Back to Life...

Back to reality! haha! Remember that song? Anyway, pretty soon here little by little my life before Toni will come back... a new life, but a life nevertheless. Soon I will get that monthly gift which I haven't received in a year now! Can't say I miss that, though. I have a new job (confirmed now!) that I start Sept. 2 and my hair is starting to fall out (yes, the beautiful hair I was able to keep during pregnancy is starting to find it's way to the floor). And while in so many ways I'm excited to get back out there living a life I've left behind for the last 13 weeks, I also don't want to leave my little Toni. Especially now that she's getting a bit older and reaching new milestones! I don't want to miss her first anything and I don't want her first anything to be with strangers at a daycare! But that's how it's going to be. Breaks my heart. Let me tell you... although I'm excited to start living a life again, if I won the lottery or came across a large sum of money I would stay home with Toni... I would. If I had the choice to stay home, I would. Any leprechauns out there want to give me a winning ticket to the lottery? haha! I so admire those that wait until their kids are of school age before returning back to work. I want to be one of those moms you see at the mall in the middle of the week at 10am strolling around the mall with their babies to exercise (too hot outside!). Or one of those that regularly attend gymboree or mommyand me classes. One who teaches her own growing infant/toddler instead of hoping that the daycare will like they say they do. I wish. Don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful to have a new job (which actually uses my MIS degree!) and one I know I can grow with. But what I wouldn't give to be able to afford to stay home.

Anyway, Toni is growing so fast! Her sitting is getting better and better and stronger and stronger everyday. She still can't sit by herself, but with a little back support by a pillow or me sitting behind her, she is good! She's arching her back like crazy now which is scary when she's on the changing table obviously because she can fall AND because her poop can get everywhere if she doesn't stop moving! And she's so strong too! I can just hold her legs easily like before. I have to get better at distracting her while changing her diaper.

In her crib... it's crazy! She'll be lying there horizontally staring at her mobile. And next thing I know, she has arched her back and kicked her way vertically so that she can get a better look at the pattern on her crib bumper. haha! Poor thing, she's in the feel-everything-through-my-mouth phase and so when she gets up close to the bumper she's rubbing her hand over a picture of a flower as if trying to grab it and you see her tounge going crazy as if trying to feel it. But for one, she obviously can't grab the flower (it's just a pattern on the bumper) and two, she's not close enough to lick the bumper. hahah! so she gets frustrated. She gets that from her daddy! Gets frustrated easily! But she's so intelligent (I'm sure most moms say that about their babies, but it's true!) and she gets that from her daddy too. She's also in the phase where she is practicing her hand-eye coordination. She grabs something (as best she can) and brings it toward her mouth. Sometimes she makes it and sometimes she doesn't. She has the little stuffed hippo called, Tubby. And with him she can easily grab him and put him in her mouth he's so big and soft. But with her acordian book like thing, it's not so easy because she it trying to taste the edges or corners and trying to get just the corner into her mouth is tough. BUT, lately she has done so! She's progressing so well! But again, like her daddy... if the corner slips from her mouth and she has a hard time getting it back in there, she gets frustrated. Cute now, but maybe I'll let Junior handle that one when she gets older... in hopes HE doesn't get frustrated doing so! haha!

She loves playing with her hands too. I can just leave her lying there sometimes and she is prefectly occupied studying and playing with her hands. Right now I'm trying to get her to understand open and close and clapping. She's very attentive and interested when I do so, but she has yet to do it herself. It's ok though, she's still only 13 weeks.

She's finally using the big girl bathtub! She has this little tub that grows from newborn, to infant to toddler. The newborn was a net, hammock like thing that went over the tub for the baby to lay in. Well she was getting a tad big for it. Her arms and legs would always dangle from the sides. haha! So I finally took it off and started her in the infant side of the tub! yay!!! It's still a little getting used to for her (especially when she tried arching her back!) but for the most part she is prett chill. Plus we put in the the big tub and so she just stares the whole time at the water coming out of the faucet. Nice distraction.

I can tell she is going to let that giggle out any day now! I feel like I have been waiting years for it even though it's only been a few weeks. haha! But every now and then when she has her laughing smile, sometimes a "heh!" or two come out. Especially when I do the airplane thing with her.

Back to her fingers. Today I think she found specifically her pointer finger. She looks at it a lot, points it a lot and presses it against her thumb. hehe! Such a small thing yet so big... to me anyway. She's doing better with her tummy time and on her gym mat too. I think pretty soon I will sit her in her stationary entertainment center.

Still having a hard time getting her to take the bottle, though. This will be tough since now I HAVE to get her usd to it soon since I will be headed back to work. I think I'm going to try the playtex nurser. Hopefully that helps. I hate to get a new bottle because I have a whole set of Avent bottles. But hopefully this nurser will work and can just be a transition type bottle and she can use her Avent ones when she's a bit older... I hope! Otherwise what the heck am I going to do with all those bottles!?