Beyond Bon Bons: 4 months (cont)

I'm sitting here smiling, looking over at my sweet baby, who is content to sit in her swing and babble away. I never knew I could love someone so much! She is so cute, sweet, lovable, everything I ever hoped for and more! Being a mom is the greatest thing ever. I knew I would love it, but it is beyond anything I ever expected.

Kalaya is changing so much every day, it's amazing to watch! She has not only discovered her voice, she has discovered that she can change the pitch in her voice. She babbles constantly to anything and everything. She wakes up babbling and babbles right up until nap time. She learned how to make an extremely high pitched noise this week, which scared the absolute CRAP out of me the first few times she made it. I calmly explained to her that that noise needs to be saved for something like a deadly viper entering the room, but, strangely, she didn't listen. She makes it constantly, usually just for fun, but has incorporated it into her cries as well. She plays so well now and for extended periods of time, especially on her gym. She has become very independent about entertaining herself. She loves her gym, her swing, books and other toys. Car rides are getting even better, because she can hold, look at, and play with toys, so she gets distracted from being stuck in the car seat. We went to dinner last night and had a couple next to us ask if she was "always this good and quiet." She sat in her seat, and played with her cow toy and book and didn't get fussy until the end, which was very brief and then nursed herself to sleep.

School has officially started and I feel as though I really am a stay at home mom now! It was kind of weird this week, knowing that kids were starting school and I didn't have anything to do with it! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed teaching and I may want to go back some day. But, I love being a mom so, so much! It doesn't get monotonous to me, doing laundry, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers, I love it! It's nice to have some other friends (though sadly, too many are out of state!) who are also stay at home moms and understand the feeling. I get so, so SO sick of people making comments like, "oh, that's so nice that you get to do that." You know what? If you make it a priority, you can do it too. (the exception being single mothers) You know what? We only have one car. We budget a LOT. We rent our house. We don't go out to eat very often and we go to inexpensive places when we do. We don't go on vacations. We shop at places like Ross, Goodwill and Target. These are not complaints in any way, just facts. I always, always, always knew that I was going to be at home with my kids. I am still employed at our church, but I only work on Sundays. And, that's just a bonus, it wasn't in my original plan. I may add nanny back to my list some day, but we're in no rush. Nelson knew from very early on in our dating relationship how important this was to me. We made it a priority and we've made it happen. We don't have a high income, but we've made it happen. We just aren't a "things" couple. If there's something we want, we save for it, wait for it to go on sale, and/or get it used. We are so happy and grateful for everything we have and we always know that God will find a way to provide for us what we need and more. We are very grateful for Nelson's job and the wonderful benefits that go along with that. We're so grateful that Kalaya has a parent at home with her. I have nothing against working moms. I just don't ever want to leave my baby all day. Exclusively nursing is so important to me and it (obviously) would never work if I was away from her. I can't stand when people act like I'm spoiled or lazy for staying home. Hmm....that vent came from out of no where, but that's how I feel!

Kalaya is a wonderful, sweet and happy baby! She is happiest at home, when she's near Daddy or (especially) me. She is slow to warm up to unfamiliar faces some times, but, I swear she feeds off of other's energies. When people are soft, approach her slowly and respect her need for Mommy, she is all smiles and coos. When people are loud, in her face, try to pick her up when she is obviously content, or say things like, "you're just a little pill, aren't you?", of course she fusses! (people need to think before they make those little comments) The sling has been a lifesaver, it keeps her so calm. It's great whenever we're out in public, whether at the grocery store, church, the zoo or, last Sunday, the Beaver game. This game went SO much better than last time. The weather was cooler and I think that made all the difference. She sat in the sling and hardly fussed. We have gotten very good at nursing in all situations. It made a big difference once I stopped caring what others thought and focused on giving Kalaya what she needs. And, Grandpa finally figured out to stop telling me to cover up every time. : )