Pumpkin fest!

     Ayla had her 6-month check up at the pediatrician's office yesterday. She now weighs 13 pounds and 15 ounces (almost double her birth weight! Only half a pound away) and is 24 1/2 inches long (she's grown 5 inches since her birth day). She's in the 25th percentile for both height and weight, but has shown consistent growth at every visit.

She loves watching the fish tank!

 

 

 

       Chris, Ayla and I went to the Wooden Shoe Pumpkin Fest in Woodburn after her appointment yesterday. It was weird to be back there when just 6 months ago, we were there on Ayla's birth day (I was in labor). We didn't do as much walking (no tulip fields and it was getting too dark/cold to do the corn maize), but got some good pictures!

Floppy hood

That's better!

Pirate ship and pirates

Pumpkin face

Dorky mama (with CC still strapped on my chest)

Dorky daddy

Pumpkins!

Chris setting up the "photo shoot"

Look at that face! Love that little baby!

"Hmmmm, what's this?"

"Hey, what's that?"

"Dad, prop me up!"

I'm not sure what this face is... maybe wet butt from the muddy grass?

"Whoa! That's a big pumpkin!"

"There's a reason that big pumpkin was sitting to my left before... whoa!"

"I'm okay!"

Yeah!

Socks came off when she was "walking" in the grass

"Whoa, dad!"

"Ewwww, gross!! Is that supposed to be horse hair?"

Teeter toter!

Inside a little play house

Inside the pumpkin wagon

So happy!

5 months!

     Ayla turned 5 months old on September 28th. Can you believe it? I can't. There are still times when I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a beautiful, happy little baby girl. It seems unreal and like a dream.

She sleeps like this pretty regularly :) We love these pj's from Uncle Justin and Aunt Kim!

"I need a pillow!"

     We've gone to a few Baby Boot Camp classes up in Washington Park and we love it! On Friday, we had class down in NW Portland and then went to Playdate PDX afterwards. I can't wait for Ayla to be big enough to toddle and run around that place, it's awesome! The class instructor's daughter (Evi, 19 months) showed us around. She loves the big (fast!) slides and the dance/game floor. I think I almost had more fun than she did.

Baby Boot Camp!

I was eating a cupcake and she could not keep her eyes off it. Look at her reaching for it!

    

     Cupcake and I went back to the zoo last Sunday for Member Days. It was the perfect day! It was overcast and we went around 3 in the afternoon, so there was hardly anyone there. It was great!

I love this cupcake jacket from Zoe! I figured CC could wear the animal print pants since we were heading to the zoo (I'm not usually an animal print fan, so don't anyone get any ideas!)

 
     On Sunday, September 18th, Chris and Ayla came to support me in my Race for the Cure! It was my third 5k in three months and we have one more planned for later this month (Run Like Hell through Terrapin Events). It's a Halloween themed run where people dress up in costumes. This year, the theme is zombies (last year was Alice in Wonderland), but you can dress however you want (costumes are optional). We're thinking of taking CC in the jogging stroller with us so she can wear her cupcake Halloween costume! I don't know if we'll dress up or not (hey, running is hard enough!).

Cupcake and Mama before the race. My best run time yet... 34:46!

 

 

Cupcake and Daddy!

     Chris and I have our 5-year anniversary coming up at the end of the month (October 28th)! It doesn't feel like it's been 5 years, which is better than feeling like it's been 10, haha!  It's also our 1-year wedding anniversary (again, October 28th. We picked the same date for a reason). And... it's going to be Ayla's 6-month birthday! Yep, she was born on our 6-month wedding anniversary. Guess 28 is a good number for us! We're thinking of going to Bend to stay in the Old St. Francis School hotel (it's a McMenamin's) for a few nights. Grandma Peggy is going to Cupcake sit for us and we're super grateful! It will be hard to be without our little baby for 2 nights, but we know she's in good hands.

Play dates!

All ready to go for a jog with mama!

  

    On Tuesday, CC and I joined Katie, Joe and Dawson at the zoo! None of us realized it was $4 Tuesday, so we were unprepared for the crowded parking lot and amount of people there. It actually wasn't that bad at all and the weather was overcast and cool (perfect zoo weather if you ask me!). I knew from my visit with Omi and Zoe a few months ago that I wanted to forgo the stroller, so I brought the wrap carrier Zoe passed on to us. Ayla was actually awake for this zoo visit and she enjoyed looking around, people-watching and chatting/spitting with Joe, Katie and Dawson.

Bed. Hog.

But seriously, you can't kick this out of bed or complain too much about how much space it takes up!

    On Wednesday, Cupcake and I went to our 2nd Baby Boot Camp class up in Washington Park (by the zoo). We went to our first class two weeks ago and enjoyed it! I love the location (until the rain comes) and the chance to socialize with other mamas and babies. Portland area mamas, if you're interested, let me know! Your first class is free! So far, I've done three 5ks this year. The first was the Mt Tabor Doggie Dash at the end of July (Chris ran with me). The second was Run Girl Run in Ridgefield, Washington on August 21st (just me) and the third was Race for the Cure this past Sunday (September 18th). My first two 5k times were 38:50 (yep, same time on both races!) and the third was 34:46! I can't believe I was 4 minutes faster. I ran the first whole mile though (an accomplishment in itself for me) and all the pink and "Running for..." messages kept me going. I was behind one person who had a note on their back that said "Running for... Me! Mom! Grandma!" It was really great to see so much support and a lot of breast cancer survivors. I even saw one or two moms with double jogging strollers (saw a few single jogging strollers, too. Those are hard enough, but a double? That's strength!)

     Wednesday afternoon we had a visit with Grandpa Alsman! CC got a new toy (which she promptly attempted to drool all over) and some good grandpa time. I forgot to take a picture :(  Next time, next time...

"Grandpa's coming over?!"

"Is he here yet? Is he here yet? Is he here yet??"

     Wednesday late afternoon, we went out to Omi and Icen's (they came to our place last week for a play date, see pictures below). We watched the new show Up All Night with Christina Applegate and Will Arnett. Pretty funny and totally relate-able. Can't wait until next week!

Ayla (4 1/2 months) and Icen (7 1/2 months)

They had a gaggle of toys, but they're like dogs. They want what the other one has!

Omi was reading him a book and he was showing off for Ayla

Little baldies!

      On Thursday, we had a quick pediatrician appointment for her second dTap vaccine. Ayla didn't... even... flinch! It was amazing! The only difference this time was that I was the one standing next to the table and holding her hands (it's usually Chris). But each visit, her reaction to a shot decreases. The first time was definitely the worst since it was the first time and she got two in a row. The second visit, she cried for about 15-20 seconds. The third visit, about 10 seconds and then this time... nothing. Yeah! Her weight at the appointment was 12 pounds 10 ounces (up from 11 pounds 12 ounces a month earlier).That night, we were hoping to meet up with Chris' dad for dinner. Those plans didn't work out, so our backup plan was to have a movie night with Will and Caroline. They came over to our new place (thanks for the snacks, Will!) and we watched Thor. CC wasn't quite ready for bed, so Chris and I each took a turn holding her before I finally got her to sleep towards the end of the movie. 

     CC is almost able to roll over from her back to her tummy! She's rolled a few times from her tummy to her back, but it's been about a week or so since she's tried again (at least I haven't seen her trying to roll at all).

     She got a new toy from Uncle Justin and Aunt Kim last week when they watched her on Bunco night. She loves the flashing lights and sounds! It was my first "baby-free" Bunco night in a whole year (counting my pregnancy), so I celebrated by meeting up with Omi and getting a drink. Bunco was a baby-free zone this time (by chance, not vote), so there was a little bit of alcohol. We were all pretty loud and silly and had a ton of fun!

4 months... officially?

     August 28th.... Cupcake is "officially" 4 months old? I've been counting the actual weeks, so by my count, she's 17 1/2 weeks (almost 4 1/2 months). The pediatrician's office goes by the date (28th), so I guess I have to switch over now. I know it doesn't make a  huge difference, but it feels weird to only be back at month 4.

Nom, nom, nom! Part of her awesome cupcake toy!

     I haven't been keeping up with CC's blog and feel kind of bad about it, but I know everyone who reads this has survived :)  I'm trying to remember everything that's happened in the last few weeks. I know her hair is getting a little longer, not by sight but by feel. When I kiss her little fuzzy head, I can feel a slight difference. She just recently started trying to blow raspberries and Chris and I were both surprised when she started. It's pretty funny to watch her drooly lips and tongue try to make noises. Oh, and she's started to get LOUD. Not by screaming or crying, but by YELLING. I think she finds the sound interesting and will blab away from time to time.

Play time is tiring!

Seriously, it's tough! Good thing this dog toy is here to cushion my head!

Getting ready to go up to my crib for a proper nap (aka stretching out to sleep like a starfish, just like mama)

     She had a pediatrician appointment a couple weeks ago for another round of Hib and Pc. The thought of her getting the shots before we even got to the clinic didn't make me tear up and I didn't even spring a leak when she cried a little after the two shots. She cried for a few seconds and then was over it. Yay! We're both growing up :) She weighed 11 lbs 12 oz and her length was 23 inches.

     Chris brought the Exer-saucer in for Cupcake to use. She likes it for a few minutes at time, usually when I'm in the kitchen doing stuff. 

     Chris, Ayla and Grandma Leniger took a day trip to the cabin in Tillamook to finish painting. It was warm enough to take a trip down to the river!

 

3 1/2 months

     Cupcake's had a lot of social time lately! Bunco, Katie and Dawson about a week or so ago, down to Corvallis to see Uncle Carl, Grandpa Leniger (while Chris and I did our 5k), Grandma Leniger.

Gotta have cupcakes in Cupcake's room!

      She's starting to wear less and less of her newborn clothes (yes, she still fits in some of them!) and more of the 0-3 months and 3 month outfits (they're a little baggy on her). I think I'll have to officially pack away her newborn outfits in a week or two, though.

Randomly found her pinkie during a nap one day

     Since we're living in a town home now (upstairs/downstairs), Chris and I decided to get a baby monitor. My thought was so that if we were on the opposite level of where she was taking a nap, we could hear her if she started to wake up (instead of waiting until she got to full blown crying mode. I try to prevent that when at all possible. It's unnecessary, upsets her and makes me sad). Chris' idea for the monitor was so that she could start sleeping in her own room at night. I didn't know this until the first night we had the monitor and he asked if she was going to sleep in her room. You can imagine my response. I was shocked, first of all. And then I got really sad and did NOT want to put her in her crib before I went to bed. I know she has to sleep in her own room eventually, but it was kind of sudden and unexpected in my mind. Plus, she's either been with me, in bed with us, or right next to our bed for basically a year (during the pregnancy and her 3 1/2 months up to this point). I'm not going to lie, I cried a little bit while I held her in her room. She slept fine and we heard her when she woke up about 6:30 to nurse. It felt really weird though to hear her on the monitor and not right next to our bed. It felt really unnatural. Despite that, she's been in her room the last 3 nights and last night we were even able to close both our bedroom doors (otherwise Java gets in our bed and I didn't want him finding him way into her crib. He's pretty oblivious to her and I didn't want him sleeping on top of her or waking her up). I guess it just makes me realize that she is going to keep growing and become more independent eventually and not be completely just mine. For so long, everything I did was done with her in mind. What I ate, what I drank, how I slept, how much exercise I did. It's hard having her in the "outside world" where I can't be with her all the time.

Oohhhh yeah! She loves her nap times. Total relaxation.

     On a happier note, she's been sleeping pretty consistently through the night (I know, I know, some of you hate me for that). She used to be up from about 10 or so until 2 in the morning, but lately she's been going to bed about 11:30 or 12 and waking up around 6:30. There have been a few times when she'd done that before (sleep for long stretches at night), but only one or two nights in a row before throwing it all out the window. As soon as I noticed that she'd slept well for two nights, she'd be up 1-3 times the next night. Luckily, she's really good about nursing in bed with me and falling right back asleep, so really, even when she does wake up, I can't complain. I told you she's made everything really easy. 

    We took her to her first concert on Wednesday evening! We got free tickets to Big Bad VooDoo Daddy with our gym membership. It was a great night for it, too! The weather was great and we got there early enough to get a nice shaded seat on the lawn. She fell asleep right before the band started to play and slept through about 4 or 5 songs (man, all the things she's slept through... part of this concert, Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in the theater, dog park trips, Bunco nights with some noisy girls :) .....) Funny thing is, as soon as she passed out and the music started, Chris and I whipped out the nail clippers and file and gave her a manicure. I'm sure the other people/families around us were either wondering what the hell we were doing or knew exactly why we doing it. It's so much easier to trim those baby claws down when she's asleep! No fuss, no arm flailing, perfect! When she woke up, I walked around with her for a bit. We got to see the elephants (which was awesome, because they were no where to be seen when we went to the zoo a few weeks ago with Omi and Icen and Zoe and her gaggle of kids).

Chris rocking the carrier Zoe gave us. She's in backwards so she can see.

We put  her pink "track suit" on and I believe this is what caused her immediate delivery into sleepland. We couldn't stop laughing at her, the outfit was way too cute (and unplanned. We keep a jacket and a random pair of pants in her diaper bag. They both just happened to be bright pink this day)

     Speaking of Zoe, she did a mini photo session for us! While she took pictures, I played with Lotus (7-months! It's so funny how just a few months in the first year makes a huge difference) and Simon (4 years, I think)

Happy baby!

Head lifter extraordinaire!

"Clutchy" hands and curled toes

Definitely one of my favorites!

Behind on posting...Baby is 13 weeks!

     Gah, I totally missed posting last week. I've been busy with working full-time and dealing with moving to a different apartment (and who are we kidding? I spend hours just looking at CC).

     We had a pediatrician appointment last week (or the week before... everything is blurred together at this point) for just one vaccination (the DTap). I was sick to my stomach just *thinking* about going back because our first experience with the vaccines was like getting hit by a bus (in case you hadn't heard, CC and I both cried. It felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest). When we got into the exam room this time, I grabbed some tissues, knowing the tears would flow (I would get teary eyed just thinking about Cupcake crying from the pokes). I didn't ask the nurse if either Chris or I could hold her this time (I knew if I opened my mouth, I would burst into tears). I took my position near her head, Chris stood next to baby and... POKE! She cried a "normal" cry for about 10-15 seconds and then she was totally over it! That little butt had me all nervous and upset and she ended up forgetting about it faster than I did. Sheesh!

     We have just about everything finally moved in to our new townhome. Chris and friends (Megan, Zach) and family (Carl and Peggy) did a big move on Saturday, with grandma watching Ayla and the dogs at the new place while everyone did the moving (I was at work for 10 hours... yay). He and I have been making small trips over to the "old place" over the last few days, making small trips and using the washer/dryer (our new place has hookups, but we don't have machines just yet). We're hoping tonight will be the last night we have to go over. Between the two of us, we should be able to get the cleaning done and the storage unit emptied.

     Cupcake and I went over to Zoe's on Tuesday for a photo shoot! I have one photo right now and will get the rest next week at Bunco. I can't wait! We also need to get an appointment at the photo studio in Hillsboro. Hopefully we can get that in the next few weeks.



Cupcake is 3-months old!

     Last week, Omi (and Icen), Zoe (and Lotus, Simon, Xander and Isaac) and I (and CC) all went to the zoo! I'm not sure what I was thinking, going on a weekday in the summer... the parking lot was packed! And that was the day I had stayed up until about 4am baking (and trying out the new "cupcake bites/pops/balls"--see picture below), then got up around 8:30 to do a volunteer thing at work. Funny thing about the zoo... I had never gone with a stroller before, but as soon as I got there, I knew it was a terrible idea. There were just so many people and it was kind of irritating to maneuver it around. Zoe had the right idea and had Lotus in a wrap carrier. I was going to do that initially, but then had to bring Omi her birthday cupcakes (and cupcake bites), that it was just easier to throw it all in the stroller. Omi got home pictures on her camera and I'll have to post them once she sends me a few.

Cupcake bites. First time I tried making them and Omi loved them!

Chocolate cupcakes with meringue buttercream frosting. Look like roses! Happy birthday, Omi!