Its a....

It has been almost 6 months since I've posted?!  Seriously, how did that happen?  Since the last post a lot has happened, but the biggest news is we found out I'm pregnant again!  If you follow me on facebook, that would of course be old news, sorry. I just entered my 3rd trimester, also really hard to believe, and  I'm currently 27 weeks along! This pregnancy has been very similar and yet different from my previous two.  Different in the fact that I just don't think about being pregnant as much.  My plate is full caring for my two other children, and doing life. I guess by the third pregnancy it's old hat, I don't need to worry about all the other things I worried about with the first two! Its the same in the fact that it has gone very well so far, I'd even go as far to say that this has been the best pregnancy! I've started visiting the chiropractor again because of hip issues but that was something I dealt with in the other pregnancies as well. I have yet to share a baby bump picture so I guess its about time!

This picture was taken on our recent vacation to Maine the beginning of August, one of my favorite places!

We decided to find out the gender this time as well, and I wanted to share that with you all!  We are having another BOY! We are all very excited!  Here is the video we took when telling the kids!

Piper has been sure we were having a girl ever since we first told her we were having another baby, so she was a little disappointed at first but that all quickly changed!  We now have fun asking her what we should name the baby, it's always something different and usually humorous! We haven't decided on what we are naming this little guy yet.  Any suggestions?!

Well, that's all for now, until next time...
-Monica

Piper turns 2 & Toby turns 7 months old!

Are they not the cutest kids you've ever seen?!  Maybe you don't think so but I most certainly do! Within a week of each other we celebrated Piper's second birthday and Toby turning 7 months old!  Pretty proud mama over here! I think they are tuning out pretty well :)  ... most days that is! haha



Piper:
She is repeating and imitating everything we do and say!  She is picking up new words and phrases everyday, it's so amazing to watch.

She has started talking in full sentences. The majority of the time I have no idea what she is saying though. I feel bad that I have to have her repeat it 3 or 4 times before I actually get what she is asking me for!

She can sing twinkle twinkle little star, or should i saw quinkle quinkle :)  I've been trying to catch it on video, with not much success. I was so proud of myself the other day because I was being so discreet and I thought I got it, but then realized I never pushed the record button.  : /

She works out with me in the mornings, its so hilarious watching her try to do some of the exercises!

She always wants to drink out of "big girl cups" which usually ends up with her choking and spewing out water because she lifted the cup up to fast.  Not to mention the spills and outfit changes, but she is getting better at it!

She loves talking to her grandma's on the phone, she thinks that's who I'm talking to every time someone calls :) She gets a big grin on her face when I turn on the speaker phone and talks very shyly, she gives grandma hugs and kisses by literally hugging and kissing the phone!


Toby:
He figured out he could make really loud noises so he's started yelling!  Its happy yells which is nice, I guess!

He can get himself up on his hands and knees and he will rock front to back, occasionally throwing in a little downward dog to go with it, or face planting because he rocked forward to hard!  No forward progress yet though.

He started clapping as well!  Its the cutest thing to watch, he always gets so excited!

We have no teeth yet, but he does clench is gums together, crinkle his nose, and give big cheesy grins! My absolute favorite!

He's been eating baby food 3 times a day now, along with his bottle.

Most nights he will sleep 10 hours straight, on occasion he will throw in a 12 hour night like he did last night! :)  If he wakes up before 10 hours we've been trying to get him back to sleep without feeding, which usually means Matt trying to give him some water, or just letting him cry a bit and hoping that he will go back to sleep.  Both strategies have not really worked that well, the other night he chugged 8 oz of water, went to sleep but then woke up an hour later and was mad and hungry.  It looks like he is on his way to sleeping 12 hours consistently though so we are hoping this comes soon!


Life has definitely gotten back to normal, I'm actually at the point where I can say I really enjoy being with both kids!  I don't dread getting both of them out of the house as much anymore.  It's still a lot of work to go somewhere with both of them by myself but it feels much more doable than it had previously! I'm really looking forward to this summer when we can all be outside playing, and there is warm weather!

 

Toby: 6 months

6 months was one of my favorite stages with Piper and it's no different with Toby! With Christmas whirling by and New Years upon us its been a bit crazy around here lately but he has been taking it all in with ease!

 Whats new this month?

 He's sitting up! Yay! Now I can leave him with a bunch of toys and he's content for a while! That is until big sis steals his toys or pushes him over :( we are working on that! She also loves to give him hugs and kisses which can unintentionally knock him over :)

 We've started him on solids. Somedays he's all into it, other days he wants nothing to do with it. I just keep trying, hopefully it will catch on soon! I think he's inherited my sweet tooth.

 He's on a pretty solid 3 naps a day schedule and has been doing really great with that. He's eating about every 3-4 hours, 4-6oz a feeding. At night he is usually sleeping from 7 to 7 with a feeding around 3 or 4 in the morning. I'm hoping to get him off that soon, this momma's excited for some full nights sleep hopefully soon!

 His hair continues to grow and his eyes are still very blue! He is such a sweetie, and so squeezable. Love him so much!

 We are excited to celebrate big sisters second birthday soon, and I'm hoping to start off the new year with some more disciple and routine in our lives. This past year has been a crazy one with a lot of chaos and disorganization but looking forward to new starts in the new year. More about that in another post! Hope you all have a Happy New Year!

Toby's first 3 months

You can definitely tell this is my second child!  With Piper I was totally up on things...doing posts once a month, with Toby he's already 3 and a half months old and I'm just now sitting down to do a post!  Better late than never right?!  At least I took pictures at the right time. :)

Wow, so this past three months has seemed like the longest three months of my life, but then as I think back it does seem like its gone relatively quickly as well.  For the first 6 weeks, Toby was just not very happy.  He would cry for the majority of the time he was awake, and often it was a really mad cry one that we couldn't figure out how to stop until he just fell asleep. For those of you who've had a colicky baby you can totally understand, but its one of the most frustrating and helpless feelings you can have.  He also did not enjoy being in the car.  Most car rides he would just scream the entire time. Needless to say we just didn't go away much those first 6 weeks. It seemed like it would last forever, but I just kept telling myself, he'll grow out of it, and that's really the only thing that kept me going some days.

At the 6 week mark he started smiling and from then on out things started getting better and better.  He would still have his moments of all out crying but they were getting less and less.  By the 2 month mark things were much better, crying bouts were few and far between and he was becoming a much more happy and pleasant baby!  He really has such a sweet spirit about him and when he smiles it lights up his whole face, and the whole room!

It was 11 weeks when I first heard him laugh. Often times he'll laugh the most when he is tired.  You can just be talking to him and all of a sudden he just busts out laughing.  Melts my heart every time! He loves cooing and talking. He gives such big smiles... he'll pull his head back so he has a double chin and then give the biggest grin.  I've been trying to catch a picture of this but he gets distracted by my camera when I try :(

At 3 months he's like a whole new baby!  Such a happy little man. We are finally into a schedule which really makes a world of difference.  I am still working on some sleep training during the day, but other than that he really is doing so well. Just earlier this week he rolled over for the first time, from stomach to back, he looked so surprised it was hilarious. He has also found his hands and can now grab my fingers if I hold them in front of his face.  Piper is also starting to want to interact with him more.  She will ask to hold him occasionally, and will get down on the floor and play with him sometimes too.  Can't wait til they can run around together!  They are going to be best buds.

Well... the kids are waking up from their naps so its time to go.  I'm hoping to get back into blogging regularly now that things are getting back on schedule.  There are definitely some things coming up that I'm excited about! Hopefully you'll hear from me again soon!

-Monica

Toby's Birth Story

Yesterday was the four week mark since Toby arrived.  Its crazy how fast time goes, but yet seems like forever at the same time.  Toby has been a bit more difficult than Piper was.  He's a lot more vocal... all the time.  Not sure if he's colicky or just has a lot of gas, either or it's been a challenge.  Most days I'm mentally checking off in my head, one more day down only "x" more days/weeks left til we hit 2 months!  2 months was when Piper started sleeping though the night on a semi-regular basis, and once that happened I felt like I had some of my sanity back.  He is super cute, which helps immensely after he's just spent half the day driving you crazy, and he is starting to smile which is so much fun!  Newborn stage is not my favorite, it always feels like eternity when you are in it, but then looking back you don't even remember it.  Funny how that works.

Anyways, its about time that I share the birth story.  It was quite a whirlwind event, still can't believe it all went down the way it did.  I just saw an article in the paper this week about a couple who had their baby on the side of the road, while reading it I said another prayer of thanks that it wasn't us! 

TOBY'S BIRTH STORY

Wednesday June 18th
Throughout the day I was having mild contractions.  They mostly just felt like cramps but it was encouraging because I knew something was starting.  I was kinda hoping I would have the baby that day, but when the evening came things had quieted down and I only had a contraction here and there primarily when I was up exerting energy.  I went to bed a bit disappointed but knew my body was getting ready and that meant something was going to happen soon!

Thursday June 19th
3:30am: Woke up to go to the bathroom, realized I was having a contraction.  It felt very similar to what was going on the day before so I didn't think much of it.  Went back to bed.

4:00am: Contractions, although not strong, seemed to be coming consistently so I started tracking them on my iPod with a contraction timer app.  They were lasting about a minute and were coming every 8 minutes or less.

5:00am: I'd been tracking my contractions and they had been consistent the last hour, sleep was not necessarily happening as I would almost fall asleep and then have another contraction.  I remember them saying if you can't sleep through it then it's probably the real thing. I woke up Matt and let him know I'd been having consistent contractions for the last hour.  We decided to just wait and see what happens, Matt called our doula to let her know things were potentially starting but decided she didn't need to come over just yet.

5:30am: I had attempted to stay in bed up to this point but my mind was elsewhere and sleep was not happening so I decided to get up, shower and finish packing my hospital bag just in case this was actually it.  Once I was up and moving around my contractions starting coming closer together.

6:00am: Woke Matt up again to tell him he should probably get up, get his bag packed and call our doula to come over.  Contractions were still coming consistently every 5 minutes or so and were getting more intense.

6:45am: Our doula comes over, I can still breathe through contractions but they are now at the point where I have to stop what I'm doing to get through them. Matt wakes up Piper and gets her packed and ready for my sister in law who is coming to pick her up.

7:00am: Piper leaves, contractions still coming consistently but I'm not feeling like its urgent.  I try and eat some breakfast, baked oatmeal, but I only get down two bites.  Not really hungry.

7:30am: Things pick up a little bit and I decide its time to go into the hospital.  I call my doctor and she asks a couple questions. I remember saying my pain level was about an 8 out of 10.  She said I was welcome to come in whenever, but didn't necessarily need to go to the hospital.  If I wanted them to check me at the office, there was an appointment at 8:30.  I knew it wouldn't be super long because things seemed to be progressing.  I was guessing I might have an hour or so of labor in the hospital before the baby was born so I told her I would prefer to be checked in triage. I hung up the phone and went downstairs.  The next contraction I had I literally cried through it, it was that bad.  When it subsided Matt and I looked at each other and said we need to go now!

8:00am: We are on the road to the hospital.  I had had a couple more contractions before we left, each as bad as the one right after I hung up the phone.  The first contraction I had in the car was absolutely ridiculous, we are merging onto 222 (catching the tale end of rush hour) and I literally think I'm not going to make it, my body might just explode.  Now looking back I'm pretty sure I was in transition.  I never do well with contractions when I'm sitting down so I flip over (in the front seat) so I'm on my knees hugging the back of the seat.  The next contraction comes, I'm pretty sure my water breaks but nothing really comes out because he's descended far enough to block it, and I feel like I have to push.  I'm yelling at Matt "I have to push, I have to push!"  He's saying "don't push just breathe through it, just don't push!" ...while rubbing my back and trying to drive at the same time! At this point our doula is following behind us to the hospital and I'm thinking, I hope she knows how to deliver a baby because we might be having a baby on the side of 222. Contractions are really pretty terrible throughout the entire drive there, just trying to focus on breathing through contractions and keep my sanity. It was so incredibly uncomfortable though...every time Matt sped up my butt hit the dashboard and every time he slows down my belly hits the front of the seat.  Not fun at all. 

8:10am (approx): We arrive at the hospital.  I'm a hot sweaty mess because my face has been buried in the back of the seat for the entire drive. I look up from the seat and a wave of relief hits as I see we've actually made it.  I'm trying to keep my breath and stay relaxed, but when you know a huge contraction is always a couple seconds around the corner, its just really hard. Matt helps me out of the car and into the hospital...at this point walking is somewhat difficult because the baby is so low.  I remember there being a bunch of people in the lobby.  I have another contraction in the lobby, still trying not to push which is so incredibly hard when that's all your body wants to do. The lady at the front desk is all flustered and picks up the phone to call back to triage. The people in the lobby get a nice show while the contraction lasts! :)  ( I imagine it looking something like it does in the movies, but I'm pretty sure that's not at all how it actually looked) The lady tells us they are waiting in triage so Matt and our doula help me sprint-waddle down the hallway.  We get to triage and of course they need me to sign stuff, don't even know what I signed for, and I have another contraction while trying to sign.  After seeing my contraction they decide to take me in the first room available instead of whatever other room they had in mind down the hallway.  The triage nurses come in all calm and say something like.  "Ok we need to check you to see how far along you are, lets get you out of these pants."  The nurse goes to check me and yells "She's crowning, we need to get to delivery now!" I over hear them saying they aren't sure if they are going to make it to the room, and where is my doctor, call her immediately but grab the on call doctor just in case she doesn't make it in time. I'm hunched over on my hands and knees on the bed having a contraction as they wheel me down the hallway to the delivery room. The on call doctor comes in and introduces herself to me. I remember thinking it was weird that she was saying hi, while everyone else was in chaos getting things set up. A minute later my doctor shows up.  I feel another contraction coming on and I ask if its finally ok to push.  I get an enthusiastic yes from my doctor. Thank God!

8:24am: One contraction and three pushes later Toby August arrives!  9lb 6oz (what?!) Totally shocked at how big he was considering how fast he came, and he was early too! Guess I just have big babies. I'm still on my hands and knees so they hand Toby to me through my legs and help me turn over.  I can't believe how quickly it all went.  My mom calls to say she is here, she was supposed to be there for the birth.  Matt had called her when we left the house but she made it a couple minutes to late!

I'm kinda in shock that it's over already, but so incredibly glad as well.  Time really does diminish the recollection of how painful labor actually is.  After this birth, in the same fashion as the last, I think I really don't ever want to do that again!  The nice thing about Toby's birth was the fact that I got 6 hours of sleep before it happened instead of pulling an all-nighter for the birth.  Definitely like it this way around.  I didn't tear as bad this time either which made a world of difference in recovery.  I was feeling like myself again a lot quicker.  The thing that got me this time (which my mom did try and prepare me for but I didn't fully get it) was the intensity of the contractions afterwords as my uterus was shrinking back down to size.  I remember a little bit of pain the first day with Piper when nursing, but this time around it was full on breath-through contractions while nursing for probably the first week.  It was not nice at all... like little reminders of labor almost threatening to come back. :(

All in all it was almost exactly 5 hours of labor.  After things had calmed down a bit I remember praying for that exact number earlier in the week.  I remember thinking Piper's birth was 9 hours and I labored 5 hours in the hospital, it would be nice to only have a 5 hour labor this time.  Fun how God even answers the prayers you forget you prayed!  Unbeknownst to me, Matt was praying for an hour of hard labor with only 5 minutes of pushing.  Which looking back the hard labor started right after calling the doctor around 7:30 and Toby was born at 8:24, and with 3 pushes I'm pretty sure it was under 5 minutes of pushing!  Crazy right?!  Love when you can see tangible evidence of answered prayers like that!


For those of you interested in how we picked the name, both Toby and August were names we had heard randomly and liked.  Not sure where I heard Toby, but Matt like the name August from August Busch the former CEO of Anheuser-Busch. It was actually a name on our list from when we were pregnant with Piper.  I didn't like it as a first name but agreed to it as a middle name!  We wanted to pick a name that had a good meaning to it as well.  Toby (a medieval form of Tobias, which is the greek form of Tobiah, which is from the Hebrew name Toviyyah) means "Yahweh is good" and August (a form of Augustus) means "great" or "venerable". source  and for those of you who have to look up the meaning of venerable like I did... I'll save you the time, it means "accorded a great deal of respect, esp. because of age, wisdom, or character."

So there you have it! Toby's story :)  Despite being frustrated with him and his constant crying we are super excited that he is here and we love him so so much! We had newborn pictures taken the week he arrived and are waiting to get the pictures back so I'll post some more pictures as soon as we have them!


Until next time :)

Monica

Boy Nursery Ideas

We found out this week, that because of a miscommunication with one of our subcontractors, we will need to push back our move-in date a week.  Its a bit of a bummer because I'm just ready to move, but its also a good thing because we were needing a bit more time for the drywallers and painters to finish everything up. 

Anyways, to get my mind off of the move, I decided to have some fun and put together a little wish list for our boys new nursery.  Some of these items break the bank, so we'll probably be looking for similar alternatives but I totally enjoyed getting the ideas out and on "paper."

1. Cotton zig zag curtains, $39.   2. Land of Nod Metal letters, $34/each.   3. Simon the whale, $29.   4. Ahoy, $29.   5. Car love, $19.95.   6. Glider and Ottomon, $679, $296.   7. West Elm Pillow, $39.   8. Oeuf Classic Crib, $970.   9. Whale fitted sheet, $24.   10. Kew Dhurrie Pouf, $249.   11. Oeuf Mini Library, $678.   12. Baby Elephant, 11x17, $75


With Piper we ended up borrowing a bunch of random items from friends, which worked out great for us then. Now as our friends are also having more kids, the items need to be returned and so we are in the market to buy items we technically should already have.  Some things on our list are, a baby carrier (preferably an ergo), infant bath tub, and highchair. Part of me is excited about getting more baby stuff, but another part of me is over it.  If I had to do it all over again, I might just bite the bullet and buy everything on the front end, or maybe just buy stuff from friends who are done having kids! :)

Well, that's all for today, what do you think? Do you love it... hate it?  What are some items you love and can't live without?  I'd love to hear your opinion, drop a comment below!


-Monica

Its a....

BOY!

Yup that's right, we're having a boy!  We are super excited!!  You can read my last post here with our pregnancy announcement.  I am currently 24 weeks along with this pregnancy, and so far it has been a great pregnancy.  People have been asking me if I've noticed any differences between pregnancy's since most sources will tell you that you feel and carry different when having a boy verses a girl, but to be honest I really haven't felt much difference at all. My first trimester may have been slightly worse than last, with more nausea and tiredness, but that could also be because I'm chasing after a 1year old as well! Occasionally I'd almost forget that I'm pregnant because I really have felt great. Within the last two weeks I've definitely popped, and I'm starting to feel it in my lower back and hips a lot.  Guess its time to go back to the chiropractor. 

Picture time!

To be honest I can't believe I'm posting this picture because I totally look like I'm half asleep, it's mostly my fault though. I asked my husband to snap a pic while he was on his way out the door for work! haha

At this point I'm ready to start getting things in place and ready for the baby, but since we are moving it means the opposite is happening!  I try not to think about it but we still have a lot to get done before baby comes.  Lots of transition and change but its all good things, so I'm excited and only slightly overwhelmed!  If you think about it, prayers would be appreciated. We have to get a second nursery set up once we move since I don't want to be moving Piper out of her crib so soon, but knowing the gender this time around I'm getting really excited about decorating and picking out fun pieces!  I already have one or two little projects in mind that I want to get started on, I'll be sure to share them once they are finished!  

That's all for now!  I'll be sure to share more as the pregnancy progresses, and of course keep you updated on all the moving adventures! 

-Monica

:: 11 months ::

This coming Sunday is actually Pipers birthday so I am WAY behind on getting this post up! :(  I must say this year the holiday season seemed so much busier than previous ones.  Not sure if that is just because we have this precious little girl with us, or because Thanksgiving was late this year, or we just had more going on, whatever it was it made for a busy couple weeks of fun and family.  So this week is the first week it finally feels like things are back to normal, except for the fact that Pipes has been out of commission.  Makes me sad seeing my girl sick but I do love the quality snuggle time it provides, she is not normally one to curl up on your lap. 

Anyways, wanted to post 11 things Piper is up to at 11 months old!

1: Crawling is a thing of the past and is only used when she needs to get underneath something!  This girl is always on the move!

2: We've got two more teeth coming in alongside each of her top front teeth, making for a total of 6 so far.

3: She is learning things so quickly!  If you ask her what sound a puppy makes, it may be a little delayed but you will eventually get and "ouf ouf" out of her!  Our neighbors have a dog and anytime they let it outside it will bark and Piper will perk up and say "ouf ouf" So cute!

4: She loves books!  If I'm sitting on the couch she will grab a book and bring it over to me to read to her, animals are what intrigues her the most these days!

5: We are still doing some baby food but we will give her whatever we are eating if its something she can chew.  She tries to stuff as much as she can in her mouth though so we have to moderate how much we give her!

6: I can't really be in the kitchen doing something without this little girl attached to my legs.  When I'm cooking something she always want to see what is going on and of course taste any food that I might be eating.  Making dinner with one hand is now my new talent! 

7: If she can push something across the floor she will.  It started with her little activity table, and now its our dining room chairs, plant stands, her basket of toys, and the occasional book, just to name a few.  I saw her trying to push the couch the other day but it wouldn't budge and she started getting frustrated! haha

8: She has gotten more bumps, bruises, and cuts in the last couple weeks that she has before.  I think because she has gotten more confident with walking she isn't being as careful.  Hence all the scratches on her face in the pictures!

9: She has figured out she can climb into the kitchen cabinets :( Of course this is after removing all of its contents onto the kitchen floor.

10: No more nursing for this little girl! I've officially weaned her, and she now gets a sippy of milk before going to bed and will sleep the whole night. 8pm-7am

11: She is still doing two naps a day but sometimes she will skip a nap, I'm hoping for my sake she won't drop a nap too soon, but you never know!

We honestly cannot get enough of this girl, she is such a blessing and I can't believe she has almost been with us for a year already!  We love you so much Piper Ann!

When 3 becomes 4...

We got an early Christmas present this year, the news that we were expecting our 2nd!!! We are incredibly excited about our expanding family and I could hardly wait to share the news with you all! Instead of doing a Facebook post for the announcement we decided to put it in our Christmas cards this year! Its been fun getting responses back from people as they open the card and see the news! 

For our family's, who got the news first, we did it a bit differently and let Piper do the telling!

This first trimester has been a bit more ruff than I remember it being with Piper.  I still have been able to keep my food down, but have had many more food aversions this time around and nausea.  Thankfully that part of it seemed to be the strongest during weeks 6-8 and gradually taper off after that.  Every now and then it will still hit me but overall I'm doing much better.  I'm officially 12 weeks along and hoping to hit that 2nd trimester energy boost soon, this momma has been dragging!

The newest Gibbel is set to arrive sometime around June 23rd!  We can't wait to meet him/her!


We also have another awesome Christmas present this year, but I'll tell you more about that another week! Stay tuned!


-Monica

:: 10 Months ::

This little girl has been such a blessing and a joy to us!  With each new month her personality is coming out more and more it is such a fun thing to watch and get to be a part of! This month I have literally seen her take new strides, that's right, she has started walking!  She still tends to revert to walking along furniture and crawling since that gets her places faster, if she's in the mood though she will let go and walk where ever it is she wants to go! 



Here's what else is new in Piper's world:

-She finally has two more teeth coming in.  The top front two have pushed past the surface and you can now see them when she gives those big smiles we have come to love!

-Speaking of smiles she has started doing the most adorable smile ever.  She scrunches up her nose and squints her eyes and gives a big wide smile!  Kills me every time!

-We've started her on finger food.  She still get mostly pureed baby food but usually we will throw in something for her to pick at,  chicken, or different cheeses, banana, crackers, cooked veggies, etc.  She is a great eater and especially loves when she can feed herself!

-Her repertoire of noises is definitely increasing.  She pulled out some new noises including a farting noise, and what aunt Rochelle describes as a purring noise.  She has also started making a "th" sound, and is really babbling a lot these days.

-She loves to carry things around in one hand as she walks around the house.  We've been getting a lot of mailers lately and those seem to be her favorite. She will also grab the occasional toy, book, or article of clothing to accompany her as well!

-She has figured out there are things behind doors.  She had previously figured this out with the kitchen cabinets, but now in the mornings when I bring her over to our room to play while I finish getting ready if I don't close the door completely she knows how to open it and that is usually the first thing she goes for.

-She has started mimicking what we are doing.  Mostly with noises.  If I make a noise she will repeat it.  Uncle Sam and aunt Rochelle have also taught her some tricks, namely how to go "crazy" which consists of her rolling her head around in all directions.  If you do that to her she will do it right back! We are still working on getting her to blow a kiss though, without much success.

- She has definitely started to get a little more clingy.  I've noticed this especially after her second nap she doesn't want to play right away like she used to.  If I put her down she is right back at my legs and crying for me to pick her up.  This makes cooking dinner somewhat interesting, lets just say I'm learning to do a lot of things one handed.  And I think Piper just likes to watch what I'm doing.

making the "farting" noise

model pose! :)

scrunchy nose smiley face

:: 9 months ::

Say what?! She's nine months already!! Life around the Gibbel household just keeps on moving and so does this little girl, here's what she's been up to this past month!

-Her new favorite thing is climbing the stairs :/
-She took her first wobbly step the other day! She is still very quick though to grab your hands and take a stroll around the house.  This is another one of her most preferred activities and often has my back aching from bending over so much! :)
-She is starting to eat more and more non baby foods. (bananas, pears, grapes, avocado) They still have to be really soft for her to eat them but she loves feeding herself and will stuff as much food in her mouth as possible if you give her the chance.  
-She loves to dance and jump up and down.  Even when I'm holding her on my hip, if she gets excited she will bounce up and down, its really cute!
-We've mastered sitting in the grocery carts when grocery shopping and have even started to reach for things, especially when in the checkout lane! haha
-She LOVES books!  Sometimes I'll be in the kitchen and it gets quiet so I go to check on her and she's pulled all her books off the bookshelf and is laying on the floor looking at them!
-She loves ceiling fans and will wave at them every time she sees one, occasionally we can get her to wave goodbye as well!
-When she is really focused on doing something she will stick her little tongue out!
-My hand weights are right next to all of her toys and are usually one of the first things she goes for!  Already doing workouts!

All is all she is such a joy to be around!  She makes me laugh everyday and when she see's me laughing she will join in which makes me laugh even more!  Couldn't imagine living life without her, and can't believe how big she is getting!   Enjoy the pictures :)

 She loves standing at the window in the kitchen holding the blind pulls!

:: 6 Months ::

And just like that half a year has gone by!

Well we are almost crawling people!  Just the other day I caught her up on all fours rocking back and forth.  I must say I'm a little nervous to have her crawling, I've gotten used to finding her in the same relative area that I left her in.  It will mean readjusting the way I do things... I guess that's always the case though!

Milestones for this month:

-She is almost sitting up completely by herself! She hasn't figured out how to prop herself with her arms yet so when she goes to reach for something she will still fall onto her stomach or back.

-She is becoming quite mobile, like I mentioned above she is showing signs of moving toward crawling pretty soon.  I can barley keep her on her back when changing her diaper, or clothing her for that matter.  She is constantly wanting to roll over, its like a mini wrestling match just to get her changed these days.

-Still no teeth we are still waiting for them to make an appearance, but I can kinda see them below the surface. She is gnawing on everything she can get her hands on, including those little feet of hers!

-We just started her out on food two days ago with some mashed avocado.  She's not quite sure what to think of it!  Matt has the video on his phone so I'll have to grab it from him and post so you can see.

All in all she is such a happy little baby!  Always giving smiles and chatting away.  These days she is doing two to three naps a day.  Her naps are anywhere from 1.5 - 3 hours. She generally naps in the morning and then again in the afternoon, sometimes though she will need another little one in the late afternoon to hold her over until bedtime.  With her going to bed between 7:30 and 8 it means we are at home a lot more in the evenings than we used to be.  Needless to say we've been watching The Office a lot these days!

Here are a couple more pictures, enjoy!
-Monica

:: 5 months ::

This was the month it really hit me, she is growing up fast! Before she would make slight changes within a month but I feel like now I can see noticeable changes on a weekly basis! Its quite amazing how quickly they learn and adapt to new things!  I am absolutely LOVING this stage.  She is so much fun to play with, super responsive, and just a pure delight.  There are no words to describe how precious she is! :)

Whats new things have we learned this past month?

-She can officially roll over both ways although tends to get stuck on her stomach and not remember how to roll back over.  The beginning of the month this happened more frequently and it happened a lot a night too which meant she was waking up a lot, frustrated because she was on her stomach.

-Sit me up!  When you try and hold her cradle style she always tries to sit up!  She can't sit by herself yet but this is definitely her position of choice. We officially pulled out the exersaucer, thanks to Aunt Beth, and she loves it! I was just watching her play in it yesterday and was amazed at how she had figured out the toys already.  She knew how to spin the rattle and turn the driving wheel, etc.  When I had first put her in a week or so ago she was just trying to stick everything in her mouth!  That still is the case but a least she's gotten the hang of it!

-She knows how to stick her nuk in her mouth by herself! This has made nap time and night time so much nicer.  She still inadvertently throws it across the crib when it gets stuck on her hand, and then she can't find it, but if its laying in front of her she can pick it up and figure out how to get it into her mouth right side up!  Its fun to watch her figure it out, it usually takes a couple tries but she's got it down!

-She's definitely changed up her schedule a bit this month, dropping a nap during the day and staying up much longer in the evening.  She is also going longer in between feedings which is nice as well. All in all I get to hang out with her more and that is always fun!

There are a bunch of other little things, but I'll spare you all the details and give you some pictures instead!