And that makes two...

So I just realized when I was checking out Sophia's tooth on the bottom, that the one next to it is coming in too! I never know when a tooth is coming in because she never gets fussy or cranky. I guess we're lucky that way and I should be thankful that she handles teeth coming in really well :-) Before I know it, she's going to have whole mouth full.lol. However, I'm not sure, with all the teeth coming in, how much longer I'm going to nurse. Though I love bonding with Sophia in this way and she still needs the nutrients of the breast milk, she has bit me three time with her tooth, and it has gotten increasingly hard, and painful. I didn't flick her cheek the first two times she bit me, but the third time I did because I came to the realization that if I don't do something she's going to keep on biting me. We'll see how it goes. I'm going to hang in there as long as I can because I know how important it is to her health. And there is just something special about being able to provide for your child. It's a unique and amazing bonding experience for mother and child and I want to hold onto it as long as I can!

Sandy Toes...

Last weekend we went to Rockaway Beach with my parents and my brothers and sister. It was so beautiful there, so we really were able to enjoy the beach. We took Sophia on the beach for the second time, and she loved it! The first time we took her on the beach was the fourth of July and it was too cold, so she didn't really get to experience it. But this time it was warm and really sunny so we laid down a huge beach towel and let her play on it. We also stuck her bare feet in the sand. She loved the feeling of the sand on her toes and kept on scrunching up her toes and digging them into the sand. I don't know why, but I'm kind of obsessed with bare feet pictures. I took one when she first experienced grass and now when she first experienced sand. I just think the perspective is kind of different and unique.

Just for Fun...

Here are some pictures I took recently of Sophia just for fun. I take pictures almost everyday. I just can't help it, she's just way too cute!!! But I guess I'm kind of biased.lol.

Ouch!

So yesterday was Sophia's 6 month check up. She now weighs 17 lbs 11 oz. and has grown 2 inches since her 4 month check up. And once again she had to get a set of shots in her legs. Knowing this, I brace myself and try to be brave but I swear it's harder on me than it is on her. But just like last time, she cried after the initial poke and then once I picked her up and kissed her and started rubbing her back she calmed down. By the time we got to the car she was smiling up at me with those tear stained cheeks and that's when my heart just melted. After all that I just put her through (no doubt for her own good), she still looked at me with those big blue eyes as if to say, " Mommy, I love you still." Being a mom is the best and most wonderful gift and blessing in the world, let's just say I'm not looking forward to the first time she scrapes her knee. I'll probably be a blubbering wreck.

       

6 months going on 5 years...

Sophia was 6 months on Monday August 11th and is doing so many new things! She is now eating food like bananas, plums, peaches & oatmeal, peas & rice, and rice cereal. Our little girl has a good appetite and at the moment, seems to like everything we feed her! She also likes to try to help me feed her which usually results in baby food all over her face, but she seems to have fun doing it. She can also now hold her own bottle and almost pulls it away if we try to help, like she wants to show us she can do it herself.
She can almost sit up by herself and sits like a tripod until she sees a toy that grabs her attention and then she leans forward and tips on her side. She can hold herself up standing if she has something to hold on to like the couch. And even though she's still quite young, we hold her hands and lean her forward while standing and are trying to teach her to take steps, she can take 2 or three, but then gets tired.
As far as awareness goes, she's constantly grabbing and looking at everything! She loves Hurley and Shakespeare (our Pugs) and gets so excited when they come up to her and sit by her. She grabs Hurley's hair and squeels! Hurley is great with her and doesn't seem to mind, he just likes the attention.Lol. Shakespeare is a bit more cautious and just smells her and checks her out.
Vocally, she is squealing, blowing air and jabbering up a storm. I have the feeling that once she starts talking she's going to be quite the chatter-box! Her attention span is quite long these days as well. Jeff and I will lay her on the bed and put her between us and just talk to her and play with her and she will talk back and interact with us for a long time. This is one of our favorite things to do in the mornings when she just wakes up. She's so refreshed and happy in the morning.
I can't believe how fast she'll grow in just a week! One week an outfit will fit her and the next it's too small. It's the same with diapers! She's growing like a weed! Her hands and feet are still pretty big and she is working her way into a size 3 shoe. I'm just glad two of my friends are having little girls, so that her clothes can get worn more than once.
I'm not the only one who notices. The other day Jeff was holding her and she was holding her own bottle and he looked up at me and said, 'I can't believe she can hold her own bottle now, she's growing up so fast, too fast!" In a way it's kind of sad, because she's not this helpless little baby anymore. She's somewhat independent and curious and determined and seems to need us less and less each month. The sad part is, is that I know in my heart that this isn't even the beginning of having to let go as a parent and I'm sure it will only get harder. But for now, I'm going to enjoy my little girl as the needy, dependent, little angel that she is.

Splish, Splash!

Sophia's favorite time of the day is at night when we fill up the tub with Johnson's Lavender Baby wash and water and let her splash away. The Lavender body wash calms her and makes her sleep great at night. She also likes the bubbles it makes, and sometimes tries to eat them, yuck! Lol. So I took a few pics of her in her new bath tub seat. What a cute little fishy!!!

Finally!

Every day when Sophia tries to grab my fingers and chew on them, I will rub my finger on her top and bottom gums checking for any teeth popping through. This time I was surprised to feel a sharp little surface against my finger. When I looked in her mouth, it confirmed my feeling. There, just barely popping through the surface was the top a her very first tooth! It is on the bottom left side and I'm pretty sure the other one on the bottom is not far behind. I have to say she is being quite the champ in dealing with the pain. She hasn't been fussy or cranky, just drooling and chewing on everything in sight!