HASTA LA VISTA...PACI!!!

I have dreaded this day since she was 2 days old, and we decided to try giving her a pacifier. Actually, if I am being honest...its been a fear of mine since I found out I was pregnant! The day we take away the paci...dun dun dunnnn!!! After working in day care for quite some time, I realized how many kids still use a pacifier until they are like 3 years old which I think is way too old!! The kids who where attached to there "paci's" "wubbas" or whatever else they were called did not talk as well, and often had slobbery rashes around their mouths from all of the saliva that drips out when they are sucking on their paci 24/7. I love love love the paci, dont get me wrong, but I didnt want my kids using one until they were in kindergarten.

I had heard that there was a window of time, between the ages of about 6-9 months where they are supposed to kind of lose interest in it and that is when you strike--but somehow I missed that with Eliza =} So here we were at 15 months and she was getting more and more attached, so something had to be done!! It was taking over!! We started out only giving it to her at nap time, bed time, and sometimes in the car so she could go to sleep. But eventually she started expecting it as soon as we got in the car (although she knew to hand it to us once we were getting out...so cute), and then recently she would go and some how sneak it out of her crib and walk around with it until she got caught!! Little goob!!

I have been saying I want to take it away for the past 3 months, since she turned one...but lets face it, I loved having it for those "emergency" moments, and I was scared for what might come during the weaning process. Also, we are in an apartment, and we have some elderly neighbors whos bedroom wall shares ours (bad building structure if you ask me), and I knew that it would be so annoying to hear a baby up loudly screaming at 3 in the morning for her paci. But fortunately David is on the same page as me on this, and is a little stronger sometimes when it comes to these things, so this weekend we decided to go for it. Sunday was her first day sans paci. She did good in the car, and only fussed a little (although David and I singing every primary song we could think of helped a bit), and then the real test...bedtime!! She did amazing!! She cried for maybe 10 mins, which was hard but then went to sleep. She woke up at 6 very upset and was only getting more and more hysterical so I had to take her out of the room and I rocked her on the couch...She tossed and turned in my lap and then finally almost an hour later she climbed down, walked into our room and pointed to her crib...I kindly obliged, layed her down and turned on her music and she was almost asleep when the music started skipping and I thought I could be sneaky and change it real quick, but not so. she started screaming again and so I gave up and put her in bed with us =/ I know, I know. But last night was a real win!! Right before we were going to go to bed she woke up and I went in and just rubbed her back and "shhhh shhh shhhhd" until she turned over and went back to sleep, only a couple of minutes. She slept until 8:30!! Naptime today was really the first time for a nap in her crib since we started this, because we had a busy weekend, and it wasnt too bad, but it took her about 20 mins to go to sleep and then she only slept for a little over an hour. Not a bad start though.

This next baby I will definitely pay better attention during that 6-9 month period!!

Picture procrastination....

......Results in one long picture over-loaded blog post!!

I've had some of these pics for a while

but my computer

sometimes takes forever to upload them

so I've been avoiding it

lately...=)

Most are more recent.

So here is a blog post in pictures to catch up.

This morning I put on one of the only kids
movies we own
hoping she would be interested
for atleast a few minutes
so I could do some laundry
and other
necessary catch-up from the weekend.
She never watches movies...
which is ok with me,
and is also why we dont own any.
But I thought Id give it a shot,
and she sat in her little rocking chair and watched barbie
for a total of about 15 mins maybe
with some breaks in between...so cute!!

She is a total bag lady!!
Notice that she has 2 bags on her shoulder=)
Plus my keys hiding under that
blue ball
and mommy's sunglasses to top it all off!
She is such a girl!!

She has recently started carrying around
whatever blanket she can find...
it is
so adorable!!!
(I say that word a lot)

This is the classic Eliza face

Cute little cheesin it smile for

the camera =)

Brushing her teeth in her fav. spot...

the kitchen cabinet...

Not sure why she loves it...

but I love it!

She put this headband on all by herself...

such a big girl =) and =(

Feeding herself....

and mommy =)

All ready for church

with her purse...

of Course!!

On the loose!!

We have a little penguin on the loose around here!!! Poor Eliza, that has been her new nick-name for the past week because....she finally started walking!!! We absolutely love it!!! It is cuter than we could've ever imagined! And she really does look like an adorable, chubby lil penguin!! Agh so cute!!

The weeks leading up to Mother's day she had been experimenting with the idea, taking short little steps from the coffee table to the couch or in between David and I if we were close, but they were really shaky and timid...and when she got close to her goal she would just lunge her body towards it which freaked me out. But then all of a sudden, after Mother's Day something just started to click. I'm not sure if it was seeing her cousin Codi walkin like a pro, and she thought "ok, I can do that too", or what it was but all of a sudden that following week I would turn around and see her walking from the coffee table to the back door, a good 10 steps....and they were getting pretty good. By Friday she was walking everywhere with confidence!! Ca-ray-zee!! She still couldn't get herself up without holding onto something, but then out of no where on Sunday Morning she just stood up and took off, and she has been going strong ever since. Today was her 15 mo. well baby check up and I was proud to report that she was walking!!!

Here are her stats:

Weight: 24lbs- 50-75% our little chubs magee is slimming down =(
Height: 30"- 50-75% which surprised me, in a good way=)
Head: (I cant remember exactly =/ but it was a little above 75% i remember because the doctor said she has a big head, but not too too big =)

She is doing great and progressing like she should. She only had to get 2 shots since we are doing a slower shot schedule, so that was pretty easy.

Unfortunately, I dont have any pictures of her walking!! What kind of mom am I?!?! But my mom and mother-in-law do, so atleast her first week of walking is documented. But I will get some up because it is precious, and she is usually carrying her little purse over her shoulder which would just melt anyones heart!!!

Sorry for the long posts with no pictures, I need to get my act together.

13 weeks, Mothers day, and the Doctor

I am almost 14 weeks now. It seems like forever to go, but then again November is not that far away. I dont know what it is about being pregnant and having the baby all in the same year, but for some reason it doesnt seem as far away as it did with Eliza. Maybe it is just because life is busier, so time is flying by at a ridiculous pace! But I could not be happier to be safely in the second trimester AND to be seeing less and less of the annoying friend that seemed to accompany me everywhere...Nausea!! I was not able to go to the doctors last wednesday like planned, because I still had not changed my Drivers license to say "Philipbar" but my insurance did so they couldnt see me until that was changed. I will be honest. I called David a little emotional and upset. not at the doctors office, it was my own fault, but just because i was so excited to be getting the ball rolling, to hear the heart beat and make sure everything is ok. He always does a good job being the sensible one with things like that, and just was very sweet and sensitive to my feelings, but told me to take the time that I didnt have Eliza and go to the DMV. So I dragged myself over there, and got my license changed. it was embarrassingly easy!! So I called the office to re-schedule, they didnt have any openings until the 25th, but said they would put me on the cancellation list. And then they called Friday and got me in Monday! What a blessing. The appointment was pretty uneventful, but I really like my new doctor, she is great! And I got to hear the heart beat which is just the best! A healthy little heartbeat! That really makes it feel real!! I wont have an ultra-sound until 20 weeks, so about 6 more to go!! It feels like forever!

Mothers day was great! How could it not be when I have a beautiful baby girl, one on the way and an incredible husband!?? Saturday we had a bbq with my family, and we spent Sunday with Davids family. We just feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by so many who love us! We could not be where we are today without all of their help, love and support!! I am grateful for an absolutely amazing mom!! Everyday I am finding out I am more and more like her, and I am so glad! She is the best! She has taught me so much, and has been such a wonderful example and role model to me all of my life! I have also been blessed with the best mother-in-law in the world!! We have grown very close, and I am so grateful for all that she has taught me! I am also grateful for the countless other incredible women in my life, who have made and continue to make such a difference in my life and that of my family!

Prayers

A while ago we decided that it was important to start doing our family prayers with Eliza. I have been doing them with her at meals when we are by ourselves, and of course when we are all together we say meal prayers, and David and I say prayers together at night...but usually right before we go to bed which is long after Eliza has gone down. So right before I take her and lay her down, we will kneel down and say "ok, time for prayers", and then David or I will say our family prayer. usually she will sit there, maybe interject her own little babblings and then crawl off, but last night we had a break through! we set her down, and folded our arms, and said "ok, time for prayers", and she visibly bowed her head. David and I looked at eachother and laughed because it was the cutest thing we had ever seen, but we werent sure that was actually what she was doing. She looked up at us, and joined in on our laughter for a minute, then we said it again "time for prayers", and she bowed her head again!!! we tried really hard to hold back our laughter at how adorable she is, and we said our prayer. of course she didnt stay with her head bowed for very long, and was off playing by the end, but we couldnt help feeling happy about it. She is really watching us so closely, and learning so much!!

She also did it again today at lunch, and this time even mumbled a few words of her own. At the end she gives a big smile and giggle, she knows she is doing something good...and adorable!!!

Also, I have my first doctors appointment tomorrow!! I am so excited!!! We are saying our prayers for a healthy heart beat (since I am about 13 weeks), and that everything else is looking good =)