Soooo Big!

It seems as if every day Sophia is learning and doing new things. For quite a while Grandma Boss has been asking and teaching Sophia how big she is by asking her, "How big is Sophia?" Then she raises Sophia's arms and says, "Soooo big!" Well, just recently did Sophia start raising both of her arms up over her head. Then we say so big and she puts them down. Then she smiles and puts her arms up again and waits for us to say "soooo big!" And then she smiles and puts them down. You can tell she is quite proud of herself. This game goes back and forth between us until she decides its over, and sometimes it can last a while :)

The calm after the storm...

Jeff and I look forward to Christmas every year, especially this year because it was Sophia's first Christmas. And though we very much enjoyed the holidays with each of our families, we are glad that things are finally slowing down. Sophia is finally beginning to get back on schedule with nap times and bed time, which is so nice. And Jeff and I are enjoying quiet nights together which consist of watching T.V., playing games and just hanging out together. It has been so relaxing!

Mommy, Sophia and Daddy

Sophia and Daddy opening a Christmas present

Daddy and Sophia playing in her new ball pit

Aren't I a cute little present?

Sophia riding her stuffed Lion Daddy got her

Snowed In...

The last two days we have been enjoying watching the snow continue to fall and accumulate on the ground. Yesterday the snow never stopped falling! We now have around 8 inches of snow with a 1/2 inch of ice on top due to the freezing rain that came in late last night.
Yesterday we were pretty much snowed in and just hung out all day wrapping presents, listening to Christmas music and relaxing. In the evening we went over to Jeff's Aunt, Debbie's, house (one street up from ours), and had dinner and joined in on a gingerbread house decorating contest. Jeff and I came in second and got a big Hershey's chocolate kiss. First place went to Jeff's cousin, Michelle, and her boyfriend, who creatively turned a gingerbread choo-choo train into a semi-truck.
This morning we are completely snowed/iced in and will not be venturing out at all. Just trying to walk in our yard is a bit scary. But I had to go out and take some pictures just because I thought the layer of ice on all the trees was so beautiful! Here's what it looks like at our house right now...

Santa's Little Helper...

While enjoying a relaxing day at home with Sophia, I thought I would take advantage of the down time and snap a few photos. She makes my job quite easy, because she loves the camera!

An Extra Day of Rest and Relaxation...

Due to the weather yesterday, Jeff and I were able to have the day off together with Sophia. We slept in, had breakfast, and played in the snow. Well, not so much played in the snow, more like stood with Sophia in the snow and waited to see her reaction. lol. We couldn't really tell if she liked it or not, she was kind of giving us mixed reactions. However, we did capture some pretty cute pics of her in the snow all crammed in to her fluffy snowsuit that Grandma Boss got for her. She looked just like a little pink marshmallow.
Later on in the day we made and decorated sugar cookies. Oh, and ended up eating a few as well:) Yum, Yum! Then after putting Sophia to bed, Jeff and I went upstairs to watch "The Christmas Shoes". What a sweet and touching story! You all have probably heard the song on the radio, but if you haven't seen the movie, I encourage you to do so. It will melt your heart! Jeff and I sat there watching it, tears running down our faces, so touched by this emotional story of this little boy's mom that has cancer and he wants to buy her special Christmas shoes.
What a perfect December day! I know the snow can be dangerous with driving and all, but I was thankful, because it gave us an extra day off to just enjoy our family and do some fun things together.

Mommy and Sophia

Our Little Pink Marshmallow

Daddy and Sophia

Growing Curiosity...

We finally got our tree up and decorated with all the lights and various ornaments. When Sophia saw it for the first time, her eyes were as big as sand dollars! She couldn't believe this big, bright, sparkly, thing in front of her. At first she was a bit hesitant on wanting to touch it, but after me and Jeff showed her it was okay to touch, she very cautiously put her little pointer finger out and touched it, then looked back at us and smiled.
We put our Christmas tree in Sophia's gated play area, so that she wouldn't pull the tree over on her or eat any of the ornaments. So instead of being gated in, she's being kept out of the area and away from the tree. However, she wasn't going to let that stop her from her own curiosity. This is the moment I captured as she reached through the gate to try to touch a bright red shiny ball on the tree.

Growth Update...

Sophia is now 10 months old! Can you believe it? She went in for her wellness check up today and was weighed and measured. She weighs 21 lbs. and is almost 29 inches long. She is quite the busy little bee lately and has kept Jeff and I on our toes. She is crawling faster than we can chase her and is also pulling herself up to a standing position on our coffee table, her crib,in the tub (kind of scary) and on our furniture.
She continues to enjoy her pureed baby food, but is now also enjoying slices of banana and baby mum-mums (rice crackers). If she sees me eating a banana she starts to wave her hands and squeal because she wants some too! She has no desire to drink juice, but quite enjoys water in her sippy cup or out of a cup with our help.
She is now cutting her six tooth, which has resulted in some fussiness and lack of sleep on both our parts. It seems as if with each tooth the tenderness and pain increases for Sophia. She is still a little chewing machine and loves to chew on me and Jeff's fingers. However, sometimes, I don't think she realizes how strong her bite really is.
She loves to play peek-a-boo in her high chair after lunch. It's so cute because she will actually hold the wash cloth in front of her face and pull it down, as if to say "peek-a-boo". She is also learning the meaning of "no" and will stop and look at us if we say it.
I'm sure there is more, but I must save some bragging for another time, lol. Just wanted to update you guys on how Sophia is developing:)

Music to my ears...

The other night Jeff set Sophia on his lap and was playing the piano with her. He was holding her hands showing her how to make the different keys make different sounds. It was so precious, I had to capture it on my camera. She squeeled and loved the different sounds. She has always been captivated by music, but especially enjoyed being the one to make the music. It was really funny, too, because at one point Jeff put her down and started to close the top of the piano because he thought she was finished. Well, she wasn't and started waving her arms up and down like she wanted back up on his lap. So he picked her back up and continued playing on the piano with her. She was having so much fun, she didn't want to stop!

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

This past weekend we started decorating our house for Christmas. We pulled out all our bins of Christmas stuff and started sorting it all out. Sophia saw all the sparkly-glittery stuff and wanted to touch it all! I was wrapping some ribbon around the garland on our stairs and couldn't help but wrap it around Sophia too! Here's what she looked like. I'm not sure sure if she knew what to think!?

Ouch!

Tonight Jeff and I were eating dinner and watching "The Grinch" on tv while Sophia was walking around us with the assistance of her little push toy. She has been progressing quite a bit, and can now walk with it by herself quite comfortably. However, tonight, she got a little too comfortable and put more weight on one side of the toy than the other and toppled over, resulting in quite a few tears and a bump on her cheek. Though she recovered quickly and was back up walking with her push toy five minutes later, I, however, did not. It killed me to see her hurt, and I am not looking forward to any more bumps along the way. Though I do understand it is pretty much inevitable:(

Hand in Hand...

The last few nights when I lay Sophia in her crib, she looks up at me at and starts to make a sad, pouty face because she knows I will be leaving her. So I take her blanket and snuggle it up around her, gently rub the top of her head, and sing to her. She used to love when I rubbed the top of her head, but recently the last few times, she'll grab my hand and pull it away from her head and pull it in close to her cheek, just holding my hand in hers. Then she looks back up at me and smiles, then closes her eyes and goes to sleep. If I try to pull my hand away before she's completely asleep, she grabs my hand again and holds it until she falls back asleep. It is the sweetest thing!

Oh Crap! (literally)

After we got home this evening I put Sophia down on the ground to crawl around and play with her toys, while I did the dishes. She was pretty content for quite some time, but then began to fuss a bit. I picked her up and was talking to her, asking her what was wrong. Then... I smelled it. I then leaned down towards her bum to verify what I was smelling and yep, she definitely had a poopy diaper. Jeff wasn't home from work yet, so I was going to attempt this one on my own. Lately Jeff and I have had to make diaper changing a two person job due to the fact that Sophia likes to "help" us by putting her hands in the mess, yuck! So anyways, thinking that it will be no bog deal, I take off her diaper and start to clean her up, when I realize, crap!, "I got it on the carpet. Oh, no, now it's on her outfit." Then I lift her up and finally see, the poo had shot all the way up her back and clear up to her shoulders! How this happened, is beyond me. Let's just say that after about 10 wipes, two diapers and a bath, Sophia is finally clean, however, the outfit I'm not so sure about. I think that is one outfit that can't be salvaged:(And it was so cute too!

Visiting with Friends...

Yesterday me, Katie and Sophia went to the Young's house to visit Amy,Courtney & Elle, Lexi, and Kim. It was so funny watching Sophia's reaction to all the commotion. She has never seen so much activity before. It completely entranced her. She seemed to love it, though and loved the new selection of toys at there house to play with. We had such a nice time visiting with everyone and catching up. It was also fun to watch Sophia and Elle interact. I must say, they are two of the most fashionable little girls around!

Learning to Walk...

Sophia has a bouncy chair that converts into a walker that helps her learn how to walk. Even though she is only 9 months, I thought, why not get her started now? She is really learning how to balance her weight and it has amazed both Jeff and I how fast she has caught on! Now it seems like all she wants to do is either use her walker to walk or she'll grab our hands as if to tell us, 'ok, I want you to walk with me now.' And I know once she starts walking I will be chasing her everywhere, but right now my arms would really like the rest :)

Little miss Nosey...

Sophia has this new found curiosity for boxes, magazines, and anything new and interesting. The other day, Jeff was taking some pictures of me and Sophia on our stairs. Well, when I set Sophia down next to me to re-adjust our pose, this is what happened...



She saw these decorative boxes we have on our stairs and had the notion that something exciting was inside. She opened up the top one and peeked inside. Though there was nothing, she still found it very entertaining. She then pulled the top one off and peeked into the next. She is so curious about life and it's so exciting to see her discovering new things in her own little way.

My Little Contortionist...

Sophia is so flexible these days! She loves to grab her feet and bring them all the way up to her mouth and suck on her toes. She also likes to grab one foot in each hand and clap her feet together. She keeps herself so entertained with her many bendable positions, maybe she'll grow up to be a part of the circus, lets hope not!Lol.

Fall Photos...

My parents have a great big maple tree in there back yard that turns bright yellow in the fall. Every year the leaves fall and gather around the base of the tree and it is so beautiful! This year I decided to capture pictures of Sophia playing in the gorgeous yellow leaves. Here's how they turned out...






She loved watching the wind blow the leaves off the tree and hearing the crunching sound of the leaves when she played in them. We also had to keep on telling her not to eat the leaves.lol. She's at the stage where everything goes in the mouth.
Oh, and an update on her teeth... She's doing so much better! The top two have cut through the gums and she is feeling and sleeping much better these days:)

Lil' Stinker...

For Sophia's first Halloween, we dressed her up as a little skunk. And what an adorable little skunk she was...







For Halloween we took Sophia over to Grandma and Grandpa Boss's to trick-or-treat in there neighborhood. We also met my family (The Cartwright's) over there as well. When we arrived Autie Katie and Kevin were decorating the outside of the house for other trick-or-treaters. After dinner, we headed out into the neighborhood to trick-or-treat. We couldn't have asked for better weather. The stars were out and the temperature was pretty comfortable. Sophia was so interested in all the different sites and sounds she had never seen before. She was also quite the little trooper and stayed awake the entire time. She even got a few pieces of candy, which we enjoyed of course.lol. Along the way we met a little girl dressed up as a chicken and introduced her to Sophia. Sophia reached out her hand to try to touch her costume. Unfortunately, my camera was back at the house, but the little girl's mom got a picture of Sophia and the little chicken, I bet it turned out so cute! After going around the entire neighborhood we went back to Grandpa and Grandma's house and relaxed and visited for a bit. Then we left for home with a tired little Sophia, who zonked out in the car on the way home. We had such a fun time and I think Sophia really enjoyed her first Halloween!

Her first bling-bling...

Saturday we took Sophia to the mall to get her ears pierced. I think me and Jeff were more nervous than Sophia was.lol. Jeff couldn't bare to see Sophia cry, so he went across the way to a candle store to wait. I sat there with Sophia on my lap while the lady pierced Sophia's ears. Auntie Katie and Kevin were there to help too. My heart was pounding and I felt so bad:( She cried for a bit but after they were done she had a big smile on her face like it never even happened. Now she doesn't even seem to know that there are earrings in her ears. We chose little white gold posts with crystals and they look absolutely adorable on her! They sparkle just like her eyes, when she smiles:)

Such a BIG personality for such a little girl...

Sophia never ceases to amaze us with her numerous funny faces and silly expressions. For such a little person, she sure does have a lot of personality! I'm just lucky she likes the camera enough to allow me to capture her various faces in photos!

The Lemon Face...

Lately Sophia has been into to making this face where she scrunches up her nose and puckers her mouth and breathes hard through her nose. It is absolutely hilarious! It cracks us up because she now will do it on cue. She is such a little ham. It's so neat to see bits and pieces of how her personality is going to be. I think she will have a bit of humor, like her daddy, but she also seems like she'll be a bit feisty, but super loving. I can't wait to see more of her character unfold. She is so much fun right now, we are having a ball!

Actually four!...

So, today I realized why I think Sophia has been so fussy. She not only has one tooth on the top coming in, but both of her top front teeth are coming in at the same time! No wonder she is so much more uncomfortable than with her bottom two teeth, which came in about 2 months apart. Poor girl:( I'm hoping though, that once they cut through the gums, the tenderness will be alleviated a little bit. Here's to hoping...

And one more makes three...

Sophia has been drooling and chewing like crazy! I was wondering how long it would be before her next tooth came through. Well, it is getting close! It looks like in a few days she will be getting another tooth on the top right side. Her gum is swollen and white. When she cut the other two teeth, I didn't even realize it until they were through, because her mood hadn't changed at all. I must say, though, with this one, she has been a bit fussy and woke up last night a bit frustrated. She seems to be chewing on everything and anything to help relieve the soreness. I have tried to help by giving her teething rings, cold wash clothes and a natural teething remedy. I just hope she gets through this one fast, because I don't like to see her in pain :(

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch...

Wednesday we took Sophia to Liepold's Pumpkin Patch in Boring. We met up with my mom, siblings, and grandma. It was a beautiful, dry, and sunny day. We lucked out with the weather. Sophia was so amazed by all the orange pumpkins, we had a hard time trying to get her to look at the camera. She just wanted to touch the stems and feel the texture of them. We picked out a pumpkin for me, Jeff, and Sophia. Jeff had to carry them, they were so big and heavy! After we paid for the pumpkins we bought caramel corn and ate it on the way home. Sophia's first trip to the pumpkin patch was a success!

The Army Crawl...

Last night Jeff and I went to dinner with some friends and out to a show. Auntie Katie babysat Sophia. We had a great time, but were freaking out when she texted us asking if Sophia had ever crawled for us. We answered back no, and were anxious to get home and see what this was all about! Well, when we got home Sophia was already fast asleep, but when we asked Katie what her text was all about, she pulled out her cell phone and showed us the video clip she took. It was of Sophia crawling. Now she can't quite do a full crawl yet, but if she sees something she wants, a toy for example, she gets on her knees, and uses her forearms to brace her self and does kind of an army crawl. It's hilarious! We were so happy Katie was able to capture it on video! We now have it on a CD and will have it to cherish forever! Not too long before she will be crawling around the house, getting into everything. We can't wait!LOL.

Bouncy, bounce...

We bought Sophia a new fun bouncy seat. It clips to the top of a doorway and she sits in it and she can bounce up and down as much as she wants. She absolutely loves it and thinks she's 'BIG STUFF' bouncing around in it. It keeps her busy for a very long time.
I might as well add this in here while I'm at it, Sophia can now say 'mama', which thrills me to no end and she has also mastered 'the wave' and likes to do it all the time.
She is getting so big now and is wearing size 12 months in pants and we were surprised when we put them on her and realized that the length wasn't that much too long for her little legs. She has been sleeping so much lately and is going through a major growing spurt. She has a check-up in a month for her 9 month check up and I am so excited to see how much she weighs and how long she is! I have a feeling she is going to pass me up in the future, but then again me being 5'2", it's not very hard to beat.LOL.

How the time flies!

It's hard for me to believe that 8 months ago, today, I gave birth to our beautiful little girl, Sophia. Since she has been a part of our lives, she has changed the status of Jeff and I, from a married couple, to a family. And we are loving it! Everytime she does something new, it's as if the whole world stops. We can't brag about her enough, but I think every parent can relate to that. I look back at pictures of when she was born ( a tiny 7 lbs & 5 oz.) and find myself missing how little and dainty she used to be. How she would sleep in our arms for hours and the tiniest yawn or facial expression got us so excited. But now I love the age she is at too, because she is developing her own personality and is so lovable and snuggly. She has her likes and dislikes and is developing a fiesty side too. Which at times is funny, but at other times, not so much.lol. We love every dimple, every hair, every inch of her. I never knew I was capable of this amount of unconditional love. I even find myslef worrying about her first day of school already. I was telling Jeff the other day that I didn't want her to ride the bus, that I was going to take her to school every day. I dont want to even think about letting go, but then again, it's in those moments that they grow and develop who they are. I'm just thankful she's still a baby and not five yet. I still love that she needs me and that she looks at me with those big, trusting, blue eyes, like she knows that I would never let anything happen to her. It's a big repsonsibility to have another person's happiness, health, and well being placed on your shoulders, but at the same time, it's the most wonderful, fullfilling and amazing feeling one can ever experience!