Hammers, Drills, and air compressors.

Those have been the things I have been hearing and seeing at my house for the past few days. We are having construction done and it is such a messy process. Yesterday we had to leave the house while it was going on, Emmaline was SUP-AH afraid of the nail gone, and the saw the used to take one of the walls down. We had friends in from out of state, so we decided to go to the beach, we packed up and headed out.

It was deathly hot outside, but we were going to enjoy it, we set up our baby cabana, unpacked the towels, re-applied sunscreen, and then thats when we saw it, the storm clouds rolling in. E was getting so hot pool girl was sweating, and she pretty much hates sand and the crashing waves, so we went and stood in line for a snoball to cool off a bit, we were in that stinkin line for 30 minutes.

About the time we were about to enjoy our flavored ice, I noticed everyone packing up, so we decided to do that too.. not 10 minutes after we got in the car it was pouring. Since we couldnt go home, and miss E was missing out on her nap, we decided driving would be the best thing. Thankfully she fell asleep in the car, I stayed in the car with her while the guys went in and got some ice cream and ordered wings for dinner. 

When we got word the contractors were close to being done for the day, we headed home, however it was still pretty loud there, and E was freakin out a bit, so my girl and I headed out to get some steamed shrimp. It had been 18 months since I could eat any seafood, I have a mild seafood allergy... I get hives, and my throat gets itchy, so I usually only have a few, however I was instructed to not even have one bite while pregnant as the allergy could become fatal while pregnant, and I couldn't have any while bfeeding, because the pedi said it could also trigger an allergy in E as well. So I held off... but now that I'm not nursing I wanted some really bad. 

We picked those up and then came back to the house, they were starting to pack, up.. things were messy, and looked so different. I am excited about the final product the the in between always looks horrible. They hung a new door on E's nursery... and ... I found out in the middle of the night... IT SQUEAKS...That my friends will the the most important task for the contractor to accomplish today, making the opening and close of that door soundless. 

Today we have to leave for a bit to, so we are going to go to the pool, and then head to Ikea, to look at desk's for my new home office that's being built!

Totally off subject, but because I think about it every day...

When did THIS 

O the 2 week PP body... its not pretty

Become THIS

Where did my tiny Baybee go?

New Foods

For a while Emmalines favorite food was pears, she would take them over anything. Then we added in a few more foods, carrots being one of them, and that quickly became her favorite. She loved carrots so much she seemed to prefer them over fruits, and other sweet things. 

I was pretty sure carrots would be the tried and true flavor for a while, that was until she started eating Avocados, and now carrots have taken a back seat. She not only enjoys chewing on chunks of them.. but whats more exciting then a yummy food, that is also fun to play with, and squish into pulp that somewhat resembles guacamole when she is finished with it.  

Mmmmm it almost makes me want to rim a glass with salt, pour in a little tequila, and lime juice and join her!

I'm not actually sure how much makes it into her mouth, but on these nights a bath is a must, for both of us. Just getting near her, and you risk finding some dried to you later in the night.

It's like a pool

Our condo association told us we couldn't have a baby pool on the patio, 

for whatever reason the have an issue with it.

They told us we could splash on people walking down below..

I really wasn't planning on a wave pool, 

and I don't think I would flood the place with 5 gallons of water..

But, whatever.. they make the rules.

We just break them..

They said we couldn't have a pool..

they never said we couldn't put the duckie tub on the patio.

hey whatever it takes right?

8 month stats a bit late.

This post has MOM FAIL written all over it.. 

yes my daughter will be 9 months in 1 week..

{ahhhhh.. cue the tears, and pour the drink}

I had every intention of posting this sooner

as in right around the time she turned 8 months

But,

I really wanted her stats in there too

so I had to wait until her pedi appt

which just happened.

So since her 9 month post will be in just a little over a week

this update will be short and sweet.

8 MONTHS


Weight 17 pounds
Length 27.5 inches

EATING

You {were} Still nursing 4 times a day up until just about a week ago, when you decide the boob just wasnt for you anymore, you started pushing it away like you do your spoon when you are full after a meal. Of course momma was upset, but was pretty much ok with it. Oddly enough though you still nurse once at 5am and then go back to sleep for a while. You don't eat that much baby food by way of spoon any more.. you are eating alot of table foods.

This month we introduced 

Yogurt

Cheese

Broccoli

You still love fresh strawberries, but I think your yobaby yogurt has taken the place of carrots in your life.

SLEEP

Sleep has been different this whole month, you were good for a while, then we both got colds, and you had a hard time breathing at night so you were up again, then when you decided you didnt want to nurse anymore you also started sleeping alot more, not really waking up as much. 

TALKING

You are all girl.. you have started staring into peoples eyes as you ramble on, with lots of high pitches.. you "talked" to daddy the other night for almost 20 minutes straight... O dear Lord.. I see where this is going.. Im also guessing you think your full blood italian at the way you move your hands around when you are talking.

You got some shots this month, and as usual had a bit of a reaction you leg swells up something crazy, and gets a golf ball on it.. thankfully it went down much quicker then last time.

Sweet Girl,

Your Daddy and I love you so so much, and are so thankful to God everyday for making you ours. We have been having so much fun with you, this stage you are in and the way you have become so interactive is very exciting. I just said to Daddy the other day that I kind of wanted you to stay this age/size forever.. you are such a joy in our lives, and we are very excited to watch you grow over the next few months as we prepare for your 1st Birthday. 

I honestly can say.. I never believed everyone as they would tell me just how fast your first year would go by, I just though "They grow so fast" was a bit of a cliche, however I have quickly realized its more of a reality. I miss my tiny baby who would sleep on my chest, but I am fully enjoying every minute of you, and loving being a part of all of your new discoveries 

I love you to the moon and back

Momma

Where I catch you up on the Milk Protein Allergy.

Many of you will remember where I talked many times regarding E's Milk Protein Intolerance. 

Basically we found out right before she turned 1 month old that "casein" a protein found in milk caused her much discomfort so much so that it aggravated her intestines and caused blood in her stool. Since I was breastfeeding that meant of course I could not consume any dairy.. sounds easy right? ... WRONG.

Do you realize how many things have dairy in them... Bread, Cookies, Chips, almost EVERYTHING on EVERY menu, at almost EVERY restaurant.  It was tough but after a while like everything else you get used to it.. I just had to read the labels on EVERYTHING, and be very careful when eating at other people houses, almost everyone cooks with butter.

My pediatrician told me that 80% of babies with this intolerance will outgrow it by 9 months old, and that once she gets to that point I should slowly try to re-introduce dairy into my diet. Well at around 7 months I was having alot of supply issues and needed to supplement, unfortunately she would not take the Silimac formula made for babies with this allergy so I had to experiment. I really didn't want her on a soy formula as I have read many articles about the overuse of soy at such a young age causing hormone imbalances. 

So I talked to the doctor and she recommended Gerber Goodstart and said lets just pretend she outgrew it.. and see what happens within 24 hours you will notice the symptoms if it is going to bother her. SO we tried it and she was taking it fine, a little bit at a time mixed with breastmilk. 

So I thought I would try eating just a tiny bit of dairy to see if she would respond, so I picked up some bread from the bakery that had milk in the ingredients, and I didn't notice any changes. So I would eat a tiny bit of cheese here or there, maybe in a salad, and have a bit of butter. I quickly notice that none of this was bothering her. 

I talked it over with my pediatrician who gave me the green light to start offering yogurt to Emmaline, and I'm pretty sure we found her new food. The girl would eat yogurt until it was coming out of her ears. She LOVES it! We have been getting the organic Stoneyfield farms Yobaby yogurt in blueberry and she eats one a day as a snack. 

Last night was the first time I gave her a few bites of cheese, and just like her momma she is addicted.. watch out baby it will show in your thighs!!!!

I am so thankful we are over that part of our journey. While it was tough. I learned alot about myself, and diets, and menu's, and what its like to live a restricted eating lifestyle. I feel so bad with people who have celiac's and must live on a gluten free diet. 

So far so good, hopefully it stays that way!

My girl!

If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.
Vincent Van Gogh

7AM

Tomorrow is the big day

E's Surgery is scheduled for 7:20

I think I'm Nervous, of course I am... I'm her momma

I'm actually more nervous about how she will act when she wakes up and I cannot feed her.

I wonder how upset thats going to make her?

Excited? Well yes, In a way I am.. She will not be in pain anymore

I am excited to see how well she sleeps tomorrow night, once all of the pressure is relieved.

-------

I think she must know I was a bit worried, and so she gave me a special surprise tonight.. I was in the bathroom taking off my make-up, and brushing my teeth. She kept looking down the hallway for me, and I heard her making the noises she makes when she is looking for someones attention.. I obviously wasn't giving her enough.. so as I was about to turn off the light an walk out.. I heard...

Mmmm Mmmm MUM-MUHHH

I jumped out of the bathroom and yelled for the hubs.. "did she just say momma?".. He said he thought he heard her too.. I walked over to her and said.."Say Momma".. She started mimicking my mouth movements, with a huge grin on her face.. "Say Momma".. I said it again.

She looked up at me with a huge cheesy smile.. and ... she said it.

"MOMMA!!!!"

Her new favorite "spot"
Don't look at the messy sheets that are not smooth..

I could just eat her up

Because we take 2,000 a day I should at least post a few of them.

Silent Sunday

boooo

Today my sweet girl has a 4 month pediatrician appointment

that will include a shot.. booooo

I will post her updated stats when we find them out