Finally

It finally happened!  The day before she turns 7 months old (today) she finally rolled over.  Granted she only did it once but she did it!!!

Y was Skyping again today with Nana B, Grandpa P, and Grandma G (great grandma).  I had laid Q down on the blanket with a few toys while I was eating my lunch.  I was standing and after watching Y and the computer screen for some time I glanced down and Q and it took me a moment to realize that she was on her stomach and I hadn't put her there, I had laid her on her back because she had just finished eating.  I squealed in excitement and told the grandparents and then moved the webcam so that they could see and then I texted B at work.

She's been close to doing it for some time now but this was the first time she actually did it.  Now just to get her to do it again...and keep doing it.  On the plus side I believe I've heard that it's easier for them to roll belly to back than it is back to belly, so if she was able to do that first I'm going to venture a guess that she's probably good to go!

Y Says

A while back I started writing posts called, "Y Says" but over time, for whatever reason, I stopped writing them.  Well for the last few months I've told myself that I should ressurrect the idea because she says some really funny and thoughtful things that I'd like to hold on to for a very, very, very long time.  And so, I'm finally getting around to it now.

This funny little comment came as she was Skyping with Nana B. yesterday.

Nana B: Yanna do you want to be a mommy when you get big?
Yanna: No, I wanna be a nurse and take care of babies.
Me: Do you wanna get married when you get bigger?
Yanna: Ugh, I wanna be a baby nurse.
Me: You can be a nurse and get married.
Yanna: (very matter of factly) No, that won't work.

We Love to See the Temple

We love to see the temples and we're fortunate enough to have one within a half hour's drive of our home AND right beside our Stake Center.  So this past Sunday when we went to Stake Conference we told Y that we would take her to look at the temple afterwards.  I know it's kind of shameful but this is only the second Stake Conference we've attended since we've been married and the first since Y has been born.  And even though B and I try to go to the temple often, we never have the kids with us when we go so this was Y's first experience seeing the Detroit Temple.

So when we told her we'd take her to see the temple after conference was over she was expecting us to get into the car and drive all the way to Washington DC to see the temple where B and I were married and where we took her last year on our drive to NC.  So I had to clarify several times over the entire weekend that we were going to see a different, smaller temple but no matter what I said it didn't sink in until we were actually standing in front of the temple.

And so we took a few pictures:

And after we were done taking pictures and walking back to the car, Y's first question was if we were going to the Washington Temple now. Haha, we attempted to explain to her that that's a really long drive and maybe we'd go next time we drove down to NC.  Her response to that?  "Can we go to North Carolina now?"  I hope she keeps such a desire to visit the temple as she grows older and is actually able to enter its doors.

It's Official

Last Thursday, February 16, 2012, B became a US Citizen!!  He's happy and excited and now whenever we go through Customs we can say, "we're all US citizens" instead of, "my wife and daughters are American and I'm Canadian."  Well the truth is he'll still likely say that when he's crossing into Canada since he's considered a dual citizen.  The best part of it all?  No more shelling out money to the government for immigration costs.  Of course being able to vote is a pretty cool thing too!

If you're curious how he celebrated?  He went to get a Coney Dog from American Coney Island which was right across the street from the courthouse.  Next time he'll make it a point to try both so that he can better compare and make a decision for himself which one is better.



Pierced Ears

Y has been requesting to have her ears pierced for some time now.  For the most part we always ignored her out of fear that she would get one side done, hate the pain, and refuse to have the second side done.  But recently she began asking several times daily to have them pierced, even though I would tell her that it may hurt.

When she continued to persist, I actually began to consider it, I mean she did get a flu shot and not shed a single tear.  In fact, she CHOOSE to have the shot over the nasal mist.  So B and I talked about it and decided that since we had told her all the negatives and she still wanted it, then it was time for her to have them pierced!

I must say she was a champ!  After the first side she did kind of move her head away from the associate but after I took her hand she just let her do that side as well.  She didn't shed a single tear but afterward she did give the associate a few scowls.  If you know Y then you know what scowl I am referring to, but then again she gives almost everyone that scowl.  Don't believe me?  Just randomly say hello to her and you'll soon discover just what I mean.  She was quiet for a bit afterwards, it was almost like she was stunned and in a daze but by the time we reached the car she was over it.

Her biggest concern afterwards:  How she could wear her Cinderella earrings (plastic pretend clip-ons) if she had her new earrings in her ear?

If you're curious, we went to Piercing Pagoda.  I loved their selection of earrings, especially in 14k.  Since I have super sensitive ears I decided we'd be wise to just start off with the real thing instead of sterling silver or surgical steel.  We ended up getting her the 14k gold birthstone daisies, her birthstone is sapphire.

On the left is a photo taken with flash but I also attempted to take one without flash so there would be less sparkle and easier to see but it's requires a steady hand which is pretty impossible with a squirming, sleepy 6 month old in hand also.

"I Want to Hold Her."

"I Want to Hold Her!" 

I hear this sentence many, many times in a week and when I have the opportunity to stay close at hand and supervise, I will allow Y to do it.  But it's not as easy as it once was.  It used to be that Y would make the request, she'd sit on the couch, and I'd place the Boppy pillow around her and then lay Q on it.

Those were the days before Q became active.  Now she wants to sit up, she has no interest in laying much anymore and thus it's a little more challenging for Y to hold her.  .And even more challenging to get a decent picture of the two.  Not to mention that while she's sitting up she constantly trying to find a way to get her feet in her mouth.

We were given a picture frame at Christmas which says, "The Girls" and I've desperately been trying to snap a picture that I can have printed up to put inside it but it is proving to be rather difficult!  But it's just as well I suppose, we plan on taking outdoor family photos this spring and so whatever photo I could take would undoubtedly be replaced by one of those.

But, here are a few of the pictures I was able to take:

Almost There...

January 28, 2005 - I mailed in the first round of documentation and payment to USCIS.  It was a petition for a fiance visa for B.  It was the start of a long (and expensive) journey of immigration.  Today, just over 7 years later, we found out that in just over a week B will take the Oath of Citizenship and become a US Citizen.  I am so very excited for him, this has been something he has wanted since he was a kid.  Next Thursday, February 16 at 10:00am it will all become official!!!

6 Month Stats

Yesterday Q went in for her 6 month check up.  She's weighing in at 16 lbs. 9 oz. and 27½ inches long that puts her at the 67th and 97th percentiles, respectively.  For comparison's sake (keep in mind that Y had her 6 month well baby appointment a couple weeks early at 5½ weeks) Y was 16 lbs. and 26 3/4 inches long at this point. 

Healthwise, she's doing well with the exception of the fact that she is 6 months old and still not rolling over yet.  She will roll from side-to-side but not from front-to-back or vice versa.  Dr. B. told me to give her a month and if she's still not doing it to give him a call and he wants to send her in to be evaluated by a specialist.  Needless to say we're doing lots of tummy time now, which I've admittedly neglected, a few times each day for 5-10 minutes spans.  The last thing we want is to have to take her to a specialist especially unnecessarily.  We don't believe there's anything physically wrong with her we just haven't really aided her in building the proper muscles to be able to develop the gross motor skills she should have at this stage.  So we're focused on doing that and praying she'll have it mastered within the next month!

Comparison at 6 Months

I decided to do an experiment today.  Thanks to all of the photos I took of Y as a baby I can identify exactly what she was wearing on her "month-day."  And so I decided to dress Q in the exact same outfit Y wore on the day she turned 6 months.  I did this because I struggle to find similarities between the two of them but it's not exactly easy when you're comparing a 3 year old to a young infant.  So here are the photos tell me what you think, do they look alike?  What features do they share?

Q is on the left, Y is on the right

A close-up
Again, Q on the left, Y on the right



6 Months

The past 6 months have flown by, I really can't believe it!  At 6 months Q is still such a joy, we love her so much.  There is no doubt that she adds so much to our family.  She loves to watch her big sister, chances are if Y is in the room then Q's eyes are following her (yes, this worries me sometimes.  I fear she is taking notes).  She has a quiet and calm demeanor but there is one sure fire way for me to make her cry.  If I have left her alone for a while, regardless of who else she is with, if I fail to acknowledge or play with her immediately upon re-entering the room she will cry.  It doesn't matter where I've gone, whether it was for a short time or a long time, she always cries!  She does it when I return from the gym but she has also done it when I had just finished having a shower.  On that instance she was playing on the floor and I had noticed she had spit up a little and so I passed by her on the way to get a burp cloth and you would have thought someone had pinched her.

We have taken her off of the Baby Zantac, she finished her last bottle about 2½ weeks ago.  She still spits up but she's not miserable when it happens and it doesn't happen nearly as much so we don't think there's a need to continue it.  She is eating solids twice per day, cereal at lunch and veggies for dinner.  Thus far she's had banana, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green beans.  Next we will be trying avocado, peas, squash and then we'll move on to some yummy fruit!  She's a great eater though when we first introduce a new food she always gives the funniest faces!

She's still a pretty good sleeper though some days she could do better.  But even on a bad day she's a better sleeper than her big sister ever was at this age so I try not to complain much.  All-in-all she's just an awesome baby and she (and Y) help me to remember the important things in life and to stay focused on what really matters.

Here are some 6 month photos:



Y wanted in on the photos.

It looks like a sweet sisterly moment but in reality it's just Q falling over onto Y, haha.



The Old Becomes New Again

Last week I finally quit procrastinating and pulled out the box that held all the pieces of the exersaucer and jumperoo.  I'd been meaning to do this since just after Christmas but just couldn't get motivated to make it happen.  The need to keep Q occupied while I am doing any random activity helped to move things along as well.  And now she has some new toys to play with.  And Y swears she remembers playing in them, and with the memory that she has...she just might remember it!