Daddy and Daughter

It's that time of year again... not just time for the holidays, but time for Stephen to be swamped with work. As we all know, the great thing about being a teacher is having the summers off-- but for the rest of the year, being an English teacher is an all-consuming job, especially as the end of each semester nears. The workday doesn't end at 5:00 p.m., and the weekends are rarely "off," especially for someone with 96 students. I can't even remember the last time Stephen was able to come home after work, eat supper, and relax for the rest of the night. The last three months of each semester are ridiculously busy for him, beginning with the first round of essays he receives for grading.

Our lives have evolved around universities for the entire time we've known each other, so for better or worse, we've long been accustomed to the insanity of spending late nights in front of the computer screen and weekends without any free time. But now that we have Bella, I want things to be different. I don't ever want for Stephen to look back at his life and wish that he'd spent more time with Bella as she was growing up, because that is one wish that cannot be granted, and once this fleeting period of our life is over, that's it. There's no going back to Bella's childhood, and before we know it, she'll be too busy and cool for us.

So our challenge for this semester is to make family time a priority each and every day (as opposed to Stephen being engulfed by his work all day, and all night, which can very easily happen to him at this point in the semester). As the fall semester has progressed, we've found some semblance of a routine that works well for us and gives Stephen and Bella one-on-one time together (which means I get some much-needed solitude for myself as well)...

When the weather is nice, Stephen will often take Bella for a walk outside after he gets home from work. This gives him some exercise and a chance to release the stress of the day, Bella loves it, and I get some time alone to cook while listening to music of my choice (a relief after hearing automated tunes on Bella's toys all day).


He helps feed Bella her supper (or "slop," as he calls her mushy food) while I finish cooking our supper.


Since I'm the slowest eater on earth, Stephen usually ends up holding Bella and playing with her at the table while I finish my food. Then he entertains her while I clean up the kitchen. Sometimes this entertainment comes in the form of dancing with her, reading to her, or serenading her on the guitar.


Next comes Bella's most-loved part of the day, bath time!


Stephen does a great job of making bath time fun for her. By this point, he's ready for dessert, and often tries to get a nibble of her luscious side-meat.


If he's still hungry, Bella will usually let him take a nip at her toes.


And inevitably he has to blow on her belly to get some giggles.


Eventually, she finds her way into her p.j.s (and tries on a pink terrycloth wig).


Then it's time for baby to go to bed, and for Stephen to sit down in front of the computer for more grading.

All of this takes from two to three hours, and it's the highlight of our day. It's ironic, all these things Stephen does with Bella could be seen as babycare chores-- bathing, feeding, dressing, changing-- but they are the foundation of their bond. And after Stephen has done this nightly ritual with Bella, he's like a different person from the one who walked in the door after work. He's refreshed, relaxed, and happy. (I hate to think about how much fathers missed out on, back when they didn't participate in these joyful little baby tasks.) After a busy day, I can't think of any better reward for an overworked father than to spend time with his precious little girl. Bella always manages to brighten up Stephen's day with her irresistible baby charm.

The State Botanical Garden of Georgia

I've gotten way behind on posting my blogs... here are some pictures taken in October before Bella turned six months old, at the botanical gardens we're fortunate to have just a few miles from our house.



Bella giving Stephen a new 'do.


This little girl gets plenty of love!




Somebody loves her Daddy!


Bella's a little attached to her Mommy!


Picking flowers.


Checking out some echinacea. Bella couldn't keep her eyes off the flowers!


Excited!


My happy girl!


The last time we hung out at the Botanical Gardens, Bella was still in my belly! (And apparently I was wearing the same blue t-shirt.)

The Melting Point

Stephen's band played their third show a couple of weeks ago at The Melting Point, one of the most desirable music venues in Athens (chosen as one of the top 40 music venues in the country by Paste Magazine!). It's a cool historic building with a beautiful bar and semi-gourmet food served up at tables in front of an intimate stage. Stephen's parents came out to stay with Bella at home so that I could go to the show, so it was sort of our first date in seven months, even though it wasn't exactly a date... but it was still nice to go out past 7:00 p.m., and hang out with other adults! The guys had a blast playing there, Stephen sounded great, and I entertained myself by taking over 300 pictures, which I haven't been able to do at the other shows because Bella was always on my hip!









While Stephen's folks were here, they also watched Bella while I went to the doctor, the grocery store, and cooked... it's nice having someone around to babysit!

Roly Poly

Look who's decided she LIKES being on her tummy!



Just a couple of weeks ago, Bella had no interest whatsoever in rolling onto her stomach. Then one morning I had her doing tummy time on MY tummy, and something clicked. She realized she had a cool point of view from what Stephen calls the "Sphinx" position. That night, she made two complete rolls on her own, conveniently timed while she was being viewed by Dad, Mema, and Sonya via Skype, and she's progressed quickly from there. Today she rolled all the way across a room! My child is suddenly mobile. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!



I am SO not mentally ready for this. What happened to the newborn phase?? How is it over already? Can someone stop the clock, please?!

The good news is that I no longer have to fret over whether she's getting enough tummy time since she is getting plenty on her own. The bad news is that I can't seem to get our house baby proofed fast enough! Electric outlets and wires are obvious targets, but there are other things that I never considered. For example, I'm not so sure that I want Bella gnawing on the coffee table legs and the bottom hem of our couch slipcovers, but that is exactly what she managed to do this afternoon. Bella is delighted with all of the new territories and objects that are now within her domain. She is no longer confined to the pink blanket I place her on, or the toys I hand to her. I am finding more uses for the word "no" in my daily rhetoric with her, but she is oblivious to its meaning, and just looks at me with an angelic smile and a sweet baby giggle.







Look how she's pushing her little butt up into the air... she's trying to push herself around on the floor already. No luck with that for her yet, but I just know she's going to be creeping and crawling WAY too fast, and I am about to start burning an extra 500 calories a day from a new workout called "The Bella Boogie Chase."

Little Auburn Girl

It was easy deciding what Bella should be for her first Halloween: an Auburn cheerleader, of course! Those itty-bitty uniforms used to give me SERIOUS baby fever, so we thought it only appropriate that we get one for Bella!



And what a GREAT year it is to be an Auburn fan! Auburn is currently undefeated, ranked #1 in the BCS, AND is privileged to have the current #1 contender for the Heisman trophy, quarterback Cam Newton. So the great thing about this costume is that it can be worn several times... there's the Iron Bowl in a few weeks, and perhaps the SEC championship, then maybe, just maybe, the National Championship... Okay so maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. But regardless, War Eagle!!!!

The Athens Mother's Center had a Halloween party Bella got dressed up for. (No trick-or-treating this year!) Luckily, most of the people who go there moved here from out of town, so there weren't too many die-hard baby Georgia fans (a.k.a. Auburn haters) to shun Bella =) Here's Bella with one of her baby buddies, 10-month-old Nicholas (a.k.a. Mickey Mouse). We saw sooo many cute costumes! I'm looking forward to when Bella can pick out her own costume and have fun on Halloween!

28 Times 'Round the Sun

Stephen asked me what I wanted for my birthday, but how could I possibly ask for more than this?? These two are more than I ever could have asked for, more than I ever could have dreamed of.



When I was a little girl, my mom told me not to get married until I was 28, so I grew up thinking that I would be lucky just to be married to a good man by now (not sure why 28 was the magic number for Mom). But here I am, with a sweet husband who has been by my side for almost a decade, and an amazing little girl who brings us laughter every day and more love than I ever could have imagined.



















Instead of asking for more on my birthday, I'm just profoundly grateful for everything I've been blessed with already-- a caring family both near and far, supportive friends both old and new, a life rich in experiences both good and bad, for all of the love that surrounds me every day.

Halfway 'Round the Sun

Wow! I can't believe my baby is already half a year old. She is no longer an unresponsive, cuddly lump like she was in the beginning. She is now one of the most inquisitive, funniest, happiest, most flirtatious babies I have ever known.

Bella now weighs 16.5 lbs, and she's 26.5" long. Her body length and head circumference are both in the 70-90%, and her weight is finally getting closer to the 50% (after losing weight after birth, she was in the 5-10% for weight, so she has come a long way since then!). She's finally starting to get the chubby baby look, with a permanent fat roll in her left thigh, and little creases on her wrists between her arm fat and hand fat. Her cheeks are so plump and luscious-looking that I just want to nibble on them! And what a sweet soft round little belly she has.

Look at how much Bella's grown! Here she is during her first bath when she was just a few weeks old:

And here she is at six months old! She's almost outgrown the tub!


Bella can almost sit up unsupported, and she can stand up on her own while holding onto something for balance. Standing is still her very favorite position to be in. She can pass objects from one hand to the other and her eye-hand coordination is incredibly good. She has started doing lots of back to tummy rolls, though she never stays on her tummy for long before rolling onto her back. (We've been trying to have her do tummy time on top of our chest, which she tolerates a little better.) I can no longer set her down on the floor, look away, and expect her to be in the same place when I look back down a few seconds later. Time to do some serious baby-proofing!

Tricking Bella into doing some tummy time on her Boppy pillow!


We finally started Bella on solids (rice cereal last week, baby oatmeal this week, food with actual flavor will be served up next week). I know a lot of people start sooner, but since I have food allergies, waiting until six months is supposed to lessen her chances of getting them too. Also, after all the stress of moving, I was in no rush to start The Baby-Feeding Challenge, which I've already battled with my little brothers, and with babies at the preschool where I used to work. Eating will never again be as simple as popping out a boob, and knowing that it is providing the best nutrition possible, isn't making a mess, and Bella isn't complaining about not wanting it. (Those were the easiest meals I've ever prepared!) I am in awe that my body, which I take so much for granted, has been the sole support of this little human for 15 months since Bella's conception. 16.5 pounds of Mommy-grown goodness. It's almost unbelievable that my body is capable of creating something this amazing. Now we have the responsibility of getting her started on the right track for a lifetime of healthy eating. Talk about pressure!!

Here she is after a delicious round of oatmeal.




She tries to bite everything!


Bella has been drooling and stuffing things into her mouth for several months, but she hasn't gotten any teeth in just yet. Her two bottom teeth are just below the surface of the gum, and we have gone through several nights of teething woes already.

Bella is now at a point where she can put herself to sleep almost every time we put her down in bed. Yay! She sleeps through the night most nights, and sometimes she will put herself back to sleep when she wakes up. When she needs some help getting to sleep, a little tummy patting and "shhh"-ing will usually get her there. Now teething is probably going to mess up all the hard work we've gone through to get her to this point! Drats!

I finally got around to reading The Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg, and it has made a tremendous improvement in my daily life with Bella. She is like a whole different baby now-- so much happier-- yet I don't think she has changed, rather my ability to understand her has changed. It's taught me to do a much better job of recognizing what she's trying to communicate, especially when she's tired. And it's surprising, when you pay attention, at how many different ways she has of communicating. She says, "Geeeee," and makes a gurgling sound, only when she's upset. She kicks her legs, flaps her arms, and says, "Ha, ha, ha," in a breathy voice when she's excited. She tenses her body straight, looks imploringly into my eyes, and says, "Ahhhh," when she's bored and wants a new toy to play with. She sucks her thumb, rubs her eyes, yawns, looks away and arches her back when she's tired. When she's hungry, she bites down desperately on anything she can get her gums on. There's also the long loud wail when she's in pain, and the sweet giggles when she's entertained. Bella's cries are no longer such a guessing game for me. Thank God for Tracy Hogg. I wish I'd read that book sooner!

Bella's angelic side:








When we went in for Bella's six month check-up, we did get one unpleasant surprise. She has gotten petechiae, a rash that is all over her body and looks like tiny faint freckles, and is caused when blood vessels bleed under the skin. After the pediatrician diagnosed it, we had to get blood tests done immediately to rule out some awful diseases that can be related to petechiae. I have had blood drawn so many times over the past year that I don't even flinch about it anymore, but taking Bella to get blood drawn was a different story. We had to take her to two different labs, because the first lab couldn't get enough blood to fill a regular-sized vial needed for one of the tests. THAT was a nightmare. Bella was screaming in my lap for what seemed like an eternity while they were pulling blood with the tiniest needle you've ever seen, and I was crying with tears falling on top of her head. It was the worst feeling in the world, not to be able to make her feel better, then to find out we were going to have to do it all over again. Next we went to the pediatric center at the hospital, where they found a vein in her foot they could draw blood from, and had to attach a syringe to the needle to pull out enough. She still has bruises from the two places where so much blood was drawn. Poor Bella was just so happy to be going to these new places and smiling at the friendly people. She is so innocent and had no idea what was about to happen, and that made me feel terrible. She was stuck with five needles that day, and in the meantime we were scared that she could have something awful. That was a really, really bad day.

But the good news is that her blood tests came back fine, so hopefully there isn't a terrible disease causing her rash. We took her to see a dermatologist, who thinks it's just caused by her skin being so fair, but I'm taking her to get a second opinion at another dermatologist in a couple of weeks. It's upsetting to think there's nothing that can be done about it, and now I'm ultra-paranoid whenever she is acting out of sorts, thinking that there could be something wrong, and we don't know what it is.