Thumb Sucker

It's official, we have a thumb sucker. I am very okay with this, considering I was a thumb sucker til the age of...way too old! HA! However, I still turned out just fine. I have also read many articles that discuss the pros and cons of finger versus paci. I have been trying to wean Leah from her paci because when she go to daycare (in two weeks!) I know her provider won't have time to keep running upstairs to give it to her. I feel much better that she will be able to sooth herself.

Video Monitoring

Well, we did it! We bought and set up a video monitor in the nursery. After two sleepless nights, I couldn't deal with another night of worry and no sleep. Leah is a noisy sleeper, but now that she is rolling over I am terrified that I won't hear her stuggling for breaths. I know, I know...first time mom syndrome! However, WE (yes, Trevor is loving it too) are sleeping so much better by just watching her when we hear a noise, instead of throwing the covers off and rushing to her nursery.

Eating with a Spoon

Leah is 3 1/2 months old, and has been eating cereal in her bottle since 2 weeks old. Bisnonno planted carrots for Leah in his garden this year, and I just finished pureeing and freezing all of them. Since she is about 2 weeks away from trying solids, my mom said we should try spoon feeding her cereal so she can get used to eating with a spoon. We anticipated that she'd be annoyed and frustrated...nope! She sucked down that cereal in about 3 minutes time...granted it was only 2 teaspoons of cereal mixed with her formula. Still, I was so impressed! I think she's ready for filet mignon, ha!

Girls Afternoon Playdate

Today my friend Kate came over with her twin girls, Sophia and Tyler. They are 2 weeks older than Leah. It was so nice to be pregnant with someone and now sharing baby stories is even more enjoyable. Kate and I teach at the same school, so we had planned on bi-weekly playdates during maternity leave and summer break...ha! We've been luckily to get 1 visit a month in! Her life with twins being far more hectic than mine, and trying to plan around naps, feedings, pumping...it's been a riot. We plan for a certain time, and 5 text messages later, we meet up about 2 hours past our originally scheduled time. Luckily, we understand this about motherhood! The girls are growing beautifully! It was fun to watch them interact now that they all jibber jabber and can sit in a bumbo or saucer to socialize. It will be so fun to watch them grow up together and hopefully become great friends. (Sophia and Tyler, 4 months. Leah 3 1/2 months)

Back to Tummy

I am really working on having Leah self sooth. So for naps, I am just laying her in the crib awake (with music on) and leaving the room. She makes noise for a while, but eventually goes to sleep...on most days. This morning I put her in the crib, and again she chatted away for about 20 minutes. Her chat then turned into a grunt and then a lot of moaning frustration. I knew something was up. I peeked through the door and found her on her belly. Yet another milestone! Naturally, she was not resting comfortably. She was upset that she couldn't flip back, and she was clawing at the mattress for help. It is so unbelievable how quickly she is doing new things.

Saucer Time

We've noticed that Leah is very strong in her legs. She can hold her weight for several seconds if we hold her up against us. So again, she is quite bored with us just holding her. Therefore, Trevor busted out the next level of her play saucer. The first step was just laying on floor with some animals over her. This next stage is a beast. She sits in it, and all the rainforest animals are placed around her...and they ALL make noise! HA...daddy is wanting to swipe the batteries already! This is her first picture sitting in it. A bit overwhelmed? I think so! She couldn't quite figure out how to get her hands out and play. It took only about 5 mintues until she got the hang of it. It's now one of her favorites!

Leah's Baptism

Today, Leah Marie was officially welcomed into the church. She was baptized at St. Patrick's Catholic Church of Merna in Bloomington, IL. Her godparents are my brother Joe, and Trevor's sister Haley. Also in attendance were Nonni John and Maria, Grandparents Mike and Kay, Bisnonni Rosario and Salvatrice, Great-Grandma LaRue, Great-Uncle Mario, and Great Zii Maria and Frank. The ceremony was fairly quick and Leah did amazing! No crying...luckily she was fed right before! We celebrated with a luncheon at Biaggi's, followed by cake (with cannoli filling, YUM), and lots of love and laughter. Each person present today will be a supporter is Leah's life as a Christian. She is a lucky girl, surrounded by so many people that cherish her. Today is yet another proud moment as a parent. Her gown was worn by me 28 years ago.

Leah's First Late Night Party

My cousin Silvia got married this past Saturday. We grew up together and she is one of the cousins I am closest with. There was no way I was going to miss her wedding, but was really nervous about bringing Leah...the reception didn't start until 7:30PM. I am an itinerary planner and follower! I give Leah a bath at 7:30, read a book after, and last bottle is at 8:30PM. Trevor and I decided that we would all go, skip bath, stick to 8:30 bottle and then maybe she'd still fall asleep shortly after in her car seat. Well...this picture was taken at 10:00PM. She was a party girl! Bows on her dress, "foof" in her hair! No crying or fussing, just smiles and people watching. Trevor finally took her home and put her to bed by 11. The next morning she was still up at 6:30 with a huge grin. I thought she would either sleep in, or be super crabby. But no, same happy girl. Her party genes are definitely from mamma...daddy slept til 10:00 that morning and still needed a nap in the afternoon! Ha! Girls just wanna have fun!!

Leah's Week at Nonni's

We are back from our cruise...and so glad! It was definitely not at all what we were expecting. Weather was cloudy, food was only okay, room was tiny, bed was rock hard...yes, I am a cruise snob. Plus, I missed my little girl. We missed her so much that we paid extra money to fly home on an earlier flight! She was all smiles when she saw us and luckily Nonna took some pictures to keep us updated on her week. Based on these pictures, Leah had more fun this week than Mommy and Daddy did.

Leah spent some time with her Bisnonni and in one picture is looking at the carrots that PaPa planted in his garden for her first veggies. She also is looking super cute in her shades and hat during her nightly stroller rides. And, finally, winding down with some light reading. Ahh, the life of a girl.

4th of July

Happy 4th of July! Trevor and I decided about 5 weeks ago to take a mini vacation together. We love cruising and were fortunate enough to find a great deal on a 4 night cruise this week. We are leaving today on the Norwegian Sky through Friday morning. Nonni are watching Leah for the week, since we have a family wedding on Saturday, July 9. I am very excited to get to spend some adult time with Trevor, but still a little sad to leave to leave Leah. I know she is in great hands though! She too young to enjoy fireworks, but that doesn't mean we can't dress for the holiday! =)