ONE YEAR!!!

On the 30th Libby turned the ripe old age of ONE YEAR!! We were at the Ranch and celebrated with presents, cake, and birthday singing. Unfortunately, Libby was recovering from her first bad illness so she was not feeling up to par. She had fun with her first cake though. First she just kind of poked at it and didn't know what to think and then she dipped down her head and licked a bit of the icing. Then she smiled and dug right in! But she never used her fingers! Just ate it right off the high chair tray! It was really funny. :)


Libby wearing her bday shirt from Aunt Steph.


Rocking in her chair from Uncle Todd and Aunt Mindy, wearing her hat from Sue Sue, and holding the puppy from Mom and Dad.


Opening another present with the shopping cart from the Pence family in the background.


Testing out the cake.


Going in face first!










Well, here are a few things that our little girl is up to:

~She has six little teeth
~She runs around everywhere
~She can say: out, dad, eggs, mama, cat, cold, that (dat), please (deeze) and probably more things that we don't understand. She also tries to imitate us a lot and it's pretty funny what she can say sometimes.
~We taught her to sign a few things and she can sign "please", "more", and "all done". She also waves hello and good-bye but she's done that for months.
~She makes a few animal sounds, mostly a half-whinny, half-gargle for horse, a moo for cow, and she pants for a dog (the sign for "dog"). She tries to make the other sounds but they're not recognizable.
~Loves to climb! Will climb up and down the stairs all day and on top of things to just get higher.
~We taught her the rule "one finger touch" so that we're not constantly telling her "no" all day. Plus, it's great for when we're at non-baby proofed places. Also, I find that she responds a lot better to when we tell her "no, don't touch".
~She is already learning how to obey! I'm so proud of her! She will look at my face when I tell her to. She's learning to do what we say when we tell her, it's really amazing what a child so young understands!
~This girl LOVES to eat! It's really funny! She will just eat, and eat, and eat. It's actually a lot of work sometimes to make sure I have plenty of food on hand for her. And I've stopped sharing my meals at restaurants with her, I don't get nearly enough food!
~Libby loves soft stuffed animals, especially ones that are very soft. Her particular favorite is her little deer that she carries around everywhere, but she has others that she loves too. She loves to rub her face on anything that's soft and my MIL told me Tim used to do that all the time. :)
~Along with stuffed animals, Libby also LOVES real animals. So trips to the ranch are a lot of fun for her. Tim had her outside and she literally started running down the drive-way toward the horses! She's also not afraid of any animals so we really have to keep an eye on her.
~She is not shy or scared of people. A friend of my BIL's came to the ranch for New Years and all the little girls were scared of him because he was so tall and had a deep voice. But Libby walked right by him and smiled at him and grabbed onto him so she wouldn't fall. That being said, she likes her mama and will sometimes not go to anyone else.
~Libby is very independent. Tim went on a walk with his mom and sister and her two kids while at the ranch and Mindy's girl never got too far from her side. Libby, on the other hand, took off as fast as her little legs would carry her in the opposite direction!
~She sleeps from 8-5 every night and then from 5-7 or 8. She wakes to nurse around 5, but then falls right back to sleep. However, recently she's been sleeping a little longer.
~She is trying to switch to one nap during the day. I'm thrilled about this because it means a nice long time in the afternoon where I can get a lot accomplished. She'll oftentimes sleep for 3 hours in an afternoon!
~When asked Libby can point to her ears, eyes, mouth, hair, teeth, nose, and head! And she will lift her shirt up and point to her belly button when you ask her where her tummy is! She also points to those things on me and her animals and doll.
~She figured out how to smell things! Its so funny to see her sniff a candle or something and say "Mmmmmm!"

6 MONTHS!!!

One half of one year. That seems sooo long! Although, yes, it does seem like 'just yesterday' that she was born. Of course she's a lot bigger now and can do a whole lot more. So lets just go through the run-down:
~Weighs 15 lbs. 3 oz, 26 1/2" 35th percentile for weight and 75th for height. She didn't gain a whole pound this month but the doctor didn't worry about it, I think she's just so squirmy and so she's not very chubby! Takes after her dad, he cannot sit still for anything.
~Started crawling!! Yes, I guess she's a little early on this, but I've heard of baby's crawling even earlier. This probably means she'll be walking by 9 months because she's already pulling up on things to stand up.
~Babbles a lot and does so in response to us.
~Loooooves her mama! To such a degree that she's not too fond of other people now. Besides Tim, she loves her daddy too but with most other people she just cries when they hold her. Again, takes after her daddy, who was very shy when he was little.
~Working on sleeping, she doing a lot better! Last night she slept from 8 to 3:30 and then again until 7. I wasn't a big fan of 'crying it out' but we had to do something and when she was close to 6 months I felt ok letter her cry. I did it for about a week because she woke up every night around midnight but I knew she didn't need to eat. So I just hung out outside her room checking on her every few minutes and she would cry for about 20 minutes and then go back to sleep. I'd rather do it now than when she's a year when it'll be much more difficult. Again, I didn't want to do this too soon, and I feel like we started doing it at just the right time.
~She doesn't get to watch tv but sometimes we let her watch the Rangers play and she loooves it. I'm sure it's just the flashing colors and lights but we like to think she's an early baseball fan. :)
~Still loves to bounce in her various toys and baby apparati. The jumperoo is an awesome invention and hardly takes up any room! Exersaucer is good too but it's a little clunky.
~She loves the animals and will laugh and smile all day long at Maddie, oh and she grabs handfuls of Maddie's fur and so far Maddie hasn't minded too much!
~Is extremely interested in our food and is so ready to start eating so we're going to give that a shot this weekend!
~I know she has a sense of humor, I burped the other day and she looked at me and laughed! Too cute! She also "fake coughs" when I laugh at her for coughing, it's really cute.
~ I know there's more but I need to get going so I'll just add more when I can think of them.

Here are some updated monthly pics!! She wasn't too into smiling this morning but I'll try to get some smiley pics with her later.

Libby and Dr. Zatz, we will miss you!!


Growin' growin'!!



Not only crawling but climbing too! Yikes!!


I thought this one was so cute because it shows her little profile! So cute!

Loves her farm book! She loves to feel the dog's fur.

Monthly growth update and pics

*I wrote this on the 30th but still haven't taken her growth pics - yikes! I'll post them soon!!

Four Months!!! Libby is officially 1/3 of one year old. Lets see what our little scrunchy baby is up to these days:
~Rolling over - been doing that for a while now
~Smiles - a lot! Especially when you talk to her, tickle her, or play with her at all.
~Laughing - she has a really funny giggle and she laughs mostly when you laugh at her or play with her.
~Also reacts by smiling and laughing when I "threaten" to tickle her tummy or blow raspberries on it.
~LOVES her toys - especially Jacques, Gaffy (her giraffe), and Bunny, and her blankie
~Still likes her pacifier and goes to sleep really easily with blankie and pacie
~Still sleeping in our room but I've been transitioning her to her crib, especially for nap time.
~She goes to sleep really easily, I just snuggle her for a minute and then pop her in bed usually quite awake. Staying asleep for more than 3 hours? Still working on that one. :)
~Wakes up every 3 hours or so to eat at night but I'm trying to up my supply to see if she can make it longer without eating.
~Thankfully she's a very efficient eater and doesn't mess around at all, just goes right to work and finishes up in 5-7 minutes.
~She's trying really hard to sit up, especially when she's laying propped up on her Boppy pillow - because of this she has super strong abs and a very flat tummy for a baby, too funny!
~Talks up a storm! Loves to make all sorts of sounds, I'll have to take a video of her "talking".
~She's getting a little more attached to me, this became apparent while we were in TX and we have seen it more often now that we're home, I'll be interested to see how this plays out as she's never been apart from me for more than an hour, and that was with my parents at home.
~She scoots and spins while on the floor and I can't really leave her on our bed alone anymore.
~She loves Maddie and the cats and smiles and giggles when Maddie licks and slobbers on her.
~Also loves people and really enjoys "people watching" at stores and in groups.
~Stares intently at Tim and I in whatever we're doing and really seems to 'get it' when we tell her what we're doing.
~Responds when we call her name.
~Loves the warm weather and being outside. I've been able to lay out twice for an hour at a time and I just put her in her exersaucer in the shade and she is thrilled! She watches the animals and plays with her toys.
~She can sit and stand with support and really wants to get moving.
~Is just like her dad in that she gets MAD (as in furious) when she's hot. It's kind of funny but I still feel bad for her.
~Loves our walks and is quite cozy in her jogging stroller.
~Really enjoys her baths and started splashing water around while in the water - I can't wait to put her in a pool this summer!
~Mostly in 3-6 month clothes and a few 0-3 size ones but no 6-9 mo. yet also in her same cloth diapers and sz. 2 'sposies.
~Still has a great disposition and is a very happy and content baby, hardly ever cries, and when she does there's usually a reason for it.
~I'm guessing her weight to be just over 13 lbs. We'll find out on Tuesday at her 4 mo. check up. Not very roly-poly, but just right. :)

She eats about 6-8 times a day and we're going to keep breastfeeding exclusively for a while yet. I know some people start introducing food pretty early but we're going to hold off for a while. She is very curious of what we're doing when we're eating or drinking, but she is still pretty young. I think we'll probably wait until she can sit up without support and/or when she can bring her pointer finger and thumb together to pick things up. We'll also talk to the pediatrician on Tuesday, but I'm guessing he'll be fine with that.

So she had her appointment today! And lil Libby is weighing in at 13 lbs. 6 oz. exactly two pounds more than last time! The doctor was pleased with her growth and said things are going well with her! She also put on quite a show for him by squirming all over and flip-flopping all over the table. She also giggled and blabbed at him the whole time. I was so proud. :D (funny how happy a slobbering, clumsy little baby can make us, ya know?) He agreed that waiting until 6 months for food is fine since she's doing so well on breast milk. Recently she's started making chewing motions with her mouth while we're eating so she's showing some interest in food. I'm still waiting until she can sit independently and bring her thumb and pointer finger together.
Well, this has been a nice long update, thanks for hanging in there! :)

2 Months!

Libby is now 2 months old! She was robbed of a two month birthday however, as February doesn't have a "30th". :) I haven't taken her "growth picture" yet but I'll probably do that sometime today. I'm moving a little slow because I came down with a cold yesterday. It's not too bad (so far!) but I'm sniffy and sneezey and I have a scratchy throat. Ah well! So far Libby seems unfazed and I'm doing my best to keep her from catching it. That would be so not fun!!
Also, right now it looks like a blizzard outside! It's snowed about 8 inches so far and doesn't really look like it's stopping any time soon. Although that could be the wind swirling the snow around. I'm very disappointed with this awful NE weather!! No fun at all!! Especially since we had been teased in the last few weeks with spring-like weather and Libby and I had ventured out in my totally awesome jogging stroller. Hopefully when it warms up we can make good use of that fabulous present!
So I'm going to make note now of all that Libby is doing these days. I haven't written anything down so I need to so I don't forget.
- The day before she turned one month she rolled from her tummy to her back. And now she's quite a pro at doing that. She's also gone from her back to both sides but hasn't quite made it to her tummy again.
- She smiles a lot at us and has for a really long time now. And she literally has to smile back at someone if they smile at her, except when she's in a bit of a "mood" which is very rare!
- She's almost laughing! I can't wait to hear her really laugh! Right now if something really tickles her she throws her head back and opens her mouth reeally wide but she does this completely silently! It's really cute. She does this especially if you sing to her or if you play with her favorite toy, Jacques the Peacock. She really likes it if he "talks" to her in a very poor French accent (that sometimes sounds a little more "South of the Border"), but Libby is forgiving!
- She can completely support her head and is already trying hard to sit up on her own! She much prefers to sit in your lap or in her Bumpo chair rather than be reclined. If you do lay her down on her back she strains her neck trying desperately to sit up.
- She has always been a really good sleeper and now she's on a really good schedule. She goes down around 8:30 and sleeps until either 12:30 or 2:30, then she wakes up around 4:30 and sleeps until 7:30. Except for the other night when she only woke up once! I was shocked! Hopefully that will repeat itself!
- She is really easy to put down to sleep too. She takes 3-4 naps throughout the day and she'll be happily playing and then all of a sudden get real fussy so I'll scoop her up and snuggle her for a little while with a pacifier and she goes right to sleep. Sometimes I sneak in a little nap with her. :) (oh and yes, she loooves her paci/nuk and loves to suck on it when she's going to sleep - I try not to give it to her much when she's happy and awake though).
- She makes really good eye contact with us and even follows us with her eyes around the room.
- She usually likes everyone and will let anybody hold her without fussing at all. Unless, like I said before, it's sleepytime and then she just wants mom or dad. :)
- Speaking of dad...Tim is fantastic with her! He plays with her a lot whenever he's home and has even changed a few diapers (quite literally, I think!). She is a little daddy's girl and she loves it when he plays and snuggles with her.
- Car rides are usually a breeze except when she's hungry or needs a diaper change. Then she lets everyone know how unhappy she is with the situation! Most of the time listening to her favorite music will calm her down. For those about to "pop" I would highly recommend getting some music by Selah and Fernando Ortego. She loves both of them and they always calm her *very rare* fussiness.
- She loves to play games with us! She thinks its absolutely hilarious when we stick our tongues out at her and she copies us! Too funny! She's been doing this for several weeks now and it's quite entertaining.
- Sizewise: she's still in 0-3 mo. clothes and I put her in 3-6 mo. ones sometimes but they're pretty baggy on her. She had been wearing sz. 1 diapers until today she finished those off and I started some 1-2 ones that fit a lot better. I am using cloth diapers still on a part time basis (pretty much at home and when I'm caught up on laundry! :) ).

Well, that's all I can think of right now! She really is one of the best babies I've ever seen and of course the cutest and smartest. :) You know how that goes. ;) We are just so very blessed to have her in our lives and I can't imagine a time without her!
And here are a few pics to reward you for reading this long post and to hold you over until the next batch!

One month pics!

Here are some pictures of our sweet babe!
And a major update! Libby rolled over! I could not believe it! She did it the day before her 1 month birthday and I was so impressed. And she did it again on Sunday. So we're going to be working on that a lot this week! She also had some company! Kristin came to see us! And we had such a wonderful time! It's always fun to see family.
And now the little scrunchy is waking up so I'd better get going!

One month

On Friday, January 30th, Libby will be one month old. Wow. Time sure flies, eh? Seriously! It seems like yesterday that I found out I was pregnant. And now one month? That got me thinking, only 215 more months until she turns 18 and hypothetically is deemed an adult! So lets look at some more numbers...

225 - how many months I was when I graduated from highschool.
232 - months I was when I met Tim.
251 - when I married Tim.
287 - when I graduated college.
295 - when we found out I was pregnant.
303 - when Libby was born.

8 - months Tim and I were engaged.
9 - the number of months I was pregnant (plus some change)
11 - months we've lived in NY.
53 - months we've been married.
60 - months to the day (on Friday) from when Tim proposed. :)

Anyway, random numbers for you. When I look at those numbers it just reminds me how precious and short life is. I know its cliqued and somewhat corny but it's true! And it makes me want to go wake up Libby and hold her and snuggle her while she's still tiny. Already she's losing some of that newborn 'look' and starting to get rounder and chubbier. And she's holding her head up really well! Daddy makes sure she practices a lot! Poor thing - he'll have her doing algebra when she's four. :)

I'll write more later about her progress and hopefully post more pics but please, just treasure this month!!

PS. I've never been happier to see a month go by either, January is bitterly cold in the NE!! :) Brrrr!!!