Only a Matter of Days

I predict that Tia will be walking in a matter of days. By the weekend or definitely by her birthday.  She is as close as you are going to get. She will take a few steps confidently and fall, but she knows exactly what walking is and it is so close.  She'll hold on to the railing, then no hands, she'll dance or teeter back and forth, then sometimes she'll take a few steps before falling.  Like I mentioned in my last post, she took several steps to Chris.  She was at her Katmas yesterday and she said she stood straight up from a sitting position with no help from railings or something to pull her up. Chris and I witnessed it that same night and she takes steps almost as if she is going to keep walking. She'll even almost run...so only a matter of days and she'll be on the move. She is going to be a fast kid. I ran track and have been known for my speed in all the sports I played. I even broke some records and may even have one at the high school. Chris is also super fast as I witnessed playing soccer and kickball with him and so if Tia inherited speed from either of us she'll be a fast kid and if I'm thinking what I'm thinking that she inherited speed from both of us, then we better watch out.  Just crawling, she covers lots of ground quickly. At Thanksgiving, she trucked up stairs, for the first time, as fast as a 2 year old. It was crazy.

So Much to be Thankful for

Thanksgiving was a lot of fun this year with having Tia so interactive.  We were down in Ste Gen for a night, then in Ballwin, then Edwardsville, and even at home for one get-to-gether. I think everyone enjoyed seeing Tia and I think she enjoyed playing with everyone else.  She was a little under the weather and had several yucky, loose stools, but she was still very happy.  We are just so thankful to have Tia in our lives and it seems like everyday she is doing more and more things from saying bye bye, to shaking her head no, to even walking her first several steps just yesterday.  She's just so fun and too smart for her own good!  Thank you God for blessing us with a healthy home, beautiful family, wonderful friends, and all that we need for our well being.  We are truly grateful.

Finally a Goodbye

For months when I wave goodbye, Tia will just stare at my hand. When others wave goodbye, she'd do the same thing. She's picked up on so many things so quickly, but for some reason waving goodbye or hello just hasn't happened. I finally noticed a few days ago that her fingers would do the wave. Her hand wasn't extended or raised, but she'd do the wave with her fingers...so it is slowly starting to happen for her. So cute.

Tia Missed Her 9 Month Appointment

My excuse is with the chaos of Tia being sick frequently during her first 6 months, I barely remember which appointment was her 6 month and which appointment was just another day we brought her in because she caught a cold.  Shortly after is when she got her tubes put in and I remember the doctor saying she'd have her next shots at a year, but I just really don't remember anyone saying anything about a 9 month appointment.  Like I said, it was sort of a blur since we were up at the doctor so often.  So needless to say, Tia missed her 9 month appointment.  I guess in retrospect, it is a great thing because she has had no reason to go back in the past 5 months. She's been happy, healthy, and growing like a weed. So her next appointment will be her year apppointment which sounds as crazy as her first birthday coming upon us quickly. 

Our Routine

One of my favorite things is my mornings with Tia.  Yes, I have to get up a couple hours before I did prior to having Tia but it becomes habit and just part of the routine.  I never know how the mornings are going to go...I really just let Tia dictate what happens. All the same tasks take place but the order is set by when she gets up.  Some mornings she sleeps until I wake her up. This is my most ideal time because I can get all of my stuff done and all I have to do is feed and change her and we are out the door. However, sometimes she gets up early and I usually feed her in the dark and try to put her back to bed.  Most of the time she goes right back down, but sometimes not so much. So I sometimes put her in the swing in front of the TV with Baby Einstein on and she'll doze off.  Other times, if really early, I'll bring her in bed with me and feed her and let her go back to sleep on my chest. I'll put her next to Chris and go get ready. Every morning my alarm goes off at 5:15 and then 5:30. I usually get up and make her a warm bottle so it is ready to go.  I have her monitor nearby and when she lets me know, I'll go feed her.  I jump in the shower and get ready, then I'll get my bags packed for the day, her diaper bag packed, and have everything right by the door ready to go. I'll go into her room and sometimes if she's still asleep, I'll turn the light on and while I'm grabbing her clothes and putting stuff away, she slowly wakes up and she stands up in her crib and is super excited to see me. I scoop her up and take her into the guest bedroom and prop her up on a pillow and give her the bottle. She'll hold it while I take off all of her pjs and change her diaper. I'll interrupt her here and there to put her shirt on but she doesn't seem to mind too much.  Then once we are ready to go, I'll bring her in to see Chris as he is rolling out of bed for the day.  We'll play with daddy and give kisses goodbye and then we are on our way to school and work. She is super clingy in the morning and becomes a mommy's girl sometimes not even going to Chris and she hardly ever wants to go to any of her teachers. She watches my every move and whines if I make a effort towards leaving. The only thing that keeps her distracted is food!  But I do enjoy spending those bonding moments with Tia.  I talk to her in the car and kiss her cheek when she eats. I give her some 'you're so silly' and 'you're so sweet' in the morning. We giggle, laugh, and she'll crawl around the house while I chase her.  Just so fun.

Peak-a-Boo

Tia never ceases to amaze me.  A few weeks ago, Chris was playing peak-a-boo with Tia by putting a small blanket over her head and then taking it off. Of course, she loves it and when Chris stopped, she kept going. So cute to see a baby do things on their own and so she'll hold the blanket above her head and then pull it down. What is cute is her big gummy smile when she pulls it down with her squinty eyes and her belly laugh just waiting for you to react. So cute.

Yes and No

Tia is so cute when she shakes her head no.  If she sees you shake your head no or she hears you say no, she'll automatically shake her head too.  After a few days, we emphasized the nodding yes and now she can do that too.  The cutie patootie tries to multi-task and shake her head while standing and she loses her balance.  But it is so cute to see her say no or yes. I really do think she knows what it means too.  What is funny is when Chris will say 'give daddy a kiss' and she'll shake her head no.  So cute!  I am sure she'll be hearing NO a lot and I'm sure she'll want that t-shirt that says 'Hello, my name is no-no'....I guess all parents go through saying no to everything, lol

Only One without Shoes

So everyday I drop off Tia to daycare and I never really noticed it until today.  She is the only one in her class that does not wear shoes. Or at least amongst the kids that were there this morning at 7:00am.  There is a baby boy who is a lot smaller than Tia who was wearing shoes and I think it hit me that maybe I need to start putting shoes on the girl.  I don't even know what shoes we have for her.  Perhaps, for her 1st birthday, she'll get lots of shoes to wear.  I just wonder when babies are supposed to wear shoes everyday...wouldn't it be when they are walking? I guess, I was waiting for her to be officially walking, but maybe I need to get her some shoes and it would help.  I'm going to start paying attention when I drop her off to see if she really is the only baby without shoes.

Moving?

We have had our house up for more than 90 days and although we've had over a full page of showings and every one of them love the house, but they all hate the backyard. Our backyard is not the best, but it is not horrible. I have definitely seen worse.  It is very large because essentially, we are on a corner lot on our street. It is baseball diamond shaped and is a huge incline from our house up the hill.  I honestly will say that when I moved in, I thought bad things about our backyard too, BUT it wasn't until this year that I actually went up to the top to take pictures and realized it was a nice back yard. There is a level spot in the middle and it is a gorgeous view. Now, getting takers to wall to the top of the yard and take a good look at it, is a challenge. We had hoped to move by now, but it looks as though we will be staying at least through this hard winter until Spring time when the housing market is much better.  Only time will tell. I would love to say that all the mornings of cleaning and tidying up have paid off, but to no avail - it hasn't.  With a baby, it has been extra hard and I really do think she has more stuff that I do, but we'll get there one day...just have to be persistent and patient.

One of Daddy's Babies is Gone

So Chris has had a Cavalier Z24 for years. So long that the car is still in somewhat good condition for being a 1998 vehicle.  It has over 170,000 miles on it and has its share of slight problems, but all in all it has been a great car for Chris and he definitely considered it one of his babies for a long time.  In fact, when we met the Cavalier is the car he was driving around and not too long after we got serious, he went and purchased a nicer vehicle so we could ride around in a bit more style....you know, power locks, air conditioning, etc.  But when we found out we were pregnant, the nicer vehicle was only a two-seater and we soon realized that it was not going to do the job. Especially, since there would soon be three of us and a two-seater was not going to cut it. So Chris sold the Nissan 350Z that was in mint condition with pretty much zero miles on it because besides a few dates with me here and there, he typically drove the Cavalier around. I designed a website to showcase the 350Z and we posted a link on Craigslist..within a week, the car was sold.  So I've been telling him for a few years now to get rid of the Cavalier, that I wanted him to be safe, and that he would NEVER let Tia ride around in it. In his eyes, the car was fine, BUT he did understand my worries and has been meaning to sell it for a long time.  Finally, a month or so ago, he took pictures and I was able to post them to my website and put direct html jpgs into the Craigslist posting.  Within minutes, the phone started ringing, the text messages started coming, and the emails were filling up the inbox.  Over 50 and more interested parties...Chris put above book value because he knew how much he had taken care of the car and that it was worth more than the average for sale by owner 98 Cavalier Z24.  Within a week, the Cavalier was sold! A buyer came with cash in hand and signed all the paperwork for the Cavalier to have a new home.  I do think Chris was a bit said and I can understand why. I was the same way about my old Ford Explorer that I had for years that eventually exploded, literally. I sold it to a friend and whenever I see the same model, I get those nostalgic feelings back. I'm sure Chris will be the same way, although a part of him is relieved as well.  Glad she's sold - one more thing we have crossed off our list before the move, if that ever happens!

Is She Teething?

Back when she was about 3 or 4 months old, I was confident she was teething because she would chew and drool on everything, but no signs of teeth that that time.  Still today, at almost 11 months old, Tia has no signs of teeth coming in. She has several classmates will a few to a full set of teeth, but nothing for baby girl. But the past couple weeks, she has been a little out of sorts, has had an intermittent diarrhea here and there, and she seems to want to chew on anything metallic.  Daycare and others all seem to think she may finally be getting some teeth?  But I guess time will tell. I just want to to be her normal self again. I've seen babies in major pain from teething and I hate for Tia to go through that, but I know it is part of growing and getting big.  She's such a cutie, but you already knew that.

Our Little Sumo Wrestler

I wouldn't say Tia is the best eater in the world. She eats when she is really hungry, but she is not consistent in how much she'll eat from night to night.  She'll chow down on the chicken pieces and will pass over the carrots one night and then the next she'll pass over the apples and go straight for the carrots. Lately, she has only wanted her bottle and eats a bit of solid foods, but nothing like other babies I know do.  She did chow down on my mac-n-cheese the other night and she LOVES cereal. If that was a hereditary thing, she'd definitely get that from Chris. However, I don't think that is the case but rather she just loves cereal.  One thing is for sure is when she is done eating and is ready to get down.  She slides way down in her high chair, makes a double chin type face, and puffs out her cheeks.  Her eyes become super squinty and she makes a sort of grunting noise.  You'd think she was making a poopie, but we now know it is her way of letting us know she is done.  She seriously does look like a sumo wrestler. We haven't decided if we think it is cute or not.  One thing that is not cute is her recent love of putting all of her food, piece by piece, on the floor.

So Big...

Tia is just the cutest thing when someone says 'How big is Tia?' and she'll put her hands straight up in the air and we'll say 'So Big'. Then she'll keep doing it and we'll respond every time with 'So Big.' It is seriously so precious.  She definitely responds and knows what we are talking about.  The other thing she does is clap her hands. If you say Patty Cake or clap your hands, she'll pull her hands out and clap them.  What Chris loves about it is how sweet it is. She barely claps them together but does enough to where the sound is just a tiny clapping sound. It is so cute and she'll do it often for other reasons too.  I just love it.  She dances when music comes on and she has been shaking her head at certain things too, although we haven't quite figured out what that means yet.  All of her little actions are just awesome to see and to watch her grow so big!  Love it!

She's Walking (with help)

My brother and his wife gave us a walker when Tia was born but we instantly noticed how quickly the wheels went and both said wouldn't a baby get hurt. This walker looked dated which meant it has gone from generation to generation so for sentimental purposes we kept it. When I was picking up Tia from Kathi's, her landlord was there and as a proud new dad he had to show off his 9 month old son walking using a walker on video. Of course Katma had to prove how her grandbaby is so smart and said, Tia patty cake...clap and Tia, as if on cue, pulls her hands out and claps them together. Her landlord said, now that's cool. When I got home that night I decided to pull out the walker my brother gave us. Tia saw it and it was as if she knew exactly what to do. She uses the handle bars to pull herself up and uses it to walk across the floor. Of course, it did go a little too quickly for her but for her first time she did great. It reminded me of an adult pushing a motorized pushing lawn mower but they can't keep up and fall to their knees and are dragged. That is what happened, but Tia loved it and she was determined to figure it out. We were amazed. But it made me realize she will be walking soon!

Tia's School Pictures

I have to admit that her school photo is awesome. I can't remember many of my school photos ever being any I truly loved, but I do think she's off to a great start. Of all of her classmates in the class photo, she definitely looks the best (of course I'm biased), but what I mean is that she is smiling and many others aren't.  I love her gummy smile! So cute.
 

Won't Sleep When She Needs To

Tia has been out of sorts lately when it comes to sleeping.  She does not want to be put down in her crib, on the floor to play, in her swing, or even rocked. She is just not happy when it is bed time.  It is amazing that she does not sleep much during the day and you'd think she'd be exhausted when she gets home - nope. Last night, she was up until 10:00pm and refused to go to bed. Chris was at his wits end because she was high maintenance too...she wanted to be held. Even jumping on the bed wasn't good enough for her.  I think she is a bit under the weather and is just having a hard time settling down. At daycare, they said that she refuses to sleep in her crib lately too.  When I came in this morning, they said - did she crash hard last night because she would not nap all day yesterday and when I told them she wouldn't go to bed until 10:00ish, they were amazed.  They also said that she will fall asleep in the high chair table they have and will bob her head and actually fall asleep sometimes but the minute they take her out and put her in her crib, she wakes right up.  I knew exactly what they were talking about. I would love to hear suggestions on how to change this...of course being a new parent, I'm clueless as to how to get good sleeping habits down.  We do let her cry it out for a short while from time to time and then pick her up and try to rock her, etc...and then put her back down. She'll fuss but eventually go back to bed. I am just not sure how to get her to go in her bed willingly, let alone go to bed on her own. Have I spoiled her with rocking and putting her in the swing?  I just really enjoy bonding with her while I'm rocking her to bed sometimes...it reminds me of when we first brought her home.

She's Standing Like a Big Girl

Last night, I was on the couch, Chris was on the sofa chair and Tia was in her playpen just playing along. I hear Chris say 'look at her' and when I did, she was standing up and clapping. She was trying to hold her balance and I counted 10 seconds and then she leaned in towards the wall of the playpen and held on. She looked at us with big smiles and she was proud. She kept doing it and would last about 10 or so seconds before losing her balance.  It was so cute!  I really do believe that the playpen has helped her learn to stand and pull herself up much faster than if she didn't have it.  I bet she'll be walking by her 1st birthday, but I can't say that for sure. We really haven't tried to get her to walk much...maybe we are afraid of what comes next, lol Boy is she stinkin cute!