14 Months

It's an exciting and busy time of year here at the Wood house.  So far, Andrew has remained in state for peak season.  Andrew is putting in some long nights trying to help out where he can at work.  Seems the online shopping boom is hitting UPS, FedEx and the USPS pretty hard.  I know I have had a few deliveries delayed, and I see a few others have too.  Luckily, I have allowed myself plenty of shipping time for things.  I know everyone is busting their hump to make Christmas happen.  Hopefully we can all remember the reason for the season and be kind and understanding with one another. 

Izzy had a great second Thanksgiving, I think she enjoyed this one a little more than she did last year.  There's a strong chance she was more interested in playing with the straps on her booster seat than she was the Thanksgiving food, but at this point we just appreciate the things that can keep her entertained for a few seconds.  The week of Thanksgiving, Izzy and I took a staycation and hung out.  I enjoyed spending some extra time with her.  Although, I know she was excited to go back to daycare on Monday.  She ran straight to her teachers and friends!  I guess I was pretty boring. 

Izzy enjoyed some time with grandma and grandpa a few weekends ago.  She loved playing outside and helping haul pine branches.  She's quite the adventurer.  Much to Andrews liking, she loves the outdoors. 

Izzy has also discovered the lazy susan in the kitchen.  Unfortunately, there really isn't a good way to lock down the lazy susan, so the lids get flung around quite a bit.  Nothing breakable, so I can't get too worked up about it.  Although, I do feel like my new part time job is picking up toys, lids, etc.

Izzy didn't really gain any weight this month.  She is still 25 lbs, and has gained just a couple of ounces.  She's been at this weight for a couple of months now.  She has also been at the same height (32 inches) for a couple of months.  While her body might not be growing, her little mind is spinning all the time.  She has figured out how to put shape blocks into her shape sorter and would be content to do so 25 times in a row.  She loves reading to us and having us read to her.  Maya and Izzy have started to play together; more than Izzy just chasing poor Maya.  Buddy tries to stay out of the way for the most part. 

I finally packed away all of her 12 month clothes.  She has been wearing 18 month shirts for a couple of months now for the length.  Her 12 month pants were still fitting around the waist, so I was putting off packing them away.  However, when her 12 month pants turned into capris, I decided it was probably time to move on to her 18 month pants. 

This month I look forward to all the Christmas festivities with Izzy.  Obviously last year was her first Christmas, however, she was a little young to be aware of what was really going on.  She has discovered the Christmas tree.  So far, she is most fascinated by the lights and has left the ornaments alone.  We decided to put up the smaller of our two trees this year, and only put on our non-breakable/non-sentimental ornaments.  We will see if she continues to leave the tree alone. 

We have a few Christmas festivities over the next few weeks.  With any luck, Andrew will stay in town to participate in a few of these Christmas activities. 

13 months Old

It was another eventful month for Izzy.  We had a lot of fun celebrating all the fall festivities with her.  She was a little too young last year to do anything but sleep through Trick-Or-Treat, and we weren't about to drag a one month old out to the pumpkin patch last year (nor did I feel like moving more than 10 ft at a time at that point).  

We kicked off this month with a trip to the orchard.  It was chilly, but Izzy had a fun time playing in the dirt and helping grandma and grandpa pick out pumpkins! 

Izzy joined one of her friends out at Living History Farms for a fun Trick-Or-Treat event.  Our cute little strawberry had a great time.  She was quite selective with her candy, and was not a fan of anyone trying to take it from her.  I think she enjoyed the animals in the petting zoo the most. It was fun to watch her trying to pronounce the names of the animals.  She seemed to identify a few of them, but can't quite pronounce their names.  Of course dog is an animal she can identify the most.  "Do" is all we get out of her though.  

Izzy rounded out the month by helping daddy hand out candy last night, and than participating in her daycare Halloween costume parade today!  

Izzy has't physically grown much this month.  She only weighs a few ounces more, and is the same length as last month.  However, her little mind is working away.  Her favorite phrase right now is "uh-oh".  Of course, that means she also enjoys throwing things on the floor so she can say "uh-oh".  Meal time has turned into a battle in an effort to not feed the dogs everything on Izzy's plate.  Some days, I just give up on my efforts.  

We have also discovered the fine art of temper tantrums.  Most of the time, I just have to walk away.  Usually if we go into full on melt down mode, I know it's because she is exhausted.  

I finally put away the rest of her 9 month clothes.  There were a few things she was still fitting into, but it was time to move up to 12 and 18 month clothes.  She is in separate sizes for the most part in tops and bottoms.  She is wearing 12 month pants (unless the pants are cut slim) and 18 month tops (for the length and room through the shoulders).  She is no doubt built like her parents.  We moved her up to size 5 shoes over the last few weeks.  Apparently, this is a popular size in toddler shoes because finding shoes in her size at a consignment shop is difficult.  I have made a few lucky finds though! I have to remind myself that the shoes need to be functional more than they need to be cute.  Consignment shopping has become a new addiction of mine.  When I know she isn't going to wear clothes for more than a few months, I have a hard time paying more than a few dollars for tops and bottoms.  I have scored some amazing finds at a couple of local consignment shops.  

I spotted a couple more teeth popping through over the last week or two, including a molar.  I don't know if it's the change in temps, or her teeth coming through, but we have been dealing with a runny nose for the last week and an extra crabby disposition.  

This next month we will be partaking in Thanksgiving festivities.  In many ways, this feels like Izzy's first round of holidays since she wasn't really conscious to the world last year.  She's much  more interactive this year, and most of the time a lot more fun!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

This is a post I have wanted to do for a while, but haven't had the time and the thoughts haven't been complete in my head.  However, a few recent facbook posts I have seen gave me the final push.  The first article I read a few months ago.  The article was talking about how we need to stop glamorizing the "newborn" phase.  Sure, babies are cute, and they smell great (until they are covered in poop and spit up).  But, the newborn phase is also exhausting in every sense of the word that you probably never even thought possible.  A tiny human has you engaged in some sort of psychological warfare.

I have struggled with depression and anxiety for years.  When we found out we were expecting, I was excited and completely terrified at the same time.  When I was asked if I was excited, I of course said yes because I was.  However, in the silence of our house at night, I was also terrified.  I'm sure it was mostly normal stuff.  "Would I be a good mom", "what impact is this going to have on our marriage", "how are the dogs going to be", what is our life going to look like", "can we afford daycare".... the list goes on.

Nothing prepared me for the wave of emotion that came with bringing a new baby home.  Come to find out, it was totally normal.  Nobody told me about the "baby blues".  For a while, I thought I had lost my mind.  I was terrified I was going to spiral into a depressive state.  It wasn't until our doula came for our postpartum visit and told me it was totally normal to experience the emotions I was having that I realized I hadn't lost my mind.  

Over the last year, I have gone through a wave of various emotions.  I have been pushed to what I thought was the end of my wits only to find out they went a little further the following day.  Inevitably, I feel bad if I get annoyed or impatient with Izzy.  Tonight I had to remind myself to take a chill pill when Izzy had a melt down over not being able to reach something on the counter.  I get annoyed sometimes when she points at things that I know she wants me to hand her, but I have literally put everything she could have been pointing at in front of her and none of it seems to appease her.  I realize, this is her form of communication right now, and it has to be just has frustrating for her when we can't figure out what she is trying to tell us. 

I would be lying if I told you I didn't sometimes wonder what we have gotten ourselves into with this crazy thing we call parenthood.  It isn't all the happy photos you see on facebook.  An honest day in the life of a parent would exhaust anyone who hasn't experienced it.  Wake up to screaming child, battle said child to get a diaper changed and dressed for the day, prepare food for said child while she chases the dogs around and hope she doesn't get into something she shouldn't be because I don't really have a second set of eyes to keep on her while I'm cooking.  Finally sit down to eat what is now a warm breakfast at best only to have said child start launching bananas across the dining room.  Once breakfast is over, I hope for a little calm and a minute to sit and drink my coffee.  With a little coffee, I can do a lot of things; including keep my s*** together.  While I chug my coffee down, I watch as the tornado we affectionately call Izzy wreaks havoc on the main level.  The poor dogs try to find a spot they can sleep for 10 seconds before she comes barreling after them.  If only they realized if they went upstairs they could have uninterrupted peace and quiet.  Meanwhile, I'm just praying nap time comes soon and users in a phase of calm for a bit.  Actually, I will say this is one aspect of the craziness of a child that has gotten better over the last year.  There was a period where nap time and bed time was a total struggle.  Most days, I can put Izzy in her crib with a little music playing and she gets herself to sleep.  God bless this child for sleeping like her father.  Long, and like a rock!  It's not uncommon for her to sleep until 8:30 AM on the weekends.  For that, I really do love her (among many other reasons)!  After nap time is over, it's rinse, wash, and repeat from the morning.  You can see how it isn't always the easiest to get in time for errands or house projects. 

I often think of the phrase "the days are long, but the years are short".  Never has that phrase resonated with me more.  I never dreamed of being a mom, it wasn't something I grew up thinking about. Even after Andrew and I got married, we weren't 100% sure parenthood was for us.  While I wouldn't take back a single minute we have shared with Izzy, that doesn't minimize the daily struggle.  I struggle with balancing career and family, personal time for recharging and soaking up the minutes I get with Izzy or enjoying some alone time with Andrew.  I know this will be an ongoing struggle.  As we settle into our life as parents, I try to strike the fine balance of life.     

1 Year Old (part 2)

On to the second part of Izzy's one year update. We had her first birthday party a couple of weekends ago, and it was a huge success.  Thank you to everyone who helped Izzy celebrate her first birthday.  It was great to see you all; Izzy is one loved little girl! 

Izzy had her one year check up the day before her birthday party.  She weighed in at 24 lbs and 10 oz and measured 32 inches long.  As always, she is in the 99th percentile for her height and is in the 90th percentile for her weight.  She is in size 4 diapers.  She is wearing 12 month bottoms and 18 month tops (mostly for the length).  Poor kid is built like both Andrew and I in that department.  She popped two more teeth this month and is working on several others.  We discovered she knows how to climb the stairs, so we have to block them off all the time now.  We are working with her on backing down the stairs. 

This next month (yes, I realize it is almost half way over now) is another busy one!  We look forward to doing some Halloween/fall activities with Izzy.  Last fall she was really too little to be cognizant of anything related to Halloween.  We hope to take a trip to the pumpkin patch, and look forward to her first Halloween costume.  She has a Halloween party at daycare in a couple of weeks.

Now that we have rounded the corner on Izzy's first birthday, it has me reflecting on the things that worked well during our first year as parents, and things I would consider changing if there is a next time for us.  We don't know if there will be a next time (in case you were wondering). 

Things I/we would do again:
- Hire a doula - we would hire our doula again in a heartbeat!  She was amazing and made Izzy's birth experience the best we could imagine.
- Use a midwife group - we loved working with the Mercy Midwives. 
- Enjoy my pregnancy more rather than wishing it away.  I miss Izzy's kicks. 
- Stay active during my pregnancy- I really tried to get out with the dogs as much as possible for walks throughout my pregnancy.  I think being active throughout helped me have an easier labor. 
- Newborn photos - I was so glad both our parents talked us into doing newborn photos.  I love looking back on them now.
- Weekly progress updates - I also love looking back on my weekly updates to see the progression of my pregnancy.
- Invest in a pregnancy pillow- I hardly had any back pain when I was pregnant, and I think a lot of it had to do with my amazing pillow.  Yes, it took up most of the bed, but Andrew and the dogs made it work. 

Things I/we would do differently:
- Not find out the gender - I think it would be fun to have a surprise at the birth!
- Maternity photos - I had them booked and the deposit paid when I was pregnant with Izzy, but couldn't justify the expense and ended up cancelling them. 
- Stock the freezer - remember when we did a whole day of meal prep to stock the freezer before Izzy was born?  Yeah, that was the BEST idea!  We had meals for almost a month and a half.  It was a total life saver. 
- Placenta encapsulation - the post-partum hormones were no joke.  I have read great things about placenta encapsulation helping with those hormones
- Sleep when baby sleeps- people said this when I was pregnant.  When Izzy was napping, I was always worried about getting the house clean, doing laundry, etc.  Sleep is important, the other stuff not so much.
- Push tummy time - we really didn't push tummy time with Izzy.  As a result, she was five months old before.  I don't think she is permanently damaged as a result, just something I would change if there is a next time.
- Use glass bottles - I don't really have a reason for this one other than because I want to and I think they are more sanitary. 
- Buy fewer bottles - honestly, we have way too many bottles.  I would probably only buy 5 4 oz bottles and a couple of 8 oz bottles.  Izzy doesn't really take more than 5 oz at a time (except at bedtime).  I have a drawer full of 8 oz bottles that aren't really getting used. 
- Skin to skin - I would do more skin to skin contact after birth.  We really didn't do a whole lot of skin to skin with Izzy, and I think that might have improved our breastfeeding experience.
- Not use a nipple shield - I do blame the nipple shield for part of our supply issues. 
- Invest in a Spectra pump - I have heard great things about them!
- Take a full 12 weeks of maternity leave - this is probably my biggest regret about the early days.  I was concerned about going without pay or draining my time off.  Those are days and weeks I will not get back.  I underestimated the total life adjustment we would have after Izzy's arrival. 
- Have a baby in the spring - OK, this one is just funny for me.  I always said that I wanted a spring baby, and we ended up with a fall baby.  Just how things turned out for us.  I wouldn't change it.  As much as I love spring, I actually feel re-charged by fall.

See you all in a few weeks for our 13 month update!

1 Year Old (Part 1)

We made it.  We survived one year of parenthood and Izzy survived one year of us.  This last month has been quite eventful.  We kicked off the month with Izzy's first vacation.  Of course, it was to Green Bay, Wisconsin.  Where else would she go for her first vacation? 

Unfortunately, I got the bright idea to switch her formula out to a toddler transition formula just before our vacation.  She was quite crabby during our vacation, and I have a hunch this was part of the reason.  I'm not sure her system appreciated the formula change.  To add to that, she was working on a couple more teeth. Despite her extra crabbiness, we did have a good time on our trip.  We were gone seven days in total.  We rented a cabin for the week in Door County, which was beautiful!  During our time there, we traveled from end to end of the peninsula. 

The day after we came back from vacation, we took Izzy's 1 year photos.  We had quite the time getting some good photos out of Izzy that day.  Our wonderful photographer did a great job getting capturing some special moments despite Izzy's disposition that day. 

These are just a few of my favorites of the bunch.  Photo credit to Katie Lindgren Photograpy.  Hopefully next year Izzy is in a little better mood for photos. 

The rest of the month was busy while we prepared for Izzy's big first birthday.  It's hard to believe a year has passed since we welcomed our ball of fire into this world.  It's been a whirlwind year, but we wouldn't have it any other way! 

As we celebrate Izzy's first birthday, that means we have also crossed the finish line to my goal of breastfeeding Izzy for a year.  It wasn't easy, and it may not have been how I initially pictured it would go.  We fought for each ounce.  We worked through a bad latch and low supply.  We relied on donor milk from a friend to get us through the first weeks of daycare.  The last couple of months my supply had dwindled to practically nothing, and Izzy was really too busy to nurse most of the time.  Sometimes she will nurse in the morning when waking up.  She has gone through spurts where she had no interest in night nursing, but sometimes it's still the only thing that will calm her down at night.  I'm not sure when we will be done nursing at this point, so for now I cherish whatever remaining days we have on this journey together.

For more on the life and times of Izzy from 11 months to a year, stay tuned for my next post! 

11 Months Old

Izzy had another big month this month.  She experienced her first state fair.  She tried a few bites of funnel cake, some delicious port, a pickle, some ice cream from Bauders.  She even managed to get a nap in during her state fair trip.

Izzy continues to work on her walking and is now running around when she is in the house.  She's quick; it amazes me how fast she can get places.

Unfortunately, we had another month where we we had to be out of daycare for a day.  Some stomach bug, which also landed us a trip to the doctor to get a return slip for daycare.  Luckily, we haven't been there since early in the year for an illness.

On the bright side, we got to officially weigh and measure Izzy for her 11 month milestone.  She is officially weighing 23 lbs and 14 oz.  She measures 30 3/4 inches tall.  We just finished all her size 3 diapers and moved to size 4.  She is in mostly 12 month and 12-18 month clothing.  She has a few 9 month shorts that are still pretty big on her.  Once again the variation in clothing sizes amazes me.  A lot of this month was spent working on her upper two front teeth; they have really been kicking her butt.  

Izzy is becoming quite daring these days.  For those following me on Facebook, you saw the photo last week of Izzy climbing on the dishwasher.  Watching her get off was quite entertaining.

She has figured out how to climb the stairs, but is pretty good about listening when I say no.  We have a gate to put up at the bottom of the stairs, but I don't like to put it up all the time because that is the Buddy and Maya's only safe access to water.  No doesn't always work with Izzy.  Sometimes she just looks at me and smiles when I say it.  She is doing a great job of testing her boundaries these days.  Her personality is really starting to come through.  She's fiercely independent (can't imagine where she got that from), strong willed and determined.  She can be quick to anger when you interrupt something she is "working on".  Her smile lights up the room.  Just like her daddy, her blue eyes sparkle and can make everything better.  Her laugh is infectious and I often hear it throughout the day even when she isn't with me.

It's amazes how such a tiny person can truly turn life upside down.  There are days she drives me to the end of my rope.  However, I can't imagine life without her smile in it.  We are continuing on with our nursing journey; just one month shy of my goal.  I thought Izzy had night weaned a few months ago, but now that these teeth broke through, she's back on the bandwagon.  I'm not sure how long we will continue our nursing journey beyond her first birthday, but I do enjoy the bond with her.  Back in May, I decided to invest in a keepsake to remind myself of the bond she and I have shared this first year of her life.  I found a semi-local jewelry maker who specializes in breast-milk jewelry.

Some of the women who shared their stories about why they got jewelry made were inspiring.  Women who lost their babies but continued pumping to provide for other babies in need.  Women who has nursed for a decade or more combined for multiple children.  Getting 11 months in to the journey, I appreciate the commitment it takes to breastfeed over the long haul.

This next month is going to be a whirlwind, I imagine.  Izzy started off her 11th month by moving to the toddler room at daycare.  So far, so good.  Aside from a few bites from other kiddos in her new room, she seems to be fitting in well.  We are gearing up to head off on Izzy's first big adventure across state lines.  Actually, it will also be Buddy and Maya's first adventure out of the state with us.  It will be interesting for sure! We are all excited about it.  Trying to coordinate travel gear for two adults, a child and two dogs is A LOT different than it was when it was just Andrew and I.

Of course before we know it, I will be writing Izzy's one year update.  Excuse me while I go cry in the corner now....

10 Months Old

Ten months in, I suppose it's time to finally admit Izzy will turn one if I like it or not.  I have started looking ahead to her first birthday and am in full on outfit planning mode for her first photos.  I'm probably way overthinking/planning this, but she only turns one once, right?  Part of my acceptance that she is turning one was ordering the invites for her party.  They are still sitting on the table; right where I put them when I brought them home.  Yes, I will eventually open the box and address them, just not today.

Many days, I find my inner dialogue reminding me to slow down, enjoy each day and each moment.  One thing having Izzy has taught me is to enjoy the little moments in life more.  The big things will get done, and does it really matter if every speck of dust is picked up off the floor or the dishes sit in the sink an extra day?  More and more the answer is no.

The most exciting development in Izzy's world this last month was that she learned to walk.  Just a week shy of turning ten months old, she took her first steps.  She is still crawling most places, but is getting more and more daring with how far she is willing to walk.  Every now and then I throw a pair of shoes on her feet; that really messes with her.  I know it won't be too long before she's running all over the house.  She is already climbing the stairs.  We found out she knew that trick when we caught her playing with the dogs water bowl we moved onto the stairs so she couldn't get to it.  She's a quick little bugger.

She didn't really grow in height or weight this last month, which is fine by me.  I didn't want to buy three different sizes for her summer wardrobe!  I have given up on putting her in one piece outfits for the most part; other than dresses.  I bought her several 12 month rompers for the summer thinking she could wear those all summer.  Wrong!  I have to tug on them to get them snapped.  I'm in the same boat with her 12 month onesies.  Thank you, Old Navy for making longer clothing for kids.  Their 12-18 month clothes have been a life saver.  She is constantly pushing the limits on Carters clothing.  I do love the looks of Target's Cat&Jack line, I'm not 100% convinced on the quality.  But, she grows so fast, she's never really in anything long enough for it to be a problem.  Separates are our friends these days. I can't think of a single clothing item (other than pajamas) that she has worn more than a handful of times.

She's still wearing size three diapers at the moment.  Although, we only have a few packs left, so we will probably bump up to size 4 when she goes through those.  She's been in size 4's for overnight diapers for a while now.

Our daily reports from daycare always entertain us.  Several months ago, she put a kid in a choke hold because he pulled at her bangs.  After that, I think she and this kid got along swimingly.  This past week, I went to pick her up and they told me she worked for about 15 minutes at mastering standing up from a seated position without holding on to anything.  I can tell she is trying to master several skills right now because she is extra crabby.  She always is when she's trying to learn something new.  She did the same thing before she started to crawl; takes after her dad!

We have been lucky so far that Izzy hasn't encountered any food allergies.  When we first started solids, she seemed to have an issue with oatmeal, but she has shown no signs of any issues now.  She does love her fruit.  I can't say I blame her.  This is the time of year I could probably eat fruit by the pound.  She was on a veggie protest for a few weeks, but seems to be coming back around now.  Right now, she's working on her two top teeth, so she likes anything she can chomp down on; including my hand.  I've said "no bite" more times than I can count in the last few weeks.  On the bright side, she has not tried to bite any of the kids at daycare.

Just a note on the "bad" for the month, because you can't have the good without a little bit of bad.  We started off Izzy's 10th month with hand foot and mouth.  That is a nasty little bug that spreads like wildfire.  Luckily, she only ever had a fever for about 36 hours and didn't ever develop sores in her mouth.  She did, however, have them on her hands and feet and is still suffering the aftermath.  It looks like the nails on both her little toes are going to fall off as is part of her thumb nail.  We will all survive and move on, I just feel bad for her.  A not so fun highlight for me was being vomited on while in the middle of the mall food court.  Thanks to Izzy we all had a little run in with the stomach flu last weekend at some point.  I know that won't be the last time for that experience!

Looking ahead to the next month, I'm sure Izzy will continue to perfect her walking skills.  She will probably be running by the end of the month.  The state fair is coming up; we might have to introduce Izzy to the ultimate people watching experience!  Girl takes after her mom; always watching!  It's hard to believe August is right around the corner.  Where is the summer going?

We have a few house projects we would like to finish up before we wrap up project season.  Andrew has been hard at work the last few weekends with projects.  I don't get to help him with projects as much these days since I'm usually busy trying to chase down Izzy.   But, we make it work!

9 Months In, 9 Months Out

Izzy has officially been in the outside world as long as she was on the inside. 

Here's Izzy at 9 months in:

 

And Izzy at 9 months out:  

Of course, this month was even more lively than last month with her.  She's learning new tricks daily!  She started crawling right when she turned 8 months old.  Now I would say she is run/crawling.  I don't know if that's a thing, but I just made it one.  Needless to say, she is moving across the house swiftly these days.  We have spent the month trying to get all things out of reach that aren't appropriate for little hands: the dogs water bowls, toilet water, and anything breakable sitting in places less than three feet off the ground.  We have also tried to figure out which pieces of furniture need to be strapped down since miss mover thinks she needs to be standing at all times.  I guess crawling and sitting really weren't cutting it for her anymore.  

I finally came to terms with the fact that she is growing and bought some vacuum bags to pack up the clothes she has outgrown.  For now, we are hanging onto them.  It remains to be decided if Izzy will be an only child.  Probably depends on the time of day you ask the question!  She still fits in a few of her 6-9 month clothes, but for the most part is in 9 month and 12 month outfits.  She has the curse of her mom and dad when it comes to shirts... they are all belly shirts.  Sorry kid... a long torso will do that to you. 

Turns out, I might have measured her wrong last month.  I blame Izzy; she was moving too much to get an accurate read.  She did have her 9 month check up at the doctors office this week and was measuring just shy of 30 inches.  She hasn't gained any weight over the last month, and remains at 22 lbs.  I'm guessing her weight gain will start to level off now.  Although, with the way she eats some days, I don't know.  The kid could probably throw back an entire carton of blueberries if I let her.  She also loves cheese and black olives.  This last month we introduced her to some fish, beans, turkey, and a little bit of hamburger.  Andrew thought it was pretty hysterical to watch her mow down some lentil curry.  She also went after some salmon pretty seriously, so that's good.  I have found we have to give her veggies and meats before fruit, or she will fill herself up on fruit.  It wasn't so much of an issue when she was first starting out on foods.  Probably because I didn't leave her much of a choice since I was feeding her.

We have enjoyed quite a bit of time outside this past month as the temperatures climbed.  We bought her a pool, which she loves to splash in and Maya likes to drink from.

 On days where we don't feel like getting completely wet, we still play in the water on the deck. 

Since you asked (if you didn't, pretend you did), that is her Harry Potter onesie we purchased while on vacation last year at Universal Studios.  We decided, even before we knew the gender, that our child was likely to be a Ravenclaw.  So far, she holds pretty true to that.  Time will tell; her personality is developing quickly.  

She also loves to splash in the bath.  After fighting to wash her hair for months, I finally broke down and got her one of those bath hat/visors.  Let me tell you, this thing has been a LIFE SAVER.

And here we are post bath when we are supposed to be going to sleep...

The question we always get asked is, "is she sleeping through the night".  With a few exceptions, yes, she is now sleeping through the night.  I have enjoyed several uninterrupted nights of sleep, and they have been the most glorious things ever.  It's been well over a year since I was able to sleep through the night.  Of course, gone are the days of sleeping in until 10 am on Saturday's. That was nice while it lasted.  I look forward to retirement when I can enjoy those days again.  I experienced my first real "mom" moment this past month.  I had to be gone a couple of hours for two nights in a row a few weeks ago for work, which meant Andrew was in charge of dinner and the nighttime routine.  On the first night, I came home to find Izzy sleeping on our bed with Andrew sitting next to her reading.  She had just fallen asleep when I got home shortly before 9. I knew it was going to be rough because I had only been away for two other nights.  I picked Izzy up to carry her into her room, and for a minute I couldn't even move.  I just held her close and let the tears run down my cheeks.  I missed that little girl more than I thought was possible.  Even in the moments when she has pushed me to my limit, I try to remind myself to enjoy those moments.  They will only last for a short period and in the blink of an eye they will be gone and I will be longing for the days when life was simple with her and I was worried only about her not eating veggies for dinner.  

Also, in case inquiring minds would like to know, we continue on with our nursing journey.  There are days when I really detest pumping.  Ok, that's most days actually.  However, I know I do it for her benefit.  We have officially made it 3/4 of the way to my goal of one year.  I may not be supplying all the milk she gets, but every little bit I can get her is a win.  These last three months are going to be a push.  Since mother nature reared her ugly head again (it was nice while those 16 months lasted), my supply has taken a pretty serious hit.  Again, another part of the nursing journey they don't tell you in the two hour breastfeeding class in the hospital... 

Now we look on to the next month. Izzy kicked it off with a real bang by coming down with hand, foot and mouth.  Andrew and I have been splitting duty this week since we have to keep Izzy home until her sores are scabbed over.  As difficult as it is to try and work and make sure someone is with her, it's kind of nice having her home for a few extra days; I do miss her when she is at daycare.  

We are also making the big change to the convertible car seats this coming weekend so we can have them checked next week at the car seat safety check they hold once a month at a local car dealership.  She's is seriously getting too big to lug around in the infant carrier, and most of the time we end of taking her out of it anyway.  More evidence that she is growing up way too fast. I started to look ahead to her first birthday; got seriously sad, and then put it out of my mind.  I'm going to have to force myself to think about it here before too long.  

As a final note, if you are wondering about the flooring project, I promise we are seriously almost done.  Really, it is mostly done.  The final piece of furniture came back up out of the basement a few weeks ago, and the final set of boxes is now sitting in the dining room waiting for me to unpack.  I can see the light at the end of the remodeling tunnel!

I leave you with a photo of Maya enjoying her birthday treat earlier this month.  Miss Maya celebrated her 5th birthday this year!  She keeps life in this house fun, and keep Buddy young.