So behind

Since I am so behind in blogging I decided to just put up a bunch of random pictures and tell you about them.

This is from Gigi's first birthday party. This picture cracks me up because this is how she felt about eating her cupcake and about wearing her birthday hat.

Gianna already has a big interest in shoes. The other night she found the brown boots pictured below in a box and had me put them on her. Later she had me put her shoes on over her footed pajamas

Gigi and I went to Washington for a couple of days to see my best friend Hannah and her family. I had never met Hannah's youngest daughter Noelle and Hannah had never met Gianna. It was great to be with them all but it was a hard trip because Gianna was sick. We ended up having to buy a plane ticket to come home early. Gianna has been sick for quite a while now with whooping cough. Tonight is actually the first time she has not woken up with a coughing spasm 2 hours after going to sleep. Knock on wood!!!







I am not sure what it is about the refrigerator but when I open the door Gianna moves as fast as she can to get in there and check things out.




About two months ago my co-worker gave me her bread maker. My mom and I decided to give it a try and here is what we made. It was super easy and very tasty.

Gianna has been walking for the past two weeks and loves her new found freedom. Although she can say dadda and mamma her first official word is dog pronouced "DA." She is really into dogs and birds. She is down to one nap a day and is just a ton of fun and surprises. I am amazed that I could love someone this much:)

Painful and Scary

Ever since I sprained my ankle 11 years ago I have been fearful of doing it again. Often times when I am on a walk I think of how painful it would be if I happened to fall of the sidewalk and roll my ankle. Thursday my fears became a reality but in a much worse senario than I could have imagined.

While at the park of thursday Gianna I and were stepping down from a play structure and my ankle gave way. I fell to the right and Gianna flew out of my arms on to her back. It all happened so fast that I did not even have a second to think. I quickly crawled over to Gianna and held her until she calmed down. I was in so much pain and I had no idea how I was going to get back to my car to get my cell phone. I screamed a couple of times hoping that someone would hear me but no one was in sight. I prayed and just asked God to help me. I finally got Gianna back onto her bike and then somehow mananged to push her and limp back to my car. Thankfully this park had just been redone with the new padding that is suppose to protect a child from a 6 foot fall. I had to stop a couple of times and put my head between my legs because I was getting close to blacking out. I finally got to my car and managed to get my phone. Things were spinning, I felt like I was going to puke and I was completely paniked. I called Mr. F who thankfully was on his way home from having lunch with a buddy. He called the Fire Department and I managed to crawl into my car and get some water. I guess when the pain is so intense your body just shuts down.

Thankfully Gianna's bike is the kind that keeps her locked in so she did not try and crawl away. I did everything I could to keep her calm. I was a wreck when Mr. F finally showed up and felt so awful about dropping Gigi and scaring her so badly. The fire fighters were great- they checked me out, wraped my ankle and got me some ice.

I did have xrays but I think everything is okay and it's just a sprain. So now we just have to figure out what we are going to do as I heal. Thankfully our bedroom is down stairs but Gigi's room is upstair along with our computer. Today I made the trek up the stairs with my crutches but I am not very stable. We really need a laptop. I am trying not to worry and to just take one day at a time. Thankfully we have a family to help us.

Here is a picture of my ankle - I really do not think it looks that bad.

Were still having fun!

Summer may be over for most people but nothing really changes in our lives when school starts back up. It has been so hot the past week and so we have been doing everything we can to stay cool. On Wednesday night we (Mr. F and I) took out Gigi's water table (a craigslist purchase) and let her have some fun. She was in a diaper but took a poop so we thought we would just let her play naki. She looked so cute I knew I needed to takes some pictures. I ran upstairs to grab the camera and during the 30 seconds I was gone she managed to take a large pooper on the towels. My F did not even see if happen. I guess she really just felt free to take care of her business in the open air.














Naki Buns

MMM... I wonder what this one tastes and feels like?

Gigi has learned how to give kisses and we love them!

We took our first trip to the beach yesterday and Grandma came along to play. G was kind of neutral about the whole experience and wanted to be held quite a bit. I will start taking her more often now that school is back in session and the beaches are not as crowded. She loved watching all the kids play and we had some fun playing together in the water. We went for hour and then back to Grandma's for a nap. I can't believe I live so close to such a beautiful place.

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