Toe Jam!

Mya wants to know, "Can you do this?"

Apparently a big bowl of cereal wasn't enough for dinner. She had a little toe for dessert! YUMMY!

Hallelujah!

More news on the sleep front....

If you remember my post after our 4 month appointment with Dr. Brown, I was basically told I was doing everything wrong! I got LOTS and LOTS of comments/suggestions from all of my mommy friends! Most of you couldn't believe that the doctor suggested waking Mya up to feed around 9-10. You also thought 6:00 seemed pretty normal of a bedtime. Well, after listening to your comments, we have tried to make some adjustments. Mya now goes down around 7:00. This is a much better fit for our family! We can enjoy her a bit longer, but still enjoy our evenings without baby! We began sending Daddy in at Mya's 2:00 am wake-up to insert her pacifier that had fallen out. This worked.... silencing the little lady and putting her quickly back to sleep! BUT..... she quickly realized if she cries, in comes her daddy! We, in return, quickly realized that when daddy was greeted at 2:00 am with a smile, we were being played! She didn't care as much about her pacifier as she did about seeing her beloved daddy! Ok, time for another adjustment.... Operation: Playtimes Over Missy! We decided it was time to axe the 2:00 am wake-up! According to Dr. Brown she was supposed to be sleeping for a solid 9-10 hours. hmmmm..... what to do, what to do?!?!?! We decided to let her "cry it out" at her 2:00 playdate with Daddy. This was absolute and complete TORTURE!!! I must say I was the strength and Daddy was the weakness in this experiment (surprise, surprise, right?!?!?!). Here are the results

Night 1- Mya cried for 45 heart-wrenching minutes(Her daddy wanted to go to her on minute 4...can you say "softy?") However, she finally soothed herself back to sleep sucking her thumb. Have I mentioned I LOVE the video monitor?

Night 2- Mya cried for 30 heart-wrenching minutes (I think her daddy wanted to go to her on minute 7 this time). Toughy Momma stuck to her guns and we let her cry! Again, heart-wrenching and torture is the best way to describe this period!

Night 3: Mya cried for 0 minutes!!!! HALLELUJAH! (Her daddy got his first complete night sleep in several weeks! Looks like mommy's toughness paid off!) Mya slept through her 2:00 wake-up. I fed her at her usual 4:15 feeding and she was back to sleep! Good Girl, Mya!!!

So, for all of the skeptics/critics of crying it out.... it may be terrible for a couple of nights but in the long run, we ALL get better night sleep! I cross my fingers that tonight will be just as good! I am longing for the 12 hour nights! Next mission- Operation: Sleep All Night

Sibling Rivalry

Diva meet Diva! The two little princesses in the Wiegman household have finally begun acknowledging eachother after months of ignoring. I think each of them has felt the normal twinge of jealousy that goes with sharing the attention from Mommy and Daddy. Mya has begun tracking Jasmine's every move. In return, Jasmine sniffs Mya's toys, playmat, and even Mya herself. Mya's eyes follow the kitty and she reaches to touch her. Jasmine, has been very aware of Miss Mya from the day she arrived in HER house. She has left us many, many "gifts" to tell us that she really doesn't appreciate the new sibling. After 5 months, I think both of our little girls have finally started to accept the other. Today, I captured a moment between the two divas! I think they were making an attempt to "reach out" to one another!

Is it weird that our cat is bigger than our 5 month old baby?

5 Months Old

I can't believe it, our baby is already 5 months old! She is getting so big! As you can tell by our "monthy" birthday pictures, she is really starting to "ham-it-up" for the camera. She wasn't quite as cooperative as she has been in the previous months! Sometimes goofy, sometimes serious, but always absolutely adorable!

At 5 months old Mya is going through some changes! As you can see, her hair is thinning and lightening with age! Her eyes have stayed a bluish-grey color but seem to be getting a little darker. She loves to talk and try to imitate sounds she hears. She is a very happy little girl that smiles and giggles throughout the day. Mya still loves her pacifier, toy crab, playmat, and loves to listen to Mommy and Daddy read books. Although she has rolled over before, she seems to have forgotten how to do it! Her darn arm gets in the way and poses as a great obstacle. We continue to do tummy time and hope she gets the hang of it again soon. For now, Mommy and Daddy are enjoying her immobility!

"Say Cheese"

She's growing, growing, growing!

Look, I'm taller than Mr. Bear!

"I'm so silly!"

We Found Nemo, But Where are the Penguins???

We spent Sunday at the Shedd Aquarium with Uncle Eric, Aunt Amy, and Quentin. It was crowded, but considering it was a Sunday (of a 3 day weekend) and it was neighbor to the auto show, it wasn't really all that crazy. I haven't been to the aquarium in years! It still amazes me how many different species of water creatures there actually are, we even found Nemo! I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in the aquarium though. It seemed so much bigger when I was younger! I would say for the money you spend on admission you would think they would create bigger habitats for some of these creatures. And where did the penguins go??? I swear they use to have a penguin exhibit! The Wild Reef in the lower level was awesome and actually resembled the ocean. Beyond that, I just wasn't too impressed! But, I am glad we took the day trip and was able to spend time with family!

Mya was a trooper and held up pretty well considering it was a long day for her! She was surprisingly attentive and seemed to enjoy looking at all of the different fish and all of the people! Putting her in the baby bjorn worked out really well; although, Mommy's back killed her the next day! Words of wisdom for any future museum-goers.... leave your stroller behind! There simply isn't any room for strollers and they don't have a stroller check!

After the museum, we packed into the car and headed for Uncle Eric and Aunt Amy's for pizza. The 1 mile drive was a bit intense. I was part of a baby sandwich, Mya on one side and Quentin on the other. Mya cried the entire drive and Quentin stared at her wondering, "What's with this girl?" Once we arrived, Daddy tried to squeeeeeeze our car into a very tight parking space. His attempt was unsuccessful! He managed to scrape the entire side of my car getting into the spot! Of course, once he got in he had to get back out.... again scraping the side of my car! Whoops!

Despite the crying, overtired baby girl and scraped car we had a wonderful visit!

Mommy's Little Helper!

I'm training her already! Here is Mya helping Mommy grade lots and lots of Science Tests! She's such a good little helper! How'd they do Mya?

Thanks Cupid!

"Cupid is known as a mischievous, winged child armed with bow and arrows and is famous for piercing hearts. The arrow signifies desire and emotions of love. Cupid aims those arrows at Gods and Humans, causing them to fall deeply in love." Well Cupid, you made the right choice when you aimed your arrow and shot my husband right in the behind! We fell madly in love and now we have our own little Valentine, Mya Isabelle!

I spent this Valentine's Day with my 2 very special valentines.... Mya and her Daddy! Mya spent a few hours this afternoon with her Auntie Katie and Uncle Chris! They offered to babysit for the awhile so Mommy and Daddy could enjoy a date to the movie for Valentine's Day! It was so nice to go out just the two of us.... not necessarily the most romantic date but much, much appreciated! We haven't seen a movie in a LONG time! Hopefully, Mya left a good impression and we will have a "little friend" to play with soon!!! We can't wait for that day!

For Valentine's Day dinner, Daddy made mommy a DELICIOUS dinner! I was even able to enjoy a glass of wine (or two!) followed up by a yummy slice of tiramisu! I am pretty sure I have entered a food coma!

Mya and Mommy made Daddy a Valentine's Day card. Mya even handed it to Daddy when he got home from work (yes, work on Saturday!) So cute! Daddy and Mya gave Mommy cards too, and Daddy picked out an outfit for Mommy.... wrong sizes but very thoughtful!

So, it's been a FABULOUS Valentine's Day! Thank you Daddy, Mya, Katie, and Chris.... But most of all, thank you Cupid!

Mya with Auntie Katie and Uncle Chris

Who needs chocolates or flowers when you can have this very special Valentine?

Love at Gymboree

Today was our first day of Gymboree class. As a teacher I am ashamed to say we were not prepared for class. We were the only mommy and baby that forgot to bring our own blanket. Oops! Luckily the nice teacher, Carrie, had a new clean blanket for us to borrow. Mya was in a class with 2 other little girls (Addie and Claire) and a little boy (Joseph.) Mya and Joseph instantly had love at first sight! Bubbles, finger puppets, singing.... they couldn't have cared less! All Mya and Joseph wanted was to gaze into eachother's eyes. It was hilarious! Of course being the blogger that I am, I caught the whole encounter on camera!

Mya and Joseph when their eyes first met!

When not gazing into her boyfriend's eyes, Mya was all smiles and giggles! She loved Gymboree! Today we worked on following objects with our eyes, tummy time with a mirror and balls, the parachute, watching bubbles, and exploring some of the gym equipment.

The babies LOVED this... a mirror and some bright colored balls rolling around! A roll of paper towels propped them up....GENIUS!!!

After class, all of the mommies sat and chatted about our world...babies! This may be the only place that we can talk and talk and talk about our babies and people don't have that look of, "Look lady, I'm so over talking about your baby!" Guess Mommy and Mya both enjoyed our first day of class!

Mya was staring at her boyfriend!

Funny Faces!

"You are so lame!"

"I really need a full night sleep!"

"Mya who????"

"I don't wanna go to bed!"

1/2 Mya, 1/2 Lizard

BUSTED!

"Look at me, I'm a big girl!"

"I LOVE my life!"

"Rock on."

Happy Birthday Grandma Diane!

Mya with her Grandma Diane and her Granny Una! Happy Birthday Grandma!

We celebrated Diane's 60th birthday last night at Buca Di Beppo. We had great food, great company, and of course.... the Pope! No, not the Pope Pope, just a fake Pope as our centerpiece... perfect for a table of 15 non-catholics! I don't think Diane was as "surprised" as we had hoped but the evening went well anyway!

The Pope!

All the worrying I had done concerning Mya was completely unnecessary! She did very well...even stayed up an hour past her bedtime. She even let Grandma Diane hold her without having a screaming fit! See Grandma...she does love you! :)

I do have to mention the experience I had feeding Mya at the restaurant. Now that I have my own baby, I realize how nonaccomodating places are for mommies and babies! I am now a true believer that EVERY public facility should be required to have a breastfeeding lounge! Where does one go when their baby is starving and on the verge of a meltdown? You basically have 3 options:

1. Whip it out in public and feed the baby.... this may gross some people out!

2. Go to the car.... this doesn't work so well in winter in Chicago!

3. Go into the public bathroom, create a nest on the toilet seat, and sit and feed.... this is REALLY gross!

Lucky for me someone had already ever so kindly taken a chair into the handicapped stall and left it in there. Looks like someone else had the same problem as I was having! So, I sat and fed Mya. You don't even want to know what people do when they THINK they are alone in the bathroom! (Sorry!) Figures it happens when I am in there feeding my baby and have no way of escaping. It was quite the experience!

Anyway, the little party animal was fast asleep as soon as the engine of our car started around 7:30! She slept all of the way home, got her into her jammies, fed her a quick dinner, and she was back to sleep by 8:45. Mya (and Mommy!) had her first "full" night sleep! Daddy put her pacifier back into her mouth around 4:30 (3x.... she did some babbling mixed with crying for a bit) and she was back to sleep until 6:30! Woo Hoo! She ate at 6:30, back to bed until 7:30, joined Mommy and Daddy in the big bed and slept again until 8:30! This girl knows how to enjoy her Sunday mornings!

Here Mya and Quentin are again being TOO cute! They instantly reach for eachother! Quentin kept trying to take out Mya's pacifier!

What is This?

Mya had her first solid food dinner tonight! She was so excited when she first saw the spoon being loaded up with the cereal. She immediately grasped for the spoon and directed my hand towards her mouth. She has been very curious about objects these days and wants to stick EVERYTHING in her mouth. This actually worked to our advantage tonight. I don't think she quite knew what she was getting into when she opened wide for her first bite. She seemed pleasantly surprised, yet a little confused. "What is this?" she thought. She had several more bites and did surprisingly well at keeping it in her mouth!

I can't believe my BABY has started to eat solid foods (is cereal considered solid?). She's such a big girl.... before I know it she is going to be enjoying her daddy's favs... beef sandwich anyone? I'm sure if Daddy could figure out a way to puree that for her he would!

Here we go Mya... Open Wide!

What is this?

Whoo Hoo! I did it!

TOUGH LOVE!

"Oh, NO, NO, NO!" These were the exact words from Dr. Brown, Mya's pediatrician when we discussed Mya's nightly sleep habits. Dr. Brown is a very wise, to-the-point, 5 foot tall, Dr. Ruth look-a-like! She talks and I listen! I learned lots of things today at Mya's 4 month (really 4 month 2 weeks) appointment.

1.) Shots cost $500 in her office and only $15 at the Lake County Health Department. Our insurance doesn't cover Mya's shots.... Dr. Brown said the shots are EXACTLY the same and it's ridiculous to pay her so much when they can be done elsewhere. Our bank account thanks you, Dr. Brown!

2.) Mya is 13 lbs. 12 oz. (26%) 26 1/4 in. (90%) Tall and Skinny!

3.) There's no use trying to make Mya take a bottle. She will soon be taking a sippy cup. For now, we are to begin rice cereal with formula once a day. This should be interesting! Hopefully this will help Daddy while Mommy is at work.

4.) Bedtime: Mya's bedtime of 6:30 is way too early! We need to try to keep her up longer. If she can't stay awake, we are to wake her at 9:00 and feed her again. She should then sleep about 10 hours! Dr. Brown said, "Mommy's need their sleep too." That's right! Sorry Daddy, you are now on night duty!

5.) TOUGH LOVE..... Mommy is NOT to go to her in the night! Daddy can go in and give her the paci and that's it. Mommy..... You HAVE to let her cry and stay out of the room! UGH! Dr. Brown promises this will be worth it! I am holding her to that!

6.) Dr. Brown said she is developmentally right on track and is cute as a button! We already knew that! Thanks Dr. Brown- see you at Mya's 6 month appointment!

The Wiegman Family

We had family pictures taken at Diane's house in December. Our family is growing quickly! Brittany has entered adulthood, Drew and Ben are no longer babies, and Quentin and Mya are changing everyday!

Quentin and Mya: They interlocked arms on their own.... How Precious!

Quentin...You little stinker, put her dress down!

Grandma Diane and All of Her BEAUTIFUL Grandchildren!

The Wiegman's