5 Months Old!

Wow....I can' believe our girl is 5 months old! These are some pictures that I had made about 2 weeks ago at Kim Murphy's.

We had a good weekend. The weather is perfect for strolling and we are taking advantage of it. Sunday, John and I took Julia to Memphis/Collierville to the outside mall to do some shopping. Julia was a trooper and it was great to have John to help. I was long overdue to get some clothes that fit this post-pregnancy body the way that they should! I have about 12 pounds to lose before I am back to pre-pregnancy weight and about about 30 or 40 to go before I am where I should be! I can't/won't go to the gym at this point because I am ready to be with Julia as soon as I get off. We are still walking about 2.5 miles when the weather is good. I need to buy a treadmill and than I won't have any excuses for not walking!

We watched Juno Saturday night and we thought it was great entertainment. I didn't really understand the relationship that Juno had with the adoptive father, but I guess that's what makes the movie interesting. I love the weekends and Julia and I start to look forward to them by mid-week.

Oh yeah...the baby whisperer. Kristen thinks that someone will ask her for her autograph if I put in my blog that she is one of very, very few that has been able to hold Julia without her crying. Yesterday, she proved her baby whisperer skills once again, and pulled off holding Julia and stopping her from being fussy. It cracks me up that while she was holding Julia, she said, "You know, you could mention me being able to hold her in your blog sometime." So Kristen, there you go......

Things We Swore We Would NEVER Do!

I have always made fun of people who iron their kids picture onto a t-shirt or tote bag. John was making some band t-shirts around Christmas time and decided to iron Julia's picture one a t-shirt for himself. I remember thinking it was kind of cute and quirky.....another Johnism. I didn't figure he would wear it in public. He proved me wrong this week when I got home and he was walking out the door to go to class. I was shocked to see that he was wearing his "Julia" t-shirt under his standard denim shirt! I had to laugh and remind myself that we both will probably catch ourselves doing so many things that we SWORE we would NEVER do!

Anyway She Wants It.....

It has been a busy week with night activities almost every night this week. But first, an update on Julia's weird condition. Dr. Beth called yesterday with a reading on the ultrasound from LeBonheur and they say there are some small cysts under her skin. They say that this is normal for breastfed babies, but that they should go away by the time she is four months old. I can feel them and they feel like small knots. Julia will be 5 months old in 4 days, so they are a little concerned about these, but not so concerned that they feel they need to be "aggressive." So this, coupled with the bleeding and increased estradiol levels in her blood were enough for Dr. Beth to consult with a pediatric endocrinologist at LeBonheur. He seemed to be a little bit baffled by the condition and told Beth that he had never seen anything quite like this before. He told Beth to check her estradiol levels again at her 6 month appointment and if they were still elevated for her to send us to him at LeBonheur. Beth told me to be grateful that even though this was a rare case, there are no indications that anything will come of it. We are hopeful that it will spontaneously resolve itself soon.
Going to LeBonheur was definitely an eye opening experience and I was reminded of how grateful I am that we have a healthy baby! Not to sound callous, but hearing about sick children never bothered me before Julia near as much as it does now!
Wednesday night, I had to come back to work and help the hospital Auxiliary (volunteers) with their annual $5 jewelery sale. They made a $1400 profit this year and were very happy. I brought Julia with me since John was at school and she was again fussy when anybody tried to hold her or talk to her. Last night, Julia and I attended the Endowment Foundation's spring celebration. She cried as soon as we walked in and was pretty fussy the entire time we were there. Dad was there and had to take her outside in her stroller while I was making a presentation. Julia's friends Sol and Emmy were there too, and were perfect angels. They smiled and talked to everyone there. When I put her in the car to go home, she starting singing and was all smiles when we were at home doing our nightly stuff....eating rice cereal, taking a bath, playing and getting her pajamas on. Julia is teaching me that she has her own personality already and that she does not like to be out of her environment and around people that she does not know. And I am learning that there in nothing that I can do to change it!
John was in a great mood last night because he found out he made an A in his math class at college. I was so afraid of how he would do in school, but I think even with all the stress that college brings, he is loving it. He is very proud of himself and is realizing that he can actually do this stuff! We will have to celebrate when he gets his final grades....I think he will do well and I am so happy for him!

So So Suck My Toe.....

Julia learned a new trick this weekend! She learned to suck her toes. What a smart girl!

If you still don't believe me, look closer!

There are a few things that Julia can look at and smile. One is her cupcake mobile that I put together with some cupcakes that my cousin Anna knitted as wedding favors for her wedding. I hung them on an old Fisher Price mobile and put it over Julia's bed. She LOVES to look at them. Anna....you could make a fortune making these for baby mobiles! Then she took a nap in her typical spread eagle form. She sleeps this way when she is really, really sleepy.
We are still waiting on our ultrasound results from LeBonheur. Dr. Beth called yesterday with her blood/lab results and everything looked fine except her estradiol level was a little higher than normal. She was not too concerned about this. I will be happy to get the ultrasound results so that we can move on. In the meantime, Julia still has small blood spots on her shirt about every day. I guess this is going to be one of those things we can look back on and scratch our heads.

Figuring Things Out as We Go....

Julia and I went to a baby shower for a friend of mine that I work with Sunday. She cried anytime someone got in her face and talked to her. She cried even louder when two different people tried to hold her. Everyone says she will get over this eventually and I hope they are right. For now, I am trying to expose her to different people and places so she can get used to it. One thing that I have learned about Julia is that when she is crying really hard and other people are around, the best thing to do with her is to put her down in her seat or lay her down in another room where noone else is. Its funny, but it always seems to work. John and I are guessing what it is that causes this response from her. I think that she gets overstimulated and wants some quiet time. He thinks that she is very sensitive to smells. If only we could ask her......
I forced John to go on a stroll around the neighborhood with us yesterday. It will probably be the first and last time. He walked so SLOW! We went around the first block, and he said he had had about enough and was ready to go back to the car! He blamed it on his weedeating that he did earlier. Our normal walk is fast pace and is 2.2 miles up 2 big hills. Needless to say, I didn't get my exercise. And to top off the walk, John wanted to stop at Sonic on the way home and have a chocolate creme pie shake. Must be nice to be so skinny and not have to worry about exercising or eating an extra 300 calories. I just hope that Julia gets his metabolism.
Today is our appointment at LeBonheur. I really feel like everything will be okay and the news will be good.

The Waiting Game

Julia kept having little blood spots on her shirts for the past three or four days and I kept thinking it was us getting a little blood on her. Finally, yesterday at lunch there was another one so I stripped her down and looked for the source. I couldn't see anything! I squeezed her tummy and then her nipple and a little bit of blood came out. I know....bizarre. So I immediately called Dr. Beth and she told me to bring her in. It is extremely rare....only 9 cases ever documented. She says she thinks it will spontaneously resolve itself, but she drew some lab and is sending us to LeBonheur for an ultrasound just to make sure that everything is okay. I am not too worried even though it is so weird. She printed out the article that she found and it sounds like the 9 documented cases turned out to be nothing serious. They are supposed to call me with an appointment time and date today.
In the meantime, Julia is totally oblivious and spends most of her spare time smiling at her Dad!

Some pictures for the day

This is Julia last night after her bath. She still loves her bathtime and is very playful when I am getting her dressed in her pajamas. This is her new toy that John got for her this weekend. Our house if beginning to look like romper room! She loves looking at it and is learning to use her hands and feet to grab the dangly toys. She is very strategic about how she gets them. Brilliant.
This is Julia and Sol at Evan's birthday party. You can't see Sol's sweet face very well, but I thought it was so cute that her little elbow was propped on his back.
Future classmates! Julia, Sol and Parker. These three were born within three months of each other. Julia is definitely the smallest of the three. She is taking after her mom and is going to be so petite.......hope you are laughing at that!Pretty Becca and Julia! I had to post this one because I think this is among the first time that Julia was held by someone else and has a pleasant look on her face!
So tired after the party! She didn't even make it home to her bed.

Small mishaps....

Happy Birthday Evan! Julia had a great time at Evan's first birthday party Sunday afternoon. Evan's mom, Ambre' really knows how to throw a party. I was doing some internet research earlier Sunday morning to determine what we can do to cure Julia's "stranger anxiety." The day before, Shawnie and I went to visit a friend, Pat, and Julia cried when both of them held her. We did a study to determine if it was truly stranger anxiety or just a fluke by handing her back to me and seeing if she would stop crying. She stopped as soon as I held her again. The research says that all babies have different temperments and that it was usually a phase that would pass. I think it had passed by Sunday because at the party, she let everybody hold her and pass her around. She even smiled at my Mom when she came to visit Sunday afternoon. This was Julia's first time to meet Parker, who was born one week after her. He is the one next to her and next to him is Sol. The three of them will be classmates one day!
Today, we went to Kim Murphy's to have Julia's picture made. Kim told me to stay on one side of her to keep her from falling and to have John beside the camera to make Julia smile. Of course, this worked great and John kept her smiling. All is has to say is BOO and she breaks out into a big grin. All was great until we put her on her tummy, which she does not like at all. She kicked and fell face forward from a stool into a very soft rug. It was awful. It all happened so fast that I couldn't get to her in time. She cried for about one minute and then started smiling for John again. I was horrified and I think I shook for about 2 hours after the deal happened. When I told this story at work, everyone had a story about when their baby fell. I guess everything is okay and even though we debated taking her to the Emergency room, we decided against it. Hopefully, this will be my one and only falling story to tell.
My friend Shawnie announced today that she and her husband are moving to Arkadelphia. She was offered a great job that she couldn't refuse. I am very sad to hear the news, but am happy for her and know that she will do great there. But, she will definitely be missed here! My cousin Leslie and her husband Richard live in Arkadelphia, so now we will have double the reason to visit.

A Night in the Life

This is a picture of Julia and John watching the Cardinals game last night. That's what will be on our television from now until October because John swears that they are going to win the World Series this year. He says that every year though. This is her in her favorite spot again....perched on her Dad's shoulder.
After her cereal and her bath, we set her on the bar while we eat dinner. Last night, she took a little pre-bedtime nap.
This was her this morning in her bed. She loves her bed and smiles when I put her in there...at night and in the morning. She also likes things with a face...baby dolls and toys. She smiles and talks to anything with a face.
She is starting to get really good hand and eye coordination. She has been grabbing her feet and other things, like our hair, lately. Mom bought her a toy with some things dangling and John says this is her new favorite pastime during the day. We both think that she is absolutely brilliant, and oh, so sweet.

Rain, Rain.....

Last night we slept with the windows open and it felt so good. I woke up to the sound of rain. I always wake Julia up to feed her before I leave for work. I know I shouldn't wake her up, but the real reason I do it is so that we have some time to cuddle and hang out before I leave. She is so sweet in the mornings. This morning, I was outside of the covers and John said three times....."Call in sick"....."Stay at home" If he had any idea how tempting it was, he wouldn't say it. I have never called in sick to my job (other than when I was on bedrest with Julia). He kept trying to put the cover over us and keep us home. I grudgingly got up and made it out the door. I am so glad that he gets to stay in bed and listen to Julia sing and to the rain.

Making Noise..........

It was Easter again at our house when Emmy Ruth's mom left Julia an Easter basket. I love the little ruffle bottom tights and the cute card that was in the basket. Tara is too much! I am missing her little Emmy, so we will have to visit soon. I was expecting some good chocolate in the eggs. I laughed when I opened one and little Cheerios fell out!
Julia is learning that she has a voice that will do other things than cry. She lays in bed in the mornings after I feed her and talks and sings. It is really cute and a great start to the day.
Friday, I went to Little Rock to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grants luncheon. Our hospital has gotten a grant from them for the past three years. It is always an inspiration to see women who have survived breast cancer and makes me really want to work hard to fulfill the mission of Komen here in Cross County. Our weekend was relatively quiet, other than the 2 band practices that happened in our basement! Julia can sleep right through it.
Yesterday, Kristen, Julia and I went for a stroll after a couple of weeks of rainy and cold days. The weather was perfect and it felt great to get out again. Shawnie came over last night and I had my first glass of wine since I found out I was pregnant....over a year ago! We sat out on the screened in porch and philosophized about life. We didn't really come up with any answers, but it made for some interesting conversation.

3 Things that Julia LOVES!

When I came home yesterday, John informed me of 2 things that he realized that Julia loves. Pink Floyd and Oprah. He was watching a trippy Pink Floyd DVD from the 60's and he says that Julia was loving it. He says she liked the music and the video. When I get home, Oprah is usually on. John says he has it on that channel already and just doesn't change it. I really think he kind of likes it and now since Julia loves her, he has a reason to watch it. HA HA! And if I am not mistaken, before Oprah are only soap operas. So, I guess he is turning into a regular house wife and watching the Today show in the morning and then leaving it on Channel 5 all day. He proved me wrong today when I went home for lunch when he was watching the Cardinals. He is going to LOVE this staying home business even more now that baseball season has started. The third thing that Julia loves is her dad! Man, I have to beg her to look at me when he is in the room with us. Her eyes are glued to him the entire time. She still smiles at him every time he opens his mouth. I try not to complain about wonderful things though....
Don't waste your time with the Japanese "dramedy" Hula Girls. It would have been incredibly corny if it were an American film, but because it was Japanese, it was at least interesting. That is one thing I love about John. He can always find something quirky for us to watch or do or listen to.

Randomness....

Julia cries so loud when anybody other than John or I, and sometimes Sarah, hold her. Mom kept her for about 30 minutes yesterday afternoon and she cried the entire time that Mom held her!!! I am not sure what to do about this. When Mom handed her to me, she stopped. She also stopped when Mom put her in her stroller. I would love to know how to break her of this habit. It would be great if she were a little bit more flexible.
She is still sleeping in her Pack N Play beside our bed. This morning, she woke up around 4 and cried for about 2 minutes and then went back to sleep. She is doing great sleeping through the night. I know I should consider putting her in her room downstairs, but I really don't want to. I love having her close by so that I can wake up and look at her and hear her during the night. Besides, her bedroom is entirely too far away from us! Maybe eventually......
We haven't gotten to go on our walk for a week or so because it has been really cold and rainy here. I am fighting some sinus funk too. I just finished reading this month's book club book, The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. It was not good and it left me feeling depressed. I hate to feel that way after a book. I have read Lovely Bones and Lucky by her, and liked both of those. This one was dark and I had no sympathy at all for any of the characters. I did read it fast though. I think that I am book hungry and will read almost anything at this point. John has a Japanese foreign film for us to watch tonight. Looking forward to seeing what he has found.