Ready for Summer!!

We've had a pretty chilly spring so far. I mean, we've had a couple of nice weekends here and there, and I think it's warming up, but last spring it was in the 70s and 80s all April! That's unpredictable Michigan weather for ya.

I'm hoping we have a hot summer! At least hot enough to spend a lot of time at the beach. I ordered Lyla a new swimsuit.. we tried it on her yesterday!

I moved a toy to take a picture.. bad idea!

But all is well again!

We got this swimsuit at the Gap!

We can't wait for summer and fun days in the sun!

8 Month Update!

Yesterday, our little Lyla Bee turned 8 months old! Where does the time go?



A bit about our 8 monther:

Between 7 and 8 months, Lyla has learned to clap her hands. She can occasionally do "So Big!" or wave, but usually when we do these things, she just ends up clapping her hands, too. Often she just does "So Big" on her own. Maybe she just likes having her arms over her head haha.

Our quiet baby has finally started babbling! Lots of "Goo-Gee's" and "goo goo goo's"... "Mm Baa's" and "Mm Wow's" if that counts.

Our 8 month old likes to scream! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVT6-ZbfJZo

Her stranger-anxiety seems to be easing up a LOT. She only cries when she sees a few people that she doesn't like, but she is slow to smile with some strangers. Everyone comments on how curious she is, and how she just loves to stare quietly and take in her surroundings. Some of said that she seems to be a very 'serious' baby, but I think she is just studious! She is really laid-back as well, and that has a lot to do with her quietness, too!

Our 7 month old didn't really mind if a toy was taken away from her, but our 8 month old does and can let a loud and very angry cry and get very red in the face if we take away something that she wants.

She has had NO eczema flare ups, although we continue to use the eczema lotion twice a day.

She has been introduced to formula in the past month, and she doesn't seem to mind it, except in her cereal. That is YUCK!

No crawling yet, but she is JUST starting to be able to hold herself up on all fours briefly! So maybe this next month!

She loves holding something over her face and pulling it off to see us! Peekaboo Lyla!!

She knows that something that is out of sight is actually still there, and cranes her neck to find something that has been moved out of view. It is so cute!

And our 8 month old has finally been able to experience the great outdoors! This is going to be a great month!

Yesterday we went to visit Gma and Gpa and Lyla's favorite kitties! Erik and my dad are building an arch for our backyard wedding, which is what Lyla is 'climbing' on in the pics!


Koala baby!
Lyla and Meeko

Easter

We had a marvelous Easter! We didn't really have any plans but had a great day!

It was about 60 out so we went out for some fresh air and had a blast at the park!

Lyla with her Daddy after going down the slide together!

Me with Lyla

Lyla loving the swing action!

After our walk, we came inside and Lyla got to play with her new toys in her first ever Easter basket! We just put it together with a couple of things for her, nothing crazy!

And she goes straight for the book, a little bookworm just like mama!

Flip, Flap, Fly!

Easter egg decoration!

Lyla is 8 months old today! I'll be posting an update tomorrow!

Nursery Tour

I mentioned this on my other blog, but I'm in the process of renovating Lyla's room. It's got a lot of stuff in it but the problem is the walls. They are very high and wide. So any decoration I put up looks wimpy on giant walls.

Here's the newest addition to Lyla's room... my old bookshelf from when I was little!

Decorated with some stuffed animals, a frame from our engagement session (taken in October), and a necklace stand that Erik made. Actually, he made most of the necklaces on the tree, too. They're mostly mine, but Lyla has a couple of bracelets on there. I'm hoping Erik can make another one for me, too! =)

The two chairs in Lyla's room. The first is big and takes up a lot of space.. and it's kind of ugly and must be moved, but it is extremely comfy for breastfeeding, which is why we've kept it around. My grandma didn't want it anymore so she unloaded it on us. Funny how when you get a new place people think they can just give you their old crap that they don't want and you'll just take it because you've got nothing else! (oh wait, that's kind of true) Anyway. This rocking chair was a gift from one of my mom's co-workers and I love it! I've spent many a night rocking Lyla to sleep in this chair. The quilt on the chair was made by my mom! She is such a talented lady!

In this corner we have a dresser.. very old. It was mine and before that, it was my dad's! The koala lamp was painted for me by my mom before I was born, and I've had it ever since. Erik thinks it looks evil, and we always joke that if toys really came to life like in Toy Story, the koala would be the evil overlord of the room.

Crib. Look at all that wall space! I'm looking at wall decals on Etsy to take over that space!

Changing table. Again. Lots of empty wall. And the cuteness of Lyla in one of my favorite of her outfits!

Things I Love Thursday!

I decided to join in on the "Things I Love Thursdays" party hosted at Day Filled With Love. Check it out! By the way, I'm in the process of moving my blog here from My Weebly Site so you can check that out as well. I follow a lot blogs using blogger so I am thinking this site may be convenient, though I love weebly's user friendly blog site!

Today ... well. I obviously love my little peanut. Here she is: (awww)

I love reading! Erik doesn't really, but we started reading 'The Five Love Languages" together. I love being able to find new ways for us to spend our time together... My language is "Quality Time" and my secondary language is "Physical Touch."

I love my friends. Two of my bestests have been volunteering at an orphanage in Ghana. One has returned, and we went to see him yesterday. They had this bag custom made for me! Isn't it beautiful??

Other things I love.

Gap's summer sale... and this suit. http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=67815&vid=1&pid=826621&scid=826621002

Sale ends on the 23rd!!

Fruit Ninja for iPhone.

Banana bread.. (made my first loaf yesterday.. i suck at all things baking/cooking, so this was a huge mama milestone)

Decent weather (could be warmer, thank you)

Wedding planning (well. it's a love/hate relationship... can't we just be married already?)

Speaking of things I love... My loving fiance just walked in with these flowers!!! I love him!

Formula 1

Lyla had her first bottle of formula today.

I felt guilty about it because
1. It smells weird
2. It's powder.
3. How could it be a replacement for breastmilk?

I don't feel guilty because
1. I've been exclusively breast feeding/pumping for nearly 8 months.. 2 months longer than my goal.
2. The switch to formula will be gradual, so she will continue to receive breast milk for another month or so.
3. Pumping has been making me lately feel absolutely stressed and very crabby and short with Erik.
4. Pumping is very time consuming. I pump every 2.5-3 hours and each session takes 20 min to half hour. That's a lot of time in a day.
5. I feel RELIEVED.

I won't go into too many details, but lately, pumping has been making me feel worn down and worn out, and Lyla seem to be going through a growth spurt, which means I need to pump even more often to catch up to her needs. Yesterday I went off on Erik for forgetting to put a bit of milk in the fridge because "every oz counts!" and then I just broke down, and couldn't stop crying. I felt like I had gone mad. This was the breaking point, the build up of many months spent pumping. We came to the decision together to start slowly switching Lyla to formula. When we first gave it to her, I initially felt kind of bad about it, but then I felt like a huge weight was lifted off my chest. Now, if I don't make enough milk in a day, we have back up. Whew.

I am so happy to have been able to give Lyla breast milk exclusively through this time. I believe it to be the best for babies, but the time comes for every mom and baby to stop, whether at 2 weeks or 2 years! And our time has come, and I am proud of what I have been able to do!