Is she sleeping through the night?

That seems to be the hot topic when people find out you have a new baby.

First it's, "how old is she?"
Then, "how much does she weigh?"
And then, "is she sleeping through the night?"

I read a hilarious passage today on a mommy blog called Ask Moxie:

"Therefore, in the first 12-14 weeks of parenthood you should take your lead from Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary. If your baby only sleeps on your chest with his/her head wedged up into your neck*, do it if you can sleep that way. If your baby only sleeps in the swing or sling or Amby hammock thing or car seat or car or front carrier or laundry basket or between you in bed or holding onto the cat's tail or on the bathroom floor or in a tent in your backyard, do it. If you have to run the hairdryer, clothes dryer, white noise machine, "La Vida Loca" CD, or any other noise, more power to you. Whatever gets the maximum number of hours of sleep for the maximum number of people in your household, that's what you should do. And when anyone asks you how your baby's sleeping, just lie and say everything's great."

Look at THAT FACE!

Gabby had a half a day at daycare one day so we got to spend the afternoon at home playing. I can not get enough of this little girl!

Who's that pretty baby?

Gabby loves looking in the mirror after her bath. We always ask, "Who's that pretty baby?" and she smiles, smiles, smiles!

Ummm... Mom?

Being a busy parent definitely zaps your brain at times. One day I plopped Gabby in the bath with her socks on! Oopsie!!!!

Who's a big kid?

Gabby's a big kid!!! Check out Gabby in her Bumbo chair. I love how grown up she looks when she sits in it!

Grabby Gabby

Gabby is a pro at grabbing objects now, thanks to Miss Crystal! Check out Gabby's little pinchers grabbing a hold of her buddy, the crab... Pinch. Pinch.

Time for cereal!

Gabby had her first cereal this weekend!!! She was sleeping through the night from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m., and then started waking up to eat in the middle of the night again so the doctor told us to go for it! Here's Gabby's first (and second) try at cereal!

Mommy and me

The other day Mike caught Gabby and I in a "moment". She was eating and looking up at me while smiling and talking with the nipple in her mouth. Love these pics!

Gabby gabs a lot!

Chica loves music and lights! She loves diving after her Tropical Turtle, watching Little Einsteins, and singing with the kids at daycare. Crystal told us that Gabby is so vocal during music time! The other day, all the kids at daycare tried to be very talkative with her to encourage her to be more vocal. So cute!

We don't need no stinkin' swaddle!

Gabby's a big girl!!! All in one week, Gabby stopped wanting to be swaddled, stopped wanting to be rocked to sleep, and started putting herself to sleep for naps! We're still working on a tearless bedtime, but we'll get there! Here's a picture of Gabby sprawled out like a big girl, and chilling in her carseat- where most naps occur! Hey- whatever works, right?

Three great months

I can't believe I have been a mom for 3 whole months! Like everyone said it would, this time has, in a sense, flown by. I'm certainly not ready to head back to work tomorrow.

But at the same time, it feels like forever ago when we first came home from the hospital and spent weeks running on no more than 1-2 hours of consecutive sleep at a time! Neither of us is the same person we were 3 months ago!

Gabby is more fun now than ever. She's so aware of us these days, which makes leaving her at daycare even harder. Tonight, she commemorated my last day as a stay-at-home mom by doing two beautiful things:

She went to bed before 8:00, with no fussing at all- just some adorable bellows and jibber jabber.

But before bed, she did something I hope to always remember... She laid her head down on my chest, grabbed the neck of my shirt and started fiddling with my neck, and looking up at me while "talking". It was the cutest thing EVER. It sounded like she was just chilling with mom, gabbing and cooing about her day's events. I wanted to eat up this moment and never forget it!

Leaving for work tomorrow will be the hardest thing I have done so far as a mom. I just know it. Gabby has literally been a part of me for 12 months now. Even now, I still feel like she and I are one being instead of two. She's always been near me since the day she was created, and having her away from me for most of my day will be a huge adjustment.

A long time ago, I read a quote that touched me even though I was not yet a parent. It seems to be particularly relevant today, and I suppose it always will!

“Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” ~ Elizabeth Stone

Gabby's Nursery

Here is a slide show of Gabby's nursery. We still have some artwork to make to go with the surfer girl theme... The surf board is going to be hung on the wall, where we can mark off her height as she grows older!

Gabby's ready for the beach

We're tired of winter! Gabby and all her fat rolls are patiently waiting for beach season... She's been trying on her beach gear for weeks now, and asking, "Mom, when is summer coming? Is summer tomorrow? What does the sand feel like? Mommy, do I know how to swim? Will you and Daddy make sand castles with me? Will you teach me to pick crabs?", and so on and so on...

Who does she resemble?

A quick and easy visual quiz... If you can't already see the resemblance in Gabby, I've posted Mike's and my baby photos so you can see for yourself... Who does Gabby look like?:

Will you be my Valentine?

Happy 1st Valentine's Day Gabby!!! Our little cherub starring in her first homemade Valentine...

~Valentine courtesy of Evelyn, a friend and fellow mommy!

http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/4217902#246647267