Kisses

Summer started giving kisses on Sunday.  We were in Wal-Mart and Clint asked her for a kiss and she gave him one.  He did about 5 times and every time she would give him a kiss.  However, she would not give me a kiss...hmmm.  I don't know what was up with that, but on Monday she stopped discriminating and started giving kisses to anyone who wanted them....even me!  It is so cute.  I love her to pieces and this just makes me love her even more (if that is possible).  The kisses are kind of open mouthed and I love them.

Last week she also started making noises that start with "B".  Before that it was mainly just "D" noises/words.  I even think she said "Bye-Bye" two different times on Monday...once with a little wave.  She is not doing it consistently yet, but I know she will be soon.   She is really catching on to new things now.  I want to teach her how to blow kisses so I need to start working on that.  We have a long plane ride tomorrow so maybe we will start working on it then.  Our personal trainer thought she said "Momma" on Friday, but I'm not sure that is what it really was.  I wish!!!  I really can't wait for her to say "Momma," but I don't see that happening anytime soon.  Whenever I say "Momma," she says "Dada."  I even started singing this song "My Mommy" (to the tune of "My Buddy"-- as in the my buddy doll) hoping it would help, but so far it is not.  I read the other day that it takes five times of hearing a word for them to learn it, but I think that is just for them to know what the word is, not say it. 

I think I am about all packed for our trip.  I just got some toys together for the plane ride, but I feel like I need more.  I just don't have anywhere to put them...and I don't want to carry them.  Maybe I'll grab another book.  I am going to try to read at least one book to her a day and I have asked Clint to do the same.  We'll see how that goes.  I read that you should do it to increase their IQ, so I want to do every thing I can to help build her intelligence. 

Well, I am waiting for time to pass so I can go rinse the dye out of my hair.  It has been two years since I dyed my hair so I figured it was time to dye it again.  Especially since I had dye under my sink just waiting on me to find it which I did today.  My head is kind of tingling right now...and itching.  I guess I will go.  Looking back over this post it seems like I kind of over did  the parenthesis.  Oh well, I am leaving them.

A Weekend Away

This past weekend we went to Gatlinburg.  When we got to Pigeon Forge, we stopped at the Stride Rite outlet and my mom bought Summer her first pair of "real" shoes.  They are so cute.  I wanted shoes with velcro instead of shoe string b/c I don't want to have to fight with the shoes too when I am trying to put them on her...LOL.  Actually, she is pretty good about letting me put shoes on her...better than she is at letting me put a new diaper on her for sure!  I don't know what it is about getting her diaper changed that she doesn't like, but when it comes to putting the new diaper on she gets upset.  Oh well....

We went to the Wacky Bear store on the first night we were there and I made Summer a bear to give to her for Valentines Day....except I already gave it to her. :)  I didn't buy an outfit for it because I thought I would just put one of her newborn outfits on it.  The bear is similar to a bear my sister gave her that she sleeps with at the condo..very soft.  She always grabs it and snuggles it when I put her in the bed, so I wanted her to have one for here so I don't have to drag it back and forth.  When I put her down for a nap this morning, she laid her head on her new bear - Angel- it was cute!  It was fun making the bear for her...making a wish, dancing in circles and a few other silly things they had me do before they gave me the heart.  I really wanted to get a song to put in it but they were out of the song I wanted - You Are My Sunshine.  That is what I always sing to her and I really thought that would've been cool.  I may try to find it at a local store and see if they can put it in the bear for me. 

We had a good trip.  We went up to Ober Gatlinburg and saw the snow.  We got an Old Time Photo taken.  We ate ice cream. We ate and ate and ate!  Clint and I even got to go out one night for a little while, but we did not stay out long.  We must be getting old...we act like it anyways.  At least I don't feel old yet!

Time with Dad

Summer has been spending more time with Clint the past few weeks.  When I go to work out in the morning, she stays home with him.  So, they have been bonding more which makes Clint and I happy.  He thinks she likes him better than me, but I'm sure she does not...at least not yet. 

Last night when we were out eating and she cried when I left the table to go to the bathroom.  Clint wondered if she would do the same thing if he left....and she did.  Later in the meal she was crying like crazy for some reason and we could not get her calmed down for more than a minute.  So, we got the rest of our food to go and hurried home to get her in bed.  The manager and several employees even stopped by the table to check on her to see if they could do anything...she was really crying.  I'm not sure what was wrong with her because she has not done anything like that in a long time.  Maybe she was tired or maybe her belly was hurting her...hmmm.  Either way, she was fine once she got in the car and fell asleep. 

She is napping right now, but I am going to have to go wake her up in a few minutes so we can go pick Amanda up from school and go workout.  I don't like waking her up, but it looks like I am going to have to.  Tomorrow Amanda is getting her driver's license.  It is hard to believe it is already time for that, but I know Clint is looking forward to getting to sleep in a little longer in the mornings since he won't have to get up and take her to school. 

We are thinking about moving Summer's bedroom from the loft overlooking the living room to the guest bedroom because she keeps getting woken up whenever the kitchen light gets cut on at night and in the morning...and also sometimes when Amanda shuts her door...or when Clint and Amanda talk out in the kitchen...or whatever else is going on out there.  I hope moving her will help her sleep better but I think she still might get woken up in the morning when Amanda goes to the bathroom.  I would really like for her not to wake up then because it is about 6:30 a.m., and I'm not ready to get up at that time.  She usually won't go back to sleep after that either.  :(  There is not really anywhere we can put her that I know she won't get woken up.  The condo is where she sleeps the best.  Her bedroom is in the master closet since we don't really have many clothes down there and it is practically empty.  It is dark in there and she sleeps for hours even in the day time.  I call it the "magical nap room."  Anyways, I guess I better get ready to go....gotta go wake up the baby. 

Second Thoughts

It's funny how sometimes when you say you are going to do something it sounds a lot easier than it will actually be to do it.  Well, that is how weaning Summer is to me.  Last week I was all like, "I think I am going to wean her."  Then that night when I was feeding her before bed, I started having second thoughts.  Holding her in my arms and looking at her made me rethink my decision.  So, the next day I asked Clint how he would feel about my mom joining us on our trip to Gatlinburg thus taking away the need for me to wean Summer ASAP and he said it was fine....YEAH!!!  I have been giving her a bottle of milk everyday before or after her afternoon nap which she likes.  I am fine with replacing her mid-day nursing with milk, but I'm just not ready to give up the morning and night feedings.  However, this morning she did bite me for the first time which was not pleasant.  I hope she does not keep that up because then I will be a little more eager to give up nursing her. 

She is walking along the furniture so much more every day.  She will go from one piece to another as long as they are close enough for her to reach one while she is holding onto the other.  This weekend she kept slipping on the hardwood floors when she would try to stand up holding onto a tall object, but she did not "bust it."  She would land on her hands and then try to do it again.  Sometimes she was successful, sometimes not.  I need to get a bigger rug so she doesn't slip and fall when we are at the condo, but by the time I get around to it she probably won't need it anymore.  Clint thinks she will be walking in less than a month.  I'm not sure, but I guess we will see.  Enjoy the pics of my little doll!

Got Milk?

I am thinking about weaning Summer, but I am not completely sure yet.  I am going to cut out the noon feeding and replace it with milk.  So, today I gave her milk in a bottle after she got up from her afternoon nap.  She liked it which is good.  One of my friend's little girls will not drink plain milk.  She has to put a little bit of strawberry syrup in it before she will drink it.  Of course Summer has always eaten and drank anything we have given her so it isn't really a big surprise.  When she was drinking the milk, she had it running down her cheek and I had to go grab the camera.  She is such a doll.

She has also been pulling up on furniture, my legs, and anything else she comes across all of the time.  Sometimes, if the object it tall, she will be afraid to let go and starts to fuss to get my attention.  When I hear her, I go help her and she is all good again.  She really thinks she is a big girl now and loves to walk around holding my hands.  I know it won't be much longer before she does it on her own, so I am soaking it all in.  Thankfully, she still does not have much balance so I can cherish her "needing" me to help her a while longer. 

This morning she woke up around 4:00 (she was sleeping in her bed in our room) and started jabbering and making all kind of noise....for like an hour.  She did not cry, so I left her there, but it was very hard to sleep so Clint and I were just laying there waiting for her to go back to sleep herself...which she eventually did.

Well, I need to get her bathed and ready for bed.  I just wanted to give a quick update while I had a chance. 

Morning, Noon & Night

Those are the times Summer breastfeeds everyday.  However, I have a feeling the noon feeding will be stopping soon.  She just doesn't seem that interested in the middle of the day.  I guess she would rather eat food like we do.  If she is sleepy or not feeling good, she is more interested in the day.  It is a little hard to let go of the noon feeding, but I guess I will have to learn to let go of some things as she grows up.  She is eating two or three jars of food everyday and other than breastfeeding she only drinks less than 4ounces of juice a day.  I feel like she is not drinking enough, but I guess she is.  She is a big girl especially compared to my friends' babies.  She is bigger than the 14 month old and weighs the same as the 13 month old.  She also eats fruit puffs and wagon wheels.  If I put her in her highchair and pour some puffs on it, she will feed herself until they are all gone.  She is just getting sooo big.  I wish she would slow down on the growing up.  Well, she just crawled in here so I better go play with her.

Furniture: Her next conquest

Today Summer pulled up on the ottoman to my glider.  This is the first time she has pulled up on a piece of furniture on her own.  She even took a few steps as she held on to it.  It just so happens that it was the most unstable piece of furniture in the living room, but I was there holding it steady for her.  My neighbor was over visiting when she did it, so I guess Summer wanted to show her just how big she is getting.  She wants to hold my hands and walk around a lot more now.  She thinks she is a big girl now which I guess she is. 

She is also learning the word NO.  I don't like saying it a lot, but when it is necessary I do.  She seems to understand what it means and stops whatever it is (pulling dirt out of the flower pots, chewing on computer cords, reaching for the fireplace/heater).  Well, that's all the udating I have time for right now.  I've got to get back to playing with my princess.

Diagnosis: Ear Infection

Well, Summer's temperature was 102 degrees yesterday after I posted, so I called the doctor and they told me to bring her in.  I'm glad I did because, as the title says, she has an ear infection in both ears.  So, she is on an antibiotic which has already helped.  She only got up once last night at around 10:00.  She would've fallen right back to sleep, but I wanted to give her another dose of the antibiotic, so I got her up when I heard her jabbering and gave her some more medicine.  I then left her watching TV with Clint and went back to bed.  I thought they needed some alone time together so I hope they enjoyed it.  She woke up to eat at about 5:30 this morning and then went back to bed until after 8:30.  I got plenty of rest which was nice. 

I was talking to my mom yesterday and she asked if I wanted her to watch the baby tonight.  I was hesitant because I don't want to burden her with a sick baby, but she assured me that she wanted to do it.  So, she is going to pick her up after she gets off of work this afternoon.  My sister also volunteered to keep her, but mom had already asked.  It is so nice to have then want to take her for the night.  Clint and I are truly lucky to have them because they give us a chance to have some alone time ourselves.  I also don't worry about Summer when she is with them.  I know she being well taken care of and having a good time.  It seems she is always great for them and I know they enjoy spending time with her.  She really is a joy to be around. 

We are going to visit Clint's parents at the beginning of February.  I know they are excited to see her too.  The last time we were there she was barely crawling and now she can get around great.  She crawls around looking for me when I go out of her sight...and I have to walk around looking for her when she goes out of mine...LOL.  I really have to keep my eyes on her or she will surely get into something she shouldn't.  Well, I guess that is about it.  I am going to post some pics.  You might want to look below on the Happy New Year post for more new pics. 

Oh yeah....we got a bunny from our friends.  It lives on our back porch right now.  I took Summer out to see it the other day, but she has not gotten to pet it yet.  It is scared of us, but hopefully in time that will change.

O Holy Night

We had another rough night last night.  I thought the night before was bad because she was up crying about every two hours, but last night was definitely worse.  Mostly she would go right back to sleep if I picked her up and held her for a minute.  Last night, as soon as I laid her back down she would start crying again.  We ended up coming to the living room about 6:30 this morning since I sleep did not seem like it was an option.  I let her play for a little while and then laid down on the couch with her on my chest.  She finally gave it up about 7:15 and we slept there until a little after 9:00.  The phone woke me up, but I could not get up to answer it so I don't know who it was...oh well.  I think she is just having trouble breathing and sleeping at the same time.  She had a fever yesterday which started at 101.5 and was down to around 99 degrees last night.  I tried to take it at about 3:00 this morning when she was up screaming, but one thermometer wasn't working and the other only got up to 98.9.  So, I didn't give her anymore Tylenol at that point.  I need to take it this morning, but she is playing in the floor so I thought I would take a minute to eat breakfast and update everyone on how our week is going.  I really appreciate a healthy baby now.  Then we are all able to get our much needed sleep so that we can have the energy to make it through the day.  I hope today goes as well as yesterday.  While she is cranky at night, she is a joy during the day.  I am grateful for that.  Well, I better get back to her and go check her temperature.  Clint has also been sick this week so I am not getting much help from him because he doesn't want to spread his germs to her...too late.  Anyways, I will be happy when everyone is well again.  Then I'll probably end up sick....I hope not. 

Happy New Year

Summer is starting the new year off right.  She slept until 9:00 this morning!!!  I am really grateful for that because I don't think I went to bed until about 2:00 a.m.  We had a family dinner/celebration, but the only people here at midnight were Clint, my dad, my brother, my brother's friend Tyler, Amanda, Summer and I.  Of course Summer was the only one sleeping.  She was really good during the party and went to bed easily (as usual).  I was surprised she was able to sleep through all the noise, but she did.  It was a good time.  I gotta go...I think I smell something.