She's Even Cute When She's Mad

Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 - Day 125

This picture cracks me up. She is such a great baby that when she gets mad, it is so cute. She barely fusses and when she does, you know she wants something and you can quickly determine what that is. I've heard from many that she barely cries. I know I've babied her when she's sleeping running to her aid when she makes a peep. Because of this, she doesn't cry - she'll howl because she knows I'm coming and will smile the minute she sees me - I love it. With daddy, she is a stinker. She knows how to work him so well and will make a fuss so he'll play with her and hold her. It cracks me up. She definitely has daddy wrapped around her little finger. It is amazing how smart she is and how she knows what things to do to get her way. But she doesn't try those things with me. I have seriously only seen a few tears from her and I hope she continues to be a happy baby. I just hate seeing her cry although I do know that some crying is very healthy and so we do let her fuss a bit before giving in sometimes. I went with the whole notion that you can't spoil them under 6 months old and so I do. What is funny is that Chris and I are super disciplinarians and will most likely be good at keeping our kids in check, but for some reason when they are babies, it is just too hard to be that way. So until they get older, we want them to be babied! 'Don't make me call Grandma'

So Much Fun Watching Her Grow

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 - Day 124

Tia is so much fun to watch when she is playing and showing off. I can see a bit competitive side to her and she sure loves showing off too. It doesn't surprise me because both Chris and I are competitive, athletic people. She has had a lot of tummy time lately, both on the floor and her boppy pillow. Now that she is rolling over to her belly, we want her to be able to know what to do when she is on her belly. Right now, she grunts in frustration wondering how to roll back over. But regardless of her grunting, smiling, laughing, or just showing off, he is so much fun to watch. She's is getting so big so fast!

My Biggest Loser Weigh-in today was 151. Down 4 lbs this week, down 9 lbs in two weeks - yay! I've been working my booty off, literally! Only 16 lbs to go.

Great time in Ste Genevieve

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010 - Day 123

We had a great weekend in Ste Genevieve visiting Chris's dad and step-mom. Marsha's parents also came down to see their new great grand baby for the first time. Tia got to play a lot and show off a lot of her new skills like rolling over, grabbing things, holding her own bottle, and many more. She was a ham for sure. We wanted to take her on the boat, but just didn't have a life jacket small enough for her, so we'll have to wait until next time. Chris got to go out on the boat. I got to walk around the lake, which is 4 mile of hills, both Saturday with dad-n-law and Sunday with step-mom-n-law. So I got my workout in. It was a lot of fun.

Happy 4 Month Birthday!

Monday, April 19th, 2010 - Day 122

It is amazing how quickly time flies. We are already at her 4 month birthday. She has been achieving so many milestones the past month, it's crazy. Today, she also started her new daycare. I think she adjusted quite well because there were new surrounding and new toys. I was excited on the way to the daycare and couldn't wait to get her started at her new school. My biggest fear was that she had started rolling over while sleeping and the new teachers wouldn't know how she is and wouldn't keep an eye to make sure she was okay. I got her all settled in her classroom, went over all the new routines I'll have to learn with the teachers and the director, and off I went back to work. I called Chris and when he answered, he asked 'how did it go'...then when there was a long pause, he said 'are you okay, are you crying'. And I was. I didn't cry the first time I dropped her off at daycare, but for some reason I was a mess this time. I think she has grown so much and I was so afraid that they didn't know thing things to watch for and especially with her rolling over while sleeping, I was afraid. I definitely don't want anything happening to my baby girl and I think I was a bit apprehensive. Chris thought it was the cutest thing and consoled me saying he'd go check on her at lunch. He called after he did and told me that Tia was smiling away and had napped just fine earlier. He also ran into a few coworkers who had their children there. I felt so much better! It is amazing how much love we have for our children. It is an unexplainable love that know one can ever realize until they have that too. I would do anything for her and I only want the best for her needs. Needless to say, I'm fine now and I'm happy she has adjusted well. I can tell she is a very social-able girl who will get along in whatever surroundings she is in...just like her momma!

Grandpa Nooner and Grandma Noonette

Sunday, April 18th, 2010 - Day 121

Tia is pretty lucky to have as many grandparents as she does. Chris and I, being in our 30s when we had Tia, are both really happy that all of our parents are still living (minus my beloved step-dad Ron who passed away in 1998). Tia is actually luckier than most because not only does she have 7 grandparents, but she also has 5 great grandparents too. This past weekend we went down to Ste Genevieve where Chris's dad & step-mom live. Chris's step-mom Marsha's parents Ruie & Jim also came to meet Tia and I know they are proud Great Grandparents because they were super excited. It was a great weekend and I think Tia had a great time!

My New Workout Routine

Saturday, April 17th, 2010 - Day 120

So I started the Biggest Loser challenge on Wednesday, April 7th and so far I've been doing great. When I weighed in on that first day, I weighed 160 lbs. This week on Wednesday, my weight at weigh in was 155. So 5 lbs down - yay! I worked my butt off that first week and hope to keep it up. I calculated it up and I did over 12 miles of walking, jogging and running. Not bad considering I don't even think I was averaging a mile a week before. Besides going to Fenton Park and doing their path as much as I can, I've been to Bee Tree Park to hike. I've also watched what I ate the past weeks too. I have really never been on a diet, but I'm using the weigh watchers points as my guide. I'm not being religious to that program or anything, but more using it as a tool to know when I'm in the ballpark of foods I'm eating. I have 4 other friends doing the Biggest Loser with me and so far all the people who have weighed in this week have lost at least a few lbs. So stay tuned to my progress and see if I get down to my goal weight of 135, which was my weight prior to becoming pregnant. I am determined to get my body back at least a few months before we start trying again for baby #2!

Last Day at Goddard

Friday, April 16th, 2010 - Day 119

Today is Tia's last day at the Goddard School. It was a shame she was out yesterday from allergies, but at least we found out from the doctor that she just has allergies and she's not sick. The poor thing sounds so congested like it is in her chest - ugh! I know Tia loves all of her teachers at Goddard from Ms. Tomieka to Ms. Jesica to Ms. Colleen to all of the other teachers. I know she'll know something is different not seeing her other classmates, teachers, crib, and other surroundings. But she is starting on Monday at First Academy in Fenton and I know she'll grow to love her new teachers and school. First Academy will be much more convenient for both of us and we'll be able to put the cost savings towards our future down payment of our new house (when we move). I am sure there will be many things I miss about Goddard, but for our family, we have to stay within our budget, think about our future children, and do what is best for our current needs. Having the daycare literally a rock's throw away, will be so nice in case Tia needs anything and Chris can run over there and check on her. I still plan to drop off for the time being, but it will be convenient for both Chris and I to pick her up to take her home. I'm excited to get her going there and see how she does.

Had to Post this for You Gamblers

Thursday, April 15th, 2010 - Day 118

So for all you gamblers out there, namely Lisa and Charlotte, here is your good luck charm! Isn't she cute!!!! These were the tickets Lisa and I had and did pretty darn well too. Now that I'm in the Biggest Looser for Gamblers which basically means you play to win lottery tickets instead of money, she is definitely my good luck charm.

Sent Home from Daycare

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 - Day 117

We remember when Tia's pediatrician told us as soon as she starts daycare that she'd probably get a cold. I was wondering when that would happen and it happened today. She's been super congested and I just hate it. She sounds like an old man with bad allergies and it just seems to be getting worse. I clean her nose out three times a day with the 'bulb' as I like to call it, but it just doesn't get the stuff way down there. I could tell she had a bit of a runny nose beyond her normal congestion but she was still her happy self. Daycare called about 1:30pm to tell me she had two diapers of diarrhea and if she has another one, she'll have to be picked up. I had a bunch of meetings all day and still had an interview coming in and another meeting, so I talked to Chris to see if he could pick her up if they called. I got a text from him about 3:30pm saying he was on his way home with Tia. We took her temperature, but she was fine. Hopefully she is gets better soon.

Gee Gee and Tia

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 - Day 116

I love this picture of Grandma Stella and Tia. We call Grandma Stella, Gee Gee, because she is Great Grandma to Tia. I think it is wonderful that Tia has a few great grandparents alive to get to know. Grandma Stella has a picture at home of Chris and Jeremy as babies laying in her arms and all three of them are asleep. So this picture will go very nicely next to that one on her mantle. While house/dog sitting for Aunt Jenny and Uncle Dave, Grandma Stella got a lot of quality time with Tia. I loved every minute that Tia got to share with her Gee Gee.

Extra Time with Daddy

Monday, April 12th, 2010 - Day 115

Today is the Cardinal's Home Opener and as most people who know me would know that I have attended the home opener over 8 years in a row. Luckily for me, I have a wonderful friend Cherri who invites me to her tickets each year. This year, Cherri not only asked me to the game, but also said she got an almost free deal on a hotel room at the Hilton that is next door to the stadium. Since the suite we'll be in will have food and drinks included, I really wanted to take advantage of my big night out with the girls and not worry about driving home to Arnold. So I proposed the idea to Chris and he was extremely supportive saying "I deserve it". I was so excited and I am so looking forward to it. The kicker is, that Chris will have Tia over night by himself. This wouldn't be a big deal, BUT he has never had to get up with Tia for her first feeding of the day, which is between 5:30am and 6:00am. So not only does he have to worry about that first feeding, but he has to get her dressed, himself dressed, her to daycare, and then himself to work by 8:00am. I personally feel that this will be a great chance for him to see what it entails because he'll have to do it for 5 days in June while I'm on a work trip to Maryland. I have been really trying to butter him up the past week because I know it is somewhat of an inconvenience to change his normal routine. I volunteered to get her up, feed her and get her to daycare every morning, while starting next week, when she goes to her new daycare, he volunteered to pick her up every day. So we've become accustomed to our routine and I do feel bad he has to get up almost 2 hours earlier than he's used to. (shhhh, he's not a morning person) But I will appreciate him for giving me a night out with the girls that is worry free, and he'll appreciate how early I get up. Can't wait until tonight!!!!

Got the Stroller Out Finally

Sunday, April 11th, 2010 - Day 114

Yes, I know I've been a bad mom because I haven't pushed Tia around in the stroller, but finding the time has been pretty difficult. After work, we don't get home until 6:15 or 6:30ish and after we feed and change her, it is dark outside. But today, we were able to get the jogger stroller out and assembled. I got to push her around the neighborhood which was pretty nice. She seemed to do pretty well in it and looked around and enjoyed the sunshine. I had walked Bee Tree Park trails with Lisa earlier, so my calves had already taken a beating...then the hills in my subdivision reminded me how sore they were - but that's a great thing.

I'm excited that now with the time change it is lighter longer so we can take her on some nightly walks. I love the jogger stroller too. It has a hook-up for your ipod and is pretty nice to maneuver around. She barely fits in the harness, but as long as she is safe, then we are happy.

Recommended Product: Soothe & Glow Seahorse

Saturday, April 10th, 2010 - Day 113

The Ocean Wonders Soothe & Glow Seahorse is my all time favorite toy of hers (at the moment). It is super cute and when you press its belly, it turns on and plays gentle music. The music is comprised of 8 gentle lullabies and classical selections, along with soothing sounds of the sea (2 ocean tracks). After 5 minutes, the sounds and lights will gently fade out so as not to disturb baby. Perfectly sized for baby to hug, the Soothe & Glow seahorse is a soft & cuddly addition to any crib. Mom can choose low or high volume or turn off altogether. What I will do is play the seahorse while I rock her to bed and once she closes her eyes, I know she is down for the count. Sometimes if she isn't ready for bed, I can play one or two songs and press the belly for a couple seconds and it turns off - pretty neat. The songs are cute including some wedding music. Lately, I can put her in her crib awake, turn on the seahorse and out she goes. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Sleeping on her Side

Friday, April 9th, 2010 - Day 112

The past week, we've been letting Tia 'air out' a bit after we get her home and feed her. She has had a bad diaper rash and we were told to let her go diaper free a small time every night and it will heal faster. They were right too, it totally works. Tonight, it was the cutest thing in the world. She was under her play gym when she decided to roll over on her side and go to sleep. What is crazy is she was sleeping exactly how I do. Partly on my side, partly on my belly, one leg extended all the way down, the other one bent and all the way up into my chest. She looked like a mini-me...and she was naked so it was even cuter, because I love her little butt. I wanted to take a picture, but I know that posting naked pictures of your children online is super taboo. So I'll wait until she does it again, but clothed.

Daddy Got a Chuckle

Thursday, April 8th, 2010 - Day 111

Every since Great Grandma (to Tia) Stella made Tia chuckle, Chris has been determined to get Tia to laugh with the belly chuckle. She laughs all the time, but they are more like squeals and hee hee's. She doesn't have many belly chuckles that we heard when she was a month or so younger as she fell asleep. I had Chris pick up Tia so I could walk right after work and when I got home, he has this look of glee in his eyes. I knew something big happened. He got down and kissed Tia on the neck while rubbing his whiskers a tad and there it was, the cutest belly chuckle. Gosh we love that sound. I got her to belly chuckle a time or two by doing silly stuff, but now Daddy has a sure fire way to get her to laugh out loud. Love it.

Biggest Loser (for Gamblers)

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 - Day 110

By this time after pregnancy, I had hoped to lose most of the baby weight I had gained. However, I never found the time to exercise or keep to my workout video routine. Once I went back to work, it was work, feed & play with Tia, sleep. Now that she is switching day cares, I will have more time after work to get some walking or running in. At work, they all are doing the Biggest Loser Office challenge and it is amazing to see at least 5 people who lost an average of 25 lbs. They all look fantastic. Last time I had weighed myself was weeks ago and I weighed 150. Today, in the lunch room at work, I decided to jump on the scale they are using for the office challenge and see what I weigh...OMG, I have gained 10 lbs since I weighed myself last. I shouldn't have been surprised, because the fat pants I bought to hold me over were getting tighter by the day. My pre-pregnancy weight was 140 and I had hoped to be closer to that number. Ideally, I'd like to be at 135 which is what I was at 28 years old or 130 which is what I was at 25, but I'll settle for somewhere between 135 and 140.

I know Lisa was also wanting to start a weight loss program and so when we were turning in our winning tickets this past weekend, I proposed a contest with lottery tickets as our motivation. She was up for the challenge and when I got to work and they had lost more weight over the weekend, I decided to create a Biggest Loser for Gamblers edition just for me and Lisa.

BIGGEST LOSER FOR GAMBLERS RULES:
1. “HAVE FUN”, Eat healthy, and exercise.
2. The first weigh in will be on Wed, April 7th at 5:30pm
3. The final weigh in will be on Wed, Jul 21th at 5:30pm (15 WEEKS)
4. Weigh-in’s will occur every Wednesday at 5:30pm.
5. There is a $5 in lottery tickets (per week) registration fee which “MUST” be paid at each weigh in.
6. (Others may join at any time during the first three weeks but the longer you wait the harder it will be to win)
7. All monies owing to the pot should be paid during the time of weigh in or prior to the following weigh in.(So if you have a bad week, be prepared break out the spare change for lottery tickets)
8. There will be a penalty fee of $1 lottery ticket owed if your weight stays the same.
9. There will be a penalty fee of $1 lottery ticket owed for each pound gained. (i.e. Gain 3 pounds, you owe $3 in lottery tickets)
10. The same scale will be brought to each weigh-in and used to ensure consistency.
11. Only weights recorded on the Biggest Loser for Gamblers approved scales on will be recognized.
12. You can quit the competition at anytime and the lottery tickets you have given to the pot will be awarded to the winner of those left in the competition, given they continue through the remaining weeks.
13. The winner will be the person who loses the largest percentage of body weight. (start at 200 pounds and lose 10 pounds and you have lost 5%)…[(Start weight - Finish Weight) X 100 / Start weight = percentage lost.]
14. At the end of the contest the winner will be awarded “ALL” lottery tickets collected by the pot.
15. “Challenge your friends and LOSE WEIGHT”

So wish me and Lisa luck in achieving as close to our goal of losing some poundage and getting as close to our idea weights as we can. Besides this program, we are going to meet as much as we humanly can to walk/run and be accountable for each other. You guys have permission to kick me in the butt if I don't get close to my goal or I quit at any point!!! (Charlotte, you can kick Lisa's butt if she quits or fails)

Tia is Still Our Good Luck Charm

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 - Day 109

This weekend Lisa came over with a pile of lottery tickets she had purchased with winning tickets she bought previously. I knew she was bringing these over, so I also bought $15 in lottery tickets to add to the mix. I saw some Cardinals $5 lottery tickets and thought they would be fun. So before we scratched off all of the tickets, we put all of the tickets around and on Tia. We did take a picture that I'll post shortly. Low and behold, we won $131! Woo Hoo So she is our good luck charm, although she'll always be mine.

Switching Daycares

Monday, April 5th, 2010 - Day 108

As much as we love the Goddard School, we received the call letting us know that our waiting list application was ready to be honored. First Academy in Fenton is located a rock's throw from Fabick, where Chris works. We had a great feeling when we walked in and many fellow colleagues of Chris have their children there. We put our name on the waiting list, but were expecting to wait for several months until they had an opening. We were pleasantly surprised when they called to let us know there was a spot for Tia. So Tia is staring at her new school/daycare on Monday, April 19th. Not only is it nicer on the checkbook, but the location is extremely ideal so that both Chris and I have easy access to picking up and dropping off. Our decision to leave was absolutely no negative reflection on the Goddard School. We love them and loved all of Tia's teachers as well. There were several reasons that made sense for us to go ahead and move her over to First Academy. We are very excited and pray that Tia makes the transition well.

Tia's First Easter

Sunday, April 4th, 2010 - Day 107

Today is Tia's first Easter. She received a basket & bunny along with a card w/money from her Grandma Wandee & Grandpa Ray, a big fluffy bunny with a card w/money from her Great Grandma Stella, and a fun personalize puppy (usb) w/basket full of candy, and cute outfit from her Grandma Kathi. I think she made out like a bandit! We had her in a few outfits, but didn't get any photos of her. Chris's family are Italians and she was a bit shy to the loudness of their voices. Sometime this week, I hope to put her back in her Easter dress and put her next to all of her Easter toys. She looked so adorable!

A Big Chuckle

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010 - Day 106

I was walking around the house when I heard Tia give out a big chuckle. I then hear Grandma Stella say 'did you hear that' and I said 'yes'...she then said 'has she chucked like that before'. She had chuckled before but only when falling asleep. She had yet to do it as a reaction to a person. But Grandma Stella was doing an animated goo-chee-goo-chee-goo with her hair, hands and body flaring towards Tia. It worked because Tia let out some big belly laughs. Everyone was jealous because we've been trying for weeks. She still will only do it for Stella. I did get some of it on video which I know Tia will cherish when she's older.

Off for Good Friday

Friday, April 2nd, 2010 - Day 105

Tia's daycare has a holiday today on Good Friday, so after Chris and I talked, we decided that I would take the day off to be with her. We played all morning and she is taking a nap right now. She is getting so fun where she acts all giddy when I talk to her and will shy away like she's bashful. We are house/dog sitting for Aunt Jenny & Uncle Dave while they are in Hilton Head. They have a beautiful home and we get to hang out with Grandma Stella who we call GG for Great Grandma (to Tia).

We've Really Got to Watch Her

Thursday, April 1st, 2010 - Day 104

Now that Tia has figured out how to roll over, we've really had to watch her. We used to be able to put her down for floor time and walk out of the room for a few minutes. Now that she is rolling over, we really have to watch her. We have been giving her tummy time, but we thought we'd have at least two more months until she was rolling all the way over. Last weekend, she rolled from back to tummy and back to her back. She gets stuck though, and it scares us because she doesn't turn her head when she's face down. She just grunts like she is mad and tries to push herself, but sometimes is unsuccessful. We were laughing because, she seemed to roll over when we weren't looking. Chris and I were talking to each other and pretending not to look at her and there she goes rolling over, but when we'd look at her - she'd stop. Chris was laughing at her because she rolled over so quickly one time that she rolled onto her buddha belly and instantly rolled back onto her back. I think it knocked the wind out of her and she got upset. Chris was just laughing away and it was really cute because she just bounced off her belly. So now, we are keeping our eyes peeled and paying attention to make sure she is supervised. We don't want her rolling over thinking we are going to come to her rescue and we aren't there.

Pack-n-Play is My New Fav

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 - Day 103

Katma got Tia the pack-n-play that we hadn't used until this past weekend. We really haven't taken her many places for extended periods of time and until last weekend, she hasn't stayed the night any place except our house. We took the boxed pack-n-play and opened it for the very first time. We didn't use the bassinet or diaper changing station feature, because we only needed it for her to sleep in. It was set up right next to the bed we were staying in and it was really nice having her so close. If she woke up, I'd just lean over and pop her pacifier back in and go back to bed. I've had to get her up by 6:00am when I have to go to work that I've hadn't had much chance to see how long she could sleep in. Last weekend, she left from 9ish until 8:30am - I was so excited. Then on Sunday morning, she slept in until 8. Now, keep in mind, she did wake up here and there, but I was easily able to get her to fall back asleep. We are house sitting for Tia's Great Aunt Jenny, and the pack-n-play is perfect! So easy to pack up and so easy to carry around. Love it! Thanks Katma.

Weening Her From Being Swaddled

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 - Day 102

We have swaddled Tia every time she goes to sleep and for naps. It has helped because if she didn't, her hands would wake her up or she'd have that falling sensation. She will stay asleep most of the night. She's getting bigger now and we need to start weening her from being swaddled to go to sleep. Last weekend, I was able to put her down for a couple naps but I had to hold her tightly and keep her hands from moving much. The first time, she slept for a few hours. The second time, she would wake up from time to time. But at least we are working on it. I also enjoy rocking her and will soon really need to get her to fall asleep on her own. I know I have spoiled her, but being my first child, I just love watching her fall asleep. It is always hard though because we seem to have little time from the time we get home until we go to bed and I know it will be a time investment to get her to fall asleep without being swaddled and on her own. We'll get there and I know it will be really good for all of us.

Her Poor Little Booty

Monday, March 29th, 2010 - Day 101

She's gone 3 months without getting diaper rash and on Friday when I went to daycare to pick her up, they were changing her. She screamed out in pain and I looked at her butt and it was so red and looked awful. I had never heard her cry when she got her diaper changed until that moment. I know that the daycare changes her every hour no matter if she needs it or not. I think they change her as quickly as possible because they have a ton of other kids to watch and sometimes they wipe too hard too quickly. The poor thing has had a sore rump the whole weekend. We are lubing her up with diaper creme, but I just feel so bad for her. I know all babies get it, but I hate to see her in pain.

Grabbing Things Pretty Well

Sunday, March 28th, 2010 - Day 100

For a few weeks, she's been really using her hands, but she hadn't quite learned how to grab things. However, now she brings her hands together and grabs onto things pretty well. Only a few times she's grabbed people's hair, but I can tell that it is going to happen more and more often now that she knows how to do it. We brought out some toys finally that she can grab onto and hold...and bring to her mouth to slobber all over. We have a little birdie that hangs from her car seat handle. When you pull the feet down, it vibrates. When we got it, I never thought she'd be able to pull them down on her own. The past couple weeks when she would be fussy in the car, when I'd come to a stoplight, I'd turn around and put her hand on the birdie's legs. I'd pull it down and she'd feel the legs rise back up and vibrate at the same time. One time, when the light turned green, I took off and it wasn't but a few seconds later, I hard the birdie vibrating. I looked in the mirror and there she was pulling the birdies legs all on her own. So proud of my baby girl!

She's a Piggie

Saturday, March 27th, 2010 - Day 99

It is amazing to me to me how much this little thing can eat. Our doctor tells us to feed her half her body weight. A month ago she weighed in at 10 lbs 4 ozs and I'm sure by now, she's is nearing 12 lbs. We've been feeding her 6 ozs for a few weeks now, but it doesn't seem like it is enough...she is still hungry. This weekend, we fed her 6 lbs and she cried for more, so I made another 3 ozs and she gulped that down. 9 ozs - that is so much for this tiny little body. Yes, she has a buddha belly but I know she doesn't weigh 18 lbs. The other thing she does is eat two quick meals in a row around dinner time. Daycare will feed her between 4 and 5 and then we'll get home around 6ish and she's hungry. The kicker is that she'll eat 6 full ozs two times in a row. So we'll bump it up to 7 ozs and see how she does. So sometimes I'll find myself calling her my little piggie. I think she has an amazing metabolism which would be great as she gets older. There's no doubt she's growing fast.

Going to See Grandpa

Friday, March 26th, 2010 - Day 98

We drove up to Springfield, IL tonight to stay with my dad, step-mom, brother, sister-n-law and my nieces. I have a bowling tournament this weekend and what a great chance for them to spend some time with Tia. We drove up two months ago for Janelle's birthday so they haven't seen her in a while. They'll have all day Saturday and Sunday to spend while I go bowl. The girls are excited and think she has gotten bigger, but they still don't know why she can't walk, talk and play. Janelle said she looks like a boy because she has no hair, lol. My dad is getting his fill in of Tia. He was recently diagnosed with an illness that has given him a short sentence on life and so he is going to take advantage of all the moments he can with his grand-daughters.

Oh She's Gonna Be a Chatter Box

Thursday, March 25th, 2010 - Day 97

Tia talks all the time. It is the cutest thing ever. If we could just understand what she was saying, we'd be set. She will have lengthy conversations with you and she just seems like she is so interested in talking. Sometimes she talks the entire way to daycare and I feel she is mad and telling me how much she hates the car ride. When we are at home, she'll just go into a discussion and when she is really into it, she'll gurgle a bit. So cute. She has the hiccups in this video, but you get a glimpse of one of her conversations.

Rolling All the Way Over

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 - Day 96

Not too long ago, Tia was rolling on her side, but it seemed like a big effort and she'd grunt and finally figure out she had to curl her legs. She was super excited once she got herself on her side and back again. Today, I picked her up from daycare and when we got home, I gave her some floor time. She arched her back and rolled on her side really easily. I was shocked because I had never seen her do that before. I thought, perhaps it was a fluke, so I pushed her onto her back and wham - she arched her back and rolled on her side. Then not to shortly after that, the darn girl went from laying on her back to pretty much on her stomach with her elbow keeping her from completely going onto her chest. Her legs were over, her other arm was over and her head was over...all she had left was getting her arm out from under her. I couldn't believe it! She was soooo mad that she couldn't quite do it. We would put her back on her back and watch her try her damnest to get all the way over. I think she saw another baby do it and she just had to also do it. I call her my over-achiever for sure. When do babies normally roll all the way over? I know she is competitive which isn't shocking since Chris and I both are very competitive people. At home, she hates her swing, hates her bouncer, hates her play gym - she just acts like she is bored and just will deal with it. I think that is why she hates her car seat so much - she's bored. She acts like she is so uncomfortable. For a three month old, she sure knows what she wants. But when I pick her up from daycare, she'll be just happy in the swing or bouncer. And I know it is because she sees the other kids in it. She cracks me up, but I like that she sees that she has to take turns and share. I didn't think she'd be rolling all the way over by now - I hope we've given her enough tummy time so she knows what to do if she can't get back over. I will say, she was able to roll from her belly to her back, but that one arm was probably helping. She is one determined baby!

Newborn Bows

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 - Day 95

I need some ideas girls. I got some bows online that are adorable, BUT I can't get them to stick on her head. When we were in the hospital, they put a bow on her that was absolutely adorable for Christmas. They used surgical lubricant and it stuck to her head for over a month. We took it off because we wanted her hair to grow in that spot, but have yet to get a bow to stick and stay. I did put a bow on her head for the photo of her in the ballerina outfit, but it fell off as soon as I took that picture. Luckily, I got a few good pictures! I have tried and tried to put these cute little bows in her hair and nothing has worked. I put KY (which was recommended by the nurses), I put hair gel, extra strength hair spray, lotion, and I'm going to try syrup once I figure out where to get it...I just want her to have a bow so she can look all girlie! Help if you have some ideas...

Crazy Busy

Monday, March 22nd, 2010 - Day 94

People aren't a kidding when they say having a baby equals no free time. I feel like the days go by so quickly and it is just a whirlwind. I get up about 5:30am-ish, get Tia fed/ready, myself ready, wake-up Chris, head out the door, drop her off at daycare, get to work, when works done I pick up Tia and get home around 6:15ish, feed her (if needed), play with her, cook us some food, eat and do possibly 30 minutes of something around the house and boom, it's time for bed! OMG! It is crazy. I do know that working so far from home doesn't help and hopefully when we move to Ballwin or Fenton and closer to daycare, we'll have more time - but wow! I just cherish my time with Tia and we just have a blast. Her smiles melt my heart and make me realize that having no free time is a small price to pay for such a beautiful thing.

Who Is My Daddy?

Sunday, March 21st, 2010 - Day 93

We just couldn't tell if Tia did a double take when she saw her Daddy tonight... In October of 2006, Chris and I met for the very first time and on that lucky day, he had zero facial hair. When we reunited the following March, he had grown a light beard...to my liking, I encouraged Chris to keep the beard because it made him look a bit older, which I liked. So for the past 3+ years, Chris has had a beard the entire time. Of course, during the summers, he usually trimmed it down a bit - but he still has never been clean shaven since that very first time we met. But tonight, Chris shaved it all off and we were waiting to see how Tia would react. It seemed like she heard his voice and didn't even flinch, but just smiled back just like she would any other time. So next time you see Chris, you may do a double take since he looks like a brand new person. We have our reasons for him going beard free and we'll just have to wait and see if he'll grow it back completely or possibly just a shadow. I will admit that although Chris looks younger without the beard, he looks fantastic to me. I think a light shadow would be a perfect look if and when he decides to grow some back. Nonetheless, he looks great to me and from the looks of Tia - she didn't have any opposition either!

Tia's a Good Luck Charm

Saturday, March 20th, 2010 - Day 92

Lisa and I went up to the new casino today to check it out. My mom, Joni, Connie, Kayla and her friend all came up while we were there too. Lisa had a picture of Tia with her and so did I. I even gave one to Joni to hold while she was playing. She is our good luck charm for sure. And if you really want to use her as a good luck charm, you can chant 'Ta-ta-ta-Tia!' like the Chia pet jingle (thanks Brother Bob K). I just think it is nice to have a little inspiration when playing slots or cards. I decided to try a table for the first time since I was in Vegas when I turned 21...that's 11+ years ago. When I tried in Vegas, my friend Rachel and I got yelled at by the dealer for everything under the sun....get your elbows of the table, don't put your drink on the table, you didn't put enough money down, you didn't do this...you need to do that...Well, let's just say from then on out, I was super intimidated by tables. I did not want to make a fool out of myself or people to know I didn't know what I was doing. But thanks to Joni, today I decided to give the tables a try after watching her for a couple hours. She was playing Ultimate Texas Hold-Em and while watching I knew exactly what I 'would' be doing if I was playing. Since it was a new casino, some of the dealers were also new to dealing the game...so that made me feel a lot better. Also, a few times people would sit down and they'd get yelled a bit, but the dealer and other players would help them with their moves. That made me feel a lot better and so I said, if someone on either side of Joni gets up, I'll sit down to play. I had a blast and ended up playing for a super long time. The minimum bet was $5 and I was racking up the chips. So fun. I do still like playing slots too and thanks to Lisa, she taught me how to play penny slots for hours. So once or twice every six months - I'll tag along with Lisa to the casino for a day of fun. I'm not a gambler, but it is fun every once in a while. So I'm excited to have another game to play while I'm there next. Fun Fun.

3 Months Old Today

Friday, March 19th, 2010 - Day 91

Tia is definitely getting bigger by the day and growing up quick. Already, she has hit her 3 month birthday. Her motor skills are off the charts (according to me, of course) and she is interacting like no other. She can grab things, kick things and at daycare, although she is the smallest in the class, they said she is by far the strongest. Must be those long fingers and big hands that she gets from her mommy. She does a great job holding her head up, but he haven't quite hit the threshold of when she officially do it without us watching. We have a fun bouncer we'd love to start putting her in, but possibly a couple more months before she can reach the floor and is ready for that. The floor play gym is getting more action these days. She lay and look up at all the hanging characters, grabbing the ones she can reach and kicking the ones by her legs that jingle. She smiles pretty much every time you make a cute sound to her and I am confident she knows her name. She seems to do very well at daycare. The only thing we need to figure out is a couple of spells she had while eating. Seems to be a bit of colic at times...they say 'she not her normal smiley Tia' and so we will have to change up her formula and see if that helps. The one thing I don't like that she has is her nasal congestion. Oh it is horrible - she sounds like she has a cold and can barely breathe. Scares me when she has her pacifier in. Reminds me of when I'm sick and I have to tilt my head so I can find that one passage to breath and even then it is annoying. I can't imagine that she has to deal with that every day. We are trying out the humidifier and giving her some drops. I personally feel she may have gotten some of the allergies that Chris has and as she gets older, I hope we can figure out how to get them cured. She's still our little peanut and we just love her so darn much!

What's Up w/My Shirt Daddy?

Thursday, March 18th, 2010 - Day 90

This was hysterical. Chris thinks when he puts clothes on Tia she gets mad, but really she gets mad when changing her clothes for anyone. I just know how to play peek-a-boo or talk to her enough to distract her. Chris went and got another outfit to put on Tia. So he gets this outfit on her while she's griping away. I look over and say peek-a-boo to get her attention and bursted out laughing. I said 'Daddy, you have it on me backwards' and he said 'what?' and when I said turn her around and see the bow, he started laughing out loud. He saw the V-neck on her and thought it was the funniest thing. He didn't want to have to fix it since she gets mad at him. But boy did we have a good laugh, but we always do!

We Think Tia Loves School

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010 - Day 89

She is so darn sweet. We got her home from school today and she just talked up a storm. It was as if she was telling us about her day and what they did and how much she likes it. She just went on and on - we love it! She was all smiles and just so happy. They do a great job at the Goddard School. I can't say enough about them and how quickly I feel Tia adjusted. They give us an Infant Daily Activity Report that includes what they did that day for Language Arts, Cognitive Development, Creative Arts, Music/Movement, Memorable Moment, Motor Skills, Self-Help/Life Skills, Sensory Stimulation along with a description of the details for each item. The other side of the sheet tells me when/how much she ate, when she napped, if she had tummy time, when her diaper was changed with check marks on the type, etc. So it is nice to see what she did and when she last ate. I love all the personal comments like "Ms Jen came in today and was talking to me, I was cooing away at her." So cute.

Future Harley Davidson Model

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 - Day 88

I had a Harley Davidson photo shoot today and they wanted me to bring Tia with me. I was excited because although I'm only 3 months post pardum, they wanted me to come do a few shots. I've been doing Harley Davidson modeling for years...I think since 2003, but I can't recall when I started. I've been in every catalog that R.K. Stratman does for Harley Davidson for 7+ years with 4 to 5 issues per year. I have kept all of the catalogs over the years - always fun to see what hair dos I had from year to year, lol. But from doing Harley, I've become like family to the R.K. Stratman family and staff. They've been printing HD apparel for years and welcomed me into the 'family' years ago. So, although I don't do much modeling anymore (I'm sort of lazy about it and just not into it anymore), I will do R.K. Stratman Harley Davidson shoots every time they ask. It is a great time and every now and then, they'll send me some fun clothes too.

With that said, today I was back in the saddle since my last shoot for Harley back in August. Tia was looking around in awe of all the lights and loved being held by everyone. They even said once she gets a bit older they'll use her in some of the kid shots - I thought that was pretty neat! So she's our future model!

Tia Loves the TV

Monday, March 15th, 2010 - Day 87

We do our best not to let Tia watch TV. We know that it is bad for children under the age of 2 because their eyes can't process that many lights at once. However, every now and then, we'll find her staring at the TV in amazement. She acts like she is so into the show and nothing else matters. We turn her around and she turns her head again to try to gaze at it. Tonight it was hysterical. Chris was feeding her while he was watching TV. She was in her boppy, but her back was to the TV. Chris and I were talking and when we looked down, we were laughing hysterically because she was bent over backwards watching the TV with bottle in mouth and all. I, of course, had to laugh because Chris and I both love watching TV while we are eating and I said that she wants to be just like us. She used to not care, but I think the sound draws her in and then I'm sure it is distracting since the TV is a 54 inch flat screen. We are trying not let her watch TV but she is pretty determined at times. Every now and then, we'll sit her in our lap and let her watch for a few minutes so she gets her fill in before we put her down for floor time. I think she likes sitting like a big girl!

Bottle of Choice

Sunday, March 14th, 2010 - Day 86

When Tia was born, we had no idea what bottles to use. My friend Melissa gave me a crate full of bottles, but there were over 7 or 8 different kinds. We started out and I was addicted to the Avent bottles and Chris liked the Playtex bottles. Then one night Chris said he tried a Bornfree bottle and really liked it. Me being stubborn and often sticking to my guns, I kept using the Avent bottles. Tia has a bit of reflux and will spit up a lot of milk after she feeds so the bottle choice was very important. One night Chris made a bottle with the Bornfree bottle and so I used it and it was amazing how much less she spit up. I figured it was just coincidence so I kept using the Bornfree bottle and low and behold, I fell in love. There is a circular valve that gets put at the top of the bottle before the nipple goes on. I am not quite sure how it works, but it does help with the airflow so Tia drinks less air. When I was buying the supplies for Tia's daycare, I went to the store and bought the big 6 pack of Bornfree bottles and it has been well worth the cost. So I would definitely recommend anyone trying a Bornfree bottle when you are trying to figure out which bottle you like best. Each baby is different so not every baby will like the bottles that others recommend, but it is worth a try.

12 Weeks Old Today

Saturday, March 13th, 2010 - Day 85

It's amazing how time flies, but Tia is 12 weeks old today. She sure is getting bigger and her personality is starting to show more every day. I would say she is a little Diva not because she is high maintenance but because she knows what she wants when she wants it...and she lets us know. She probably weighs about 11 lbs and is about 24 inches long by now. She is eating 6 ozs of milk these days and we call her our little Piggy because sometimes she wants more! She still hates the car ride and puts up a fight every time we start driving. You would think she'd fall right asleep but not Tia, it is the exact opposite. If she is super tired, she'll be wide awake letting you know that she is tired and wants out. If she is awake, she will whine for a while and act like she is so uncomfortable. I thought car rides were a sure way to put a baby to sleep - but not ours! She hates being held like a baby but will tolerate it when she is swaddled and rocking her to sleep. She loves sitting up like a big girl so we'll put her in our laps and she just looks around analytically. She learned that if she puts her nails on her face, it will scratch her so she's been really good about using the back of her hands if she wants to rub her face. She actually has conversations which is the cutest. She sounds like she is talking under water but she looks at you so intently as you talk and talks right back. She smiles at you and is starting to giggle more and more. She can roll from side to side and when we give her tummy time, she can hold her head up at 90 degrees for a long time. She doesn't have separation anxiety if we leave her at daycare or with a sitter but that may change as she gets older. She is starting to grab onto things namely Daddy's nose and she got my hair once. I'd say she's growing accordingly and doing very well. She is a very happy baby and when she gets fussy, it doesn't take us too long to figure out what she wants -- most of the time it is food!

Great First Week Back to Work

Friday, March 12th, 2010 - Day 84

I had a great first week back to work. It was so nice to be back among the living and have lots of people interaction. It was pretty easy to get right back into the swing of things at work too. I have a few new items on my plate so it was nice to have some new things to focus on. I go to go to lunch a few days with the girls and got into the swing of things with dropping off and picking up Tia from daycare.

I was a bit more tired than before I had Tia because I have to get up a lot earlier now, but I am hoping I'll get used to that soon enough. Tia is getting so chatty and growing so fast - it's great. She just seems like a happy baby 95% of the time, so we are lucky! We just love her soooooo much!

This is the Life

Thursday, March 11th, 2010 - Day 83

The past few weeks when we feed Tia, she puts her hands behind her head and relaxes while she takes in the bottle. It makes me giggle because it makes me think 'oh this is the life' as if she's thinking that everytime she eats. lol

Blogging is Easy When It's Personal

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 - Day 82

While out on maternity leave, my boss rearranged some responsibilities and I received some new projects and roles, all of which I'm very excited about. One thing I'm taking over is our Social Media presence. I helped spearhead this initiative last year, but was not the one to maintain our external presence. So this week, I've been catching myself up on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, SEO and social media in general. Most people would agree that this should come pretty naturally for me since I have always had pretty large networks of friends and love to talk! But what I'm finding hard is to write on behalf of my company for an external audience and often. I have written our company newsletters and have sent out numerous emails promoting services and events, but when it comes to useful content to post on our blog, it just seems a bit hard to get started. I have a ton of ideas, but they seem to somehow be on a personal level. It is my hope to be able to easily write content on market trends, useful resource information, popular happenings that help promote our brand, as well as some various topics about staffing. When I write in my own blog, the words just roll off my tongue and onto the page with no problem. I might misspell a word or two, but the point is there. When it comes to my work blog, I need to ensure my t's are crossed and my i's are dotted. I have to make sure I am sending the right message and engaging the audience. I will have to be interesting enough to obtain a follower who will want to come back to the blog often and possibly make some comments. But it is a whole new frontier and I'm excited about it. I know social media is not only a phenomenon, but a new way of how to go about promoting your business. Learning social media gives me an edge on helping my company boost numbers, enhance our branding efforts and hopefully draw in some new clients. Social Media coupled with my Corporate Communications, job postings role, and SEO will all go hand in hand and make all of these areas more visible. If you want to catch my personal page on twitter, go to www.twitter.com/thaigr11 and you'll probably be seeing me post some things about Tia on there. I have my own personal twitter account to gain credibility, but will be maintaining our corporate accounts: www.twitter.com/tpilive and www.twitter.com/tpijobs. I will also be maintaining our LinkedIn page, Facebook Fan page and anything else that comes our way in the social media arena. Wish me luck!

Mommy's New Baby

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 - Day 81

One thing I love to do in my spare time is to play guitar and sing. I've had the same guitar for 10 years now and although I love it because it is a concert size Fender acoustic guitar, it is not equipped to plug into an amp. So for years, I've been wanting to get another guitar that I can plug in and jam with. I've had my eyes on a few guitars over the years but have never pulled the trigger because it never seemed like the right time. The past few weeks, I've been seriously thinking of finally getting a new guitar, so I did some research and picked out a few guitars that weren't overly expensive, but still good sounding electric acoustic guitars. I went up to Guitar Center and found one that I loved. I got home that night and did my research to see what the reviews said, as well as why this guitar would be better to get than others. So I went up a few days later and picked her up and got an acoustic amp. I got them home and played my heart out. It is a black with pearl effects Fender Sonoran Electric Acoustic.

Tia's Playing Thai Poker With Me

Monday, March 8th, 2010 - Day 80

I have two sets of friends that get together for Thai Poker nights. My wild and crazy A&W gang friends like Lisa, Kim, Leslie, Cas, Missy, and the rest of the gang and my bowling friends. My wild and crazy friends and I get together when we can usually if Lisa gets a free night at the casino. My bowling friends and I get together almost twice a month. I brought Tia with me last week because Chris had PT and was going to meet me over at my friend Joni's to pick her up. While we were waiting, Tia was helping me play cards. Isn't she super cute. She really was looking at them very intently, as you can see in the picture. lol

She's Getting So Big

Sunday, March 7th, 2010 - Day 79

Tia has really tried to hold her head up since the day she was born. We've been trying to give her some tummy time to work even more on her neck. When we burp her, she loves to peer over our shoulders...it is the cutest.

Tia's First Baby Shower

Saturday, March 6th, 2010 - Day 78

Chris's cousin Erica and her husband Sean are expecting their first child...as of now it is 80%, it will be a girl. Erica had a baby shower today and Tia and I attended. This will be the first time all on the Norris side of the family will get to meet Tia so it was perfect. My in-laws picked me and Tia up on the way which was nice because I could sit with Tia and hold her hand on the car ride, since she still does not like riding in the car (I think she's the only baby on earth that hates car rides). I kept her entertained and she got antsy a few times, but I was able to settle her since I was right there. When we arrived, the flood of family members all saying the same thing...she looks like Chris, which I got on video so Chris could hear their comments. A funny time during the day was when Erica was opening presents and they were discussing 'blowouts' and how diapers can only do so much when sometimes the poopie comes out down the legs, or up the back or up the front. Erica said 'oh no, not my baby, she is going to be a girl' and right about that time, I felt something wet on Tia's back and low and behold - a blowout up her back. I call them explosions and it was perfect timing because I held her up for all to see and they all had a good laugh. I brought the travel crib and swaddled/rocked her to nap a couple times. She ate 3 times while we were there and was held by a lot of people. There were a few girl cousins of Chris who are under the age of 14 who just loved playing with Tia. I put Tia on the floor to play and they all circled around her. Tia showed off by rolling on her side a few times and she just smiled at the girls. It was really neat. And to know that Tia, and soon-to-be Baby Brown would be running around our family gatherings and having a grand old time. I always had Missy at family gatherings in my family to play with. We always had fun and it was always nice keeping in touch through the years when it wasn't Christmas or a holiday gathering. I hope that will be the same for Tia and Baby Brown...especially if it is a girl.

A Great Idea for Working Mothers

Friday, March 5th, 2010 - Day 77

So as most of you know, this week I took Tia to daycare and instead of going back to work as well, I took the week to myself. The main reason for doing this was in case I wasn't handling dropping her off at daycare very well. I could go pick her up if I wanted, or call to see how she is doing, or even stop by anytime. The other reason was so I could get some final items crossed off my list. Chris and I finally merged bank accounts, we set up an account for Tia, I got more life insurance from my broker, had lunch with some friends and family, getting my hair cut today, got a pedicure, took a couple naps, organized my closet, household chores, got some thank-yous out, and so much more. It was nice to be able to plan out a week by taking her to daycare at 7:15am and picking her up at 5:30pm. I want her to adjust as quickly as possible to daycare, so I took her all week the same times I would if I was working. Plus, this will help me decide which route was best to take, what time to leave, what time is best to feed her in the morning, etc.

So many mothers have said that this was a great idea. A coworker friend of mine suggested I take Tia to daycare a couple days before I started work so I'd have those two days to cry it all out if I needed, then I'd be ready for work with no tears. I thought it was a great idea and since the entire week before I went to work fell on the 1st of the month through the 5th, I thought I should do that the entire week. I am so glad I did, it was very nice but it went by soooo quick. When I was picking up Tia the 2nd day from daycare, another mother was picking up her son Connor. Connor is 3 days younger than Tia and they looked very similar in size and started the same day as Tia. She asked how I did the first two days and I was just fine, but she was saying that she didn't do very well the first day and was a bit better the second day. I asked if she had gone back to work and when she said yes, I told her what I did. She wishes someone would have told her to do the same.

So for any of you working mothers who are or are planning on going on maternity leave, consider doing something like this to take a few days to yourself and get used to the idea of someone else watching your baby. I love Tia to death and am so thankful I was fortunate enough to have the time I did with her at home, but I was excited about my week to myself and I am excited to head back to work. Now when I wake her up for her 5:15am feeding, I just love on her as much as I can while she is drinking her bottle. She doesn't seem to mind and I just enjoy it. Then I usually give her about 30 minutes of playtime before I put her back to bed so I can get ready and I just talk to her and we play. I really cherish every moment. I think being home with her 24-7, I took those moments a bit for granted. But now that I have to go back to work and won't get to see her round the clock, I'll take advantage of every moment that I have. She is growing so fast - I don't want to miss a thing!

Tia's First REAL Bank Account

Thursday, March 4th, 2010 - Day 76

I mentioned Tia's fist bank account a while ago when we came up with the cuss jar (for Chris) and let's just say Tia's doing well on that account. Today, we set up her first real bank account which is a custodial savings account. Never too early to start. We received lots of cash at Tia's shower and Christmas, so we wanted to add that to her account for her. It is our hope that by the time she even realizes she has this account, she will have a good sum of money saved up for her college or other expenses when she is much older.

Tia's First Real Bath

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 - Day 75

Tia has been taking baths in the kitchen sink up until now, but last night we gave her a real bath in the bathtub. We had a cute bather she sat in for the scrub a dub dub part and once we got her nice and clean, we decided to have her play for a bit. Daddy got in and held her in the water so she can sit up - she had a great time. I am hoping she will love bath time.

Tia's First Day at Daycare

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 - Day 74

Yesterday was a big day because it was Tia's first day at daycare. She did great. I was worried because I was afraid she wouldn't get the attention she does at home, but I am confident they were able to accommodate her enough so she never got really upset.

I fed Tia at 5:15am, let her play a bit while I ate breakfast, diaper change, changed her into her first day of school outfit (says Mommy & Daddy Love Me), then put her back to bed. I got ready and put her in her car seat and we headed out the door. She did well on the ride because normally she hates the ride and cries the entire time. I think it was because she was in the middle of a nap and was very tired. She was awake the entire way there and didn't cry at all, thankfully.

I dropped her off with her new teachers and instantly her lower lip protruded outward and she had that cute little pouty face and a couple tears started to fall. But she never screamed out and cried like I was afraid she'd do. I showed the teachers how to swaddle her and we put her in her crib. She just gazed out like I put her in jail and I hated to leave her, but I knew this would be a great thing for both of us.

Chris stopped by on his lunch hour to see how she was doing and she was just awaking from a nap. He looked down at her and she smiled real big back, it was super cute. I picked her up around 5:30ish and she was sort of tired, so I was hoping she'd sleep in the car. She was almost on the verge of a cry here and there, but I was able to soothe her by talking to her, holding her hand (which is very hard to do from the front seat), or putting her pacifier in her mouth (which is also very very hard to do). We made it home and both Chris and I started talking to her like she had just gotten back from her first day of Kindergarten or something. That is the 2nd picture because she was seriously talking up a storm just as if she was telling us about her day (it sounds like she is gargling or talking under water). I had been afraid her day would put her in a bad mood because it was a big change, but she was happy as could be. So let's pray all of her upcoming days will be the same or better!

Mommy & Daddy's Modeling Gig

Monday, March 1st, 2010 - Day 73

This picture was taken 6 weeks after Tia was born. I still have many pounds to lose, although this picture makes me look skinny - gotta love photographers. A friend of mine wanted some models for the Sevens Club Bar photo shoot in the Casino Queen. The photographer wanted to hire his own models because he knew he could get them cheaper than going through an agency. The photographer is close friends with some people I know and they thought of me first. When I was talking to the photographer, he asked if I was available for the shoot. I explained I was only a few weeks postpartum but I would definitely be up for modeling for him. I also 'pimped' out my friends too. I told him that if he wanted any other models to let me know. He took me up on it and said he needed 4 or 5 people. So I thought of all of my friends who are interested in modeling like Melissa and Beth, who I got Harley Davidson photo shoots last year with me and they were both interested. I, of course, got Chris signed up and recruited a few more people. It was really fun because doing a photo shoot with other girls/guys you know makes it more casual and fun. We all laughed and just had a great time. So here is one of the pictures that the photographer sent over. I love it. Sure makes me loo a lot skinnier than I am and Chris looks yummy, as always. I actually have a Harley Davidson photo shoot coming up on the 16th - not sure if I'm really ready for modeling, but they are like family and since I've been doing those shoots for almost 10 years, they always keep me on the list. I did promise I'd bring Tia with me to the shoot so they can all meet her. I wonder if I can get Tia into a future catalog once she can hold her head up and sit up on her own. That would be great for her baby book.

I've Become a Morning Person

Sunday, February 28th, 2010 - Day 72

My entire life, I have never been much of a morning person. I loved to sleep in when I was younger and getting up for school was very hard for me. When I went away to college, I scheduled all of my classes for after 10am in the morning so I would get to sleep in as long as I could. Even then, there were days that I was late because I just didn't want to get up. I'm the typical snoozer. I set my alarm for an hour before, hit snooze every 15 minutes and when I finally get up, I pray the shower wakes me more. My college boyfriend and I used to go visit his parents and his mom seriously thought I had a sleeping disorder because I slept in until noon on Saturday and Sunday, lol When I moved in with Chris, I asked him if he liked to sleep in on the weekends and his answer was 'I don't want to waste the day and would rather get things done'...well, I was instantly scared that he'd ridicule me for wanting to sleep in all the time. To my pleasant surprise, that wasn't the case at all with Chris. He has yet to get up on his on free will and get things done on the weekends, he sleeps in as long, if not longer than I do. For me, I love that he is like me in that aspect. I have a really hard time sleeping and am very sensitive to noise. Chris, on the other hand, can sleep through everything. After I moved in, there were several occasions, I'd wake up and he'd be sprawled out across the bed, right in the center and I'd be buried underneath him. He didn't even know I was there. He, of course, has learned what 'his side' of the bed means and having a King bed has made it really clear! lol Since Chris can sleep through a freight train passing through, his alarm clock was the loudest, most annoying thing I had ever heard in my entire life. He had three set and they'd go off as loud as could be and he'd sleep right through. What was worse, was that the alarm was on the nightstand on MY side of the bed. I 'tried' to get used to it, since that is the way he woke himself up and I didn't want to mess with his routine. But, after a week of that, when his alarm would go off, my arm would instantly fly over and hit the snooze...almost before it even goes off. My reflexes became so quick that it was really pointless for him to even have an alarm because the only person it woke up was me. So our routine started to take shape where I would be his alarm clock. It was so funny too because I really realized how 'not a morning person' Chris was. The alarm would go off and I'd say 'honey, time to get up', he grumble '5 more minutes' and I'd say 'okay'...that went on for about 45 minutes. Then I'd say 'honey, really it is time for you to get up' and he'd say 'okay', but would just lay there as if he was paralyzed. One day, I think I forgot my patience and I turned perpendicular to Chris, put my feet on his side and started to push him, while warning him 'better get up or else'. On some occasions, he would go flying off the bed onto the floor. What is funny, is that he'd actually get back into bed and take his chances of it happening again. Then there were times where he'd get up and go turn on the shower. I'd roll over as if I was going back to bed and he'd run and jump into bed while I wasn't looking. We almost created an entire game out of our morning wake-ups. Sort of like cat and mouse and when it got really bad, I'd literally drag him to the shower. Talk about not being a morning person! But I'm okay with that because I completely understand. I then realized that it was better for me to get up and take a shower first and then crawl back in bed and snuggle with Chris a bit - we'd chat and it would slowly wake him up. I'd go get ready and give him warnings until he got up. We love our morning routine because it works for us. He would always say I was such a morning person and I would give him a look of disbelief. But he was right...I was bubbly, perky, awake, and playful in the morning. What!?! That's not me. But I think it is because I had to be a morning person to ensure he would get up. Since I replaced his alarm clocks, it was my duty to get his butt out of bed.

Now Tia needs me to be that morning person too. She has her first feeding at 5:15am every morning and so I typically get up at 5am, make her bottle, ease back into bed and patiently listen to her coos and cas until I know she's ready to get up OR if 5:15am arrives first. We have a great time in the morning. As I'm feeding her, I get my kisses in! I'll kiss her cheek, neck, hands and just love on her while she is busy gulping down her food. Then I'll give her some floor time and we'll play a bit. We have these long conversations and they are the cutest. I'll say something and she'll mumble something back. It almost sounds like she is trying to speak under water, but it really does seem like she is talking. It is fun. I'll rock her back to sleep and I'll watch her smile and giggle as she goes back to dreamland. Then right at 6:14am, I'll put her down and walk back to the bedroom just in time for the 6:15am alarm to go off for Chris and then that routine will begin. So I guess I've become a morning person not by choice, but by chance. The true test will be once I go back to work and trying to fit it all in the same way so I can feed Tia,get Chris up, get ready myself and get us out the door. I'm praying it is an easy transition since I've been up at 4am and 5am every morning for over 10 weeks. I will be sure to let you guys know! On the weekends, I do hope to get some chances to sleep in here and there...we'll see!

Tia has a Flat Spot

Saturday, February 27th, 2010 - Day 71

Unfortunately, getting a flat head or flat spot is pretty common among babies. Ever since they released that stomach sleeping is riskier for SIDS and thus moms were having their babies sleep on their backs - flat heads have become a thing among newborns. Tia has started to develop a flat spot on the back of her head. It is on her left side because when she sleeps, she looks to the left. We've tried to give her more tummy time, put things on the right side so she looks that way and put her in her crib a bit tilted. I hope it goes away and doesn't get worse. I know it happens all the time to most babies, but don't you just hate it when things happen to your own kids.

Last Day with Mommy

Friday, February 26th, 2010 - Day 70

Today is the last day for Tia to be at home with mommy. Starting Monday, she will be in daycare and getting used to a new routine. I'm sad, of course, but I'm excited for that next stage where I go back to work, she gets used to daycare and our new routine and Chris and I will cherish all the evenings and early mornings with Tia. I pray that Tia makes the transition well. I know I'll be okay with her being at daycare because I know she is good hands. What I'm apprehensive about is Tia. Will she be overwhelmed at first with the adjustment? Will she cry more because she doesn't get that undivided attention? Will they pick her up when she starts to get that bad cry that breaks my heart? Will she be able to nap during the day? Will they be able to burp her enough so she doesn't spit up or get the hiccups? and so many more thoughts. I think that is why I'm partly excited because the sooner we get her going on a new routine, the sooner she'll adjust.

So today, I will be cherishing every moment. Holding her as much as I can and loving every minute. She has grown so much the past 10 weeks and I've been able to witness every moment of that. Now, I'll have to watch her grow when I see her outside of work/daycare. She's getting that fun personality that is easy to play, laugh and smile. She gets jealous when Daddy is playing with her and he stops to talk to mommy. Tia will scream at him in a way that is like 'hey, look at me daddy'. It is the cutest thing. We noticed it a few weeks ago, but thought we were just wishful thinking. However, it is pretty obvious that she wants daddy's attention when he gets home from work and he's making her smile and laugh. I love that she is daddy's little girl. I know Chris loves it too. There will always be an extra caress from mommy's care and attention. But little girls have a unique love for their daddies. So cheers to my last day with Tia today. She has my undivided attention for sure!

Addicted to the Baby Monitor

Thursday, February 25th, 2010 - Day 69

I don't know how they did it back in the day when there wasn't baby monitors to check in on your little ones. We got one for Tia (Thx Angela) and we use it daily and nightly. But I think I'm addicted to ours. At first, it was very hard for me because I'm a very light sleeper and it takes me forever to go to sleep. Having that baby monitor on the night stand next to my ear, I'd hear every peep Tia would make and I literally would not sleep a wink or I'd go running in her room to see if she was okay. Of course, it has been several weeks and I can tell the difference between when she is grunting trying to get comfortable to when she hmmm's and I know it is only a matter of time before she wakes up. I have spoiled her in that on her first cry, I'll go get her because I know she is ready to eat. I guess I don't have the heart to let her cry much, but I'm getting better at giving it a little more time before I come to her rescue. For weeks, I had the monitor on full blast. The volume goes up to 8. A couple weeks ago, I turned it down to 7 and then 6. I really don't need to hear every coo and cah she does but rather try to get a good sleep while I can. The monitor vibrates if she screams out in a cry and automatically makes the volume an 8 if she is that loud. It is just hard for me because I think I sort of like hearing her move around in there and know she is breathing. When she is down for a nap during the day, I have the monitor literally attached to me. My ears perk up at every peep she makes and then I analyze what the sound means. I even have the perfect spot I put the monitor when I try to squeeze in a shower. I have been trying to kick my addiction of the monitor by putting the volume lower to 4 or 5 and I know it will be good for the both of us if I do. Perhaps, once I'm back to work and I no longer can take any catnaps while she is napping during the day, I'll take advantage during the late night hours. Chris is very good about letting her cry a little and YES I know that crying is good for her from time to time. I guess because I'm home with her all day, every day, I just want her to be happy when I'm around. I know that at daycare she won't have the undivided attention that she has with me and therefore will have some spells of crying periods. Makes me sad to think about it, but I know it will be good to get used to not always having everyone's attention. So within the next weeks, I'm going to try to turn the volume a bit each more until it is on a level where I only hear when she cries. I will say that when I hear a certain higher pitched hmmm from her, I know she is up and her hmmms will get louder, deeper and soon will turn into a whine, then a cry. If I go into her room after the first few lower pitched hmmms, she'll be wide awake and when you peak into her crib, she'll have the biggest smile - it is super sweet.

I know they make the video monitors too and I can't imagine how I'd be with that. I have one friend who says she presses her face against the video monitor sometimes just to see if her baby's chest is rising, lol - I know I'd be the same way for the first weeks. I thought about investing in the video one, but we really don't need it. I think walking back and forth from my room to Tia's room about 3 or 4 times in the middle of the night does my body good. She loses her pacifier sometimes and I'll come to her rescue, luckily she'll go right back to sleep. She's been sleeping very well. 10.5 hours one night and between 7 and 9 on other days. Not bad for our 10 week old princess!

Back to Bowling

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 - Day 68

Last night was my first night back to bowling on my Divas on Tap league. It was great to be back and see everyone. I didn't do that great but I know I'll improve the next few weeks. I'll have to since I have a tournament at the end of the month. I did go practice last Saturday and did very well with 181, 179, 157 and 207, so I know I have it in me to do well...I just have to get into the groove again. Since Tia had he immunizations and was a bit cranky, I think I had that on my mind among a few other things. I'm glad to be back though. My mom has decided that she is moving to Thailand sooner than planned. Her and her husband were going to wait until he reached 67 years old, but due to the economy...jobs are few and far between in his industry. So he may retire early. If this proves to be the case, then he'll retire early and they will work on selling their house. Once that sells, they'll move to Thailand. In preparation for that, my mom wants to quit the league to dedicate her time in preparing for the move. So Lisa, Cherri and I were left with a decision to retire the team for good or bring on some new people. We decided that if we found a few people to join our team where we could rotate from week to week - then we'd keep the team. If we weren't able to find any people, then we'd end our team for the meantime. Luckily for us, we recruited three more players including the girl who subbed for me while I was on maternity leave. So we are set for another year on the bowling league. We even came up with a theme for our new team!

2 Month Doc Appointment

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010 - Day 67

We went to the doc today and I have good news and bad news. The good news is that she is doing great. She weighs 10 lbs 4 ozs and is 22.5 inches long. Doc said that her eating, sleeping, and motor skills rank up to the 4 month levels so she is doing beyond what is expected. The bad news is that she had to get her immunizations today and boy was it painful for me (and her). She screamed bloody murder and it just pained me to see her in so much pain. It was the hardest I had ever seen him cry. She received: Diphtheria Tetanus, Polio, Haemophilus Influenzae, Hepatitis B, Pneumoccoccal Conjugate, and Rotavirus vaccines and shots. Wow! But at least we got it out of the way. I just felt so bad for her and once I got her calm again, she was all good. Once I got her home and fed her, she was all smiles. She's healthy and I'm happy she is doing well!

Sleeping Through the Night

Monday, February 22nd, 2010 - Day 66

For weeks, we've fed Tia her last bottle at 11pm and her first one at 5:15am. She was getting a good 6 hours of sleep in. Every now and then she'd either lose her pacifier or wake up earlier, but it was pretty easy to get her to go back to bed quickly. We decided to try and see how long she could sleep so the past few nights, we've been putting her to bed around 10pm. She slept well until it was about 5:15am. Last night, we put her to bed at 9:30pm and I let her sleep as long as she wanted this morning and she didn't get up until 7:30am. That means she slept about 10 hours. She did wake up twice because she lost her pacifier but that was a great run! So at least we know she is capable of sleeping for 8 to 10 hours through the night. So now I have to decide what time she should get up in the morning for her first bottle. I have to be at work by 8am and with an hour drive to Chesterfield, I need to think about what time I need to leave to get her to daycare in time and then me to work. The daycare is in Ballwin, about 5 or 10 minutes from 141 which is the route I take. I used to leave at 7am and would get to work just before 8am. So I'll probably have to leave about 6:30am to get her to daycare and me to work by 8am. Which means, I'll probably have to get up about 5:15am to shower and get ready and then get her up for her bottle around 5:45am which should give me enough time to burp her, change her and get her dressed and ready to go. I should be pretty used to getting up early since that is the way it has been since she was born, BUT working a full day in addition will be another thing. So we are pleased to know she is sleeping pretty well. We do swaddle her tightly and give her the soothie pacifier too. So we are going to stick to giving her the last bottle at 9pm and off to dreamland it is. As she gets used to that, we'll start getting that down to 8pm.

Baby Crack

Sunday, February 21st, 2010 - Day 65

When someone told me about 'Baby Crack', I just had to laugh. A friend told me that I had to possess a product called Gripe Water because it is the best thing when your baby is crying hysterically and you don't know what to do to calm her down. She said that just a tad of Gripe Water and your baby will instantly stop crying, hence why it is called 'Baby Crack'.

Of course with our showers, we received a couple bottles of Baby Crack/Gripe Water. Luckily for us, we have only used it a handful of times, but let me tell you that it works like a charm. Imagine yourself tasting the most delicious dessert that you've ever had in your life - picture that face and the movements you would make with your mouth as you are mmmming the yummy taste...that is the face Tia gets when we give her Gripe Water. She smacks her lips like she's saying yummy and her eyes get big like she's thinking 'more please'. The first time we used it was when she was about a month old and in the evening one night we had no idea what was wrong with her. She was crying hysterically like we had cut her arm off or something. We tried to soothe her by rocking her, patting her, holding her, putting her in her swing...everything and nothing was working. I asked Chris if we should pull out the Gripe Water. It was as if we were talking about our cherished vintage bottle of Dom Perignon or something that we'd pull out only for the most special occasion. When he gave me that look that he was at his wits end, I decided it was time for the Gripe Water to be introduced to Tia. We didn't give her the proposed large dose, but just a tiny bit and let's just say that she instantly stopped crying and was calm again. We couldn't believe it. Later we figured out that she was overtired. We thought the more she was up during the day, the more she'd sleep at night. Of course, we've realized the opposite is true and if Tia doesn't get at least one or two good naps throughout the day, she gets cranky at night. Tia is a great baby, but on those rare occasions, we'll pull out a small dose of Baby Crack.

How I Came Up with the Name Tia

Saturday, February 20th, 2010 - Day 64

I explained how we came up with McKenzie in an earlier post, but I never said how I came up with the name Tia. I don't even know if Chris really knows why I've always loved that name either.

My entire life, I've always had people say I look like someone. In recent times, I got Jill Hennessey from the show Crossing Jordon. For about 5 years after college, I got Catherine Zeta-Jones. I even had one girl think I was really her and when I kept telling her my name was Angie, she'd wink and say 'your secret is safe with me'. All through college, people called me Pocahontas. Never would think I'd become an animated character, but that was my name and I think the entire EIU campus called me that even those who didn't know me. I do have to admit that all of the people that I look like are very good looking women, so I definitely took it all as a compliment. When I was in high school, everyone called me Tia Carrere from Wayne's World. I loved when people called me that because I always admired her. She is Cantonese, but I grew up in a very small town and even though I was only half Asian - we were one of two Asian families. I didn't really know that many fellow Asians. Wayne's World was huge at that time, so seeing a famous Asian women like Tia Carrere, I instantly loved that name.

But for about 10 years, the name I had always wanted to name my first baby girl was Riley. I had a friend in college named Julie Riley and from then on, I decided that I would name my first born girl Riley. I remember in the year 2000, my friend Bonnie needed a name and when I told her Riley was my favorite name, she named her dog Riley. That didn't deter me though, I took it as a compliment. For years, that was the name. I remember about 5 years ago, I heard a mother say her baby's name was Riley and my ears perked up. I couldn't believe someone had stolen my name. Then after that, I started hearing people naming their babies Riley all over and the last few years, I decided I needed a new name. It was right when I met Chris that I decided on the name Tia. On our first date, I asked Chris if he wanted kids and he said 'as many as I can spoil'. I had been on many first dates and had asked the same question and the answer was usually 'someday' or 'maybe' or 'I think so'...but I knew they really didn't want kids when all of these guys were in their 30's. My last serious relationship ended for many reasons, one of which was that he didn't want any children. I have always wanted to have kids and nothing was going to stand in my way. When Chris answered that infamous question, he not only made my day, but once we started dating - I couldn't help but start thinking about names for our 'possible future' children. Tia was the name that popped in my head and it stuck!

So if you want to say I named her after Tia Carrere, you can. She's a beautiful successful woman and I'd only hope for the same for my little Tia. Tia means Princess in Greek and I loved that meaning.