through the night!

last night we put julia to sleep at 1030, and she is still asleep now at 8:40 am! woohoo!!

letters to julia: month four

dear julia,

this month has been a month of changes -- all for the better. at the beginning of the month, i decided you needed to sleep in your own room. i devised a plan to slowly get you there. first, we started sleeping unswaddled. we went cold turkey, and it was hard for two nights, but then it was great! who knew that you like to sleep with your arms stretched out wide?! 

we found a video monitor on groupon and snatched it up. once we got that, i started giving you naps in your crib instead of in the swing. this was hard at first too, and resulted in a few days where you only took 30-minute naps. (those days were exhausting.) but then you got the hang of it and now you actually love your crib! 

the next and most difficult step was to move the master bedroom upstairs. we were downstairs, and your crib was upstairs, and that wasn't gonna fly with me. so i convinced your dad and we headed upstairs. i actually like it a lot more and it lets us be close to you while you sleep in your own crib. you have a great routine now of sleeping from 10:30 until 3:30, nursing, and then going back to sleep until about 8:30. i could not be happier with the progress we've made this month.

you have also found your "comfort item" this month. they are the aden and anais swaddle blankets or your "lovees" as we call them in our house. you love to pull them between your tiny fingers and chew on the thin fabric. (PSA: they are also great for swadding, obviously, as well as for wiping a drooly mouth or laying underneath baby for a diaper change, and they are perfect for nursing -- large, lightweight, soft and comfortable. we love these blankets in our house!) 

i don't think you are teething, but you love to chew and drool a lot. we have affectionately given you the nickname "julia droolia." when someone is holding you, you like to grab their fingers and shove them in your mouth.

last month you started grabbing at toys, and this month you have started putting them in your mouth.

you are still not really a fan of tummy time, but we do it anyway and try to explain to you that it's for your own good. you are getting better, though, and have rolled from your belly to your back several times now. 

everyone comments on how big you are! in the past few days, i have had several strangers ask how old you are, and then comment, "wow! she's big for four months!" i love this. it means you a strong and healthy and because all you have ever eaten is breastmilk, it means i am strong and healthy, too!

you are so close to sitting up on your own. we give you a little support, and sometimes you can sit by yourself for a second or two before your big head makes you topple over. you love "standing" when we hold you up and you lock your knees. you especially love to stand on someone's stomach and smile down at them. 

you took your first trip to cincinnati to visit aunt katie, aunt megan and uncle brendan. you were such a good girl in the car -- you slept the whole way! you are a great and compliant little traveler.

you are so much fun, julia. we just can't believe how much joy you have brought into our lives. 

love you so much.

love, mama

jessica simpson

i'm going on the record right now and saying i think she's going to name her daughter abilene.

wordless wednesday

last night

last night i put julia down to sleep around 10 pm. she slept until 130, nursed for a few minutes, and then went back to sleep until 715! 130 to 715!!! this is the first time she has slept more than five hours in her life! we are very pleased this morning :)

update: she went back to sleep at 745, slept until 10, and woke up so happy! she makes it so easy to be a mama. 

just a thought ...

Birth Boutique Home Page Video from Joe Criso on Vimeo.

letters to julia: month three

dear julia,


it is hard to believe you are three months old already. you are getting so big. you have really filled out in the past month. yesterday i pulled out all your 3-6 month clothes because you need to wear them all before they don't fit you anymore (which will probably be next week). 

you have chubby cherub cheeks and rolls in your thighs. 

you are a talker. one of our favorite things to do is lay on the floor and smile at each other. you make all kinds of sweet sounds, you outwardly laugh, and you have a great big gummy grin. you stick your tongue out and kick your legs. 

you like to chew on your hands. this has just started within the past week. i know it's only a matter of time before you like to chew on everything else. 

you love "naked booty time." we take your diaper off and let you kick, kick, kick. you smile and talk and sometimes you poop.
if you catch your eye in the mirror, you smile at yourself.

you're getting better in the car. you used to cry at every red light. now you cry at maybe every other red light.

you behave very well in church. sometimes you sleep through the whole mass (this will get to be an issue if you are still sleeping through mass when you are a teenager), and other times you sit in daddy's lap and look around, but you are always happy.  people always come up to us after church and tell us how cute and how well behaved you are. we agree.

 love you so much. 


love, mama