Outdoor adventure

Somebody kept kicking off the blanket

 

Guess what was under the blanket?  

her feet!

 So I had to put some pants on her

8 months!

This darling little bundle is 8 months old!

She's been rolling a lot now.  From point A to point B- if she wants something she just rolls to it.

She's been saying "Dada" for about a month now.  I can't wait to hear "mama"!  It's come soon, I know.

She stands pretty well while someone holds her hands.  Or behind her walker if someone sets her up.  But pretty soon she tries to bounce and ends up sitting down.

She's generally in a good mood unless she's tired or hungry.  At night time she gets really giggly out of sheer tiredness before breaking down and getting cranky.  It's so cute!

She (like every baby in history) loves to put things in her mouth.  Her feet, a freshly pulled clump of hair (mama's or Mookie's), toys, phones, pens, paper... you name it.

She gets easily distracted while nursing.  I can't watch netflix anymore... but it's nice to just concentrate on her.

She really tugs at the nursing cover.  I'm going to make a larger one when I can do something besides quilt on my machine :)

She's eating solids like a pro.  still hasn't mastered the "pincer" grip, but she'll grab food in her fist, bring it to her mouth, and drop it in her lap.  We have to put small bits of solids in her mouth for her to actually get anything.  No teeth yet, so it has to be a small enough chunk for her to gum and swallow.  Makes for interesting diapers.

She's not big on puree's anymore.  She has yogurt about every other day.  Mostly she just eats what we eat. 

She loves her feet.  She sticks them in her mouth and loves for them to be tickled and kissed.  One bath she actually tried very hard to get her knee in her mouth... it didn't work.

Speaking of baths- she's now sitting up in the tub!  Right now she's more interested in cups and bowls than her bath toys. 

We got a new carrier.  It works great!  I wasn't wearing it right and got a bit of a sore back, but no more swinging :)

Daughter on an adventure!

Don't you just hate fertile people?

I was asked that question recently.

Some friends of ours had graciously gifted us with a ton of baby stuff before Daughter was born.  Score!  They offered because they were done having kids.

Turns out God had other plans for them!  They just had an adorable daughter- their fifth child.  What a wonderful family God has blessed them with!  It gave us an excuse to go and see them to give back the baby stuff (plus a quilt).

So, I've been asked the question: Don't you just hate fertile people?

No.  I don't.  Yes, I used to feel sorry for myself (happy for them!) when a friend would announce her pregnancy.  Sadness is normal. 

Some people are blessed with fertility.  Good for them!  But we are blessed with embryo adoption.

I wouldn't have it any other way.  Just look at this cuteness!

 

EA is such a blessing.  Not many adoptive parents get an extra 9 months to bond with their child, don't have to worry about a birth mother changing her mind or not taking care of the baby while pregnant, or nurse their adoptive child.  Many mothers don't get to do that anyway!  But God saw fit to bless us with that ability :)

If I could change my life and make us fertile, I wouldn't.  Because 10 kids wouldn't even compare to the fulfillment we get out of God's divine plan.  Babies are a gift from Heaven.  We just needed to wait longer for ours :)

Spring in ND

Hairstyles

I can't really do much as far as hair styles go (I can't use me right hand) so Mat's going to have to learn... but my mom was here on Monday and did some pigtails :)

First pigtails!

Pebbles look

Pigtail remnants

I have hair clips that I put in sometimes... but I worry about her pulling them out and choking on them so I don't leave them in very long. 

Blessing smiles...

Almost every time Pastor blesses Daughter, she gets a huge grin.  It's so adorable!

"The Lord bless you and keep you in your Baptismal grace"

I think she knows.  :)

She fell asleep right at the end of church on my lap and then Mat took her to carry her down the stairs from the balcony.  She stayed asleep so I took a picture...

Shorty McShort

Our daughter is short.  We went in to get her measured on Tuesday and she was still 24.5".  Officially putting her at 0%.

I spoke with Dr Lucy over the phone and expressed some concern.  She said that if she wasn't growing in height by 9 months they'll recommend a geneticist.  Yikes! 

Grow baby grow!

Yesterday she was very fussy all day.  I had a lot of work to get done so it was especially stressful for mama.  I'm so grateful for my amazing husband who can come home from work and help my stress melt away :)

Anyway, so she was fussy yesterday.  Like, Fussy McFuss.

This morning when I put her in her bouncer I noticed that her feet were flatter than they had been.  Did her legs actually grow?!?  Is that why she was so fussy?  Could be mama's just going crazy after the stress of yesterday... but it's also possible that she grew!

Grandma rocking sick Daughter

Year old yeast

I haven't been baking any bread for the last... wow.  It's been a while.  At least a year since I made any yeast bread (the yeast is older than that... just hasn't been used in a year).  I decided to test my yeast, thinking that it would no longer be active. 

But...

Woah!  It was still active!

So then I had to make something... tried out a new pizza crust recipe and Mat loved it :)