The Chapman Family

Pregnancy - Week 24 to 39

2011-06-06T22:09:00.008-06:00

Week 24 (February 18) - Present: Week 39 (June 3)

Well, I'm writing about nearly half of pregnancy as I sit here just a few days away from 40 weeks wishing the baby was already here. Let's face it, I don't enjoy being pregnant. The only good parts are 2nd trimester and feeling the baby roll around and kick inside. Right now she is so large it hurts at times when she kicks my ribs!

I was 25 1/2 weeks along when Inara and I got the chance to visit our good friends in California. Christine, Liam, Inara and I had a lot of fun! Although you can't see how pregnant I am in this photo, I was just starting to get big enough in the belly to where it was uncomfortable to do certain things. We did well traveling together though, despite Inara getting sick. I hope to post more about our trip in a different entry.
At just over 29 weeks (picture taken 3.27.11), I'm really starting to stick out! Anna just loves the belly. But I only let good friends fondle the belly like that :). During this pregnancy, I have not gained nearly as much weight as I did the first time! I attribute this to my change in health and diet. I have been seeing my nutritionist for just over 2 years now and having given up wheat, dairy, soy and a few other changes have made such a difference! I have cheated on the dairy a few times though...but I was craving it, can you blame me?
April 9, 2011 (31 weeks along) just two weeks later at my shower, I have already grown! It was at this time, people started commenting on how I'm "all baby" and "you've grown in just a week!" and sometimes even a "are you sure you aren't having twins?". This got really old and fast. But, my shower was a lot of fun thanks to Anna putting it all together and throwing a great party! Also for this pregnancy, I'm sticking straight out! Last time I was wide, but this time, not so much.
Inara is sporting the Baby Plus system that I have been wearing on my belly to let the baby listen to different rhythms and sounds that mimic the heartbeat, but that also are supposed to help the baby focus and potentially be smarter :). She wanted to be just like her mama today! So sweet...

May 7th, 2011 - 34 Weeks You can see here that I'm also putting on some more visible weight and so is the baby! She is nearly fully grown, but still developing! I'm already so anxious for her to arrive! (just not too soon)
May 27, 2011 - Week 38 (just 3 weeks from the previous picture and already so much larger!)
I have been done with the school year for a week now and just waiting. Inara came at 38 1/2 weeks, so I was getting anxious. I did have a day of "false labor" taunting me that I could be done being pregnant! I'm so ready for her to come at this point! My clothes are not fitting quite as well anymore...
June 6, 2011 - Week 39 1/2 Just 4 days to my official "due date" and I'm getting impatient! This picture is quite unflattering, but I'm down to 2 dresses that are comfortable enough to wear and cover me sufficiently. Thankfully the late spring has not been too hot for me, but I still need the air conditioning to get by. As I'm writing, Baby Elsa, as we have been calling her, is hiccuping and it feels quite forceful! She is ready to come... Over the last few weeks I have also felt her foot fatten up as she is putting on the pounds! Stay small for mama, baby...Let's make this birth easy!

I'm constantly complaining that I cannot do this or that because of my huge belly! This morning Inara says to me "you belly will feel better when baby Elsa comes". You are so right my dear...I'm really ready for my home birth as well! My midwife has been so great and I think I'm all set up with all the supplies to have her! It will be nice to be home in a comfortable environment. We did a hospital birth with Inara and it was just fine, but this will just be so much more natural, even though it was nearly as natural as it could be for a hospital birth these days!

I hope to post pictures of our family of 4 when she arrives! Today I have had more crampy contractions and Don is hopeful that she comes on his birthday tomorrow. :) Whatever will I do with 2 June 7th babies in the house?

Seventh Generation Diaper Review!

2011-05-10T22:40:00.003-06:00

Seventh Generation Size 4 Diapers

When I was given the chance to try the new 7th Generation disposable diapers, I was ecstatic. I have a 2 year old (on the small, but tall side) with whom I have used these diapers from her birth! I use cloth as well mixed in with disposables and 7th Generation is the one I go to first! She is currently using size 4 and I had just finished a package I purchased when my box arrived. I was worried that she might have outgrown this size and I wouldn’t be able to test them appropriately because she has a taller rise and they seemed to be getting too small. The first thing I noticed when pulled them out of the package was that they were much taller to sit higher on the waist than before! I was so happy about this, because I felt that the newborn size diapers especially she outgrew sooner than other brands.

The package lasted about a week for my 2 year old. She has been waking up dry in the mornings for awhile now, so I left her diaper on for a short while in the mornings to see how the diaper would hold all the morning urine and her stool after breakfast. With the new formula things held up gloriously! I didn’t seem to notice that it held less at all! I am quite happy with the new and improved product and as I’m expecting my second baby girl, I plan to stock up on some newborn 7th Generation diapers for the first few weeks!

Moon Shadow

2011-03-17T15:28:00.004-06:00

Last week (March 10ish), Inara recently became acquainted with shadows. She saw one on her wall wondered what it was. I tried to explain it to her and she can recognize them, but she has since become obsessed with them! I think are also have a negative effect on her though. She makes sure that she says good night to them, but also makes comments like "shadow won't hurt me, huh?" I have to reassure her of what they really are and she seems to buy into it for awhile.

It's to the point, right now that she doesn't stop thinking about them. My daughter is quite OCD, but I guess that's why I'm her mother. I have my moments, don't get me wrong, but I hope to help her balance some of her obsessions.

She likes it when you use her stuffed animals to show shadows on the wall or outside, but I just wonder how long this will last! It's cute, but hindering things such as sleep as well. I try to sing her the Cat Stevens song Moon Shadow and she likes that and she seems to forget about the obsession for a moment. It's a start!

Inara Just Over Two Years

2011-02-10T14:14:00.009-07:00

Inara turned two a few months ago and here is her with Grandmama at her birthday party eating a rather large chocolate cupcake! She isn't allowed a lot of sugar, so that night, after her sugar high, she crashed and was CRABBY! Oh well, she had so much fun with all her friends that came to play with her!
Inara is really showing more and more personality each day and I see so many of our day-to-day influences coming out in her at times as well. Her communication skills are amazing, when she wants them to be. I love it when I ask her a question not once, but several times and she doesn't even flinch to acknowledge that I have spoken to her, much less answer me. It's usually a typical mom question like "do you want to eat yogurt or turkey?" or "Please go get your shoes so we can go". But if I were to say, "Do you want some chocolate?" her little head would immediately turn in my direction and give me a robust reply. Two is a fun age! She understands so much and can speak full sentences and is starting to use pronouns properly! Instead of "hold you" she now says "hold me".

It didn't post right, but you get the idea! So tired, she will sleep anywhere...I wish this were really true all the time!

Two can also be a challenging age. She has always been the girl to decide when she wants to do something, and I have a feeling potting training will be the same. About a month ago, maybe, she stripped down, took her diaper off and went into the dark bathroom and sat on her potty and filled it. That has not happened since and when asked if she wants to go potty she says no. But we have been reading a potty book, so when she sees her potty she says "No More Diapers" quite emphatically.

I have been knitting a lot lately since I am pregnant and I made a newborn hat. She wanted to wear it but gladly conceded when I told her it was for the baby in my belly. She proceeded to put the hat under my shirt for the baby. At least she is already sharing with her sister.

Sleep is another issue with her. She rarely stays asleep in her bed all night long, but we have napping under control! Just yesterday, I heard her talking after her nap so I went to quietly investigate. She was not fussing (as usual) and she was still laying down snuggling with her baby kissing its face repeatedly and quite sweetly I might add. I love it when she wakes up happy!

She loves her dogs!

She is also becoming quite the active child. Most days she is content to run errands with me or toddle around the house while we go about our normal day. When we are at a new space or at a place with lots of room (we have a smaller house) she loves to run around and dance whenever possible! Dancing is fun to see her do as well. It's usually a lively or bouncy song and she will just start dancing and sometimes singing along. She has also started a little butt wiggle which is so adorable.

Inara covered in stickers! I did the same thing as a child. :)

We are working on getting her to realize that a new baby will be coming soon too. For awhile we had a boys name picked out and still sometimes she calls the baby by this name, so maybe I will have to buy her a little boy doll to call this name. :)

Pregnancy - to Week 23 (2nd Baby!)

2011-02-09T16:59:00.011-07:00

Week 14, hardly showing. That is inara "smiling".

Well, this pregnancy has been a rollercoaster ride so far! I found out I was pregnant the first week of October of 2011 after one or two negative pregnancy tests. Symptoms of normal first trimester nausea did not settle in until about 7 or 8 weeks or so. Then it was constant nausea. A few weeks later (Nov. 9) I had an appointment with my nutritionist and she told me that I needed more liver support supplements and that really made a difference in my morning sickness. I think I was on 6 liver support supplements a day for a few weeks! Another acquaintance of mine had a similar issue early in her pregnancy. I wish I would have known this the first time around!

I could only eat a few foods. There was one week, all I could eat was Chipotle's hard taco's. At home I wanted nothing to eat. I even had a stomach flu issue, so I couldn't. Everything I thought of eating made me sick and I didn't want to eat. I was so tired until I saw my nutritionist as well. The house fell apart and poor Inara started to learn what playing independently really meant.

The thought of my supplements made me ill too! I had to work up to what I needed to take during pregnancy! ugh.

We were in Germany house sitting for a friend when I was 11 and 12 weeks. Here is a photo of week 12. I took it myself so it's not very good.
The second trimester is so much better. I gradually increased my food choices as my belly started to grow. I was finally able to take all the nutrients I needed and the baby as well. The nausea has mostly subsided. Upon seeing my nutritionist in December, she told me that extra thyroid support is vital. Something about reverse t3 needing to be absorbed appropriately ensuring all is working well. I sometimes feel bad that Inara did not get the same treatment I am receiving now as I'm sure she would have benefited from this in the long and short run.

Recently, I have been on a serious weeding-out, decluttering, organizing and knitting phase. I completely blame pregnancy, but I tend to do this in spurts anyway. I realize that I have TOO MUCH STUFF for our quaint house. That's a term real estate agents use when a house is small and you may not have enough storage. Don has finally cleaned out SOME of this things from my supposed room in the basement. Lets face it. My knitting, scrapbooking, quilting and books take up a lot of room! Plus we need a secondary place for Inara to play so I can actually take part in these hobbies on occasion or do some mending from time to time. Some toys are now also being housed in my room too.

I have been knitting furiously and have already completed a baby sleep sack, a hat, and baby mittens so she will not scratch her face as much as poor Inara did. I have yet to decide which of my beautiful fabrics will be used to make her her first baby quilt. It took me a year to complete Inara's so I guess there is time. I was more focused on the crib bedding sewing than quilting when Inara was born.

I have also started doing prenatal yoga and hopefully more often than I did first pregnancy. I asked my chiropractor how I can work to prevent bad/breech positioning of the baby. He said it was vital to start doing stretches and exercizes that keep things open. I feel so great after doing a session (even though Inara and the dogs try too hard to "participate") This was somewhere around week 17. Here is a photo in the middle of week 17.
Yes, although we are having a homebirth, I was having some anxiety about this pregnancy and not sure why, we decided to have an ultrasound at week 21. All was good from what they can tell and it was at this point that my intuition was confirmed that we are having a girl! I was truly starting to trust my chiropractor and nutritionists reflex testing too! Now to decide upon a name...

This last shot is horrible of me as Don lazily took it from the coach in week 21. I suddenly got HUGE! Please don't mind the ever messy house in the background. I'm getting slower by the day!

Nearly 22 Months Old!

2010-10-03T12:32:00.003-06:00

(P.S. this has been in draft for for nearly 2 months now. I have to post without pics because I have more to write since she is nearly 2 years old now!)

Well, I have finally retrieved my pictures on my old annoying camera (after purchasing a new battery) from July to September, but I do have a wonderful new purple Canon Powershot. It's so much nicer. The only downside is that it takes much larger video files and they are hard to post here!

Inara is maturing so quickly these days! Each day she says at least one new word in the correct context. She is really observant. Sometimes I might have only said the word once to her!

Last month, her aunt got married and she was the cutest flower girl with her cousin. She walked down the aisle with her cousin and once the got to the front, she decided to lay down. She did this at the rehearsal and got a great reaction so she decided to see if that would happen again. Sure enough, the audience laughed and said "awwww" and she was happy. Later that evening, she had a blast on the dance floor. She would have danced all night if she could have!

Recently, although she had been obsessed with Veggie Tales, she actually had me take out Veggie Tales in the middle of the show and put in Disney's Robin Hood. That is one of my favorites so it makes me happy, BUT that means that she is actually sitting and watching TV for more than 10 minutes. Uh oh... She is also paying close attention to what is on TV so even though we have been careful, I think we have to be extra careful now. She heard someone on TV say a name 3-4 times and then she repeated it herself.

(edited maybe a month ago here...)
In the last few weeks she has been putting together 2 and 3 word phrases that I can understand. She speaks full sentences in her own gibberish which is adorable anyway. Today she even said "self" as in I can do it myself, mom... She also says me, meaning she wants to make sure she comes with me or is not left out.

She also love to sing! At Grandmama's house she sings while Grandmama plays the piano. At home she sings if she hears music or sometimes she will just sing! I love it. Her eyes tear up and get red as if she were crying. That sometimes happens to me when I sing. I guess she really means it.

Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting!

2010-10-01T23:38:00.003-06:00

This is what happens when Inara wakes up at 10:30 after going to bed. First time doing Kung Fu with Daddy! So cute!

My Cloth Diaper Obsession!

2010-07-10T23:20:00.003-06:00

I have recently found some great new cloth diaper shops online, such as http://sweetbottomsbaby.com/ and I have purchased a few new diapers to try! I have been stuck on the Bum Genius 3.0s, but since a few need new elastic I decided I would try a few others since I can't get to my sewing machine right now!

Check them out! Always good they have free shipping too! That's my kind of online store! I love cloth!

Inara 18 Months!

2010-07-10T22:44:00.003-06:00

Inara is growing up so quickly! We had her 18 month appointment with an osteopath in town. It went well, I think...Here are her stats from that day.
Length 30.75 inches - 19th percentile
Head 18 inches - 24th percentile
Weight - 20 lbs - 3rd percentile

The doc was worried a bit about her weight, but she is still breastfed quite a bit and eats food 2-3 times a day. He thought she might not be absorbing her nutrients, but our chiro doesn't think it is an issue.
Okay, that was the basic stuff!

We had our first swim lessons for her a few weeks ago! She was the youngest in her class, but I didn't want to sign her up for the infant class since she was at the top of that age bracket. She learned things like putting her ear in the water, jumping off the side of the pool and climbing out, kicking in the water and a few other things. Some things she was not able to do yet, but we can work on those on our own! Once she got over the initial fear of the water, she LOVED it!

She is showing her personality more each day! I know I say this all the time, she is so interactive! This evening, while stalling for bed, I gave her Larry the Cucumber stuffed veggie a kiss goodnight. She thought that was cute and proceeded to have her stuffed veggie kiss some of her other stuffed toys good night as well. :) Be still my heart.

But there are the times when she is such a toddler! It has mostly come out when we are running errands. The grocery story is a recent nemesis of mine unless I'm going alone! She refuses to sit in the cart and easily gets out of the restraints and wants me to chase her all over the store! I'm really surprised that I don't come out of the store with things I would never buy and half of what I need missing! Once we have 2 kids, I think I will have to go shopping WITHOUT them. :)

But really, she is a sweetheart and she was sick this week and all she wanted to do was cuddle and sleep with her mama.

More Babble and Book Adventures

2010-06-25T14:19:00.005-06:00

Inara is changing so much so quickly that I cannot remember all her new "skills" she is learning! One thing is for sure, she knows much more than I am aware! One day, she suddenly knew the word bed mostly to be used in a stalling tactic at bedtime. She would prefer to play in our bed than to go to her own. Sleeping is the most challenging part of raising Inara. I'm supposed to be going to bed earlier, but when Inara doesn't go down until 10 PM, what is a mom to do?

When we are reading at bedtime, she sees the smallest thing that she knows or something of interest and she wants to take it out of the book and use it! She saw a pair of cartoon glasses and tried to get them to put on her eyes. When she sees a page of food, she says "num, num, nummy" and also tried to take the food off the page for her keeping or eating. :)

We just finished her first swim lessons and she loved it, despite turning blue from the cold water on some days. She learned to climb out of the pool, jump back in, go under water and a few other things. She is gaining a slow independence in the water. And I finally had to break down and buy a swimsuit after at least 5 years of avoiding the water. I suppose I will need to take her to the pool several times this summer as she enjoyed it so much. I don't want her to lose her love of water right now as her first time in the water was NOT a success.

While we are inside though, she is a toddler through in through. When she is not running to the toilet to splash around she is taking handfuls of dirt from the ONE house plant I kept a spreading it all over the house. For those reading this, please don't mind my messy house!

But she is the sweetest girl and is such a snuggler and loves to laugh. What more could a mom want really? On top of that she is already 18 months old! Where has the time gone?

These videos are posted at the request of my Great Aunt Joy! Enjoy! Note: I could have taken more video, but got tired. :)

Test Anroid Post

2010-06-06T16:24:00.003-06:00

I'm hoping I will remember to post small things about Inara from my phone! It's so much fun & I'm getting faster at typing. Sent for fun during Inara's nap!

Test Anroid Post

2010-06-06T16:24:00.001-06:00

I'm hoping I will remember to post small things about Inara from my phone! It's so much fun & I'm getting faster at typing. Sent for fun during Inara's nap!

Amazing Giveaway!

2010-06-03T13:54:00.001-06:00

What I like about Diaper Shops is the extreme variety of choice and options! If I can't find a product locally, I know right where to go! http://www.facebook.com/diapershops

Oh Where To Begin?!?

2010-05-18T21:26:00.004-06:00

Even though the pictures here are a bit older (march 2010), it is still a glimpse of what Inara has started to get herself into. As she is approaching a year an a half of age she is maturing into the toddler years quite nicely. She amazes me each day with how much she understands and how much already she acts like me or Don. Little things like nodding her head "no" when I ask her if she wants to go night-night. I always tell her no while shaking my head. Her "no" is a bit more emphatic however. She is certainly showing her strong will although some would argue she has had a strong will since her first week of life.

About 3 weeks ago, she suddenly decided it was okay to walk 95% of the time. One Monday afternoon it started and I have only seen her crawl a few times when she got tired. She has taken to circling around things or walking back and forth to chase the dogs who have learned quickly to use their evasive maneuvers from Inara.

Inara's vocabulary astounds me as well! She understands SO much more than she can say! She can point out her head, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, belly button, feet, toes, hand, and we are currently working on her chin. She knows what the dragon says and also what the cow, dog, leopard and a certain political figure says. She also growls for MOST animals if she doesn't know the sound. The words she can speak include doggie, daddy, mama (or mamamamamama), food (foooooh), bath (baaaa in a whisper), cat, cheese, keys, shoes, gohome, tree, monkey, horse, and a few I'm probably forgetting! My favorite is cookie. When she sees her box of cookies, she replies "cookieoh-gee-oh--gee-oh-gee-oh-gee". Her recent obsession is Veggie Tales. I got her a songs DVD that was short and to play every once in awhile. Well, now she asks for it daily, so you can't even say Veggie Tales and you can't sing the songs, because at that moment, she will get the DVD and bring it to me to play. I guess I know why she knows the word "no" so well. :)

As you can see from this lovely eating photo, she is learning to feed herself. She is still quite clumsy so most of the time I take over, but I try to let her make progress every so often.

Her coordination is getting better as well! She enjoys helping with the diapering process too. She shows you were to put the diaper and so on. She also enjoys walking up and down the stairs like a big person (of course with help). Walking has been nice while shopping because she stays right by me the whole time! I'm sure that will change...

She is also obsessed with outside. These past two weeks have prevented us from going out as much because of rain and late spring snow, but as often as she thinks of it, she wants to be outside!

Other random thoughts: We got a free piano this last month and she LOVES to tinker. She is also becoming a monkey and wants to climb on everything! She got up on the couch by herself once and is used to falling back and playing, but I was in the kitchen. So she fell back and bounced onto the floor instead. Poor girl, but I have a feeling this will happen often as she DOES NOT want my help! Today, she wanted so much to have my slippers on her feet and walk around. They kept falling off, but it was cute to see.
I have also learned that being a girly-girl is an innate characteristic. She loves putting "necklaces" on her neck and "bracelets" on her wrists and looking down with adoration. She already enjoys dress-up and less than 18 months old! She is also starting to stack the blocks instead of knocking them down. She plays with puzzles and shape sorters appropriately. She also loves reading books. For about a week she was anti-book, but now it has come back full force and she will stay on a page for me to get most of the words out!

I'm sure I will have to add more to this late, but in closing, I am so thankful to have such a sweet little girl in my life. (even though the nursery workers at church claim she is the most strong-willed child they have seen). I can't wait to see how she continues to mature and grow into a sweet and kind young girl.

More Birthday Pictures! Let Her Eat Cake!

2010-04-18T23:26:00.004-06:00

Watch Inara eat cake in reverse order!

How am I going to get this whole thing in my mouth?

Why is Daddy blowing out my candles?

Get it off my head!

There are too many pictures to post for her birthday! I guess I will have to do it in segments.

First Birthday Party! Some Gifts!

2010-04-13T23:24:00.003-06:00

Her Daddy made Inara this lovely toybox!

Get this party hat off of me!

Granddad couldn't pass on this chair for Inara. She LOVED It!

Reading a book with Organic Mickey Mouse!

Yummy! At least it's organic.

Hugs!

So Many Cute Christmas Outfits!

2010-04-13T23:03:00.005-06:00

Christmas Eve at the Harvey's

Another Dress!

We call this one her New Year's Eve Dress, a little less Christmasy, but still in the holiday spirit!

Priceless!

Time to Post Pictures from December!

2010-04-13T22:38:00.006-06:00

Okay, I have many updates to do and I'm completely skipping November. (Maybe I will find some cute pics from then anyway).

I keep forgetting that blogger uploads pictures in the opposite way I would think...These pictures in this post are from newest to oldest.

Here we are at the Aquarium for Inara's first birthday!

She LOVED all the fish!

Fun in the bubble

Practicing walking reluctantly

Fun Jelly fish picture

Two pictures of Inara going to cut down her first Christmas Tree! It was TOO windy and she got cold fast!

Helping Mama trim the tree...

Helping Daddy make my toybox I was not supposed to know about yet. tee hee

Talking Time...

2010-04-13T17:55:00.004-06:00

Inara is becoming quite loquacious these days! She is a very verbal child! She talks with a purpose, notice the end of the video..she's focusing on one person quite intently.

Note: The grandparents are just as silly here too!

February Flicks

2010-02-27T21:09:00.003-07:00

Okay, so I am far behind in my posts as I have starting working 12 hours a week. It really makes a huge difference! So even though I have yet to post pics from November, December, and January, but this is just to exciting NOT to post! It's even a little more exciting than Inara's first birthday, Sorry, Inara... I guess each new milestone might feel like this. I feel like she has been working on this one for so much longer than other accomplishments. Okay, now to the point! Inara took her first steps yesterday! February 26, 2010 she was taking 2-4 steps at a time! Here's the video!

Inara has also been doing the silliest things lately!

One evening, she wanted Dad to put her coat hood over her face. Then she would crawl around until she hit an obstacle, take off the hood and then ask for it to be put over her eyes again. I thought I had a good video, but of course she stopped by that time.

Starting laughing just to get us all laughing! and it's a good hardy laugh...

Grinding her teeth because of the reaction she gets from her mama. Yeah, I'm working on this, but it makes me cringe!

Thanks to Grandmama, if you ask Inara "What does the dragon say" she growls at you. She will growl at anything! Last night, she heard her daddy snoring and she growled back. She growls at the dogs, because, well, they growl at her. Any sound she hears that resembles a growl, you can expect to get one back!

Some cute things she does is singing or swaying to the music. My ringtone is the theme song from the Office and when she heard it come on TV the other day, she started to sway (dance as we call it).

Tonight she was so focused on what she was playing with and I started to sing the night, night song and she started to sway. I think she inherited my hearing...

She also likes to brush her hair and her teeth (with our toothbrushes of course).

Just yesterday, she first wanted her mittens on, then she requested her hat, and finally, about 30 minutes later, she wanted her big winter coat on. She spent all morning like this!

There are too many things to list! Here is video of her trying to feed herself acorn squash. What a mess!

Dirty Diaper Laundry GIVEAWAY!

2010-02-08T22:12:00.000-07:00

I recently found this great blog about cloth diapers (one of my obsessions). Here is an awesome giveaway for Rocky Mountain Diapers. I really want to try these...maybe I can afford them for baby #2 someday. :)
http://dirtydiaperlaundry.com/rocky-mountain-one-size-giveaway-sponsored-by-my-baby-pumpkin/

A Few More Thoughts

2010-01-27T12:49:00.001-07:00

I'm really having a hard time keeping up with blogging about how she progresses and the funny/sweet things she does. This morning, as I was getting ready, Inara wanting something in the drawer. So she opened it to get out my brush. Since she was able to hold her head up, I would always brush my hair and brush hers. She loved it! She has only done this once before, but she took the brush (this time with the bristles facing the right way) and brushed her hair. It was so sweet!

On the more ornery side of Inara....We are working on responding to the word "No" but it is a challenge! Right now, she enjoys feeding the dogs her food from the high chair. When her daddy would say "No", she got this look in her eye that was so mischievous. After a few seconds of holding the food out ready to drop, she gave daddy a little giggle. Oh boy. Have the terrible twos now become the terrible ones? No, she's really not that bad, but I guess we've got our work cut our for us. My mom, on the other hand, is quite "encouraging". She keeps saying things such as "You were never this energetic" or "Inara is quite tenacious", etc, etc. :) Tonight she was playing with the dog food bowls and Sedy has a food/water bowl combination. I had taken away the water dish so she wouldn't be soaked before bed, so she decided to get Gali's food bowl and replace the empty spot!

I'm also hopeful to start weaning her soon, but that is proving to be a lost cause right now. She eats pretty well during the day, but still wakes up often to nurse. hmm....I will keep at it, because nursing is starting to be a game for Inara. Not so much fun for Mama. And to top it off, I think some more teeth are starting to poke their way through and I read that molars can start coming any day now!

It's such a wonderful adventure!

Sign Language and Other Endeavors

2010-01-22T21:30:00.002-07:00

So I'm still behind in pictures and now it's quickly approaching 3 months behind verses the 2 I was so proud of! Oh well. I have so much to share but I think of writing about it at the most inopportune times! I'm sure I won't remember everything...

So what's new with Inara? Well, I guess I should start with the first part of the title. I started teaching Inara basic signs when she was about 7 months old. I would sign up, eat and more primarily. I took ASL in college, so I remember a few from that as well. In the last month or so, she all of the sudden just gets it! Well, she knows to sign something at least! For a week or so, she would only sign more for food and it was constant! And it was so adorable when she would sign 'all done' while sitting at the high chair. Sometimes I wonder though if she was signing just to see our proud reaction. My first clue was when she tried pushing the tray away from her. Once she got a hang of the signing thing I taught her random things like 'light' and she caught on right away. She looks up at the light and waves at it. Close enough right? On top of signing she points at everything!

Her favorite two words right now are dog (doggie) and Daddy. She sometimes says Gali or horse or other animal words. But it's very sad that she has taken a long break from saying Mama! She still puts everything in her mouth. She made me laugh the other night as she was crawling around, she had a rubber duck in her mouth...the head of the rubber duck!

Now that she is 13 months old, she is getting closer to walking each day. She doesn't crawl on her belly anymore and she does her version of assisted running from person to person. She's most confident when she is holding someone's hands, but now she is gaining more confidence by holding one hand instead of two.

I also need to post about her one-year appointment with the doc. She overslept that morning and I had to wake her up to get her to her 9:15 appointment on time! We were a bit late anyway, so I didn't have time to change her overnight diaper. Well at this appointment, they weighed her with her clothes on, full diaper and all and she was a whopping 17 lbs 2 oz. This put her in the 3rd percentile! I can only imagine what she really should have weighed. Her head size was about the same at 17 1/2 inches. I think that was in the 15th percentile? I'm being way too lazy right now to look it up. Her height was inaccurate and she was too upset to sit still. They didn't tell me that they do a blood count at this appointment and they had to prick her finger. She was not happy...

Well at 13 months she is eating more foods. Egg whites are still not okay, and she loves avacado, banana, and sweet potato fries. She's not the best sleeper as she wants to nurse twice at night still! We are working on this, but it's a challenge. Weaning will not be easy for this little girl! Another milestone...she had her first babysitter this last Monday! My good friend, Kyla offered to watch Inara for us last minute as Inara's Grandmama was too sick to do so! Kyla has a boy, Caleb, two months older and they had fun together! She wanted to be held by Kyla all night and when Caleb would come near, Inara would growl as if to say "stay away". Grandmama taught her how to growl at the dragon at her house, so I'm guessing she was more playing than really growling...hopefully!

Well, enough statistics about my daughter. All I really know is that it's so much fun to be a mom of such a sweet, fun-loving child. As I've headed back to work for 12 hours a week, I miss her dearly, but it also makes me think of how she will turn out. There are so many questionable influences out there and it's frightening to think of the choices she could make in life..choices that might alter the outcome. I guess all I can do is to teach her how to deal with all obstacles and choices the right way! God has a plan and we pray that he, too guides her along the way.

Designer Fabric - Quilting is FUN! :)

2010-01-03T20:06:00.006-07:00

From time to time, I post information on my blog about something I am strongly interested in. Right now it is quilting with designer fabric and making kids clothes as well. Here are some great designer fabric links.

I first got into designer fabrics when I was pregnant and I found a great Amy Butler fabric. Now I'm on the hunt for the fabric to make a medium sized quilt.

Some quilts made from designer fabric. I would LOVE to quilt a Dick and Jane quilt for a baby!
http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/MMF/DownLoad.cfm?Gid=1160

Super cute kids clothing patterns!~ Designs by Patty Young. She has fabric at the above link as well.
http://modkidboutique.com/patterns.html
http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/mainmenu.php
And the quilt! http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/pdfs/LotusQuilt.pdf

MODA: This seems like a large fabric company. Here are some designers through them:
http://www.unitednotions.com/un_main.nsf/mf_designers

Other favorites:

http://www.basicgrey.com/

http://www.unitednotions.com/un_main.nsf/erin-michael (the monkey fabric)

http://www.figtreequilts.com/

http://lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com/

http://www.unitednotions.com/un_main.nsf/momo

http://www.unitednotions.com/un_main.nsf/sanae

http://tulapink.com/

http://www.unitednotions.com/un_main.nsf/urban-chiks

http://heatherross.squarespace.com/ or http://www.heatherrossdesigns.com/
especially: http://heatherross.squarespace.com/far-far-away-for-kokka-of-japa/

http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/MMF/Swatch2.cfm?PageNum_query=1&Gnam=Ginger%20Blossom

I guess that is it for now!

Don's Grandma's Birthday Quilt - My First Quilt...

2010-01-03T18:54:00.014-07:00

Well, I'm not sure what inspired me to make this my first quilt. I guess I was at Joann's getting fabric for...something and I saw this cherry fabric in the center. I knew that Don's Grandma's 80th birthday was coming up and it seemed like the best idea for a gift for someone who has everything! I did not use a pattern, but I have been reading up on quilting and got some ideas. I sketched out a drawing and decided that I needed some more fabric.

This was just an idea I was toying around with. I knew squares would be the best idea for my first quilt.

I ended up with this design as I wanted the cherry fabric to pop out and be the focus. This was not a complex, designer quilt, but I like it's simplicity.

I chose to baste my quilt with curved safety pins. A lady at the store told me not to quilt with the batting I chose, but it was the best choice there, as I needed white batting, and not an unbleached one. She said it made her quilts pucker, but I had no problem when using a walking foot.

Here is the quilted top before binding is attached. I really like quilts that have a binding. I knew this would happen, but we had to have it ready for her birthday just after Thanksgiving and we were also visiting Delta for the holidays. I did all of the quilting there!

Free-motion quilting is on my list to try, but I needed simple, again for my first quilt. I love this diagonal pattern...

This is the finished product, finalized at Don's Grandma house about an hour before the party. WHEW! Don even helped hand sew the binding for me when I had to care for Inara, whom spent most of the week pretty ill.

The backing is a cute calico print that tied all the colors together.

Now back to the Cherries. Don's Grandma, Betty, spent most of her life in Paonia. Paonia has held a Cherry Days festival every 4th of July since 1947. Betty lived right across the street from the park where it was held each year. Her back yard held a few old cherry trees that produced the sweetest cherries that were ready to eat at previous 4th of July celebrations. Yum!

We of course, had to sign the back of the quilt. Thanks to Judy, my mother-in-law, I was able to use her machine, walking foot, as well as her embroidery machine to get things done. I really couldn't have finished it in time without that!

Betty is opening her gift!

I really hope she likes it. She mentioned hanging it on her wall for the 4th, but I hope she uses it as well. :) It measured about 40 by 60 inches. The perfect lap quilt and good size to start getting into quilting.

My next quilt is a cute kit I bought for Inara. It did not come with a binding, so I will need to find the fabric. It's smaller than this one, so it should go pretty quickly!

October Highlights 2009

2010-01-03T16:52:00.009-07:00

Okay, so after this post I will be only two months behind in posting pictures! I tried to post it last night, but with the template I have chosen, well, let's just say it didn't work out so well...ugh...

We went to the pumpkin patch in Loveland at Osborn Farms and Inara loved it! She thought the scarecrow from funny.

Christmas card this year!

Inara's Aunt Cheryl found this tiny pumpkin and she loved it!

Another great expression...

In this photo, she was in the middle of scrunching her face and blowing air fast through her nose. I need to catch this on video, it's great!

She loves the book she got from Grandma and Grandpa C. Inara loves to read anyway!

Yet another good one! Someday, she will be embarrassed by these photos. :)

For Halloween, Inara was a dog! Here, next to her friend, the hop cone, she is even acting like one! Lucky for my mother, whom purchased the costume before I was even pregnant, the costume fit her just fine!

It was difficult keeping her from our friend's stereo! She really enjoyed switching the discs...

She was infatuated with our friend's sheep costume! She loved the soft material and would not let go!

September Highlights 2009

2010-01-02T22:12:00.006-07:00

So it's been too long since I have been able to catch up on the blog, so I at least need to do a quick recap before I post the myriad of birthday/Christmas pictures of Inara. These are some of my favorites from September!

Just a cute outfit on a warm day...She fell asleep on our bed...so cute!

Dad's water bottle is so much fun!

The baby who stares at water bottles...She is using her mind to make the object come towards her. :)

For the life of me, I cannot remember why she was all dressed up this day...cute picture nonetheless.

What sort of expression is this?

Another sweet sleeping picture

Peaches! Still not eating much at this point...

Yes, I turned 30 this year! Inara is just flaunting my age

It's so exciting when she learned to use her toys...the right way!

Again flaunting my age!

Early Crawling! She starting this the day after my birthday!

Oops, I forgot a few updates, I think...

2009-12-09T15:48:00.002-07:00

So on our ride home from Kyla's house today, I was singing to try to calm Inara down. She was so tired and fussy because she was fighting sleep. She has done this a few times before, but she started to hum with me and make some similar sounds that I was making! It's so sweet! I think she might just have some of our musical genes.

She also has learned a third word! Dog. It comes out usually as Gog, but it's so cute. I really knew that it was legitimate when I was flipping through my Shaklee Catalog and she pointed to a picture of the dog in the cleaning section! Now most animals that resemble a dog are called Gog, but we are getting somewhere!

She also consistently dances to David Gray's music swaying back and forth or bobbing her head. And this morning, She heard Dad say goodbye as he left for work and she got excited to hear her voice (as she just woke up) and said "Dad" and waved in his direction. Waving consists of her hand opening and closing over and over. We were upstairs and he was down, but it was so precious!

We did also switch to her big girl car seat. I can't tell if she likes it or not, but at least she is not all scrunched up in the infant seat. Okay, I guess that is all I forgot to mention in last night's post!

Inara is ALMOST 1 YEAR OLD!

2009-12-08T23:20:00.003-07:00

So I'm still about three months behind on adding pictures of Inara and I think I will need to put it off a little longer yet. I have just finished my first quilt (pictures to come soon as well) for Don's Grandma's 80th Birthday and now I need to make Inara's stocking! We bought her a last minute stocking last year when she came BEFORE Christmas ten days early, but I found some fabric and would like to make the style of all our stockings match (except for the dogs stockings and yes they do have stockings!).

In the middle of our -8 degree weather this week, Inara seems to be changing in leaps and bounds! Over the last few weeks, she is finally crawling more and more on her knees instead of her standby army crawling. When she wants to get away (when I tell her not to do something) or chase after something quickly, she resorts to the army crawling.

She also has become so much more interactive and aware of her surroundings. Over the last month, she finally took an interest in solid foods. Anytime I would sit down to eat, she would reach for my food and make this sound over and over (uh, uh, uh). It's a bit higher pitched and that has become "I want, I want, I want". It's cute, but sometimes if she doesn't get what she wants right away, the uh, uh, uhs become UUUUHHH, UUUHHH, UHHHH!!!! Give it to me now! I usually give in...

She still enjoys standing up and pulling up on just about anything she can. Today, she even took a few precarious steps toward me holding my hands. And she is laughing a lot more. She is serious most of the time, but it's getting easier to play with her and have her play little games with us back!

Last but not least, and this is going to seem ridiculous to some and maybe great to other moms with stronger stomachs, but Inara now has big girl poopies! No more messy cloth diapers! It was like an overnight change!

Well, I think that is all for now! We are having a small family birthday for her this year so I will have more to post them. Man, where did this year go?

Current Inara Updates Oct. 20, 2009

2009-10-20T22:59:00.003-06:00

So I am still lagging behind on my photos of Inara. But at the very least, I can post what she is doing, even if I can't show you all!

Last week(ish) she decided that she want to climb the stairs. She got on the first step and was standing on her own (with the step of course). She loves doing it! She is still crawling like mad and not quite getting on her knees yet. It's just around the corner though!

She is also quite good at mimicking what we are doing. She began this habit by clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth. If you do it to her, she will do it back and often the same number that you did. It's adorable. But today, 2 days before her 10 month birthday, she will dance on command. She has to be standing or held, but when I would say "dance, dance, dance" she would wiggle back and forth. Again, so adorable.

Don had to work late on brewery stuff so he didn't get to see her before she went to bed. BUT as she has been doing, she is getting up every few hours so she got to see Don around 9 PM and she was all smiles! He passed her to me for food but before she ate, she was waiting for daddy to play the game they play. He comes at her from a few feet saying "Gonna get Inara!" with his hands out ready to tickle. She hides her head in my shoulder and laughs every time! Well, maybe I should be getting to bed since she is asleep, for now...

More Inara!

2009-10-14T01:04:00.003-06:00

Well, I have so much to catch up on with posting pictures, but it's quick to add anecdotes on how she is doing! Today, as we were installing gate number one at the bottom of the stairs, Inara decided to attemp to climb the first step. She pulled up onto it and stood there hunched over with legs straight. I didn't have my camera, so I took a picture with my phone. I'll try to download it soon! It was so cute! She is still mostly army crawling and she can move!

Another cute tidbit is that she is now calling us BOTH by name. Last thursday (Oct. 8, 2009), she said Dada! to Don! She also says Dad with a very emphatic last sound! daD! It's precious.

Another Inaraism that I have not yet written about is how much she LOVES animals. We purchased her gate on Craigslist and when we picked it up, they had a cat. She got so excited and shared with us her high pitched squeal of delight. When my parents were looking at puppies, I took Inara and there were 8 or so puppies in the barn stall to watch. Inara didn't know how to contain all of her excitement! If you didn't know her, you would think she had a problem! All she wanted to do was get down on the ground and chase them! Our dogs have learned to just run away! Someday, when she learns to walk, the baby gates might end up saving the dogs from Inara! (not the other way around)

New "Developments" in Inaraworld

2009-10-07T19:03:00.002-06:00

So Inara has been doing some funny things. Some are normal, but one is not so normal! First of all, these past few weeks she has been SOOOOOO excited to see her daddy when he gets home from work. He walks in the door and all he has to do is say something and she looks around searching from where his voice is coming. Once she finds he, she crawls (still army-like) as fast as she can to get to him. Sometimes she even squeals with joy.

I am also discovering that she does in fact know what the word NO means. I have been telling her "no" when she tries to pull all the dirt from the plants or trys to tug at the outlet covers on the wall. The reason I can tell she understands is that she now tries to crawl or roll away as fast as she can, usually with a smile on her face. This girl is going to keep my on my toes.

Lastly, I couldn't help but post this...Tonight we were all in her room playing with her on the ground (her favorite place to be) and she accidentally bonked my head. I happended to say "bonk" as she did it and that made her giggle just a little bit. So then she bonked my head again and daddy chimed in and we were both saying "bonk" in a childlike manner. She laughed so hard! She continued to bonk my head for about 10 times and one time it hurt me a little, but she laughed so hard! After awhile, she got tired, but a few minutes later, she tried to bonk her book.

Our First Investor! (Grimm Brothers Brewhouse)

2009-09-30T22:45:00.003-06:00

Jim Adams was our first investor in our business, The Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, LLC. He mentioned it to us years ago and since we are now official, he is more than excited!

More Time with Bennett, Annora and Inara

2009-09-30T22:38:00.002-06:00

Today, August 21, 2009, Jessie introduced met to Annora (also 8 months, same age as Inara) and her mom Jenn. We went book shopping!

Clockwise: Inara, Bennett, Annora Moms and babies: Notice each one is doing something different. Poor Bennett was not happy.

It's so hard to get a good shot of the babies!

Learning New Things

2009-09-29T18:45:00.002-06:00

Okay, I have learned that I cannot change the direction of this video, BUT she learned how to use this toy! It's so cute! End of August 2009.

Pre-Crawling Phase August 28, 2009

2009-09-29T18:35:00.005-06:00

Inara always find the smallest object on the floor and picks it up with her tiny fingers and examines it. She is very good with her thumb and index finger. In this photo, she found the stuffing from a dog toy. Needless to say, I vacuum about 3-4 times a week with these dogs!

I love this look! She is actually turning her tongue upside down! She was also trying really hard to scoot along the floor! Just cute!

100th Post! - Early Learning - Aug. 24, 2009

2009-09-29T18:33:00.004-06:00

This is the official 100th post of my blog! I started it when I found out I was pregnant with Inara, so it took a long time to get here! I still can't believe how old she is getting so quickly!

Inara is "learning" sounds and words. More like she plays with the cards and eat the buttons.

Time with the Temelkov's!

2009-09-28T16:35:00.005-06:00

Toshe, Jessie and Bennett August 23, 2009

Our friends from Macedonia (missionaries with Campus Crusade) were in town for 2 weeks! We had fun having lunch and dinner with them and Jessie and I even went book shopping for our little ones. That is ALWAYS fun! We were so blessed to be able to see them a year and a half after we visited them in Macedonia.

Toshe & Inara

Inara (with her tongue upside down) and Daddy

Another one of Toshe, Jessie, and Bennett

Inara is just old enough to bother Bennett when he can't fight back. :)

Again, Inara is abusing our good friend Bennett. :)

Peek-A-Boo!

2009-09-28T16:29:00.004-06:00

August 20. 2009

Recently, in an attempt to ease her to sleep, I had been playing with her through the cracks in her bumper set. This was hilarious for her and now she peeks through and also has started pulling her bumpers down to see completely over them. No more sneaking out of the room for me! I'll post those pics later...

Avacados. YUM! August 19

2009-09-28T16:21:00.005-06:00

Some of the avacados stayed in her mouth, but mostly, she pushed it out with her tongue. When will this girl eat? At least she was enjoying herself!

Fun Video...

2009-09-28T16:13:00.002-06:00

Inara has been making sounds with the extra fluid in her mouth. So funny! This was taken on the ride home from Buena Vista. We were so close to getting to Denver when highway 85 was closed! We had to drive all the way back to Breckenridge then to 1-70 and of course we hit traffic. A 3 hour trip turned into 6 hours. Thankfully Inara slept for 2 of those hours!

Family Reunion Part 4 - Buena Vista

2009-09-28T14:32:00.003-06:00

Inara was helping Grandpa take pictures. Lining up a good shot...
Nice view...

How do I push this button?

Inara with Bill and Barbara. At one point, Barbara got on the ground with Inara! It was very sweet!

Family Reunion Part 3 - Buena Vista

2009-09-28T14:16:00.003-06:00

I know this is a lot of Inara, but she is just so darn cute! The sun was hitting her just right and she LOVED exploring the grass. It was a gorgeous day!

Buena Vista Part 2 - Family Reunion

2009-09-28T14:13:00.001-06:00

Bill & Barbara Pasic

August 9 - A Hike to a small lake near Carter Lake

2009-09-28T14:01:00.002-06:00

I forgot the name of the lake...but we took a picnic up there and hiked around it. It was a gorgeous Sunday and Inara loved the flowers.

Aunt Nancy Visits (Laughing Inara)

2009-09-28T13:52:00.002-06:00

Nancy came to visit and Inara found it very amusing that Nancy had her knitted hat on her hand and was making a puppet out of it!

Buena Vista (Pasic) Family Reunion Aug. 15 - Part 1

2009-09-28T13:47:00.006-06:00

We went to Buena Vista in August for Don's Grandma's side of the family. I met a lot of people that I didn't know existed in his family and some of them he didn't even know! I guess they didn't always hang out with this side of the family. We did meet Don's Grandma's Brother Bill and his wife Barbara. Don's Grandma (Josephine) passed away several years ago. Bill and Barbara bought their land and built their own small house on it. Her garden has been featured in garden books and is WONDERFUL! Their view of Mt. Princeton is gorgeous! Here are some pics:

Hanging Out of Grandpa B's Lap - August 2nd

2009-09-28T13:38:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm almost caught up on photos. Just August and September to go. Here are some cute photos of Inara lounging on my dad's lap.

The Differences of Mama & Daddy

2009-09-25T00:58:00.004-06:00

There are a myriad of differences between Mama and Daddy. Mama is very meticulous and careful about every little thing when it comes to Inara. Daddy is a bit more haphazard in his methodology. It doesn't help he has a very short attention span.

Mama won't leave the house without bringing a hundred different things we MIGHT need for Inara on a short trip to the store, whereas Daddy might just bring Inara. Daddy might not dress Inara in a coat if it's mildly chilly because he says that's what HIS coat is for. They love to snuggle. Mama always brings a jacket, hat, and blanket because you never know what you might need.

Daddy is okay with cloth diapers, but he still requires some assistance from Mama. Mama has become quite good at putting cloth diapers on Inara while she is upside down.

But when all is said and done and when it comes down to it, it really doesn't matter how Inara is taken care of. What matters is that she is loved IMMENSELY and has all they she will ever need, in any form!

P.S. I stole this idea from an old friend on her blog. :)

Nursing Adventures & Bedtime Fun

2009-09-25T00:51:00.003-06:00

Inara is certainly a creative little one! She tries very hard to not eat solid foods and I just know I will be nursing her for years! :) But since she starting scooting/army crawling on her belly she has decided to nurse in this position as well. Half way through nursing, no matter how tired she actually is, she turns over and nurses that way. I don't know how she does it since half the time her eyes are closing and her head is collapsing towards the pillow or bed. And without going into too graphic detail, she sometimes rolls back to her back and doesn't let go. OUCH!

Today, she also fed herself banana chunks. Okay, most of the food did not make it into her mouth, but she did eat a bite or two! Usually, she is so busy playing with her food that it ALL ends up on the ground! The dogs are loving hanging out near the high chair.

Tonight was something entirely new. First of all, she slept until 11 am this morning. We are all recovering from whatever got us sick. She has the sniffles and pressure in her head, my poor girl. She had a great nap this afternoon and then went to bed at 7pm. That only lasted an hour and it's 1 am and she is STILL awake. She is screaming whenever we put her in her crib and she has figured out how to pull the bumpers down to look out the front of her crib to see if we are coming back. She has us wrapped around her tiny, sweet fingers. Dad has taken over and hopefully he will have better luck!

9 Month Stats

2009-09-22T21:13:00.003-06:00

Today is Inara's 9th month in our lives and she is thriving quite well! She has so much energy that it's 9:15 tonight and she is WIDE awake as I'm posting this to my blog. She also very clearly said MAMA when I walked into the room sunday morning and tonight, said Mom and reached for me. :) Of course I'm extremely proud!

Here's her stats. Dr. Cranor was out sick today like the rest of the world and we saw the Doc in his last months of residency. He was quite nice! As usual, she did not get any shots so she actually doesn't mind going to the doctor's office. It was a bit cold in there to be nearly naked!

I fully expected her to weigh 18 pounds, but she did not...

Weight: 15 pounds, 13 ounces (8th %ile) - (she weighed 14 lb, 10 oz at 6 months)
Height: 27 1/2 Inches (50th %ile)
Head circum: 17 1/2 Inches (70th %ile)

She is still crawling and getting into anything she can that is not a toy! She still won't eat much solid food. I'm going to try veggies next. She seems to prefer savory foods when I give her tasters of my food. Well, I'm going to see if she is finally ready for bed! (mostly because I am...)

Laughter Sometimes is the best medicine

2009-09-12T17:57:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7FWJ2yQseI

Videos From July 26 with Friends

2009-09-09T13:07:00.003-06:00

July 26 - Time with Flesners, Bartmanns, and Westerfields

2009-09-09T12:55:00.006-06:00

Just Chillin' Out

Elizabeth doens't want to be on the floor and Inara is interested to know why

Danica and Elizabeth playing together Mary & Elizabeth

Heather & Danica

We are each holding each other's babies! I have petite Elizabeth.

The Dads

Precursor to Crawling - July 2009

2009-09-09T12:49:00.002-06:00

Of course I missed getting video of her moving more!

One More Sleeping Picture - July

2009-09-09T12:47:00.002-06:00

She always falls asleep in the car. It's so cute...

July 2009 SLEEPY BABY

2009-09-09T12:45:00.001-06:00

Just a few months ago, she really started enjoying to play in her crib to get herself to sleep. She fell asleep with this book on her head! I had to silence the camera and turn off the flash to keep her asleep. I wish I could get more sleeping pictures!

Just Some Cute July Stuff

2009-09-09T12:19:00.003-06:00

Janelle was sweet enough to give us some extra clothes and this cute number was in the stash! Inara can't decide if she likes hats or not. I think they are more fun for her to play with.

Grandmama's Birthday July 14, 2009

2009-09-09T12:15:00.002-06:00

My mom was home alone on her birthday so we decided to have her over for dinner and gluten free dessert. We had birthday flan and Inara was helping her celebrate!

Inara and Her Friends... July 2009

2009-09-08T22:42:00.005-06:00

Inara & Anja July 8 2009 at Janelle's House

Inara and Anja examining each other...

July 2009 with Caleb. She actually tried to eat his toe for a split second.

She's ALMOST Crawling!

2009-09-08T16:33:00.002-06:00

Well, I still have so many pictures and videos to post that I hope to get done this week, BUT I wanted to post her crawling progress. Just this last week, just before my birthday, Inara began scooting just a small bit. She was practicing getting up on her toes or in the downward facing dog pose and trying to move her body forward. Just this last weekend, Sunday mostly, she began getting up on her tippy toes while laying on her belly, and using her arms and toes to move herself forward.

Today, Tuesday the 8th, she was cruising in this fashion! Both dogs were doing their best to evade any possible Inara "attack" that would come their way. I think we will have to watch Sedy closely. She is the most grumpy. Gali doesn't mind a bit...he just walks away. The piece of furniture that is the hardest to baby proof is the entertainment center. There are all sorts of buttons and cords and movies to pull out. She has already made her way there. She attempted to take out one movie that was at the bottom of a stack. I could just see them all toppling on her head!

The Dog toys also have to go up high unless I want her to chew on their bones. YUCK! I will have to post video of her actions. It's just so much fun! So anyway, signing off until next time...

Just some rambling updates!

2009-08-24T17:38:00.002-06:00

So I have many pictures to catch up on these last few weeks, BUT I need to record some things that Inara is doing these days!

Firstly, she is finally taking two naps a day! Some days they are short and some are a little longer. She just enjoys being awake and doesn't want to miss out on a bit!

As of about 2 weeks ago, she is now sleeping on her belly. I started by placing her on her back as usual and not more than 5 minutes later she would be asleep on her stomach. But other times, she plays in her crib for 30 minutes plus and falls alseep in the strangest positions.

She is also desperately trying to crawl! For awhile she was scooting backwards...sometimes she rolls from back to front, front to back to get where she wants. Sometimes she rests her head on the ground and pushes up on her feet to try to scoot herself forward. She also enjoys spinning on her belly to move around! And she's always trying to reach something that is not a toy! I really need to start baby proofing my house! :)

Lastly, for now, as of last week, she is saying the 'M' sound. I hear a lot of mamamamamama or sometimes it's just mama or mom by itself. I don't know if she is saying my name or not, but I'd like to think she is! She has been saying dadadadada for along time, so I'm glad she is finally moving on to new sounds! I have been teaching her sign language as well. I'm trying to incorporate it into almost everything I say to her, but it's a challenge. I hope she will start to mimic the signs in a few months.

She is my serious girl and very observant. She loves watching how things work and tries to take things apart. I can tell the wheels in her mind are turning over and over to come up with solutions! And I can't believe she is already 8 months old!

Hike to Hanging Lake, Beautiful!

2009-08-05T22:37:00.003-06:00

A view as we were hiking up the trail.

What a beautiful, petite lake! The water was so clear!

Don't pay attention to the mom who is still trying to lose the baby weight.

Under the falls above the lake. It was wet!

Inara was so tired from all the hiking, she fell asleep on our way back down! I wish I could sleep anywhere. And holding Daddy's hand, no less.

And MORE 4th of July

2009-08-05T22:24:00.002-06:00

View from Great Grandma's House. Not to bad! :)

4 Generations, Inara is not pleased to have to pose for yet ANOTHER photo!

Just a nice picture, I think...

Don woke Inara up to see the fireworks. She watched sometimes, but was easily distracted. Youl could see them from the front yard of Grandma and Grandpa's house.

More 4th of July!

2009-08-05T22:17:00.004-06:00

Happy Little Sunshine~!

Inara and her Great Grandma Betty!

Inara watching the parade.

A tired Inara watching the parade...

Paonia Cherry Days Parade!

2009-08-05T22:03:00.004-06:00

The Paonia Cherry Days Festival is every 4th of July and it's fun! It was hot today, so that wasn't so fun, but these were some excerpts from the parade!

Okay, for some reason the pictures loaded strangely...
This first one is one of the class reunions they have in the parade. I saw 4 classes come through!

This tractor has Don's Uncle Bill and Cousins inside!
I wish I would have caught the name of these women with shovels. It made me laugh!

Of course you always have the clowns! It wouldn't be a parade without them!

A Little Hike up near that park off 34 Canyon Park, whatever it's called..

2009-07-11T22:48:00.004-06:00

There is a little stone shelter at the top of this lookout. It's a really short hike to the top and great for a walk after work.

Some June Updates 2009

2009-07-11T22:38:00.002-06:00

It was a cold day in may and this was the only time she wore this gift (her outfit). At Anna's 30th Birthday Party! Also a chilly day....

This is the bonnet I made for Inara, but it's too big. Hopefully it will fit this winter!

Inara getting snuggly with Daddy. I love it when she cuddles.

Meeting Daddy at the Park. Thanks Anna for the cute onesie!

Some May Updates

2009-07-11T22:31:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Don's 30th with his parents in Estes Park. It was a nice day!

I realize that there are not many pictures of Inara and me since I'm usually taking the pictures. This one is okay, but I have to take some sometimes!

Inara with Carole and Abi Harvey.

I wonder what is going through her mind right now...notice Tom and John in the background...

The Strangest Things are So Cute!

2009-07-11T15:31:00.003-06:00

I get the best videos of her in her swing! She was doing this for only a few days and then it stopped.

New Cloth Diaper Giveaway! I love this blog...

2009-07-05T22:42:00.001-06:00

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2009/07/fluff-friday-36-super-giveaways.html

Kelly's Closet has a great giveaway this week! I'm so excited to hear that Kissaluvs have a new one size! I want to try it! I have tried 5 different diaper combinations and still want to test...these look great!

Cloth Diaper Giveaway!

2009-06-29T20:04:00.000-06:00

So I've recently found a huge world of cloth diapering bloggers! It's amazing all the giveaways that they offer, so here is an AMAZING ONE!!!

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2009/06/fluff-friday-35.html

6 Month Stats!

2009-06-25T15:18:00.000-06:00

Today Inara had her 6 month checkup! She weighs 14 lbs 10 oz! (25%ile) her head is 17" in circumference (75th %ile) and she is 26" long (70th %ile).

Yesterday she had her first official chiropractic appointment and that was much more exciting! Dr. Dahl tested her eyes and some common reflexes that might indicate abnormalities. He also adjusted her right hip and her lower cranium and neck. The veins that are prominent on her left forehead are due to pressure from the cranial plates and he will do more adjustments to completely fix her up! He also felt her belly area to check for normal issues like reflux and others and there is nothing wrong with her! She is so healthy and happy!

We are so blessed!

Day One of Roadtrip - Inara's Obsession With Drinking Containers

2009-06-16T15:36:00.000-06:00

Fun Website

2009-06-16T15:35:00.001-06:00

http://www.erasofelegance.com/cooking/victorianrecipes.html

Sleeping Daddy, Wide Awake Inara

2009-06-16T15:33:00.000-06:00

Again a Future Knitter!

2009-06-16T15:31:00.001-06:00

Inara want to play with anything in sight and this time it happened to be my knitting project...incidentally a bonnet for her.

A Bubbly Experience

2009-06-16T15:26:00.001-06:00

My Cousin Jared would blow bubbles, catch them on the thingy (not sure what it's called, a wand maybe?) and then give them to Inara to pop. He loved doing it! That's not his arm in this picture, that's another cousin...not sure of name... And again...see the lake in the background!

Watching bubbles...

The Family Reunion At the Farm June 6, 2009

2009-06-15T22:29:00.000-06:00

A very tired girl, who would not nap during the reunion. too much going on!A smile even though she was tired. She always smiles at Grandmama!

She loves Daddy's new hat! She chewed on it as much as she could...

The old farmhouse that looks 1000 times better than when I was growing up! It has new siding, a new foundation, new windows, new floors and a new bathroom! And a majority of the clutter has been removed.

She slept a small amount in Daddy's arms. That is tired...

My Great Aunt Darlene's House

2009-06-15T22:24:00.000-06:00

I spent many hours swimming in this pool. Wish it was warm enough for Inara's first swim! My Aunt Darlene has an extreme hobby of bonsai trees. Here is one...

There are more bonsai behind the pool...

Here are many more bonsai trees! She wrote a book...literally

St. Louis - Botanical Gardens Part 2

2009-06-15T22:17:00.000-06:00

Again, Last pictures first!
Inara wearing Grandmama's hat! so cute

Near the Japanese Garden

I want that map! I love to chew on paper...

Where is the map? I want it, but can't see it! darn hat...

Next Stop - Botanical Gardens

2009-06-15T22:07:00.001-06:00

I hate how it posts my last pictures first. It must be a setup option...arg... Above is Inara looking at the tropical flowers in the Climatron. It's the geodesic dome in a later picture.

Glass scuptures in the Climatron

The Climatron!

St. Louis Trip - Boulevard BreweryTour

2009-06-15T21:59:00.001-06:00

This was on our way to St. Louis. We stopped at Boulevard Brewery to take a tour. I loved the hardwood flooring! Can I have that in my house?

Don Turned 30!

2009-06-15T21:55:00.000-06:00

Well, I don't have any pictures of Don turning 30, but I do have the recipe for Don's Beer cupcakes! We made chocolate frosting instead and it was AMAZING!!!

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/car-bomb-cupcakes/

One more cool cloth diaper site!

2009-05-30T23:34:00.000-06:00

www.smartipants.com

I want to try this diaper as it looks so similar to bumgenius without the second liner and it's a lot cheaper! I hope it works out!

Cloth Diapering

2009-05-24T12:04:00.000-06:00

Well, I have recently realized that I know my priorities have changed when I get excited about cloth diapers! I chose to use cloth diapers most of the time for the following reasons. I first wanted a material that would not harm my little girl. Disposables have so many chemicals in them...Secondly, I wanted to save money. There is a larger up front cost, but after that, you save a lot of money on the cloth! (especially if you use prefolds, like I would have worn as a baby!) Thirdly, it's good to go "green". I think that term is overused and it's not my main goal, but it's still important not to fill our landfills more than necessary.

Here are some great websites for those interested in cloth diapering!

http://www.diaperjungle.com/detergent-chart.html

http://www.diaperpin.com/

I can't wait to visit this store in St. Louis! A lot of people rave about it
http://www.cottonbabies.com/

http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/diapers/joy-of-cloth.html

This is what I use so far. http://www.bumgenius.com/

I want to try these out... http://www.thirstiesbaby.com/AIO.htm

http://www.happyheinys.com/

http://www.greenacredesigns.com/

The best newborn diapers according to most. http://swaddlebees.com/

Not sure if I would buy a used diaper... but it's a great resource anyway!http://diaperswappers.com/

She Finally Rolled Over!!!

2009-05-24T10:12:00.000-06:00

Some say by 4 months, they should roll over! She rolled over one day after her 5th month bday. Here is the video I got the next day. She rolls over quickly now. The first time she rolled, I could tell she was going to and it took her several minutes to gather up the courage to do so! The sound in the background is Don milling some grain. Noisy!

Mom got a new Camera!

2009-05-24T09:59:00.001-06:00

My old camera was not doing well...as it made my friend look like a ghost in one picture! It was also putting stripes in precious pictures of my Inara, SO we got a new one. Let's see how well it does. Here are some of the first pics we took with it!

Inara Brewing with Daddy...

Her small hand is on the handle as well!

Books at Bedtime

Wow! That flash is bright! But look at my cute cloth diaper!

Updates -- Almost 5 months old!

2009-05-19T15:44:00.000-06:00

Still no turning over! I lay her on her belly to encourage it and she lays her head down and gets tired. So I "help" her roll by by helping her to her side and she gets this look on her face like she is scared and "what is going on here?". She rolls and then starts playing again!

She is still teething, but it hasn't become worse yet! She has also discovered her feet and helps me out a great deal on the changing table by lifting her feet for me! She is also now in cloth diapers - BumGenius - 75% of the time and they are great! She is a slim baby so I expect them to last a long time as they adjust for the sizes!

She has become more talkative and playful now which means also she is getting bored more quickly. We try to accomodate her but we just can't do it all the time. She will learn some patience now and hopefully stick with it!

Napping is still in the works. She has started to want a morning nap and only sometimes an afternoon nap! Hopefully this summer we can get on a schedule. I think that's it for now! I have to keep writing my thoughts so I don't forget what she has done so far!

April 7, 2009 Last catch up photos for now...

2009-05-08T13:32:00.000-06:00

Laughing....

and Talking....

And Eating my own fist...

Just plain cute!

March 29, 2009 More Old pics to post...

2009-05-08T13:20:00.000-06:00

Wow! Grandpa and I love watching the ceiling fan! It's spinning so fast!

Bright Eyes!

An okay picture of Mom and a cute one of Inara. :)

March 13, 2009 Older pics...but too cute not to share!

2009-05-08T13:04:00.001-06:00

Grandmama made Inara a Mr. Bean TEddy Bear! She loves it! Classic Inara "looks"

Big Yawn!

4 Months and 2 Weeks Checkup!

2009-05-07T13:40:00.000-06:00

This is just an update on her stats. I will have to post the new pictures soon!!!

Weight 13 lbs 3 oz. 25%ile ( I could have sworn she was closer to 14 lbs!)
Height Just over 25 inches (I would say 25 1/4) 75%ile
Head Circum. 16 1/2 inches - 70%ile

The doctor asked if she had good head control and she does. She loves to use our hands to pull herself up to sitting. She hasn't rolled yet, but that might be because she doesn't enjoy being on her belly. I will keep working with her to get to turn over. But she will do it only when she wants to! She has been teething and loves to chew so we expect teeth in the next few months. She is really starting to talk a lot and interact a whole lot and is just so much fun! Napping is settling into one good nap in the afternoon and possibly a short on in the morning. We are getting somewhere with that end! She sleeps on average 9 hours at night and loves her crib. She will fall asleep easily to her mobile music or the CD of lullaby tunes. Ah, the simple days...

Reading

2009-04-26T21:08:00.000-06:00

Inara loves to read books and she even likes to help me turn the pages. She has a book about colors she loves to touch and grab and eat sometimes. I could keep her captivated hours with books! That's my girl...

Random Sleeping positions

2009-04-26T18:32:00.001-06:00

Inara often nurses and then falls asleep on the Boppy pillow. I slowly move her to the side and here is how she ends up (when she doesn't wake up). It's too cute...She also enjoys sleeping on her side.

Some of her last days in the bassinet.

2009-04-26T18:30:00.000-06:00

I had to try on her new bow!

Nursery Pictures, Finally!!!!!!!

2009-04-26T18:19:00.001-06:00

Well, It only took me a year, but I got the nursery done thanks for Sara for helping me paint the dots. Don wanted pink elephants, but it was his job that never finished... oh well! Below are the first hand and foot prints of INara her first weekhome! So cute! I ran out of nails, so only one is hung.... This is the corner by the door, we even painted the clock---Sara did...

View of the stuffed animals..

Opposite side--the changing table...

I got a mobile that matches the bumpers I sewed. They have purple butterflies on them.

Just more information! 4 Months old!

2009-04-26T18:06:00.000-06:00

Well Inara has been teething for a month and a half now. I wonder when she will cut her first tooth. She is drooling so much that her outfits are often soaked! Her 4th month check up will be two weeks later as the doc is busy...

Today, after her bath, I put her in her bumbo seat today and she seemed to love it! I took her out after about 10 minutes as I could tell she was about to get annoyed.

3 month stuff...4 Months old next week!

2009-04-18T22:07:00.000-06:00

So pics of Easter and Inara will be posted soon, but I keep thinking I need to write these things down in a blue journal I have, but I thougth others would like to know how she is doing!

She is very talkative and lets you know what she wants and when she wants it!She loves looking at new things and books are her best friend right now. She is now trying to hold the books herself, but she usually ends up trying to put it in her mouth. She has been teething for several weeks, bring on the drool and fusses when it hurts. I don't blame her. I have a great teething gel that seems to help. I bought her this fancy teether from whole foods and she prefers her fist.

Daddy took her on her first Zoo trip on Good Friday! He had the day off, so he wanted to start a tradition of Inara and Daddy day. They had fun and she especially liked watching all the fish swim around. Don now wants to get her a gold fish...Oy vey! She was a stubborn girl though and would not take a bottle from Daddy, so they made a stop at my school for a quick feeding....Silly girl.

On Easter, we were playing video games at my parents house and she was laughing at the cartoon-like creatures on the screen! It was adorable!

Gali is very protective of her. We have our routine and when Inara is upstairs napping or in bed for the evening, she cries sometimes a few seconds and then falls back asleep. Gali hears her and has to run upstairs to make sure she is okay. Tonight, she heard a baby cry on the TV and ran upstairs anyway. I thought it was cute...

Inara has been trying to roll, but usually only gets halfway there. She is also sleeping about 9 hours at a time as of this week! When she was 2 months old, she was sleeping 5-7 hours at at time and now it's 6-9 hours at a time! She wakes up very hungry! She has been napping in her room, but I just can't bear to have her sleep SO far away from me. :) it's silly I know. She's getting too big for her basinette. I did some measurements of my own at 3 months and she was about 12 pounds and 24 inches long! We have our next appointment in early May, so we will find out where she is at then.

I will post pictures of her nearly completed nursery and of Easter soon! I have yet to put up a chair rail and matching curtains yet. These things take time and money! Soon and very soon...

3 Months Old Now!

2009-03-29T23:14:00.000-06:00

Just yesterday Don read a book called Are You Ticklish? and it has fuzzy material and other textures on it. Once he got to that part of the story, she would automatically touch each textured part of the story. The second picture shows her touching it. She did this on each page! I was amazed at least... There she is touching it!

Christine Comes to Visit! INara was quite fussy for her, but oh well...