A Baby No More...

Gah! We have been such slackers with the blog for a while, but I want to get back into it.  Maëlle is now 16 1/2 months old.  She is amazing.  She is talking and babbling all the time, running around everywhere and  curious about everything.  Here is a quick snap shot all about her:

Words: Dad-doo(for Daddy), Ba-ba(Bottle), Eye, Ball, Mama, and she will mimic "I Love You!"

Smarts: She can point to all parts of her body when you ask her too, including head, shoulders, knees, toes, belly, eyes, nose, mouth, hair, ears, wrist, chin, and fingers.  Pretty dang cute.

-She loves to READ--she will open books on her own and make sounds to mimic reading.  Her favorite books include: MOO, I Have to GO!, Mortimer, Hugaboo, I Love You, Peek-a-Baby, and my 100 First Words.

-She loves to dance.  She has discovered Ring-Around-the-Rosy, and pretty much would do it all day it I didn't stop. She also dances to the FlashDance song (She's a maniac, maniac on the floor....) by moving her feet really fast.  She also loves Head, Shoulders Knees and toes, and **throat clearing** Shake your Booty.

-Favorite songs for singing: Little Bunny Foo Foo, I Am a Child of God, Heavenly Father Loves Me, You are my Sunshine, and many more...

-She is no longer nursing, something that just kind of happened.  She also puts herself to sleep at night, no more rocking, and is sleeping through the night, no interruptions, and I am in heaven.

-Favorite activities: Swimming, splashing, bath time, playing at the park (swings, slides, etc...) Spinning, exploring outside, walks, being scared(BOO!) reading stories, saying prayers(SOOOOOO adorable), cuddling (which makes mommy very happy,) climbing up and down stairs, and being tickled.

With nursery right around the bend, and her growing so fast, I can't help but grow a little nostalgic....those baby times go so fast.  But with all the joy she brings us each day, I say BRING ON THE TODDLER STAGE! We can't wait!

So Much Joy

Well, Maëlle's birthday is only a couple weeks away, and we are planning a little family get-together. I have been thinking a lot about how blessed we have been this past year, and can hardly believe it has flown by so fast.

I am going to get the blog printed in a book for us, so I wanted to reflect a little about everything that our little Jelly Bean has inspired, and the overwhelming feeling is JOY she is responsible for.

I am happier than I have ever been in my life.

I thought I was happy when I married my best friend.

I thought I was happy when we spent 8 amazing years, just the two of us.

I thought I was happy when we found out we were pregnant, and started looking forward to our Jelly Bean's arrival.

However, after looking back on all that has led to this point in my life, I realize that yes, I was happy, but now I am SO much more.

Maëlle has inspired the deepest joy I have ever felt. From the moment she was placed in my arms, I can honestly say, my life was changed forever--changed in such a powerful, positive way, that I had no idea how deeply I would be affected. I had no idea how much better Matt and I's relationship could be when we fell in mutual love with our little girl. I had no idea that each day we'd have her, we'd love her so much more than the day before.

I know this is probably the most cliché and sappy post I've written, but I guess I never want to forget these feelings--and they are so very real, so you're just going to have to forgive me for sounding overly emotional.

My heart is full. I am SO VERY HAPPY.

First Word: Eyes!

So the big news is...Maëlle has said her first word!! And it is....

EYES!

Actually, it sounds more like just a plain old soft "e" sound, but it's unmistakable that she's using it in the right way.

She's been saying it for a few weeks now, but at first we weren't quite sure that she was doing it on purpose. But now there's no doubt. Whenever she picks up one of her dolls or toys she points to their eye and says "EYE".

Whenever she reads one of her books she turns the page, looks for the first face she can see and points and says "EYE".

It's extremely cute and it makes us SOO proud of her.

Other Progress

Maëlle also now stands on her own, and can even walk if she would just realize that she can. She's so proud of herself though when she stands. She rockets her arms above her head as if to say "Look mom and dad, NO HANDS!!"

Life Lately...

Can I just say, having a baby is the best thing ever? Maëlle is the most amazing thing to have ever happened to either Matt or I, and we can't get enough of her. She is growing and changing so much, so fast. It is so awesome.

Christmas was so much fun! Maëlle didn't really get the whole Santa Claus thing, but she sure loved the wrapping paper. In fact, she tried to eat it multiple times.

She was enchanted by the tree, and had so much fun playing with all our company. She got a few really cool toys (things that Matt and I are fascinated with too,) and a few adorable outfits too. I made her a Christmas dress, that is a little big, but she still looked super cute.

Some new developments:

-Maëlle can now clap her hands on command--she does it quickly, and is oh so proud of herself.

-She has another tooth--her top front, and the other one is coming in soon.

-She now goes to sleep without being nursed at night, which may not seem a big deal to some, but trust me, it is.

-She has enough hair for a small pony on the top of her head. Grandpa calls her a unicorn, and that may be true, but she is the sweetest little unicorn I have ever seen.

-She is VERY close to walking--she is just a little tentative. She stands on her own for short bits, will walk with a little push toy she got for Christmas, but isn't quite ready to let go completely.

She is getting so big, and we are loving every minute!

Family, Friends, Love & Laughter...

SO--Maelle is now over 9 months old, and a few weeks ago, we took a trip together to visit my parents in Alberta.

She really is a great traveler, on the way there she slept for 2 hours of the flight and then spent the other 2 being entertained by the 3 grandmas sitting behind us. It was such a relief to have things go so well. My dad picked us up at the airport, and we were off to little old Claresholm to being our visit.

It is an understatement to say that Maelle's Grandma and Grandpa are in love with her. I'm pretty sure, that if I just sent her, they would not even notice I was gone. Which is just how it is supposed to be. They spoiled her, played with her, hugged her, kissed her, and just generally enjoyed her. I loved being able to watch it all.

Maelle even got a special visit from Santa Clause...hopefully she isn't too traumatized.

Not to worry though, Grandpa came to the rescue and cuddled away all the tears.

I got to visit with my best bud Ashley, and her husband Caleb. So great. I miss being close to her--and they fed me too. Which was wonderful :)

I also got in touch with the girls I went to highschool with. It was the first time in a very long time we were all together--and it was so cool because we all had babies this year. I'm a little behind though, they all have 2, I've got 1, so I have some ground to make up. ;)

My sister came down with her kids, and we got to spend time with them. Overall, the trip was great--poor Matt was super lonely having us away, and we were glad to be home, but so glad that we got to spend some time with everyone!

Halloween & Other Things...

So. Life is busy. Wonderful, but busy.

Many already know, but just to update, Maelle is CRAWLING.

AND, she is getting fast. I literally, walk be

hind her moving things out of her reach--baby proofing has been fun. She is loving getting into EVERYTHING (or at least the stuff I'll let her.)

Her newest achievement, she can stand in her crib by herself. One night, I put her down in a dark, quiet room for bed, and then just to see what she would do, I snuck to a corner of the room to watch her. She immediately sat up, and started trying to grab the top of the rail of her crib. You could tell, the wheels were turning, and she was determined to figure out how to stand up. It took her about 10 minuted before she worked out the logistics of such a move, but she it did it. Let me tell you, when she did, th

e grin on her face as she popped her head over the rails and caught my eye was priceless. She was a giggling, happy, jumpy little girl and SO proud of herself. Now, I expect to see her like that every time I come in to pick her up. What a little darling!

Halloween for us was fun--Maelle was a rockstar, her costume was complete with a black tutu, a fender shirt, and a guitar prop (that she loved to slobber on.) We didn't take her trick-or-treating, but we did have fun taking a few pictures and watching her fascination with her tutu.

She is changing SO fast, and it is SO fun to watch it happen!

Another Milestone

The word "milestone" is defined as :

"An action or event marking a significant change or stage in development."

I'm sure most mothers can appreciate that watching your little one grow and reach milestones is bitter-sweet.

Sweet, because your baby is growing and healthy and wonderful. They are loving life, discovering all the amazing aspects of it. Everything from being captivated by the same goofy game of peek-a-boo (no matter how many times you play with them,) to simply fascinated by the "other" baby in the mirror.

Bitter, because your baby is slowly growing up, and won't be your baby forever. Just like a milestone was originally used to mark the passing miles towards a destination, so these developmental signposts are marking your little ones growing independence, and thus, their diminishing need for you.

I know. I'm being a touch dramatic, and I realize I still have plenty of time with my baby--sort of--I know that she will begin to need me in different ways; but, while we pass each milestone, each achievement, I shed tears of both incredible joy and sweet sorrow.

Now then, I wax poetic, and must get onto the meatier part of this post--the reporting of the actual MILESTONE Maelle has reached!

Wait for it...

MAELLE NOW SLEEPS THROUGH THE NIGHT!

After much debating, agonizing, and general not knowing if we should or not, Matt and I decided it was time to try a little sleep training. Let me clarify. Maelle has never been a bad sleeper. She never went through that newborn stage of not knowing when it was nighttime and waking up and wanting to stay up in the wee hours of the morning. However, she definitely developed certain times when she would wake up and want to be nursed, not because she was hungry, but because she wanted the comfort of the whole experience. For a long time, we obliged, well, I did, and woke up sometimes 2-3 times a night to indulge her. After almost 7 months, that was getting old, and I was in serious need of a full night sleep.

Enter Sleep Training.

(I know there is a lot of different ideas about helping babies sleep through the night--so please, no criticism. We did what we thought was right for our family, others may feel differently, we understand.)

Can someone please tell me if we are the only parents to feel like our heart is being ripped out as our beautiful, sweet, innocent little girl is crying her eyes out in the other room? We were prepared for it. We read all the books that said that it was important for babies to learn to develop good sleeping habits, to self-sooth,

BLAH, BLAH, BLAH

It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Picture me at 2:30 in the morning, with my pillow and a blanket, on the floor outside Maelle's room, weeping along with her, listening to her, praying with all my might that she finds the blissful release that sleep offers.

No joke. That was me.

However, after one night of pure torture, Maelle seems to have got it.

Last night, she didn't make a peep until 6:30 am, when I happily got up, refreshed and relieved, and nursed my amazing, beautiful, lovely little girl--I can't begin to express how proud I am of her.

Milestone met.

My mothering becomes a little less necessary.

My heart becomes a little more full of love for my growing Jelly Bean.

Matt and I shed of few tears of joy and sorrow.

We look forward to the next milestone, anxiously anticipating while willing time to slow down.

We love you Maelle.