We have reach double digits 10 months

Today as I peeled back the 10 month sticker from the paper I began to get a little teary eyed. It caught me off guard since I am not the emotional type so it was short lived but none the less it happened. Only two more stickers (the ones that I have used in the onesies) until the first year is over, where did the time go, they say it goes by fast but no amount of warning can really prepare you for the speed of light the year as felt so far. Now not only is Annaka's first birthday coming up but the holidays as well. I know at the end of the next two months I'll wish I hadn't blinked.

As always our sweet little lady filled our month with more joy, laughter, frustration, exhaustion, concern and love than the month before. Our once tiny little infant is now not only crawling but walking with assistance. I can't believe it, I was not wishing for this day to come SO soon. I was fine with the fact that the only way she could get around was crawling and pulling herself up. Of course I couldn't be more proud of our smart daughter. I am sure I have said it often but watching someone grow is truely one of the most amazing gifts from God. Besides my husband, Annaka is the most wonderful earthly gift I could have ever been blessed with.

Our little world traveler was on the road again this month. We finally were able to visit the sunny land of California. It was so great to be able to see family and friends. Of course I think that they were all more excited to see Annaka understandably. :) We were there for a week and we stayed with Lydia my best friend from college. It was so great to be someplace that even though we had never been to was so warm and familiar. Lydia wrote a great post and posted some GREAT photos on her blog. http://syniahsmama.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-baby-in-our-home-smith-visit.html I was so glad she took so may pictures, I tend to slack on taking pictures when I know someone else is, then when I get home and have no pictures I am always upset with myself (hopefully my dear friend will send them all to me ;) One day I may learn. We were also able to see my dad's family, my dad goes out every year for his mother's birthday and this year we joined him. We also say my very dear friends Haiza and Christine and her family. All in all it was a fantastic trip.

While we were in California we also visited the world famous San Diego Zoo. Annaka did pretty good she lasted a whole 5 hours! She enjoyed seeing monkeys and birds. She did also enjoy watching the elephant relieve himself we did not photograph that event.

This month on the way home from California Annaka had A LOT to say and has not stopped talking since. She was very friendly with the people that we meet at the airport, mixed feelings about that one. She also had her 9 month visit and she is doing great! She got her last round of shots for a while, and is in the 50th percentile for height and weight. Her head is in the 75th percentile. Annaka is also getting her top 4 teeth, yes at once, poor baby and poor mommy and daddy a little bit. Like I said ealier she is walking with the assistance or whatever and whoever is around and mobile. She moves FAST!

The biggest event I think of the whole month is that she spent the first FULL night away from her mommy. It was a success and only a few tears were shed. I had a girls weekend with two of my best friends from high school Auntie Miss and Auntie Kris. It was nice to get away to know that she is fine with out me. :(  But it was also nice to see her smile when I got back. Sometimes I really go nuts being home all the time and I miss working but it does make a mommy feel all warm and fuzzy inside when their baby is so happy to see them!

Kyle and I are going to try and really soak up these last two months of Annaka's first year. Soak up all the baby goodness that we can get.

Happy 10 months Annaka! We love you and are so glad that you have many more wonderful milestones ahead of you. We plan to enjoy them all as we get to witness you grow into a beautiful little lady.

Your adoring fans,
Mom and Dad

Eight is better than GREAT!

What a month for our sweet little bug. I am starting to realize that the first year of life is to say the least busy. Annaka is learning and growing so much I can barley keep up. If only we grew a tenth as much as a baby in their first precious year we would all be a little bit better, I think.

I fall more and more in love with our little munchkin everyday. She is so sweet and so funny. Time does seem to be slipping by so fast. Some days I do wish she would grow up fast so I could sleep and have a schedule and some days I wish she was still that tiny little baby that would snuggle on my chest for all of her naps. I pray that I savor my time more and that I don't let it pass with out enjoying every moment. I don't want to look back at pictures and wonder where the time went, wonder how it went by so fast and wish to go back in time. Maybe every mom wishes that no matter how much she savors all those sweet little moments.

Well this month not only has Annaka been surrounded by boxes and packing tape but she is also becoming such a "big girl" or as some would call it mobile. Annaka got her bottom two sweet little teeth. I don't believe that they have completely come in but they have made an appearance.  I also learned that her favorite bath time toy is her comb. It is so funny when she lets go of it and a few seconds later searches franticly from side to side to see who has snatched it from her little grasp. The look of relief in her face once it has safely found it's way back to her hand and mouth is priceless. Annaka has also been saying "da-da", as well as lots of other babbling, is this to Kyle we are not quite sure, does she know what she is saying we don't really think so, but who knows. Our little love bug also enjoys waving hello to Blazer our cat or to nothing. Not only has Annaka finally mastered the task from rolling back to belly and belly to a sitting position this Wednesday she CRAWLED!!! I am not 100% sure but I believe that our lives as parents will never be the same.

As always Annaka is the greatest joy in our lives. Kyle and Annaka have play time in the morning while mommy catches a few zzzzz's that is nice. They also take a walk every afternoon when Kyle takes a work break. She is still enjoying all types of foods. Mainly fruits and veggies. We have given her cheese and eggs as well. I think that this month I will be brave enough to offer her meats. She is still nursing 5-6 times a day. Once or twice at night, I like the nights it is once. We are still at 3 naps a day sometimes only 2. I think that when she is sleeping better at night she will go down to two naps. We are all very excited for Annaka to get her own room! Kyle and I think this will help at night. She seems to be such a light sleeper that the slightest noise in our room and she wakes. We have yet to get rid of the pacifier. It's on our goal list.

So this is our bugs update. She is more fun, sweet, lovable, funny and full of personality everyday. We could not be more grateful for her in our lives.

A glance at my breastfeeding adventure

Most women who think about having babies, talk about having babies, are trying to have babies and never want babies know exactly, well maybe not exactly, what they will and will not do once they become a mother.  I had my fair share of things as well. So far many of them have come and gone, I have given some of them a try, some I never attempted and others I have stuck with, breastfeeding is one of them

Breastfeeding, I DO NOT enjoy it, some of you mom's out there are gasping at the thought. Sometimes I think that I may be the only mom in the world who is looking forward to the day that my little angle is weaned and I no longer feel that my only purpose in life is to me milked by my sweet little girl. Now it's not that I want her to get any older I still want to enjoy all her first and soak up all the baby time I can get but without the breastfeeding. Now is it possible that one day I will look back on these days and wish for them back, it's possible but feels unlikely most days. There may be something wrong with me, I'm okay with that.

I wanted to breastfeed for a few reasons: breast is best, it's FREE and all my mom friends said it was convenient, all positives for me. So like anything I did my research, talk to other mom's, took a class, found useful websites. I wanted to be successful at this and be prepared for what I was about to do. Of course you can never be completely prepared for anything that has to do with baby but I felt that I had all the knowledge I could find. Of course I had to make sure Kyle was full of all this knowledge too because I knew I would forget half of it because of my baby brain, which I have yet to get rid of. 

Now it started off like most things when you are a newly sleep deprived walking corpus wondering how in earth you are surviving off of and hour and a half of sleep, I mean parent. It had it's up and downs times I cried, yelled, swore at my poor infant daughter, wondering if my breast would ever look the same and begged my husband for formula. But like most things as a new parent after a couple weeks, and many calls to the wonderful Lactation Consultants at Wentworth Douglas Hospital, we all got the hang of it and mommy began to heal both physically and mentally and we were on the road to success, it was a long road with a few detours but non the less we were making progress. It's hard to move forward quickly when you are tired. 

Annaka is still exclusively breastfeed at 6 months and we are starting to introduce yummy veggies and fruits. I still don't get warm and fuzzy when she is nursing, I don't look down and wish for that moment to last forever and as amazing as it is, the fact that God made my body to nourish this little one, I still feel unattached to breastfeding. I feel that this is my job I am her mother and that is that. 

I have wondered if it is because Annaka and I get lots of time alone together, I am grateful for this, so It's not that in the midst of a busy day we are searching for time to connect. We still have plenty of opportunity to be close. We play together while she is awake during the day. For this I am so thankful for and love every minute of it, well maybe not EVERY minute. 

Maybe if/when we have more children when things are crazy and hectic I will cherish the time that I get to spend with a little one. Maybe it is now you go into it. While I was doing all of my research I looked at breastfeeding as a job that I mother does if she is able. I was able so it was my job and I like to do my jobs with excellence. For now I am thankful I can feed my daughter for free and give her lots of healthy antibodies. But I don't think that come a year I will be sad to say goodbye to breastfeeding. 

Stay tune 6 months from now I may be eating my own words. 

"What do you do all day?"

I always use to wonder what stay at home mothers did all day? I knew children where work but I still wondered what do they do all day long? Well now I know what stay at home moms do all day. So In case you have been wondering the same thing I thought that I would share with you what I do all day! Now I only have one little munchkin so I am not as busy as those with more than one. Annaka and I have pretty much the same routine everyday and here it is:

We are currently on a 3 hour schedule hoping to change to a 3 and a half hour schedule!!

8am Wake, nurse, diaper change, feed the pets breakfast

8:15-9:30 *Play Time ending in a diaper change

9:30-11am Nap for Annaka and Mommy if we had a bad night. If not time to shower and eat breakfast!

11am Wake, nurse, diaper change

11:15-12pm *Play Time ending in a diaper change

12-2 Laundry (Yes this is a daily task since I use cloth diapers.) Lunch, clean living space, put away laundry, give cat and dog attention

2pm Wake, nurse, diaper change

2-4pm *More play time or errands or we visit some friends and of course a diaper change

4-5pm Nap Again

5pm Wake, nurse, diaper change

5:30-6pm If it is nice out we take Gus for a walk, we wait till 5 so my little lady doesn't get sunburned.

6:00-7:00pm Quiet time, reading books, singing songs

7-8pm Night Time Routine which consist of a baby massage, bath time, another feeding and bed time stories and prayers.

8-9pm Dinner for mom, feed the pets, any last minute laundry, and praying that Annaka will fall asleep. :)

Annaka goes down for naps like a champ now something that less than a month ago I was struggling with. Now it's bed time that we must conquer. It takes me a while to get her down on a good night it takes an hour. :( Going to bed earlier hasn't helped I feel like I have tried everything!!! We will get there.

*Play for Annaka right now is reading books, puppets, licking things, rattles, singing, making faces at her tummy time and rolling over