A Startle on Tuesday

Everything was planned and our lists were made for a successful dinner event for 30 people. I had just started on dinner and Byron had been breezing through his list of things to-do. I was grateful Byron had the day off to help get things organized around the house so that I wouldn't be too busy chasing Gilana whilst doing all manner of other things. But then I noticed a problem.

I had been experiencing more prominent contractions for some days by that point, but suddenly they were growing increasingly persistent. Byron thought a call to the doctor was in order. After we both had spoken to the head nurse, I was begrudgingly convinced that we needed to rush to Labor and Delivery, now. I burst into tears and allowed my sweet husband to pack me a bag and relinquish all dinner prep and Gilana care to friends.

The hospital assured us I was in labor, and that analysis left me grateful for the urgency we had in getting to the hospital and my Love's tender care of me and our growing family. After being on the moniter for some time, contractions came as quickly as every 5 minutes when I was given a shot of Tributeral (this is only a guess on the spelling). This shot sped up my heart rate to a rapid fire in attempt to supply more oxygen to my uterus, and thus stop contractions. It worked! After another hour and a half hooked up to machines we were allowed to leave with instructions that I must be on partial bed-rest. Specifically, no work of any kind, including lifting Gilana. Ach!

We arrived home to a full house of 30 satisfied bellies (dinner had come and gone without us) and everything was well cared for. Blessings!!! The Junior High Staff had been praying for us, and had even planned a surprise baby shower that night. Thankfully we came home before they all left and were able to enjoy their sweet company for a time before the house emptied.

The following morning left my heart rendered to tears as I heard my baby crying for a morning hug and I realised I wasn't allowed to lift her into my arms. Sweet Erin (who is living with us for a time with her husband, Daniel) was on hand to do the baby lifting and brought Gilana to me on the floor. We have had a great deal of help caring for Gilana this week thanks to Byron's parents and the thoughtful Junior High staff ladies.

We look forward to knowing more of the status on Baby2 at our doctor's appointment this coming Thursday. What we do know is this, since I am at 32 weeks, we would like the baby to stay put at least 5 weeks longer!

Diaper Discounts!!

I have just become a fan of Diapers.com
I just made a large purchase of diapers and other necessities for Gilana and the new baby, and got a great discount, will receive the order via free shipping tomorrow, and paid no taxes!!

For any first time customers of diapers.com, please use coupon code (diaper101) for any order of diapers $49 or above for $10 off your order. This code can be combined with other offers and lets the company know that I referred you.

Thanks!

10 Months Milestones

Our sweet little girl is quite the mover and shaker now, literally! She loves to shake and rattle whatever objects come into her grasp (including the puppy's tail), and she is walking!!! Gilana starting taking hesitant steps over Labor Day, and now transitions easily from crawling to walking with ease. She is very fun to watch as she scampers across the room with arms outstreched and mouth blabbering endlessly. Gilly-bean enjoys climbing things-- another baby-proofing hazard and is learning to climb down safely. She scales the stairs with ease, but going down is another story. On another front, our sweetheart appears to be rather obstinate! The Gila-monster does not appreciate hearing "No," and must be quickly repremanded for any naughtiness. It breaks my heart at times, but is so rewarding to see her turn and go the opposite direction when she is moving forward and hears a "no touch."

Parenting is so exceptionally rewarding despite the difficulty. We are having another one soon!!!!!!

All Done!

Gilana has been growing increasingly proficient at her use of sign language, namely, "all done!" I started using it as a way for her to express when she was done eating, but recently it has come into play when she doesn't want to be held anymore, when she has determined that diaper changing has gone on long enough, and a variety of other uses. This little lady is opinionated!

Steps!!

Gilana took her first step before her tenth month, on Friday, September 11th. Why? Gigi was out exploring the back yard (eating grass, leaves, and dirt) and did not like crawling in the stuff. Naturally, that meant she had to walk over it! That day she took 1 step twice. In the two weeks since, she has progressed to 2 steps (quite nearly three!!!).

From Gilana Public

Gilana is becoming very adept at playing the little comedian for her audience, where bigger means better. She makes the funniest little faces of grins smirks and grimaces for the benefit of those watching. An applause sets her off for a grander display of cuteness.

She learned on Saturday last week (9/12/09) to play peek-a-boo by her own volition while in the car. We were driving down to La Jolla and she wasn't napping well. I took up post in the back seat with her and threw a blanket over her head as a distraction from tears. Seeing the opportunity for a game, Gilly-bean whipped it down from before her eyes, gave me a grand grin, and abruptly covered herself again with a chuckle. Priceless!! The following Monday (still in La Jolla) she played for the first time in the sand, and determined that wet sand is better to walk in than the dry variation.

From Gilana Public

From Gilana Public

From Gilana Public

I am currently working on some quilting projects and am taking every available nap-time for stitching. My hands hurt! It is worth it, though.

9 month stats and a surprise

I realized that I had neglected to post Gilana's stats from her last doctors appointment.

On 8/18/09 Gilana measured:

Weight 18 lbs (35%)
Height 28" (65%)
Head Cir. 18.25" (35%)

So, we can say that she is tall and skinny, just like her Daddy.


I am currently typing this at 8:38 am without any distraction because Gilana has chosen this day to sleep in! She is usually our 7am wake up call, but today is doing something much different. How strange! She is just now waking up, which means that she slept 13 hours last night. WOW!

Some more 9 Month Gilly-bean updates

Here's the word from Babycenter, and right now it's pretty accurate. She took a four hour nap today--must be having a growth spurt and I enjoyed that time to be productive!

"Because of separation anxiety, this can be a tough time to be away from your baby for any length of time. But it may also be hard to travel with your baby right now. He's become used to his surroundings and familiar faces, and he likes predictability. So being on the road can disrupt his sense of security and routine, especially when visiting a new place or meeting lots of strangers.

At this age he doesn't grasp the concept of travel, but he'll realize he's in an unfamiliar place. Be ready for some cranky, clingy behavior and prepare plenty of distractions — picture books, noise-making toys, nesting blocks, hand puppets, and definitely his lovey, if he has one. Schedule plenty of downtime away from all the strangers to let him decompress."

It is very sweet to see her give an extra-tight hug to whomever is holding her before consenting to a pass-off. She doesn't get fussy about it, though. Gilana still enjoy new people, and enjoys exploring new territory at her own pace.

Loving this little girl!!!!

9 Months Old!

What a sweet little monster we have the priviledge of hiding from... Gilana loves to growl at us as she chases Daddy and Mommy around the house. She is quite a ferocious little terror (ha!) and we love seeing how fast she can move. Gigi is handling her sprouting teeth with the strength of a little lion cub and rarely complains about those 6 little toothies. Her toothy display is now centered with two on the bottom and 4 on top. She's a trooper!

For my birthday (Tasha), we headed down to Long Beach/San Pedro for a fun romp around the town. Gilana greatly enjoyed the aquarium experience. Byron decided to do it up proper by revisiting the restaurant where he proposed. We reflected on the fact that just a few short years later we were back with a baby and another in the oven. Gilana was a smash hit at our lovely dinner at the Reef restaurant. We were out till 10:30pm, and Gilly-bean spent the evening munching Prime Rib and waving at the other patrons in her sweet pink frock.

Good times!

From Gilana Public

8 Months Old

Today marks Gilana's eighth month, and what transformations have occured in her!

Here is some information on what her development should look like from babycenter.com

Your baby's newfound mobility means that she's now entering the land of bumps and falls. These are an inevitable part of childhood, and although your heart may occasionally skip a beat or two, try to enjoy watching your baby explore her surroundings and discover her limits.

She certainly is discovering things as she "crawls" about the house and moves along on all fours fully extended. She greatly enjoys walking with help from Mommy or Daddy and pulls herself up to stand and shimmy over obstacles, such as the dog. Of course there are quite a few more tears now as she bumps into objects, falls down and gets frustrated about not being able to reach everything she wants to. Gilana has recently been discovering the great mystery of the doggie door and will crawl over to the sliding glass door and knock at us if we are outside. Our sweet girl is also learning to say "hi," and wave a welcome or goodbye.

A tooth, then teeth!

Yesterday Gilana sprouted her first tooth (upper left incisor). Then today she sprouted a second one on the bottom left! She is getting toothy quickly!

On the Go!!

Today was the first time I ever called Gilana and she came to me!!!! Also, Gilana discovered the bookcase and the joys of taking items off of it. Yesterday she did a speed crawl across the bedroom (with the help of a water bottle trapped under her toosh). She also decided to walk just a few hours later with some adorable high-stepping action while I held her hands for balance. Poor Byron missed all this while he is out of town working on the Big Bear house, but he will sure see some impressive Baby G progress when he returns! The camera needs some new batteries, so no pics until I find replacements.

Sweet One @ 7.5 Months

Gilana can now scoot herself forward while in the crawling position and is becoming a pro at sitting herself up after rolling on her belly. She is trying hard to make new words and is blabbering up a storm. For the last two days, Gilana has been saying "Dada" repeatedly, sometimes with a "Hi" in front! We are so delighted with our little Gigi blessing and daily look forward to what she will do next.

Gilana loves to eat a wide variety of foods and is (for the most part) not a picky eater. Of course one of her favorite things is feeding herself... this can get messy. Today I gave Gigi a bottle of formula for the first time and she wolfed it down.

We have been spending time outside with a blanket laid out in the shade of our backyard. She is enjoying new explorations of the world around her.

My belly is really starting to look pregnant, but I am feeling much better now other than the heat. As of yesterday we are only cooling Gilana's room to save money and not bother with our aged central AC unit. So far so good.

Father's Day

Today is my Love's first official Father's Day. He is a spectacular daddy who takes such great care of his little family of almost four (plus the dog!).

Today's plans have been: church, home for lunch and Gilana nap, enjoy some time together, Byron out for repair supplies, plant our "vineyard," prune/tidy-up the garden, and go to the folks for dinner.

I don't have much to give Byron as a gift other than some nice socks (he always seems to need some), continue organizing the contents of our garage, and treat him as though I love him (not hard!!).

Byron noticed a super-cute Gilana moment a couple days ago. She had woken up in the morning and decided to wait on calling us for some attention. Instead, she turned on (!!!) her mobile and was flipping through a soft cover book. She is such a treat!

Oh, and she is almost crawling--so close! Baby-proofing is under way. :)

7 Months

Gilana is now 7 months and a day old. We are having so much fun with her, watching her grow, explore her surroundings, burst out laughing at our antics, she is too cute! I think this is my favorite time right now, but I am sure that is the case with every baby at every stage as the Lord graces us with such a precious gift of parenthood. Babies are incredible!

Gilana is doing some impressive push-up maneuvers (my dad would be proud!), eats like a fiend, naps well (when events don't ruin her schedule), is a people and crowd loving girl, and as of yesterday, rocks back and forth in the position of crawling. We have to baby-proof!

Gigi was a trooper at my sister's wedding weekend in Santa Clara. It was a long drive up with very little nap time, but our Gilly-bean put on her best face for everyone and tried to steal the show. (Don't worry Tammy, she didn't get all the attention!)

We are so delighted with our little munchkin and have been rearranging everything to fit #2 into the picture. We might find out next month if we will be having a boy or another girl!

Prunes and Updates

Our precious little Gilly-Bean has been having some changes lately. She doesn't really notice these consistent changes, but I sure do! Growing up more and more! She went to her 6 month appointment the day after her half birthday. We discovered that she has gained smaller amount of weight this time which dropped her to about the 60th percentile in weight and height. The doctor wants to have her back in so we can monitor her weight and make sure she isn't loosing any.

Weight: 16.6 lbs 60%
Height: 58%

On another note, the doc let me know that prunes can help my daughter in ways that I can't! Poor baby girl turns bright red in the face, tears up, then starts to wail every time. It shouldn't be that hard! Extra fruits in her diet and apple juice hasn't made much of a difference, so on to the prunes.

Gilana LOVES to eat solid food. So much, that she has been calling it "Mama" for the last several weeks. I feel displaced! :) We are now on a schedule of 3x nursing and 3x feeding per day. Yesterday I introduced Cheerios... she wasn't too sure about those!

Gigi has been sitting up like a pro for a couple weeks, diving forward to grab objects and wriggling around 360s. It won't be long till she learns to start using her legs to crawl. Standing has been one of her favorite pasttimes since day one, but we are trying to encourage crawling to help with her fine motor coordination.

Finally, for those of you who aren't aware, the Gilly-bean has a new bro or sis Belly-bean!!! Gilana will be a big sister on approximately December 19; they will be just 13 months apart! The prospect of two very young children is something I have labeled as my "Sanctification Intimidation," being aware of the difficulties involved, but not aware enough to have a truly clear grasp of all it entails. We hope for a break before any other kiddos come into the picture. I am sobered at the thought of another child, but at the same time, humbled at the grace of another blessing added to our marriage. Gilana is such a delight, I am amazed at the coming of another little gift. Pray for us!