Eight is Great!

8 Months!!! Can you believe it?! I'm not sure what is crazier to me...that Jani has been out of me almost as long as she was in me or that Halloween is only 4 months away. Yikes! Jani was such a diva for our photo shoot. She loves the camera and is getting to be so much fun! Being home with her has been so much fun. I get to do so much with her and we are spending a ton of time together. I have a feeling that come August, Jani is going to be attached to me (as if she isn't already!). So what is she doing this month....
- Sitting up is a breeze and she is scooting all over the floor. Still not interested in crawling. She's getting close but being on her stomach is not a favorite pasttime.
- Said her first word this month...Mama! We thought it was a fluke but she has consistently said it in the last week and we know it's what she's saying.
- Starting to sign 'more' and 'all done'. She's knows exactly what we're saying when we sign them and now she's starting to do it herself.
- Loves stacking blocks and knocking them over. We usually do the stacking and she just holds her hand over the top of the stack and hesistates and then lightly pushes them over. She laughs so hard when they come tumbling down.
- Eating everything she can get her hands on...no teeth so we've stayed away from anything that takes much chewing. She still loves her veggies and fruits and can't get enough of her puffs. We find them stashed everywhere!! In her diaper, in her clothes, in her toy box....she's a hoarder :)

We are having so much fun watching her grow. I was organizing pictures today and started crying looking at the pics from when we first brought her home. I can't believe how much she has changed!! (I didn't even notice she was holding the number 8...she was just adding to the picture...such a poser :) )

Beautiful Summer Days...

My daughter has been on a nap strike. Like, she seriously sleeps for twenty minutes and wakes up, tired as ever. Today was a horrible nap day. So by the end of the day we needed a distraction. We headed out to the front yard to watch the construction and boogie to some music from my phone. J got totally enthralled with the grass and she was dancing to the tunes. It was one of the cutest things I've seen lately. We could have sat out on the grass for hours. I'll just stick that little secret in my back pocket for cranky days...they are few and far between but when they happen, we need a plan!

In this last one, she was dancing to the music. She had such a confused look on her face because she couldn't figure out where the music was coming from. She kept looking at my phone so quizzically!

Anyone have other ways the distract little ones on cranky days? I'm always looking for ideas!! I have a feeling a tooth is just around the corner....

Run Like the Wind...

It was Sturgis Falls this weekend. We LOVE Sturgis...or should I say, we LOVE the food at Sturgis. We live for the tenderloins, the mini-donuts, and the smoothies. Yummo Rachel Ray! I failed Jani....I have NO pictures of her at her first Sturgis. Boy, was she a trooper. It was HOT! She was a champ and ate in her stroller, played on a blanket, and smiled at those who passed. She had so much fun! She even got to hang with Gma Jani on Friday night while mom and dad attempted a night out. Sunday morning, though, Doug got a chance to burn off all of his calories. He ran the half-marathon with a good friend of ours, Brendan. They kind-of trained but really were going into it having not run probably more than four or five miles at a time. I was a little worried about them :) But they did it. I am so proud of them!!

Brendan thought he was going to die. Doug was trying to get him to smile. We eventually got a smile out of him....when he left us I gave him two seasons of Dawson's Creek and told him to have an amazing day :)

Better Than Pottery Barn...

When I was pregnant, I'd peruse the Pottery Barn site and dream about what Jani's room would look like. Some of the furniture and bedding on that site is to die for. I'd get a cheap thrill out of picking everything out, full and well knowing that I would not be ordering. The sale shopper in me just wouldn't be able to do it. One thing I have always loved is their book shelves that hang on the walls. As a reading teacher (or former reading teacher!! EEEK!!!), I.love.books. I have an unhealthy obsession with ordering books from Scholastic. It borders on out of control...I should really probably get help. So Jani is not lacking in the book department. Anyway, one of my friend's gave me the best gift ever for Jani's shower. Shelves JUST like Pottery Barn shelves. Her husband made them...gotta love a crafty man :) We just got them hung (after trying to coordinate schedules for a very long time) and here they are....my favorite part of Jani's room.

Happy Father's Day!

To my baby daddy....

 

Doug is celebrating his first Father's Day today. It's a day to celebrate his role in the life of one beautiful little girl. One girl who loves him unconditionally, who laughs when he laughs, sings along to his guitar playing, and giggles when he makes faces. One girl who knows he will save her, soothe her, sway her, and sing to her. One girl who can melt his heart with one little smirk. I have loved watching Doug become a daddy. He is everything I thought he would be and more. I know he will take care of us. He always does :)

Summer Is Here!!!

It is finally summer....days of loving my girl. Sitting in the sun, reading books, trying new recipes (I know...stop laughing), making baby food, and taking a deep breath before starting my new adventure. Teaching 1st Grade!!! I am switching over from Reading to 1st Grade. I have mixed emotions as I enter into this but I am VERY excited. I am going to start organizing and getting everything put together very soon....I can hardly wait.

Miss Jani is growing like a weed and learning new things every day. I swear she wakes up in the morning and has new tricks! She has no interest in being on her belly (which prevents crawling) but somehow she can get across the room. I call it her 'Tush Push'. She's becoming quite attached to me. We light up when we see each other. She's just my little buddy right now :) I am so glad summer is here! Hopefully, I will have more pictures soon. Our summer has been a whirlwind so far...maybe it will slow down soon so we can just enjoy....