Day 274: Three Quarters

So I've been a horrible blogger/updater! I didn't even do an 8 month post! Rylee please forgive me :)

I don't know what I've posted that you've done and what I haven't, so I'll just talk about all the things you do that impacts my life everyday. First let's start with your statistics! You weigh 21lb13oz (92%ile), you are 27-1/4" tall (41%ile), and your head is 17" (33.5%ile) around! You are growing so much and getting so big! 

You can still wear 3-6 month dresses, but not much else in that size! You are in 6-9 month onesies, 9 month pants for the most part, if it's jeans then it's 12-18 months due to your cloth diapers, and 12 month PJs! You are sleeping great at night, usually 11 hours straight. I think you are trying to go down to 1 nap, but you can't quite make it yet, though you are getting closer. Your morning nap is fantastic, your afternoon nap is short and sometimes nonexistent, but that's OK. It makes bedtime that much easier. 

You are crawling around faster than ever, especially when you see the dog's water bowl. You are standing on everything and letting go more and more for longer periods of time- I suspect you'll be taking steps soon. That is something I'm not ready for. Chasing you around while crawling is one thing, but once you start walking and running, it'll be completely different! We are spending more and more time outside now that the heat is subsiding and you love it! You love playing fetch with the dogs, I let you throw the ball (with my help of course) and you love Tess catching it and bringing it back. 

This past month you had your first ear infection, which led to your first bout with diarrhea, which lead to your first diaper rash, that I'm now having problems getting rid of. You have been in disposables more this past month than since we switched to cloth diapers. I can't wait to be back in cloth exclusively, but we need to get you healed first.

You are on table foods exclusively and love feeding yourself. I'm having trouble adding variety to your meals, but you seem to be getting picky and only wanting fruits to eat. You love grilled cheese and mac n cheese though. You seem to be following in your daddy's footsteps. 

You are at such a fun age right now!! You are so happy and exploratory, except when I'm cooking- you hate that. I look forward to each and every day with you, and love watching you learn and figure out new things. You are the light of my life and hold my whole heart in those little hands of yours. I can't believe the holidays and your birthday are right around the corner. I have an idea of what I want to do for the party, but I keep going back and forth between 2 options and have a hard time deciding, but I can't wait to start planning! 

Love you bug!!

Day 241: A New Adventure

Well, I'm just horrible about blogging now! It's crazy how different a mobile baby can change the time in your life! Rylee is doing great! She will be 8 months on Saturday, so we'll do her official update then. This post is going to be mostly about me :)

On Monday, I became an Independent Scentsy Consultant. Scentsy is an AWESOME product! It is a smokeless, wickless, flameless candle! They are also lead free. This is great for all homes, especially those with kids. I love this product and am excited to sell it. They have 80 amazing scents and 80 beautiful warmers. They also have other products that come in their fabulous scents- Rylee loves the Scentsy buddy.

I can do individual orders, host in-home (mine or yours) parties, do basket parties (you take the scents with you to work and family and collect orders), or even Facebook parties. I set your party up on my website, you invite all your friends on Facebook, and they place their orders online. As the host for any of these parties, you get free Scentsy products and products at 50% off!

My website is http://leighanngriffiths.scentsy.us if you are interested in looking up anything, or you can contact me with any questions or to set up a party. My bedroom smells delicious today, since I got all my tester scents in :)

OK, business LeighAnn out!

Day 212: Seven Months

Little girl, I can't believe you are 7 months old! We are on the downhill slide to your first birthday, and I can't believe it! You are getting so big and are so inquisitive, I love just sitting and watching you figure things out. This morning, I weighed and measured you, so this is approximate: 20lb9oz and 28.5" long! Your weight gain has actually slowed down this month- just a little over a pound in a month! You've grown about 2 inches though! Holy cow! No wonder your onesies are getting a little tight in length, but are still fitting in the width department. You can still fit in 3-6 month onesies, unless you are wearing your nighttime diaper, I have started putting you in some 6-9 month onesies. Your dresses and rompers are still 6 months sized.

You are crawling and pulling up on anything and everything- even things that move, i.e. the ottoman with your glider, your jumperoo, etc. You love to get into things you shouldn't and every time I say no or uh-uh, you look over your shoulder at me like "who, me?" and then proceed to do whatever you were about to do. I'm going to be in trouble....

You love eating! You are eating 7oz bottles 4-5 times a day. You also have 3 meals a day- never more than 4oz at a time- usually 2-3oz. You've also started having bits of what we are eating, you love anything with a form of bread: homemade pizza, quesadillas, and French toast. You love chicken and turkey- well really you love everything!

For 4 nights after I had my wisdom teeth removed, you slept all night long! I was thrilled, apparently you were just appeasing me while I was in pain though. Your nighttime sleep has progressively gotten worse since those 4 nights, and you are getting more and more difficult to get back down when you wake at night. Not sure what's going on, but it's not my favorite. I've started reading a sleep book, and as soon as I finish it, I'm hoping to put some of the practices to work so that we can start putting you down awake and you can soothe yourself to sleep, and you sleep better at night. You wake up tired, and that's just not good for either of us.

All and all, your dad and I are loving this age! You are so happy and watching you learn new things and cheering you on!

Day 209: Blog Fail

Holy cow! It's been forever since I've updated. I don't even remember what the last thing I posted about was! Rylee is now crawling, pulling herself up on anything and everything, and now has a tooth! I can't believe she has grown up so much in the past month. There definitely is a lot less time to blog when you're chasing around an inquisitive baby. She has found and has a love for the dog's bowls, especially the water bowl. I didn't get to her fast enough one time and she had given herself a bath. I think I'll explain the rest of the past month through pictures- and there's a lot!.

Rylee in her red, white, and blue!

First 4th of July

She loved the fireworks! No fear here!!

Who knows what she's eating- the girl likes food!

Such a happy baby!

We've been having mini random photo shoots

So pretty!

Sitting up like a big girl!

"Hey mom look at me!"

Yeah, she's standing- but I think I positioned her

So proud

Rylee and daddy passed out

This is her favorite way to play with this toy

She can't reach all the toys sitting down

Apparently she's ready to drive

Big Smiles!

Her first time pulling up on something

I was crying at this point

A fave spot

Playing in the water bowl

Mom taking pictures allowed for her to give herself a clothed bath

Teasing Tess

Passed out! She never sleeps on her back

Giving daddy some love

She wanted to play outside

She loves her pups

Yeah, she's smiling at Dodger

Let's get dirty!

Wasn't a fan of the grass

Her fave spot to stand

I'm sure there's so much more, and I'm going to be a better blogger- but that's all I got for now!

Day 182: Six!!!

Miss Rylee Elise! Little girl, you are just growing and learning so much everyday! You were born exactly six months ago today. In the past month, you've travelled A LOT and seen A LOT! I know you won't remember it, but me and your daddy are happy we got to bring you to England to meet your family.  You are still very close to crawling, and if my phone is set a few feet in front of you, you can get to it within seconds by lunging yourself. If placed behind you, you can turn yourself around and get to it by the same methods. It's really funny to watch, because not much else elicits that reaction from you. I think I have an Apple baby on my hands :) 

You've pulled yourself to standing in your crib, so we've had to lower your crib mattress. You can stand up against something for a short amount of time, and even longer if you have something to hold onto. You can still wear 3-6 month clothes, though some don't fit lengthwise anymore. I bought you some 6-12 month shorts and jeans to fit over your cloth diaper bum :) 

You have 4 teeth budding to come through- and I couldn't be happier for that to happen. You aren't the happiest teether, but what baby is? I'm enjoying your toothless grin while I can :) 

You LOVE to eat! I've added a breakfast in addition to lunch and dinner, and you weren't too keen on it this morning, but we'll keep trying. So far you have loved just about everything we've given you, and you open your mouth wide while waiting for the next bite. 

You spend your days saying "a-da-da" over and over again. It's really cute, especially when you look at daddy and say it! The best part was you said it for the first time on Father's Day while we were stuck on an 8 hour plane ride. I think it turned that nightmare into a dream for us all. You now reach for me when you want me to pick you up and it melts my heart every time. You are starting to sleep a lot better! Some nights you only get up once, and other nights twice, but never much more. Your naps are also getting a WHOLE lot better, as in not only are you taking them, but they last at least an hour usually. 

You went swimming for the first time this past weekend, and though you hate the float toys I bought you, you love jumping on the steps and splashing. I think we'll take you to the splash pad here pretty soon!

You never fail to amaze me and I love watching you grow, it seems like you change daily. 

Day 176: Traveling and Teething

So we are back from England, and trying to get adjusted. I was very stressed going into this trip- as I didn't want to be "that" mom that everyone eyeballs while waiting to get on the plane hoping they aren't sitting next to us. Unfortunately, babies sensing stress is so on cue that I probably made it worse for myself, because Rylee was very unsettled the day before we left.

Some tips (I guess) for taking a long flight with a baby:

• if your baby has a hard time going down for naps or bedtime at home, chances are it will be twice as hard on a plane (especially if your baby loves "talking" and looking around at other people, aka nosy)
• get a seat for your baby- even if you plan on holding your baby the entire time- the extra space would have been nice
• bring your own car seat
• be prepared for overtired meltdowns- if not, you're setting yourself help for a disaster
• new toys to keep interest are key
• bring extras of everything- diapers, wipes, food, snacks, etc. you never know when you'll be delayed and need those extras
• let others help- if a flight attendant wants to hold your baby for a bit- let her! I specify her because I might be a bit uncomfortable if a man offered
• be prepared to try baby's food when coming home- other countries have different rules than America

I've learned a lot on this trip. I had read so much about baby's just sleeping through flights, because the sounds help them sleep. HA! Not my baby. I was mortified by her screaming on the plane; however, I've realized if your baby doesn't scream the ENTIRE or majority of the flight, you will be approached by several other travelers telling you how wonderful your baby is, and that makes it a lot better. The only time Rylee really slept on a flight was our flight from Atlanta to Tulsa, and that was because our flight was 3 hours delayed and she was completely exhausted! 

However, Rylee got to experience a whole other country and though she won't remember it, she's had the opportunity many other babies her age haven't. She has been to castles, and seen where the Queen lives, and got to see part of her heritage. I can't wait to bring her back when she's older (much, much older). 

She has learned to sit completely up on her own and to catch herself when she starts to fall, except when she goes straight back. She is SO close to crawling, if she could just get her arms going. She's really good at rocking on all fours, and lunging herself forward from being on all fours. She has 4 teeth coming through, and I'm so ready for those suckers to get here. It's been rough, and Rylee has been randomly waking up just screaming bloody murder. She has started to sleep on her side in her crib, and she slept on her back just about our entire trip, which is really odd for her.

I'm ready for all of us to be back on Oklahoma time, because jet lag is rough for oneself, but add a baby's jet lag and it's just plain miserable. I have to get Rylee back on the right time, before I can get myself, since I get up with her. She's close though, even though she tried to get up at 2:30am this morning, but I got her to sleep until 5:30, which is still hard but better than 2:30. 

I'm working on getting her back sleeping in her crib all night, and not bringing her into our bed, now that we are home. Last night went OK, she wasn't thrilled when I put her back in her crib at 1:30 this morning, but she slept there until she woke up this morning, and she's now napping in her crib. 

I need to post pictures, but I think I'm going to nap while Rylee is still down, so I can stay in sync with her.

Day 151: 5 Months!

Happy 5 months, Rylee!! I don't even know where to start, you are just getting so big! I think every morning when you wake up, you look like you've grown! You've learned so much in the past month, I'm surprised  you're not ruling the world yet! :)

Let's do the basics! According to our scale you are 17lb3oz! Holy cow! 2.5lb in a month!! You sure are growing. I tried to measure you using a Sharpie and paper towels but then I couldn't find a tape measure (ghetto, right?!) so I used the 11" paper towel to measure between the lines. I'm guessing you are around 25" now.

You are mostly wearing 3-6 month clothes now, though tonight I put you in a 0-3 month onesie and it fit well over your fluffy butt. You are eating foods and LOVING every bit of it (except pears and avocados). Your favorite seems to be carrots and sweet potatoes, so I have a freezer full of it. Please keep liking it :)

You went on your first road trip this past week. On the way to Louisiana, we broke the 8 hour drive into 2 parts, not knowing how you would do. Both days when we got within 30 minutes of where we were going you had had enough! Overall, you did very well. On the drive home, we did it all at once stopping every few hours to let you out for about 20 minutes. You slept a lot of the way home. You had a lot of sleep to catch up on since you didn't nap a lot while we were there.

You got to meet SO many of your family members! I loved every minute of it, you not so much. We've learned that if a man has a deeper voice than your daddy then you pucker at him, and well, most men have deeper voices than your daddy. However, those same men could have you smiling and laughing if they made their voices higher. You loved your Uncle Harland and Uncle Ralph when they did this!

You met your MawMaw, Nana, Aunt Amy, Aunt Zollie, Aunt Tene, Uncle Jeff, Uncle Danny, Shay, Falon, Cassidy, Dylan, and Eathan, Aunt Hoot, Aunt Linda Fay, Aunt Dot, Steve, Susie, Kenneth, Uncle Ralph, Uncle Harland, and Aunt Linda. No wonder you were overstimulated! They all loved you, even when you were screaming your head off. I also heard "you look like your mom when she was a baby" from just about every female that held you.

Next week, you'll be taking your first plane ride, and then you will be a world traveling baby. I'm scared to death of how you'll handle it, but we'll cross that bridge next week.

Things you've learned this month: sitting up (you were tripod-ing until today!), getting on all fours, rolling back to belly, holding yourself in the standing position when stood up by me or Daddy (this was learned today!), and I'm sure some other things that I'm forgetting. Oh, and you love to blow raspberries/spit! It's so funny, especially when we start doing it back and forth (yes, I'm an encourager)!

We've been watching Baby Signing Time at least 2-3 times a week and it's the only thing on TV you get excited when I turn it on. Your face lights up and you get the biggest smile. I've tried Baby Einstein and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but you could care less about that, but put BST on and you are focused. I've tried some of the other DVDs in the series, however nothing keeps your attention like the first DVD so we watch that one over and over and over and.... It's a good thing the songs are catchy :) I'm truly hoping this will help us communicate as you get older.

Here are some pics from today:

Our monthly picture with Turbo

You were so tired, but happy I wasn't making you nap

So sweet

I told you to show Turbo lovings, and you hit him in the face

Absolute love of my life

You can just turn and spin in that things for hours- you haven't figured out jumping just yet

Shoulder ride from dad

Meet Tess- your new pony

Look at her go- yes she has carrots all over her face

She was so excited and proud of herself

Sitting up like a big girl all by herself

Rylee, I'm loving watching you learn new things everyday. You never fail at making me laugh and smile AT LEAST once a day. I feel my heart swell just thinking about what you've brought into my life and I can't wait to watch you grow and learn more. You are becoming so big and wanting to be so independent (you get very frustrated on the floor right now, because you are trying so hard to crawl, but not understanding some aspects of it), so I've spent a lot of the past week just cuddling you in bed, because I know I won't have these moments much longer. I love you, bug!