Caption This!

I don't get out much.  I make bows and get over-excited about my daughter clapping open-handed for the first time. That's not to say I don't do important things, they're just not interesting to anyone but me.

My mom got the babies matching dresses and after Amelia had her picture taken in it, Mom loved the pose so much that she wanted to duplicate it with the other 2 girls.  Fortunately, the photography chain we used near my home up here is one that my family uses often down in Oregon and they had a similar background for the babies. 

The babies also got matching denim dresses from Granny & Granddad (my mom & dad) so we got a shot of them alone and also one with Caleb.  Of course they're all wearing Millie's Bows.  I tried to talk Caleb into wearing one but he wouldn't do it. 

My bow business is going extremely well.  I have several orders stacking up and am having to decide between cleaning my house or making bows.  Both have to get done but guess which one wins out most often?

It was so fun being in Oregon and watching the babies play together and play with Caleb.  Amelia absolutely adores her big cousin which works for me - he's endless entertainment for her.

Anna is the personality of the group.  She's so funny and she eats like a truck driver.  Obviously she's adorable, but I think more than being cute her personality totally shines through.  She's always good for a laugh - and a pose.  This picture struck me as hilarious and I think it would make a good "Caption This" contest.  So, give it your best shot - I'd love to hear your caption suggestions!

A little weighed down

Millie and I had an adventure today.  We even dragged David, my dad, and a random young couple and their little boy in to it.

I decided it would be fun to take the train to Portland with Amelia.  I figured it would be less stressful to ride rather than drive, so I bought the $28 one-way ticket and, while nervous, was optimistic.  How bad could it be?  Just like taking a plane, right?  A lot of help with bags - just check them at the front counter and carry on your small bags and, in my case, my baby.  So, I packed a very large suitcase and planned to take the car seat by wrapping it in a garbage bag.

There is a train station just about 6 miles from our house and that seemed a little too convenient but, like I said, I was optimistic.  A friend who initially told us about the train and how great of a trip it is came over on Wednesday to hang out with Amelia and me.  I told her that we were leaving from the station closest to us and she said "You know that's an unmanned station, right?  You pretty much just walk up and get on the train.  But, I'm sure the conductor will step off the train and help you with your stuff."

Okay.  I got even more nervous but I was still picturing an actual train station that you walk up to, walk inside, maybe get a cup of coffee, relax, check your bags, and eventually get on the train.

Imagine my surprise when David drove me to the train station in the Back 40 and it was a raised platform with some shabby wooden overhangs as covering and absolutely nowhere to check any bags.  It was pouring down rain and David grabbed the baby in her car seat and the diaper bag while I had my big suitcase rolling behind me as well as another carry-on.  We realized we had to cross to the other side of the platform where the south-bound train will approach via a walkway under the platform then up what felt like a steep incline to the little bus-stop-like shelters to wait for the train.  I have to give a shout-out to David.  He (twice) scoped out the area and went up to walk around the platform to find out where we needed to go so that the baby and I could stay warm and dry in the car.  Love him.

The train approached and the conductor stepped off to help me with my bags.  I said goodbye to David and boarded.  He stood outside the window and waved to us, then snapped this photo:

I think it's a funny picture because Amelia is smiling at David and he's literally jogging alongside the train to take the picture.

The ride itself went just fine.  Amelia didn't want to eat any formula which didn't surprise me.  When a lot is happening around her she just refuses to drink formula and, when I was nursing, she refused to nurse.  So, she got a lot of solid foods on the train including raisins, a toasted bagel and each bite I dipped in apple blueberry baby food, yogurt bites, and Cheerios.  About an hour after we left she zonked out in my arms and I was able to lay her down in the seat next to me which, fortunatly, was never filled even though every other seat was filled.

Unfortunately she only slept for about half an hour until a loud noise woke her up, but I was able to flip through a few pages of a magazine and doze off for a little bit while she slept which was great.

A few times, a young couple walked past with their adorable 2-year-old son who was dressed in blue and white striped overalls and a matching conductor's hat.  CUTE.  The first time Amelia saw them, she said "HI" plain as day.  It was so sweet that I called David and told him about it. 

The conductor who helped me with my bags to get on the train was so nice and actually he stopped by a couple of times during the trip to tell me what a good baby I had.  However, he was nowhere to be found when we arrived in Portland.  Instead, another very grouchy conductor helped me.  I told him where the first conductor put my bags and as he was lifting them off the train and onto the platform he growled at me that my bags were illegal in size and weight and that I shouldn't have been allowed to carry them on.  I told him that I had planned to check them but there was nowhere to check them. 

He said, "Well, there probably was a place but you just didn't get there in time to find it!" 

I was dumbfounded.  I didn't know what to say, so I just mumbled something like "Actually that's not the case..." and then he said "Oh, wait, where did you get on the train?"

When I answered him, he said "Oh, yeah - there isn't a place there to check bags.  Sorry, miss, sorry.  Sorry about that."

Maybe he was just having a bad day - I hope he doesn't treat every customer that way.

He set my bags on the platform and left.  So, picture this.  I'm carrying the following:

- a 17ish lb baby
- a diaper bag
- a messenger bag
- a car seat in a garbage bag
- and I'm pulling a large suitcase behind me

Yeah, it wasn't working well.  I tried, but the train station entrance looked like the finish line of a marathon and I was standing at the start.  I opened my big bag just enough to grab the Bjorn.  Unfortunately, the last time I wore the Bjorn I undid all the hooks and buttons on it so I was having a really hard time trying to hold Amelia and figure out how to put on this contraption.  About that time the young couple with the 2-year-old son walked by me.  I thought I was the only one left on the platform but was relieved to see them and especially relieved and extremely grateful when they offered to help carry some of my load.  I had asked my dad to come in to the train station to meet me since I knew I wouldn't be able to get all of my luggage so luckily he was standing right inside the door as we walked in. 

My dad took me to my all-time favorite Chinese restaurant for lunch on the way to their house and Amelia enjoyed more yogurt bites and some sticky rice.  I enjoyed General Tso chicken.

Amelia still, even though I had tried several times, wouldn't drink formula at all.  Of course I was worried because she hadn't had even a drop since 5:45am and here it was 1:20pm.  But, when we got to a quiet room before her nap she drank some and that made me feel better.  However, her nap was only an hour long.  So, she had a total of an hour and a half of sleep between 5:45am and 8:00pm when she went to bed.  For her, being overtired means being upset about bedtime.  I tried rocking her but she fought me so I let her cry.  She fell asleep about 40 minutes later after some crying and whining. 

It's been a long day and I don't know why I'm still awake.  Amelia had so much fun today playing with her cousins.   Here's Amelia and Anna with Caleb.  He's such a good big brother/cousin and the babies love him.
 

Amelia and Kate

The girls with Caleb

Amelia sported her "UW" turtleneck and socks today to support the University of Washington Huskies since they were in the Sweet Sixteen, but they lost to West Virginia.  Oh well!

Tomorrow we have a lot going on but I'm looking forward to this weekend with family even though I miss David.  My mom's birthday was today so tomorrow we celebrate since she was busy tonight.

I have to go to bed - it's almost 1am!  I got 5 hours of sleep last night so I really need to try to squeeze in as much as I can.

Goodnight!

Here's lookin' up your old address

I'm writing on borrowed time.  David's asleep and it's 11:45.  Amelia slept 12 hours straight last night after going down without a peep.  She peeped tonight on and off for about 30 minutes tonight, falling asleep for about 15 of those 30 minutes, but she's been out for a good 3 hours now.

I decided to go ahead and post this because I'm going to be insanely busy tomorrow filling Millie's Bows orders and packing for Amelia and me to take the train down to Oregon on Thursday morning.  And when I'm in Oregon, I don't check the computer.  At least not more than once or twice.

I was reading some of my older posts before the baby was born and I used to actually be a mildly entertaining blogger.  Not that Amelia isn't an entertaining subject matter, but really only to me and her dad and her grandparents, probably.  Plus I think a small chunk of mental capacity made its great escape at some point between getting pregnant and birthing my child.  It happens.  I may just be getting less interesting as I grow older - I won't rule out that possibility.

SO.  I was going to make homemade pan pizzas tonight for dinner.  I've made it before, back when I was still interesting.  Dough is so super simple to make but for some reason I always feel like it's going to be a headache, and having to wait for it to rise...I just didn't have make the time.  I had already thawed the mozzarella and pepperoni by transfering each Food Savered item from the freezer to the fridge a couple of days ago and since I only have one more night to cook before I leave David to his bachelor ways, I decided to at least attempt something pizza-ish.  By the way, David will be more than cared for while I'm gone in the meal department.  I made a double batch of Poppyseed Chicken and am planning to freeze a couple of chicken pot pies.  Can you tell we've run out of red meat in our house? 

Anyway, on to the recipe.  It's pizza on a flour tortilla crust.  Now, before you judge, just listen.  I've made flour tortilla pizza before.  It was soggy and slightly unappetizing.  This pizza, however, was crispy and absolutely tasty.  Could have been how much cheese I piled on it, but one of these pizzas fed David and me and we were full at the end of the meal.  I only served strawberries on the side instead of making a salad or something 'cuz I'm ghetto like that.

Try this recipe - you won't be disappointed!  My additions are italicized.

Quick Tortilla Pizza

Makes 2 pizzas; serves 4 (I obviously halved the recipe - I only had 3 flour tortillas on hand)

INGREDIENTS

Six (10 inch) flour tortillas, preferably whole wheat

(Um, didn't use whole wheat tortillas)

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (divided use) 
(Who actually measures cheese when making pizza?)

2/3 cup pizza sauce (divided use) 
(Didn't measure this, either...we're "light on the sauce" people)

Pepperoni, olives, vegetables, or any other toppings you like 
(I used pepperoni, black olives, and chopped up fresh spinach...I put spinach on and in everything I can get away with)

I added some garlic salt, pepper, and cilantro (why?  I don't know, I really don't.  It was green) to taste.

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray the bottom of the first tortilla with non-stick cooking spray to help it crisp. Lay sprayed side down on cookie sheet.

Sprinkle a small amount of cheese on top of tortilla, just enough to help tortillas stick when cooking. Top with another tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, top with third tortilla. Top last tortilla with about 1/3 cup pizza sauce and toppings of your liking.

Repeat the directions for the second pizza, using remaining ingredients. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes (mine was done at 17 minutes - nice and crispy) or until golden brown. Cut with pizza wheel (I won't tell if you want to use a knife) into wedges.

Per serving (based on 4): 274 calories, 19 grams protein, 10 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 36 grams carbohydrate, 4 grams fiber, 33 milligrams cholesterol, 748 milligrams sodium. Analysis by registered dietitian Mary Mullen.

"Didn't measure" is the story of my life. 

Tonight I went to Google maps and looked at the "street view" of my hometown and the little house where I lived for the first 9 years of my life.  I have really, really great memories of that place.  It's a very small town, but I love that it's small.  I also love that it seems to have stayed largely unchanged.  I'd love to go back someday but I'm not sure how realistic that is since I'm halfway across the country now.  Anyway, it was fun to get to roam around town via the Google street view.  Speaking of which, I looked up my address now on Google and it's eerie that our garage door is open and so is the gate to the backyard.  David was obviously working in the yard when they came by with the truck.  Strange!  You can actually see my brother-in-law working in his front yard and their dog sitting in the yard staring at the Google truck when you look up their address.

I decided to show you the street view via Google Maps of our house.  I don't know - to me it's kind of crazy!  Obviously this is prior to David cleaning out the garage!

Have a wonderful weekend!  My shop is closed for the long weekend but I'll be back to doing orders on Monday.

Call CPS, I let my child cry

Sorry for sharing the cord story in my previous post.  I know I freaked out both sets of grandparents, and I couldn't sleep last night because I was literally sick just thinking about what could have happened - I think I finally fell asleep around 4am.  Thank You, Lord, that nothing happened to our beautiful daughter.  I'm going to move on now and try not to ever think about it again. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My baby went down at 8pm without a peep.  This makes me so very happy.  Mainly because bedtime lately has been an absolute chore.  I pity the women who think they must rock their children every night until they are fast asleep and refuse to let their child cry even a little.  Especially if they had a child like mine who just hated bedtime and didn't want anything to do with her crib or anything to do with me since my end goal was to put her in the crib and she knew it.  The only person she wanted at bedtime was Daddy, and that's because she knew Daddy wouldn't try to force feed her a pacifier and pin her to his chest while humming "You Are My Sunshine" and attempting to release calming energy. 

Our routine at night goes a little something like this:

1.  TV goes off, then she gets a bottle (4 oz, sometimes 6 oz)

2.  Oatmeal mixed with fruit and water or formula, nuked to a perfect 98°, then some cold fruit puree spooned on top (she loves this.  If your baby won't eat his/her oatmeal one night, try adding some cold fruit puree with each bite).
3.  I strip her down and wipe her with a warm washcloth and a dab of Baby Magic lavender calming lotion.

4.  Diaper change & jammies
5.  To the nursery for storytime and pacifier with Mom (Amelia gets the pacifier) by lamplight.

6.  Rocking with Mom in the glider for 2-3 minutes, then an "I love you", "Sleep through the night", and "Nite nite" from Mom.

7.  Bedtime

Usually at step #5 she starts whining the second I cross the threshold to her room.  The book helps to distract her and by the time I'm finished reading the story, she's rubbing her eyes and will willingly lay on my shoulder.  Laying her down is iffy.  Sometimes she won't fight it, she'll just curl up in a little ball and go to sleep but she'll wake up crying an hour or two later.  Other nights, she doesn't even let me lay her down - she sits right up and begins protest.  Either way, I leave the room.  Our mistake has been to go back in the room after about 30 minutes of whining/crying.  We pick her up thinking,  Maybe this one night...

...her teeth are hurting.
...she has a poopy diaper.
...she's still hungry.
...she will go to sleep if I try rocking her again.
or, my favorite...
...she's scared of the dark.

After offering to fix all of the above and getting completely rejected and totally frustrated, we've been known to walk her into the hallway or into our bedroom just to see what happens.  Crying stops.  Actually, the crying turns off like a light the second David holds her because, as I said before, she knows he isn't going to try to get her to sleep.  We have felt like genuine suckers every single time.  It got to the point that I would get mad at myself for thinking I could rock her to sleep...she fought me hard, no matter what.  I don't even remember the last time she even got drowsy by my rocking her.  It's more stressful to go into her room when she's throwing a fit than it is to just let her cry.  That might sound weird or stupid to some of you, but it's the truth.  Knowing the battle that awaits on the other side of that door really helps us to know that it's not worth the trouble.  If she were at all comforted by us then it would probably be a different story, but she wants nothing to do with us unless we're going to let her stay up.

So, we've let her cry the last couple of nights, no exceptions.  For naps, too.  We've even gotten good at figuring out when she has a poopy diaper.  If she's whining then goes radio silent for about 10 minutes then starts really crying, she pooped.  David called it today during her nap so we changed her (boy, it was a doozy - all up her back) and back down she went.

Tonight, it was too good to be true that I laid her down and she went right to sleep.  David thought she'd for sure be awake an hour later, but here it is 3 hours later and not a peep.  Apparently she just didn't like bedtime.  It was such a frustrating experience until we figured out that nothing was wrong with her and if we leave her alone and stop catering to her every whimper she'd realize that bedtime is nothing she needs to be rescued from and being overtired and wired and forcing herself to stay awake is far more stressful and taxing than just succumbing to sleep.

It's been one night - I'm not going to throw a ticker tape parade quite yet.  Especially since Amelia and I will be going to Portland this weekend.  Anything could happen when she has to sleep away from home.

Don't forget about my giveaway on my Millie's Bows Facebook Fan Page.  Already over 225 fans - I can't believe it!

Happy Monday!

Heart Stopping

I hope it's not a testament to my mothering abilities that I've had two completely heart-stopping, panicked moments involving Amelia in the last 24 hours. 

The first happened last night.  I was making dinner and David was in the living room with the baby.  I thought he was watching her but with how fast she is, he looked away for a minute (watching the NCAA tournament) and she crawled into the kitchen.  At that second I had been broiling garlic bread in the oven and left the oven open for a second so I could transfer a piece of garlic bread from the oven to David's plate which was on the opposite countertop.  I turned around and Amelia was about a foot from the oven, posed to pull up on the blazing hot oven.  I guess I'm not one of those people who remain poised in and calm in a dangerous situation.  I flipped out.  "NO, NO, NO, No!" I screeched as I bolted toward her.  I was able to scoop her up before she could reach her little hand to the oven and I walked into the living room.  "She canNOT be in the kitchen with me when I'm cooking!  She tried to pull up on the oven when I had it open!  I thought you were watching her!" I didn't leave David time to respond, I just handed her to him and left.  We talked about it later - it's not like I normally have the oven wide open when I'm cooking so next time I do that I'll just make sure to tell David that it's not safe for her to come in the kitchen.  Seriously I about had a heart attack.

The next panicky moment was this morning.  This is one of those times I've been really grateful to have a video monitor.  If you remember in the post before my last one there was a picture of Amelia in her crib.  We kept two video monitor cameras on her crib since she moves around so much.  We finally mounted a shelf and put one on the shelf so that we get a full crib shot of her.  There are still times when we can't really see all of her, so we left the other camera sitting on top of the crib.  She had never shown much interest in the cameras and since we recently lowered her crib I didn't even think she could reach them.  I can't move the crib to unplug the camera so I just left it.  If Amelia gets enough sleep, she will wake up and suck on her pacifier in her crib and play for upwards of 30-45 minutes before she starts talking or whining for me to come get her.  She was doing that this morning when I checked the monitor, only this time she had the camera next to her in the crib and she was laying down, playing with the cord.  I didn't panic - I showed it to David on the monitor then walked into her bedroom.  By the time I got in there, she was sitting up and the cord was wrapped around her neck.  I don't mean loosely.  I mean if she would have tried to stand up it would have strangled her.  I can't believe I'm even writing about this.  I know my mom (and probably David's mom) are going to read this and possibly have a minor panic attack, but we've avoided crazy close calls thus far in her young life and it wouldn't be babyhood without her giving us heart palpatations.

Oh, and yes, David is going to unplug the camera and get it out of the crib this morning before she even takes her first nap.

I'm doing a big giveaway on my Facebook fan page.  So, if you have a little girl or know a little girl who would love some hair accessories, go to my Millie's Bows fan page and enter the giveaway.  I think you have you become a fan before you can enter.  Here's a photo of the giveaway:

Have a wonderful weekend!

Late at night when all the world is sleeping

Wow, it takes a lot of time and energy to start up and run a business, even a tiny one-woman operation like mine.  Granted, I enjoy it and want to put a lot of time into it so it has inched its way up my list of priorities.

I need to update this blog, though, since it is the only way I will remember anything about Millie's infant years.  Well, I might remember things but not the minute details or when exactly she hit milestones or stopped nursing.

Yeah, she stopped wanting to nurse.  I've given myself a good kick in the proverbial pants about it and have taken many a ride on the Guilt Trip Express.  While it makes me a little sad that I'm no longer the one providing her sole nourishment, it also eases some stress that inevitably would come when it was time for her to eat.  She would NOT nurse during the day unless, and I'm not kidding, we were in a dark room with no noises and no one else but us. I did that for a while but she would be hungry right after nursing so I'd have to give her a bottle anyway.  From the time she was a newborn she would break the latch constantly for no reason that I could ever figure out except perhaps a short attention span. She had trouble gaining weight in the beginning because my milk didn't come in for 5 days. Maybe that's where all the trouble began, I don't know.  Starting at around 5-6 months we would only use formula to supplement at night before she went to bed since, if we didn't, she would scream after being laid down because she was still hungry. Pretty soon after 6 or 7 months we started giving her a bottle in the middle of the night, too, since she wasn't ever satisfied with just breastfeeding.  I always thought I would nurse my baby until she was a year old - maybe even past that at bedtime. Maybe I'm crazy but it's never been all fireworks and stars for me as some women say it is for them - and as much as I tried to make it be such a deep bonding experience - it wasn't.  Formula is expensive, and it's not an expense our family had budgeted so that part really stinks, too.  I feel like I short-changed my daughter because, deep down, I feel like I could have kept going somehow. Maybe pumped more, taken Fenugreek more regularly (and ignored clogged ducts and headaches it seemed to give me), and really been vigilant at it. But, she doesn't WANT to, so I feel like I shouldn't make her.  And, in the end, mama and baby are less stressed and fully nourished.  The impact of not nursing anymore is just starting to hit me and, I'm not sure why, but I want to cry.  Okay...this might be harder than I thought.  Amelia's fine.  She won't be stupid or obese as an adult because she's on formula now.  You won't be criticized or thought of as a sub par mom because of this.  Your family actually won't go broke by adding an additional $100/month to the budgeted expenses.  Everybody is fine!  You think moms who nurse have these thoughts?  Nope!  I never want to hear a mom who breastfeeds tell me that they feel criticized for the decision to nurse their baby.  I would take the criticism and judgment for that any day.

Completely not a tangent I planned on taking.

Things happening, in bullets.
-  Amelia dances.  Started doing it last weekend, rocking out to "La Cucaracha" from her music table.

-  If she's in a talkative mood, she'll usually say "Hi" when prompted as of last weekend.

-  For some odd reason, she pulls her hair while she drinks a bottle.  I can actually see her scalp raising with each pull.  I figure some day she'll realize she's the one inflicting pain and she'll stop.
-  For the past couple of weeks, a 10 hour stretch of sleep at night is not uncommon.  Last night she slept 12 hours.  Tonight, she was a pill to put to sleep and didn't fall asleep until 11pm.

-  Naps have been generally only twice a day and 40 minutes to an hour long each.  Today, however, she slept for an hour and a half and two hours, respectively.

-  Our daughter is a daredevil.  She tries to dive off of our bed, which is why one of us has her by the ankle at all times when she's up there.  She loves riding on Daddy's shoulders and swinging in his arms.  He also throws her into the air and she laughs like crazy.

-  Her second tooth (the other bottom one) broke through last Friday.

-  She has discovered where the dog sleeps (in our bedroom closet...that's where she likes to sleep!) and now crawls back there on her own, sits at the door of the closet, and laughs at Tess.

-  Everything goes in her mouth.  She loves finding the smallest fuzzy on the floor and trying to pick it up with her forefinger and thumb then shoving it into her mouth.  This doesn't really bode well for my bow-making business.  I have to keep every little scrap of ribbon picked up off the floor at all times or she'll find it.  Already we've had to dig 2 pieces of 3/8" ribbon (about 1/2" long each) out of her mouth.  She's quick about it, too.  We only notice that it looks like she's chewing on something and that justifies a finger sweep of her mouth.

I have pictures and video but will have to post them later.  Our computers run on a network which is based on our PC in the bedroom.  When it's shut down or asleep, I can't access our pictures which are kept on that computer.  And, at 1:30am I dare not go in there and wake up the PC because I'm sure David would wake up, too.  And that's just inconsiderate.
Coming soon...

- A baby food making blog
- Pictures, pictures, and a video or two
- Our trip to the local photography studio for Amelia's 8 month pictures

By the way, if I reach 175 fans on Facebook I'm going to do a BIG giveaway.  So, tell your friends & family to become a fan of Millie's Bows!  http://www.facebook.com/milliesbows

Happy Tuesday,

A lot happens in a week!

I'm a wee bit neurotic when it comes to how my child sleeps.  She moves around in her sleep constantly.  I think this is partly due to the fact that she is an incredibly light sleeper.  God made her this way; we did not.  I am very sensitive to noises and perhaps because of it or in spite of it I tried very hard to make Amelia used to being in the midst of life itself.  All day every day in the months following her birth (until she started sleeping in her own room for naps) she would take her naps in the living room.  David and I would keep the TV at a normal volume, unload the dishwasher, etc., hoping she would just get used to sleeping wherever, whenever.  Didn't work.  I guess with my noise sensitivity and David having been a light sleeper most of his life our child didn't stand a chance.

This is why my blog posts are so lengthy - I get off on tangents and ramble.

Anyway, so Amelia moves around a lot at night and I'm neurotic about checking the video monitor to make sure that she's still covered up and her face isn't too close to the bumper.  David makes fun of me because even though I can see her on the video monitor, I frequently go into her room to check on her.  Sometimes I accidentally wake her up by moving the blanket out from underneath her feet or by grabbing her by the ankles and pulling her away from the side of the crib.  Usually she goes right back out, but since she's been teething it's a whole new ballgame.

First, it takes forever to get her to sleep at night.  Bottle, nursing, teething tablets, Motrin, paci, rocking, more rocking.  You name it, we've tried it.  Gone are the days where I could lay her down and she'd drift off to sleep.  She needs me to rock her now.  I really don't mind - I absolutely love the time I can spend rocking her and cuddling with her.  It's the times that she's so uncomfortable that she screams when she's in her crib and she screams when I'm rocking her that's tough.  Or when I rock her to sleep only to lay her down and have her start crying again.

Can I just stop and say that it's really creepy to be in the living room of your home and hear breathing that isn't your own?  I know it's either the dog or one of the 2 cats, but still...

My entire point is that I didn't check on her tonight at all after I put her to bed.  I saw in the monitor that she was covered but I didn't check the monitor after that.  Usually I'll check it before I go to bed around 11pm then go and adjust her and cover her up, but obviously I haven't gone to bed.  So she woke up at midnight crying.  I tried rocking her to sleep a couple of times but it resulted in her crying and standing in her crib.  She's finally asleep now after I nursed her and rocked her.

She can pull herself up to stand in her crib.  As of, oh, last Saturday.  She pulled to her knees (which I actually think is what's pictured) a couple of times that day so I asked David to lower the mattress.  He did, and after her next nap when I went in to get her she had pulled all the way up to standing.  Whew.

And here she is today.  I caught her in this position when I came back to the living room after having heated up her lunch.  She really loves those Yogurt Bites.

And she somehow managed to prop herself underneath the same table a little later.  You can't really tell, but she's standing with one hand on the diaper caddy and one hand on the table support.  If she moved, she bumped her head.  So, being the wonderful mom that I am I made sure to snap a picture and then help her get out.

After David got home from work today we took Amelia outside for another shot with the tree.  It looks much better than it did even a few days ago.

I want to try feeding Amelia what we eat since I hear that's the best way to raise a non-picky eater.  So David broke out the high chair for the first time and she ate at the dining room table with us.  Well, she didn't really eat.  She posed for a few pictures and shoved the food around.  She wasn't hungry. 

She also might want me to tell you that for a while now she's been drinking out of her sippy cup all by herself.  Not always tipping it far enough to get water and not always attempting to drink it with the sipper facing the right way, but she has the right idea, anyway.  She's still just on water...we are holding off on juice for as long as humanly possible.

Finally, here are a couple of pacifier clips I made for Amelia tonight.  If you have any sewing ability whatsoever, please don't look closely at my stitches.  One of them is just one-sided ribbon.  The other is one-sided ribbon that I stitched together so that it would be a thicker, two-sided paci clip. 

Business is going well...many new items listed and I have a few orders I need to fill which is why I haven't been blogging much. 

Happy Tuesday!