Day 363: Christmas

So these next few posts will most likely be brief because well most of it went by in a blur and I'm finally getting my head screwed back on.

Christmas Eve we made cookies and set them out for Santa. We all got in our Christmas Eve pajamas and had a photo session in front of the tree!

Santa came and ate the cookie and left some pretty exciting presents! Paul and I had a blast setting her presents out, and have some pointers for next year- aka open everything and put it as together as possible. 

When Rylee got up the next morning, she went straight for her "Santa gift," her PBK My First Anywhere Chair. She also checked out the plate with this missing cookies and milk.  I will say that Santa was pretty successful for all of us! Rylee got her chair, a shopping cart, a xylophone, some books, snow boots, and in her stocking was 2 new sippy cups, a turtle night light, and 2 DVDs: Shawn the Sheep and Potty Time!

I got a Keurig and a griddle, two things I was very excited about! Who knew I would ever want kitchen appliances?! Paul got a robe and a new electric razor. 

After breakfast, we headed over to Paul's parents and that's where I got lost in playing and not taking pictures. We spent several hours there and Rylee got one of her favorite toys: a ball pit! Thanks Josh and Staci for introducing us to this great toy at Zoey's birthday party! Rylee played in that thing almost the entire time we were there! If it weren't for lunch, I doubt she would've gotten out. Rylee had a blast playing with her Aunt Suzie, who she must've missed over the past year! She was tentative around her Uncle Eric, but would warm up to him every now and then, and then be shy again. After this week, Paul and I have vowed it won't be a year before seeing them again! 

After lunch, we headed over to my parents, where we hoped Rylee would take a nap, but that didn't happen. Though we were lucky, she did great the entire day. After dinner, we opened presents there and Rylee got some more great things! And I got a Kindle, which I love! Rylee is a very lucky, very loved little girl. 

She slept great that night and has loved and had a blast with all of her toys since then. 

Day 354: Sign Language

When Rylee was 4 months old, we started doing sign language with her. Thanks to some great advice from moms on the Babysteals Facebook page, we bought the Baby Signing Time DVDs. It was a lot of money and I was worried if Rylee would even enjoy them at such a young age or how effective they would be. The first time I popped one of the DVDs in her eyes lit up and she just stared in amazement. I'm not sure if it was all of the babies on the screen or the music or the cartoons or all of it together. But I knew even if she didn't learn sign language that she would love the DVDs for any moments when I needed to sit her down real quick (or to avoid meltdowns on car trips!).

As I learned the signs, I started incorporating them into our everyday talking to Rylee, and Paul did the ones he picked up on. The main ones I wanted Rylee to learn was milk, more, and eat. Knowing those would be the most essential, though I did all of the ones I learned/knew.

At 7 months, she started signing milk and was thrilled when I responded by giving her a bottle, and so it began. She really tested it out that first week or so and was constantly signing milk, and seemed pleasantly surprised when I would always give her a bottle. After a few weeks though she seemed to be moving on to bigger and better things and didn't take the time to sign milk anymore. In that time she started waving bye bye and pulling up on everything and cruising. She definitely was back into physical learning mode.

Randomly about 2 months ago she started signing milk again. She was ready to use her communication skills again. In the last month or so, her signing skills have grown exponentially. I'm shocked, surprised, and thrilled all at the same time.

Towards the middle of November she started to sign more and learned to clap in the same week. I was so proud! In the last 2 weeks, she started to sign:  finished/all done (she says done when she does the sign), sign, ball, and hot. She uses the sign "sign" when she wants to watch her Baby Signing Time DVDs, which is always! HAHA! She is also working on the sign for outside, though it looks more like bye bye right now.

Today was the first time she signed "hot." She loves watching our front-loading washing machine, and today I was doing a load of diapers. I use a very hot setting to wash those and the glass door gets hot to the touch, so I told her it was hot and used the sign when I said it. She looked at the washer, then looked at me and signed hot and said "ha." She then touched the washer and did the same thing. About 10 minutes later, as I was putting lunch into the oven, without any prompting she walked up behind me and did it again. At the washer, I was doing it with her, but at the oven/stove, I didn't even say anything, she just knew. Then all night when anyone was near the stove, she would do it again, without any kind of prompting.

If I could afford it I would buy every parent a set of the Baby Signing Time collection. Rylee is communicating and learning so much right now, thanks to that. When the DVDs are on, I see her moving her fingers trying to make the signs she sees on the screen. She's actively learning and then applying it. I can honestly say it's the absolute best money I have spent on her, nothing beats communicating with your children.

Day 341: Smash Cake

I wanted to do Rylee's smash cake pictures at home before we put up our Christmas decorations inside. I'm trying my darnedest to keep Christmas and her birthday separate, so we did the pictures today! I took them because my fave photographer (Trisha with TG Photography) was all booked up- that's what I get for procrastinating- so they aren't the best, but they work. After a disastrous icing incident and a "quick" trip to Wal-Mart, the cake looked horrible, but Rylee stole the show!

Day 340: Growing Up

Rylee's taking a nap and the dishes are clean and I don't plan on doing laundry until later, so why not blog? I'm sure I should be doing something else, but I have no desire for that :)

My baby girl is going to be 1 year old in just 25 short days. How can that be?! Wasn't it just last week she was born and completely dependent on me? Wasn't it just yesterday she was learning to roll over? Wasn't it just this morning she was learning to crawl?! Now I have a walking, independent toddler.

She spends most of her days running around the living room stopping in short bursts to play and then back to toddling around. She chases Dodger when he lets her, but chasing Paul and I suffices too. Then, she squeals when we turn it around and start chasing her. We still cuddle every morning with an episode or two of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse- though the only parts she cares about are when they sing. Then it's off to the kitchen for breakfast and then playtime. I always have PBS on, but she never stops until Signing Time! comes on. She loves signing and Rachel, though she prefers Baby Signing Time- it's more interactive and cartoonish.

I still can't believe how fast we got to where we are. How has it already been a year? I know time seems to go faster every year, but this was insanely fast!! I feel like I barely turned around...

December 27th will be a bittersweet day, and I'm sure I will cry a little bit. I didn't cry when Rylee was born- I was too emotionally awestruck and in love, but on her birthday I'm sure the tears will come from just remembering all the good, bad, wonderful, and terrifying moments.

This was a pointless post but it's just what I was thinking.

Day 335: 1 month until 1 = 11 months old!

Baby Girl you are 11 months old today! You are walking all over the place and are such a toddler. You have 4 teeth now and are so happy. You are down to 1 nap a day. You started signing "more" and then the next day you were clapping up a storm. You love your Penny the Pig stuffed animal and, of course, Dodger is your absolute favorite. You love crawling into his bed with him and following him everywhere.

You are 29.5" and 23lb10oz (approx.)- BIG girl! You tried out some coconut milk mixed with formula today. You didn't seem to mind. Today we started replacing your mid-day bottle with a sippy. There wasn't a meltdown but you also feel asleep in the car instead of me rocking you, so it was different. I'm so ready to have you off of formula- it smells bad, messed with your stomach, and is expensive. I don't think you are anywhere close to being ready for cow's milk though, so we are going to stick with lactose-free (like your formula) Silk Coconut (or Almond) milk.

Your daddy and I love you more and more everyday! You make us laugh and smile all the time. You love talking on the phone and have perfected "hello" when the phone rings. You have full sentences but we have no idea what you're saying, but we're pretty sure you're going to be quite the chatterbox! You're louder than most other babies we know and it usually scares people at first and then they find it just as funny as we do.

I've started planning your birthday party to the extreme- I have a theme and the invitations addressed and ready to go. We are going to be doing your party in January to avoid all the holiday festivities. I'm pretty excited about your party, though I'm still looking for the pause button so that we don't even have to let you turn 1!

You are such a blessing in our lives and can never imagine you not in our lives- with just your presence you have created our family. Love you bug!

Day 309: Picture Post

Here are some of the pictures I promised!!