A Teething Baby is a Dangerous Creature

Layla is creeping up on six months (half birthday already, yikes!) and has recently begun teething. Typically you don't see any teeth come through until about the seventh month but they take some time to work their way in. As a result of her new found discomfort, Mommy and Daddy have become little more than chew toys. She is a bit more irritable which is to be expected, however I did not anticipate the lack of comfort she would get from the teething rings that we have. Basically, she will put her mouth on anything and everything she can get her hands on, but apparently they are just not as good as our fingers. She gnaws on our knuckles like a ferocious beast and the screams in between make her seem like a ravenous monster!

Luckily for us, none of these impending teeth have come through yet so we have not really been hurt by her incessant chewing, it just gets a bit sore after a while. I will say though that it is pretty funny to watch... :) Our little pumpkin is well on her way to eating solid foods, how does it happen so fast?!

Exersaucer, Yes Please!

Layla is one active little girl! I can see her frustration at the fact that she can't just get up and go whenever she wants. She has finally got rolling over down to a science and uses it as a way to get around. She does not simply roll back and forth, but continuously to get from one place to another. I swear one of these days she is just going to take off running! Keeping that in mind, Matt and I decided it was time to get her an Exersaucer. For those of you that are not familiar, see the picture and get out of the dark ages...

When we went to pick one out (there are about a million choices), I initially wanted to get something understated and simple. However, Matthew reminded me that the more obnoxious we find a toy to be, the happier it will make Layla. I hated to admit it, but it made sense. So we found the one with the most stuff on it, tons of colors and music and toys. I was slightly concerned that Layla would be over-stimulated in something so busy, but as soon as we put her in it, I knew we had made the right choice. She ever so carefully, explored each part of her new toy and loves it. I love making this little girl happy!

On a more fashionable note, I found a fantastic online store, via Twitter that has the most adorable beanies and headbands. I have had a hard time finding cute things to put on Layla's head that actually stay there. If the Bow Fits to the rescue(@thebowfits)! I bought really cute stuff that she has no complaints about wearing, yay! Who doesn't love giant flowers and bows on their head?!

A First Cold is Not So Hot :(

A few weeks ago Layla and I set out on our very first trip, just the two of us to head home to Chicago for a visit (Matt came about a week later). The flight was definitely a different experience than the one at Christmas. I was dealing with a baby that is two months older and therefore, has a lot more interest in what is going on and gets frustrated with sitting for hours on end much more quickly. All in all though, she was very well behaved and we survived the flight just fine. Of course Layla is such a peach that we had countless strangers stopping by our seat to tell me how adorable she is...like I don't already know :)

It was wonderful to be home visiting my family, however, just before we left Matt and I had accomplished a major goal by getting Layla to sleep through the night. When we arrived home I knew it would be an adjustment period for her especially because it was a new place and Daddy was not around, but I had NO IDEA it would be as difficult as it was. It took Layla over a week to get adjusted to the new surroundings and time zone. I was pretty much on my own because Matt was still in Seattle and my mom was terribly sick with a cold. Then, shortly before Matt arrived, I came down with a cold. Of course I tried my best to keep it from Layla, but it's nearly impossible to keep my distance from her while breastfeeding. By the time we left to head back to Seattle, she had a little cough but I thought she would not get it as badly as I did...I was wrong.

After being home for a day (Layla was very happy to see her crib, btw), her cough got much worse and her nose became a faucet. I have never seen someone look so pathetic, I felt so bad for her, though I'm pretty sure she knows how to work her audience. I have done my very best to comfort her and make her feel better, unfortunately it is a really bad cold that is taking it's sweet time running it's course. She is finally starting to feel a little bit better and was full of smiles today, but she is still wanting to cuddle a lot so I would imagine it will take a few more days. Luckily for me, I am feeling much better and can only hope for the same for Layla very quickly! She was however, very generous and decided to share her cold with Daddy as well...Matt probably has another week of feeling crappy to look forward to :( I think I have managed to deal with the first cold pretty well and though I do not look forward to it, I have a feeling that I will have plenty of snotty noses in my future to deal with, especially once she is socializing with other children. Play groups are really just the place to go to build up your kid's immune system, aren't they? Germ central!

Layla's First Photo Shoot

We have had another successful shoot with Kevin Wong, our wonderful photographer friend, only this time, what Matt and I did was really of little consequence. The entire shoot depended on Kevin's talent and of course the mood of our little Layla. We had planned a Saturday shoot to get Layla's first professional pictures taken as she was already 4 months old! Luckily, our little peanut woke up in a great mood that day and we even managed a nap before Kevin arrived. We had 3 different outfits picked out and were all set to go. The only concern that I had was keeping her outfits spit-up free until we got some pictures taken in them. Layla is a notorious spitter and is always wearing a bib...not really an option for pictures.

It actually worked out pretty well in that we were able to get shots in all of the outfits and Layla puking on them just dictated when it was time to change clothes and locations. We took pictures in her room and our bedroom. It was really fun and relaxed and we really enjoyed it! Of course they turned out beautifully as I knew they would because Kevin is amazing! Our little girl has become quite the ham and has no shortage of smiles for the camera. We also got some great family photos and I can't wait to get them printed and framed for the house. It was a wonderful day and we're so thrilled to have these photos!

Another Little Layla

I am relatively new to the world of Twitter and really only use it to keep up on my celebrity gossip, so as a result, the majority of those that I follow are celebrities. However, in the last week my attention has been focused not on what the celebs are up to and the excitement of Hollywood, but rather it has been on a BEAUTIFUL 2 year old little girl from Houston, who shares my daughter's name and is fighting a terrible battle against cancer.

I initially learned about her from one of Kim Kardashian's tweets. I then read Layla Grace's story on her mom Shanna's blog and began following her on Twitter. I can honestly say that I broke down and cried with every new tweet. Here I was, nursing my sweet angel Layla Corinne and watching her peaceful, happy face, so thankful to have a healthy little girl and at the same time, completely heartbroken over Layla Grace's struggle and that of her family. Layla Grace suffers from stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Unfortunately, she is coming to the end of her fight and will soon find her way home, but she has made a huge impact on the world in her very short 2 years. She is such a strong little girl and her family has amazing faith. I could not even begin to imagine what they are going through...all I can do is pray for this sweet baby girl and her family and hold on extra tight to my own little one. I will certainly do my very best to cherish every single moment with my Layla and thank God for this wonderful blessing.

I also took the time to order an adorable tutu from LittleDivaTutus.com for my Layla as a portion of the money goes to Layla Grace. I would encourage you all to take the time to read her story at http://laylagrace.org and go order a tutu for a cute little girl in your life from www.littledivatutus.com to help her family with the enormous medical expenses.

Children are such a blessing and there is something special about little girls...especially the Layla's...