7 months old!

Instead of her usual "month-day" post, I decided to write a letter to Leah, since I haven't really done much of that since she was in the womb. So you'll just have to forgive my personal note to my little girl...


Dear Leah,

It's been 7 months now since you came in to our lives, and yet I still remember as if it were yesterday the day they put you on my chest all wiggly and squirmy and full of energy and a curiousity that only grows along with you. Wow, you've changed so much since the day you were born-- you've grown from a little "blob" into an incredible human being, with a personality all your own! And our lives have not been the same. You fit in as if you have always been here and I can't remember what life was like before you.


Leah, you have given me a whole new perspective on life. You've taught me how to slow down and enjoy what's going on around me. Just last week, someone commented how you must be wise beyond your years because of the way you are so observant of people and your surroundings. You are extroverted where your mommy is introverted. You always have a sweet smile for anyone who comes to talk to you. I especially love how your face lights up when you see me or Daddy after we've been apart. You show me a love that is unconditional. You have such an easygoing spirit about you that just takes everything in stride. You've made becoming a mommy so easy and so fun!


There's so much about you that is so funny and cute! I love how you always say "mmm" whenever you take a bite of food, or start taking your bottle. (And you love all kinds of food! It seems like you even get mad if you see me preparing your food & don't get it to you fast enough! You don't even really like to sit still long enough to take a whole bottle anymore, you'd rather have different tastes.) I love how you giggle and laugh at the smallest of things. You love to be tossed around and bounce up & down. You love looking at people's faces up close & grabbing mommy's nose when you're having your bottle. I especially love how much fun you are when you wake up in the morning-- you might have been crying for 2 or 3 minutes in your crib, but as soon as I come get you, you get a huge grin on your face and start giggling and kicking your legs in excitement, eager for the new day to begin!


I love how your hair is wild & crazy after you've been sleeping, and even a brush can't tame it down. It's hilarious how you pull your socks off and munch on them. It's also really funny some of the things you like to play with-- you'd rather have a remote control or a piece of paper than a regular baby toy. I love how you manage to get anywhere you want to go just by rolling over. I get frustrated sometimes that you're still not really sitting up well yet, but I have a feeling as soon as you get the hang of that, you'll be crawling, and then walking-- and those are things I don't want to rush. I can't believe you already have a tooth coming in! It's so fun imagining what you'll look like with a mouth full of them.


Leah, I know that God has only entrusted me with you for a short time. I know I have a limited time to hold you in my arms (you prove that every night when you refuse to cuddle because you'd rather sit up to see what's going on around you-- no more snuggling for you!). I know as you get older you will have so much to experience. Life is sure to bring you its share of troubles. But know this, baby girl-- know that you are surrounded by so much love. The love of your mommy and daddy cannot even compare to the love of your Creator-- a Creator that we are so excited for you to come to know personally. It is our prayer that you will come to know Him at a young age and fully enjoy all the blessings God can bring you as a child of His.

We are so excited to see you growing up, but for now, we cherish each and every day of your childhood. I hope I don't have to miss one moment.

Love,

Your Mommy

She was feeling a little under the weather today, so that is why she looks a little drugged in her 7 month photo. Poor pitiful little girl.

She can sit up on her own for a very short time. As soon as I took this 1st picture, she tipped over. In the 2nd one, my hand is on top of her head, holding her up. But isn't a sitting baby cute??

Supremo Baby "Stuff" Reviews- Part 2

As our baby showers are now 7 months past us, we've had to buy lots of new things to keep up with our quickly growing girl. It's still tough to know which brands are best, and what it worth the money, but usually I'll try to spend some time researching online. More often than not, the cost ends up being the biggest factor for us. Here are some more reviews of items that I've purchased or gotten as gifts for the baby.


Diaper Bag: Carter's Brown Suede Messenger Diaper Bag

Pros: lots of space, easy to clean inside, not too "girly"
Cons: too big, hard to open & close

We bought this bag on recommendation from a friend who has it, and said it was great. It was kind of expensive, but it seemed like most diaper bags were! Brett liked it because it isn't too feminine so he wouldn't be too embarrassed to be seen carrying it. The inside has a plastic lining, so that is a positive feature. It also has two side pockets that fit a bottle perfectly. It is quite a roomy bag, but it is hard to keep things organized inside, and you really can't fit as much as you'd like in a way that makes it all easy to find. I also don't really like how it closes-- there's a flap that covers the main opening & it can be hard to open with one hand. Most of the time, I end up using a smaller bag I bought made by Baby Sac, because it's easier to carry around. That one's still not 100% great, but I like it better than the Carter's one.


High Chair: Eddie Bauer Wooden Highchair

Pros: high back for babies at all stages, fashionable, tray pulls in & out easily, easy to clean
Cons: none

I really love this chair. First of all, it is really pretty in our kitchen. The wood matches our furniture. It only took Brett about 15 minutes to put it together. Leah was able to sit up in this chair starting at about 4 ½ months, before she could sit up on her own, and she doesn’t slide down or anything. The tray pulls in & out easily and there is a plastic part on top of the wooden tray that can pull off to make cleaning easy! The seat cushion comes off for easy cleaning, too. It has several different capabilities, too, for when she gets older, we can take the whole tray off & pull the chair up to the table.


Crib: Carter’s Classic Sleigh Crib

Pros: easy assembly, very pretty, spacious, sturdy
Cons: none

We saw this in Babies R Us and loved how it looked! We’ve always wanted a sleigh bed for ourselves, and now our baby got one before we did! This seemed to be one of the more inexpensive cribs, even though it still seemed pricey to me. The changing table & dresser in this collection were definitely too expensive, but we were able to just use what we had. The color (“chocolate”) is a little difficult to match, but we did end up finding a rocking chair in “espresso” that was almost a perfect match. It has a convenient shelf on the bottom to store blankets & sheets on. It has 3 levels for the mattress, as well, so it will grow with the baby, even though it does not convert to a toddler bed. That wasn’t an issue for us, because we figured when we have a 2nd child, we will still need a crib.



Playmat: Baby Einstein Seek & Discover Deluxe Activity Gym

Pros: lots of variety of toys, keeps baby well-entertained
Cons: not a lot of padding, doesn’t store well

We got this mat as a gift, and Leah still likes it, although she’s quickly out-growing it! It has a good variety of toys, and all of them come off & on easily, so she can play with them outside of just the playmat. You can also attach other toys, too, with the rings. She especially loved the flashing musical star when she was littler. It’s fairly easy to wipe clean, also. It folds up for storage, but it is difficult to keep it folded together—it pops open too easily. Since we got this, I have seen some mats that I do like better than this one, but all in all, I have no problems with this one.


Stationery Entertainer: Evenflo Exersaucer Mega

Pros: lots of variety of toys, different heights to grow with baby, keeps baby contained, durable
Cons: takes up a lot of space, does not store easily

I bought this used when Leah was 5 months and it was already put together. She loves it! She squeals when she’s in it and always concentrates very intently on each of the toys she’s playing with. She jumps around a lot when she’s in it but it doesn’t even come close to tipping over or being unsafe. I can usually keep her in it while I take a shower or something and know she’ll be fine. It seems to be really helping her learn to keep her feet flat so she can learn to stand up. There are a lot of different toys on it, and they can be taken out easily to clean them, but Leah really loves the one that is on a plastic rope that she can pull toward her and put in her mouth. There are different heights, so I’m hoping she’ll still enjoy sitting in the thing for a few more months, even when she gets taller. The only thing I don’t like about this is that it is not really easy to collapse and even when you do, it doesn’t get very small. It takes up a lot of space.




Next edition (i.e., "Things I'm Currently in the Market For..."): toys, carriers, baby gates, sippy cups

Ultimate Supreme-O Baby "Stuff" Reviews- Part 1

I have been thinking of doing this awhile for anyone that is a new mom or expecting a new baby. When I was registering for gifts and thinking about different types of items Leah would need, I didn't really have a lot to go by other than reviews on Target.com which always seem to have very mixed opinions. I didn't really have a lot of other moms around to ask about best brands. So I thought I would write out some opinions I have about the things we did end up getting. I'll split this up into a couple parts so it's not so long.


Bottles: Phillips Avent

Pros: baby approved, easy to clean, durable
Cons: leaky, somewhat expensive

I bought this brand on recommendation from a lactation specialist at our hospital. They say they are clinically proven to reduce colic and that the nipple makes switching between bottle & breast easier. I didn’t really try a lot of other bottles, so I can’t really say if this bottle is the best at these things, but I do like it and so did Leah. I did try the Playtex Ventaire bottle, and I found the nipple to be too small and the baby didn’t take them as well. The one downside of the Avent bottles is that they tend to leak at times, if you don’t screw the cap on tightly. It can be easily remedied by unscrewing & screwing it back, but sometimes that can get frustrating when the baby is ready to eat! They sell all the bottle with a #1, slow flow nipple, which Leah outgrew by 2 months, so I had to go out and get faster-flow nipples more than once, which did get expensive.


Breast Pump: Lanisoh Double Electric

Pros: inexpensive, fast, easy assembly, portable
Cons: loud

I have been pumping exclusively for 6 months now, after Leah didn’t take well to the breast. That means I’ve used this machine 4-6 times every day. It usually only takes me 10 minutes to fill a 6 oz. bottle (but that probably varies between women). It has different speeds & suction levels so you can adjust as you get more proficient. We bought this pump because it wasn’t the cheapest, but it also wasn’t the most expensive. I think it’s cheaper than many because it doesn’t come with the fancy carrying bag. However, I found a lunch box that it can fit in perfectly. Although you cannot buy replacement parts in the store, the parts are actually interchangeable with the Medela brand ones they gave me at the hospital, and you can buy them online, rather inexpensively. The only things I don’t like are a) it is very loud when it’s running and b) the bottles are small, so if I want to pump more than 4 oz. on each side, I have to stop, empty them & refill them. My Avent bottles are too wide to use with the pump directly. I think I still have plenty more use out of this machine!



Diapers: Luvs

I have tried all 3 major brands of diapers: Huggies, Pampers, and Luvs. Although Huggies always offers coupons, Luvs still tend to be the cheapest, and they seem to fit Leah the best. They seem to hold up the best, as well. The only downside is that they are a little too “plastic-y,” making them noisy when the baby moves.


Diaper Disposal: Baby Trend Diaper Champ

Pros: can use regular trash bags, easy to change the bags
Cons: diapers sometimes get stuck in lid, doesn’t really disguise the odors

Personally, I think a trash can would work just as well as this, but it was inexpensive and this particular brand required no extra purchases or special bags, just regular kitchen bags, so we figured why not. The handle is easy to turn with only one hand. I suppose it does help disguise the odors some (especially the newborn, pre-solid food diapers)—I don’t really smell the dirty diapers in the baby’s room constantly, unless I haven’t cleaned out the pail for awhile. If it gets too full, the handle won’t turn and you have to open it up to get the diaper un-stuck. It can fit a lot of diapers, though—we only change it about once a week, so I guess that’s at least 30 diapers. You can’t dispose of wipes in it, either, unless they’re tied into the diaper, because they stick on the lid and won’t go into the pail.


Car Seat: Graco SafeSeat Infant Car Seat

Pros: safe, easy to put in & out of the car, easy to get baby in & out
Cons: bulky

We chose this seat based on the color and price. We received it as a gift with the travel system (stroller). I love how you can leave the base in the car, and just pull the seat in & out fairly easily (although it does take 2 hands), then you can carry the baby around in the seat. It does weigh about 15 lbs., so it is heavy, and sometimes we also have a hard time fitting it inside high chairs at restaurants or in shopping carts. It has a button you can push to loosen & tighten the straps to get the baby in & out easily, which is probably one of my favorite features. And the sun-cover can go down far enough to cover the baby’s whole face. It also accommodates babies up to 30 lbs. so it will probably last right up until Leah’s 1-year birthday when we can then get a convertible seat.
We do have another seat that I was given that is an Evenflo. We rarely use it, though, because the straps don't loosen quite as easily and I don't really like the handle on it, or the sun cover. It is actually a little lighter, but I just got attached to the Graco one so we don't really use this one.
Another great feature of the Graco one is that you don't have to have the base to use it-- you can use a seatbelt to buckle it directly in the car. So we didn't really get a second base for Brett's car-- he just takes the seat & buckles her in. Makes traveling easier!


Stroller: Graco Quattro Tour Deluxe Travel System

Pros: easy to put car seat on quickly, handles are good height, lots of storage space
Cons: bulky & barely fits in my trunk

I do appreciate how much storage space this stroller has and the fact that you can use it with the car seat, or without and the baby can recline at different levels. However, the thing is a beast! We have a regular-sized car and it barely fits in & out of the trunk. It is already all scratched up from hitting the top of the trunk on its way in & out. It would probably be fine if we had an SUV or bigger car, though. I’d like to get a smaller stroller now that Leah is getting bigger.


Bathtub: Safety 1st Complete Bath Care Center

Pros: can grow with the baby
Cons: not easy to collapse, baby slides down into water

I really don’t like this tub all that much. I originally picked it because it can collapse to save space. However, it doesn’t really get much smaller, and it’s not easy to do, because if you don’t click it in right, it will leak all over. It comes with a cradle that you set up to incline the baby, but when she lays on it, she keeps sliding down into the water & I have to pull her back up. Leah doesn’t seem to mind, but then she loves the bath anyway! I think next time I would like to get a different tub that has a better cradle to keep her from sliding.




To Buy or Not to Buy:

Boppy pillow- Yes, if breastfeeding; No, if not
Bottle warmer- No! It is quicker & easier to heat a mug of water in the microwave
Wipes warmer- No! The wipes are hard to get out and they dry out quickly
Changing Table- No; a dresser with a changing pad on top is just as good

Giggle Box

Here is a video of Leah giggling at Grandpa this morning! I dare you to watch it and not laugh. If only I could bottle up this giggle and pull it out when she's about 13.

Watch her grow!

Look how much she's grown!

Leah @ 1 week old:

Leah @ 6 months old:

1 month old vs. 6 months old:

25 things...

25 things about Leah at 6 1/2 months [that I want to remember]...

1. She finally has a schedule that I am happy with. She naps well and sleeps at least 11 hrs. at night. (Now that I've said it, it will probably change.)

2. She likes to play with paper. Especially magazines. They keep her busy for a long time. I think she likes the crinkly sound they make.

3. She still can't really sit up on her own. Well, she can for a few seconds. But really I think it's because she prefers to lay on her tummy because that way she can roll around.

4. She does not like to sit still for long. She squirms in her car seat, squirms while she's taking her bottle, and don't even think about trying to rock her to sleep....

5. She has adorable little peach fuzz hair that is growing very quickly. I can't tell yet whether it will be curly.

6. She loves her daddy. He can almost always make her laugh. Or distract her from what she's supposed to be doing (unintentionally, of course).

7. She rarely ever cries. Except maybe in the morning when she first wakes up & she wants us to come get her so she can eat, already! Even then, as soon as we go get her, she's smiling & laughing. We are so blessed.

8. When you put her in her crib for bed, she will immediately roll over onto her tummy and curl up with her butt in the air to go to sleep.

9. She clenches her hands together and stiffens her body whenever you go to pick her up. As if she's going to be taking a dive or something.

10. She loves being around other people-- she will sit and stare or look in awe at everything going on around her and rarely make a peep.

11. If she's at home with me by herself (or esp. when her daddy is home), she will scream at the top of her lungs, just to make sure we know she's there. She is "talking" constantly.

12. She has tried: rice cereal, oatmeal, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans, bananas, butternut squash, peaches, and peas (in that order). I read that it takes a baby 15-20 tries of a food before she establishes like/ dislike, so I won't say yet which she prefers. I have tried my hand at making some of my own foods. So far it seems she doesn't take well to the ones I have made.

13. She eats solid foods at breakfast & dinner. She's still not really very good at it and gets bored quickly. I try to get a total of about 3 Tbls. of cereal in her, with at least a tsp. of a fruit & a tsp. of a veggie every day. This is nowhere near the recommended intake for a "sitter" (that is the stage she is in according to Gerber) but I'm not going to force her to eat if she's not ready. She still gets plenty of milk with her bottles.

14. She has a large red, raised birthmark on her left side, just above her diaper. She's had it since birth, and it's actually getting bigger. The dr. said it may not go away until she's in kindergarten. But obviously, she will be getting bigger, and in turn, it will appear smaller. She also has a reddish birthmark on the back of her neck. It looks more like a rash.

15. Tuesday I actually saw her first tooth coming in. There's a little tiny bud there. Other than chewing on anything and everything she can get in her mouth, it doesn't seem to bother her that she's teething. She really doesn't fuss about it. She loves to get her gums brushed with the little brush I bought her.

16. She loves to play in her Exersaucer. The second you put her in (sometimes before she's even all the way in) she starts playing, beating on the different toys to figure out how they work. She is esp. fascinated with a truck on there. I think it's because she cannot pull it towards her like the rest of the toys. And she's mad at it for that.

17. I know she recognizes mommy & daddy, because she does smile & look at us when we approach her, but she's still not at the point where she will only be happy with us. She doesn't mind hanging out in the nursery or at daycare. Sometimes when I go to pick her up, she looks at me like, "Oh, hi, Mom. I'm fine. You can go now."

18. She seems to like to have books read to her. But mostly she likes to chew on the books at this point.

19. She sleeps with absolutely nothing in her crib. Because she will find some way to wrap herself up in it, or else let it distract her from sleeping. At first we had the monitor hanging from the railing and now we've even had to move that. The kid will find anything to be a play toy. Oh, we do leave the pacifier in her crib. And she plays with that.

20. She is distracted so easily. Here is Leah's train of thought... "Oh, look, feet! I wonder if I can put them in my mouth... Numm numm numm... Hey, I wonder if I can roll over on this changing table... Whoa!... Look, a wall! When I hit my feet against it it makes noise... Oh, look, a diaper... Diaper, diaper, diaper!... Oh, feet! Cool...."

21. She is well on her way to crawling. (see video) She can push up on her arms, she can push up on her toes, put her butt up in the air. I'm convinced she will crawl before she can sit up on her own. And then she will start cruising. She loves to stand up too.

22. She loves to blow air out of her mouth, like she's trying to stick her tongue out but it doesn't come out of her mouth. Maybe it's her way of starting to talk. Or maybe it feels good to her gums.

23. She definately has blue eyes. That are not going to change.

24. She tends to be very gassy. Sometimes she smells like she needs her diaper changed, but actually there's nothing in it. She really only has a poopy diaper maybe once every other day. And sometimes they're really good ones!

25. She has a contagious laugh, an infectious smile, and I love her more than I ever thought possible.

6 month portraits

Here's a sneak peek at Leah's 6 month professional portraits from JC Penny. We had so much fun and they turned out so good! We couldn't get her to sit up for any of them, but we did get her to stand & lean against the post. The photographer loved how she clenched her hands together & that truly captured her little personality!

Her Pearly White!

Leah no longer sports a toothless grin. I see a little tooth bud coming in on the bottom. And what kind of baby do I have that's not even fussy about a tooth coming in?? Other than being excessively drooly and chewing on anything that fits in her mouth, I barely noticed the arrival of this new tooth. I can't get a picture for evidence because she won't open her mouth for the camera. This will have to do:

A Day in the Park

Spring is here! It's my favorite time of year, and I've been so eager to take Leah outside to explore the big wide world. Yesterday we got to go as a family to Lake Lynn park and Leah had her first experience on the swings. It may look like she's not having fun in these pictures, but I think she just has a different way of expressing it-- we're pretty sure she really enjoyed herself!

As always, you can see more pictures on our family photo site: http://picasaweb.google.com/brettandsabrina/Spring2009#