Amazing!

I can't believe it, but I actually have a few minutes to post an entry today. Marissa is napping, Matt's out shopping for a grill...I finished cleaning two bathrooms and ate my lunch. I'm taking a break before laundry-mania begins. It's amazing what you can shove into a two-hour nap period...

Where do I start? It's been forever since I actually posted anything. Hmm...let's see. I can see by the previous post that the last time I wrote was when Marissa started walking. Now she's really good at it...a pro! She can go up stairs (crawling) and down (backwards crawling) but you have to watch her very carefully on the stairs. She tends to want to dive head-first...

We took her for a visit to Charleston, where we discovered, not surprisingly, that she loved playing in the sand. It wasn't too hard to keep it out of her mouth. It only went in there once when she mistook her shovel for a spoon. Honest mistake.

Her personality is really blossoming. She is shy at first...it takes her a little while to get comfortable in new situations with new people. But once she adjusts, her funny little self appears as if she's known you forever.

She loves to go out to restaurants with Matt and me. We always have a nice time and she seems to enjoy the change in scenery.

Keeping her occupied is more and more of a challenge. She likes to see new things, explore new challenges. She also loves to engage with you rather than play by herself (though she will play alone periodically).

She has started talking up a storm...she learns a few new words each day, it seems. She sometimes confuses their meaning but for the most part she gets it. Let's see...here is a sampling of her vocabulary: mama and dada, of course. More (which I think she also says when she wants to eat), all done, baby, bubble, book, water, bath, Elmo (she just learned this 2 days ago and it's so cute when she says it).

She understands lots of things. For instance, today we were in the kitchen and I told her "go get your Elmo book." She walked into the sunroom, found her Elmo book and brought it to me. Weird that she can understand so much yet not say it all yet...it's amazing how her brain works!! She also does a few really funny things. Every time I take her shoes off, I say "oh that's a stinky foot." So now when I ask her where her foot is, she puts her feet in the air and says "stinky stinky stinky." To me, this is hysterical. Once she knows what stinky means, she may be offended, though...

She also knows how to give kisses...she puts her lips in an interesting formation (not really puckered...more flat) and goes "mmmah". Love it.

Yesterday we went to our friend Shayla's dad's house (he has a really nice pool) and she got in the hot tub (don't worry, it was just warm, kinda like a bath). First I let her dip in her toes, then she pointed and kept trying to dive in so Matt and I got in with her. She loved it and oddly enough was more than happy to put her face in the water...which I thought she'd be afraid of.

She's moved up to the next room at school (daycare, whatever...it feels a little more like school now). Things in this room are much more structured. In the previous two rooms the schedules for eating, sleeping, etc, were very much parent/baby -led. In this room, they are much more scheduled. They all eat at the same time, sitting in their little chairs around little round tables (breakfast is 8:00-8:20, lunch is at 11:00, snacks are at 2:00 and 5:00). Nap is about 12:00-2:00. They have schedule story time (which, when I watch on camera, absolutely amazes me. How you can corral that many 1 year olds and get them to sit and pay attention is really beyond me). She sleeps on a mat now instead of a crib.
Mind you, this change took a bit of transition work...her old teachers started easing her into this schedule and into the new sleeping arrangement. Then, before she officially moved, she would spend a few hours a day in the new room to get used to it and the teachers. She has done really well with the transition. I just can't believe how big she's getting and how much more independent she seems to get every day! It's bittersweet, I guess. I'm really proud of everything she accomplishes, but a little wistful about my baby girl growing up!

Work has sort of been stressful lately. True to the economic times we're in, we have too few people and too much work. I will not complain too loudly, though, because I still have a job, good benefits, etc. Have traveled a bit recently which has been a little tough, but hopefully that's a fluke. Matt is still looking. He met with a recruiter last week and has revamped his resume. I have a good feeling that the next month will be a little better than the past couple in terms of getting some leads...and hopefully a job.

That's the update for now! I'll post some photos soon.

P.S. I'm sure I made my little angel sound perfect in the above post. Fear not, we do have our challenges...with her new independence that's developing also comes some pretty interesting behavior. Let's see: waiting until you're watching and then throwing food/cups on the floor. Pinching or hitting you when she wants your attention or you're trying to correct her. A lot of whining and crying the second she doesn't get her way. She is a baby, after all...:-)

I'm Walking!!

I have lots to post, but no time right now. For now, I'll just post this video...my dad wanted to see her walk. She looks pretty silly with her tongue sticking out...she did that before when she was teething, so I think she has more teeth on the way.

Holidays and general craziness...

The last month or so has been hectic, and full of changes in little Miss Marissa! First, We spend Thanksgiving down in Florida with my parents. It was a really nice trip...relaxing, and good to spend time with them. It was Marissa's first trip on an airplane, and she did great. I went ahead and bought her a seat, which I'm glad I did. We were able to put her in her carseat and she slept the whole time...both ways!! Woke up right before landing. Pretty great. Here's a picture.

So Marissa went through a phase where she refused to be fed the Stage 3 baby food anymore. During that phase, I decided to start trying more table foods. She is almost totally on table food (instead of jarred baby food) now. She loves feeding herself the little chunks. So her typical meals involve 2-3 of the following: chicken, cheese, avocado, sweet potato, carrot, pineapple, canteloupe, banana...you get the idea. I usually do a protein with either a fruit or veggie at each meal. I can't believe how big she's getting. So grown up.

She is now also doing what's called "cruising." She walks holding onto furniture. She will even move from one piece to another (say, from the coffee table to the couch) without any help. Leads me to believe walking may be soon...then watch out!! Not ready for that. She has stood for a few seconds on her own, without holding onto anything. Super crazy to see that.

The teeth have finally come, too. For the past couple weeks she's gone through the process of "cutting" them...so there are two on the bottom that are peeking through her gums. They are not fully "risen" yet, but they are definitely there.

Christmas was hectic and a little bit tiring, mainly because Marissa was sick. A little over a week before Christmas, Marissa had some goopy eyes so I took her to the doctor. Sure enough, she had an ear infection (the last time she had goopy eyes it was for the same reason) and was put on Amoxicillin. That was on a Tuesday, I think. That Saturday, Matt and I got home from being out and she was very hot...I took her temp, and it was 103. We gave her some motrin and I was up a few times that night comforting her but in general it seemed OK. I called the doc on Tuesday and we decided to check her out, since Christmas was on Thurs. Unfortunately, after having 7 does of the antibiotic, her little ears were still infected. So, we switched her to a stronger antibiotic but it was basically like starting over on the treatment. So, her illness dragged on and she was pretty miserable over the holidays. It was too bad, but what can you do? She was so much better a day or two after Christmas...now she's back to being her usual, playful, fun self! She's so fun. I, however, have gotten sick (this happened last time, too). I am really susceptible to getting sick after she's sick because I am pretty much the one who is closest to her when she's sick (she becomes quite the mommy's girl when she's ill) so I'm very exposed to all of the germs...AND, I don't get a lot of sleep when she's sick, so that lack of sleep also leaves me vulnerable. Of course now I think I have a raging sinus infection...because I rarely can just get a cold...it always turns into something more serious. If I don't feel better in the next day or two, I guess I'll have to go to the doctor for an antibiotic.

Growing up so fast...

Marissa's 9 month appointment was fine. She checked out healthy. She weighs almost 17 lbs and I can't remember her length but she'd grown about an inch since Sept. So, she is now 25th percentile in weight instead of 50th. She's small...can't imagine why. Have you seen her parents? :-) I asked Dr. Fleming about her lack of teeth and she wasn't one bit concerned. She said they usually come between 6 and 12 months on average. We'll see. I am not worried anymore. She has some, they are just hiding. Rumor has it, the longer they're in there the more healthy they'll be. I don't know if that's true or if it's something people say to parents whose kids are late on the teeth-sprouting.

Not going to write too much tonight, but she's doing some really cute stuff lately that I want to make sure I record. One, she has started clapping...it's so adorable. She claps and sings (I use the term singing loosely...it's just a more melodic version of her talking).

She's also started holding her own bottle. This is a major feat. She is self-feeding finger foods and starting to eat more textured foods...she still gets confused sometimes, but for the most part she's getting the hang of it.

Her hair is getting thicker and longer and is starting to grow over her ears and stuff. I don't necessarily know what to do with it...I can't push it behind her ears (it's not quite that long) yet it looks somewhat disheveled when it's just falling "as is." Hmm.

She is enjoying bath time a lot...get lots of giggles and smiles. Oh, and speaking of smiles...she has my dimple. Same side and everything. It's barely noticeable right now but I can see it (it perhaps gets a little lost in her monstrous cheeks).

I'm glad the holidays are upon us. I am crazy-busy at work (the busiest I've been by a longshot since I returned to GMAC Insurance over a year ago) which is good and bad. However, I have lots of time off to spend with my little one between now and the end of the year. I've got most of next week off for a visit to my parents' in FL. Then, I have taken every Friday off in December, in addition to extra days the week of Christmas and the week of NY. Should be great to spend that time with Marissa. I know I will get spoiled and January will be a bummer. Christmas should be really amusing this year, though.

Updates from Fall 2008!!

I'm pretty sure no one probably reads this anymore, since I can't even make it a once-per-month endeavor to update this thing. However, I will still keep posting when I have time so that I can have my online record of Marissa's first year (and beyond, possibly...).

I don't even know where to begin. I guess I can begin with Matt and my first overnight trip away from Marissa. My work was taking a trip to Vegas for the DMA (Direct Marketing Association's Annual Conference and Exhibition). In fact, my whole department got approval to go. We stayed at the Bellagio and it was great!! Matt HAD to tag along since we were going to his favorite place...which meant we had to leave Marissa. Now, I guess it's not exactly true to say that we'd never left Marissa before. We did leave her for a night over the summer so that Matt and I could take a trip to Athens to go out with Liza and Big T. This was entirely different, though. We left her Sat night - Weds with Grover and Candace. She seemed to do very well. I was worried, because the week prior to leaving her she started to have some major separation anxiety. I guess she got over it while I was gone because it looked like she had fun. Anyway, we had a good time in Vegas but I did miss her a ton. I was ready to get back. Not sure when I'll be ready again to leave her for that long.

She is still having separation anxiety, but it's OK. It won't last forever, and as one of my books says, it's kind of a sweet period because "never again will you be as perfect in your child's eyes as you are right now." So while it can seem heartbreaking at times (like when I leave her and she pouts and tears well up in her eyes), it's also sort of sweet.

Marissa is crawling now, and it's just so funny. It isn't exactly smooth yet, but she can get all over the place...and pretty quickly!

We've had a different football season than in years past...we have watched a lot of the UGA games with our friends the Forgiones (Marissa's Godparents). It works out pretty well and we've had a good time. I haven't made it to any games this year but it's ok with me. The Dawgs are sort of annoying me this year, anyway :-)

Marissa's first Halloween was pretty cute. At her daycare they had week-long events, where each day they asked us to dress the kids with a different theme. Monday was pajamas day, Tuesday was sports fan day, etc. They wore their costumes on Friday (which was Halloween). It was pretty cute.

Today we went to "Thankspigging," which is a big party that our friend Chip co hosts every year. It's a big pig roast with TVs, beer, and band, lots of food (seriously, they roast a pig...that makes a lot of BBQ). It's all free...they just ask for a donation for the Center for the Visually Impaired (one of the hosts has a son who has visual problems). It was fun and Marissa came with us and was great...she really loved hanging in the Baby Bjorn and singing along with the band. I'm not joking...when the music was playing she kicked her legs and sang in her own special way. I think she likes music a lot. It probably helps that I'm sort of crazy and sing to her a lot...and also dance with her a lot whenever music happens to be playing. She loves it!

This Fall has been so fun. I can't really describe how great it is to watch her grow up and discover things...learn things on her own. It's sort of bittersweet for me to watch her accomplish each milestone. On the one hand, it makes me very proud and it's very exciting to see her figure these things out on her own..but on the other hand, each milestone sort of marks a step towards independence...and I am beginning to see how fast it all will fly by. I honestly can't believe we've had her for 9 months. Where has the time gone?

I'm sort of tired of typing so I hope those highlights get you somewhat caught up. Next up: on Tuesday we have her 9 month checkup. Later this month we take our first flight with Marissa, down to Orlando to see my parents. Oh, and by the way...she still doesn't have any teeth. Not a one. So she's a little late in the teeth-sprouting department. She's been textbook on everything else :-)

Update

So, I'm a terrible blogger. It's just hard to make time to get my posts in, but I'll try to do better!!

Marissa is changing so much every day. I can't believe how quickly she's growing up. She is on the verge of crawling...today she spent a lot of time on her hands and knees trying to figure out how to get moving. It's so cute. She'll spend some time rocking back and forth, and then she'll roll over and lie flat on her back with her arms and legs spread out...like she needs a break so she's taking a breather to gather her strength for another attempt. So funny.

She's been sitting up on her own for a while now. She would occasionally fall backwards so I would have to prop a boppy or something behind her. But now, she's pretty stable and can just sit there and play and I don't have to worry about her falling. I do stay pretty nearby, however, just in case. Plus, she's rolling all over the room so I can't take my eyes off her since we haven't babyproofed the house yet.

Her personality is definitely becoming more defined and perceptible. She is definitely impatient. I think she gets that from me? Not sure. I think she's fairly laid back for the most part, which I think she gets from both of us.

A few weeks ago we had some people over for a UGA game...vs. South Carolina. It got pretty loud when everyone would cheer or groan, and every time, she would look at me, look at everyone, look back at me and her bottom lip would start to quiver. I'd have to immediately scoop her up because the tears would start flowing and she'd be in a full-on cry within seconds. She's not used to all the noise and she didn't know what to make of it. So cute, so funny.

Marissa is also a little ham. She knows exactly what the camera is for and she knows to look straight at it. I tried to get a picture of her crying one day (so 10 years from now I can remember how cute her pouty face is), but I couldn't get it because she would smile every time I pointed the camera at her. She'd have tears in her eyes and a pouty lip, but as soon as I brought the camera to my face she would smile.

She's becoming quite a little eater. She now has "solids" at 3 meals a day. Breakfast consists of oatmeal mixed with prunes (yes, she gets prunes every day and even then she gets clogged up sometimes) and formula. Lunch is a veggie and formula (usually some sort of sweet potato mixed with something else...corn, etc). Snack at 3:00ish is a bottle. And then dinner is some sort of veggie with a meat (for instance, tonight she had a jar of 'chicken and vegetable dinner' which is a jar of mush that has a couple different veggies, chicken, and rice I think). It's pretty gross, actually...no seasoning, either. Yes, I taste everything before I give it to her. The meat is pretty disgusting, but I guess she is Ok with it. So far, she gets really mad if I try to give her green beans. Everything else has been OK. Oh, I tried to give her straight chicken mush (not mixed with a veggie) and she threw a fit and practically choked (dramatic...). She also gets a bottle with dinner.

I've started letting her play with a sippy cup. She gets pretty confused by it. Usually because it put water in it...once the water hits her mouth she won't swallow...just lets it all run out of her mouth.

I am really having so much fun with her. Watching her concentrate so intently on things and try to figure everything out is so great. It's amazing how they process and learn. Oh yea...she's babbling a ton now. Her favorite thing to say is "da da da da da da" or "da." I'm working on the "ma ma ma" but nothing yet. One day she was pooping while I was giving her dinner and I started saying "poo poo poo poo" and she watched my mouth so closely and started going "puh puh" and I started getting nervous that her second word would be "poo poo" so I stopped. Matt, however, thought it was hilarious and noticed how she was really paying attention, so he tried to keep going with the lesson but I made him stop.

That's it for now, I think. I'll try to be better about posting. No promises, though!!

Baptism

We had Marissa's baptism in August. It was a small celebration, with just family and some close friends, and was held at Our Lady of the Assumption - the parish that I attended growing up. I actually celebrated my first communion and confirmation at that church (though it has definitely been remodeled since then).

We chose Amanda and Matt Forgione as her Godparents. They are great friends of ours, are Catholic (a requirement is that at least one of the Godparents is Catholic), and will definitely be around to see Marissa grow up and will be great role models for her.

The Forgiones kindly offered their home as the site for the after-Baptism brunch, which was very convenient and lovely.

In all, it was a nice time. Marissa looked so cute in her fancy baptismal gown and bonnet (which Amanda let us borrow...it was her daughter Caitlin's baptismal gown and worked perfectly). It was just gorgeous.

So now she's even more of an "angel." :-)