Stinkerism

Chris made up this term tonight in describing any ornery behavior Tia may have that she gets from me. He said, after I said something ornery, 'you wonder where our daughter gets her stinkerism'. Oh yes, that is what he said...that means that I'm going to get blamed for any time she does something to be a stinker. I do have to admit that I am often ornery with jokes, witty comebacks, and just giving Chris a hard time so I guess it will most likely rub off on Tia...I think I will take the risk because I get a kick out of being a stinker and then I can say 'you married me'!

Tia's Ear Surgery Went Well

This morning Tia had her Ear Surgery and I think it went really well. The time of her surgery was set for 6:30am, but we had to be there at 5:30am.  She was not allowed to eat after midnight and until after surgery, so I woke her up about 11:30pm last night and fed her a bottle so when she did wake up, she'd hopefully not think about food.  I was hoping we could take her sleeping self, put her directly into the car seat, have her sleep all the way to the doctor, and then sleep until the time of her surgery. Yeah right!  That girl is the nosiest girl ever. She does not want to miss a beat and she is almost as bad as me where she'll wake up at any sound or movement. Of course, she heard me packing her diaper bag this morning and she wanted me to hold her.  She stayed awake the entire time looking around wondering why mommy wasn't on her normal routine. When we arrived at the surgery center and the paperwork was filled out, we went down to her room. She weighed 7.88 grams and Chris and I thought the same thing when the nurse told us (wonder what that is in lbs).  If my calculations are correct, it would be 17.37 lbs.  She jumped, played with her toys, and started to whine a little bit for a bottle while we talked to the doctors, anesthesiologist, nurses...and then two nurses in blue outfits with blue head caps came to take baby girl away.  Tia went to them with open arms, but when we were walking down the long hallway and we parted, she stared hard at us over the nurses shoulder as we walked further away for out little girl.  Chris and I waited patiently in the waiting room which seemed like 10 minutes or so until the doctor came out to give us our news. He sure scared us with his slow moving walk over to us, 'I need to talk to you', and then slowly carrying a chair over to us.  Chris and I were both thinking that this does not seem good. But to our favor, he just informed us that all went well. It was very quick and he let us know how to give her the ear drops and care for her ears in general.  After that, the nurse came to get us and as we walked to the recovery room, I could see Tia laying there, all still with her hands a bit up in the air but she wasn't moving at all.  It brought tears to my eyes to see her in such a comatose state...let's just say it definitely did not look like she was sleeping.  Luckily, it was only a matter of seconds before ear drops put into her ears would wake our little girl up. She instantly cried out, but I believe more because of the ear drops than wondering why she is dazed and confused.  We instantly gave her a bottle and she seemed to be back to herself in no time.   She had a couple fussy moments, but over all she seemed to be doing great. We got her over to Katma's and later we received an update call from Katma letting us know she was doing great.  Now, we'll just have to wait and see what a difference the ear surgery will have on Tia's health.  Let's pray that it will help greatly.

Daddy Spoils Her with "Jump Jump"

The cutest thing that Tia does right now is get super excited when she can jump.  We found that if we hold her just above the end of the bed in front of the mirror, she'll jump and watch herself in the mirror.  She gets this smile on her face that is so darling.  She is smiling so much that you can see her gums and barely see her eyes.  You can most certainly tell she is wanting to say 'watch me watch me jump'...and Daddy (or myself) will let her jump for a while until our arms are burning.  Her legs just go to town on the bed.  We do have a Jenny Jump-a-Roo that goes in the door and hangs down from the door frame and she loves it, but we can tell, she loves it more when we hold her up.   The second you take her in the bedroom and she sees that mirror, she starts to pump her legs even before she touches the bed.  So cute and I love seeing her so excited.  But now that Daddy has spoiled her so much, she wants to do it all the time. As soon as someone holds her, she starts to pump her legs and jump up and down.  Of course most people will let her jump, but their arms get tired and they have to stop...she just keeps going and glares at you if you stop.  Even the Director of her school said something this morning to the fact that Tia was jumping up and down and Chris even told her 'yep, that's my fault'. And it is, but it is still the cutest thing ever.

Monday Can't Get here Soon Enough

Poor Tia has been coughing up a storm the past few days. Usually, that means another ear infection is coming around the bend.  Monday she is scheduled to get tubes put in her ears which should help significantly with all of her ear infections, sickness, etc.  But we are seeing her start to gag and cough the past couple days and are worried, she may not make it until Monday. They said they would still perform the surgery regardless of whether she has an ear infection at the time, however if she had a fever they would not be able to do it.  So we are hoping she holds out.  She did sleep better last night than the night before, but after her morning bottle, she coughed longer and more vigorously than yesterday.  Keep your fingers crossed that she'll make it!  She is so darn sweet regardless. Even when she coughs, she'll smile and still be very playful.  So cute!

Elmo Chair

We went to visit my dad this past weekend and Tia had a blast with everyone including the girls (my nieces 6 & 4).  As Juliean and Janelle out grow their toys, they seem to either give them to Tia or share them with some other cousins.  While we were there, they pulled out this furry Elmo chair that is bright red, has two huge eyes, a big nose and a mouth on the front and it vibrates and laughs when touched. She LOVED it. She would crawl all the way over to it and she just played with it forever.  They gave her several other things and boy did they keep her entertained.

We also went out to eat and brought our portable highchair that ROCKS.  It goes on the end of a table and clamps down. She sits in it and was so cute.  She was able to play and interact with us the entire time.  Nice to have our own that fits her well and we can carry it wherever we go, plus no germs!

It was a fun trip for sure.

Army Crawl

Tia's is so close to crawling it is unreal. She does the army crawl which is super cute. When she wants to get somewhere, she'll grab onto anything in site and pull her way towards it. She does get up on all fours and rocks back and forth like she knows what to do, but just can't quite figure it out. When she sees something she wants in a hurry, she'll put one hand on top of the other and dig her hands into the ground and pulls herself - she is too smart. I think she saw her Uncle Dakota, who just returned for the service, do the army crawl and she wants to be just like him.

Happy 8 Months Baby Girl!

Tia is 8 months today. It is such an amazing feeling not only knowing I have a beautiful daughter, but also watching her grow into her personality. This morning when I went to get her up, she grabbed a hold of my neck and hugged me tightly. It was so cute. I know how quickly these moments go and so I cherish everyone. I know 8 months will soon be 8 years which will be 18 before I blink. Happy Birthday Tia!!

Future Bowler?

Last night was my first night back to bowling and I was pleasantly surprised that Chris brought Tia up to see us.  It was super sweet. At first, I was afraid the loudness of the bowling alley would scare her like it did when she was younger. In actuality, she loved it. She was checking out all the lights, following the sounds, checking everyone out, and had a smile from ear to ear.  Everyone got to hold her and she just smiled, analyzed each person, jumped in joy, and just had a ball.  It was really neat.  A fellow league bowler named Trina had her daughter there as well. Trina is much younger than me, but her daughter Kayla is exactly 1 month to the day older than Tia.  So when we were in our final weeks of bowling last November, we were bowling each other with our huge bellies.  When our girls were born, we brought them in to see all the ladies bowl and commented that this was the next generation of bowlers.  I am sure we'll take Tia bowling when she gets older and she'll just have to see for herself if she likes it!

Urinary Tract Infection

1. The poor baby girl!  She seems to always be getting something, but I'm sure all of these ailments now will make her a stronger person later.  We sure are building up her immunities.  She had a 104.5 fever on Saturday and every temperature that was taken from Saturday to Sunday was over 100.  Of course Chris and I were worried because as all new parents do, we freak out when there is un-chartered territory and we aren't quite sure what to do.  It seems like it is always a weekend when we can't call the doctor and have to wait patiently until Monday morning at 8:00am to call. I bet that office gets more volume Monday mornings than any other time.  When the receptionist answered and asked if we wanted to wait for a call back or come in, I wanted to bring her in because we had never had her with a temp such as this before...it was just too high and if you felt her head, it seriously burned your hand (okay, not really, but you get the idea). Not to mention, she wanted her mommy every second and usually she is pretty independent.  She did not want to be put down and would only fall asleep on my upper chest or with her head on my shoulder. It was super cute, but I didn't get any sleep. But I did treasure just holding her and feeling needed.  Normally, she wants her daddy...and will make noises until he looks at her. But when she is sick, it is obvious to us that she wants her mommy.  I love it and it just goes with the territory as all moms would know.  We took her into the doctor's office and they did a baby cat on her.  I know no one likes getting one of these, but they needed a sample of her urine to see if she had a urinary tract infection.  Although it was painful to see her in pain, we knew it was good to get it out of the way and onto more meds.  So this time, no virus, but she did have a UTI instead.  Thursday is her consultation with the Tubes doctor for her ears....guess this could be a good step towards less illness, but I guess we'll see.

Weekend Get-a-Way

Chris and I are having our first full weekend away from Tia coming up.  She will be staying with her Katma for the entire weekend and I think she'll have a blast.  Her Uncle Dakota came back from the service recently so I know he is excited to see her as well.  I can tell you that I'm pretty excited myself. Not that I won't miss Tia dearly because I miss her even when I'm at work during the day, but I think for Chris and I to get out and do some stuff without having to worry about night-night time and waking up at 5:30am to feed her.  We'll have a chance to let loose and enjoy.  This will probably be our only weekend away from her this year so we will surely enjoy it! I hope she is a 'peach' for Katma!

Tia is a Hugger

I guess since Chris and I both grab Tia and squeeze her while saying 'Give me hugs' she has started to become such the hugger.  The past two weeks ever since she had that last sickness, she has started to really hug us. She puts her head in the base of our necks and leans her head on out shoulder, puts her arms around our necks and gives us a big hug.  Sometimes she'll even hold on it seems like forever.  It is super sweet. I've noticed her do it more often the past couple weeks and now at daycare, everyone keeps commenting on it.  Even a lady cleaning the floor last night who was holding Tia said 'she is so huggy, I love it' and she was.  Especially when she is tired, she gives sweet hugs too.  I know Chris and I are both huggers and so I'm happy to see she is picking up some of our good habits. 

Tia Lunging for One of Her Teachers

This morning when I dropped Tia off at daycare, I walked into her room and there were 2 teachers and the director of the daycare Jill.  For months, we've been putting our hands in front of Tia saying 'you want to come to us' and just hoping she'd put her arms out and make that lunge for us.  This morning I was taking her out of her carseat and as soon as I was standing with her, she lunged for Jill. She not only had her arms out like a dive, but she lunged too. It was so cute.  She instantly gave Jill a big squeeze and hugged her tightly. I was excited for her to finally show that side of her.  The other two teachers asked Tia if she wanted to come to them, but she buried her head in Jill's chest and squeezed tightly signifying that she did not want to go to them. I couldn't help but burst out laughing although I feel bad now since they are with her all day long.  So I had to test it out to see if she'd come to mommy. I went over and put my arms out and said 'you want to come to mommy'. She hesitated and gave me a look that said 'I better or mommy will kick my butt' and she put her arms out gesturing that she wanted to come to me. I instantly gave her right back since I had to put her stuff away and fill out her daily sheet.  But it was so cute and I was excited for her to start making effort to go to people. 

Index Finger

Tia is the cutest and she cracks me up. We already knew she was super analytical from seeing dots on the sheets to never missing a thing when you are around. She watches people talk super intently and has to touch anything she isn't sure of. The latest thing is using her index finger as her tester.  She has her hand in a fist except her index finger. She touches things with it and always has it out.  It reminds me of a puppy who uses their nose to sniff things, but for Tia it is her finger. It is so darn cute and it does make me laugh out loud because her face says it all. She has to know what certain things are, but she wants to test it first by touching it with her finger. If she likes it, then she'll grab it completely with her entire hand.

On All Fours

She's almost there, she knows what to do, but she just hasn't quite figured it out just yet.  She will pull herself places she wants to go instead of rolling like she used to. Now she is on all fours and rocks back and forth and looks at what she wants to get to but has a perturbed look on her face as if she is saying 'how do I get there...' It is super cute.  It is only a matter of days.

Pool Baby

Tia had her first swimming pool experience this weekend.  On Saturday, she got to swim in an upground pool at Jeremy's house and then on Sunday, she got to swim in an inground pool over at Lisa's.  Let's just say that she definitely has that natural swimming instinct. She loved the water and loved splashing, playing, and hanging out.  It definitely will be the first of many fun times in the pool.

Tia's Been Approved for Tubes

After this past week of projectile vomiting, the doctor found that she had yet another ear infection.  She has a narrow ear canal in her left ear (so do I) and it causes her to catch all the drainage and thus making her more prone to catch anything that daycare sends her way.  So that is why she has been catching everything the past months.  This time, the Doctor thinks her body is trying to tell us that it is time to do something about the ear infections. Since she's had more than 4 in 6 months, she has been approved to have tubes put in.  Although, I know the procedure can be scary for a new mom and worry wart dad, but ultimately this should help her with catching all the colds she's caught in her lifetime.  She'll still get sick from time to time, but it won't be near the volume that she has been.

Since she's been sick, she has been needier than normal. So needy that she wants us to constantly hold her from the time she is awake until the time she goes to bed.  I have had to rock her to sleep to the point where she is snoring. If not, then when I put her down, she'll wake up and cry hysterically until you pick her up again.  Last night, I spent 2 hours trying to put her down and every time she would throw some temper tantrums.  I ended up rocking her to sleep, then crawling into bed with her and holding her until I slowly eased away to get some housework done.  If she would wake up, I'll run to her side and she'd fall back asleep.  I can tell you that it is super precious to be needed by her and I love when she puts her head on my shoulder and her arm is clutching my neck.  So adorable.  She won't even go in her exersaucer or jump-a-roo - but if you hold her, she's happy.

I think the medication she is on is helping her get back to normal and soon she'll be back to her happy go lucky self.

Projectile Vomiting

I know all babies spit up and throw up, but I have never seen something so unbelievable as Tia when she has this projectile vomiting spell.  Last week, Chris went to her daycare and actually witnessed a baby projectile vomiting. He was leery and for good reason, but nonetheless Tia caught it as well as a few other classmates.  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday she was projectile vomiting for 3 to 5 seconds at a time.  It looked so fake because it just kept coming and coming. I just felt so bad for her. One time she had it all over me, her carseat, my car, her face and body and she looked up at me and just smiled. So sweet.  But she has also not been sleeping very well. She had me up all night last night and this morning. I'm going on 3 hours of sleep, but I just want my baby girl better.  She wanted me to hold her while she slept and so I rocked her for hours last night until she was so conked out that I could put her down a little after midnight. This morning, she was up at 4am and all she wanted was me to hold her while she slept. It is so unfortunate she is sick, but there is some serenity when I get to hold her against my chest and rub her back.  I love these moments when she is so needy because as we all know how independent they are so quickly.  She is over at Katma's today and we are hoping she gets better and has a pukeless day so she can go back to daycare tomorrow.