7 months!

I have no idea where the last month went! Sadie is already 7 months old!!! We have had a pretty good month (well aside from me being a little down and out, but we've turned the corner on that one!) I have tried to look at life from a little different perspective and that has begun to help. Plus we have turned the corner on naps and they seem to be going much more smoothly so that always helps! We had our first 80 degree weather for the year this past weekend and we went on a nice family walk - which Sadie loved :) She even kept her sunglasses on! We also are planning our first "real" family vacation this October - we're heading down to Treasure Island in Florida! Pretty excited about that too! You're probably more interested in what Sadie has been up to, so I will fill you in on that!

• Eating 4 times a day... breakfast is breast milk (mommy loves the snuggle time in the morning :) ) and that is usually around 9-9:30, then lunch at 1:30ish is 4T cereal (usually oatmeal) and a full 4oz of fruit (she's not too picky but we have tried pretty much everything... lately she is eating homemade applesauce, pear sauce occasionally with mangoes or blueberries mixed in. today we will try homemade bananas) then dinner is around 5:30 and that is 4T cereal (usually rice cereal) and a full 4oz of either veggies or a meat (beechnut jar food is what we use for the meats and have only tried 3 different types - but she has eaten them all. Still haven't had any jar veggies that she wont eat, but homemade green beans and carrots were not a hit - squash and sweet potatoes she loved though!), then at bedtime (around 8:30) she nurses one more time.


• She is sleeping very well at night - a full 12 hours which we are extremely thankful for! Naps have been a struggle in the past but it seems as though we have turned a corner. She will typically nap for a total of 3 hours during the day... one nap is at 11-11:30 and depending on how long that one goes is when I will put her down in the afternoon... planning on her waking up at 5:30 for dinner... so if its an hour nap in the morning then i put her down at 3:30 in the afternoon to finish up with a 2 hour nap... and its been going pretty well for the last week and a half! (thank goodness!)


• She still is laughing a lot - she also likes to "talk" to Max... she does this super cute whisper thing and its pretty much only to him... not to Coby much at all. Sadie also says mama, dada, and some other fun noises - doest associate it with either of us (I don't think) but its still fun to hear her finding her voice!


• We have started to play with toys while sitting up so we have a new selection of toys since Sadie is growing up! I don't think she has a favorite... she likes to walk around in her walker, sit up and play with toys, and roll around on the floor. She's not crawling yet - but she'll get up on her hands and knees and rock. I'm thinking its only a matter of days before she crawls - but we'll see!


• A couple of "new" things from this month - Sadie now eats puffs for a snack! If I put her in the highchair while I am getting dinner ready I will giver her a handful of puffs and she loved to concentrate to eat them! We have also moved her out of the infant carrier into a convertible car seat! That was a bit of a transition (and hence the major issues with naps a couple of weeks ago because we couldn't just carry a sleeping baby into the house anymore) but we have eased into a more mobile child and I love it! She is loving her new found freedom!!! AND the other day she started to wave bye-bye!!! Its way too cute!


• Sadie has moved fully into 12 months clothes and still wearing a size 3 diaper. We can tell from the new rolls and bigger cheeks that she is doing well with gaining weight!

I've said it before, but I'll say it again! Every passing day we learn something new about Sadie and she is more and more fun each day! I love watching her learn about the world around her and grow from a baby into a beautiful little girl!!! :)

Some days are better than others...

This week has been a bit of a "rough" one. I say this because I am pretty spoiled with a beautiful, healthy, wonderful baby girl who has been a great sleeper at night (naps can be a struggle, but that happens). I am also blessed with the ability to stay home with Sadie and not have to hand her to someone else every morning. This week has been rough for a few reasons... Sadie is either teething or has a cold so she has been a bit off. She has been very vocal about her discomfort and while she continues to sleep well at night, naps have become even more difficult. Since she has been more vocal about things it feels like she is yelling at me. I have a hard time not taking it personally - silly I know. But I have been in tears several times this week because of it. I always thought I would be a working mom... and until Sadie was born, I kind of thought I would go back to work (or at least want to)... but I cannot imagine giving her to someone every day and not being there for all of the firsts. I love being able to fill Elliot in on what she has accomplished and not have to hear it from someone else... Its such a blessing! But somewhere inside of me I am feeling empty. I don't want to go to work. But I am feeling very unfulfilled and not quite sure what to do with it. I struggle to keep my house clean, I hate doing laundry, I hate making a grocery list and getting groceries (I know, hate is a strong word)... but you would never know I was a stay at home mom if you looked at our house. Makes me feel sort of like I'm not any good at my "job". Hm. So that's why some days are better than others, and why this week has been a rough one. My "boss" has been yelling at me a lot and I feel like I cant get the job done. Any of you other moms out there feel like this or am I on my own?

6 months!

Today is Sadie's half birthday!!! Hard to believe that she has been part of our lives for a half a year already!!! Every day I love her more and more. It has been SO much fun to watch her grow over the last 6 months and I cant wait to continue to do so! :)

The last month has been a bit on the boring side around here... we have been happy to see the sun more and more. Cant wait for it to warm up outside so we can spend time outdoors and get some fresh air! We did get the plans for our addition finally and are working on getting numbers, yet another reason why we cant wait for spring around here... finally get that addition started!!!

Here is what Sadie has been up to...

• Still eating breastmilk 3 times a day, cereal twice a day, and at dinner she has some baby food too. She is not picky at all and eats both rice cereal and oatmeal in addition to pears, apples, bananas, green beans, peas, squash, and sweet potatoes. We plan to try peaches and carrots before we switch to the stage 2 foods (and I might make some of my own food too...)
• Sleeping about 12 hours at night... from 8:30-8:30ish. She will roll around in her crib at night but does really well and hasnt had any issues with getting any legs stuck or anything :)
• Naps are hit or miss... it seems like some days we are spot on and will get 2 good naps in and then other days are way off and we will be lucky to get an hour total all day. I try to be consistant with her on the napping schedule but when she fights it for over an hour some days to go down, well it throws the entire day out of whack!
• She is such a happy baby, laughter and coos fill our house most of the time. My favorite is when she is sitting her highchair while we are eating dinner and her and Daddy will just sit and laugh at eachother. Too much fun!
• She likes to play with anything and everything. Sophie is definately a favorite, but she has a pink elephant that she likes too! Anything that she can get her hands on will go in the mouth - but she's getting really good at working her little fingers to pick up what she wants. She also is really good at picking up the pacifier and putting it in her mouth. :)
• Her rolling skills are pretty awesome to say the least. She wont stay on the rug hardly when we put her on the floor. Back to tummy to back... both ways, just to get whatever she is going after. She scootches a little too - but not quite strong enough to crawl yet. Sadie also loves her walker. Just recently she figured out how to "walk" in it and not just move backwards, so that has been a new adventure because now she can get around a lot better!
• She is up to 17lb 4oz and is 28in long.
• Wearing mostly 9month clothes but moving into 12 month (some 9mo pants are too short, but some 12mo are too long), and size 2 diapers, although when this stash runs out we have a pack of size 3 waiting for us!

Every day that goes by I love my little lady more and more. She is such a blessing!!!

Don't know why...

There is a song by Norah Jones called Don't know why, and although it has nothing to do with what this post is about, I thought the title to her song was very appropriate.

Today I am feeling unbelievably grateful and truly blessed.

Never in a million years could I have imagined the feelings I am having at this moment, and they are the most wonderful feelings in the world! Tonight as I was rocking Sadie after nursing her at bedtime she fell asleep on my shoulder, and I rocked her a bit longer than I normally would. She is so amazing, such a blessing, such a sweet lovable little girl, and I just cant wrap my mind around the fact that she is mine.

I have a very dear friend that has been trying to get pregnant for 10 months now... and I know of other friends and relatives who have struggled with conception issues as well. So I cant help but wonder why I was so lucky and blessed to be able to get pregnant right away with Sadie, why my pregnancy was so healthy, and why was Sadie born a healthy 9lb 15oz...

I don't know why God does what he does, I do know that everything happens for a reason. I lost my job 15 months ago for a reason, that was to be a mommy. I never thought I would be happy being a stay at home mom, but I cant imagine it being any other way.

There are reasons that people struggle with fertility issues... I don't know why, but there is. It is very hard for me to watch my good friend go through this struggle. I wish I could fix it for her. I wish I could wave a magic wand and have her experience what I am experiencing. I wish sin wouldn't work the way it does and cause so much pain for such good people.

God has a plan and He uses even the most difficult situations for good. I know this. But amidst all of my joy and happiness today, there is a sadness in my heart for my friend (and others) who struggle to grow their family.

5 months already!

Can you believe it?! Sadie is already 5 months old! She is just growing up way too fast!

A lot has happened in the last month... we went back to the cardiologist and had an ekg done - he said everything looks great and that she is just SO beautiful (but did we really need him to tell us that?!) We have to go back again in 6 months and will have another ultrasound done on her heart, but until then we are good to go!

We also had a bout of RSV that entered the house... that wasnt fun at all, but Sadie handled it very well. Elliot and I both got sick as well - so that was a bit of a challenge to get better all the while taking care of her, but we all survived and no one had to go to the hospital either (what a relief! since my nephew had RSV when he was about Sadie's age and ended up with pneumonia!)

Here is what Sadie is up to at 5 months old...

• still eating breastmilk mostly, from bottle and breast. But we have also introduced rice cereal mixed with breastmilk for dinner as well as we just (as of last night) started with some other food... first try was pears and it was a success! She loved them!
• She still sleeps very well at night, although when she was sick she would wake up at least once a night... and we are making the transistion to no swaddle and no sleep positioner so we have had to go in there and give her the pacifier back... and she is sleeping on her tummy now since she will roll from her back to her tummy and just sleep there.
• Naps continue to be a challenge (in fact she is fighting one as we speak)... but we're working on it. Recently (once she falls asleep which usually takes 15-30 min of fighting it) she will sleep for 1.5-2hrs for her morning nap and then will take a 45-60min nap later in the afternoon.
• Her laughter continues and she is SO much fun with how much more interactive she is becoming every day! She loves to grab onto things (including daddy and grandpa's beards) and is full of smiles!
• Sofie is still her favorite toy, she comes with us everywhere... but she has started to get into the tags on other toys so I have gotten out her taggie blanket and other toys of that type that we hadnt had the need for yet...
• She is working on her rolling skills... can roll from back to tummy and tummy to back (although that one isnt as consistant)... and she can scootch one she's on her tummy. Definately not a crawl yet because those little arms and legs arent quite strong enough, but she's getting there!
• Since we had the appt at the cardiologist 2 days before her 5 month birthday... we know that she is 15lb 6oz (up 1/2 lb from her 4 month checkup) and is 27.5in long (.5in longer than 4 months).
• Still wearing size 9 months clothes and size 2 diapers.

So hard to believe that we are closing in on half a year with our little sweetheart, we love her to pieces and cant wait to watch her continue to grow!!!

4 months

Turns out I am pretty bad at this. I just can't seem to find 10 minutes to update the blog... so let me take you through whats been going on the last month...


Sadie started rolling over from her back to her stomach on Christmas Eve - she would get on her tummy and then just YELL because she hated it so much. Well today she started to go back onto her back from her tummy and it seems like overnight she has begun to enjoy her tummy time at least a little bit. She is holding herself up more and looks like she could pull herself up on her knees if only she was strong enough! SO much fun!!!


She did so well with all of the Christmas parties and also being baby Jesus at the 5:30 Christmas Eve service at our church. I think as long as there are things going on and she can stay distracted then she is good to go and can go a long time without getting fussy - which I am very thankful for! But you definately need to look out once those distractions have left :)


Its hard to believe Sadie is already 4 months old (and a little more)! I have no idea where the last 4 months have gone - but I have enjoyed every bit of it watching her grow and learn about the world around her!!!


And now for the 4 month update...

• She is still taking both breast and bottle - Monday nights are dad's night to put her to bed and that has been going better and better every week :) We're talking about starting her on rice cereal, but are waiting a bit longer because she does so well on breast milk alone eating every 3 hours during the day.
• She is sleeping wonderfully at night... she goes down between 8:30-9pm and doesnt wake up until 9-10am. Then after eating and playing for a little while, she will take a 1-1.5 hour nap in the morning. Afternoon naps are still a little tricky, rarely will she take anything longer than 45min-1hr, so she usually will take 2 of those naps in the afternoon. But she is pretty regular on eating at 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and bedtime (give or take an hour) so it makes planning days pretty nice :)
• She has finally started to giggle! Not just laugh a little, an all out giggle - which is usually the result of me doing something totally embarassing or crazy, but its totally worth it to hear her laugh! We are loving the new noises she is learning to make in addition to the constant smiles she has to offer when in a good mood!
• Sadie also LOVES to play with Sofie the giraffe. It is by far her favorite toy - but anything she can reach out and grab onto will head towards her mouth and provide at least some entertainment :)
• She can roll over from back to stomach both ways and stomach to back (not sure if its both ways or not because she just started this today!) and it seems like overnight she has begun to tolerate (and dare I say even like?!) tummy time, so hopefully that trend continues and we can keep spending time on our tummy and building those muscles! We also spend some time in the bouncy seat (although much less than before) and the walker is a favorite on occasion too - and she can scoot around pretty well in that! (Look out dogs!)
• She still loves to soak in the world around her - like I said she will stay pretty distracted if there are people and things going on around her, so she is always looking at whats nearby. The doctor said we dont have to worry about her hearing because she definately looks at you when you start talking to her!
• Still sleeping swaddled on her side in the sleep positioner (although the swaddling is becoming a little looser)
• She weighs in at 15lb 14oz and 27" long!
• She has moved fully to size 9mo clothes - some are a bit big, but not bad, and she is wearing size 2 diapers!

Every day is a blessing with this little one and I am so thankful that God has given me this beautiful daughter as well as given me the opportunity to stay at home and raise her. I just love being a mom so much more than I could have ever imagined!!!

3 months old and much more!

Hard to believe its been almost a month since my last post - time sure flies!!!

Sadie is now 3+ months old. She is growing up right before my eyes!!! In fact this morning she rolled over, from her back to her stomach and then popped right back to her back because her arm was under her - but then she just looked up at me and gave me the cutest smile! She was so proud of herself!

We went to Traverse City for most of the week last week - a little mini vacation with our new family :) We stayed at Pinestead Reef (where Elliot and I typically take a weekend away every fall...). It was a lot of fun! Sadie did VERY well sleeping in the packnplay, she went swimming a few times (didn't like it the first 2, but the 3rd time in the pool seemed to enjoy it!) and also went wine tasting with us (of course she didn't sip any herself....). We were also able to visit with an old co-worker of mine and my cousin and her family that live up there - so it was good to reconnect with them too! We were a bit crazy because we drove up there in a blizzard... no, I am not exaggerating - there was literally a blizzard warning and businesses were closing, the highway was a mess - you had to rely on the rumble strips and reflective poles to figure out where the road was! But we made it safe and sound (thanks to my wonderful hubby and four wheel drive:) )

We also had Sadie's baptism this past weekend. She did so wonderfully - jumped a little when the water first hit her head and gave Pastor Mike a bit of a dirty look :) BUT no tears, and we even were able to sit in the Sanctuary without incident. I think we'll definitely do that again. :) We are very blessed to have a large network of family and friends that were there to support us as a family unit as well... that was so wonderful! Our prayer as parents is that we will raise Sadie in a loving Christian home in which she knows that God loves her and he sent his son to die for her sins. We can only hope and pray that she will share our love for the Lord too!

Now for Sadie's 3 month update...

• She still is taking both breast and bottle, and eats about every 3 hours when she is awake
• Her sleep habits are stil wonderful :) She goes to bed between 8:30-9:30 and sleeps until 7-8am, then eats and goes right back down for a "morning nap" and sleeps until between 10 and 11! Then in the afternoon she is a cat-napper. Cant get that girl to take anything more than a 30-45min nap in the afternoon and she usually is good for 2 of them for about 1-1.5hours of napping in the pm. Cant really complain - I would much rather have her sleeping well at night!
• Her playfulness and interactions are increasing by the minute! She isnt afraid of new people and has really started to chat it up with just about anyone. She loves to smile and occasionally we can get a giggle or two out of her. But smiles are her favorite (and ours too!) She also likes the sound of her own voice and can sit in her bouncy talking to herself (or sometimes yelling too!)
• We have been trying to do better with tummy time (although Sadie hates it) so tt is usually on Mommy's tummy or if I'm folding laundry she will tolerate it on the floor for a short time. She loves her bouncy yet too - and that is a wonderful thing! She has started to play with her toys as well... everything has to go into her mouth - so if she can get a hold of it... thats where its going! Also we just started putting her in her walker a couple of weeks ago - not mobile yet, but I just noticed today that her feet can both sit flat on the rug underneath her... something that was not true when we did this before... hmmm better warn the dogs!
• Shes a very observant little girl and LOVES to just watch the world around her. She loves the dogs and likes to watch them come and go... or watch you from across the room too! She's always soaking it all up!
• Sitting and standing with assistance is something Sadie loves to do as well! Her little legs are SO strong its amazing!
• She sleeps swaddled, on her side in the sleep positioner.
• I am not sure how much she weighs or how tall she is - no doctors appt this month, but she is definately growing!!!
• She is wearing some size 6 and some 9 month clothes and size 2 diapers!

On a side note... I went to the doctor this week - I have been having problems with my hands/arms falling asleep when I'm sleeping and then waking up in serious pain! So the doctor thought it was probably just carpal tunnel and gave me a brace to wear to hold my wrists straight, but also had some blood work done just in case its something with my thryoid. Well the braces seem to be working for the arm issues, but my blood work came back the opposite of what she thought it would... turns out I have hyperthyroidism which basically just means my body is working in overdrive. Good news is that in increases my metabolism so I can loose this baby weight faster... Bad news is there can be some problems that come beause of it so they are going to check my thyroid levels again in a month.