Tia loves her Aunt Liza and Aunt Weswee

At daycare, they do this gesture with their hands above there head and opening their hands wide while saying 'how big is Tia...soooo big' and it is funny because she doesn't do it much for Chris, doesn't do it at all for me, but when Lisa is around, she'll do it. It is super cute. Lisa wasn't sure at first what she was doing...it almost looked like she was trying to fly like superman, but she was showing Aunt Liza how big she is...'I'm soooo big'. She also loves her Aunt Weswee (Leslie) too...she was making Tia laugh uncontrollably and even bought her some bloomers with a big T on the booty. So cute!

My Name is Definitely Momma

Before when Tia was saying Momma, she was just saying it and really not directing it to me. But the past few days, if I leave the room, she'll say momma as she is whining and as soon as I come over she'll stop saying it.  Even this morning, I picked her up and she said momma while leaning in for a hug and then again when I tried to put her down at daycare and at first she went willingly to the teacher, but as soon as I started to walk away, she said momma in her oh so sweet little voice. She even had real tears so of course I had to scoop her up and ease her tears. I did distract her, however, with cheerios.  I put her in the high chair/table and put some cheerios out and she could care less about me.  She did look super cute in her lady bug costume for her Halloween party at school.  I guess things never change for humans - food is always at the forefront of our wants.

She's a Smartie

That Tia is something else.  I know she is going to be a clever little thing because she watches me intently as I do something and then tries to do it herself. Before you know it, she is going to figure out how to unbuckle herself from the car seat and the high chair.  Last night, she was in her play-yard watching some baby Einstein and I was on the couch working on some stuff.  I watched her dump out all of her toys from this plastic container, drag the container over to the play-yard's side that was closest to me, put it up side down, and then make her way on top of it and she was the proudest little girl ever. She was holding her head over the top, smiling from ear to ear at me, and just waiting for me to clap my hands and say good job.  Then, she decided she wanted this toy too, so she crawls back down and grabs this clothespin rattle and is trying very hard to pull herself back up onto the box. She couldn't quite figure it out until she put her hand and then use that same hand to pull herself up because she knows she needs both hands to accomplish such a feat. So the little smartie, but the toy in her mouth, used both her hands to pull herself up onto the box and then when she got to the top and was stable, she pulled the toy out of her mouth and waved it in the air. I was so amazed...10 months old and clever as can be.  I'm sure she is going to outsmart Chris and me over the years - we better get prepared!

Does Tia Have a Boyfriend?

I dropped Tia off at school today and unlike most days, she went down and played with the other kids without protest.  She was crawling around on all fours and another baby named Jackson (Chris's coworkers' son) was also crawling around on all fours. They sort of came face to face and were doing the 'Uh...uh' at each other and Tia leaned in and gave him a big kiss on the lips.  Jackson looked up at me as if he done something wrong.  It was seriously a flash forward about 16 years!  But since she is only 10 months old, it was rather cute.  I wonder if that is her first boyfriend?  Besides Daddy, Grandpa, and Ed, of course!

She's Definitely Asian

So Lisa brought over Chinese food this weekend and on Sunday we decided to re-heat some of the left-overs. Tia was having her carrots and apples and I was eating some fried rice.  She became not interested in her food and was staring at my every forkful of rice. So I decided to give her a little spoonful and she loved it. She opened her mouth really wide and wanted more and more. She probably ate about 10 or so spoonfuls.  She is Asian!!!!

And the Winner Is...

I hosted a Lia Sophia party for my friend Ashley at our house. It was well received and a great time. As an extra incentive to making the trek out to Arnold, in addition to shopping/mingling/eating/drinking, a couple of my friends, Leslie/Alyssa, offered a $300 Limited Shopping Spree that includes your own personal stylist to help you shop. After all the orders were in, I decided to let Tia pick the winner. Here is who won...




And for those that can't see the video:
http://www.onecreativediva.com/Norris/Video%2022.mp4

I Wonder What She's Thinking

Tia does something that is so intriguing to us.  Whenever I pick Tia up, she'll grab a hold of me and then turn around and look at Chris. The looks she gives him is just a blank stare as if she is waiting for him to react. Of course, Chris thinks she is thinking 'ha ha, mommy's got me', but I'm not so sure. But every single time I take her from Chris, she immediately turns to look at him and just gives him this look. It is rather funny and I always wonder what she is thinking.  She doesn't do it for anyone else and poor Chris says 'you stinker giving me that look'...I guess babies do the darndest things!

Giving Hugs

I noticed a few days ago Tia leaning down and laying her head on this teddy bear on the floor. At first, I thought she was just tired, but then a few days later a doll was on the floor and I saw her lean down and lay her head on the doll, then pop up and start playing. Since then almost every time you put a doll or teddy bear near her, she gives it a hug. Super cute!! I just wonder where she picked that up or is that an instinct thing.  Daycare doesn't have any dolls or stuff animals and I even asked them about it. They just said 'it is the darndest thing where they pick these things up.'  I know I give Tia hugs all the time and when she is laying down, I put my head on her shoulder and kiss her cheek, but I just don't that she got it from watching me, but I could be wrong. She is just so darn cute with her little mannerisms. Makes me think she is going to be a lover and not a fighter.

Happy 10 Month Birthday!

Tia is 10 months old today. Amazing how quickly a month went by as it felt I was just writing happy 9th month birthday.  The milestone today is following her first major temper tantrum I have seen thus far. Last night, I fed her some cheerios in her high chair and when I took her out, she wanted to play with the buckles.  Well, I just put her on the ground while I cleaned up the tray of the high chair and she went over and pulled herself up and started playing with the buckles.  If I wasn't watching her, she could easily fall since there wasn't much holding her up, so I kept taking her down and she started wailing as if she was going to die if she couldn't play with the buckle on the high chair.  I took her into her room and tried to feed her a bottle since it was her bedtime and she just bucked and curled all the while crying with real tears. Her voice is a bit horse so she'd do that 'I can't breathe' cry and seriously I was saying 'baby girl, you are breaking my heart', but she kept on. So I took her out of the room and as we passed the high chair she tried to leap out of my hands and I put her down in her playpen and took the high chair over to the kitchen and stowed it away. She just looked at it and cried her eyes out. It was amazing to me and I wondered if this was the first of many temper tantrums.  It took her a while to get calmed down and finally she was fine. It did pain me not to let her do what she wanted, but for safety reasons I couldn't let her. I just kept saying to her that she can't have everything she wants but she just gave me those puppy dog eyes.  I was stern and prayed I'd always be able to be stern in those situations.  I am sure tonight when I got to feed her, it will happen all over again.  But maybe after a few times, she'll understand that she is not allowed to play with the buckle on the high chair.

The one thing she is doing that is super cute is she is standing with no hands. She'll be standing up and she'll push off and have no hands for a second or two until she needs to hold on again.  It is pretty neat to see her testing that out. She does try to multi-task and hold on barely with her forearm while her hands are free to play with whatever is around or whatever she is holding.  She cracks me up.  Happy birthday to Tia and many many more months to come.

Tia's First Wedding

I was so excited for Tia to attend her first wedding that I went out and purchased this cute little mauve, gray, black, and white polka dot dress. She looked super cute.  This wedding was Tyler and Libby Bechtold's.  Tyler is my first cousin on my dad's side and he is 8 years younger than me, so seeing him get married just made me realize that we are all getting older.  Weddings are always good to see family too because we really only see the entire family at one time a couple times a year, if that.  Of course, when we got to the church, my cousin Jamie (Tyler's sister), ran over and snatched Tia up.  Tia instantly put her head on Jamie's shoulder.  It is super cute, but I know that is a sign of her being shy.  In the past few weeks, she has started to have the mommy separation anxiety. So when she leaves my sight, she gets very frantic. Sometimes she won't even go to Chris.  Well, she napped on the way over and she woke up when we were pulling up to the church. When she has anxiety the most is when she first wakes up, so we knew she would need some time to warm up.  Within a few minutes, as she started to get passed around, she started to get frantic wondering where we were and when I came over, she had tears welled up in her eyes, but she hadn't cried yet. So I took her outside and we rejuvenated a bit. Then daddy took her and we were on our way back in. During the ceremony she was super cute, she played and looked around. She smiled a lot and when there was singing, she stop and stare.  She was mesmerized by it all.  The funny thing was that every time we were in prayer, Tia would yell out Dada or make some sound. One time, she tooted...which Chris was trying so hard not to laugh out loud.  But she did great and after she was passed around a bit and she loved it. She did great at the reception too. She again was passed around from family member to family member, but what we noticed is that she was drawn to little kids. My nieces, other babies, and just kids under the age of 10.  It is as if she recognizes the innocence of other kids...the innocence that most of us adults have lost along the way. She tried to go to sleep one time, but every time she was asleep, she'd wake to the clapping of when they announced each wedding party couple.  She'd try to close her eyes again, and then she'd wake to clapping. She gave me a look of, what is going on!  She got a second wind and was passed around again. Then later, my Aunt Brooke was able to get her to fall asleep just before we were leaving for the night.  She was just too cute. Was a great baby the entire time and without a nap.  So darling.

She's Dancing

Last weekend when we went to Ste Gen, I took my guitar so I can play some songs around the campfire.  When we came home for the weekend, I decided to play it before stowing it away.  I played a song I wrote for Chris and Tia was mesmerized. She was sitting on her knees and started clapping her hands together and dancing. It was seriously so cute. There were also a couple other instances where she heard music and started to dance.  I'd like to say she has a lot of rhythm, but can't tell just yet.  She just smiles, dances, and stares back. So cute.

Featured on Maria's Blog

We made a showing on Maria's blog:


http://brahamfam.blogspot.com/2010/10/ang-chris-tia.html

Head on Your Shoulder

The past couple weeks, Tia has been putting her head on my, Chris's, and people's shoulders. I think it is absolutely heart melting because it is just the cutest thing ever.  She does it when she is tired, but she also does it when she is trying to be shy.  For instance, if I'm holding her and she sees someone who makes her shy, she'll put her head on my shoulder and then look at them out of the corner of her eye followed, often, by a smile.  Lately, she wants to also go to sleep that way if I'm rocking her. Usually, I hold her like a baby and cradle her, but she turns and then when I prop her up on my shoulder, she puts her head down. So cute!

Clapping Her Hands

My favorite new thing that Tia does is clapping her hands. She'll do a few claps and I just love the sound and seeing her do it. When we clap back, she will stop and stare at our hands, but if Chris says 'clap your hands', she will usually do it. I can't get her to do it on command yet. But if I'm holding her on my lap and I clap my hands and stop, she'll grab my thumbs and clap my hands together. I'm telling you she is one smart kid. She loves it when you do patty cake - she'll give you a big smile and a cute chuckle. So cute!

Ma Ma

She finally said Mama the other day. It wasn't clear if she meant to or not, but it was the most precious thing I've ever heard. As you know, lately she has been having some separation issues when I hand her to others or leave the room. Chris was holding her the other morning and she was super tired, which is usually when she has these issues. He gave her over to me for a quick second and then when I handed her back, she screamed out 'Maaaaaaaaaa Mah' and it was so darn cute. It about brought a tear to my eye. Chris seems to think she meant to say it, but I'm not so sure. She has been saying more mamamama lately, but nothing definitive yet.

Tia's Appt at the Ear Doctor Went Great

Yesterday, Tia had her check up with the ear doctor to see how the tubes were coming along.  He said that everything looks great and they are working wondrously.  The best news is that she doesn't have to come back to see him for one full year...now that must mean good things.  I will say that I do think the tubes are working out great.  She did get an ear infection a few weeks ago and boy was it hard to clean out the 'scewg' as Chris and I call it, and then give her the drops that she needed...she is getting so strong.  But regardless, she did not have to miss any school which means we did not have to miss any work.  Her teachers at school say she has been almost like a new person since the tubes were put in and I've noticed a difference too.  I think she had great hearing before, but even more so now. I guess she has super sonic hearing like her momma...must be an asian thing, right Lisa?  So I'm happy for Tia that she can enjoy being a baby and almost a toddler and not have to deal with being sick all the time.  She's growing so fast and getting so big - I just want the best for her!

Holding On

At daycare this morning, they were telling me how if Tia is in the big 6 baby stroller, she'll either hold on to the side the whole time, or she'll grab the baby's hand who is next to her. They said that she does this every time. When she is sitting in the baby chair, she'll grab the baby's hand next to her and hold it.  I have yet to see her do this, but I do know that when I hold her, she grabs on to my hair, neck, or shoulder...and when others, she does the same.  I saw her do this when she was sitting up and she put her hand on top of this bigger baby's head...he gave me a look of confusion and wasn't quite sure how to react. They also said that when she crawls, that she doesn't pay attention to what is in front of her as she will just crawl right over it. I have definitely seen this because when I pick her up, she'll crawl over all the toys.  They said that yesterday she went to crawl towards someone and just crawled right over a baby...the image in my mind is hysterical...Tia with a big grin on her face trying to get to the person she wants to see and she doesn't even realize the speedbump that she just mauled over was a baby, lol.

Preview of Tia's Modeling Pics

Here is a preview of Tia's modeling pics. This is what Tia's agent sent over as a glimse of more to come...so precious.

Texas Roadhouse Baby

Some of you may remember the day I went into labor with Tia and the sequence of events. If not, let me refresh your memory. It was Friday, December 18th and we went to my final check-up at the doctor. He said I was about 3 cm dialated and that if I didn't go into labor this weekend, then he'd induce me on Monday. He did help things along a bit more (break some membranes), but he had done this several times earlier in the week and nothing...so we had just assumed we'd have to be induced. By this time, I had been having stronger contractions to the point where I wasn't sleeping that great. After we left the doctor, I told Chris I wanted Steak! So we tried to go to Kobe off Olive, but saw that it was closed. Since I was craving hibachi, we tried Shogun and it was too early for dinner and too late for lunch. So we called Texas Roadhouse and they were opening for dinner at 4pm, so we went to Wal-Mart to buy some time and as soon as we arrived at Texas Roadhouse, I had my first contraction. I got my handy iPod out with the Contraction Timer App and I hit 'start contraction'. I seriously thought I was dying when I got this horrible contraction. Chris wanted to know if I wanted to leave and I said, 'no, I want steak', so we stayed. The timer showed my contractions were about 4 minutes apart. I had read that if they are anything less than 5 minutes then we were supposed to go to the hospital, but I just kept thinking 'we just left there, why would I be going into labor now'. So we got to our table and ordered, I dealt with the pain of each contraction and Chris was sweating and worried. We got our food and I had another one...and this time he said 'if we have this baby at the Texas Roadhouse, I'll never forgive you'...I took one bite of the steak and gave him the signal. We quickly boxed up our food and got in the car. Chris called the emergency line of our doctor's office to confirm whether I needed to come in and they said 'YES'...so we were on our way back to the hospital. I was upset because I wasn't quite prepared and although we had our bags packed, I hadn't showered, hadn't had a BM in a few days, and my hair needed to look prettier.

Long story short, we made it to the hospital and several contractions, an epidural, and some waiting...our adorable baby girl was born. So our joke has always been that she could have been our Texas Roadhouse Baby and we've been meaning to go back there to eat. We tried on a weekend one time, but it was so packed. So last night, we had a house showing, so we decided to take baby girl up there and laugh about the day she was born. She loved it, especially when they started dancing to Thriller, she even danced a little and smiled really big. All I have to say is YUMMY and I finally got to have my Texas Roadhouse filet!

Tia's First Big Trip

This past weekend we took Tia on her first big trip to Chicago. No, it isn't far, but it is the farthest away she has been thus far. We went to visit Chris's Aunt Lucy who wanted to have a 31 party for me and therefore, we made a weekend out of it. We rented a mini-van and Grandpa and Grandma Norris drove while we were passengers in the backseat. Tia did really good on the drive...there were only a few times she was restless, but we kept her entertained. She slept great the first night and not so great the second night...or more so that she slept great because she got to sleep on Mommy's belly/chest and so Mommy didn't sleep that great. She played with her cousins Abby and Emma for a long while and then we put her to bed. She was exhausted! Saturday morning, we took Tia to her first soccer game to watch Emma play. It was freezing out, so she cuddled in mommy's fleece and stayed warm. We took her to Ikea which is of course my favorite store of all time. Went to dinner Saturday night and she got to meet and hang out with Maria and then Sunday we hung out and headed back to St. Louis mid-day. We did swing by my parents house in Springfield so Tia could see her other Grandma and Grandpa Gulledge, Uncle Bobby, and cousins Juliean and Janelle. It was a great weekend and first trip for Tia.