Ode to Baby Movies

Dear Baby Movies,

Thank you for rescuing me when I have no where else to turn. Thank you for being there when Gianna is about to have a melt down. Thank you for distracting Gigi so I can feed her oatmeal and pears in the morning. Thank you for teaching my daughter sign language and for participating in her brain development. Thank you for not yelling at me when I show you twice a day because sometimes I just need a little bit more than 30 minutes of help. Thank you Einstein and Praise baby for keeping me going when I feel like I don't know what to do.

Without you my life would be a lot more stressful and hectic!

Your Friend,

Momma Feliccia

The Big Mystery!

I am convinced that one of the greatest mysteries of being a mom is figuring out your child's sleep schedule. It seems the minute you think you are on a schedule things change. For example here is what the past couple days were like for Gianna:



Sunday:
Awake: 5:45
Nap: 8:15
Awake: 10:00
Nap: 2:20
Awake: 4:20
Bed: 7:30

Monday:
Awake: 6:45
Nap: 10:00
Awake: 11:30
Down: 3:00
Awake: 4:00
Bed: 7:00

Tuesday:
Awake: 6:45
Nap: 12:15 - no signs of being tired before 12 - I tried at 9:45 but she could not fall asleep
Awake 2:15
Bed: 5:45

Today:
Awake: 5:45
Nap: 9:00
Awake: 10:30
Nap 2:00
Currently Sleeping - hence the reason I am writing this blog:)

I know so many factors play into a babies sleep patterns and there are tons of sleep theories like:

• moving to one nap
• teething
• overtired
• over stimulated
• sick
• bored etc...

Even though the lack of control drives me crazy I have chosen to just go with the flow and not spend too much time stressing over the subject. After all I really am at her mercy and I can't complain about a baby who sleeps such long hours at night.

I tend to write about the smaller details of my life because I love reading these types of things about others. Her are a few of them: Gianna is officially only eating table food. She does not want me to spoon feed her and waves her hands in front of her face when I try. Today I have started introducing vitamin D milk by putting a small amount in her bottle with her formula.

I really love being a mom and at times I feel like I can't wait to have a second baby but then I go hang out with someone who has two kids and I think to myself what am I thinking. It's a challenge being a working mom of one let alone two!

Lastly, Mr. F and I went on a date Monday night. Our dear friends Jeff and Mickey took care of G for a couple of hours so we could go out. We had the best time together and we were both reminded of how much we enjoy each other's company. It's so easy to forget how much you enjoy your spouse when you get caught up in the monotony of daily life and raising a child. We are going to make date night more of a priority as we are both convinced that the strength of our marriage will greatly affect the emotional health of our children.

August 2009

Last week I got to meet my new nephew Cash Jackson~ Mr. F's sister Christina and husband came for a visit to sunny San Diego. It was a crazy and wonderful week of family dinners, outings and parties. It was very hard seeing them leave, knowing that Cash will be so different the next time I see him. I am very spoiled because all my neices and nephews are right here in San Diego but now that Cash has arrived it is so hard to have him so far away in WY.

11 weeks old - what a sweetie

We attempted to take some pictures of all the grandchilren but as you can see we did not have much success. Giulianna gave Cash a couple good squeezes on the check and a little poke in the eye. It was funny being the photographer and trying to figure out how to make Gianna smile and still get the picture. These will be fun to show them one day.

We also tried to take them outside. Once again not much success!

We are about a month away from Gianna's first birthday. It is amazing how time flies by so quickly. To think that almost a year ago Gianna was born. I looked back at the pictures of her right after she was born and she honestly is so blue/pale white colored. She didn't really even look alive! Thank God for excellent doctors and medical care.

Here is a picture of her in the hospital on day two of her life. Thankfully she was much better looking on this day than when she was born.

And now look at my almost one year old baby. She is crawling at lightening speed, she pulls up on everything she can and stands without any support for 30 seconds to a minute. I am afraid walking may be coming very soon. I am not encouraging or rushing this next adventure.


As you can see she loves to eat and will take a bit of anything she can get her hands on.

Today her good friend Ella came over for a little play time. Gianna was sporting her PJ top and diaper.

One of my favorite things about being a mom is seeing the special relationship between Gianna and her daddy. Since he takes care of her on Mondays and Tuesdays they have a very tight bond. He can make her laugh more than anyone else and she loves him dearly. He is 100% involved in our parenting adventure. No task is too big or little for him to do in regards to caring for our daughter. I am forever thankful that God gave me him as a partner.

Gianna is on a crazy new sleep schedule where she goes to bed at 6:30 and wakes up around 7:30 or 8:00 am. Then she takes a nap about 3.5 hours later and then she is up until her bed time. I think she is just a sleeper kind of kid and likes to get in the long hours. I have also found with her that sometimes I need to put on a movie to get her to eat a good meal. I know this is not the best technique and I never claimed to be the best mom but for now it helps.

I am trying to use as much sign language as I can so we will be able to communicate before she can talk. I saw my sister do this and I know how valuable it is.

In the middle of september my hubby goes back to graveyard shift. I am dreading this change but I know after about 2 weeks I will adjust. So plan on seeing a lot more blogging come September since I will have all my evenings free.

Thanks for reading - I am off to bed! Jewels