Man, it's been nearly a week since I've updated this thing. We've been downright busy on our end and Mari has experienced some serious milestones.

And on with the updates! Last week she rolled over for the first time. She hasn't done it since, but she's rolled on her side, just not all the way. She's been really propping herself up and pushing off like she's ready to crawl. It's so cute. We've tried transitioning her to her crib. Her record is 2.5 hours and she took most of her naps in there too! It's been great. I think she really likes her crib, especially the pink elephant and her sock zebra.

Last night we attempted to feed her rice cereal for the first time. I'd read that we could start at 4 months. We don't go back to the pediatrician until June, so I struggled with it. Lately, she's been staring at our food when we eat like "hmmm...give me some." So I went back to my books and did some reading up. Sure enough, when the baby is able to hold her head up and stares at the food like she wants some, then it is time to introduce some foods. We settled on rice cereal . She swallowed about 4 spoonfuls and it was so fun! I'd read to not put it in her bottle, but what about you moms out there? Did you do that? Looks like I'll be going out to buy a baby food processor to make her foods. I'm really, really excited to make her food to eat! This is something I've been looking forward to for quite some time. I need to go out and find some recipes. If you have any or know of fun links, please share them! It was such a riot to see her eating and the faces she made while tasting the rice cereal. I can't wait to try it again. (Oh and the funny story: we didn't have any baby spoons!! I couldn't believe it. Luckily, before I got pregnant my sister found this fun frog set at Ikea, complete with bib, spoon, cup, and plate. That's what we used. I'll need to add spoons to my list of things to get.)

Yesterday, she also had her full-fledged laugh. Don was playing with her and making funny sounds and she did it! She belted out this huge baby, belly laugh! It was so adorable. I didn't have time to grab the camcorder, but it was so nice! That was the first milestone she did with Don!

Lindsey's baby shower went off smoothly! Here are the super duper cute favors. I read up on how to make homemade foaming soap and OMG...they were ridiculously easy! Just a bit of regular soap and the rest was distilled water. Add it to the bottle, shake it up and that's it. I'd ordered the special bottles online and the nifty stickers that matched her invites too! I had so much fun making them that I'm probably going to be making these as Christmas presents too. I need to get a label maker. Hmm...I'm thinking that Xyron sticker maker. It looks fabulous and I think I can use the 20% off coupon too. Not sure.

Anyway, that's it! This is going to be a whirlwind week too. We baptize her on Saturday and should have several people over to celebrate too. I can't wait to see Danika. It's been forever since we've hung out. I can't wait!

Feelin' BAD

I didn't know what to get Don for his birthday. There wasn't much that he needed and the only thing he wants is an Xbox 360, but I'm still not thrilled about having yet another gaming system in the house. Instead, I thought about what he likes to do and what he enjoys. For the most part, he's a pretty outdoorsy person. When we met, he had all of this incredible camping gear (that was stolen when we moved into the house). He had all of these nifty gadgets from REI that, someone like me, only appreciates the aesthetics, but never really has the opportunity to utilize it for what it was intended for. Case in point: those really durable rock climbing clips to stabilize the rope when you are climbing. Me: Key ring for my various keys. Him: Rope held tightly with intricate knots that would make an Eagle Scout proud.

Earlier in the week in dawned on me that I had not yet picked out the gift. This was highly unlike me since I typically like to have that sort of thing knocked out at least a week in advance. I briefly considered running over to Best Buy to get the Xbox 360, but a crying Mari brought me back to center. I certainly didn't want to be an Xbox widow! No, no, no...That afternoon, I ran into a co-worker who was returning from the gym. He had this kickass bag from BAD (best American duffel) bags. I was certainly intrigued. After playing with the various zippers and feeling the bag itself, I was impressed enough to make that be his birthday gift. This bag was built for the long haul. My co-worker said that after $600 of failed Samsonite luggage (which he didn't have for very long), he discovered BAD bags and won't consider going back. I went online and opted for the Duffel #3. I figured if he was ever going to get to take that weeklong camping trip, this bag would be the one to go on his journey. In any case, this is going to be his bag for his next ski trip, fishing excursion, weekend trip to Lubbock or Kansas, whatev...

Yesterday, it came in the mail and I was so excited to open it! I handed him the priority box, giddy with glee. (Seriously, I ordered the thing Friday afternoon and it was here yesterday morning!) He opened it and genuinely seemed happy to get the bag. At first I was hesitant because I thought it was a lame gift, but as it turns out, he really liked it. He played with the zippers and the handles and told me that it was a pretty amazing bag. [big smiles and a sigh of relief inside]

Now I want one for myself. =)

Happy Mother's Day

This was my very first Mother's Day and it was very special to me. Mari let me sleep in, sleeping for 7 and a half hours straight. When I got up, I nursed her, and went right back to sleep for another 3 hours. It was awesome!

Don brought me breakfast in bed and I found a card that Mari had "made" for me. It was so sweet and I loved it! Guapo even ran to me to show me his love.

At church, we had a special blessing for all the mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers. We'd dressed her in one of the frilly pink dresses that Danika gave us, but after wearing it for half an hour, she was not having it any more. She fussed and fussed, and fussed but as soon as we took it off, she was at peace. I didn't get to snap a picture of her in it either! Oh well, next time. Also, I was given a beautiful orchid corsage to wear. It was really great.

Later on, I went shopping for some much needed trousers for work. I'm able to fit into a lot of my old clothes again (more specifically, one dress that I wanted to fit in by the end of the month and I do!!). In looking through my old clothes, I realized that I needed to revamp a big part of my work wardrobe since I work in an environment that is much dressier than my previous job. I didn't realize how little business attire I had since I'd been wearing a lot of maternity wear pretty much the entire time. I picked up a few bottoms (now I need tops!) and headed home so we could go watch Iron Man. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the movie and this will be one that I'll buy. Even better was that we got to preview the new Batman flick and I'm SUPER stoked about that film.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day! Thanks to everyone for the wonderful texts, cards, and phone calls. It was very, very special indeed!

(special thanks to Kelly for snapping that cute picture of Mari!)

Happy Birthday Don & Jorge

Saturday was going to be a low-key day, but it was actually quite full of activities.

We woke up, but not too early. Mari's birthday gift to Daddy was to sleep for 7 hours. WOOHOO! We lazied around for several hours, lounging in bed laughing and playing. It was 10 before we rolled out and started moving.

Mari and I went to Gloria's for lunch with Michael and it was good. Man, I love their Mojitos! Then we went to Wal-mart so I could pick up a cupcake cake for Don and some other baking essentials. I had planned on several people coming by that evening for cake, so I needed to be sure to have plenty.

When I got home, threw together a super cookie to take to the neighborhood picnic for the cake walk. I was about 15 minutes late getting it there, but they were happy just to have it. I didn't want to stay and my volunteer shift wasn't going to start for another 40 minutes, so I walked back home and took a super duper 3 minute power nap! Later, Mari and I walked back down the street to enjoy the neighborhood picnic. We had a blast meeting lots of new people in the area. Everyone was so happy and friendly. It'll be nice to wave at them when we are out on our walks. Don showed up after he finished tearing up the front yard!

Afterwards, we chilled out at home until Michael showed up. We did cake and then later went on over to Jorge and Hayley's for dinner. Jorge doesn't like traditional cake, so instead Hayley made him a birthday popcorn ball. You can see them in the picture. I thought that was such a wonderful idea!! (thanks Hayley for the AWESOME spaghetti pie!)

So now I'm stuck with like 15 cupcakes. I indulged in one, but the rest have got to go! Maybe I'll take them to our playoff volleyball game on Monday.

Taste of Addison

We headed out to Addison to enjoy the sights and sounds. We opted to go a day earlier than planned since we knew we'd want a full day to recover in the event we decided to stay out late. Plus, we liked the line-up better and wanted to avoid the rush.



Surprisingly enough, this picture was the only time she slept (and that was only for like 15 minutes). The rest of the time she was wide awake, cooing and smiling at the masses. I love being able to enjoy the myriad of restuarants in Addison area. No other time can I fully embrace my random food cravings than I can at Taste of Addison. I was able to enjoy chicken nachos, chicken tikka masala, naan, fried calamari, a margarita, and a peach bellini. AND if I wanted, I could've had gelato and a slice of pizza too! Mmmm...good stuff. Also, in this picture I was at one of my favorite vendors: Vidriosa. I literally spent about an hour browsing through everything. She has so much more stuff than when I first browsed her booth three years ago. I bought a few things: a daisy for my mom, an Elvis ornament for my aunt, a sun for Mari, a nifty cell phone thing (but I don't have a place for it on my phone, so I put it on the camera), and a special gift for my sister from Mari.



Mari enjoyed her first concert: Switchfoot and Gavin Degraw. I've been wanting to see Switchfoot for a couple of years and it was worth the wait. They put on a pretty amazing show. While we were a ways away to protect Mari's ears from the sound, I did venture on up to look at the swag they were selling. That booth was right by the stage and I had to resist the strong urge to crowd surf! Man the mood was something electric and fierce! Such a great time. Definitely going to want to see the these guys again. Gavin Degraw has a good voice, but he seemed all over the board. He did a good job, but I just enjoyed the energy level of Switchfoot better! Mari just seemed to go with the flow the whole time, actually cooing and bouncing like she normally does.



Thanks to all the friends who went out to help celebrate Don's birthday!

99 Balloons

You don't have to be a parent to appreciate the impact of this video. It is pretty incredible and makes you appreciate your health that much more.

Set aside just over 6 minutes and enjoy it: 99 Balloons

Poor weather

I've still not taken the train. Bummer. The past few days before the rains came in, I did some walking and jogging. I timed myself to get an approximation about how long it would take me to walk from the train station to work. I'm not so worried about the morning, but more so in the evening when I'm battling against the time.

So with that, I've thought about getting a scooter. While I've heard rave reviews about these Razor scooters, I'm weary because they are all about pre-teen youth and how they use them. The maximum weight they support is far greater than what I weigh, so I know it isn't a matter of safety. I half considered getting the motorized one, but me on anything smaller than a car is asking for trouble (next time you see me, ask me about the unfortunate accidents I've had with ATVs, mopeds, and even a jet ski).

Now, my question for you all: Would it be silly seeing a grown woman in business attire zipping along the road in one of these? Can you ride these things on a sidewalk or do you have to ride them on the street like bicycles? Hmmm....

WubbaNub

This is the last week that Mari is going to be sleeping in her bassinette. I'm a little nervous, but at the same time, it'll be a good thing. Poor girl is barely fitting in there any more. At night when she is stirring, her little fists are thwacking against the walls, knocking down the pictures of Don and I that I tucked away in there. The only real thing preventing me from putting her in there is the fact that when her paci falls down, I can just reach over and tuck it back in, but if she's in her crib, it won't be that easy. Enter the wubbanub! One of my co-workers told me about it and I thought, what a wonderful idea! I ordered the one that is shown, as well as a penguin. I can't give my level of approval until they arrive from here. Once they get here, though, I'll keep you in the loop to see how they work for her.

Plus, I have a teensy bit of anxiety having her in another room. I don't know if I should start out having the crib in our bedroom and transitioning it on over to the nursery or just do the nursery. Right now it is in the nursery and she takes some naps in there occasionally. Maybe I'm the one that is paranoid that I'm not going to hear her at night when I'm sleeping. How was it for you guys? Did you set an alarm to get up in case you didn't hear your baby? Or was it all of a sudden you have "momma ears" in your sleep and you hear every noise?

Either way, I know she'll be a whole lot happier because she'll have more room. Anytime she's sleeping with us in the bed (more like napping when we nap), she'll stretch out her little arms and really relax.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Be sure to have a margarita and chips and salsa!

Oh and for those of you who have a teacher in your life, this is TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK! Give thanks to your favorite teacher(s).

Survived!

Yesterday actually went really smoothly. I hit the ground running when I got to work. We all had a nice laugh when I asked who took my stapler. (Totally an Office Space moment!) Traffic on the way to work was smooth, but going home was a slightly different story. Nothing out of the norm, but it did suck! I'm not looking forward to that this summer. So much so that I'm motivated to take the train. Not only will I save $$, but I can get a 2 mile roundtrip walk out of it AND do a small part to help the environment. Whee! Today was going to be the test run, but instead I had to cancel since it was still raining during my projected time to leave. No worries, I'm scheduled to do it on Monday regardless if it is raining or not. I'm going to find my poncho and I need to find a proper bag to carry everything. Obviously, since I'll be walking, I need to have my work shoes (not going to walk a mile in my heels!) and maybe even my work top (to ward off any outside stink, right?). I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Anyway, work kept me busy all day long and that was a relief! I didn't have much time to think and lament over not being around Mari. Best of all, I didn't have one breakdown. There were a couple of times where I was about to get sad, but I just looked at her picture and played the video on my phone and all was better. When I got home, I was greeted by her happy, sleepy smile. She'd just gotten up from her nap and was ready to eat. I quickly (and excitedly) complied and it was great to hold her in my arms. My mom was wonderful! She tracked everything, her diaper changes, feedings, nap times, and even her swing time! So I know this helped Mari with her routine and made her feel more confident in my leaving. I called yesterday and it was great to hear Mari in the background talking and cooing. My mom said that they were playing, so that was fantastic to hear.

This morning was no different, other than she got up at 4 instead of 5:30. No worries, because I went right back to sleep until 6. She got up then and ate some more. She was awake the entire time I got dressed and then when I handed her to my mom and kissed her bye, she dozed off. [good girl] Seriously, that was such a relief and I'm so very grateful to my mom and her being around for that. She's just so incredible with children, so very nurturing! I'm glad Mari has that special bonding time with her. Potts Family, you are very lucky that your mom and MIL are able to help out with Braelyn. I wish both of mine lived closer so Mari could have that time too. (sidenote: how did you find your sitter?)

So anyway, that's that. I'm a bit tired, but it doesn't compare to how I was when I was pregnant. I've not fallen asleep in the bathroom stall, so I'm doing great! ha ha! Oh and many thanks for all of the support that I've received from you guys and to my sister for calling me first thing to wish me luck, to Don for the hidden post-it notes of encouragement, Simon for his text and phone call, and Carol for the thoughtful email. Thanks you guys!

12...Does that make it 3 months?

Mari is 12 weeks old. In the usual routine, we sang happy birthday to her and snapped some pics of her. I still need to upload them. And did anyone else experience cravings afterwards. Lately, I've been wanting some spicy food. Random? That Indian food I had the other night was spectacular. It totally hit the spot.


Milestones for the week:

1. She seems to have more hand control, so she's actually grabbing toys directly in front of her and holding on.


2. She can put her paci back in her mouth if it falls near her chin or if she takes it out and keeps it in her hand near her face she can put it back.


3. She really enjoys holding onto a blanket or her buddy while she's playing. She does this funny peek-a-boo without trying and it totally entertains her for a while.


4. She dug her feet in the sand for the first time and she seemed to really enjoy it. Beach baby, maybe?


5. This may have been a total fluke, but when I asked her if she was hungry, I didn't make the sign for it, but she did. She moved her hand to her mouth and made the sign. She didn't try to eat her fingers like she normally does when she moves hand to mouth. I'll see if she does it again!