorite thing to do lately.  it gets messy.

this was a potential outfit for her 6 month pictures last Saturday, but we decided against a dress....they tend to make her look like a blob of fabric.

here's the winning outfit; the colors looked really bright, and i think i really like her in red :)

she wouldn't quit making this face in the pictures; has she lost her dentures?!

Saturday, we rode with Amanda and Cayden to the photographer's studio (it is in Missouri); this is the place they used for his newborn pics.  the kiddos are so sweet with each other and so curious...well, Cayden's sweet, but Millie was sort of slapping him in the face.  check out that super sweet sweater vest!

i love love love having them nearby...yesterday, we met Cayden and Amanda at the playground for a short playdate.  i didn't even get Mills out of the carrier though because it was super windy and I didn't dress her properly (bad mommy).

Cayden in the swing; how cute is he?!

Gym Class

Last week, Millie and I attended our first class at The Little Gym.  We are in the "Bugs" class for 4-10 month olds.  Mommies stay with the babies and help them with the moves and exercises.  It was so much fun and absolutely hilarious to watch Millie taking it all in.  The first thing everyone did was sit in a circle, where Millie took one look around and promptly started bawling.  I think she was overwhelmed seeing all those new faces, but by the end of the class, she was smiling at everyone so I'm pretty sure she enjoyed herself.  The class was fast paced, moving from activity to activity...we played with sticks (see video), practiced somersaults, stood using handrails, practiced crawling (or just tummy time in our case), played with tons of balls on the big red mat (see video), walked wheelbarrow style, and played with bubbles at the very end.  I can't wait for our next class this Wednesday!

sticks video:  http://youtu.be/zH8ByN4lrqU
balls video:  http://youtu.be/8e3RmhLXumc

Ready for Spring

Millabean and I just got back from a walk.  Outdoors.  I had on short sleeves.  In January!  Lovin' it.  January and February are normally our awful winter weather months; however, thus far, January has been extremely mild.  Of course, this probably means February is going to be a wildebeest, but right now I don't really care.  I'm just going to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts...in fact, it felt so good walking today that I set a personal record with the stroller.  That's right...I time myself.  Maybe it is typical accountant behavior, but whatever, it helps inspire me.  John and I started this little trend last March when I was pregnant (speaking of wildebeests); we would walk the trail in the neighborhood behind ours where one lap = one mile.  We started out being able to walk a mile in approx. 14 1/2 to 14 3/4 minutes...not too shabby.  But by June, we were coming in at around 17 minutes per mile, and I stopped timing myself at that point.  Anyhoo, pushing Millie in the stroller today, I had a 14:24 lap & then followed it up with a 14:38 lap!  Feeling pretty good about it...

Last week, we also had several nice days...it's enough to give a girl premature Spring Fever.  I can't wait to get back to our daily walks, and I'm looking forward to trips to the playground and pool this year.  Nana was here visiting last week, so we took Millie to the playground for the first time.  I think she really liked swinging; don't let her serious face fool you. :)

Fingers crossed that the groundhog doesn't see his shadow on Feb. 2!

Field Trip

Yesterday, we took a little field trip to the recently opened Crystal Bridges Art Museum. It's a much-needed infusion of culture here in NWA.  Thank you, Alice Walton...it's a beautiful combination of art and architecture.  We can't wait to go back in the spring and walk the nature trails surrounding the museum.  Here's a fantastic article from Forbes regarding Ms. Walton's generous donation: http://www.forbes.com/sites/abigailesman/2011/11/14/how-alice-waltons-crystal-bridges-exposes-the-foolishness-o-occupy-wall-street/

the different wings of the museum surround bodies of crystal clear water

i loved this painting; calm kitty cat in the middle with hordes of wildlife going bananas around it

 

 this piece of art was made out of spools of thread; when you looked in the glass ball it, you could see that it was "After The Last Supper"

 hello? hello?!?!

 we were standing in front of a light installation; it was just four flourescent bulbs in different colors, but the artist had named it and everything ;)  i have a lot to learn about art.

 Norman Rockwell's "Rosie the Riveter"

 Pinocchio

 Jackson Pollock's "Reclining Woman"

 Andy Warhol's "Dolly Parton"

 we ate lunch at the museum restaurant and Millie was squealing loudly; people were staring

 done with the squealing and back to normal

It was a fun little family outing!

The Many Faces of Milla

just woke up happy face

excited & in a good mood face 

crazy bedhead face
(note: this was taken on my iphone where you can turn the camera around to see what you look like while taking your pic; she finds it funny that she can see us, so i try to ham it up.  this is not my normal picture taking face.  BTW, did you check out her hair?!)

 overstimulated after a walk face

very angry, i'm done with this activity face

who's creeping on me? face

Yo Gabba Gabba face (Nickelodean Jr TV Show)

calm in the carrier face

 really...another picture? face

sad...why won't mommy pick me up? face (or possibly, i actually hate tax face)

 confused, who is that baby? face (also taken with iphone switched-around view)

 relief...ohhhh, i know who that baby is face

In other news:  Happy 8th Birthday, Beansie! 

Beansie loves to lay in Camilla's room where the sun shines in...

 Beansie also loves to give kisses

Milla's after puppy kisses face...she doesn't seem to mind them so much ;)

Open Sesame

Check out our big girl in her new high chair!  As always, she's keeping her trap wide open in anticipation of the next bite.  She's so silly...

 mmmm...avocado and apples

 nom nom nom

6 Months Old

Happy Half-Birthday, Camilla!!

one-week old:

 one-month old:

 two-months old:

 three-months old:

 four-months old:

 five-months old:

six-months old:

she was all over the place for this photo shoot

 toes in the mouth

 i love this look on her face

Yesterday was Camilla's 6-month pediatrician appointment.  3 immunization shots + 1 flu shot = 1 very sad baby.  John and I agreed that she recovered quickly from the shots this time though.  See below the usual picture where she shows off her band-aids.  Stats: 16.5" head circumference (40th percentile), 26 inches long (60th percentile), weight of 15lbs, 9oz (50th percentile).  Her ranking has dropped quite a bit in each of the categories; Dr. Averitt says not to worry because breastfed babies tend to peak early.  She said the charts were based on formula-fed babies, so it won't really be an accurate measure until she's a toddler.  Good to know because I was a little worried about her not growing that much since her last appointment two months ago.  Dr. Averitt is happy with her growth and the many milestones Millie has reached by this point.  In fact, Dr. Averitt called her precocious when Millie freaked about a stranger touching her.  She said it was a little early to be having stranger issues.  We already knew she's advanced though. :)

Dear sweet baby Camilla,

This has probably been my favorite month, so far!  It has been such a fun month full of several "firsts", and you've done so well taking it all in stride.  You're such a happy girl...always smiling and you let me cuddle you as much I want.  I'm not looking forward to the day when you want down and won't let me snuggle you.

This month you've started sitting up on your own, rolling over both ways, and eating fruits and veggies.  Oh, how you love to eat!  Thus far, you've had the following foods: avocado, sweet potatoes, apples, butternut squash, acorn squash, and pears.  The apples and pears are a little tart for your taste, so you make a funny face.  I think the sweet potatoes might be your favorite.  I thought you might have had a reaction to them at first with your face rash, but Dr. Averitt said it was probably just your skin reacting to having food and so much drool on it.  Thank goodness because you love those sweet potatoes!  I'm trying to make as much of your baby food as I can, but it is hard to find organic produce where we live (get on the ball Walmart!).  Therefore, I've had to mix in a few packages of organic baby foods as well.  I know these aren't bad for you, but I do believe that fresh is better.  We just got your high chair in this weekend, so I can't wait to see how you like it!

You're so so curious.  Much of your time is spent absorbing your surroundings.  When we go grocery shopping, you ride in the Ergo carrier and love to look around.  When we go for walks, you now ride facing front in the stroller (or dad wears the baby bjorn carrier facing out), which is much more interesting to you.  You're so quiet on these outings because you are so busy taking it all in, which in turn ends up wearing you out.  You take such great naps after any sort of outing.  You generally have no problem going to sleep for either naps or bedtime.  However, you never stay in your own bed for the entire night; you sleep so well in our bed with us.  You love the human contact and constantly reach out to touch us in bed or when you're getting your diaper changed...it's so sweet.

You definitely recognize mom and dad.  When one of us comes in the room, you'll give us a smile.  You smile a million times a day, but you are much more stingy with those laughs!  We can get you to laugh a little if we tickle you in the right spot though.  Here's a video: http://youtu.be/OtAKHLaGaL4

You're finally getting into reading a bit now.  You really like Goodnight Gorilla and Moo Baa La La La.  Goodnight Moon, Baby Faces, and If I Were a Kitten are some other favorites of the moment.  You still love your pacifier, standing up on our laps, the jumperoo, and watching/touching the pets.  You're generally unflappable.  It doesn't seem to bother you when you fall over from a sitting position; you just wait for one of us to sit you back up.  However, I did find out this week, since I've been battling a cold, that you don't like when mommy sneezes.  You also still don't like the car seat and tummy time, thus, no signs yet of crawling.

You're the best baby.  We laugh at you daily and kiss your sweet chubby cheeks constantly.  As the new year rolled over and your half-birthday was upon us, I know I can speak for both of us when I say we are so grateful you are in our lives.  We love you to the moon and back, Millie Bear, and we're so glad you're ours!