Alayah Lou

My firstborn....You are growing and changing so much. You are an awesome big sister and you love to play with and make your sister laugh. I love you so much and Love that you love me too. You seek me out to cuddle or give me random hugs. We moved out of grandmas and grandpas into our own place and you took it with stride and haven't looked back. You love having your own room and bathroom. You graduated from preschool and had a ceremony which you were not thrilled about partaking in, but you got over your fear and sang your little heart out. You also lost your first tooth and your tooth fairy david brought you two dollars folded like hearts. You were so excited and brave about losing your tooth. You love singing and learning and you are excited to show everyone what you know. You seem excited about starting Kindergarten in the fall and are looking forward to your first trip to Disneyland.

Happy Birthday Amarah

You are ONE today baby girl! I can't believe a year has gone by already. Today we celebrated your day by going to lunch with grandma and Alayah. Then we went to the mall and got your picture taken with the Easter Bunny. Later in the day we went to Yogurtland with your daddy and had some yummy ice cream. You have been battling a fever the last two days so you weren't feeling 100 percent today. You go to sleep around 7 every night and wake up about twice and have a bottle. You wake up for good around 7am. Lately, you have been going to sleep on your own in your bed and don't need mama to rock you to sleep. You are eating more and more food and less and less baby food. You love pasta with spaghetti sauce. It is your all time favorite thing. You are great at walking now even though you still fall down sometimes. You love playing with your big sister and follow her around the house. You are wearing size 4 diapers and size 4 shoes. You also wear size 18 months clothing.

15 Months

Oh my baby girl how you have changed in the last several months. You have six teeth right now and numbers 7 and 8 are almost through. You are starting to talk more and more. You can say "uh oh" "dada"(byebye)while waving your hand, "dank u"(thank you)"yeth" (yes) and are working on more. You have such a personality and are full of spunk. You love playing with your sister and laugh and scream if she chases you. You can point to your nose and your belly button when we ask. You are finally sleeping through the night now that we moved in with daddy and you have your own room. You can drink out of a sippy cup and are practicing drinking out of a cup and a straw. You love to dance and you just cant help but wiggle when you hear music. You love to climb the stairs..up and down up and down...and boy do you love to EAT. You eat everything and I don't think that there is a food that you do not like yet lol. I love you baby girl and I am so glad to see you happy and growing.

10 months

You are 10 months baby girl. You have hit double digits. You had  your first set of pig tails this month. They turned out pretty cute. You are still in size 3 diapers but you are on the last box. You are still in size 3 shoes and are heading out of your 12 month clothes and moving into 18 months. You said your first word this month "uh oh", then you waved bye bye and you also got two teeth. You did a lot of changing this month. You are getting really good at standing without holding on to anything, but you get scared and hurry and sit down. Mommy loves rocking you to sleep at night and cuddling with you. You aren't breastfeeding too much anymore, but we still do it occasionally. You still wake up several times at night and this month you have been waking up and drinking full 4oz bottles each time. You still go to bed around 8 and wake up three times and are up for good anywhere from 6am to 7am. You are still having trouble with your ears and ear infections, so it looks like you will be getting tubes in your ears pretty soon. Only two more months and then you will be 1 year already. It seems like just yesterday I was preparing for your arrival. I love you Amarah.

5 years old

Oh, Alayah. Where has this year gone? This has been a very big year for you with lots of changes and lots of growing up. You started this year off in preschool loving your animals and batman. You made friends with a little girl named Danielle and you two have become inseparable. You both love to play animals all day long. The biggest change you had this year was becoming a big sister. You love your new sister and you are such a great help to mommy. You love to carry her around and share your yogurt with her. You keep her happy in the car and you just all around love her. In the fall you started Pre-kindergarten and you've made great strides. When you first started you could only write A's and H's...and by your 5th birthday you can write your first name like pro. Right now you are working on writing your a's in lowercase instead of them all being in capitol letters. You can write any letter of the alphabet by memory even though some aren't quite there yet.  :) You are 43.5lbs and 43.25 inches. You where size 5T and can fit in big girls 4/5 clothes. You wear size 12 shoes and you love boy things. Right now you have shifted from your love of batman back to horses and have added captain america and Thor to your super hero loves. I can't wait to see what this next year brings and I love watching you grow and blossom. You are my favorite girl in the whole wide world and I love you soooo much

9 Months

You are nine months old today baby girl. You have had two bouts of ear infections this month, so I hope next month you are sick free. You are still between 18lbs 8oz and 18lbs 12oz. You are almost outgrowing your size 3 shoes and your twelve month clothes are fitting just right. I am sure next month you will be in size 18 months. You can say Yay now and clap or wave your hands when we say Yay to you. You have also said uh oh but only a couple of times. You have also learned how to wave bye bye. You stick your arm straight out and point your fingers downward. It is pretty cute. You still babble and make sounds like dada and nah nah nah. You love table food and insist on trying a bite of anything the grown ups have. This month was Christmas and you were so not interested in opening any presents. You were too busy eating cheese puffs. You have started eating 6 to 8oz of milk at at time now and you go to bed around 8 or 9 and still wake up at least twice during the night. Lately, i've been lucky enough to get you to sleep later than 6am and you have been waking up between 7 and 8. I have tricked you into standing by yourself a couple of times and you will stand there for several seconds, but you don't like to do it because it scares you. You love bath time and I love how you crawl to me and pull yourself up on my pant legs and grunt until I pick you up. I love you so much baby girl :)

8 Months

Well baby girl you have changed so much this month I don't even know where to start. You are now 18lbs 8oz and are outgrowing your 9 month size clothes. You still wear some, but need to be in 12 months size. You are still in size 3 shoes and size 3 diapers. You love table food and want to eat everything we are eating. You started crawling this month and soon after started pulling yourself up on the furniture. You can walk along the long couch and have mastered pulling up and sitting down from a standing position. You stay awake about 2-3 hours during the day and then take a nap. You go to sleep around 8 and sleep until around 12 and wake up at least three times by 6 am . You are a funny girl and you do this new thing now where you put your chin on your chest and then look up with your eyes doing this shy girl look. You also like to crawl to me and pull up on my legs when you want me to hold you. You think your big sister is pretty funny and you laugh the most at her. You also learned to clap and shake your head no this month too. You babble a lot more but don't say any words yet. You love fruit baby food, but you are not too fond of the vegetables now. You would much rather eat real food. I love you with all my heart.

7 months

This month has gone by so fast. You are in size 3 shoes and size 3 diapers. You mastered going from your tummy to a sitting position this month and you have tried about every type of baby food there is. You really love fruits and orange vegetables. You are not too fond of green veggies. You are now on a formula for sensitive tummies to see if you are lactose intolerant. So far it has been helping. You are about 17lbs right now and still in size 9 month clothes. You did a full cycle of crawling tonight :) You say dada and some other babbling sounds and you when you get excited you flap your arms up and down. It is so cute. You love your big sister and are always watching to see where she is going and what she is doing. You are going to bed around 8 and wake up at 12, 2,4, and 6. You can also eat two jars of baby food in one sitting. You also want to eat whatever the grownups are eating. I love you baby girl. :)

6 Months

Where to begin precious girl. You are quite the character. You have started thinking you are pretty funny stuff. You do this fake laugh thing when you think you are being funny. You are very opinionated and you are quick to let everyone know when you do not like something. You got your very first ear infection this month and started antibiotics for it. You did not like the medicine very much. You still take your medicine for reflux and it doesn't look like you will be off it any time soon. You are still in size two diapers, but you will be in size 3 diapers by the end of the week when mommy finishes up this last pack. You are in size 2 to 3 shoes and you are now wearing size 9 month clothes. You have gotten into a routine of going to sleep between 7 and 8 o'clock at night and sleeping until around midnight and then you wake up again at 3, 5, and again at 6 when mommy gets up for work. You love eating baby food and really enjoy anything that is a fruit. To celebrate your sixth month birthday mommy gave you a breadstick from Olive Garden and you really really liked it. You still like to tip yourself upside down and look at everyone from that angle. You can hold your bottle now too. On Sept 12 you finally rolled from your back to your stomach and mommy actually saw it to make it official. Now, you roll to your tummy all the time. You love to eat your toes and are always trying to get them in your mouth. I moved you into your crib and you really like having all the extra room. You usually go to sleep on your right side cuddled up with your blanket, but this last week you have started sleeping on your stomach.You are very good at sitting up now and are starting to get strong enough to keep yourself from falling over. I love seeing you after work because you get so happy and your eyes light up. I love you so much sweet pea

5 Months

This past month you have changed before my eyes. You started eating babyfood and you love it. I started you off with rice cereal and you took right to it. Next, I gave you carrots and those are by far your favorite. You have had peaches, bananas, and apples which you like and green beans which you don't seem to care for too much yet. You have also had oatmeal which you like as well. You started this month off by rolling over literally maybe twice lol. You have no interest in rolling. You would much rather be sitting up like a big girl gettting in on all the action. You love bath time and kick frantically when you are in the tub splashing and sloshing around. You are still in size 2 diapers, but you are going to outgrow them very soon. You wear a size 1 baby shoe and you are still in size 6 month clothes although they are starting to fit a little snug. You can sit up for a few minutes by yourself before you fall over and you love to stand with someone holding your hands. You started this new thing now where you spit out your binky and make raspberries. It is so funny. You are starting to develop a funny personality and you like when I kiss your neck really fast over and over. You also love to tip yourself upside down when someone is holding you. You think it is pretty cool to look upside down. You love the sound of your own voice and you screech and scream any chance you get. I set up your crib today and you are sleeping in it for the first time tonight. I hope you like it. I also gave you squash for the first time today and you really seemed to like it. You have a bit of a cold today so I hope you sleep well. I love you with all my heart baby girl.

4 Months

You are now four months old Amarah. You've changed so much this month. You went from one week reaching out for toys and swatting them to the next week reaching out and grabbing them. You found your hands and they are always in your mouth. You also pull out your binky and stick your fingers in your mouth any chance you get. You love the toy on your carseat and you swat at it all the time. You love your floor mat with all it's toys and you talk and talk and talk.You also know what you like and don't like and boy do you let everyone know when you are not happy. When you don't want to go in  your carseat you make your self stiff and straight so we can't get you in. You have a temper. :) When I drop you off at miss Melanies in the morning you reach out to touch her face. It's so sweet. You go to bed between seven and eight and sleep until anywhere between 1am and 4am. Usually, you wake up at 1 and then wake up every hour until 6 am when we get up. You are still in size 2 diapers and you wear size 6 month clothes. You are doing really good at pushing up when you are on your tummy and have rolled over a couple of times both I believe were accidents as you don't roll over very often. You like to stand and think you are pretty cool when you do. You have had a couple of good laughing fits this month, but you don't laugh very often. I don't think you've quite figured it out yet. You weigh 14lbs 2oz and are 25 inches long. You are getting so big and I love you so much.

I whip my fro

I got off work early today because we were slow so I hung out at the babysitters a little while with Amarah and helped them unpack as they are moving into a new house. I gave Amarah a bath tonight and put her in some jammies and she smelt so good. I just wanted to eat her up. Alayah had fun at school today making sand angels in the sandbox. I got Alayah Mcdonald's and myself some Chinese and we watched a movie together when we got home. It was nice to just relax with the girls. 

Thankful Thursday

I love these girls so much :) I love Alayah's fun personality and I love Amarah's chubby cheeks and crazy hair :)

Happy 4th of July

We took a while getting up and around today, but when we did get up we headed over to Amarah's dads house for a bbq. It was okay. Amarah had another episode of screaming whenever he held her. I don't know why she does that, but she makes it kind of miserable for everyone. We came home and got in our jammies and then I drove around until I found some fireworks for Alayah to watch. She is usually very scared of them so I didnt want to stay out late waiting for the big shows to start. Luckily we found a spot where we could see several that people were setting off from a distance. Alayah actually enjoyed them this year since she couldn't hear them. :) 

Movie night

After work I took the girls to our first drive in movie. It was a lot of fun and it was nice to be able to enjoy the movie without worrying about Amarah crying. 

We saw Madagascar 3 and Men in black 3. Both were good although I was falling asleep towards the end of Men in Black because it was almost 2 in the morning lol 

I put Amarah in the same outfit Alayah wore on her first 4th of July. It is crazy that they can wear the same size but were 3 months different in age. 

I love my girls,

Week 14

Oh my you are getting so big. 3 month clothes no longer fit you. I've tried squeezing you in a couple and you look very uncomfortable so 6 month size it is from here on out. You will definitely be in size 2 diapers by the end of this week. No more size 1's for you. You weigh 12lbs 12oz and are 23.5 inches long and your head is 40cm. The doctor gave you a prescription for zantac which is an acid reflux medicine so hopefully it will  help you feel better and eat better. You are very close to rolling over. You can get on your side from your back. You love to sit up in our laps and look around. You hold your head up really well and can look all around. You love the toy that hangs on your carseat and I can hear you hitting at it in the backseat when I am driving. You love to have your blanket with you when you are sleeping and you seem to like the new bottles that I got you. You also love to bring your hands together and stick one in your mouth. Love you baby girl

Day 2

Today Amarah went to the sitters house Miss Melanie. She did much better today with eating so hopefully she will continue to do well. I really want breastfeeding to last a lot longer and I'm worried she will start to prefer the bottle over the breast. 

Alayah wanted to take a pictures with her baby sis and I am always happy to oblige.

First day back at work

Today was my first day back at work and as good as it was to be out of the house and doing something it was horrible having to leave Amarah. I really really missed her. She went with her dad today and it was his first time alone with her so I was worried about her all day. I guess she did really well, but she didn't eat much. Alayah was glad to be back at school and to have something to do and to be back with her best friend Danielle. It does kind of suck to know that my maternity leave is over and I won't get time off work like that back. Now starts crunch time on finishing school and getting a good job to support my girls on my own. 

2 month Doctor visit

Today was a busy day. Alayah had dance class this morning and then we ran to Target to exchange some clothes that are too small for Amarah. Then we went to the mall to get Amarah's pictures taken. She did much better this time than she did last time. After that we headed to Wal-Mart and then went to Amarah's doctors appt. She is 12lbs and 22.5 inches and her head is 38.5. The doctor said she was in the 75 percentile for weight, the 50th percentile for length, and the 25th for her head. She is a chunky girl that is for sure. She had to get shots today and she was so upset about it. Her cry is so sad. She seems to be doing okay so far tonight. I gave her tylenol right when we got home so I hope she makes it through the night without any problems. Tomorrow I go back to work and I am so sad. I can't believe 9 weeks has gone by already. It went by so fast. I hope we all make it through the day easy peasy because it's going to be an adjustment on all of us.

9 Weeks

You are 9 weeks old today and growing more and more. This week you have been talking so much more and making the cutest little cooing sounds. You are sleeping longer stretches at night and now when you take a bath you like to kick your legs and splash the water. You go to the doctor tomorrow and I am excited to see how much you weigh now. I love the way you get quiet when I talk to you and you look at me very intently. You are doing better with your tummy time and you can turn your head from side to side when on your stomach. You also love to cuddle with mommy and I love it. :)

Meeting granny

Today we went with grandma and papa to the Secret Garden to see the dolphins and the lions. Alayah loves animals so she was excited to see them again. Amarah slept through the whole thing so she didn't get to see anything exciting. Afterward, I took Amarah to her dads house to meet her dads grandma and his brothers. There were a lot of his family members there and they all loved seeing Amarah. Alayah had fun running around with all the guys playing football and soccer. We headed back down to the strip at night time and went to Madame Tussades to see the wax figures. It was neat to see them, but they kind of freaked me out a little bit. Both girls fell asleep on the way home from such a busy day.

eating the whole thing

Today we went to the strip with the intention of going to the Secret Garden, but it took to long to get things done so we will have to go tomorrow. We did go to Senor Frogs at Treasure Island and it was really yummy, but not a restaurant for kids. It was so loud and busy that I couldn't hear any conversations at our own table. I think the noise was a little too much for Amarah as well. She fussed a lot when we got home before crashing. We went to Krispy Kremes first thing today and for the first time ever Alayah actually ate her entire sprinkle donut. Usually, she just eats the sprinkles or she takes one bite and that is it. It was a great day all in all.

Last Friday

Today is my last Friday before going back to work. Ughh...I'm dreading it big time. We didn't do much today but hang around. I ordered pizza and we laid around watching movies and t.v. all day. Pretty unexciting stuff. I broke out some toys for Amarah and let her hold them for as long as she would. Alayah wanted to play with bubbles so I opened some for her to play with too. She used up the whole bottle lol.

Thankful Thursday

Bumbo-riffic

I opened Amarah's bumbo today just to see how she would do. She did okay for a few minutes and then she  started to get really wobbly and fussy. I love my girls sweet smile.

Sweet Smiles

Nothing exciting today. Just posting pictures of my sweet baby girl.

8 Weeks

You are 8 weeks old now baby girl. You love your mommy and sometimes cry until I am holding you. This upcoming week is our last full week together before mommy has to go back to work. I am sad that I don't get to spend all day long with you. You are about to outgrow your 3 month size clothes, but six month size are a little bit too big still. You are trying sooo hard to laugh this week. When you try to laugh it comes out as a coughing sound but you have a smile on your face. I love you so much my lil chubster.

Hanging by the pool

My parents had to set up a new gazebo today so Amarah and I hung out in the shade for a little bit and watched them. Alayah ran around being crazy. She is so busy. I am so in love with my girls and so grateful for them everyday.

Saturday Musings

I wanted to put this outfit on Amarah before she outgrows it. She is growing so fast she isn't getting to wear some of her clothes. 

Alayah decided to snuggle up with Amarah today. I don't know why she looks so sad, but I'm glad she loves her sister.