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

I need some tips

Hey Blog Friends,

I have two things I really need your advice about:

1. Can you tell me some healthy infant finger foods you serve your kids? Gianna is 10 months and really wants to feed herself but I need some ideas of what to give her. So far she is eating, sliced turkey, cheddar cheese, eggs, bread, salmon, hamburger meat, cheerios, banana and cantaloupe.

2. I am on the war path to get rid of this baby weight so does anyone have any tips for low calorie snacks and foods they eat. My friend Annie introduced me to Vitatops and they are great! Tastes like you are having a treat but they are only 100 calories and full of good vitamins.

All comments are appreciated from all bloggers or blog readers:)

Thanks a million!

Jewels

Hometown Update

Diane Davis bought this outfit for Gianna (along with a ton of other clothes) and gigi wore it to celebrate her first fourth of July. I did not manage to get a smiling picture but I thought at least this would show off her cute skirt and top.

Happy Fourth of July ~9.5 months old~


'

Gianna is changing so much everyday. Here is a list of some of the new things from the past month:

• First two teeth came in
• Started crawling and pulling herself up
• Saying Mama
• Figured out she loves eating salmon and tuna
• Started laughing at random times
• Loves swimming which we do almost daily
• Throwing all her binky's out of her crib
• Had her first major fall and a bruise on her forehead and cheek
  

It has been really fun experiencing all of these new things with her. Were having a beautiful summer here in San Diego. Working and being a mom has become especially challenging because although my business is thriving its very hard to keep up with the demands of my clients and taking care of Gianna. We are leaving Gianna with her Nana and Nonna overnight for the first time this weekend. It's hard for me to leave her but I know it's healthy for our marriage. She will love being with her Nana and Nonno. We are working our tails off trying to keep up with the expenses of living in CA and the shift in the economy. We are both picking up extra work whenever we can.

Off to work!

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

Yesterday my friend Brianna came over for a couple of hours to visit. She is originally from Minnesota but has been in San Diego for 2 years doing an internship in youth ministry. During that time we have developed a very special friendship. Brianna is someone that I can safely share my heart with and I know she will not sit and try to give me tons of advice or think of how to fix me. She listens with her heart and sits with me in my struggles. She is the kind of friend that makes you a better person. She lives with her heart on her sleeve and pursues her relationship with God without holding back. She has invited God into some of the most intimate parts of her life and he has healed and changed her. On Wednesday she is heading back to Minnesota to go to school and pursue her dreams. I will miss her dearly - friends like her are hard to find.

These Lips are Sealed

Last week I decided I was tired of spending money on store bought baby food and that I was going to make my own. I really got into it and I made carrots, squash, zucchini, green beans, apples and chicken. Here is a picture of some of food containers I have in my freezer. I was really feeling good about saving money and making Gianna such healthy baby food. Look below and you will see how Gianna felt about my baby food.

I tried to take my carrots and mix them with her favorite Gerber pears but even that would not disguise the taste! Yes, folks she hates my baby food. I thought maybe it was the texture but after pureeing it to oblivion she still sealed her lips! I later heard from another friend she had the same experience. I was so frustrated that I took some the baby food and cooked it into my enchiladas I was making for dinner so at least they went to good use. As you can see from the picture I made quite a few failed attempts to the get the food into her mouth.

Mr. F has gone back to day shift so my blogging hours are very limited. Gianna is doing a lot of rocking on all fours and is very frustrated that she cannot crawl. She is still all gums and will be 9 months on the 16th of June. She is saying Da da da da quite often and screams with excitment. She is still not much of a laugher but she loves to smile and wave her arms up and down. We are having a blast with her.



~I love this Hurley Girl outfit ~