My baby girl is 13 months old. 13 MONTHS OLD!!! When did this happen?

As of this week, she has ventured into the walking world. I’m not sure why it took her so long. She perfected the speed crawl long ago and has been pulling up and walking her way around furniture for MONTHS now. I guess she just felt she could get everywhere so fast with crawling, why even bother. But, this week she changed her mind. I believe I have watched this video 75 times in the past couple of days.

Ainsley has developed quite the personality and I love every minute with her these days. One of my favorite parts of the days is getting her out of bed in the mornings. She is so happy when she wakes up and it just makes the start of my day even better. Each day, when I pick her up I give her a big hug. She lays her head down on my shoulder and I sweetly pat her on the back. Last week, she started the cutest thing ever…she pats me on the back too! I die!

I love this age cause she is absorbing so much knowledge. High fives, waving bye-bye, “how big is Ainsley”, where is your nose, clap, kisses, etc. It’s so much fun to watch her learn.

This child LOVES the pool. We have had so much fun swimming this summer. She’s a natural.

One of my favorite things to do is just sit on the couch and watch her play. She is so good at entertaining herself. It’s the CUTEST thing ever to watch her go to her toy baskets and boxes in our living room and pull out every single toy and book and talk to it as though they’ve been the best of friends for years! CRACKS ME UP!

Can you find the kid in this picture?

My child…my child looooooooves her sleep. Thank God for that. The only time she hasn’t slept through the night since she was a tiny baby is when she’s been sick. Please, Lord let this continue. She loves nap time too. Consistently, she takes 3 to 3 and half hour naps. God love the epic bedhead after a good nap.

I don’t know if I could be any more in love with this child if I tried….

What a ride these past 13 months have been. The best ride of my life.

Two weeks before Christmas, Ainsley started running a low-grade fever that Saturday evening. We did what our pediatrician always recommends: treat it with children’s tylenol and watch her for 24 hours. By Sunday, the fever was up and down, and any formula she took was down and then up. So, we started the Pedialyte while I talked to the doctor on call on and off that Sunday, and it was decided we’d bring her in on Monday.

Well, guess what?? It snowed two to three inches and the roads iced over that night. Lovely. Ainsley’s doctor wouldn’t be open until 1:30pm. Meanwhile, we had a miserable baby on our hands. By the time we were finally able to get to the doctor and check in, my poor baby girl’s fever was 105.5!!!!!! They went through all the standard tests — all of which broke my heart to watch her go through even though she was champ — and discovered she had a UTI, which is apparently not uncommon in baby girls since all the lady parts are so close together. Ainsley got an antibiotic shot and we took her home. You could tell how awful she felt. There was no color in her face. Just about the only place she was happy was asleep on me or Josh. I mean how sad is this….

We had to hit up the doctor for two more follow-up visits over the next week. At our second follow-up, all the nurses popped in and commented how she looked a different baby. And she really was. She was back to her smiley, happy self again. Thank goodness.

We also had to go to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital where Ainsley had to have a couple of tests to be sure she didn’t have any reflux in her kidneys that could have caused the UTI. It’s standard practice when they have one before they are 2 years old. And, can I please just say, I have the best freakin’ child on the planet. She rocked those two tests. She sat still like a big girl for the ultrasound and when she had to have the catheter/x-ray she barely made a peep. I saved a fresh bottle for right when they started that part and she acted as if she did this stuff everyday. The x-ray techs bragged and bragged on her.

Everything was prefect with the tests and we’ve been good to go on the health front for the last month. Thank the Lord!

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Christmas. Such an amazing season now that we have a little one.

We took Ainsley to see Santa and she didn’t really have much of a reaction at all to be honest. There wasn’t really any fussing, but she wasn’t all too impressed with the big guy either.  ”Um, yeah, Mom, I couldn’t care any less…”

We also headed over to Opryland Hotel one evening to check out all the lights. I’m sure this will definitely become one of many family Christmas traditions. It was really crazy to walk through that place and imagine that just seven months earlier there was 10 feet of water everywhere. It’s amazing how they bounced back.

Josh and I decided to stay in Nashville for Christmas this year. My parents were here with us for a few days. I only had Christmas Eve (and then of course Christmas Day and that Sunday) off work, and fitting 12+ hours of driving to Jackson and back in that small window was going to make for a crazy few days. I didn’t want us to remember Ainsley’s first Christmas as nothing but running around trying to fit in visits to everyone. We wanted it as quiet and low key as possible. And that’s what it was, and it was WONDERFUL.

Another thing….it was a WHITE CHRISTMAS. How crushed would we have been if we had missed out on the snow here in town for Ainsley’s 1st Christmas?

We went to Midnight Mass and my thinking was that since Ainsley is such a good sleeper, we’d get her up, get in the car and she’d be back asleep in no time and sleep through Mass. Uh, no dice. She was determined to be awake for the whole service. Oh, and she succeeded alright. All things considered, she did great through the whole thing. I had to step out a couple of times, but we were there for over an hour and a half.

Ainsley wasn’t quite sure what to think about the whole gift thing, but she did rip into a couple of packages. She also seemed to be interested in the actual toys which I was amazed to see. I’ve heard all the stories about other people’s kids only enamored with the wrapping paper, bows and boxes.

Josh and I didn’t buy her a whole lot and I’m glad we didn’t cause my parents showed up with all sorts of loot from them and Josh’s parents. Almost all of it had Ainsley’s name on it.

This is kinda fun.

So much new stuff to check out.

And my favorite picture from Christmas has to be this one of Ainsley while we were “Skype-ing” with Lolly and Poppy in Jackson. She was showing off the new hat they gave her!

All in all, it was a really great Christmas. And the onesie Ainsley wore all day said it all…..”My mom and dad’s favorite gift is me.”

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Ainsley got her first tooth as of last week some time. I say “sometime” because I only noticed it pretty much after it broke through the skin — which totally proves what trooper she is. I didn’t notice any difference in her behavior, so luckily this first tooth went off without a hitch. Let’s pray they are all this easy.

Doubtful.

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Ainsley’s eating solids twice a day now. We started her first solid food just a few days after she turned six months old (our pediatrician says that breastmilk and formula only for the first six months is best). She started out pretty good for a week and half and then we had a little hiatus when she got so sick, so it was almost like re-introducing it.

Now, though, she’s a pro. She’s eating apples, bananas, squash, sweet potatoes and peaches. I’ve tried desperately to get the carrots down her but she has not been having it. She’s such a drama queen and does this gagging thing when I try with the carrots.

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Baby girl is talking up a storm now. Granted it is her own little language, but she always telling us something. There’s a lot of “ba ba ba” in there.

Ainsley also has absolutely no interest in crawling yet. It’s so funny to watch. She will sit there and hop up and down on her butt and lean forward but make no attempt to move. She wants YOU to move her. And, when she’s on her stomach she just kind of flails her arms and legs and does 360 degree turns. It cracks me up.

She is still doing great at daycare and is now the oldest baby in her room. Which means it won’t be long before she moves up. It will absolutely break her teacher Ms. Paige’s heart when she does because they are the biggest buds these days. Apparently, Ainsley cannot even stand it when she leaves the room to use bathroom. (Welcome to my world, Ms. Paige! )

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Well, that’s just a little of what we’ve been up to recently. It’s hard to believe my once teeny tiny baby girl is seven and a half months old. She’s more than doubled what she weighed at birth. She’s at such a fun age, and we are enjoying every second of watching her explore and discover this big world around her. Truly amazing stuff.

Much love to all! (I’m going to try and get better with my blogging schedule!)

How is possible that you will be six months old in less than two weeks?

You continue to amaze me and your daddy every day. You are the happiest, sweetest, easiest baby ever. We enjoy every second with you because your smile and giggles fill each moment with an indescribable joy. I’m not sure there’s anything better in this world really.

Sleep. There is no question that you SERIOUSLY enjoy your sleep. You get between 10 to 12 hours of solid sleep every night. We hardly hear a peep from you. Same thing goes for that 3 hour nap you usually take each Saturday and Sunday when we’re at home. And we thank you from the bottom of hearts for loving your sleep, because we love ours too!

Sitting up. You are close to mastering this one. We’re working hard on it in the middle of the living room. You’ll sit by yourself for a good 30 to 45 seconds and then you’ll start to get a wobbly and lose your balance. I’ll get you back on track and we repeat the whole thing again. I know you’re ready to sit by yourself. I can tell you like it so much more than laying on the ground because you can take in everything that’s going on around you. And boy do ever take it all in. You are one curious little creature and watching you explore the world around you is quite a treat.

Sickness. Ugh, this one has hit us hard the past few weeks. With all those germs at daycare, we hope you’re just building up that immune system and getting all this stuff out of the way. You had your first ear infection last week combined with the croup cough and I don’t think I’ve seen a tougher baby. You truly are amazing.

Silliness. You love to squeal. You love to giggle. You love to make all sorts of crazy noises just to hear yourself make them. Every morning you lay in your crib for about 10 to 15 minutes just talking up a storm before I come get you ready for the day.

You’ve had all sorts of fun “firsts” recently too.

Your first trip to the pumpkin farm.

Your first Halloween. You made the sweetest, cutest Pebbles ever!

Your first trip to the zoo. You’re still a little too young to really enjoy it, but I know you’re going to be an animal lover just like your daddy and I are.

My sweet Dolly, thank you. Thank you for bringing so much happiness to my life. I can have the worst day in the world, and it all immediately melts away the second I walk into daycare to pick you up. The moment you see I’ve walked in and I say hello, that big, bright smile and sweet, infectious giggle make everything okay.

You are my little sweet sweet.

Love you so much,

Your mama

How in the world did you get to be four months old already? You are no longer that tiny little baby we brought home from the hospital. You are a growing, thriving, INCREDIBLE little personality and we are enjoying every second we are blessed to have with you.

You are one stong little girl lately! Not only do you have a crazy amount of strength when you are on your stomach, your chunky little legs are so strong too.  You do an amazing job of supporting all your weight on them when I stand you up while holding you.

Your daddy and I have a few different names and terms of endearment for you. Dolly…because you look like a perfect little baby doll. The Babe…for obvious reasons of course. Sweet Sweet…because you are the sweetest thing to ever grace this earth. And last but not least…Ainsley Girl – we even have a song that goes with that one.

You are one talkative little girl these days and it cracks me up. You love making all sorts of noises and you have perfected the motorboat sound. They eat you up at daycare because of this too. Every one of your teachers tells me how much they love talking with you. Who could blame them?

You are doing well at daycare and your daddy and I are really happy with where we have you. Everyone truly cares for you and has a lot of fun playing with you. Ms. Heather even did your hair last week!

Recently, you have become very aware of all your surroundings and you are getting really good at grabbing on to things. Whatever you grab goes straight to your mouth. And then you proceed to drool all over the place. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you have a tooth sneak in there sometime soon.

I cannot believe how fast you are growing. Just this morning, as I dressed you on your changing table, I did a double take. “Surely, you’re not that big?” I thought. But you are. I can’t wait to take you to the doctor on Wednesday and see how you’ve progressed.

I’m constantly in awe of you, baby girl. You take my breath away so many times a day sometimes I wonder how I have enough air to survive. You are our perfect little Dolly.

I love you with all my heart,

Your Mama

A. LOT. OF. HAIR.

Hair that has a mind of its own.

There really is no controlling it.

And I FREAKIN’ LOVE it.

You have PERFECTED a new skill over the past week and half…

rolling over.

My littly roly poly, you are all over the place. I can scarecely put you down anywhere before you make your move.  Back to stomach. Stomach to back. You can do both of these, yet when you roll from your back to your stomach, you get so mad about being on your stomach you somehow forget that you can – on your own – flip back over to the side you like better. You usually end up frustrated and fussy at that point.

Exhibit A of the fussy…

There is, however, one instance where you throughly enjoy your stomach. And that would be bedtime. And that would be the reason your mama is a crazy person, lacking the good sleep she was getting just a few short days ago.

I’m a mad woman. I’m so paranoid about you sleeping on your stomach. There’s something called SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) that can happen to babies, usually in their cribs. Mama has made the mistake of googling (you’ll learn about Google soon enough) way too much information about it and that’s why I am so worried about you. No matter how much I turn you on your back, you immediately flip yourself right back over.

Your Grammy tells me I need to chill out. She says that I slept on my stomach the whole time I was a baby and it didn’t hurt me and I turned out just fine.  (Well, that last part is somewhat debatable)

Thank God for our little video monitor. I can just glance over to my nightstand in the middle of the night and take a look at what you’re doing. However, I still get up to check and make sure you are breathing periodically. I can’t imagine how crazy I’d be if I didn’t have that monitor.

My reason for telling you all this is that I’ve decided this is going to be my first lesson in letting go. You are happy sleeping on your stomach. Even though you are a great sleeper regardless, you sleep even better on your stomach. You can lift your head up and like I said you are able to flip both directions. I need to worry less about your ability to take care of yourself in this instance. You’re getting to be a big girl as you start tackling all these milestones and I know there will be much tougher tests for your mama along the way.

I know every night God is watching over you as you sleep and that is where I will find my comfort in all this.

One thing I’m not letting go of….I’ll still put you to bed on your back each and every night.

Hey, you can’t blame a gal for trying.

Love,

Your crazy, neurotic mama

Well, just a short week and a half after my post….FAIL in the exclusive breastfeeding department. My supply took a little bit of a nose-dive and her little appetite went on the rise (to a not-so-little appetite).

I was sick to my stomach last Monday when I picked my sweet girl up from daycare and they told me that the daily supply I was providing just wasn’t cutting it.  She acted hungry after each bottle and went through my small frozen supply (Because my company paid for my breast pump I had to wait for them to order it and received it only shortly before I went back to work – thus my back-up supply was minimal).

I immediately felt like a failure.  We were doing so good. Why had things all of sudden changed? Why couldn’t I keep up my end of the bargain? Every day last week, each of my three daily treks up to the 5th floor lactation room I held my own private pity party thinking about what a failure I was…how I was failing my child.

Yeah, I know, I’m an idiot.

This week I snapped back to reality.

Each afternoon, daycare hands over an infant “daily sheet” is what they call them. Josh and I call them “progress reports.” Basically it gives me the run down of when and how much she ate, her naps and her diaper changes. They also include any important notes or comments. A recent one included the comment, “Ainsley is doing GREAT with the formula.”

Of course she is. She happy, satisfied and nourished. And what else is there to be concerned with?

Absolutely nothing. Certainly not my self-involved thoughts of the past couple weeks.

First bout of mommy-guilt…..conquered.

I have been terrible about keeping up with this blog. My excuse is that I spend every moment I can soaking up your sweet coos and smiles and writing has become an afterthought. I’m going to be better about it though.

Holy cow, you will be 12 weeks tomorrow. It is crazy how quickly 12 weeks has passed, but at the same time it’s hard to remember my life without you.

Looking back at pictures of your first couple of weeks, I cannot believe how tiny you were. It has been such a joy to watch your little milestones along the way.

Each of your check-ups at the doctor has proven you are perfect in every way and you are progessing just as you should be.

At about 8 weeks, your little personality really began to shine through. You started doling out smiles and giggles by the dozen. And stealing my heart more and more with each one.

At 12 weeks you are soooo close to holding your head up without a problem. You’re still a little wobbly but doing great.

I’m still exclusively breastfeeding you. You haven’t had a drop of formula yet.  It was definitely a challenge to get accustomed pumping 3 times a day at work but I’ve got the routine down pat and am providing plenty for you at daycare each day while we are away from each other.

I absolutely love breastfeeding and never would have imagined that would be the case. It is pretty incredible to know that I am able to provide all the nutrition in the world that you need to grow and thrive. Not to mention the connection I have with you in the process…your little hand rubbing my side as you eat….making the sweetest eye contact with you….it all takes my breath away. You take my breath away.

No only do you amaze me every day, but I am continuously in awe at what a wonderful daddy you have. He loves you more than you will ever know. You’ve already got him wrapped around your finger and in your back pocket. You’ll want to take note of that for the future when you start to have an interest in things like make-up and boys.

There are not enough fluffy adjectives in the world to describe the pure joy you’ve brought to my life.  That hair. Those eyes. That dimple. You are the best thing I’ve ever done.

I love you to the moon and back, sweet girl.

Your Mama