Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Our flower is growing..

4 months?! 
Yep.
"Time flies when you're having fun!"
And we are just a barrel of monkies over here!
We have fashion shoots like this:

We play, we nap, we visit with friends.
To say the least, it's good to be Dahlia Jane!

In her 4th month not only has she done a ton of new stuff, she's also been quite the traveler.
Adding up to a little over 26 hours in the car and 1240 miles traveled, she has officially earned her title of "Best Baby Ever".  With only a couple of crying fits (John and I had  4 or 5 I think), she took some of her best naps on these road trips.  Although she is pretty good at traveling, we are ready to stay put and rest!
Enough packing of baby stuff!! Are you kidding?!  Even for this minimalist packer, our luggage count went up exponentially since having a baby. Not to mention, if we need the swing, the playmat, the boppy...yikes.
But John, being the "Best Car Packer Ever",  always leaves me shocked at how much we can actually pack into our vehicle!

Anywho...this post is not about road trips it's about our baby.
She's 4 months old.

She's grown physically -everyone tells me how BIG she is. Finally, I asked someone this weekend after she acted like I was putting Steroids in my breastmilk, if her being "big" was all that bad.  She replied with, "she's still cute for a big baby".. Aye, aye, aye. The things people say when you are pregnant and have children. Although, for a brassy Northerner, that reply was better than I expected.  So yeah, I guess I produce 12% milk or something. I'm not worried.
I was praying for a healthy baby and that's what I got! Exceedingly and abundantly above, right??
It's funny how women compare babies like they compare themselves.
By funny I mean, not cool.
Whoa. Ok , she's biggER than she was. Point made. 
But her personality is what has really developed this month, I think.
She's funny!
A smiley, happy girl who grunts when she wants your attention, lets you know by hollering when the mobile stops turning,  gets frustrated when you take her chewing rings away...

 In short, she's a doll!


Dahlia Likes:
*gagging herself with those ring link thingies 
*grunting and talking (lottts of talking!)
*Leg warmers and boots (she has 7 pairs of boots, all gifts, of course!)
*kicking (high-yah!)
*sucking on her fingers mostly her thumb (and she's left-side dominant like her dad. Maybe we will have a artsy fartsy on our hands?? I hope so!)
*napping regularly and sleeping through the night. YES, SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT. Praise be! (I was fully expecting this not to happen for a while and was fine with it. But I must say, sleeping for more than 4 hours at a time is a blessing!)
*  to take little breaks during nursing to lay back and look me in the eye and talk A LOT. She likes a good conversation over a meal, it seems.

Dahlia Dislikes:
*being over-tired
*the bottle (still...)
*having ring links taken away
*loud overwhelming noises/ people  in her face. She's her mother's child on this one.

She likes to smile a lot. Although when I get the camera out, she stares at it like it's a shifty person that she has to keep an eye on.. she's playing it cool, I suppose.

See?
this face is what I get for trying to take these when she was on the verge of sleep.

Again, shifty starer at the camera


She got this Jumperoo for Christmas. Note the pillow under her sweet little feet. 

I wish this was in focus! We were cracking up at Daddy :)

My mom has this high chair and DJC loved it! She loved sitting up!

She experienced a bath by the fire at Nana's house. Cozy!


I think this one is funny. This is how I spent most of Thanksgiving weekend. Nursing my baby with two dogs wanting to be near her at all times.

Sleeping in the car. I feel like she slept here more than anywhere this past month!


She's still in love with the bath and her daddy (that's who she's gazing so lovingly at!)



What a lovely girl she is.

I'm cherishing these baby moments.
The rocking her to sleep (which her need for is decreasing already :(  )
The coo's.
The diapers (it's hard not to love cloth diapers)
The rolls she is getting. Love that pudge! 
Her need for mommy. That's me!
The way she loves to snuggle when she's tired. 

A year ago at this time I had no idea that the little miracle I was carrying was going to be so beautiful, happy and sweet.

Two years in a row, best Christmas present ever.  




Monday, December 19, 2011

Guess who's inconsistent? and other random thoughts

Me, that's who.

I would venture to say, it's completely justified too, this inconsistency in blogging but I'm not one for excuses.

Instead of a play by play of our rather tumultuous past months, I will do a rapid fire of random thoughts.The thoughts will serve no real reason except to get them out of my head and to fulfill a blog post.

Here we go:
Babies grow exceedingly fast. I now fully understand this principle.


2011 was fair with an awesome event or two. 2012 will be better


I  didn't do a Christmas card this year.


I've cried more these past 4 months than I have in the past 4 years combined.


 Dahlia is one of the sweetest, most cuddly babies ever.


I didn't care about decorating my Christmas tree this year. In fact, it looks a bit forlorn and weird.

On death and dying:
Things you shouldn't say to someone who has lost a loved one:
anything that starts with "well, atleast..."


Being present, available, and a question-asker goes a long way with someone who is grieving. It makes know they are not alone in their sadness and grief. 


Grieving last more than the visitation and burial process. Normal is not just around the corner.




Christmas is a difficult time of year. I don't know why since it is the time to celebrate Jesus being born and all. I suppose it's priorities and focus.


Watching your child get gifts is way more fun than getting gifts yourself.


I don't see my family near as much as I should...I do most of the traveling usually and with an infant, it's not that easy.  


Consistency is usually one of my strong suits. Not lately.


Encouraging is usually one of my strong suits. Not lately


Being a mom is my strong suit lately.


Eating is a strong suit.


My husbnad looked strong in his suit this weekend.


Time is a precious comodity.
I wish I had more of it.


I want to learn how to make artisan breads this year.


I think of going back to school at least once a week.  That's where it begins and ends.


I miss being pregnant.


I miss the summer.


Dahia's laugh is hilarious.


I'm making chicken and dumplings for dinner.


It think I'm becoming a hugger.




I'm all out of thoughts for now.
But as you can see, my brain is a  confused melange of thoughts.
Inconsistent, yes. Is that a bad thing?  Not really. Atleast that's what I keep telling myself.

I need to go hang diapers up to dry and feed a tired baby...
..and obviously think of a funner blog post for next time.