This was a big week for our baby! She took three big steps all by herself!  And miracle of all miracles, Sean and I were both sitting there to watch it happen!  She just started walking towards me while we were eating breakfast on Saturday morning.  It was so cute.  She hasn't done it since, but I think its close.  Another adorable thing she's been doing this week is she has this big stuffed owl from Target.  Sean got it for her before she was born.  I always point at it, and say "whoooo, whooooo."  She likes to lay her head down on it and snuggle because its so soft.  I asked her the other day where her owl was, and she looked at it, then said "Whoooo hoooo."  Well, in her own little way.  But its clear that its her interpretation of the owl noise!  It is SO CUTE!  Now we're working on cat and dog noises.  We're not there yet, but working on it.  :)  Gia is still waking up at 11 or so then going back to sleep until morning.  I guess it works okay for us, but I sure would love it if she would just sleep through the night already!  Gia is really loving books now.  She sits and pulls every single book out of her bin, looking through each and every one as she does.  Today, she climbed up in my lap with a book in her hand and let me read it to her.  She is really growing up... I just can't believe it.  I am in a frenzy of getting stuff ready for her birthday party, which we are having this weekend ( a week early so family can be there), and we went to Hobby Lobby to buy her last two week picture fabrics.  I cannot believe this little year-long project is coming to an end!  We are so incredibly blessed.  Tonight, Sean and I were talking and both got teary-eyed just realizing how blessed we truly are with her. 

I took this picture last week but forgot to post it here on the blog.  I am sad to say that for the first time in 50 weeks, I don't really remember what happened this week!  Just a lot of the same... Gia still only has 4 teeth, and has started waking up again at night.  She wakes up around 10:30 or 11 p.m. to nurse, then goes back to sleep.  I can't believe my baby is almost 1!

We've had a great couple of days around our house, and I just have to document it here.  Nothing extraordinary or exceptionally fantastic, but just a bunch of "precious moments" mixed with some craziness of life that has me feeling especially grateful tonight. 

On Thursday night, Sean and I arranged to have one of our awesome youth group students come over to watch Gia so that we could go on a date!  It was only our second date since she was born, and since she's almost a year old (in 2 short weeks!), you can imagine that this date was overdue.  (Let me just say, date nights are extremely hard to come by and become exponentially more expensive when you don't have family close by.  ::sad face::)  SO.  I decided to actually make dinner this night.  I've been in a bad habit of just "getting by" with dinner... easy stuff, not too healthy but sufficient.  Nothing fancy or particularly delicious, for that matter.  So the fact that I was peeling vegetables and washing chicken was big.  Sean was playing with Gia as I was washing the chicken before I plopped it in the skillet with the already-browning garlic & onions.  Both Gia & Sean were getting hungry and I promised dinner in 25 minutes.  As soon as I had said that, the garbage disposal starting backing up... it made a chug-chug-chug, then just kinda stagnated.  Before I could say something to Sean, a flood of water began pouring out at my feet.  Water mixed with chunks of carrot peel.  Gross.  With the faucet still going high blast (I had to wash my hands because they were covered in chicken yuck!) I started screaming for Sean to grab some towels.  A few minutes of frantic shrieking back and forth, and I finally turned off the faucet.  (Duh- turn off the source of the gushing water, Sheyenne.) Sean cleaned up the floor and under the cabinet while I finished cooking dinner.  Gia was a gem as she sat in her exersaucer, just staring at us in our craziness.  We tried to get Gia to eat in her highchair as we were doing all this, but she really wouldn't touch any of her food.  So once dinner was ready for Sean and me, we took our plates over to the living room and just sat on the floor.  Our baby sitter was coming in less than 10 minutes!  But dinner was delicious- juicy lemon chicken, couscous and carrots.  As we were sitting there, Gia started flitting back and forth between us, picking food off our plates like a little bird.  The carrots and couscous she refused to eat in her highchair, she was now devouring by the handfuls!  Yes, handfuls!  She grabbed a fistful of couscous and shoved it in her face... and the tiny pastas spilled right back out!  She wasn't so sure about them, but kept eating it!

I just had to laugh at this.  It was a crazy night- we were trying to get dinner cooked, a baby bathed, and get out the door so we could get to a movie and things just were not going easy for us!  But it was a perfect night.  We did make it to the movie in time- we even had a few minutes to shop around beforehand.  It was a great date night, and Gia slept well for the babysitter (whew!).  I'm thankful for the normal, day to day life with the occasional craziness thrown in.  Its not glamorous, but its good.  Its better than good- its a dream come true.  A dream I never knew I had, but now that its here, its home. 


This afternoon, we were all sitting together in the living room, and Gia was playing all around us with her toys.  She's been standing up on her own a lot the past couple of days, balancing better and better each time.  Out of nowhere, Gia took 3 steps towards me!  It took my by surprise, she looked like such a natural.  Just like she'd been walking forever.  Sean and I just looked at each other and started laughing!  Our little girl is growing up and its crazy.  2 weeks from today she will be one year old!  Where has the time gone?

I am working on a new MixBook photo album that is about my pregnancy with Gia and her birth.  (I'll work on her first year album after I finish this one.)  So I've been taking a little stroll down memory lane.  I didn't write much at all when I was first pregnant with her.  In fact, the first actual "pregnancy" post I have on this blog was when I was 26 weeks pregnant.  I took one picture at 10 weeks, another at 16, and a few around 20 weeks, but that was it until later on.  Now that I am wanting to put this all into an album, I'm really sad that I didn't write more.  And nowadays, I'm in such a fog of fragmented sleep, singing toy tables, stacking blocks, breastfeeding and jibber-jabbering with my sweet almost-one-year old that I honestly can't remember much about that time.  Even though it was only 18 months ago or so.

I looked back at Whitney's blog because I know I wrote a little more on there about expecting Baby #2.  I came across this post about our "BIG" ultrasound.  Though I honestly can't remember what that night before was like, the feelings from that time are quick to rush in.  I remember the nervousness, the fear that faith kept at bay, the anticipation... and then I think about my sleeping, precious, beautiful baby girl in the next room and I am filled with awe.  And love.  And humility.  Complete and utter unworthiness.  Blessed.  I am so thankful for a God who reminds me that he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

I can't believe my baby girl is almost a year old.  I'm having a great time planning her birthday party, but more than that I am trying my hardest to soak up every single minute.  Even though she's not sleeping through the night yet, there are times in the evening when I have to strongly resist the urge to just go in and look at her as she sleeps because I just love her so much!  I guess that's all I really had to say tonight... I got a kick out of walking down memory lane with the old blog posts.  :)




 

Sunday was Gianna's first Easter!  Its hard to believe it has almost been a year since she was born.  Time is just flying by way too fast.  We had a good Easter Sunday at church.  And of course, Gia looked adorable in her dress.  Here are a few pictures:

Her dress was so cute-its a patchwork of different fabrics!

Gia & Her bestie, Ella

Sadly, this was the best one.

Gia & Daddy after church

Gia & Mommy

Checking out Dad's Easter Basket.

She likes Dad's baking mat!

Gia's Easter basket

Bunny ears!

Checking out the goods.

Oh she's just so cute!

Happy Easter! This past weekend was Easter.  Gia looked so adorable in her Easter dress.  Its hard to believe that this is her first Easter... she is getting so close to being a year old!  Sean got home from Baltimore on Saturday, then on Easter Sunday we headed to Cincinnati to see Sean's family for a day.  We had a good visit with them, though Gia is always a bit cranky in the evening and was ready for bed at 6:30!  We got to see our new nephew (Sean's step-brother's new baby), Daniel for the first time.  I'm pretty sure he already has more hair than Gia does at the moment.  On Monday, we met up with some friends from college.  They had let us borrow some baby gear (swing and bath tub) so we were returning it to them.  It was great to see them and catch up a bit!  The rest of the week just flew by pretty fast!  Gia is not eating much these days.  She is nursing more, but seems to be in no hurry to be off the boob and onto real food.  I guess that's ok with me for now.  Sleep this week was back to no good.  Oh, well... Good thing I wasn't holding my breath!

Weight: She is 16 pounds, 9 ounces. 
Clothing Size: I've just moved her up to mostly 12 month clothes.  She still wears some 6-9 month onesies, but she's getting longer so they are a little tight in the torso.  
Fave Toy: She's having a lot of fun knocking down block towers that I build with her colorful alphabet blocks. She's also having a great time with a couple of her toy balls.  They rattle and make noise, so she loves to shake them!
Fave Outfit: I really like the Oklahoma t-shirt I made her for the Pioneer Woman book signing.  Its so cute with the little green skirt and her tiny Keds!
New Moves: She is walking along the couches more and "walking" while I hold her hands.  But still nothing on her own.
Teething: No new teeth this month, though it seems like she's been chewing on everything again.  But nothing looks even close!
Eating: She hasn't been eating a great deal of solid foods lately.  She just doesn't seem interested.  She's still nursing 4 or 5 times a day.  I need to get better about letting her try more new things.  I think I'm going to try tofu at lunch today!   

Talking: She is babbling like crazy!  No new discernable words but she is definitely talking more and getting even more personality!!  I even think she's singing now... she gets this almost falsetto sound in her voice and its very sing-songy.  So cute!

With an 11-month old baby girl, I am pretty new to this whole parenthood thing.  Despite the best efforts of friends and family who have gone before me into the realm of motherhood, nothing could have prepared me for this new stage of life.  It is both wonderfully amazing and incredibly difficult.  The joys of motherhood far outweigh the difficult days, but there are still times when I am weary.  Espresso for Your Spirit, by Pam Vredevelt is a fantastic collection of short devotional thoughts and stories written to uplift the spirit of a tired parent, and bring humor into the heart of every mom or dad. 

As a therapist who is married to a pastor, Vredevelt shares beautiful stories from both her own life and the lives of others.  Some of these stories challenged me to be a better mother; others helped me to realize that I am not alone in my struggles.  But most of all, the short glimpses into the lives of others helped me to remember that God is the ultimate caretaker.  It is by Him and His strength alone that we are able to accomplish anything in this life. 

It can be easy to get bogged down with the day to day routines.  Sometimes, I take things too seriously.  I enjoyed the "power perk" of humor at the end of these chapters- stories and jokes that just made me chuckle.  This book was an excellent reminder that parenthood is both a calling and a blessing.  And while it requires sacrifice, that is not a bad thing.  Vredevelt wrote:

"When we become parents, part of us is lost.  But its not necessarily a bad loss. Parenting chips away at any orientation toward self.  It forces us to be more other-centered.  It necessitates laying down our lives.  It requires an emptying of who we are for the sake of those who follow."

The chapters in this book are a perfect length for busy parents who need a quick pick-me-up in the midst of a busy day.  The perks of humor and hope are sprinkled perfectly throughout these pages, much like a well-timed afternoon latte. 

(In the interest of full-disclosure, I received this e-book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.)

I've finally found a way to get Gia to stay still for about 60 seconds at a time... it's singing this line from a silly song on the Baby TV channel... "Oh my, my, its shushy-bye..." over and over.  Its annoying and gets stuck in my head, as that's all I know of the song, but it gets her to hold still for a diaper change AND I even got a couple of workable photos this week!  Sean was gone this week with the youth group.  He took some kids to Baltimore, MD for a mission trip.  I was really dreading being alone all week but it turned out to be a pretty fun time.  I had to take Gia to the doctor on Monday because she seemed to be having some tummy troubles.  (Turns out she's fine.) On Tuesday, her friend Ella and my friend Heather came over to play.  Then we went shopping a couple days and of course, went to the park a lot.  Every afternoon, we went to the YMCA.  Gia did so great in the child watch area and I was able to work out and even take a shower every day!  The ladies at the child care area are so great, and they even said that Gia is always happy!!  How awesome! 

I am so close... so close I can actually see an end in sight.  Twelve months ago, when I was thinking about and preparing for the arrival of Gianna, I knew I wanted to try breastfeeding.  But I was just so nervous it wouldn't work.  None of my friends had breastfed for a full year; most of them gave up within the first week.  The only person I knew at the time who had successfully breastfed the entire first year was my sister.  I knew I had her support and most importantly, Sean's support, so I set the goal of breastfeeding the entire first year.  Admittedly, this was in large part a financial decision.  Of course I knew all about the research and proven statistics that breastfeeding truly is best for baby but to be totally honest, that wasn't the deciding factor.  It was money.  Afterall, we had no job and we were living in my in-laws basement.  So you can see why that made our minds up for us! 

This isn't going to be a long lament on my history with BF'ing thought I hope to write a post about that soon (for anyone who cares, and mostly for myself).  Guys, you can check out now because I'm certain you don't care about this.  So this week... I am ONE month away from meeting my goal of exclusively BF'ing for a year, and my milk started to dry up.  Uh-oh.  I have no clue why, except that I've recently started exercising again.  I'm still eating and drinking a lot so I think the exercise may have been the culprit.   On Saturday night, I was putting Gia to bed, and she just wasn't getting enough milk.  As I was singing to her and rocking her to sleep, she started doing the sign language gesture for "milk."  She wanted more and I had nothing to give her!  (I should note here that she refuses any kind of formula, will not take a bottle and will not take pumped milk in any form... not in a sippy, straw or anything else!)  I put her to bed anyway, fully prepared to be up several times to attempt to nurse her again.  And I was heartbroken.  (Surprisingly, she slept ALL NIGHT LONG!) The next day I decided to spring into action.  I looked up every kind of galactagogue (ooh, good word!) then headed to the store.  Here is what I came home with:



1. Oatmeal Cream Pies- Not only are these little gems yummy but they are made of oatmeal too.  Though I don't know that its been scientifically proven, it would stand to reason that these would help with lactation, too right?  Yum. 
2. Oat Revolution Oatmeal Cereal with Flax- This stuff is amazing!  I got the maple & brown sugar variety but there were several to choose from. The best part?  You don't have to dirty a measuring cup or just "eyeball" the amount of water you add because the pouch doubles as a measuring device!  Yup!  Dump out the cereal in your bowl then fill the pouch to the brown line with water.  Microwave 90 seconds and you're on your way to better lactation.  Or a healthier heart.  Or lower cholesterol.  Or losing weight.  Oatmeal is great for so many reasons. And I like the extra texture the flax seed provides.  (BTW, have you checked out the benefits of flax?  Also endless!)
3. Fenugreek- This herbal supplement has many uses and is actually used as a spice in cooking.  I stared taking 2 capsules, 3 times a day.  Then I bumped it up to 3 capsules, 3 times a day.  I'm convinced this is the stuff that really worked for me.  It works within a day of taking it.  However there are two downsides... the first being some GI issues.  Nothing big, just annoying.  But the other side effect is that your sweat, skin and pee will all smell like maple syrup.  No joke!  And since I've been sweating a lot at the gym every day, well, lets just say its not a subtle smell.  Shew! 
4. Mother's Milk Tea- I haven't actually tried this yet, so I don't even know how it tastes.  Though I've been warned that its not that great. 

So, there you have it.  That's my arsenal of galactagogues that will hopefully help me get to the 12 month mark, and keep Gia healthy, full and growing!