September/October

Laney as a giraffe on Halloween, and my cousin Steph carved a giraffe in her pumpkin.

She discovered the tail :)

Matt & Shelsea brought this outfit back from their Hawaiian Honeymoon for Laney

Laney and her Minnie Mouse pumpkin

My pumpkin & Laney's

Crawling around means that mommy needs to baby proof!

Pumpkin Patch with the cousins!

Yep, she loves her books!

The signature Laney face.

Those BIG blue eyes, melt me!

Tummy/side sleeper now.

Her new bath and bath toy.

Laney turned 6 months on September 6th and I was very emotional, because I was heading back to work full time. We decided to get family photos done to remember this special milestone.

September 8th was my first day of school and I survived, but not without tears. The first few weeks were tough! Once I was at work I had so much to do and I was so busy that I hardly had a moment to think about missing Laney. It was just hard to leave in the morning and I remember laying in bed a few nights sobbing and telling Jordan that I can't handle being a mommy and a teacher. I guess being off those 6 months I had forgot what kind of a job teaching really is. You just can't understand unless you have done it, and I forgot how much I take home and that it is not a 9-5 job. I am blessed to have a wonderful staff and team, and one of the girls on my team has a little guy that is about 10 weeks older than Laney and we kept joking about working part time. However, just talking about doing it made me feel better. I am doing fine now, and it just seems like it is our normal routine. I think working a 3 or even 4 day work week would be ideal. I just feel like I can never get caught up with grading, shopping, and cleaning. Being a working mommy has really made the moments I have with Laney SUPER special! I am never frustrated when she isn't sleeping or when she is fussy. The times we are together are so special and we have so much fun together. However, I am having a hard time leaving Laney for anything else. Since I am working full time, I hate to leave her for any other reason.

At the end of the month Laney started scooting just a few inches and she is always full of smiles and giggles. She is now enjoying many fruits and veggies. I have still been making some of her food, but I was having a hard time balancing that so I have been purchasing food lately. Laney has also began sleeping on her side or tummy. This was VERY nerve racking for me, but she just got too big for her sleep positioner. I started finding Laney in a different position every time I went in her room, and she began to play with the sleep positioner. Well, as soon as I took that away she had a hard time putting herself to sleep like she usually does. So, I had a rough two weeks, but she is finally use to it, and she sleeps so much loner now that she can get comfy any way she wants to. Laney also visited the Puyallup fair this month, and we sponsored a little girl in Africa who shares Laney's birthday.

October was a big month for Laney, she is scooting and rocking on her knees. She is ALL OVER the place. It is so fun watching her move around and try to grab every little object that is on the ground. She loves eating her solid foods and her favorites are applesauce and sweet potatoes. She has protested beans, and even puked some up...oops! I guess gets that from her daddy. She is pulling up on things, standing by herself if she is holding onto an object, and she is clapping her hands! It is just too adorable. If you say YAHHHH or if you sing, "If your happy..." she starts clapping right away. I think it is just adorable. Some of the things Laney really enjoys at this age are:

1. She LOVES her books.

2. When mommy reads to her at night Laney pats her book as she is falling asleep. It is just too cute.

3. She loves making LOUD growling sounds. I think she picked these up from our dogs. She is also enjoying screaming as well as whispering. It is too cute to listen to her change not only her volume, but her tone. She has a very soft quite voice, it sounds as if she is talking to a newborn one moment and then it sounds as if she is screaming at a teenager the next!

4. She has really started to get more excited when daddy walks in the room. Every time she sees him her face lights up!

5. She LOVES peek-a-boo. For some reason, she giggles so hard when Grandma plays this with her.

6. She loves her activity center that she can stand around and her favorite part of that is the piano.

7. She loves to JUMP in her jumperoo.

8. She loves finger foods like puffs and mum-mums (rice cakes)

9. She LOVES water. If you give her a cup she will drink from it! It is too cute, she tips her head back and everything. After she fulfills her thirst she begins trying to blow bubbles with her water.

10. She wants to eat and drink EVERYTHING that we are. She enjoys pretending to chew as she is watching mommy and daddy eat at the dinner table.

11. She LOVES snuggling in bed with mommy and daddy. When she wakes up super early I have been bringing her in bed with us, and she falls asleep in my arms almost instantly. I know this is a bad habit, but I cherish these moments and I just love watching her sleep and feeling her warmth next to me.

12. When someone holds her the first thing she does is feel their face.

13. She loves cellphones.

Summer Update

Classroom Library

My Classroom

First solid other than rice cereal. Mommy made me peas!!!

Camping... look at those wind burnt cheeks :(

Matt & Shelsea's Wedding!

Incle Orville's Funeral.

A texture collage I made at my summer training.

Cannon Beach, cozy after swimming!

First solid, rice cereal!

Well my last post was August 1st, and so much has happened since then! Laney just turned 8 months yesterday and I am a full time working mommy! I am going to try and make this short and sweet, and then I am hoping to update bi-weekly. I guess we will just see if that happens!!!

July-

We spend the first part of July with Jordan's entire family in eastern Washington. This is a yearly even where all of his family gets together where his grandparents live. We had a blast, but Laney was a bit grouchy. Remember, she has stranger anxiety and there were A LOT of people there, it was a bit warm (100 degrees), and her reflux started really acting up with the heat. We called the doctor while we were camping and they increased her dose of medicine for her reflux since she has gained some weight, and that worked wonders! On the way home we were able to stop and take a picture on the bridge where I told Jordan I was pregnant. It was so surreal to be standing there with OUR baby, when the year prior we had just found out and were still in shock!

Mid-July we went camping with my parents and some other family to Riffe Lake. We had a very good time! Laney began eating rice cereal as her doctor recommended, because of her reflux and she began going to bed early at about 8-9pm. This was early for her! The best part of this vacation was that Laney laughed for the first time. I have been WAITING to hear her laugh, but finally she let it out. One morning Laney woke up at 5am, so I quietly left the tent so I would not disturb anyone and I walked around the campground with her. I decided to sit on the swing and swing Laney. As I was swinging I started kicking the gravel and Laney just started cracking up! Who would have thought her first laugh would be at something so silly! We got to hear her laugh a few more times that trip.

End-of-July: Jordan and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary and 9 year dating anniversary! Wow how time flies! The three of us headed to Cannon Beach for two nights, and we had a blast. We have been there a few times before, and I always seem to find plenty of things to spend my money on. However, now that I have a baby I didn't buy one thing for myself, but spent too much money on my baby. Laney enjoyed our evenings as we took her to the hotel pool, and she LOVED it. I was a bit worried, but she really seemed to enjoy it.

August -

I spend the first week of August at a teacher training called, Arts Impact. It was my first full work week, but I ended up leaving early two of the days. My great uncle passed away and I had his funeral AND Laney got her first ear infection. She was MISERABLE!!!! I was so sad for my poor baby, but all she wanted to do was cuddle with her mommy. I enjoyed the cuddling part, but I felt bad for my little sweetie.

Then we spend almost two full weeks in Florence, Oregon and we had a blast! This is where we ride our quads and just enjoy relaxation without any distractions. We had AMAZING weather this year. We didn't get rained on at all, which is a record! Laney mastered sitting up on this trip. She was sitting up at home before the trip, but by the end of our camping trip she was sitting up like a pro! Also, this was the first time we heard Laney say Mama. Jordan said she said it on purpose, but I am sure it was probably a coincidence.

When we got back from vacation I had to set up my classroom. I am working at a brand new school, and up until just a few days before we opened we were not really sure if we would get in the building on time. They finally let us in, but we were not allowed to have any help AND we couldn't put anything on the wall. I spent hours decorating and setting up. I don't think I have lifted so many boxes up so many stairs EVER, and I think this was the biggest workout I have had since before I was pregnant. Oops :) School did open on time, and my classroom was all set and ready to go! Also, I am making Laney's food. I started with peas, and she LOVEs them. This was such a bittersweet moment, I love feeding her, but she is growing up so fast.

Better Late than never... June 2009

Laney meeting her twin cousins for the first time Finah and Romi.

Happy Girl

Looking at her Mama

Daddy July 2, 2009...the product of the next picture!

July 3, 2008... when he first found out about Laney.

Mommy and her baby girl... one year after finding out we were expecting.

July 3, 2008... when I first found out we were having Laney!

Hollywood!

Brothers and their baby girls.

5 Generation Picture! Awesome huh!!!

Laney and cousin Cailin @ Seven Bays

All smiles.. all the time.

Fishing on father's day!

Watching Daddy at a baseball game!

3 month picture

Sorry everyone, I have been HORRIBLE about posting. It has almost been two months. So much has happened since my last post.

June was officially the end of the school year and I spend almost every day there helping out in my classroom, packing up my room, and saying goodbye to all my students and staff. I will miss Clover Creek so much, but I am very excited about the opportunity to work in a BRAND NEW school. For those of you who don't know I will be teaching fourth grade at Frederickson next year. This is a new school in Bethel School District. I have so many mixed feelings. I am so excited about teaching at a new school and excited for everything that comes with it, including an amazing staff and AWESOME technology. However, I can't even imagine leaving Laney during the day. I have been blessed to spend the first six months at home, but I have gotten way too use to it.

Fun things in June:

* Jordan had his first Father's Day! We spend the day at a fishing derby, unfortunately Jordan didn't win... he had a blast though. Laney enjoyed the day as well :) She gave her Daddy a DSi.

*Laney rolled over for the first time on June 15th, and mommy got it on video!!!

*We went to Seven Bays for Laney's first official "camping trip". She has been to a hotel before, but this was her first true "camping" trip. It was VERY warm, and Laney's reflux was acting up. So she didn't have the best time, but it was great to spend the time with family.

* Laney got to meet her twin cousins for the first time

* Laney's church buddy was born weighing only 2 pounds 15 ounces, but mom and baby are doing great and Laney is excited to play with her buddy Ellie.

At three months Laney enjoys:

1. Mommy of course

2. Smiling - she smiles TONS

3. Rolling over from tummy to back - even though this scared her at first.

4. TV - We have to keep turning it off or facing her away from it.

5. At the end of the month she began rolling back to tummy.

6. Mommy had to work three days this month, and Laney was babysat by her grandmas and she did GREAT!

7. She loves looking in mirrors.

8. She is enjoying her bath time, and loves splashing mommy!

9. When being held she almost always wants to stand.

10. Stranger anxiety has set in STRONG! Laney only wants her mommy, and gets very upset if others hold her or sometimes even talk to her. She gets the biggest pouty lip, and then cries VERY loudly. Her doctor said that she is "special" and that she is writing her own book, because that shouldn't happen until 6 months. Yep, thats my girl! July update coming soon... hopefully tomorrow! :)

The WORST day of my life!!!

Today I experienced something that I never want to experience EVER EVER again. Enjoy this story, but please do not tease me! I am writing this post so I can remember this and share it with Laney when she is older.... although I don't know why I would want to remember this HORRIBLE experience.

Here it goes---

Jordan is working and Laney and I are at home. Laney fell asleep in her bouncer and I was busy cleaning and getting ready to leave for a few errands and a meeting I had to get to. Well I ran upstairs to grab the toilet bowl cleaner and a few diapers to pack Laney's diaper bag and I heard the dogs barking outside.... the sound of their barking reminded me that I left the sliding glass door wide open. I thought to myself, oh no, I better go close that. That isn't safe to leave Laney downstairs alone with the door open like that. Someone could just walk right in and take her.

So I walk down the stairs quickly and from the stairs I see the bouncer seat, but I cannot see Laney. It then started to feel like slow motion (I am sick to my stomach as I type this, because I can still feel the emotions that I felt at that moment) and I thought ok maybe it is just a bad angle. I walked up to the bouncer and LANEY WAS GONE!!! I put both hands on my head and walked in a circle a few times in disbelief. I walked outside to look for anything and then I walked back inside at the bouncer just to check that I wasn't going crazy. I was hysterical and I instantly felt guilty for leaving that door open. Then I decided to call 911....

They answer the phone and I scream, "SOMEONE STOLE MY BABY!". The lady tried to keep me calm and started asking me all these questions. In the meantime I am running in the backyard and the front yard in my jammies (basically a long Tshirt)... I could care less who saw me or what they saw. I just wanted my baby. I even saw a blue car speed by, and I was worried they had her. While I was outside I saw that the gate had a lock on it, and I thought how would someone jump a fence with that lock and I even thought that the dogs never barked and that was SO WEIRD. Well I am talking to 911 for a few minutes and then I heard Laney cry. 

I was in the front yard and I told the dispatcher that they had brought her back to me, I hear her crying. I was expecting to see Laney back in her bouncer, laying on the couch, laying on the grass... I was 100% sure someone had taken her and chickened out and returned her. Well I walked in the house to find her in her jumperoo... and then I instantly remember that she had woken up and I placed her in her jumperoo just before I headed upstairs. I picked her up and held her so tight!

The dispatcher made sure she understood what I was saying, and then she asked if Laney was ok, and I responded yes! Then she asked if I was going to be ok, and I responded yes -- however I had heart palpitations for a few hours and I was shaking for a long time. 

I know this just seems like some crazy story and I look like a crazy lady, but it was SO REAL to me! I seriously thought Laney was kidnapped. I had no doubt in my mind that I left her in that bouncer seat, and that is why I didn't bother looking around the house for her.... that and babies don't move at all :) It was a horrible feeling that I wish I had never felt, but it made me so thankful and I instantly thanked God. Whew.... WHAT A DAY! Now I am anxious every time I am not on the same level of our house that she is, even when she is sleeping peacefully in her crib and I am downstairs typing this blog! Well I better go check on her!!