Car Ride

I may get into trouble with Leila's daddy for posting this pic, but I just have to!
Leila's daddy strapped a sleepy Leila into her carseat, and the three of us got into the car to go to the grocery store. Leila was being so good and hadn't fussed at all, and I was wondering what was so different about this trip and just hoping that it lasted. She had a burp cloth over her lap, but I noticed a little bit of skin around her hip area and thought she might've worked her knee up inside of the seat belt where it shouldn't be. I lifted the cloth to take a look and... burst out laughing when I discovered this...

Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?
(She was actually strapped in this way! I laugh now just looking at it.)

Mobile Update

It's 5:50 a.m. and it's officially the first time Leila has woken up tonight to eat! Of course, she didn't go down to sleep until close to midnight, but it's still been almost 6 hours since then! This is great for sleeping, but I'm concerned about not producing enough milk. All of the books say it's a relationship based on supply and demand. At 7 and a half weeks old, is the supply established enough that I don't need to worry about waiting so long for the demand? I think I'll call an LC (lactation consultant) tomorrow to find out!

A Few Videos

I finally got my hands on the videos from the video camera. They are too large to upload directly, so I'm attaching them via youtube. I'm just including the links to the videos, because the outside edges of the screen gets cut off when I embed them in the post. Hope this doesn't make things more difficult.

We'll start with Leila's entrance into the world- March 6, 2010

Next, Leila's first tummy time - March 15, 2010

The next two are from April 23rd.
Leila loves her changing table! She can be crying and fussy, and we'll take her in and put her on that table and she will stop fussing and lay contentedly, looking around at the room (especially the window). It's great!
Video 1
Video 2

The next video is from April 26th.
Leila was getting tired and was starting to fuss, so she and I danced together to Michael Buble, and she fell asleep. But, when I put her in her hushamok, she woke back up. What a blessing it was that she was content to lay there listening to the music!

These last two videos are from this morning, April 27th - one with Leila smiling, and one with her talking. I can't get enough of either!! (Sorry. They are both kind of dark. It was pretty early in the morning and I only had the bedside lamp on in the room.)

Leila and Ella hanging out again. I can't wait until Leila is big enough to ride Ella. Ella is so sweet to her and I know they're going to be great friends.

Leila and her daddy tonight on way to bed. She reached up and gave him such a sweet love-pat.

The Answer

Well, the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything may be 42, but we've recently learned that the answer to a happier, less fussy Leila is freedom from taking the medicine that treats thrush. She has now been medicine-free since last Wednesday (6 full days), and she seems to have blossomed. She, of course, is by no means perfect, and each day still holds it's share of tears and frustration. But now, we are also experiencing a bit of peace, and some beautiful smiles!

Where she used to have to be held all day long, even while sleeping, she is now content to spend a little time in her bouncy seat or laying in her bed or on the boppy. Every day seems to bring something new, and we are truly enjoying it!

Since our last post, here is what has happened...

I bought Leila 2 new board books with pages that only have pictures in all black or white.

We spent some time looking at them last Friday and they seemed to be a huge hit.

Video Below

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Saturday was a busy day. Leila's Daddy helped Nan and Poppy with their garage sale. They are selling all kinds of things since they are moving into their nice new house this week.
Then, we went to our friend Ian's birthday party (the first one Leila has ever attended!) and, afterwards, we spent some time at Deedee and Grandfather's house. What a time we had!

Aunt Renae and Uncle Brent came over, and Daddy rode Uncle Brent's motorcycle. It took a little coaxing, but we finally got Daddy into a helmet. Doesn't he look cool?

Then, Leila started getting a little fussy, but Uncle Brent snapped her up and put her into some kind of a trance. She hung out in his arms this way for quite a while, then he proceeded to pass her around to the rest of the family.

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Sunday afternoon brought some fun time playing with the friendly snail and fly on Leila's bouncy seat.

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Saturday morning, Daddy was gone and Aunt Rebecca was at work, so Leila and I were alone when she decided to grace me with the biggest grin I've seen on her face up to this point (awake, at least. She smiles a lot in her sleep!) I actually had the camera in my hand, but didn't even think about taking a picture until the smile was gone. :(

On Sunday, Leila was throwing smiles at Aunt Rebecca during a diaper change, but

even with all the smiling going on, it wasn't captured on camera until this morning (Monday). While Daddy was getting ready for work, Leila decided to give us a show.

(Zoomed In)

Totally worth waiting for!!!

This afternoon, Leila and I took a trip to Nan and Poppy's new house, where Nan showed Leila her new room.

Today was Aunt Rebecca's 21st birthday (Happy Birthday!!) and she was in the mood for Italian food for dinner, so we took our first trip to the Olive Garden. Leila was hungry before we left the house, but before she could settle down to eat, she felt the need to stretch.

(I have some other great videos to post, but can't find the cord to load them onto the computer from the video camera. I'll check with Ryan and try to get them posted tomorrow. Leila's really started "talking" lately, and I've been able to get a bit of it on camera!)

It just hit me

Leila used to get the hiccoughs every day, often more than twice a day. It happened during my last trimester as well as after she was born (usually right after she ate).
I just realized that she doesn't get them as often anymore. Sometimes not even once in a day!!
I guess what they say is true... Things change so quickly. Don't blink or you'll miss it. (Reference sad Kenny Chesney song here:)

Life Goes On...

Sorry Ryan. I think this post is longer than the other. But, Leila's DeeDee and Aunt Renae both said I can make them as long as I want, so, sorry to the rest of you who are forced to read the following book. :)

What a busy, busy week.

First, Leila's daddy put up her new mobile that Aunt Danielle bought for her. She seems to like it...

 

Moovin' and Groovin'...

First trip in daddy's Snugli...

Cousins Sammi and Charlie gave this to us, and Ryan has gotten quite a bit of use out of it this week.

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We took a stroller ride to practice for the Heels and Hills 5k. Aunt Christina and Aunt Danielle have started running marathons, and have talked Aunt Rebecca and myself into joining them in a 5k on May 2nd that is taking place on the trails Ryan and I used to travel with Ella last year. They run right by our old apartment that is located along the canals of Las Colinas. I figured, if all 4 of the Kracht girls are signed up, the youngest of the clan should be involved, too! So, the plan is to take Leila in Grandfather's pretty stroller and, if it becomes necessary, we'll resort to finishing in the Moby. No running will actually be done, but the walk will be good exercise and the company will be fun.
(Don't worry. We'll make sure and let you know how it goes!)

Check Leila out. Her future's so bright, she's gotta wear shades!

Playing in the bluebonnets while on our walk...(The stroller ride only lasted a few minutes. Luckily, we have the Moby!!)

A friend who surprised us after a diaper change. He seems to like Grandfather's stroller, too...

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Last night was spent visiting our cousins Gail, Sammi, Charlie, Fiona, and Sullivan. Cousin Sunni (Sammi's sister) is in town from New York City this week, so we had to make sure Leila had the chance to meet her.

Hanging out with Sunni and Sullivan

Cousin Fiona is already so much fun. Leila can't wait until she's big enough to really play!

Grandfather knows Leila loves to hang out outside and is always quick to take her out to look around.

We had to take a picture of Leila with cousin Gail. This cute outfit was an Easter gift, and it's the first time Gail's been able to see Leila in it.

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This is the big moment when we realized how much Leila has grown. We remember the first time we put her in the hushamok. She looked so tiny. Now, she almost takes up the entire thing!! It looks like she may be moving to her big girl bed sooner than we thought.

(On another note, this was the first day we've had without thrush medicine in weeks. It may just be wishful thinking, but, it seems to me that Leila already feels a little better and is a little less fussy. We're all very thankful for this!)

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Here's a pic from our first trip to Baby Gap! We went, today, to look for a new shirt for Leila to wear to Aunt Rebecca's birthday dinner. We didn't find one, but it was nice to get out of the house. I have no doubt that it's the first of many fun trips to this store.

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Lastly, we spent this evening on our very first trip to a restaurant with Leila. We were celebrating Aunt Rebecca's 21st birthday, and we went to one of our favorite places to eat - Texas Roadhouse. All-in-all, it was voted a success. Leila spent the first half of the night sleeping in her carrier. When she woke up, she was passed around to her Nan, and Aunts Danielle and Christina, who were more than happy to take turns holding her.

(This was also the first time Leila wore her pretty green dress that was a gift from Aunt Danielle. We thought it was funny, because the dress came from Baby Gap, and I had already bought the green patent leather shoes that match the dress. They are size 0-3 months, but are still a bit big. Hopefully, the dress and shoes will both fit at the same time!)

Aunt Rebecca was given colorful balloons to celebrate her special day, but Leila seemed so taken with them that they quickly changed ownership.

We've decided we need to take a balloon with us everywhere we go! Who knew that balloons entertained even the smallest of babies?

Aunt Christina is always sure we take a sister picture when we get together for special events, so here is our sister pic from tonight.

My Baby is Ginormous

Oh my goodness, my baby is ginormous!!

It started when I dressed her for bed and realized that one of my favorite newborn onesies was a bit snug.

She was fighting sleep, so Ryan tried swaddling again. He put her in her swaddle-me blanket and said she seemed so much bigger in it. I noticed that she seemed big, and, when he put her in her hushamok, I couldn't believe how much space she took up when she wasn't all snuggled down in the end.

BUT, I didn't really realize just how big she's gotten until I got her out of her hushamok to feed her at 4:00 this morning. (I wanted to post then, but my phone was charging.) I picked her up and held her in her swaddle-me and, oh my word!! I think she's grown a full head in length since she was born!! She's so long!

When she's swaddled and I pick her up from her hushamok, I usually put her feet against my chest and hold her out in front of me. Last night, she had her legs bent at the knees, so I had her knees against my chest, and she still seemed long. I can't believe it!! Is this normal?!

I wish I hadn't noticed, because now she seems bigger all the time.

Time Well Spent

So, Ryan told me I needed to try to shorten my blog. I told him the last one was extra long because I hadn't blogged in a while, but, I do also understand where he's coming from. Even in high school, I enjoyed writing, but always got hammered for being too wordy. I guess editing has never been my thing. But, I'm going to try, because I'd hate to loose the few of you who are following this.
So, this is my first attempt at trying to stick to just the necessities...

Today was a fun day. Saturdays are always an easier day for me, because Ryan is usually home to help take care of Leila, giving me a little extra free time. Today's schedule was a little different, though, because we had to go to my parents so Ryan could help my dad move their couches out to the garage so that they can sell them in their garage sale. Then, we headed to my in-laws for dinner.
I don't know how I made it away from my parents house without taking any photos, especially when Leila was awake and was able to spend time with her Nan, Poppy, Aunt Danielle, and Aunt Christina. I'll have to be more diligent next time. I did, however, take a few at dinner.

Here, Leila is enjoying quality time with Grandma Watson (Leila's great-grandmother)...

 I'm so glad Leila is going to get to know her Grandma and Papa Watson!

We had many wet diaper changes over the course of the evening, but these pictures are from the first, when her daddy realized she was wearing "old man pants" pulled up practically to her chin.

She looks like she's doing a dance, huh? She moved so much in the womb that I said I thought she was dancing, so that would be quite fitting. :)

Finally, we see the way most of the time is spent when we're with Leila's Grandfather and Deedee.

Leila seems to be seriously contemplating that she thinks this arrangement is ideal. I would, of course, tend to agree with her.

And now she seems to be communicating these thoughts to her admiring audience, while showing them how her new bouncy seat works.

(Please take note of the lack of pants. Ryan apparently has an allergy to any item of clothing that is difficult to re-dress after a diaper change. Any pants without snaps [even cute old man pants] fit into this category.)

So, I think this blog seems shorter, don't you?