5 Months

Miss Kalaya is now 5 months old and actually has been for a couple of weeks. Time is just flying by, we're already in the middle of October! It's crazy. We've had some fun things going on this month and are enjoying every minute of being a family!



We started off the month with Kalaya's first trip to the pumpkin patch with our favorite family, the Coupens. It was so much fun! We went on the first Sunday of October, on a sunny afternoon after church. Why so early in the month you ask? To beat the crowds to Roloff Farms! (If you don't know what this is, or don't care, move on to the later paragraphs) If you're a fan of the show, you know what I'm talking about! Those of you who know me well, know that I'm addicted to most of the family-based reality shows on TLC, including Jon and Kate (though I've gotten pretty fed up with them lately), 18 Kids and Counting, The Little Couple, and Little People Big World. If you watch Little People Big World, you will know that they own Roloff Farm, which is just outside of Hillsboro, about 5 minutes from my parents' house. Being a big fan of the show, I decided we should go there! It's a fun pumpkin patch and we had a great time! It was neat to see all of the attractions from the show; the treehouse, the castle, the treviches, the pirate ship and everything else. We also got to see most of the family members; Amy, Jeremy, Zach, Molly, Jacob and Grandma and Grandpa Roloff (not Matt). It was neat! Plus, we saw the TLC camera crews going around filming everyone. We may have gotten filmed in the background, but I doubt it. Kalaya and her BFF Elena had a good time in the hay maze, the pumpkin fun house, the petting zoo and picking out pumpkins. Kalaya did NOT like the tractor ride. Probably because she was hungry and it was close to nap time. All in all though, we had a fun time with GREAT weather!

We also went to Kalaya's first Halloween party at church. It was in the evening, so she wasn't a happy camper, but she was perfectly happy in her costume as a goat:

Reaching the 5 month mark means we're getting close to starting solid foods at 6 months. She has her 6 month appointment on November 6th and I'm going to discuss it all with her pediatrician before starting. We talked at her 4 month appointment about it, but he said there was no need for anything other than breast milk until she was 6 months. I've been reading a lot about how to make baby food and plan to do so! It doesn't seem too challenging. I've started buying some organic fruits and veggies to get started and my mom gave me a good high quality blender and food mill to get started. I'm going to make and freeze some sweet potatoes, bananas, apricots and prunes this week. Speaking of prunes, we had to give Kalaya some prune juice last weekend to get some things moving. She hadn't gone in NINE days, so I called the nurse line. It's normal for breast fed babies to go a week or more without, but I was getting worried. Believe me, prune juice WORKS!! 45 minutes later, no problem. Hopefully we're back on track.

I had started getting all of the 9 month outfits ready and then decided we didn't quite need them yet. She's outgrowing 6 month pants and some onesies, but not outfits. She must have long legs and/or a long torso. Plus, those cloth diapers throw off the sizes. She's still wearing 6 month clothes, though she's outgrown some. I've put away all her summer clothes, fall weather is definitely here to stay in Oregon/Washington!



We found a mommy group in Battle Ground! We've only gone to one activity, but we plan to keep going. I've only met 2 mommies with their toddlers, but they were very friendly and we're hoping to meet more. We've gone to story hour at the library a few times, which is where we found out about the group. It will be nice to have some friends in town and closer to home. There are several events coming up. I look forward to meeting other moms!

We still get the question all the time about if Kalaya is sleeping though the night. It's funny, I am not sick of getting woken up at night, just sick of that question! Even in the "traditional" baby books, they only define sleeping through the night as 6 hours continous sleep, which happens almost every night between about 9pm and 3 am. This is, of course, interrupted some nights, but stays fairly regular. Most nights I only wake up once or twice. (I think) Again, I usually don't remember by morning. One of these nights she's going to sleep all the way through and I won't realize it right away, as all the nights blend together after awhile and I usually have to think about it, unless it's been a bad night of more than 3 times awake, which maybe happen every 10 days or so. She has started waking up crying the last couple of nights, which is really unusual for her, that hasn't happened since she was a newborn. The only thing we can figure out is she has finally figured out we are swaddling her and she doesn't like it. We're trying it without swaddling for a few nights to see how that goes.



We still haven't seen any signs of teeth. She does gum on her fingers and fists all the time, but she's been doing that for a couple of months. She doesn't have a large amount of drool either. She does explore toys and everything else with her mouth though. She has not rolled over from back to front either. She is content to lay on her back to play or sit in her Bumbo. She'll get there, I'm in no rush for her to be mobile! She has always done things at her own pace, in her own time and I'm sure she'll get there soon. And then we'll be getting ready to baby proof! I can't believe we're almost halfway through her first year already! I get choked up just thinking about it!

Another week of being parents and it just keeps getting better and better! Nelson and I absolutely love parenthood; we often wonder why we didn't start sooner! : )

Kalaya is just about to outgrow her 6 month clothes! She can still wear some outfits, but anything that's the 3-6 (as opposed to 6 month) month is getting too small, especially onesies. (those bulky cloth diapers!) It looks like fall weather is here to stay, so it looks like summer outfits won't get too much more use. The outfits that are just too cute to not wear have acquired a layered look with long-sleeved onesies underneath, along with tights or Baby Legs. (leg warmers, love them!) That's the problem with having a spring baby; everyone shopped for showers in the spring and bought spring clothes! We've been wearing a lot of fuzzy warm jammies too. I've started washing and getting the 6-9 and 9 month clothes ready! We started our current size in early August and I'm STILL finding things she hasn't worn yet. Trying to get them all worn at least once!

We haven't had any major milestones in development this week. She still turns onto her side, almost all the way to her tummy, but likes just hanging out there. She is content to lay on her back, looking at toys, books, faces, playing peek-a-boo and interacting. Rolling over is not currently a priority for her. Fine by me! She coos and babbles all the time, mainly noises like "ahhh!" "neeeh!" "haaaa" "mmmmm" and other things like that. Not too many consonant sounds at this point. I swear she has already connected the "Neh" sound with "nurse" because she makes it whenever she is looking for that activity, which she didn't do before.

Here is a typical day at home for Kalaya and I:

*Wake up for the day* This can be any time between 7:30 and 9:30. Typically around 9. When she wakes up at 7:30, it's because she hears Nelson getting ready for work. Usually when we nurse, she'll fall back asleep for at least an hour or so. If she's ready to start the day, she coos, babbles and smiles. If she is still tired (which is usually the case) she's cranky and fusses until we nurse.

*9:30 Playtime* Kalaya is staying awake for longer periods of time. Play time is getting more and more interesting, as she can do such a variety of things now! She enjoys both independent play and interactive play. Independent play usually consists of watching her mobile in her swing, playing on her gym or sitting in her bouncy chair and playing with the hanging toys. Interactive play is so many different things! We tickle, play peek a boo, sing and listen to lots of different songs, read books, play with a large variety of toys, play with Pippy, play with puppets, have tummy time, and so much more. This can last from half and hour up to 3 hours, depending on how well she slept and how hungry she gets. She usually stops to nurse for about 10 min, about halfway through.

*11:00 Morning nap* After a while Kalaya starts yawning, rubbing her eyes and losing interest in playing. Then we go into our room, lay down on our bed and nurse until she falls asleep. She is not a long napper, usually only about 45 minutes. Our pediatrician said this is fine, as long as she seems rested when she wakes up. It's very obvious when nap time was successful. She starts talking and babbling to announce that she is awake! If she fusses awake, more nursing and then usually sleep for a little longer.

*12:00 Playtime, interrupted by nursing*

*1:30 Nursing and early afternoon nap* During naptime I usually get some laundry or other housework done, or read, check my email, watch TV, etc. If we had a tough time the night before, I often nap with her.

*2:30 Playtime and take Pippy for a walk* If is isn't pouring rain, we take a walk around our neighborhood, which is really big! Some days we walk to the library, which is about a 10 minute walk from our house. We have parks near our house as well, all of which are fun to go see. She some times naps in the stroller toward the end of the nap, but not usually.

*3:30 Nursing and late afternoon nap*

*4:30 Playtime interrupted by nursing* Some times this is her fussy time. During that time, she doesn't want to nurse, play, nap or anything else. The 2 ways to calm her are to put her in the sling and walk around or to put her in her crib with quiet music playing from her mobile.

*Around 5:30 Daddy gets home!: Nelson is great about spending time with her when he gets home. He likes to play peek a boo with her, talk to her about her day and sing songs together. This is when I usually am making dinner or having some time to myself.

*6ish Dinnertime* Right now this consists of us taking turns playing with her (or calming her, she's starting to wind down for the day at this point) while the other person eats dinner. Usually she and I nurse while Nelson eats and then I eat while he plays with her. Some days she's have independent play time while Nelson and I both get to eat.

*Between 6:45 and 7:30 (depending on fussiness) Bath time! We are still using the baby bath on the kitchen counter and it works great! She loves bath time. As soon as she notices she's getting fully undressed, rather than just a diaper change, she wriggles and squeals, because she knows it's time! Bath is followed by lotion and massage, jammies, swaddling and stories.

*By 8:00 Tank up Nursing* We usually do a big long nurse, with her awake on and off. Most nights she falls asleep within 5 minutes of starting to nurse. But, she'll wake up every 45 min or so to continue nursing.

*9:00 Down for the night* At this point she'll usually sleep on her own, in our bed, for anywhere from 45 minutes to 6 hours, but usually until we go to bed for the night.

*9:00-6:00 Sleeping, waking to nurse occasionally* Since we co-sleep, I truly don't know how much she wakes up to nurse, unless it's a challenging night where she wakes up more than twice to nurse. I am usually barely conscience when we wake up at night. She really isn't awake either. We have nights where I'm a human pacifier and she wants to nurse every 45 min, but those are getting less frequent. Typically she starts moving around once or twice and nurses back to sleep really quickly.

Again, theses are very, very general times. Some days are completely different, especially if we have places to go, things to do. Even around the house, these change constantly. It's so nice to be a stay at home mom, so that I can be ready for anything. She rarely cries when we're at home and it's so simple to figure out what she needs, based on her noises and actions. I am not big on having the same schedule every day, because it doesn't always work for her! Maybe by the time she's 2 or 3, her routine will have settled more. Or, maybe sooner! We'll see!

4 Month Appointment

Yesterday Kalaya had her 4 month checkup, only a couple of weeks past actually being 4 months. She did great! Soooo much better than the last few times. She was totally content while the nurse weighed and measured her. She is now 15 pounds and 1/2 an ounce. She is 25 inches long, both keep her in the 75th percentile. She is very consistent! She was also very content to sit on Daddy's lap while Dr. Wu examined her. She only fussed for a little bit when he used the tongue depressor to look at what we thought may be a tooth. Turns out it is just cartilage and her gums will eventually grow over it, so she is not getting teeth right now, which is fine! Dr. Wu said she looked great! We absolutely love Dr. Wu, so much so that we are driving from Washington all the way back to Tualatin for appointments. He is so supportive of everything associated with attachment parenting; having a family bed, not letting her cry it out, etc. We talked a little bit about starting solid foods, but he said it wasn't necessary yet. We'll chat more about it at her 6 month appointment and then get that going. Still just breast milk for Kalaya! It's obviously nourishing her just fine!

The only challenge, obviously, was the vaccinations. Only 1 more appointment with 3 shots, thank goodness! At least it was over quickly, some screams, sobs and then right to the breast. She did so well. And, I did better this time too! : )

19 Weeks

Is that right?? I know she's getting older, because I no longer think of Kalaya's age in terms of weeks. I had to look at the calendar and check to be sure!

Not a terrible amount to report this week, but I'm trying to get better about posting regularly again! Kalaya has discovered her toes this week! She plays with them the most when they are bare, which isn't as often any more, since the weather has turned cooler. She puts them in her mouth on the changing table or during bath time. It's a nice replacement for her fingers, which she tends to have in her mouth any time she is awake and not eating. She has gotten better at it, but still gags herself occasionally, which never ceases to freak me out! It's a horrible noise. At least she hasn't made herself throw up in a few weeks, thank goodness!

Kalaya is such a happy, content baby! She rarely cries at home and when she does, we know each other so well that it's usually very easy to figure out what she needs. She makes babbling, humming, silly noises constantly throughout the day, it's so cute! She has very obvious signs when she's tired, she yawns, rubs her eyes and buries her head in my shoulder (so sweet!), so I have been able to put her down and have her fall asleep for naps on her own, which has been a huge step at our house! She used to nap on me each time. I already miss it, but I'm glad she can fall asleep herself. There are still times when she is too tired and needs to nurse to sleep and then stay on me, but the naps on her own are getting more frequent. We are not parents who believe in baby crying it out in order to fall asleep. I know there are many out there who think otherwise, and if that works for you, great! However, there is a huge difference between allowing her to fuss as she falls asleep (which she definitely does some times) and letting a baby scream and cry themselves to the point of exhaustion. You can definitely tell the difference. If Kalaya is really upset, we rock her, or soothe, or nurse, which calms her and then put her back down awake and she then falls asleep on her own. Very rarely do we have to completely let her fall asleep and put her down totally out. We've done a lot of research on different opinions of how to raise her and we feel the most comfortable with the attachment parenting method. There are so many things about it, between co-sleeping, baby wearing, exclusively nursing and not letting her cry it out, that we completely agree with. It feels so natural to us and after 4 months of practicing these methods, we feel like we know Kalaya so well and are able to meet her needs so much better than if we'd tried scheduling her, putting her alone in her crib down the hall, forcing a bottle on her, etc. Again, I completely support whatever method each parent chooses for their own child, but this has worked so well for us!

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. : )

Passed out in the sling, at the Portland Beavers game.
(her rattle is a softball, can't start too soon!)

Wearing one of her cute new winter hats from Maia, cutest Minnie ever!

She is SO close to rolling from back to front!

4 months old

We finally caught a giggle on camera!

16 Weeks

Having fun on her gym

Tummy time on the lawn in Eastern Oregon, waiting for a parade to start!

Hanging out at the zoo

BEAUTIFUL church dress from Aunt Elenore

Well, I was so good about blogging every week and then.....no excuse. I need to keep this updated. I don't think that many people read my blog, but I do want to have a record to look back on about Kalaya's life!

We have been busy during the month of August and Kalaya is growing so fast! We look at her now and cannot believe how LONG she is! She is wearing 3-6 and 6 month clothes now. I almost hated to put away all her three month clothes, she had so many outfits! She only got to wear some of them one time! She has plenty of clothes for this size and the next. It's when she gets to around a year that I may actually get to do some clothes shopping! (although grandparents and other relatives seem to be helping out with that just fine!)

Kalaya is a happy, smiling baby! She has gotten more independent in so many areas. She likes to play on her baby gym, in her swing or bouncy seat for extended periods of time. This has been especially helpful when Mommy wants to cook dinner! She has started letting others hold her, but prefers women to men. However, when she's fed and happy, she is letting most relatives hold her. She is such a talker! She babbles constantly, whether at someone else's face or at her toys, especially on her mobiles. She reaches for toys and holds them in her hands. She has started exploring toys with her mouth. She does great during tummy time and reaches out for toys on the ground in front of her. She LOVES being read to, especially if you lay down in bed with her and hold the book above her. She looks at the pictures and babbles as you read. She is sleeping really well most nights, usually only waking once or trice to nurse. Co-sleeping is so convenient and amazing, it has helped with our sleep patterns SO much. She never cries at night, so she's learned to sleep longer and longer. I asked Nelson recently when he thinks we should start trying to get her to sleep in her own bed and he answered, "I don't know, by the time she's in first grade?" This is why I am so in love with my husband.

Kalaya loves bath time and is putting herself to sleep on a daily basis. She is napping better during the day as well. She holds her head up so well and is so alert. She watches people and objects so well and tracks so well with her eyes. She especially love to lay on blankets outside and watch leaves moving on trees. She has started to self-soothe really well by either sucking on her fingers or rubbing her hand on her hair. We are pretty sure she is getting a tooth too! (my brother and I both had teeth by 4 months) We are looking forward to her 4 month appointment to find out how much she weighs and how long she is! She has laughed a few times and it is adorable! We can't get her to do it on command, but we're trying to get a video! She continues to be exclusively nursed, and we'll continue to do so until 6 months. I know other mothers can't wait to introduce solids, but I'm sad we only have about 2 more months to go with only nursing. I love it!

We've done some fun things! We took a trip to the zoo with Sarah and Elena and she really enjoyed looking at the animals and napping in her sling. We finally found a way to go to the movies; we went to a drive-in! It was perfect, we went to Harry Potter (hooray!) after bedtime and she pretty much just slept or nursed the whole time. It was great! Plus, we could control the volume, as opposed to taking her to a theater, as some had recommended. Her great-uncle came to visit from Vermont and she got to go on another trip to the beach with him. She even got to go to the Tillamook factory.

Kalaya and I took our first overnight trip away from home. We went to Eastern Oregon for Grandpa's high school reunion with Grandpa and Oma. It was a 4 hour drive each way. We left Friday and came back Sunday. We stayed in a hotel together. The drives went pretty well. She either slept or played with toys. She gets distracted by toys now in the car seat, rather than just screaming, unless she is really tired or hungry. Thank goodness for learning to nurse in the car seat, it came in VERY helpful. She got to meet a lot of Grandpa's friends from growing up and got to see her great-Aunt Patti as well. It was her first time away from Daddy, but I think he felt it was all worth it, because when she saw him when she got back she let out a HUGE squeal of happiness, so cute!

Unfortunately, Nelson was rear-ended on Sunday afternoon and we are waiting to hear what the body shop has to say about the car. We're not sure what we're going to do if the car is totaled. It's just so frustrating, because even though it was not Nelson's fault, we may have to get a new car. Either we'll buy a nice used car or put a down payment on a new car, either way we'll have a car payment, which we really aren't ready for right now. It's so irritating, because we haven't had a car payment in the past and now we will, even though it's not Nelson's fault. Grrrr...

Here are 2 (unsuccessful) attempts to catch her laughing. Still cute!!

3 Months

Yesterday Nelson casually says to my daughter, "Three months this week, almost a quarter of your first year already gone!" What?!?! Slow down, when did that happen? I know, I know, I say that all the time, but she's already growing so fast! Kalaya started wearing 3-6 month clothes this week and is now in size 2 diapers. She is a healthy girl and so alert! She is very observant of the world around her. She is so content to sit and watch things going on, as long as she's rested, clean and not hungry. : )

Kalaya had a big few weeks! (I know, I am getting less regular about posting!) She had a visit from her Uncle Colin and her Cousin Allison (15 months) all the way from Texas! It was so good to see them, we're so thankful Colin is home safe and back together with Allie. We had a nice visit with them for a week. We all went to the beach for the Kalaya's first time! It was a beautiful day at the Oregon Coast, around 75 degrees and breezy. We tried putting Kalaya's toes in the ocean, and here's her response:



Overall she enjoyed walking on the beach in the Bijiorn, putting her toes in the sand and enjoying the breezes. Allie had a great time digging in the sand and blowing bubbles. She HATED walking on sand, whether dry or wet and did not enjoy when her Daddy put her toes in the water either! Too cold! She is such a fun, happy kid, walking every where and talking, talking! It's crazy to think that a year from now, that will be Kalaya! Nelson and I reached the conclusion that we want our kids to be a little more than 15 months apart!!

We had some HOT weather for Oregon/Washington. It got in the 100s and, of course, we don't have air conditioning. That never seemed like a big deal in the past (you only need it for about 2 weeks out of the year), but with a baby, it's suddenly more of a worry. I got very creative at finding places with AC for us to spend time. We took multiple trips to Fred Meyer and walked up and down every. single. aisle. over. and. over. We sat in Starbucks while she napped and I drank a smoothie. We walked all over Target. We went to Daddy's work and hung out in the break room. (everyone loves her!) We spent time with friends who have basements. We spent money to get the AC fixed in the car. And you know what? We survived! The weather is much cooler now! Perfect summer weather for me!

We took Kalaya to a Beavers game this week. (minor league baseball team in Portland) We wouldn't have tried it, but a guy I've known since birth plays for the Vegas minor league team and we wanted to get to see him play! I won't call it a complete disaster, but I don't think Kalaya was ready. A big factor was the heat. I think I got to sit in my seat for a whole 5 minutes. It was too hot to nurse, too hot to just hold her and WAY too noisy. Every time the announcer came on, she cried. BUT, we did learn something awesome: the Portland Beavers have a luxury box reserved for infants and toddlers! You're only supposed to use it 20 minutes at a time, but it was great! I got to watch a lot of the game that way and she got to lay down and play.

I reached a big milestone this week: I am fitting in my regular clothes again!! Luckily, it's summer, so my shorts and skirts are what I am able to wear right now. I am actually able to get into my jeans and slacks too, but they're not exactly comfortable....still too tight. But, a month ago, I couldn't even get them on, so I'm thrilled! I have not been getting too much exercise, between taking care of Kalaya and the heat, we've only been able to get walks in once in a while. This WILL change, I am going to walk every day for at least 30 minutes, especially now that Kalaya likes the stroller. I am also going to try to do yoga or pilates every day and I also have an 8-minute workout with all of the problem areas, (thighs, butt, abs, etc) so I will try to do those too. I have no idea what my weight is, I'm not focusing on that. I'm focusing on how I feel and how I fit in my clothes. Healthy eating and nursing help out too! I have been trying to cut out fast food, junk food, etc and focus on fresh, fresh, fresh! I really would like to try to stop eating red meat (I haven't bought it or pork in years, but I some times eat it at burger joints and such) and try to eat less meat in general. Like most everyone I know, I was raised in a house where meat was the main course almost every night and I'm trying to change that mentality. I want to focus more on vegetables and less on meat. Maybe just poultry or fish a couple of times a week. We want to set a good example for our kids! : ) Oops, there's a baby calling me!

10 Weeks Old

Love that mobile, can watch it all day!

Smiling in her swing, she looks sooo much like Nelson as a baby here!

Tummy time after her bath, very strong neck!!

Playing on her gym on the 4th

Ready for the beach on a hot day! (well, really just around the house...)

Miss Kalaya is a growing, changing girl! Every week those cheeks get bigger and bigger! We had to adjust to the next size on her cloth diapers this week and for the few times we use disposable, she's about to move up to size 2! Some of her 3 month clothes are getting too short and tight. She's about to make the switch to 3-6/6 month clothes!

Kalaya is so alert and interested in the world around her. She is most content (other than on Mommy or Daddy) when she is laying and looking around. She especially loves her changing table and laying in her crib looking at her mobile. She is seriously obsessed with it, we have to cut her off. She lays and watches it and smiles and grins at it. If it stops spinning and playing music, she complains until we wind it again and then she immediately starts wiggling and smiling, it's hilarious! We cut her off only because if we let her watch it for too long, she gets over-stimulated and gets cranky. She is now able to sit in her Bumbo too, her neck has gotten so strong! She does really well with tummy time, especially when she's on the changing table, after her bath. She can lift her head and chest up. She smiles all the time, which Nelson just loves. She greets Daddy every night with a big grin! We have started going on walks every day and she likes to look all around at trees and birds and anything else she sees!

I feel like Kalaya and I have a routine, on most days. She sleeps really well at night. According to baby books, "sleeping through the night" is at least 5 or 6 hours straight, which she does fairly often. I'm honestly not sure how many times she wakes up most nights. It's usually only once or twice between about 9pm and 7am. We start her bedtime routine (bath, massage, pjs, story, nursing) around 7:30, but she doesn't fully go to sleep until as late as 10 some nights. She nurses for a long time before she's fully asleep. We are still co-sleeping, so I'm not always completely sure how many times she wakes up, since I don't have to fully get/wake up to nurse her. We can nurse lying down and can usually fall right back asleep together. We've talked about moving her to the bassinette in our room, but niether of us want to do that. Nelson says he doesn't want her to wake up alone and I completely agree. We love having her sleep between us and I am so glad we've done it since the day she was born. I think it's really helped with her sleep. She doesn't nap nearly as well during the day, unless it's with one of us. I continue to exclusively nurse her. I haven't pumped in weeks. We have some frozen in the fridge, but that's only for an emergency. I suppose she may be "ready" for a bottle, but I have no desire to use one. She hasn't used a pacifier in weeks either. We take one for car rides, just incase, but she doesn't really like it. I've actually figured out how to nurse her in her carseat, incase she really freaks our. All in all, she's a healthy baby and I'm a healthy Mommy!

We are also really excited, because she's going to meet her Uncle Colin and cousin Allison Mae this week! They are flying in from Texas on Monday.

2 Months Old!

Big 2 month old girl! I can't believe it! (I will be saying that every day/week/month/year of her life by the way.....) I truly cannot call her a newborn any more! She is getting so big! (more about that further down the blog) She is a beautiful, wonderful, healthy girl and we love her so much! Motherhood is everything I dreamed of and oh so much more. I love every minute of every day, my life is so full of joy! It is amazing to see her grow and change every day. I am so over-the-top in love with my daughter, I can't even put it into words!

Yes, I am aware that I missed a blog for 8 weeks, but my computer was not functioning, due to packing and moving! More about that further down the blog as well. 8 weeks seems to have made a drastic change in Kalaya's personality! She is so alert and she finally likes to have independent play time! She loves looking at faces and smiles all the time! She has started playing on her gym and tummy time mat, she likes to sit in her swing watching her mobile, and she likes to listen to toys that play soft music. She likes her bouncer chair, especially because she can watch the bubbles and fish move on it. She has also started FALLING ASLEEP ON HER OWN!! It is incredible. She was on her gym the other day, playing away and the next thing I knew, she was totally out. She has finally started falling asleep in her swing and even in her car seat! For those of you who have been in the car with her, you will understand that this is a major accomplishment! (she used to scream to the point of frantic, sweaty mess, no matter what we did) She coos and babbles and likes to have conversations. She likes singing songs and reading stories too! I have some new pictures and will post more soon when we unpack the camera cord that connects to the computer.

What's that? Packing? Yes, we have officially moved to Washington, into a HOUSE! I love our house! It's a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, with a 2 car garage and a fenced in backyard for Pippy. It has a big kitchen that I love! However, I don't recommend moving with an 8 week old, unless you have a LOT of people to help you out. I was basically useless for packing and moving things. God bless my parents! My mom packed most of our apartment up and Dad ended up helping Nelson move everything from the truck into the house. Joel was also a huge help loading the U-Haul and driving it for Nelson, thanks! Again, I'll post more picture of that soon. The only thing I am FURIOUS about is that our couch does not fit in the house!!!!!! It is sitting in the garage right now, it doesn't fit through and of the doors into our house! We have this beautiful 6-month old couch just sitting under blankets in the garage! So frustrating!

So, about my BIG baby! She is 11 pounds, 13.5 oz!! Big girl!! Over 4 pounds gained in less than 2 months, wow! Even her doctor commented on how chubby her cheeks are and he sees babies every day! Apparently I produce cream, not milk. She is 23 3/4 inches long, which puts her in the 75th percentile for weight and height, nice and healthy! She also had to have her 2 month vaccinations, which was just AWFUL. She had 3 different shots, plus mouth drops. I requested to be nursing her, as I did when she had her shots right after she was born. I did not watch the actual giving of the shots, but Nelson did. He said the needles were really big and the nurse jabbed them in pretty hard. (it may be normal, but this was my first time!) I knew the instant she had the first shot because she threw her head back and SCREAMED. It wasn't even a cry. It was terrible, I immediately burst into tears. I've never heard her make that sound. It broke my heart. She made it for all three shots, each time. She cried for a minute and then snuggled up to nurse again and fell asleep. More traumatic for mom than baby!