5 Ways to Soothe My Baby

We were riding in the car when my daughter started crying. We had just gotten back in the car after grocery shopping and we didn't have far to go, but her piercing scream literally cripples me. Normally I'm able to hold a conversation, surf on my iPhone, or relax while my husband drives, but when my little one is crying in the back seat, all I can manage to do is cringe.

I had just fed her and her diaper was changed so I knew she was just cranky and tired, but that didn't matter. My stomach tightens up in a knot when I hear her cry and it's the worst when I can't do anything about it. I sang the ABCs to her and she calmed down and fell asleep. Finally, I was able to breathe again.

I used to wonder why mothers would say they couldn't even take a shower by themselves, or go to the bathroom alone once they had a baby? Why can't you just put them in the playpen and let them cry for a few minutes while you do your business? I wondered. Now that I'm on the other side of the fence I understand completely. Your babies cry causes an internal reaction just for you, like a high pitched sound only a dog can hear. Except it's a unique key only the mother of that baby can hear in a way that triggers a torturous reaction. Then on top of that, I think my daughter has the lungs of a singer and imagine she may be performing some musicals on stage someday without needing the help of a microphone. Even nurses in the hospital were amazed by her power when she was first born.

Luckily, aside from car rides when she was young (most of the time now, besides when we're putting her in her seat, she enjoys the car) Lil' J has been a very happy baby. But she has her bad days. Like when she had her vaccines, or when she's teething, doesn't feel well and wants to let us know. Over her almost eight months of life I've learned a thing or two about soothing her.

1. Sing to her: Her favorite song is the ABC song, but a song that always calms her down and puts her in a snuggling mood is "A Child's Prayer" She can sit and stare at me singing that forever! I don't have the best singing voice, but it's nice to know she likes it.

2. Give her a bath: I know some babies hate baths but mine loves them. She recognizes the sign for bath and gets excited before I even turn the water on. I take baths with her and we play with bubbles, use her soothing Aquaphor Gentle Wash. I wash her hair and we play until her feet are almost pruny.

3. Play the "Say yes to the dress" theme song: I know this is weird but I attribute this to two things 1. Watching a marathon of Say Yes to the Dress while in labor and 2. Watching Say Yes to the Dress daily with her during maternity leave. If she's whining at all I'll turn on an episode on my DVR and she'll stop and look at the TV. Look, here's proof.

4. Show her her mobile (I made her): I'm not lying when I say she has loved this mobile since the day I brought her home. And I'm so proud. She will lay in bed and look up at it, or if I'm holding her and she's not happy I'll twirl it around and she'll immediately be enthralled with the paper butterflies and shiny jewels.

My DIY

5. Breastfeed: This is probably my most effective tool for soothing my daughter. I have no idea how I'd make bumps feel better, help her go to sleep when she's overly cranky, or easily calm her down when she's overly hungry if it wasn't for being able to pop a boob in her mouth. I'm sure I'd find other ways but that definitely has made things easier for me.

What do you do to soothe your baby?

More tips for soothing a baby in the Comfort Zone. 

This post is sponsored by BabyCenter in conjunction with the BabyCenter Blog Network.

365 Love Letters Week 8

I didn't forget my 365 letters this week, I just decided I'd so a "surprise" with them all at the end of the week instead of uploading them daily. Actually it was nice not keeping myself up late each night uploading these here and facebook, so I was able to get a little more rest this week doing them all at one time.

She started crawling this week, on day 52 actually, so my photo captured her moving towards me, and as you can see she's happy to be moving. Ironically she still would rather be held and crawls the furthest when she's crawling to me. It's funny but it makes me feel special.

My favorite photo this week is probably day 53, which may become my new blog header soon :) I also love day 55, I don't know why, I think it's just a really pretty photo.



Another self-portrait day with my baby

Today she started crawling!

I used my husband's shoe to kill it!



Not pregnant. Just fat

Question: If a friend of yours exclaimed that she ripped her jeans would your first reaction be to ask if she's pregnant?

I'm asking because this happened to me, and it's the second time this question has come up (my husband's funeral is next week) and I'm really starting to feel self conscious.

First of all, breastfeeding ain't helping me loose weight. I mean, I know I shouldn't rely on it to do all of the work for me but I have to admit, that was one perk I was looking forward to that I don't seem to be reaping the benefits of.

Next, I'm extremely bloated. Like so bloated I'm always sucking my stomach in when I'm wearing tight shirts to keep myself from looking pregnant. I need a girdle people.

I walked by a wall of mirrors at Hobby Lobby a couple of months ago and wondered if I was starting at carnival mirrors. Seriously? Is my gut that huge? I snapped this photo and texted it to a friend freaking out, wondering if maybe I was actually pregnant with twins last year but one didn't come out yet and is just really really overdue.

I took a pregnancy test to be sure.

Negative.

I'm a hypochondriac, so even though I'm breastfeeding, not ovulating, on birth control, and can't get pregnant from making out, I still worry I am. Why else would I look this way? Why did I manage to wear my size 4 jeans through my entire pregnancy but rip them last week?

Why, even though I'm eating less cheeseburgers and french fries than I have in years and actually cooking home cooked meals, do I have a beer belly? I've never even tasted beer (unless you count root beer)!

Why are my workouts with baby not slimming me down? Now I've gotta run too? Like real, hard, exercise? Yuck!

I took two more pregnancy tests to be sure.

Still negative.

I once saw a guy on the Discovery channel that had elephantitis and his face got really really big. Maybe I have that in my stomach?

I was hoping I'd have an excuse. But I'm not pregnant. And I don't have elephantitis. I'm just fat.

I'm no longer in denial. It's time I do something drastic. Commit myself to something. A gym pass just won't cut it. It's not enough to motivate me. I think I'll join Stroller Strides. It's not Jenny Craig, Weight or Watchers, but it's cheaper than getting lipo.

Ideal Spacing of Children: He Says, She Says

He says: “It would be great if we waited until she was in school.”

She says: “Are you crazy? HAIL no! Two years max so they can be best friends!”

What say you?

Cloth Diapers are Friggin' Hilarious

I was getting Lil' J dressed for bed after a bath,  and stuffing one of her Fuzzibunz pocket diapers. We have a handful of those for night time.

As I pushed a cloth insert through the middle of the diaper I heard her giggle. I looked down at her smiling but I didn't know what was so funny. I continued stuffing the diaper with a second cloth insert and realized what was making her laugh. My hand stuck inside the diaper made it look like it had a life of it's own and she apparently thought that was hilarious.

Now the diaper tickles her each night after her bath before bed... Well, on the nights mommy puts her to bed. It never fails to get her going. I recently captured it on video.

It's not possible for me to watch this and not laugh myself.

365 Love Letters Week 7

If there's one thing I want to teach my daughter it's to make goals. I'm a big goal setter and not always a goal achiever, but writing it down does help. Making a goal to take 365 photos, and write 365 love letters to my daughter has been just as fun to keep as it was to make. I've made it to day 50 and am happy to say I haven't missed a day. This week my goal was to include her in every photo, and to use my camera versus my camera phone for all of the photos.

Usually throughout the week I'm thinking of things I want to tell her and jot them down so I don't forget, and can use them in the future. But this week I made a point to think of specific things I learned the day of to share with her. Some of these are things that may become "inside jokes" or specific events only I'll remember, but the caption below lets you in on a little explanation for the photos.

It's really hard to choose a favorite this week because I really put my heart into all of these. It's probably a tie between day 44 and 47.

When we were at dinner people kept telling her how cute she was. It made me wonder when this will go to her head. This advice came to mind.

Busy day at work today. I tried not to get distracted so I could get home sooner. This advice came to mind.

I forgot extra bottles at work today and had to improvise. This advice seemed fitting.

We were folding diaper laundry and this advice came to mind. I snapped a picture and wrote this.

I bought her first "just because" toy today-- Blocks. She loves them!

The teddy was gifted to me from the hubs in 2005. Now I'll share it with her.

Yep, he's whipped.

I won't make her choose

When I imagined my daughter before she was born I saw her with dark skin and light eyes. Instead she came out light skin with dark eyes. The complete opposite.

I didn't brace myself for the reality of this possibility. The possibility that my daughter could have skin as light as my husband and not look anything like me at first glance. I knew it could happen. I just didn't think it would.

Forever Bliss Photography

Growing up in the south where racial issues are still tense, and the predominant races are black and white, kids were forced to choose sides. It may not have been as obvious as team captains choosing teammates for their kickball team, but it was noticeable, and people would call you out for it.

The black kids hung out with the black kids and the white kids hung out with the white kids. And if you decided to cross the line in the sand you were considered a sort of traitor of your own race. Blacks who had white friends were nicknamed "Oreos" and whites who had black friends were called "Wiggers." I still can't help but feel disgusted toward the terms.

So much in our world is black or white. The gray area is gone. This goes for race too. Especially in our country.

Many are so quick to call President Obama "Black" although he's half white as well. I'll admit I do it. I was one of the women who was so angry when Tiger Woods corrected people when they called him "the first Black golfer to be #1" saying he was the first Thai/Black. Why was he ashamed to be called black?

My husband took the opposing stance. Why should he denounce his mother's side of the family because society says he has to choose?

Back then, there were no if ands or buts about it. My children would choose. And they'd choose their black side. Because that's what they'd look like, and that's what society would label them as anyway. Claiming to be "mixed" felt like a shot at me. As if it wasn't a good thing to be called what I'm called.

But then my daughter was born. Her skin as light as my husbands and eyes as dark as mine. She's a beautiful mix of both of us and I the thought of making her choose one side--My side--seems wrong.

She'll grow up facing questions I never had to deal with. The oh too common "what are you?" question on the playground will come up time and time again. While no harm is intended I can understand how it would feel embarrassing at first, or sound extremely rude to people like me. But the more multiracial people I meet, the more I'm hearing they got used to it, and would just smile and explain.

According to the census bureau, by 2050, minorities will be the majority with the number of mixed-raced children is on the rise. I don't know what it's like to be biracial but I've met some who told me they felt like they had to choose a side in order to fit in, or feel accepted my family members or social groups. A section of this TIME article calls this the "forced-choice dilemma."

It goes on to say that these days mixed-raced children don't feel the need to choose a side but share their background with pride.

Seeing more and more interracial marriages around me, and more mixed-raced children in result, I can see the forced-choice problem as a dying dilemma. I've decided to squash it at my house.

I may choose her dinners, wardrobe, and even try to choose her social circles; but today I've decided I won't make her choose my race over her own.

Fashionista Fail: Why I'm Not a Fashion Blogger

As I scroll through my reader and blogrolls of friends and friends of friends, I can't help but notice an influx of fashion and style blogs. I also can't help but notice my self esteem level plummeting by the time I finish scrolling through the photos of perfectly placed home decor, style combinations I can't afford, beautiful actresses and models--Oh, wait--You mean that was YOU? The person writing the blog modeling that gorgeous pair of boots? Ok well I hate you for being so cute.

No, I don't really hate you. I actually want to thank you for making me take a look at myself and realize I could use a makeover.

Now I don't have time to get my nails done and I don't have money to get a new wardrobe, but I do have a closet full of outfits ranging from middle school to now.

My current problem with dressing is I just grab whatever will be easy to take off. I'm nursing my daughter half the day so I don't want to wear my button down blouses, or anything too tight. Today I threw on a black t-shirt, non-matching yellow jacket thing (non matching cause there's a brown button, I think it should be black), jeans, loafer shoes and Christmas socks.

I didn't brush my hair or put on makeup. I actually look like I'm rocking borderline dreads, and if you zoom in you'll see my awesome heart-stamped socks.

I had my husband snap a couple photos of me to demonstrate. I did my best to pose like a real fashion blogger would.

Next, I dug in my closet and put on some things I never wear.

Thing #1: Heels. At 5 11" I HATE heels. You know how some people just don't know how to walk in heels? They walk forward on their feet like they're sneaking around... That's me. And when I get too cocky about standing straight I usually stumble. I put on a pair of boots and practiced strutting my stuff around the yard.

Thing #2: A belt as an accessory. Normally I wear belts to keep my pants up, not as a fashion statement. But I've had this one for over three years and had yet to wear it so I tried it on. I'm not sure I tied it right but it looked ok to me.

Thing #3: A necklace. I don't wear jewelry besides my rings. I buy cheap jewelry to wear for work but cheap jewelry makes me itch so I usually leave it in my desk drawer and put it on right before I go on air. I had this plastic-pearl necklace on my dresser so I threw it on. I also took one of Lil' J's headbands and wore it as a bracelet to match my belt, and put a pink flower in my hair. I still didn't brush it but I pinned it up a little to make it look like it was purposely messy.

I grabbed a pink purse and umbrella even thought it was sunny because they are pink and I don't know how else to spice up an outfit after two colors so here we go. And where was my daughter during this impromptu photoshoot? See for yourself.

She was actually sitting aside gawking and laughing at me. Probably because she knows she can do so much better. And I automatically look 10Xs better too when I'm with her. Maybe it's because my daughter is sucking the style out of me and using it for herself. She wouldn't be caught dead in a plain onesie. At least not without a matching hair bow, diaper and Trumpette socks. Me on the other hand--I'm lucky if my socks match.

Anyway, getting all dressed up to take pictures got me all inspired to shop. I can see now why these fashion bloggers go round and round with their shopping and sharing and shopping and sharing. I was feeling like a fashionista, and so ready to buy a new pair of knee-high boots on Amazon but in the midst of browsing these yoga pants caught my eye and stole me away.

So I'm back here blogging in my t-shirt and comfy basketball shorts, which is much more conducive for hanging out with my slobbery, poopy (when she's not constipated) baby. I suppose now is just not the season for me to be stylish.

We'll have to check back in a year from now. In the mean time, if any of you see me getting way out of hand, tell me. I hate to end up having hidden cameras around my house and a surprise visit from What Not to Wear.

A Caribbean Vacation Sans Baby: He Says She Says

January 2009

He says: “We’ll leave her with grandma and grandpa.”

She says: “Well she’d like the beach too!”

What say you?

First Valentine All Over

I got home exhausted from a very long hard week of work but decided to stay up late after everyone went to bed to make a Valentine's Day tutu dress for my daughter.

She woke up around 3am, not long after I went to bed and she had a hard time going back to sleep, probably from more teeth coming in, so I was up most of the night. This morning I ran around getting things together before our professional photo shoot.

Right before I ran out the door I grabbed a teddy bear I've had for exactly six years. It was the bear my husband gave me for Valentines day six years ago. "Our First Valentine" it says on the heart it holds. A perfect prop for my daughter's first Valentine with us.

We were married two months before Valentines day, and had met just eight months prior. Things are a lot different now.

Forever Bliss Photography

I snapped a few photos myself while we were there for my 365 project, but I'm so glad I had these done. It took her a while to get into it and show us her breathtaking smile, but Mr. Teddy helped us pull out some laughs from my little girl.

Forever Bliss Photography

We put her to bed early and ordered from our favorite restaurant to go (Olive Garden). And hubs got me my favorite treats for celebrating: chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling cider.

Our first Valentine with our daughter was much different than it was for us six years ago, but one thing's for sure--There's a lot more love going around.

365 Love Letters Week 6

This week I made an effort to take more pictures of her. I can already see her growing from day 1 this year. I'm trying to do a better job of catching a variety of her expressions because I want to remember them all.

Day 41 was so cold, we had a fire going and I was dying to take photos of her in a new hat I ordered from a sweet lady named Mary Sue (only $10).

I bought a new toy for my camera. Which made it easier for me to take photos indoors, so I'm not rushing to have a photo shoot outside before the sun goes down. I only used one photo from my iPhone this week. I also made a special effort to think of a variety of special things I want her to know. From scriptures I love to advice I could use myself. My favorite is hard to choose this week but I'd probably say it's day 37.

First time I captured her two teeth on camera

I'm having my next baby here

I think the perfect birth would be a water birth with an epidural. Sadly I can't find any doctors or midwives who will hook a sista up with that, so I'm searching for the next best thing. No, not an orgasmic birth. Weird! But I am looking into other avenues I once thought were strange.

I LOVED my birth. Nothing against it. Nothing I'd do differently if I could do it again, but I'm open to trying new things. Which is what intrigued me about a local birth center.
At work I recently had the chance to interview a midwife who owns a birth center for a health segment I do once a week. That's one thing I love about my job. It gives me a chance to meet people and see things I may not normally see.

But something I found once I arrived was this wasn't just any birth center--It's quite possibly the only birthing center in the world that could convert me, (an epidural lover) into a midwife and birth center prospect.

First of all, I'm not the type of person who could give birth to my baby at home. Not on purpose at least. I like to be in some kind of professional atmosphere. I loved the hospital but a birth center has a nice homier feel, but without my dog's hair everywhere.

The owner, Jeanne, she rocked my socks off the bat. She told me straight up, her birth center isn't for everyone. People who are high risk or who really don't want to feel any pain she said she'd recommend they look elsewhere. Their pre-patient screenings help them to have very low transfer rates, and since I've already had one baby vaginally, there's something like a 1/400 chance things wouldn't go as well the second time.

She also had positive things to say about OBs, hospitals, and how she thinks the "us vs them" mentality is ridiculous (it took every fiber of my being to keep me from hugging her when she said this). I told her how I loved my birth experience but am open to trying something new, and she didn't try for one second to tell me how her way was better than any other way. She said everyone wants different experiences and your expectations can greatly impact how you feel in the end.

I had never met someone from her side of the fence who seemed so open to different opinions. This opened my mind to the serious consideration of a birth outside of a hospital.

The reason I crossed this idea off from the get go last time was because my insurance covered my hospital fees 100% after a $150 deductible. 150 bucks, that's it. My contribution was chump change compared to my $17,000 bill.

Now my insurance plan is more like 90/10. Still not bad, but 10% of that bill is $1,700. The total cost of all of the care at this birth center, including all prenatal care, yoga twice a week, ultrasounds and the birth is--better sit down--$4,500. Worst case scenario my out of network cost would be 20% and thus about $900.

This decision doesn't all come down to money but now the idea is definitely on my radar. Just getting a tour of this place got me all excited. Look at these tubs! My hospital didn't have any sadly. These beds and tubs looked so cozy I just want to get a babysitter and escape there with my husband. I'd use it as a bed and breakfast. I'm not picturing myself shaking from pain intensity while pushing a ten pound baby out of my whohaah with no pain medication.

Oh, and about the drugs. They have some there! Not epidurals but something special they can give you to "take the edge off." I need to ask again what this is called because if it's what I got at the hospital last time before I got my epidural I don't want it. I felt like a drunk... At least I think that's how a drunken person would feel.

Others tell me laboring in a birthing tub is like having an epidural but I don't believe them. I want to but I just can't. People telling me that must not have had the awesome experience I did with my drippy drug. They also tell me babies born naturally are more alert. I'm not sure why that's a positive yet but maybe someone will tell me. My daughter seemed pretty alert to me. But really, who wants an extremely perky baby to deal with after running a marathon? I'll take the sleepy one.

Anyway, I'm keeping this place in my back pocket for Spawnie #2. This specific room. But my husband says a birth center is out of the question because they don't have epidurals and because I "don't remember how bad it was" but he does. We'll need to work on his dulo skills.

Part of me thinkings "if it aint broke, don't fix it" but at the same time, what if the experience could be even BETTER?

Toothbrush Sharing: He Says She Says

He Says: "No big deal. ...We make out."

She says: "That's nasty"

What say you?

Show me a perfect mom I'll show you a broken nose

I sat across the table from a woman who had her three kids in tote.  We were having lunch with a mutual friend and waiting on our food. My daughter was getting fidgety in her high chair, so I did my best to entertain her with Mum Mums, and toys before her steamed veggies arrived.

When I looked up and across the table I noticed the woman across from me also entertaining her children. But with sugar packets. One by one I saw her reach into the container holding sugar and wannabe-sugar, open up the packets, and pour them on her son and daughter's drink coasters. Her two and three year olds were as quiet as can be as they licked their fingers and dipped them into the growing pile of white goodness.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Here I was feeling guilty for not wiping the table down an extra time before letting my daughter devour a banana, while this experienced mom of three pacified her kids with Equal.

I had to tell her how funny it looked. And I laughed as I wondered how many other moms do this when no one is watching.
You know how people say with your first baby if their paci falls to the floor you pick it up, sanitize it, run it through the washing machine, re-sanitize etc before putting it back in their mouth? Then with the second kid you rinse it off in the sprinklers, with the third child you blow on it and dust it off on your pant leg? Well, let's just say I'm trying to treat all of my children equally and I'm just skipping to the third child tendencies.

While I don't see myself letting my kids down a bag of sugar while I'm making dinner, I understand no one is perfect.

So why do I feel like I have to be?

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I wanted my daughter to come into this world, what kind of diapers she should wear, what to bathe her with, pre-washing her stuff, deciding where she sleeps, what she's eating at what age, agonized about pumping and providing breastmilk, and whether or not she feeds herself or I help her and so much more. But when I stop and think about these decisions and then think about the scope of the rest of her life I can't help but think these decisions aren't what's most important, nor what will have the biggest impact on her life.

So what if I practice baby-led weaning and she can use a spoon when she's eight months old. Ladeefreakinda. She doesn't get a medal. Nether do I. And what, is Harvard going to be knocking down my door, promising a full-ride scholarship to be used 18 years from now because my infant can use a spoon? Unfortunately no. 

I could care less if my mom let me cry to sleep or not. As far as I know it didn't have an effect on me. And despite feeding me formula I've turned out pretty healthy,  I don't hold it against her the least bit. I'm sure she tried her best and I'm thankful for that.

She taught me about commitment, about compassion, charity and integrity. She taught me values, respect, and showed me how to love. All of those things made me who I am today. Made me who I'm proud to be.

I'm not a perfect mom. But no one is. I was spanked, (actually I got woopins, which in my opinion is much worse than the "spankings"people gasp over) and I'm not against them.

I spent half an hour in torment up and down the baby isle debating which teething remedy I should get my daughter. Hylands or Orajel, tablets or gel? Which was best? Would the wrong one kill her?

But then in the same instant I let my daughter eat paper, and only stop her when I realize she's gagging on her spit wads or eating something I need.

something I need

Lately I've been trying to be better about spending quality time with my husband because I think my relationship with him will make a bigger mark on my daughter's life. More so than whether or not the apple I'm feeding her is organic.

It's not to say that spending extra time researching good things for her isn't worth it, but sometimes I think it's easy to get caught up in the hype and marketing of what people tell us what's best, when really, what we teach them has far more impact.

I don't know any mom who has it all down pat. Who doesn't ever get frustrated, occasionally yell, feed her kids junk food (or sugar packets), or peeks to see if anyone's looking as she dusts the paci she just picked up off the floor on her pant leg before putting it back in her baby's mouth.

You show me a perfect mom and I'll show you a broken nose. Because no one should be that good and have a perfect face.

365 Love Letters Week 5

It's not hard remembering to take the photos anymore. Now it's hard deciding which photo to use, trying to be creative with the photos, using more than just her cute face, and remembering what number day we're on.

The weather contract between day 34 and 35 is just hilarious. I also love both of those photos. Aside from those two and day 32, they were taken on my iPhone. The sun flares in day 33 were fun and reminded me of angels. I was surprised my phone caught them.

I want to try to make time to take a nice photo each day with my "real" camera but sometimes I just don't get the chance. Hopefully these will continue to get better, not worse throughout the year.

My favorite this week-Self portrait

Just a wee bit excited

You know how it’s fun to add things to your to-do list after you’ve already done it, just so you can cross it off? It’s just as fun—if not more so—to do that with a bucket list. I’m transforming my old “baby bucket list” into a “before I die bucket list” and adding “Flash Mob” to my group of must dos.

Funny thing is, we’re going to be in one today.

“We? Who’s going to be in one with you,” you ask. “Surely not your husband.”

Heck no, Lil’ J and I are going to be flash mobbing it up doing chants and dancing with other moms and their babies at Whole Foods.

I hardly ever step foot in that place. It’s too expensive. But I along with a dozen or so other moms are going to pretend like we’re shopping and join in on the dancing and singing with our babies when we hear the cue. My yoga instructor organized this, and we’re expecting a pretty good turnout.

I’m working all day but I’m planning my lunch break around this so I’ll grab a meal at the salad bar right before the routine kicks off, or right after, and have some fun in between. My husband is meeting me there with Lil’ J and hopefully a video camera (he promised) so I’ll be sure to YouTube and post the success (of failure) after.

Wish us luck!

*Update!!* It SNOWED! So the flashmob is getting rescheduled. Now I can officially add this to my list cause we MUST be in one!

If you haven’t seen a flashmob before here’s an example. Though don’t expect ours to look like this, this is the funniest one I’ve ever seen.

Advice for my seven month old

My Little Pretty Princess,

You are amazing. You brighten my day, and you always make me smile. Every day I feel like I'm noticing something new you're learning. You're starting to crawl backwards, but you like to roll to whatever you want to get. I'm sort of dreading you starting to crawl because I know you will be into everything and we just don't have our place fully baby-proofed yet. Taking your seven month photos was so hard because you just wanted to play and didn't want to sit still. I know this is just a glimpse of what's to come. I'm going to need to get my helmet and knee pads out to keep up with you.

Dress and headband $16 from Sumo's Sweet Stuff

You have an obsession with paper towels. You love to try to eat them, and napkins. I try to keep them away from you but you always seem to find one somewhere. You like to make little spit wads.

You are getting the hang of eating edible things too. I've been making your baby food and you love squash and sweet potatoes. You also love banana when I give you some. And broccoli, cucumber and Mum Mums, you'll pretty much eat anything you can get your little hands on. Sometimes I just hand you a bit of whatever I'm eating and you'll gnaw away at it for awhile. But no matter how much you love the food you still love nursing more. Now that you've started solids it's easier to keep up with pumping enough for you though, which is a big stress reliever. I'm very proud of the fact that we haven't needed to supplement.

You got your first two little teeth last week. They are so cute, we danced and cheered when we saw your first one pop up. You second one seems to be bothering you a little more but we've been giving you a bit of medicine to help. You haven't bit me with your teeth yet. I'm hoping we nipped that bad habit in the bud while you were just gumming it. I'm afraid we'll wean once you bite with your sharp teeth.

You still love my singing, and you love taking pictures, which is good because I love taking pictures of you. You're so photogenic and you love the camera.

Chair from Pottery Barn Kids

I love bragging about you, which is funny because I didn't think I'd be "that mom" who just loves to go on and on about her baby to nice people who ask how you're doing but I do. I show off your pictures, and talk about the things you're learning.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how we're going to raise you and the type of person I hope you grow to be. Your dad and I are both the oldest children and someday you'll be an older sibling too. There's a lot of responsibility being the first born child. Younger siblings look up to you, and you're the practice run for us as your parents to see how we like to do things. Don't feel bad if we're hard on you, know it's because we love you so much. We truly just want what's best for you. It's so hard for parents to see their children do something that could hurt them, or be bad for them. Ultimately it's up to you to make your life's decisions but we're here to help you, hopefully make the best ones. Remember we're not perfect, but we're trying our best.

Every night we read a chapter of your children's scriptures together and we say a prayer together. You watch your daddy read so intently like you understand the stories, and you look at the pictures. I hope we can keep this up and that you'll feel the Spirit in your life daily and that that will help you blossom into the marvelous woman I know you'll be.

Ok, enough deep mommy talk, there will be years to lecture you. Just know I love you more than you know. More than I knew I could love, and it's the best feeling in the world. I've never worked as hard as I have these past seven months my entire life, but I've never been this happy.

I love you. And I'm so grateful for you.


Mommy