8 Months!

Size: Diapers-size 3 She goes to her 9 month check up this month. It will be fun to see how much she has grown. She is wearing 9 month clothes and even some 12 month clothes. She is HUGE all of the sudden.

Eyes: Blue blue blue!

Hair: Oh my goodness- her hair is coming in all of the sudden. There is so much of it!! It is getting wavy and becoming more coarse. Can you say curly hair?!

CURLS!!!

Sleeping: She has been sick NONSTOP this past month. Poor girl. Her sleeping has been off and she puts up a pretty good fight. But, she is feeling better and is on a routine! I love it. She always wakes up happy.

Eating: She loves eating!! She loves eating dinner with us. She would rather eat off my fork than putting things in her mouth. I think she likes being a big kid. She has almost conquered using her forefinger and thumb to pick up food. She loves sharing food- If I am eating a cracker, I will help her take a bite and then she looks at me with cheesiest grin and is sooo proud of herself. Oh, and she eats EVERYTHING. We have had a couple instances where she has thrown up because she has tried to swallow a leaf or something. Gah. I will be happy when that stage is over.

Milestones:

• She is a little stinker! She understands the word "no" and I say it before I move her from touching something. Example: she loves to go under my vanity and play with all the cords. Once she starts crawling that way I will say, "Lorelei, no no. Don't go under there." She will stop, look at me, get this mischievous grin, and crawl as fast as she can to get under the vanity. 

• She loves walking with her walker she got for Christmas. Ever since the first try, she has been a pro. It's so cute to see how proud she gets when she is doing something new.
• Every time Paedn or I come home from work she always starts waving as soon as she sees us. She knows the noise the key makes in the lock as well and will look straight at the door waiting for us. 
• She is seriously the most busy baby I have ever seen. It is getting challenging because she is mobile. I am trying to figure out ways to entertain her- especially at church when we have to be still and quiet. 
• Says "da da" and FINALLY said "ma ma"...once. 

• She dances all.the.time. When she is standing she shakes her whole body. When she is crawling she will start bobbing. Even when she is laying on the ground she will pop her lil booty. Cracks me up. I think I have myself a dancer. (The video above is her dancing on her knees!)
• Is starting to stand by herself. I first noticed her standing along the couch and would let go for a moment and grab the couch before she would fall. Now, we are helping her by letting go of her hands and watching her balance. The longest she has stood is about 10 seconds!! She did so well at finding her balance. 
• She wants to walk so badly. 
• She is finally calming down and will come sit on my our laps and watch TV for a few minutes. She has actually fallen asleep on Paedn's lap while he scratches her tummy. It was adorable!
• She is now blowing raspberries while sticking her tongue out. 

Favorite toys/activities:

•  Lorelei loves music. We could dance all day
• Still loves animals. She giggles every time she sees a dog.
• Loves anything that makes noise.
• She loves to wrestle with Paedn.
• She loves to get into things she's not supposed to. 
• She is paying more attention to the TV...sometimes. But, she absolutely LOVES and will always watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She is already my Disney girl!!

Nicknames: Still all the usual's.
Funny moments:

• She loved Christmas! Her favorite part was unwrapping all the presents. Ripping paper is the best! Her second favorite part was definitely all her cousins she got to play with!!
• For Christmas, my parents bought us a bike trailer. I was so excited to use this. We took her riding around the block and I expected some sort of reaction- smile, crying, something. She did absolutely nothing. It didn't faze her! Then, we went and explored Paedn's new truck and I let her sit in a seat by me and she started clapping and squealing! Made me laugh so hard.
• (Not funny) We almost had an ER visit. It was close to 3AM and she had had the really bad cough the last few days. After every cough she would scream and cry and cough again and it kept going. 
• Lorelei has the cheesiest smile ever!! Whenever she is playing with Paedn, she will look at him, smile real big and crooked, and then run away. 
• When she first started dancing while laying on her belly- her little booty just pops in the air. I was dying!! It was so funny. I got a little hip hop dancer already!!!

Looking forward to: Walking! I am guessing she is going to do that within 2 months. Also, her first words.


Paedn got a truck!! It's a little Ford Ranger Extended Cab. It is perfect! We are so grateful to finally have a second car. It's been challenging to do everything with just one car. But hooray, that stage is over! He wants to get camo seat covers and floor mats for it. He loves waking up every morning to go to work because he gets to drive his truck! He is such a boy. ;-) Of course, we had to name the truck. We found out the previous owner had already given her a name- Christina! But, because my sister in law's name is Christina, we decided to rename it. Paedn doesn't like old lady names, my car's name is Shirley. So, I suggested Rosie. (Yes, totally after the VS model! Also known as the girl from the third Transformers. haha!) And that is how Rosie got her name!


Picture Overload: Our fun adventures the past month!

She adores her Daddy!

sick ladies =-(

First trip to the park!

She loves playing with bubbles

Yay!!

playing with Daddy

Our little Christmas tree

meeting Santa!

At the Hancock's for Christmas

At the Toone's

She loves her cousins so much!!

First carousel ride!

she really wants to help Daddy play the harmonica!

her new favorite toy- a big box!

"I am so big I can hold the ball!"

hehe she's adorable

blurry-but too cute to pass up

Video

Playing her box! (Yes, that is her new car seat!!)

A little HOORAY for Hilary!

Today has just been one of those days. It's been a crazy month with Lorelei and Paedn sick for the most part. It's been an even crazier week with almost having to go the the ER with Lorelei. It still does not feel like Christmas, which is more then depressing because its my all time favorite time of the year. Anyway, today, I was just burn out. I finally talked myself into going for my run with Lorelei but once we were dressed and ready to go, I found out I didn't have the stroller. So, we headed outside to wait for Daddy. She enjoyed her swing and I took to raking the yard. That helped get out some of the exhaustion! When daddy got home I went for my mile run and decided to just walk afterwards. 45minutes later, Lorelei and I were back home and feeling great! So funny how working out, or raking the yard, can make you feel like a different person. Then, Lorelei went to sleep with ease!! Yeeeees! That hasn't happened in a long time because of her being sick and teething. For some odd reason, I decided I wanted to jump on the scale and weigh myself. Why? I have no idea! Every time I think I look thinner I weigh myself and need up being The exact.same.weight. I've been stuck at 130lbs for months. But, she. I weighed myself I had to stare for a whole minute. Was I seeing this right?! 124lbs?!! Ahhhh!! Finally!! I was just amazed I had such a bad day and it turned out to have a great end. You're attitude really effects your whole day. :-)

42 pounds down, 7 more to go for my pre-pregnancy weight!!!
I am never gaining that much weight again.
Let's see how that goes next time I am pregnant :-)

Videos

Here are two videos I wanted to post of my lady!!

This first one is a video from the choir concert. The last song the alumni are invited to the stage to join the current choir. Paedn brought Lorelei up. He was nervous about how she was going to react, but she loved it. She just kept looking around and soaking it all in. So funny!! This is the first stage presence of many for this little lady!

Ok, remember how I told you Lorelei will always stop and stare anytime "The Office" theme song would come on? Here's your proof. HA! No matter if she's crying, screaming, playing, whatever, she always stops and gets big eyes and finds the TV. Too stinkin cute!!

Lorelei- 7 MONTHS!

I haven't been able to take her 7 month picture yet with the volleyball. I tried but she is too wiggly and quick for my poor, slow camera. I will attempt when Paedn is there to help! =-)

Size: Diapers-3 She is probably close to 16lbs.   Clothes-9 months

Eyes: I swear her eyes get more blue everyday. Maybe she's going to have eyes like her Grandpa Steve!
Hair: Her hair is getting so long all of the sudden and there is so much of it. It is very blond and has a little wave in it.
Sleeping: She wakes up around 3am to eat and then again around 7am. We have a pretty good nap schedule down, too.
Eating: Finishes almost 8 ounces every 3 hours. She LOVES food. She is my little birdie. Every time she sees me eating she goes, "Oh! Oh!" and crawls over to me. When she doesn't like something, she sticks out her tongue and does a full body shimmy, as if she's saying, "Ew, gross! Get this out of here!"
Milestones:

• Oh boy, can she crawl!! She crawls FAST! She loves when we chase her.

• can pull herself up and then can sit back down.
• starting to walk along the couch. Right now, she's just staying in the little corner of the couch and goes back and forth.
• mastered grabbing food and putting it in her mouth.
• very close to mastering the pincer grasp.
• tries to clap!! She just started this. I love it!
• Has EIGHT teeth- all four front and bottom ones.
• Clicks her tongue nonstop.
• Starting to mimic us. She has said "hi" and "key key" (kitty). She tries to say "mama"-she moves her mouth like she is saying it but no sound comes out.
• ATB- All Terrain Baby! She crawls over everything and everyone. She has a bouncer/walker thing and she loves to crawl under those.
• Laughs and smiles ALL THE TIME. (not a new milestone- but I love it!)
• When she is standing up and then falls, she doesn't cry. She looks at me like, "Am I okay?!" I clap my hands and yell "yay" and she starts smiling and kicking her legs and swinging her arms as if she is cheering.
• learning to drink out of the sippy cup. loves water!! (not giving her juice)

Favorite toys/activities:

•  Lorelei loves music.
• As I cook dinner I put her in her bouncer and put on my "Show Tunes" playlist and sing and dance. She finds this hilarious
• likes to sit at the piano and help Daddy play and she sings along

• loves animals...especially dogs because they stick around when she "pets" them.
• loves blankets, especially crochet ones. She has to have her blanket to fall asleep.
• is starting to enjoy sitting down and reading a book. She was always too busy before!
• entertains herself very well. She is pretty independent!
• rarely watches the TV- she'd rather be moving and playing.
• chases down the vacuum. ha! She loves it!

Nicknames: Lady, Lor, LoLo, I have called her Laura a few times. Then all the generals like sweetie, honey, etc.
Funny moments:

• When she is tired she will crawl over to me and sit on my lap. Not funny but seriously adorable.

• Every time we make eye contact she gets a huge grin. I love how happy she is!

• At church she was being a little too active for class so I took her out in the hall. I let her crawl around and then I would go hide behind a corner and she would look for me. I would pop my head around the corner will quick so she could see me and she would squeal and head over. I would go behind a different corner and the process continues.

Looking forward to: Her first Christmas!! (if you know me, you know how much I LOVE CHRISTMAS!) Waving, her first words, standing up by herself. AH! Everything is happening so quickly.


Paedn and Hilary Update:

 Paedn is doing well! He is getting veeery close to be working full time again. He is talking about taking some college classes next semester.Very proud! He is such a help. He always washes the dishes (I hate doing dishes). He always makes sure I have a clean house. He likes having projects to do but we are working on him relaxing as well.

I had my first 5k race and decided to challenge myself and do the Mud Run. My wonderful sister and her husband ran with me. It is so helpful having someone run with me and push me to do better. It was more of a mental race then an endurance one for me. I do not like heights and some of the obstacles you had to crawl up a wall and then go back down the other side, which is fine! But, it's the whole switching sides up top that freaks me out. But, I am proud I can say I did every obstacle! My forearms are completely bruised and all up my legs. Awesome! Working out puts me in a better mood. The fresh air is great for Lorelei and me. Plus, getting my blood pumping is refreshing!

Six Months!

Size: Diapers-2   Clothes- 6-9 months

Eyes: Her eyes are very blue!
Hair: She actually has a good amount of hair, it just doesn't look like it because it is so blond!
Sleeping: She has gotten comfortable with the midnight feeding and our doctor told us to cut that habit now. So, we are in the process of that. She actually did pretty well last night! Let her cry for about 15 minutes then went into her room and rubbed her head/scratched her back while I sang to her and she fell alseep! Her naps have gotten better. She sleeps between 2-3 hours.
Eating: 6 ounces every 3 hours. We have given her sweet potatoes and she LOVED them. She kept humming and singing the whole time. So adorable. I am going to start giving her new foods and different textures. Excited to see what she will think!
Milestones: Still a busy bee!! She will not sit still and is army crawling so quickly. She is very close to crawling. She gets up on her hands and knees and takes a couple steps forward and then flops down to army crawl. ...I think she is impatient. She can also push herself up to a sitting position but won't sit for too long because she wants to be moving. She loves to talk and to squeal!
Favorite toys/activities: Anything that makes noise or anything that she is not supposed to have!
Nicknames: Paedn has been calling her Peanut a lot and I am still calling her all those pet names like "honey" or "sweetie"
Funny moments: This lady keeps me laughing the whole day! She is hilarious! Probably the most recent moment has to involve our cat! We just put up a gate to block the kitchen from the living room and Daisy (our cat) will sit on one side and Lorelei will be on the other and they will play through that gate. Lorelei will reach her hand through to try and pet Daisy and Daisy will swat back at her hand and Lorelei will just bust out giggling!! Daisy will reach up and stretch on the gate and Lorelei will giggle. It's so funny! She loves that cat. It's pretty impressive how fast Lorelei caught on to petting the cat softly. She is doing great! Daisy actually allows Lorelei to pet her and even tolerates the occasional fur pulling.
Looking forward to: When Lorelei will crawl over to me and will just want to sit and cuddle. That will be an amazing feeling. She is so busy all the time I don't know if it will ever happen!

At Lorelei's six month check-up she weighed 14 lbs 9 oz and was 26 inches long. She is a tall skinny girl! After her shots, she cried for only a few moments until I was able to pick her up and hug her. She is always getting compliments on what a happy baby is- and it's true! She smiles all the time and is very curious about the world around her. Lorelei loves little kids and is just mesmerized by them. Makes me certain that she is definitely supposed to be the big sister because I know in a few years she is going to be a big help!

learning how to escape the barrier 

my birthday cake Paedn made me!

doing push ups with Daddy

learning to sit!

All smiles!!

Rolling around.

climbing on Mommy!

Lorelei's First Time Eating Solid Food!!

This was Lorelei's first time eating solids. She did so much better than I thought she would do!!

5 MONTH Update!

I started writing this when Lorelei turned four months but life became so busy I never posted it. Added a few more notes and now it is all updated for her five months!!

Size: Diapers-2   Clothes- 6 months

Eyes: still very blue!

Hair:  The new hair that is coming in is very blonde and there is more of it. 

Sleeping: She has been off the past few weeks. Waking every 4 hours. I think she is going through a growth spurt!

Eating: averaging 4-6 ounces every 3 hours

Milestones: She will not sit still! Rolling EVERYWHERE! When she sees Paedn or I walking by she will try to roll over to us. SO FUN! She rolls to go get toys. She is so smart. 
When we are sitting on the couch and she is on the floor she tries to reach for the couch so she can be up there, too!
She loves to stand. If she could stand all day she would. She holds onto our index fingers and balances and tries to walk. She gets so excited.
Can sit while placing her hands on the floor in front of her. (tripod sit)
TWO TEETH!! So cute to see when she smiles.
She is getting so close to crawling. She inches like a little worm; brings her bum into the air and scrunches together and then shimmies and inches forward.
She jabbers ALL the time. Oh.my.goodness. She also figured out she can squeal so she has been doing that a lot more. She also does a fake cough to get our attention and as soon as we look at her she gets all bashful and smiles and looks.. 
Smiles all the time!! She is giggling more and more every day. She even giggles now when she is being tickled! LOVE! 

Favorite toys/activities: Anything bright and colorful. She has Pooh Bear, Marie (the kitty from Aristocats), Moo Moo Cow, Sherman the Giraffe, Catherine the Caterpillar that sings lullabies  and she loves her play mat.

Nicknames: Lor, Sugar, and we call her Turkey a lot

Funny moments: So many! They always seem to be poop stories! She was with Grammie Leeann at the grocery store and she was getting fussy so mom picked her up out of the car seat and didn't notice she exploded her pants. There was poo everywhere! I guess mom and the ladies working at the deli had a good laugh about it. Another one happened to Paedn. He was nice and changed her diaper for me. I was in the kitchen and all of the sudden I hear, "AHH!! EXPLOSION! Lorelei!! How can you have that much in you?!" I just started cracking up. I think I got all the poop during the newborn stage so it is being passed around for everyone else. =-) 

Looking forward to: Crawling! Call me crazy but I am loving each stage more than the last.


Updates on Paedn and Hilary
Paedn has had a good few weeks here! He has been able to work maybe 3-4 days a week. This is the most he has worked since his incident.  He isn't in as much pain. This makes my heart so happy!!  I am so proud of him. He is so happy to be feeling better. He still needs to take it easy though. His body definitely isn't used to all this work. He is still staying positive and is finding that motivation! When he can, he still loves to do his leather work to help him relax. When he wasn't able to work he did this all day long and it helped distract himself from the pain. We are hoping these are his steps on the road to recovery!! We are done with Mayo and they think he is getting better!


I am doing well. I am still working part-time and now am also coaching 7th and 8th grade volleyball. I love my girls!! I have a great assistant coach as well so it makes me feel less hectic. I am definitely keeping busy. When I am home I just want to sit and relax. I am feeling worn out, especially since Lor hasn't been sleeping well (she is waking up twice during the night instead of just once). But, we are making it work! I am training for my 5k in Novemeber. It's a slow process because of how chaotic my life is right now, but it's happening. I ran a 9 minute mile the other day. I was so proud. I am trying to get back to my high school days when I ran a mile in 5 minutes. I am weighing in at 126lbs!! I am so happy. I am only 10 pounds from my pregnancy weight. Ha- if you knew what I weighed when I had Lorelei then you would realize why I am so excited. The weight has been dropping pretty quick.