Another Day...and Another Blowout

Today started out pretty normally. I awakened to Jordan's alarm clock, but stayed in bed since Serena was not yet awake. She was still sound asleep next to me, her left arm stretched above her head; her right arm resting where it had found my arm earlier in the morning when she had started to stir and had quickly fallen back asleep after being reassured of my presence. About 10 or 15 minutes later, I woke from my doze to the sound of the shower and Serena rooting around for me. I turned to nurse her and dozed until Serena started announcing her readiness for the morning with her squeals, spitting, and other baby noises. I stayed in bed to enjoy her fun mood for a while before getting up. My morning routine is basically always the same: Get out of bed and build a pillow fortress around Serena. Then, brush my teeth and put in my contacts (I cannot function until my contacts are in!). Next, I take Serena into her room to change her diaper before we head downstairs for breakfast. Usually about an hour and a half to two hours after she first woke up, Serena is ready for her morning nap. Today was no different. I changed her diaper, making a mental note that I was putting her last diaper cover on her so it would probably be a good idea to wash diapers while she napped. We went downstairs and I got some breakfast for myself. I put Serena down to play in the dining room and I went to check my email. After about 15 minutes, Serena's tone changed to the "I'm lonely" sound, so I went in to play with her. As soon as I sat down next to her, I caught a whiff of that diaper. Oh boy. My mind instantly started thinking about when the last time was that she had pooped. Three days? Four? Maybe FIVE?! This is going to be a big one! Sure enough, she had once again worked her pooping magic. The cover contained it, but was not going to be able to be reused until it had been washed. Of course, Serena's flailing feet managed to get in it, and somehow it ended up on her jammies too. You'd think after 7 months of changing her explosive poopy diapers that I would have figured out a way to keep the poop from getting on her feet and clothes! But NooOOO! I probably only manage 'clean' poopy diaper changes about 30% of the time. These every-few-day poopings definitely have their pros and cons! Anyway, so that is how Serena came to be wearing nothing but a disposable diaper for this morning's photo shoot! She was in a delightful mood for it though...apparently feeling great after cleaning out her bowels so thoroughly. ;) Oh, and if you look closely, you can see her face-painting is still kinda there. I tried washing it off last night, only to find that it was stained. We'll see how long that lasts, haha! She just looks like she has a rosy dot on her cheek, since the pink stands out more than the blue!

First Face-Painting

This afternoon, Serena and I went to KidsFest. It was in the Varied Industries building at the State Fairgrounds. Jordan was running a booth there for his company, so that was the main reason we went. :) He had worked there for most of the day yesterday, too, and I guess it was much busier then. Today the crowds were pretty manageable, and we were able to look at the booths without feeling too overwhelmed. Serena loves being in situations like that where there are lots and lots of people for her to look at. She was so happy the whole time, especially if anyone took the time to talk to her! When I was walking up to Jordan's booth, I wondered if Serena would be able to pick him out and recognize him in the crowd, and she definitely did! It was so cute how she lit up when she saw him up ahead! Later, I took her to a booth to get her face painted before we left. She was too interested in the girl who was doing the painting to actually sit very still, but somehow we managed to get something on her cheek that at least somewhat resembled a flower, haha! :)

I didn't think to bring my camera to KidsFest, so I took a picture when we got home. By that time, Serena was fast asleep...no doubt exhausted from all the excitement!

I asked the girl to paint a flower that matched her dress. Pretty good, huh? I think it's SO CUTE!!! :D

Blue Bear

We went out to eat at a Chinese restaurant last night and the waitresses just loved Serena. The girl who waited on our table kept coming over to play with her. It was a little weird, since we were having a conversation and she kept coming over and talking to Serena, but anyway. What are you going to say? "Umm, please leave our baby alone. We're trying to talk." ???? ;) When we left, they gave her this cute little blue bear, which was really sweet!

It's so cute how babies 'study' things. Serena always looks them over carefully until she finds the tag. Apparently that's the best part!

My heart melts like butter when I see that little baby-thing coming toward me!!!

Time for a Walk

This week the weather has finally warmed up. And by "warmed up" I mean it's been getting above 32 degrees. This is very exciting since we haven't had temperatures that warm since November, I think! The snow is rapidly melting, and it is truly a wonderful thing! Macy and I are suffering from spring fever, so I've been bundling Serena up in the afternoons to take walks this week. It's been nice and sunny, so it feels really good to be out and get some fresh air!

Serena is so funny in her snowsuit. She can hardly move! It's so cute!

Thirty-Second Thursday

Two videos for today. The first one is of Jordan and Serena playing with a ball the other night. Serena was all giggles, so of course we got the camera out!

The second video is just a bunch of cute moments from today:

My Happy Thing

Although it's been warming up to above freezing for the last 3 days, it still gets really cold at night...hence the ugly blankets on our bed. Looking at this picture makes me think I should really work on getting some new blankets. :P I'm sure you all were so distracted by that sweet happy face that you didn't even notice the ugly blankets until I mentioned it, huh? ;)

Having a Ball

Gettin' Around

Serena Got Her Ears Pierced!

Today we were at the Jordan Creek mall, and I suddenly remembered something that I had REALLY wanted to do while Mom is here visiting...get Serena's ears pierced!!! I had almost completely forgotten, even though I have been thinking about it off and on for the last few weeks! Jordan had come to the mall with us, so he met us at Icing and held Serena while she bravely faced the nice girl with the piercer. She was all smiles right up until the last second. Then, she just looked panicked, and started crying. We quickly did the other ear, and then Jordan comforted her and got her all happy again before we had even left the store. I've really put her through a lot this weekend. From the whirlwind trip to Cedar Rapids to meet her new cousin on Friday and back home early Saturday morning; to running around shopping with Mom on Saturday afternoon; to leaving her for the first time (in her loving Grammie's care) on Saturday evening; to whisking her off to church this morning and having her nap in her carseat at a busy restaurant over lunch time; to taking her to the mall this evening to shop some more and then get her ears pierced...she's been quite the trooper. I'm hoping I won't be paying for all this fun too much over the next few days, but it WAS fun and quite worth it! ;) And those pierced baby ears are just so adorable!!!

Serena got a ride on Daddy's shoulders as we left Icing to go home after piercing her ears

After getting a little nap in, Serena played with one of her favorite toys (a wooden spoon) this evening, so I took some pictures to show off those pierced ears!

First Stroller

Serena is getting too big for me to comfortably shop for very long with her in the sling. Well, I could probably do it if she would sit still in it; but she is constantly reaching and twisting and moving! So I decided that it was about time to get her an umbrella stroller for our mall visits. We went to the mall with Mom for a bit this afternoon and used the stroller for the first time. Serena seemed to like it a lot! She just 'talked' away at everyone and everything that went by!

Oh, hi Grammie!

It's DADDY!!!! He gives me really fun rides in the stroller!

Trying to figure out that buckle

Serena Meets Caroline

Serena's reaction to Caroline was PRICELESS...I just wish we'd caught it on film! Serena was SO excited when she saw Caroline, giving her a big smile and then looking up and smiling at everyone else. It was so cute! Of course, she really wanted to get her hands on her (you can see I'm holding Serena's hands down in the pictures)! It was a really special day!

Looking each other over

I have a feeling these girls will have a lot of fun together as they grow up!

(Serena - 7 months old; Caroline - 1 day old)

Thirty-Second Thursday

First of all, it bears mentioning that Serena's cousin Caroline was born today! :)

As for this video, it features Serena doing her inchworm/army crawl!! It's SO cute! A little on the long side, but you won't be disappointed if you make it all the way to the end! ;)

Smile for Daddy

Sometimes Serena is so interested in playing that it's hard for me to get her to even LOOK at the camera, let alone smile for it! At such times, I call in the reserves...she never fails to have a smile for her daddy!

Sweetheart

Aren't these jammies just the cutest?! Julie gave them to Serena for Christmas, and I think I would have her wear them every night if I could, haha! Seriously, I didn't change her out of her jammies until after lunch today 'cause she just looked so CUTE! :D

Serena loves grabbing Macy's feet anytime she gets the opportunity. Not sure what Macy's doing in this picture, haha! ;)

Serena once again trying to get Macy's feet....and sticking out her tongue like Macy does ;)

One of Serena's favorite things is this phone!! And the mirror, of course! ;)

I kept forgetting to take a picture of Serena with her valentine! Great-Grandma Rabe sent it...isn't it cute?! :) I thought it was funny that it looks like she's going to eat that muffin in the bottom picture, heehee! Thanks, Grandma!

Today, Serena became mobile! She's not crawling yet (at least, not the classic crawl), but she does her own version of the army crawl that gets her around pretty well

In this progression of pictures, you can see how she inches her way to my cell phone! I think I know what will be on 30-second Thursday this week!!! ;)

Peek-A-Boo!

Playing in the Crib

Serena loves playing in her crib!

Serena with her Cabbage Patch doll. She LOVES this doll and always tries to get to her if at all possible.

Look at that goofy face in the bottom picture! She has some of the funniest expressions! She's been trying really hard to pull up on the side of her crib. It makes her pretty proud to be able to look over the side at me like, "Look at what I'm doing, Mom!"

Dressed Up for Church

She looked like a doll in this dress! Thanks, Aunt Jessie!

Another Snow Day

We received another 4" of snow today. FOUR INCHES! With another big storm forecasted for Sunday! Oh, Spring! Where are you!?

Serena and I spent the evening together at home while Jordan was at the Pheasants Forever banquet with his cousin Tyson

Serena LOVES petting Macy, but Macy doesn't usually have the patience to let her!

Now that Serena is feeling better, she's back to trying to crawl. She goes from her sitting position to trying to get on all-fours. She just gets that one foot stuck underneath her still. But she gets into that all-fours position (with the foot stuck under her) and rocks back and forth like, "Okay, how do we actually get going now?!"

I thought this picture was funny because it looks like Macy is trying to pose with her!

Telling a story

Thirty-Second Thursday

Serena finally seems to be taking a turn for the better. She's still pretty congested, but at least it's not running out of her nose anymore! She showed more interest in playing today; just had a couple cranky moments, so I'm happy that the old Serena is starting to shine through again! I missed her a lot!! Unfortunately, the little bug shared her cold. :( Not just with me and Jordan, but also with Jordan's family who loved her up over the weekend. For some reason it just doesn't seem right that you can catch germs from a little baby!

I've been giving Serena Tylenol at night for the last 3 nights. Before this, I'd given it to her before her shots; so that would be 3 times, I guess. She used to look really concerned about it, and I'd have to have a burp cloth ready since she usually would end up spitting most of it out. The last couple times, though, she actually leans in and opens her mouth ever-so-slightly for the dropper. Pretty funny how quickly she figures stuff like that out!

We started doing signs with Serena a week and half ago. So far, we're doing "Daddy," "Mommy," "Macy," "Milk," "Change" (as in diaper), and "Sleep." She always watches very intently whenever we do any signs. The sign for "sleep" is to brush your hand down the front of your face, letting your fingers 'shut' your eyes. When I lay Serena down on her blankie to wrap her up before putting her to bed, I say, "Serena, look at Mama" and then I do the sign for "Sleep" while I say "Go to sleep." The last couple days, after I do the sign, she goes completely limp and lets me wrap her up. Most of the time, as soon as I place the first side of the blanket over her, she turns her head to the side and shuts her eyes. It's so cute! I think she's starting to understand what we're communicating!!!

Happy Birthday to Aunt Jessie!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Jessie! And, YES, she wore the purple socks on purpose just for you! We thought of you all day! :) We love you!

Serena Is Sick

I've been seeing some warning signs that Serena might be coming down with a cold, and yesterday it really began to come on. She's a snotty mess!!!! Poor little kid! And not happy about it ONE BIT! She wants her MOMMY and no one else will do! Well, Daddy is generally acceptable for a little bit so Mommy can go use the bathroom or something, but Mommy better come RIGHT BACK! DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT $200!!!! ;) Last night, I tried to put Serena to bed, and she fussed a bit, but then fell off to sleep. About an hour later, she woke up fussy and in spite of our efforts to console her, she cried off and on for the next few hours before finally falling asleep around 1:30. Even then, she only slept about 2 hours and then was up for 2 hours and then down for another 2. Needless to say, I was exhausted and took her morning nap with her from about 9am to 12pm! Things went a little better after that as Serena tried to catch up on lost sleep for the rest of the day. She took another 3 hour nap in the afternoon and then slept for most of the trip home from Grandma & Grandpa's. She must be starting to feel a little better, since she is slowly becoming more interested in her toys again. I even managed to get a teeny smile out of her for tonight's picture while I was unpacking. You can see how tired and watery and red her eyes are, though. Poor baby!

Carrot, Anyone?

I've kinda had a hunch that Serena might be teething this past week (though there are still no signs of any teeth, so I'm starting to doubt myself), so I did a little poking around to see what other moms do for their kids when they're teething. One mom suggested letting her chew on a cold carrot. So, I let Serena try it out. The faces she made were hilarious. For supper tonight, we had some carrots, so we gave Serena a second chance at it and she made the same faces, much to our merriment! In fact, after the 3rd or 4th time of putting it in her mouth, she started making the face as soon as she would even pick up the carrot, haha! Unfortunately, she was getting tired of the game by the time I thought to turn on the video camera. :P But, here are some pictures of it, anyway!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from our Sleeping Beauty

Love you all!!!!

The Giraffe

Isn't that giraffe about the cutest toy you ever saw?! Serena LOVES it; she can easily grab onto all its parts...and put them in her mouth! ;)

What's She Up To?

Thirty-Second Thursday

Tuckered Out

My Girl

Cheap Entertainment

Super...what?

Someone who couldn't care less about the Superbowl :)

Pretty Dress

Taggie Blankie

Today I made this 'taggie blankie' for Serena. Isn't it cute?! ;)

Thirty-Second Thursday

...or, to be more accurate, One-Hundred-Twenty-Six-Second Thursday! ;)

Trying SO Hard

The last couple days, Serena doesn't have much interest in just sitting on the floor playing with her toys. She likes to get down on her tummy and squirm around, contorting her body in every possible way in an attempt to get moving! She can lift her bottom up in the air, and she can lift her chest up in the air; but doing the two simultaneously is hindered by the fact that her 'anchor' (her tummy) is still down! There have been a few times where she has briefly gotten that tummy off the ground, either in a plank position or in a very shallow "all-fours" position. I'm not too worried that she's going to take off any day...that could still be quite a ways down the road; but then again, if she keeps working at it this hard, it probably won't be too long!

Crawling Practice

Happy Groundhog Day

Okay, so Groundhog Day actually has nothing to do with this post, but I didn't know what to put in the "Title" box, and it is Groundhog Day, so there you have it. (I do realize that was a horrid run-on sentence.) My "Title" box is filled, and we can get on to the posting of the pictures! :)

"Nice Macy!" Serena loves petting Macy.

6-Month Check-Up

I LOVE these soft pink pants with the satin bow!!!! :)

I took Serena to her 6-month check-up today and Jordan met us at the Dr.'s office. Dr. L had all kinds of nice things to say about how well Serena is doing, and Jordan & I were all, "Yeah, yeah, we get that all the time." Haha, just kidding, we didn't say that! ;) He seemed really surprised that we hadn't started feeding Serena solids yet, but I guess I just don't see any reason to rush into that phase...especially since Serena doesn't seem to think she's missing out on anything yet! She weighed in at 17 pounds, 1.5 ounces which put her in the 70th percentile; but her height (25 inches) landed her in the 25th percentile. That was kinda weird, since at all her other appointments her height has been around the 75th percentile. Dr. L wasn't concerned at all, though; he said she just probably hasn't hit her 6-month growth spurt yet. So, I guess there's still hope that she won't be a shrimp like her mommy, haha! ;) She got her shots, and I have to say I am quite happy that we won't have any more shots for 6 months! Jordan held her while the nurse gave her the shots and comforted her afterwards, and she did really well. She's always responded well to Jordan's comforting ever since she was first born! And it was nice for me not to have to juggle a sad baby while checking out afterwards! She moped a little bit in her carseat, but she fell asleep by the time I got her home and she took a nice long nap. Ever since she woke up, though, she's been her normal little self! I'm so glad she doesn't hold grudges! ;)