Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to everyone. I had so much fun at my first Christmas. All the festivities were a little tiring, but it was nice to spend time with family and I got lots of fun toys and cute clothes.

On Christmas Eve, we went to GG and Gramps with the whole Stockman family (GG's side). I played with my 2yo cousin Dylan and talked to lots of nice cousins, aunts, and uncles. Santa Claus came and I did so good sitting on his lap. I played with his beard a little bit and then we all sang jingle bells together.

Christmas morning, we woke up at 7:30 and I found a teddy bear that Santa left for me. He also left me a stocking with chewy toys, bowls and spoons for big girl food, and a Disco Dance Party nursery rhyme CD. I can't wait to get my groove on.

Then I took a nap and built up my energy while Gammy and Pappie, Uncle Trav, and GG and Gramps came over and everyone opened their presents. They waited for me to wake up and then tortured me with a bunch of family pictures and finally present time! I love opening presents - my favorite part is eating the wrapping paper, especially the crinkly ones. When all the presents were finally opened, I was soo tired and just laid in the middle of all the wrapping paper for awhile. Oh, and I almost forgot, right when we finished opening presents it started snowing outside. We had a beautiful white Christmas!

My favorite gifts of the day were one that I gave and one I received. I gave daddy a picture collage of the two of us together for his desk at work, he was really excited. And Gammy gave me a $50 donation to March of Dimes for all those babies that are not as fortunate as I am.

Christmas afternoon we went to Aunt Stacie and Uncle Steve's house for the Richardson family Christmas. Caden, Krystiana, and I played together and then opened presents. Krystiana was really good at opening her presents too and we both like to eat the wrapping paper. We would have liked to play longer, but everyone was tired from the long day and went home to sleep.

Here's pictures from all the different parties:



To view the pictures full screen click here.

And here's a video collection that mommy help me put together. It's kind of long so everyone besides grandpa might want to fast forward a bit. =)

Look What Bub Made

"Uncle" Travis (Walpole), aka Bub, gave me my Christmas present yesterday and it's sooo cool. He handmade a toy box for me with the Rose Garden on it. It's the perfect size and I love sitting on the top of it like a bench and standing on the side of it. Mommy and daddy also called it the naughty box and put me inside, but they were laughing so I think they were just joking. I better be good just in case.

Bub hand-painted all the roses and basketball court details and it looks awesome. It must have taken him a long time and I love, love, love it!



To view the pictures full screen click here.

THANK YOU BUB!

Christmas Cookies!

On Tuesday we had a cookie making party at our house and there were lots of babies to play with. There were 4 of us born only about a month apart - Kaila 6/14, Gavin 6/28 (Heidi's sister's baby), me (7/6), and Krystiana (7/23). We didn't get many cookies made, but it was fun. Kaila and I had our matching Christmas outfits and held hands on the blanket. Caden and Riley made cool shapes in the sugar cookies and decorated them. I was a really good girl and played by myself on my blankie for 2 hours straight so mommy could make the cookies.



To view the pictures full screen click here.

I'm a Model, You Know What I Mean...

Cousin Krystiana and I got our pictures taken yesterday. We got to act like models and pose and smile lots. Then mommy and Aunt Stacie got suckered into spending too much money on pictures because there were so many cute ones. Here's some of my favorites:



To view the pictures full screen click here.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

We went to see Santa on Friday with cousin Caden. I told him that I've been a very good girl and that I want a teddy bear for Christmas. Here's my picture with Santa:

5 Months Old

I turned 5 months on December 6th and the big milestone for this month was learning to roll over. Now when I get tired of tummy time, I can just flip right over. I've also been working on sitting so I can sit up and open my Christmas presents. My back muscles are getting much stronger and I can sit up if there is some support (like mommy) to catch my wobbles.

The highlight of this month was when mommy's friend Charice came to visit. She played games with me and read me stories, and then we all went shopping. Other than that, we didn't do much this month, just the usual games and lots of Christmas shopping.



To view the pictures full screen click here.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling

Here I go...


I figured out how to roll over all by myself. My arm kept getting in the way, but if I put it straight out in front of me I can roll right over. To mommy's surprise, I still do tummy time even though I can turn back whenever I want. It's not so bad now that I'm stronger and I like looking around.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day we went to see Gammy and Pappies awesome new house (they officially moved in today) and then went to GG's for turkey dinner with Mommy's family. Then on Friday we had a fondue party at our house with Daddy's family. Here's a video of Krystiana and I playing together:



On this Thanksgiving, I am thankful for...

• Daddy for always making me laugh and smile


• Mommy for feeding me and comforting me all hours of the day (and night)


• Lots of family to love me and play with me


• Mama kitty for choosing our house to have her kittens so we can watch them snuggle and play on the front porch


• Malorie the Monkey for going everywhere with me and entertaining me


• Mr. Lion and Ms. Giraffe that talk to me and play with me on my jungle gym

I Rolled Over!

I did it, I rolled over this morning from my back to my tummy. I was practicing in my crib this morning at 4am and then during my morning play time I pulled it all together. I was playing on my gym mat and wanted to play with the crinkly paper and rings, so I rolled onto my side to reach them and then I just kept going all the way to my tummy. Mommy didn't catch it on video, but she did get an after picture:


Unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to roll back over and I hate being on my tummy so I had to cry for mommy to help. I've been practicing and know that I have to throw my arm, but it's hard to get that initial push. I'll keep trying and have it soon. Then I'll never have to do tummy time again!!

4 Months Old

I'm 4 months old today and this month has been all about learning to use my hands. At the beginning of the month, I still kept my hands mostly in fists and batted at toys. Then I started grabbing things that were close to my hands like my blanket during naptime and my onesie while my diaper was being changed. Then one day while I was playing on my gym mat, I was batting at the giraffe and figured out that if I opened my hands up, I could actually grab his legs! I tried pulling the leg down to my mouth but it was attached to the bar too far away. Since then I've learned how to grab objects that are handed to me, reach for toys laying around me, put all of them in my mouth, and move objects from one hand to the other (especially if it's in my left hand, I try to move it to the right one). And most importantly I figured out how to get that thumb in my mouth, yippee!!

I've also been getting much stronger this month and even though I hate tummy time, I finally did it enough that I can prop up on my arms and hold my head up to look around. I just figured this one out the last couple times and it makes tummy time so much more enjoyable. I haven't quite figured out the rolling over thing yet. I can do it if mommy and daddy start the roll for me, but otherwise I'm usually content to just stay where I'm at.

I played with lots of friends this month. Krystiana and I play together 2 or 3 times a month. Mommy also started monthly play dates with Kaila Lewis and her mommy Sarah. And mommy found Ali that she took water aerobics with when I was in her belly and we met her baby Jack. I love hanging out with mommy, but it's nice to meet other babies and their mommies sometimes.

My sleep has also gotten much better this month. I sleep for 12-13 hours at night, waking up just once or sometimes twice to eat. I take all of my naps in my crib now and daddy was able to pack up the swing. Now there's room for more toys in the living room!

Oh, and I almost forgot we got some new pets this month. A stray cat had kittens in our front yard. They are so cute and their big enough now to come out and play. I grabbed one's tail the other day. Mommy and daddy are still trying to decide if we get to keep one or not. There's 4 and one goes to Krystiana's house and 2 go to Gammy and Pappie's. I tried the "Krystiana's parents let her have a kitty" line but I don't know if it's working yet.

Here's pictures from this month:


To view the pictures full screen click here.

4 Month Appointment and Happy Birthday to Gammy!

Yesterday (11/5) was my 4 month doctor appointment and Gammy's birthday. In the morning we went to my doctor appointment and I was showing off for the doctor. I was talking and smiling the whole time and showed her how good I am at playing with my rattle. She said I was a beautiful and healthy little girl. Here's my measurements on the growth charts:


The doctor was impressed with my hand control and socializing. She said that my ability to transfer a toy from one hand to the other and the way I socialize (noticing strangers and looking to mommy and daddy for reassurance) are typical of 6 month old babies. She said that we need to work on my naps during the day, I should be staying awake for longer periods and taking longer naps rather than my current 1 hour awake, 1 hour asleep all day long. She wasn't worried that I haven't rolled over yet, she said that babies used to roll over by 4 months but that's when they slept on their tummies and used those muscles all the time; now babies roll over a lot later.

I had to get the same shots as my 2 month appointment, but it wasn't so bad. I whined a little bit right when the nurse poked me, but daddy quickly cheered me up. I felt pretty normal for the rest of the day, but I did sleep a lot that night. I slept from 7pm-10:30am, only waking up once to eat at 6:30am. Oh and in case you were wondering, I decided to be nice and kept everything in my diaper this time. Here's a picture of me waiting for the doc:


After my doctor's appointment, daddy went to work and mommy and I went to lunch and shopping with Gammy and GG. I was really good all day and spent most of the time entertaining everyone. I sat in my stroller and smiled and squealed, shopping was just so much fun! We went to the mall and looked for some new skinny clothes for Gammy because she's doing so good on her diet that her clothes are all baggy. I have one hot Gammy! =) Mommy doesn't have any pictures on her camera from lunch, so she'll have to get one from Gammy and post it later.

Happy Birthday Gammy!

Happy Halloween

Wednesday was my first Halloween and I got to dress up like a pretty, pretty princess. We went trick-or-treating at GG and Grandpa Grant's and Gammy and Pappies. That's all I could take because there was so much driving in between. I slept on the way home, but don't worry I guarded my candy the whole time. I know mommy was eying it.

The weekend before Halloween we also went to a pumpkin patch and got some cute pictures with cousin Krystiana. I can't wait until next year when I'm big enough to carve a pumpkin and eat some candy!



To view the pictures full screen click here.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Friday October 26th was daddy's 30th birthday and he took the day off so we had a 3-day birthday weekend together. On Friday we mostly just relaxed - we went out to breakfast at Elmers, came home and daddy finished the book he's been reading, and then later that night went to Outback for dinner (I think mommy enjoyed the day even more than daddy - no cooking!).

On Saturday we had a birthday party with daddy's friends. I slept through part of it, but woke up for awhile to play with Caden, Hadley, and Garrison. There was a cool fountain of chocolate that people were dipping fruits and snacks in and daddy had a chocolate birthday cake. I got to help him blow out the candles.

On Sunday we went hiking in Beacon Rock State Park in Washington. We planned to hike Beacon Rock, but it was closed because of a rock slide. It worked out for the best because we found the Mt. Hamilton trail in the park and I saw my first waterfall. It was amazing, I loved the sound of the water and the soft mist hitting my face. I stayed awake for 2.5 hours during the hike (my longest stretch ever) and I was good the whole time. Here's my debrief on the trip (I was a little tired and hungry by this point):



And some pictures from the weekend:

To view the pictures full screen click here.

Happy Birthday Daddy! I LOVE YOU!!!

Two Hands Are Better Than One

I've learned a new method to soothe myself to sleep. Mommy and daddy think it's a little strange, but I find it very comforting. Who needs a pacifier?!

3 Months and Sooo Big

I turned 3 months old on October 6 and mommy says I'm getting so big. I've been working on my baby rolls and I'm up to 13.5 pounds. Mommy had to pack up some of my clothes this week, she was really sad for some reason. I think it's cool that I'm getting so big. I'm getting strong and I can hold my head all by myself, kick my legs really hard, and sit up and stand with some help.

I've been taking my medicine for a month now and my reflux is much better. Now I only choke when I put my fingers too far in my mouth. My hands are my favorite toy - I love to stare at them and put them in my mouth. I never spit up, but we still use lots of burp rags around the house because I always have slobber all over my face and hands. I started waking up more during the night, about every 4 hours. I'm a growing girl and I need my food!

We didn't do much this month. I don't like to sleep when we leave the house because there's too much to see. I decided that I only like to take naps in my swing, so I get a little cranky if we go out for too long. Our major outing of the month was daddy's softball tournament. I was really good and slept most of the time. I took a few breaks to cheer and for daddy to take me on a slide for the first time.

Here's pictures from this month:



To view the pictures full screen click here.

Laughing Again

I started laughing again and today mommy caught it on film. Daddy's song was soooo funny.

Laughing All the Way...

I laughed for the first time on Sept. 18th (at 10 weeks). Mommy and daddy were giving me a bath and they forgot to take my socks off. I was totally naked except my socks and it looked pretty funny. Mommy and daddy were laughing, so I decided to join in. I think my laugh surprised them because they looked at me like I was crazy, I'm not sure if I'll do that again.

Month 2 of My Wonderful Life

I turned 2 months old on September 6th and it was a pretty good month. The basics of life are getting a little easier and I'm getting used to this crazy world. I've started sleeping more at night, sometimes even an 8 hour stretch if I'm really tired. Mommy and I run errands and go grocery shopping during the day. I like to sleep in the Baby Bjorn on mommy's chest while she shops.

I went to 2 weddings this month. Amy and Corbin's on August 4th and Yoshi and Melissa's on August 11th. Uncle Travis was in Amy and Corbin's wedding and he looked very handsome in his tux. I was a little tired that day and not in the mood for a wedding so I cried during the ceremony and daddy had to take me for a walk. At Yoshi and Melissa's wedding I was a perfect angel. I was awake for the whole ceremony and reception and just smiled at people and watched what was going on. I just didn't want to go to sleep, I might miss something like Yoshi and Melissa stuffing cake in each others faces (big bullies!). Finally I'd had enough and let mommy and daddy know it with a new octave of screaming that they hadn't heard before.

Mommy and I started going on walks around the neighborhood this month and I got to sit in the stroller like a big girl. I love looking around at all the houses and trees. I've also decided to let mommy start taking showers again. I sit in my bouncer and talk to Bongo (daddy's monkey from when he was a little boy) for 10, maybe 15 minutes if mommy's lucky.

We also had the childbirth class reunion this month and got to meet all the other babies. I, of course, was the life of the party and stayed awake the whole time until once again I got too tired and screamed and fussed for the rest of the afternoon.

As far as milestones, I love to smile all the time and I'm a big fan of standing (with daddy's help of course). I hate sitting and when mommy and daddy try to sit me on their lap, I push my legs down and try to stand. I'm starting to learn how to make some cool noises too.

Here's some pictures from this month:



To view the pictures full screen click here.

2 Month Appointment

I went to the doctor for my 2 month well check on September 5 (1 day shy of 2 months). The nurse weighed and measured me. I decided not to poop on the scale this time (been there, done that at the 2 week appointment), so I waited till the nurse put me back on the bed and then wet all over. It was pretty fun making mommy and daddy scramble to clean up. Here's the measurements the nurse got:

Weight: 11 lbs. 12 oz.
Height: 23.5 inches
Head: 15 inches (50th percentile)



Then the doctor checked me out. Mommy told her I had been gagging, coughing, and arching my back a lot and the doctor thought that I had reflux. She prescribed some gross medicine that mom gives me twice a day. It's yucky and cold, but it has made me feel a lot better. Here's a video of me taking my medicine like a good girl:


After the doctor left the mean nurse came back and gave me 3 shots and something orally. The shots hurt really bad and I screamed till my face turned red, but then daddy started acting goofy (like usual) and made feel better. I even started smiling and forgot about all the pain. I was a little tired for the rest of the day, but other than that all was well. Here's a picture of my owies:

First Trip to Heppner

I made my first trip to Heppner on Labor Day weekend. Tracy, Heidi and Caden came with us and brought lots of 4 wheelers. We stayed in Gammy and Pappie's cabin. They were in the Walla Walla mountains setting up a hunting camp, but they stopped by on their way home. Heppner's not exactly on the way, but they couldn't miss my first Heppner trip. GG and Vic were also there that weekend and GG was very nice and watched me so that mommy and daddy could ride 4 wheelers (and they had so much fun!!).

I got to ride on the 4 wheeler from the cabin down to GG's. It was pretty fun watching the trees go by. Here's a pic:



Mommy and daddy brought my bouncer to entertain me and it was really cool. The toy bar has a monkey that swings in a tree and a frog that jumps out from a bush. I really like the frog, he makes me smile.



It was a lot of fun, but I was ready to come home. I missed my ladybugs in my crib and my swing for naps.

The Beach...WOW!

We went to the beach August 17-18 for a family reunion (Great Grandma Iola's family) and it was amazing. We went down on the beach at just before sunset and I could finally open my eyes because the sun was very soft. Daddy took my socks off and put my feet in the sand. It was a little cold but it felt really cool. My favorite was the sound of the ocean. I could listen to it forever.

Here's me discovering the sand...



The reunion was a little boring (bunch of old people - mommy and daddy now included - talking all day) so I decided to sleep for most of it. It was a little chilly but I stayed in my comfy car seat all bundled up with a fuzzy blankey. While I was sleeping, we went shopping at the outlet mall and mommy and daddy bought my first pair of shoes. How cute are these...!

Back to Work...JK

Mommy had to go back to work on August 17th, but it was just for one day. Long enough to tell them that she was quitting to stay home and take care of me. I'm so excited that mommy gets to stay home and play with me everyday. I couldn't imagine if she still had to work and go on all those trips - daddy told me about how awful it is when she's gone.

So anyway, mommy and I went to work for 1 day and I got to meet lots of nice people and they gave mommy a free lunch. I was in a good mood that day and smiled at everyone I met. I figured I better be on my best behavior so mommy didn't change her mind. Ron helped watch me during lunch and to give mommy a quick break - he's really nice and knows how to make me happy because he just became a grandpa a few weeks before I was born.

Here's a picture of me working hard at mommy's desk:

My First Month

My first month of life was a little rough. I try to tell mommy and daddy what's wrong with me, but it all comes out as a cry and they don't know what to do. I love them cause they try, but jeez what's a girl to do. Daddy got to stay home and hang out with me for 3 weeks, he had vacation for the first 2 weeks and worked from home the third. I got to help him work and sleep on his chest while he worked on the laptop, it was really nice. I miss him a lot when he's at work. His first day back I cried for most of the day cause I was so sad.

I didn't do much this month besides eat, sleep, and ...well you know. The big milestone for this month was at 3 weeks when I smiled for the first time. I was laying on my changing pad (my favorite place in the world) and both mommy and daddy were there, so I thought I'd show off and smile. They're suckers for my smile. I can cry as much as I want as long as I flash them a cute smile every once in awhile to make up for it.

On July 23rd my cousin Krystiana (the 'i' is silent) was born and we went to the hospital to see her. Mommy and daddy couldn't believe how much I had grown. Krystiana was the same size as I was when I was born and I was so big next to her. Krystiana and I are going to have so much fun causing trouble, I mean playing together, as we grow up.

Here's a few pictures from the month. Mostly me sleeping, but towards the end of the month I paid a bit more attention to my surroundings...


To view the pictures full screen click here.

The best part of this month was all the nice people that came to meet me and gave me presents. I was visited by Tracy, Heidi, and Caden; Grandpa Richardson; Stacie and Steve; GG and Grandpa Grant; Gammy and Pappie; Uncle Travis; Travis and Erin; Eddie and Denny; Kacie; Amber, Hadley, and Garrison; Bob and Judy (neighbors); Mike, Stephanie, Blake, and Sami (neighbors); Bobbie and Brant; Lucetta; and Arlene (farm neighbor).

Then Judy and Cherri threw a baby shower for me with all of the Stockman family. Kelly, Kayla, and Kyle flew here from San Francisco to come to the shower and play with me. I was good as always and let everyone hold me, even Kraig! After all the excitement my tummy got a little worked up and I messed 4 diapers in a row, wet on the changing pad, and messed on my cute dress - keeping both mommy and daddy busy. Everyone thought it was very entertaining.

Here's pictures of my visitors and the shower...


To view the pictures full screen click here.

It's A Girl

I was born on July 6, 2007 at 11:07am at Sunnyside Kaiser Hospital. I weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. I was due on June 24th, but decided to make a fashionably late entrance instead. It was awfully comfy in mommy's belly.

The delivery went really well considering I just wanted to stay in the belly. Mom was given some medicine to get things rolling at 7pm on Thursday (7/5). It was supposed to take overnight to start working so mom could get some rest, but instead contractions kicked in full steam at 11pm. Mom labored all night and by 7am was exhausted. She gave in and asked for the epidural. She seemed really happy after that and kept talking about her new best friend, the ane..whatever that big word is. By 10am I was all ready and an hour later I made my entrance into the world.

I was trying to be a good girl, but for some reason everyone kept asking me to cry (I've been trying to make up for it ever since). I guess since I didn't cry loud enough, they thought I had some fluid in my lungs and proceeded to torture me over the next couple days in the nursery. Over the 2 days, they stuck a tube down my throat, gave me disgusting formula that I spitup, stuck an IV in me and then poked me 5 times trying to get it back in when it stopped working, put me under the bili lights for jaundice, and took more blood than I knew my little body had. Anyway, I'm over it now and extremely healthy so fuggedaboutit.

We got to go home on Monday (7/9) and I was finally safe with mommy and daddy to care for me (ha ha). I still had a little bit of jaundice, but it finally cleared up around 6 weeks and I had beautiful white eyes to highlight the blue.

Here are some pictures from my time in the hospital...


To view the pictures full screen click here.