Ooooh, Santa

Last year at this time Ayla was four months and oblivious to the large man with the beard and a red suit holding her on his lap.

Uh, not so much this time.

We waited in line for over an hour as she got to run around the mall having a blast, waving at Santa numeroud times I might add. So I was pretty optimistic, then, as we approach him for the pic, she isn't so friendly...Are we torturing our kids by forcing them to sit on a stranger's lap? Do we feel better only because EVERYONE on Earth does the same? We all have that pic of us and our brothers and sisters screaming on Santa's lap. So I suppose I shouldn't feel THAT bad right?!

From screaming, to pouting, to self soothing while pouting...

MUCH happier when we get home. I am glad she doesn't know how to hold grudges yet

It's that time of year again...

Ayla looking at the snow falling outside...keeping pants on this girl, by the way, is near impossible. We are lucky she has a onesie and a shirt on. Oh, and somedays she loves wearing socks and others she screams while trying to pull them off her feet, go figure.

Ayla being oh so gentle with the tree and its ornaments. We debated getting a tiny one and putting on an end table, then realized how extremely lame that is. So we packed up and went to Carpinito Bros to pick out a nice big one that Ayla can really appreciate :) Surprisingly Ayla has done really well and not grabbed any of the ornaments or yanked on the lights. She will go up to the tree sniff it (Brett taught her that), point at it a little, then very gently touch an ornament or ribbon. You can just see the restraint on her face, so cute. I think she is the perfect age, if it were 3 months ago, she would have been climbing and grabbing all over the thing!

Well, the holidays are among us. Ever since we lost my dad, honestly, I have tended to dread this time of year. What used to be my favorite time of year became quite the opposite. Demands of family and friends becomes too much sometimes and the busy chaos all around us can frustrate me. My perspecitve has become much more positive though, when I look at Ayla and see the excited smile on her face as she points to the tree and when she sees me plug in the Christmas lights. I have this precious little girl who brings joy to so many, from the perfect stranger to our closest family members. And that pit in my stomach when December approaches has shrunk tremendously.

The joy she brings to my mom is extra special to me. What used to be an annual trip for my mom and I to the Victorian Country Christmas has now become an annual trip for the three of us! Ayla was so intrigued by all the people, decorations, lights, and Christmas goodies, she loved it. We went outside to let her run free and it started snowing! I look over and see the huge smile on my mom's face as she is looking down at Ayla (who is looking up with eyes fluttering as the snow hits her little pink face). A perfect moment.

As each year comes, new traditions begin and although things will never be the same, I am looking forward to the new stories and memories that we will create each holiday season. Like these ones of Ayla and her cousins Grant and Kyla during Thanksgiving...

Reading with cousin Grant...he is so patient with her.

Playing in the ball pit with Kyla

Hide and Seek

Frist of all, I am updating the blog after only a couple of weeks! My motivation is the new HP notebook (Windows 7 and all!) Brett and I bought for Christmas. We simplified and got rid of our desk and old PC, yay! I have neglected my blog long enough so hopefully I will keep it comin.

The real reason for the update though is to share how much fun my daughter is...more and more fun everyday. She has recently discovered hide and seek. Her favorite hiding spots are her closet and her big blue worm tunnel:

We went last week to get our family portraits (mostly Ayla, tee hee). We got home and the first thing she did was run into our bedroom and hide in our closet. Love it.

Fall means...

Ocean Shores

Enough cold beach, time to go swimmmmmming!

Halloween...

Our chubby little butterfly made it all the way up and down my mom's block. Walked all by herself and would not let go of that pumpkin if her life depended on it.

The Puyallup Fair

The true fair experience...furry animals, Earthquake burgers, curly fries, and cotton candy!

Curly Fries

My first earthquake burger, mustard, onions and ALL!
Made my mommy so proud




The Pumpkin Patch

Um, there is dirt on my hands, eeeewwwwwww.

I have been a total Blog slacker! I know most of the fans of this blog see most of my pics on FB, so I know you haven't been missing out on too much of our lives :) I used to be an avid blogger. It is now one of my last priorities behind spending time with family, working, getting my housework done and catching up on all those good books I have been missing out on. Life as a working mom is INSANO! Get up, get myself caffeinated and ready so by the time Ayla gets up (not till 7 or 7:30) I can spend quality time with her before "we" head to work, pick up Ayla, get home and try to give Ayla my best, clean up the house, make dinner, eat dinner, Ayla to bed, relax?! No way I gotta do dishes and oh ya, spend time with my hubby :) I love my job and have recently felt much more settled into our routine though, especially now that Brett is not working. I miss my stay at home mommy life, the playdates, walks to starbucks, endless time with Ayla, but we have all adjusted and things are going great. Ayla is walking, actually running everywhere - she can't get enough. Its a whole new world and I may regret saying this but I am LOVING the walking Ayla. We are reading "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" highly recommend it by the way. She is definitely showing signs of tantrums and has officially learn “no" and "mine" YIKES. She is a kind, funny, smart, and strong willed 15 month old!

Our summer adventures...and a one year old baby!

I originally began this blog post about two weeks ago and didn't quite get it completed. So YAY finally an updated post. I started back to work this week. Teaching 4 periods of math, so not quite full time. I don't have to leave the house until about 8:30, which gives me some good time with Ayla in the morning. Then I am home with her by 4:00. Brett's mom comes to the house twice a week to care for Ayla. The other three days she goes to a friend of ours' house - they have a nanny that we share. Unfortunately we just got news this week that she got an internship she applied awhile ago for and has to quit. So now we have one week to find childcare for Ayla - back to square one. There are options though, and I am trying to be as optimistic as possible. Going back to work was the toughest thing I have ever had to do. I realize now how much I took for granted my time at home with Ayla. My heart breaks leaving her everyday, but I am happy to be back in the classroom. Getting the childcare situation sorted will ease my worries and hopefully we will all adjust quickly. So, without further ado...our summer:

One of Ayla's favorite activities these days is to crawl back and forth in this fun tube I got her at IKEA. I put one end inside and one end outside. Once the rain returns, I guess I am going to have to be more creative.

This is Ayla's doggy. We have yet to name him anything other than doggy - so sad. I am not sure if I should feel bad or not, but she loves him. But I really don't want to get a dog, our small condo is not dog friendly. But Ayla doesn't seem to care too much, lol

A day at the park, well actually its the elementary school by our house, but hey - its tons of fun for Ayla who gets to crawl, climb, swing, and slide. Plus her aunty scooby was in town most of the summer, so she got to join us on our many park adventures

I am so happy that we got to get together a lot this summer with my cousin Lisa and her daughter Kylie. She is only 2 months younger than Ayla and is catching up fast. They are too sweet when they get together.

AYLA IS ONE!!!
The birthday girl! Her birthday party was a huge success, we had so many family and friends come out to celelbrate with us. She was the center of attention and loved every minute of it - especially the cake. As soon as she knew she got everyone's attention she started playing peek-a-boo with fingers filled with frosting.

I can't believe that Ayla is one years old. This has been the most challenging, rewarding, and exciting year of our lives. Ayla is a fearless, happy, energetic, smart daddy's girl who loves to read (ok, fine - she looks at the pictures, turns the pages and points to the words), crawls in things, on top of things, around things and through things :) She is so close to walking, but the girl knows she can get "there" faster if she just crawls.

Peek-a-boo during while opening gifts too, she can't get enough, its her new "talent"

Notice the smile on her face. I already got her swingin while I hold the ball in my hand. Thanks Misty!

AND I AM 30!
A very memorable 30th birthday for me. A trip to Vegas with my mom, sister, and aunt Paty (mom's best friend) AND Brett suprised me with a meal at Benihana in Seattle.

My family has taken my sister and I to Benihana for our birthdays for at least the last 15 years. I thought this year wouldn't work with our busy summer schedule.We drove up there and my mom and sister suprised me with their presence.

After Sake bombs and Mojitos. We had a Sake bomb expert at our table who kept buying us rounds, notice the red cheeks on me, I get those from my dad :)

Las Vegas!!!

Our first night out. This is my first trip to Vegas and I was glad to share it with my sister and mom because they are seasoned veterans. I am proud to say we "did Vegas". Please recall that I am a math teacher and am quite aware why the casinos are filled with slots and a few tables. Although the slots are fun and quite addictive, my sister and I did our work at the craps tables. Let me just say that we made Vegas proud and took home lots of winnings! Love those dice and their odds.

Easting sushi on the strip

Our hotel - Ceasar's Palace. Ummm - WAY too huge for its own good, as is most of Vegas. The first night there my sister and I wanted to go over to the Mirage - its next door. We got lost trying to find an exit out of Ceasar's and ended up taking a cab. WOW.Having lunch outside on the strip as we people watch and enjoy the largest plate of nachos I had ever seen. Again, Vegas larger than life.

WINTHROP 2009

Brett and I began taking this annual trip 4 years ago. We have gone every August (except last year, because Ayla was just weeks away from making her first appearance) for 5 days. We love swimming, sunning, and relaxing before the chaos of September hits. We braved it this year with an 11 month old who doesn't like grass (loves pavment and dirt though), getting her 1st molars, and requires an excessive amount of sunscreen. We were shooting for 5 days, we made it 3, but those 3 days were worth the hours of packing and setting up our campsite.

My mom let us use her tent trailer. It was nice because Ayla had her own bed, sort of. We set up a bed rail on one of the beds. We were basically doing all of things they warn you not do when using the bed rail. However, I am a daughter of a man who built skyscrapers, so I can jimmy rig a pretty dang secure bed rail!

Swimming! Ayla did great in the lake. She would get sick of her floaty so then Brett and I would just pass her back and forth. She couldn't get enough of being in the water, especially cause she got watch all of the big kids splash and play around her.

Is there a cuter pose than this one - I don't think so! Just look at those chubby little legs and that chubby little swim diaper butt.

The Third Annual Darrell Bosik Memorial Race at Emerald Downs...

We had another great turnout. It so great to see all the friends and family who want to be part of this day celebrating my dad. We all miss him so much, it is fun to put on a party for us all to talk about and remember him.

Bosik's and Youso'sMe and Scooby after our not so big win - actually I am pretty sure we lost.

Me, Ayla, Kyla, Trena, Aunt Cindy, and Grant - gosh can you tell we are family or what?!

I look at Ayla multiple times a day and think about how much she would have loved my dad and how much he would have loved her. He would put her on his belly and she would grab at his face and giggle while he says "hey you little bugger". Her chubby little legs would waddle next to him as he holds her hand to help her walk. She would play peek-a-boo while cracking up at his silly faces and get so excited to show grandpa all the new things she is learning. She would give him "loves" (that is what we say for hugs and she turns her head and lays it down on you - like the picture below) and I would see in his face how much he adores her. I miss him so much and am so sad that he is not here to be part of Ayla's life.

We drove out to Darrington in July for Brett's cousin Taylor's wedding. It was one of those ridiculously hot record breaking days, but Ayla was a champ. I love this picture because we kept trying to get her to look at the camera, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the beautiful bride. She is starting to be drawn to "girly" things. She loves when I put a bow in her and I say "pretty" and she gets a huge smile on her face and wants me to pick her up so she can look at herself in the mirror.

Uncle Scott visits!

Ayla has always warmed up very quickly to family and close friends. She is so responsive to people's reaction to her. She is drawn right away to both my sister and Scott, who she has seen only once since Christmas.

Enjoying Summer with Daddy

Ayla absolutely LOVES her daddy. Definitely a daddy's girl. As her personality develops we realize she is very much like her mommy. So makes sense that Ayla and her daddy get along so well. Here are some pics and a video that prove this, in case you all needed evidence :)

Me and my daddy's first time playing in the kiddie pool together. He is crackin me up!!

Tumbling and wrestling with daddy. I am so adventurous and such a risk taker!

My 2nd favorite activity, behind tumbling around with daddy, is when he reads to me.

I don't even mind when he spikes my hair into a mowhawk and I especially love that he lets me chew on plastic cups.

This is daddy's Father's Day gift. We already went on a hike to Greenwater and I was a champ!

Here we are just hanging out in the park, oh and I have fun with mommy too...

Also, I am pulling myself up these days and scurrying around seeing how much trouble I can get into. Its great!

Can't keep up...Sun Lakes, Mother's Day, and More (in no particular order)

I would love to post daily and let all of you into the wonderful lives of the Thompson family. However, that takes:

1. Enough time because it takes FORever to post pics on this thing

2. A sleeping baby

3. A caffinated and fed mommy

and as you fellow moms know this can be hard to come by. So I have taken to doing posts within posts. I am too OCD to post each seperately because I know that sometimes people only check the most recent and I want you to see Ayla in all her glory...

So I shall start with this one for a good laugh:

Ayla just woke up from her nap. I smell something suspicious, yep you guessed it, a poopy. A really doozy; up her back, out the legs and onto her sleep sack. As any mother does, I sigh and get to work. I triumphantly clean her up without too much of a hassle. But unfortunately our diaper champ is full (which is always the case, I think diapers magically multiply once you put them down the shute). So step aside lift the lid and in that amount of time Ayla has rolled over (she is still naked mind you) causing the clean diaper which I mistakenly didn't "tie down" to slip to the side. I think how cute, so I make the typical mom mistake and grab the camera:

As I hear the click, I hear a trickle. I then see the pool of urine building under my daughter. You can guess what happens next. Thanks mom! This is fun. She starts wiggle and splash. I sit her up where she continues to splash legs, hands and all. Luckily there was a towel within reach. I lift her up, slide the towel underneath. Dry off her and the changing pad and we are off to the bath tub. Nothing like standing there pondering what to do while your daughter plays in her own urine.

Ayla:

• 9 months
• 22 lbs (yep thats 95% baby!)
• 27+ inches
• 8 teeth (eats pretty much everything we give her, not so in love with peas though and for some reason not a fan of watermelon - too slimy maybe)
• crawls (wounded soldier style, I crack up everytime she really starts movin)
• LOVES to stand up, jump in her jump up, and get into anything she isn't supposed to, ie slippers, shoes and the tiniest little specks on the carpet (is that inherent in babies, or is she just a rebel?)
• an avid reader, especially magazines which she loves to tear apart

Mother's Day

We spent Mother's Day with Brett's mom, my mom and our close friends Amber and Connie. Some quick pics at home then off to a delicious brunch at Al Lago by Lake Tapps. I absolutley love being a mom. I recently decided that this 6-9 month stretch is my favorite so far. She makes me laugh till my cheeks hurt: giggling when she flails herself backwards and I let her tumble back into my lap, giggling when daddy holds her and we play peek-a-boo, giggling when I stack blocks and she gets to knock them over. By far the most rewarding experience of my life. I owe my patience, calmness, and wisom to my mom. Who has forever been an amazing mom and now an even better grandma!

Sun Lakes 2009

I remember a year ago posting about our annual Sun Lakes trip for the opening day of fishing. Ayla was in my belly and my sister was home to join us. Ayla was a champ! She played in the grass and had a constant urge to play in the dirt - thats my girl! No fishing this year though, next year her friend Henry (Chris and Misty Carpinito's little guy) will show her how its done. These trips are treasured memories and I am so excited to carry on the tradition with our third generation of little ones. Next year I am flying my sister in no matter how much it sets me back, NOT the same with out you scooby...

The only thing missing is my dad huddled around the grill trying to be an expert. Just like the rest of these guys LOL :) From left, Jimmy, Chris, and Dan

Jimmy and Misty playing with Ayla (oh and mom in the corner)

Ayla, mom and Brett right after breakfast. A beautiful sunny eastern Washington spring day. The stroller was the only way to keep Ayla out of the dirt: "sit still?! Are you crazy mom?"

Visits from the ones we love!!!

My aunty Christina

Jeni and Justin

Sun, finally!...Spring Break, Easter and a Trip To The Park

These sunny days are exactly what we needed. We have a park right near our house with an amazing view of Mount Rainier and of course those special baby swings. Ayla loved it! Our baby is fearless, I thought she would be hesitant, but no way, she couldn't get enough.

Watching her giggle and swing was one of the best moments of my life...

Spring Break 2009

The best part about spring break is that daddy is home to play with us!

Brett and I were amazed when we put her on this Dora Explorer mini truck that she would hang on, push off and go go go. A proud moment for us both, again our baby is fearless!

Ayla's first grass experience. Yep, beleive it or not it is the first time the grass has been dry enough since September for Ayla to sit it and paly on it. WOW, gotta love the rain.

We got to spend time with all of Ayla's friends...

Here she is with her Aunty Robi (mommy's best friend)

Taylor, Alicia, Lilly (almost 2 months) and Ayla...She is lovin Taylor, daddy's best friend

Lilly and Ayla

Alicia and Ayla playing together, tons of giggles

We also got to go over and play with Henry and Misty. Ayla LOVES babies and Henry is a tough little guy so Ayla got to grab and squeeze all she wanted, thanks Misty :)

Henry has a smile that goes from ear to ear, getting them both to smile at the same time was uuuuhhh, not happening.

Easter at Aunty Cindy's Ayla and Cousin Grant

Ayla and her Cousin Kyla reading together

And last but not least... Honestly I'm speechless. I am sitting here cracking up at how much my baby looks like her daddy. Some people see glimpes of me in her, maybe when she smiles, but seriously, ya right! I am trying to come up with something witty to write, but really I think this picture says it all

My life as a seven month old

I am SO SO SO close to crawling. I do a little bit of crawling backwards. Otherwise I basically roll around to get where I want to be. When my mom is at the computer, I LOVE the chair she sits in and somehow maneuvered underneath it without my mom noticing...

I play with my cousin Kyla. My mom has never seen two babies SO excited to see eachother...

My mom bundles me up and we go outside for walks. For some reason she loves zipping me all the way up, its her style :)

My aunty comes home from Boston to play with me!

My uncle comes home from NYC to play with me!




I LOVE to read...




My parents won't stop putting these shades on me. I think it is because they roll over in laughter every time I wear them. Here I am in my favorite, johnny jump up...

Cousins, Carrots, and Cuddles

Ayla is SO very close to 7 months. Brett and I are loving every minute of it and can't get enough of her.

SO happy when I wake up and get to see my mommy and daddy!

Ayla and I get to spend lots of time these days with my cousin Lisa and her 4 month old little one, Kylie - also my God-daughter :) So honored to be her "fairy God-mother"

Carrots, uh... guess we'll stick to sweet potatos for now

P-p-p-p-pllleeeaaassseee Squeeeeeeeze Me!

I am 6 months old!

I love to play peek-a-boo and say/growl aaahh, nnnaaaah, and gggaaah. I just learned to say dadadada and nanananana. I love to smile and giggle at my mommy and daddy too, especially when they tickle me and blow raspberries on my face and belly. I am starting to realize when mommy and daddy aren't paying attention to me and make sure they know it!
I am not quite crawling but really want to and try really hard when I am on belly. I am quite the squirmy worm in my crib these days. Mom and dad have to come and rescure me when I get wedged in the corner and can't roll over.
My favorite things to do are go on walks with mommy, or daddy, or grammy, play with toys while I am sitting up all by myself, and have mom and dad read to me (especially Dr. Seuss when dad tries to change his voice)
I am eating solids like a champ in my big girl high chair. I have four teeth on the bottom and my favorite baby food is prunes, kinda weird huh? Good for my "system" though, if you know what I mean.
I also take a big girl bath now too and I LOVE bath time with daddy. He sings one of my favorite songs that he made up that goes "a soapy and a rinsy, a soapy and a rinsy" over and over.

High Chair or not, rice cereal here we come...

Grandma Daryl got us a high chair for Christmas and we have yet to pick it up from her house. At 5 1/2 months Ayla needs to start rice cereal. She LOVES watching us eat, grabbing and getting oh so excited as we bring the fork/spoon/food to our mouths.

So we just went for it, put her in the bumbo with the tray, filled a bowl and got out the baby spoons...

Then suddenly we went from this:

To this:

Ok, ok!! All done:

Ayla 5 months!

Go AMHS Lions!!! A teacher friend at Auburn Mountainview Knit this sweater for Ayla to wear during my basketball games. Lovin it!

5 months: 16lbs 12.5 oz, 26.5 inches

She is growing like a weed. I call her Ayla Bean but have debated changing it to Ayla Weed. She isn't my little bean anymore, more of a butterball or butterbean, lol!

Sleeping 11-12 hours at night - without waking up. Naps three times a day anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hrs. Smiling, giggling, cooing. Her new noise is basically a mini growl - we love it. We laugh every time we hear it.

Her new thing is to roll from her back to tummy, tummy to back. She then digs her head into the floor and scoots forward ever so slightly, but gets frustrated very quickly because she is not as mobile as she would like to be.

I just bought one of those "johnny jump ups" and am thinking she is going to LOVE it. We'll see.

Playing with Grandma

Compare these pictures...

I realize that at first sight my daughter bears a striking resemblance to her daddy. Fair skin, white hair, dark eyes. Brett said to me the other day "I hope this doesn't offend you but the chubbier she gets the more she looks like you" . Thanks honey none taken...With that round face, nose and mouth she is starting to resemble her mommy, yay!

I like to scroll through pictures for her to look at and came upon some pictures of me as a baby with my dad. I found some pictures and the resemblance is uncanny. Especially the resemblence to Ayla in "real life" - even Brett was shocked. Fun!

SAVE WWU Football...

This is easy - go to http://www.savewwufootball.com/ and click join group and be proactive! Especially since most of you that frequent this blog are alumni. My husband is VERY distraught about WWU's recent decision to cut their football program due to budget cuts. Brett has a deep love for this sport and a deep love for his fellow former teammates from WWU. There is many a young man out there who one day desires to play college football and we need long standing programs around to fullfill those dreams...

Besides I would not have even looked twice at him if he wasn't a football stud all those years ago!

Ayla's first Christmas - WOW!

We were definitely on the go this holiday season. Fitting in time with family and making sure Ayla got lots of quality time with her Aunty and Uncle, then finishing it all off with wonderful a Hawaiian vacation! Our 4 month old little girl handled it like a champ however and we are now all three peacefully at home watching bowl games :)

Ayla got to spend time with her aunty the doctor and uncle the lawyer - the great thing is Ayla could care less - she just loves to smile and giggle with them. She is really starting to get to know them and recognize who they are.

At Grandma's house

So many wonderful Christmas morning memories - my dad would be up bright and early, then Scoobs and I would come down; the three of us opened our stockings, lots of giggles while we rummaged through our candy, gift cards and oh yes - scratch tickets! My dad always told us to wait awhile to go wake up mom so she could get a little extra sleep. So I wanted to make sure Ayla's first stocking opening experience at Grandma was just as special - my mom made her a mini stocking...

At Aunty Cindy's:

Kyla 12 months, Grant 7, Ayla 4 months

Game Night

Brett and Scott v. Mom, sis, and I - we didn't stand a chance against the Thompson twosome. Cranium Turbo: I was hopeful but quickly became depressed as I saw our inevitable defeat. Scattegories: we did much better, especially mom - my sister and I knew we couldn't have gotten all our competitive urges from our dad and low and behold there was some competitive fire in her, it just took a little Scattegories to bring it out

Christmas morning with Grandpa

We also spent time with Grandma Daryl and her family and I will soon post those pictures as well.

Kauai

Waipouli Beach

Mommy and Daddy's 5 year Anniversary - grandma and aunty babysat!

Bright and early ready to play:

Our water baby - she loved it!!

At the luau - she loved it !!

Playing with mommy and daddy - she loved it !!

Until...

Mommy, I am SO over all these kisses!

Brett, Scoobs and I also had quite the adventure kayaking down the Wailua River. I took those pics with a waterproof disposable camera - you know 35 mm and you actually have to wait to get them developed, ugh! So I will be sure to post some of those pics soon.

I am getting Teeth!

Well, its official - Ayla has two front tiny little toofers sprouting on her bottom gums. She has been showing signs of teething - lots of drool and gnawing on her hands, a little fussy. Yesterday her aunty Scoobs noticed a little white sprout on her gums when I was changing her.



Getting big SO fast, cuter and chubbier everyday!!!

Sitting up on my own...

1.

2.

3.

OOPS!!! Mom was too busy taking pictures...

Uncle Scott's in town. We have been having TONS of fun together

Airport Adventure

I wanted to publicly express how blessed I am to have Brett. He is an amazing husband and father. I could blog daily about what kind of man he is, but that is bragging - but I couldn't help myself with this one :)
My husband just left to pick up my mom and then take her with him to pick up my sister at the airport (9:30 pm) who flies in at 11:20 pm. My mom is deathly afraid of driving in the snow and ice and lives up the twistiest, steepest hill known to man (well, ok maybe the twistiest, steepest in Auburn, but I need some dramatic effect). There is a back way that is a little less treacherous, thankfully. Not to mention, we live atop a large hill as well, again there is a back way.
We have been stewing all day long about "the plan" to pick her up. After many variations we decided I would stay here with Ayla who is sleeping safely and soundly and Brett would brave the roads packed with snow and ice, go pick up my mom-then my sister at the airport. The thing is, there was never even a question in Brett's mind as to whether he will do this - he said it will be an adventure and is happy to do it. Even when my sister's friend called and said he would pick up my sister, Brett still wanted to.
Thank your husbands right now if you know they would do the same for you or thank the person in your life that would do something like this for you. Brett is a constant support to my family, which is so clearly his family too.
I know my dad is looking down right now feeling the relief that his family was left in the hands of a man that does not hesitate to do what is needed to keep us safe and happy.
My next blog will be describing this "great adventure".

Sidebar:
My sister says it is supposed to snow in Boston tomorrow, 12 - 13 inches, this is after daily ice storms. The news there does a small snippet warning people they should leave a little early for work tomorrow! You gotta love Western Washington news and their amazing way to overreact to our weather. I am sucker for it too, because I haven't left my house all day for a reason. I didn't even get to watch Ellen today because they had to report over and over from the same three places about how much snow there is!

Snow Day !!!

First, a sleep update. She is napping about 3 times a day, one to two hours each nap. She cries for maybe 5 minutes if at all when we lay her down drowsy. Tonight she fell asleep on her own with NO crying at all. She litterally improves each time she goes to sleep. Praise God!!! How long before parents can say "my baby sleeps through the night? " It has been one week. I think I will wait another week and then start assumming when I go to bed that I won't need to wake up at 12 and 4 am - even though my body still does on its own, at which point I go in to check on Ayla sleeping soundly in her crib.

Now to the real purpose of this blog post:
Well, I must admit that as teachers we wish for a snow day to cancel school WAY more than we ever did as students, especially now that we have the wittle one to entertain us. Any teachers out there I am sure will agree with me!

So last night when school was already cancelled for Tahoma, I began skipping around the house knowing that the three of us would get to spend a cozy day at home together. Which actually turned into a much needed trip to Southcenter and the Supermall for some Christmas shopping, but hey we made the most of Brett's day off :) Along with some extra play time with Ayla...

Uh Oh, were did Dad's face go????During our long weekend we have discovered Ayla's new favorite toy. A little blond haired doll we have named LuLu - she is fascinated by it:

Notice the pattern. See LuLu, grab for LuLu, put LuLu's pigtails in my mouth!

Since we are on this topic I would now like to quote a conversation between Brett and I from Sunday:

I shall set the scene:

Ayla has now taken to pooping about once a day - therefore her diapers containg HUGE loads when she decides to have her poop of the day. Brett was the lucky one who got to change this one and I hear him gasping from Ayla's room and asking Ayla to quit squirming as poop gets on her leg and feet. A few minutes later we are in the living room and...

Mom says to Dad who is holding Ayla: "Is that poop on her face?"

Dad: "No way, oh my gosh, oh no, I think it is"

Mom rolling over with laughter as I do the classic mom move that we all swore we would NEVER do. I lick my finger and wipe off the tiny speck of Ayla's poop off her chin! Don't worry I then wash her face and my hands.

The point of this story is to let you all know that Ayla is doing excellent at reaching, grasping, and then going directly to her mouth. We are hoping since it wasn't a smear it was just the little bit on her chin. To quote Laura Bosik "tee hee hee"

And because I love them so much I could eat them, Ayla's feet...

Sleepy Deepy Part Two

I have hesitated blogging this because I don't want to jinx it. But Ayla has slept through the night the last two nights! Ayla started off her sleep journey by only sleeping and napping with mommy. After about 3 weeks she could sleep in her swing for naps and at night was in bed with mommy and daddy. We tried the bassinet and she did ok, but was still struggling. So for the last two months she slept with us at night and swing during day. About a month ago I realized this is not getting her enough sleep, the swing is great but she never was reaching a deep sleep. Sleeping with us, she became very squirmy and I was so aware of her I never reached deep sleep. All together a bad combo. She was also becoming very difficult to put to sleep, really fussy, squirmy and really fighting it. The poor thing would scream in the car because she would get sleepy and then not know what to do with herself. The up side is that she had a consistent schedule - asleep by 7 or 8, wake at 12, wake at 4, sleep till 6. Nap at 9, nap at 3, and sometimes another at 5. Knowing we had a pretty good schedule down, we knew we had to take the next step of crib sleeping, for Ayla's sake and ours. Baby's are not born with the capability to fall asleep on their own, especially when you allow them to learn by sleeping with you or in a swing :)
I said before that I swore off books on sleep advise because they were all so contradictory. I learned that every baby is different and never knew how difficult it would be to get my baby some undisturbed sleep. However I broke down and read two more: "The Happiest Baby on the Block" , "Healthy Sleep Habit, Happy Child" , these books along with a combination of advise from other moms, and constant prayer has helped Ayla become the ideal sleeping baby. Many moms struggle with the cry it out theory. Talking with moms who have well adjusted, loving, happy kids made me see that sometimes a baby truly needs to cry it out. We took on the mentality of not so much cry it out, but more of a learn to sleep mentality. Ayla is a strong willed little girl, this we learned quickly and honestly I have tried letting her cry it out before - but she didn't give up. But with the combination of age, schedule, and help from above she learned how to sleep! She now drifts off peacefully all on her own, well without me rocking, swaddling and her constant struggle. The set up:
1. drowsy but awake (when babies awaken they need to be put back to sleep the way they went to sleep - so this teaches them to do this on their own, this was the advise of Ayla's doctor) and consistency
2. white noise cd
3. home-made sleep sacks courtesy of Grandma Laura :)
4. A rainforest waterall machine in her crib
5. We cleared our schedules and the only time we left the house was: Brett work and me basketball
6. At night I feed her then Brett tops her off about an hour later with 2 oz of formula

Sunday night we put her down in her crib around 8 and we did check in and calm her by rubbing her belly and shh shhing her at 5 minutes, 10 minutes, and then every 15 until she fell asleep. She cried for around 45 mins. Awoke at 12 and 6 am.
Napping was the issue, as I knew it would be because she isn't near as fatigued. I didn't want her to cry for more than 1 hour. So at about 8 I put her down, she cried for an hour and by then she needed to eat, so I picked her up and she ate then we played. I tried again at noon, she cried for an hour, had a poopy diaper so I picked her up. Long story short, no naps all day. Monday night she fell asleep nice and easy in her crib and did her typical schedule.
Again Tuesday the naps didn't go well. Each nap she cried for about an hour and slept for aournd 20-30 mins. Tuesday night she was asleep by 6:30 and slept until 5 am - no crying!!! Holy cow. I thought it may be a fluke because she was so exhausted. Yesterday Brett took the day off to help me and Ayla took two one hour naps and one two hour nap - no crying. She drifts off to the waterfall and white noise all on her own! Last night she fell asleep at 8:00 and slept unti 7:30. Cried for about twenty minutes around 9:30 but all in all she slept through the night again. I got 8 hours of undisturbed sleep - I haven't had more than 4 in 4 months!
Letting Ayla cry was one of the hardest thing I have ever had to do, second to my dad's death. As I would pick her up out of her crib after a long hour of off and on tears she would immediately smile at me. Her demeanor was the same and she wanted to play, giggle, and coo just as much. I cried right along with her, in the car to practice, on the way home from practice, cried to my husband and many times to the Lord. I could feel God encouraging me every time I questioned our decision.
I am even worried about admitting we let her cry it out to people and on this blog, but as I sit here at my computer, Ayla is bright eyed and cooing as she she plays in her bouncy seat after a much needed 12 hours of sleep. I will soon put her down for a one-two hour undisturbed nap. This decision was the first of many as parents that in the long run is best for our child. In the end, it only took three days of crying it out. I know there will be set backs, but a huge weight has been lifted and now I know Ayla is getting what she needs.

Not too interested

Well, as I have said previously Ayla has been coming with me to basketball practice. We arrive around 2:45 to visit mom's friends and students at work then go to practice about 3:00. Then Brett picks her up around 3:15. It works out perfect for us and gives me a chance to show off my cutie. Ayla has been a champ, just wide eyed and patient as mom coaches. This is Angel, one of our varsity players, she is injured so offered to help me out with Ayla. I guess Ayla was a little uninterested in all the bouncing, shouting, and shooting going on the gym because as soon as I took her out of the bjorn to hand her off she fell asleep, then stayed asleep when I strapped her on to Angel. We all got a really good laugh. Angel claims she has a calming effect on Ayla because she is Samoan. I asked her if she wants to come by around 2:00 am when I am trying to get Ayla back to sleep :) The picture is really small and a little fuzzy cause it is a cell phone pick. But hopefully you can see enough to get a good laugh yourselves...

Thanksgiving

Well, I am back to my old habits of not updating the blog. I started coaching basketball two weeks ago and even though it is only a few hours at night, I am now feeling SO busy. Brett is done with football so he now gets some quality time with Ayla. I bring her to the gym and he picks her up on his way home from work. I put her facing the front in the Baby Bjorn and she LOVES it. So much to watch - maybe a future basketball player? I will do my best to keep updating, if anything I will post pictures and not worry as much about the actual blogging.

Ayla's first Thanksgiving was a success. From Wednesday to Friday we were on the go and Ayla was a champ. By Saturday we were all pretty wiped out and took lots of naps. I experienced the stress of a new parent during the holidays - trying to meet everyone's expectations to hold Ayla and play with Ayla, yet all Ayla wants is some food and some sleep. You learn quick you cannot succomb to what everyone is expecting of you and your child and we must just simply meet her needs. All in all though, we had some really great quality time with family - expecially uncle Scott and Aunty Christina in from the east coast!

Of course we spent some time watching a little football. To most of you it is a Thanksgiving tradition - to us it is a daily tradition :) Here is Ayla with daddy. I am convinced she loves the huge green feild with the little shapes of primary colors running around...

Believe it or not Ayla is almost 4 months. She has decided just two days ago she really likes the sound of her coos, goos, ga gas, and giggles and is chattering up a storm. Seeing the wide mouth giggle as I smother kisses all over her tummy is the best feeling in the world!

Playing with Grandpa, lots of smiles!

I soon realized the hair band was a little too tight for her not so small noggin. Poor thing can't sit up yet because the weight of her head pulls her forward! That and according to my sister, the doctor - she has no ab muscles and most of her bones are a cartlidge-like consistency and still developing.

Ayla in her bumbo seat. Between the boppy pillow, a Baby Bjorn, a hooter hider, and now the bumbo, my poor mom can't keep it all straight, lol.

Ayla the Elf

Well it seems that the holidays come around earlier and earlier each year. I noticed this weekend that at the Supermall Santa has already arrived! So in this spirit I put on some striped leggings that I found for Ayla. She had a cute matching green onesie but decided to blow out her diaper - so mom threw on this little apple onesie. The green onesie was even more elf-like but I still couldn't resist snapping pics of my precious little one looking like the perfect elf!

Here is Ayla posing yet again for mommy

Ayla is also working on sitting up - here she is with a little help:

Now the little elf gets distracted by daddy:

Scared or Excited?

I was snapping pictures of Ayla the other day and I came across thes one. Ayla's expressions for being excited about something to being startled are one in the same. I couldn't resist posting this because they made me laugh so hard, so hopefully they have the same effect on all of you who visit our blog!

PS: I would like to point out that I am someone who went from hardly ever updating our blog, to someone who can't stay away from it. Thats what motherhood does to you, endless pride in getting to tell everyone the day to day happenings of her little one :)

PSS: Look at those chubby arms -they actually are starting to overlap her wrists! Wholy cow I can't resist the SQUEEZE (shout out to my scoobs)

Cousins!

My cousin Lisa (on my mom's side), who is only a year younger than me just had her baby - Kylie Marie Hatfield. Just a side note, my cousin Trena's baby (on my dad's side) is named Kyla. So now we have Kyla, Ayla, and Kylie - my mom is nervous about keeping all the names straight :) I am SO excited about her birth. I am starting to be surrounded by family and friends that have had or are expecting babies. So Ayla will have lots of friends and cousins to play with!
Lisa and I grew up playing Barbies, watching ridiculous eighties movies like Spaceballs and National Lampoon's Vacation and begging our moms to let us spend the night with each other (she leaved an hour away). So now we can start the cycle all over again with Ayla and Kylie - payback time I guess :) Here are pics of our sleepy little girls. Ayla has always been the tiny little one, until now - she was a big butterball compared to Lisa's precious little one...

GO Bears !!!

I am posting a shout out to my husband and his football team who after hard work and perseverance have made it to playoffs. The Tahoma Bears will play the Jackson Timber Wolves on Friday in Everett. If they win they proceed to the next round and will play Ferris High School in Spokane next week.

Much congrats to the players and especially the coaches who spend countless hours, anaylzing stats, constructing defensive and offensive schemes, scouting, and devoting time to making a difference in the lives of these young men. For Brett and the rest of the staff, it is about more than football, it is about character, competition, teamwork, and comraderie - life skills that will carry on past the glory days of high school football.

Go Bears !!

Ayla Rolls Over!!!

I shall set the scene:
My mom is sitting on the couch, I am on my knees on the floor and Ayla is having some tummy time. She is happily teetering on her tummy, some little grunts and cooes here and there. I am encouraging her to lift her head up and get up on her forearms. Then out of nowhere she lifts her left arm and then the left leg follows and she rolled over!!! I flipped out - totally brought tears to my eyer. My mom and I are cheering and laughing hysterically while poor little Ayla is lying wide eyed and startled. I quickly picked her up and smothered her with kisses. To make sure it wasn't a fluke, I put her on her tummy again and she proceeded to roll over. I quickly grabbed the video camera and prayed that she would do it again when daddy got home. Brett came home later and I give him the good news, bragging about our little girl who accomplished a physical feat that most babies can't do until 14 or 15 weeks (she is 11 weeks) and of course she did it again. Now we are working on rolling onto her left side.
As she lay in my arms or feeds at my breast I look at her I am overwhelmed with love for her simple little self. As the days continue I see her changing everyday and praise God for this gift that he has entrusted to me. Teaching was my passion - I loved my students and my colleagues. My job was very rewarding and I know God wanted me in the classroom. My decision to stay at home and not go back to work was a very tough one that at my weak moments I question. God has given me strength and assurance that this is where he has called me to be right now.
Motherhood is tiring and stressfull but Ayla brightens every moment with a coo, a little smile, a fart, or even a super stinky squirt and with each Ayla accomplishment I feel so encouraged. Her personality is starting to arise and she is SO active. She urges me to mix up our play time with lots of different activities. She is my little athlete :)
I hope someday soon to start posting videos, so stay tuned...

Ready for my workout

My mom bought Ayla this cute little Adidas workout gear outfit in honor of my sister the future physical therapist and her mom the former athlete. I am starting WW, that is a code for only those in the know :) and joining "The Biggest Loser" competition at work and go tomorrow for my official weigh in to start the competition. All who know me know that I can't resist a little competitive action! This was the perfect motivation I needed to start losing the "baby weight". I have been trying to get out and walk, but the Washington fall is creeping in and I am starting to do the 20 min workouts they have On-Demand, so in the spirit of the workout I will put Ayla in her gear while I do the "buns of envy" routine (this is one of many ridiculously named routines).



I of course don't look near as cute in my workout gear OR as happy :)

Squirts!

Well, another Ayla milestone:) Future breastfeeding moms will soon agree and veteran breastfeeding moms will currently agree it literally is a squirt! When I first came home with Ayla I was reading the appropriate "pee and poop" schedule and after about day 3 or 4 they say "8-12 squirts" are necessary. Little did I know this is EXACTLY what they are. I have just recently stopped giggling when I hear the loud rip come out of my innocent little baby. I also never knew I would get so excited about soiled and wet diapers!
She is on the verge of sleeping through the night, but the poor thing has to wake herself to squirt. It is about fifteen minutes of fussing for 30 seconds, then back to sleep for 30 seconds, so on and so on-until I finally pick her up and wake her up so she can relieve herself, sometimes it is gas, sometimes poo. Well, tonight she did it in her sleep! Hooray for Ayla. Well, I hope you all enjoyed reading about Ayla's bowel movements, thanks for listening!
PS. Mylicon (gas relieving drops for infants) is amazing and works really well after night time feedings. It has a sweet taste so Ayla loves it. I will give it to Ayla after I feed her and then when she is struggling about two hours later to fart (I guess I should say toot now as a mom) I drop some in her mouth. She smiles and heads right back to sleep.

I am so alert! Ayla at 10 weeks

Ayla becomes more and more alert everyday. 10 weeks old tomorrow. Soon we will be counting in months...

Wide eyed and smiling. We love it !I always have a good laugh when Ayla is having tummy time with daddy. I imagine her saying to herself, "it is just a bigger version of me" lol! After I feed her I bring her up to my cheek. I absolutely LOVE being cheek to cheek with her, so soft and squishy. Does she have any of my genes? As her face takes shape we think she is developing my nose and mouth? We'll see..