10 months

My sweet LayLee Magee is 10 months old. Were is the time going? I just want it to slow down or even stop, this age is perfect forever.


This month brought some more firsts, like first cold and first tooth. It has been nice that teething has not been a problem. If we weren't able to see it we would have no idea it was coming in. It seems to be taking longer than I expected. It really has just broken through the gum and the one beside it is visible under the gum. I guess I thought they grew at a faster pace.

Life with Layla remains pretty routine. Although this week we are working on changing that routine abit. Since Layla was very little bedtime has been by 6:30, in fact that is late. It worked for her and it was what she needed. By 5:30 at night she starts letting you know she is ready. This meant that for months now she would get up and eat between 5-6am and go back to sleep until 9ish. This has been perfect, we all liked this schedule. However in the last couple of weeks she has been having the 5am bottle and going back to sleep but only until 8 at the latest. So we decided we needed to get rid of the early morning bottle. It worked well when that meant we got to sleep in but it wasn't getting us anything any more. This week bedtime as been moved to 7:30. It worked perfectly from the first night she went to be later, she did not wake up at 5. Changing to the later bedtime was going to be hard since girlfriend is like her mommy and enjoys going to bed early. So we have been going out and keeping her busy. We went out for dinner and it was hilarious..we went at 5:30 and it was all people with small kids and people over 70! We had not been out after dark with Layla since she was a newborn. It was kinda fun and kept her busy and awake.Layla is also making progress with her meals. She started eating toast and chicken this week. I have been offering her meat for awhile but she would not really eat it. She eats 3 meals a day and a snack or two. As far as what she eats it varies from day to day. She really seems to enjoy baby food from a jar. It is a little disappointing that I spent months making all of her own food when now she won't even eat it. I can make her home made carrots and she will play with them instead of eat them...but offer her carrots from the store and she will cry out with excitement. She still would rather feed her self but I am alittle to impatient for this. It takes longer and it is really messy. So I try to give her finger foods while I get her meal ready and then she gets jarred vegetables with a meat in it(by her choice) and then I give her fresh fruit. Bananas are still her favorite although she will eat any fruit you give her.Laylas meal times are now like 8, 1230 and 5. She still takes 2 naps a day, morning from 9-1130 and 3-4. My next plan is to get rid of the morning nap but right now she still seems to need it. I have signed Layla and I up for 2 different classes and both have been cancelled dur to not enough students. I think we would both love something to fill our days with.Layla loves music and dancing, it must be something we are born with...moving to the music because we did not teach that to her. But turn on some music and she starts bouncing! I have been disappointed when they have been cancelled but hopefully when the nice weather gets here we can come up with our own fun.

Finally Layla is getting hair!! But my answers about what kind of hair she will have have not been answered. The back is more coarse with tiny tight curls and the top and sides are straight when dry and soft. When it is wet it is all curly but soft big curls. So only time will tell!

What I want to remember from this month is how luck I am that she is healthy! I have so much more respect for parents that have children that are sick after a week with Laylee with a cold. To see your child hurting and not be able to fix it must be hell on earth. I pray to never have to experience what they do everyday, I am sure I am not strong enough.

I also want to remember the laughter I hear when I kiss her...music to my ears! Do you think I will be able to get her to giggle like that by simply kissing her all over when she is 15?

Valentines Day

First Valentines Day!! Not a great one. Friday Layla had a cough and I knew what was coming and by Sunday the running nose had started. So Layla's first Valentines day was spent sleeping, coughing and getting her nose wiped. Thankfully it doesn't appear to be serious. No fever, just a cold. Well it has been a long week and now it's Friday again and I think she is on the mend. However while sweet girl was a coughing, crying mess I thought it would never end. Boy did it wear me out, sleepless nights again made me realize Laylay should be an only child!!

The best part of the week was watching Jatovi and Grannie worry about her. I was tired and found it pitiful to watch our sweet girl but without a fever I was sure it was just a cold. Something everyone gets and she will get it again. But Jatovi and his mom were so worried...worried enough Layla got a trip to urgent care. I was against it but felt like if I didn't take her and something was really wrong I would feel terrible the rest of my life. So off we went and she was diagnosed with acute croup and given oral steroids. So there we have it...until the next day when Grannie thought she should go again. So Jatovi was all over it while I was at work. When I heard about I was alittle angry because again I felt like she had a cold!!!

Long story short the appointment was cancelled and sweet girl woke up this morning with her appetite and energy back. So I feel great that Mommy does know best!!

Oh and along with this Layla is teething. I am not sure it plays into any of the fussing but the one small tooth is slowly coming in!!

So Layla I hope your Valentines Days are better in years to come!

Into Everything

I could not wait for Layla to crawl...but boy is she busy now! She is into everything, it is so much fun. She gets into things you would never expect, it is fun watching her learn and explore!

Is That a Tooth?

Jatovi called me at work last night to say he thought he saw a tooth! I was excited however skeptical because we have been waiting for a tooth for months. And every time she has been fussy somebody says "she is teething". So really I stopped thinking about fussiness and teeth and have just been waiting.

Sure enough when she got up this morning there is a small white area on her gum that is a tooth! I am not sure how long it takes to fully grow but at least she is on her way.

The funniest part is after months of people telling me"she is teething" every time she woke up at night, cried or sucked on something....she has had no signs at all. If we had not seen it we would never know!

Daddy Issues

I have a Dad and I have a Father. Layla, your Grandpa is my Dad in every sense of the word expect for the sperm part:) I know an important part however what you do with the baby you create is for more important than being able to create a person. My biological father is just that...and only that. I spent time with him when I was very little but when I was 12 he signed papers that allowed your Grandpa Baker to adopt us and I have seen very little of him since.

I am now 35 and you would think I would have come to terms with this by now...but some days I still wonder. Having you has made that desire to understand how a father could have little to no contact with their child even stronger. I would jump in front of a car for you, I can't stand going 2 days without seeing you(when I work) you are by far the greatest thing to ever happen to me. So what makes some people able to walk away?

I always joke around saying "I have Daddy issues" but I guess I really do. I am a untrusting person because it was been my experience that once you get close to some one they leave. This of course started with the "father that didn't want me " situation. And still at 35 I feel this way, just ask your Dad. I tell Jatovi often that I am waiting for the day he will walk out and never look back.

Don't get me wrong people do walk away from their babies and it is the best decision they can ever make for that child. I think my life was so much better this way than the alternative for my parents still being together. I just wonder why Mike doesn't care?

I do miss my Grandparents soo much. Mike's parents were so good to me and the only Grandparents I really ever knew. I have major regrets with them and wish I had seen them more before they passed away, that is some thing I will always regret.

So Layla my promise to you is I will do everything I can to make sure you grow up loved and secure! There is nothing you could ever do that will make me leave you. Even if you make a decision I disagree with, I will love you!

A fun week

After giving into peer pressure I bought Layla her first nice pair of shoes. I had read that babies learn to walk best in bare feet. That shoes are not needed so I was going with that. Every time we were home I took off her socks and she seemed to be doing well. Well Aunt Kuanda and Grammie seemed to think this was terrible and that she needed shoes. Jameson has been wearing shoes for months and they felt Layla needed a good pair of shoes as well. So off to stride right I went and bought her the cutest little shoes. She is a size 3.5 wide which is funny since all of the other shoes I have bought have been average 3, so I guess that is why they are tight. She has been wearing them every day so lets see if it helps her learn to walk.

Layla is done with baby food as of this week. I have been giving her finger food for her meals and she is doing very well. Mandarin oranges are her new favorite as well as cheese. It can get messy which drives me crazy but I am trying to relax and lets her figure it out on her own. I can't feed her forever.

The weather was so nice this weekend so Layla and I headed to the park. She went down the slide and on the swing. She seemed unimpressed with it, because watching the older children was all she wanted to do.

When Mommy and Daddy are away.....

When Granddaddy sends pictures to Mommy of what they have done, he should look at them first...I see all of "Mommy's rules" that are being broken!
I don't remember sending mac and cheese for lunch and Layla isn't to sleep with blankets!!

No pacifier

When Jatovi and I work Layla spends the day with Grannie and Granddaddy. I will never be able to express how thank full I am that they help us. It is nice to be able to leave Layla with someone who loves her so much making me able to relax knowing she is safe.

They seem to have a lot of fun together, however Layla likes to take advantage of their love. She cons them into holding and playing with her all day so she don't have to sleep by herself. I think it is funny that even at this young age she knows who she can get away with things with.

Thank you so much Grannie and Granddaddy for loving our girl so much!

Gram and Grandpa come for a visit

Gram and Grandpa came for the weekend. Since Christmas plans didn't work out they flew down for the weekend. That meant presents, fun and shopping. I just love watching my parents with her, it is a side I don't remember of them. My Mom in down on the ground playing all the time and my Dad loves putting her to bed. It is going to be a couple of months before we see them again, I miss them already!

9 months

Layla is 9 months old today, I just can't believe it. She is growing so fast! This month has been fun and crazy all at the same time. She now longer sits around playing she is on the go...constantly! Layla loves crawling and being independent. Feeding herself, crawling, standing and walking around furniture...she loves it! I couldn't wait for her to crawl but wow it keeps me busy. We have had to take down a lot of Uncle Jeff's glass art, move my book self, and rearrange the sitting room. All just to keep sweet girl safe.

Layla seems to be transitioning away from baby food. She loves feeding herself. I finished the baby food this week I had made and we have some jar food from Gram left. Once the jar food is gone I am not sure she will need it anymore. She is able to pick up all of her own food and most of the time gets it in her mouth! She would prefer to use a spoon as well but that makes for a messy meal.

9 months and 22lbs 93%, 283/4 inches 73% long. The doctor had no concerns over her development and thank fully at 9 months there are no needles!

What I want to remember from this month is what it was like to have a baby that you leave sitting playing and come back later and she is still there!! I am already forgetting how wonderful that was!

Still NO teeth!

What a difference a day can make

Layla woke up ready to take on the world today!

Layla has been crawling for a couple of weeks now...but only about 3-5 steps and then she belly flops down and stops. I am sure this is our fault, she is always in the play area so her toys are right beside her, so she has had no reason too need to move. This morning I was using the spot carpet cleaner across the room from her and that was all it took. She crawled over to it and hasn't stopped! I guess she just need to be curious enough about something to want to move.

After crawling all over the place it was time for her morning nap. She went down as usual, and I went about my routine of starting laundry. I could hear her talking to herself which is common, but she was getting louder and louder. After a few minutes I decided to check on her and she was standing up in her crib! Oh the look on her face, was priceless the biggest smile ever. Layla was been pulling up on everything for awhile now but I guess it had never accrued to her to do it in her crib. Also for the most part she is such a good sleeper (now) that she really just goes to sleep. Well that meant no nap for her, I would lie her down and she would stand right back up. She had so much fun she skipped her morning nap, got up and started to crawl all over again. I guess she was having to much fun with her new skills to bother to sleep. Daddy came home at lunch and lower the bed again....fun over:( It's so low now just her head is above it.

Ok now for the weird part! I had a nightmare last night(which happens all the time). At 0530 I woke up Jatovi and made him check on Layla. I had had a dream that every time I went to get Layla she had stood up in her crib and fell out. One time she broke her arm, another her leg, she had cuts on her head and then finally her neck.

Thankfully she did not fall out but weird I would have that dream and then she starts standing up that day.

Happy New Year!

Just when I thought 2011 couldn't beat 2010....Layla warmed my heart 100times over .

To start with she decided it was time to feed herself. The desire has been there, however the technique was not. But as of today she is able to pick tiny pieces of food up with her thumb and pointer finger( I have only seen her use her left hand so far) and feed herself.

She said "Dada" and "Baba" over and over. So I am sure she doesn't know what she is saying but it is fun to hear. But at bedtime Jatovi walked into her room with her bottle and she reached out for it and said "baba". We both cheered and she looked very confused. So I am sure it was a coincidence, but exciting now the less.

Maybe 2011 will be even better!!

We took Layla to one of her favorite places...the play area (AKA the "Petri Dish") at the mall. She just loves watching other kids, and it is fun to watch her.