Christmas Eve/Gifts

We enjoyed a wonderful holiday at home in Chicago this Christmas!

Christmas Eve was spent making cinnamon rolls, going down to Michigan Ave to see the lights and have Ghirardelli ice cream with friends, mass at St. Mike's and then some yummy beef wellingtons for dinner!

Leighton got all dolled up and then into her Christmas PJs she went to go to bed before Santa came to visit.

We slept in on Christmas day and had mimosas and cinnamon rolls and watched Leighton open her presents. I think her favorite part was the paper :)

We then headed to the Fearings for Christmas Day dinner and some fun, quality time with friends.

Our New Years weekend was spent in Grand Rapids with Mike's family celebrating his family Christmas with all of his siblings and Leighton's many cousins.

I can't believe the holidays are over already :(

I'll post more Christmas Day pics when Mike sends them to me, but here are some for now from Christmas Eve and a video of Leighton opening/playing with a present from Brad.

Holidays

Seems like we missed the entire month of November in our blog!

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday with the Fearings and some new friends. It was a ton of fun and a ton of food!

Unfortunately, Leighton has been sick the last few weeks, so we've been laying low. I now have her cold, so I'm sure we'll pass it on to Mike too.

The house is pretty much decorated for the holidays. Just a few more little additions and we'll be ready for the holidays. Now...just got to get to my baking!!!

I'm taking a few days off in December to bake, so it should be fun :)

Looking forward to Christmas at home and then on to GR for the Hormuth Family Christmas.

Leighton's First Trick or Treating Experience

Fun Times!

On the move!

Update: 1-Year

We took L in to see the doctor for her 1-year appointment, but ended up spending the majority of the time trying to determine what was causing her 103 degree fever. We ended up skipping the 1-year appointment and taking tests to determine if she had something more serious. After a variety of tests, the doctor determined we were dealing with something viral and it had to run its course.

So...while I was out of town for work, I missed her follow-up appointment which turned into her 1-year visit! Mike did a great job fielding my questions from Texas!

For those family members who don't see L that often, here is the latest on our little peanut:

She weighs in at 18 lbs 7 oz (still tiny in the 15th percentile for weight), she is 28 1/4 inches tall (short like her parents - 25th percentile) and her head is still big...really big at 18 3/8 inches (85th percentile).

We are good to go for all foods except shellfish and we have transitioned over to milk!

And the biggest news of all...

Leighton is officially walking!!! We took our few steps a few weeks ago, but now we are walking everywhere. We're still wobbly, but she is quickly learning to keep her balance.

More videos/pictures to come!

My baby is 1!!!

I truly cannot believe my baby is one! She is growing up so fast. It feels like only yesterday when we were at the hospital and I was clueless (still am) of how to take care of this tiny little person.

We had a very exciting week leading up to her birthday. A lot of decorating, planning, shopping and the best surprise was that my brother, Brad, flew in for her big day!

Unfortunately, little L was sick leading up to and on her birthday, so although we were excited to party, she was a little less than thrilled.

Forget the terrible twos! We thought it was the flu/cold that was causing Miss L to get an attitude, but now, we are thinking that she has the terrible ones! Man...has she got the temper tantrums down pat. I'm pretty sure this is already payback for how I was with my mother. If this is any indication of what is to come, Mike and I are in for a wild ride. Boarding school anyone???

Thought we would post some pictures of the big day for those who could not attend :)

Our little ham...

Our little ham...putting on a show at dinner time...

Time Flies...

Wow...can't believe how much time has flown the last few summer months. I really can't believe that Labor Day has come and gone and we are now looking into the face of fall. Looking forward to football and
roasting marshmallows in our fire pit and introducing Leighton to her daddy's alma mater. Too difficult to show her mine, but some day she'll visit and understand why mommy loved college so much!

We have had a very eventful few months! Our trip to Santa Fe was wonderful, even if it did rain every day, but the last day we were there. Ohio with the H2B group was relaxing and time much needed with friends. Leighton's trip to the ER was not the best way to spend the time in between these two trips, but you take the bad with the good, right?

Leighton has transitioned to the next classroom at daycare and is now officially a Panda :) She still visits with her Penguin teachers, but she is learning all new things in her Panda room. We know how to sign when we are done with eating, we can clap and we are standing without holding on to anything. The walking thing is a little too scary for now, but we LOVE to walk with mommy or daddy holding our hands. Oh and not to forget that we can wave good-bye while saying proudly "ba-ba".

It is so sad and joyous at the same time to think that a month from now my little peanut baby is going to be 1 year old! A small birthday party is in the works for the weekend of 10/9-10/10. We will definitely post pictures of the big event :)

Sorry for not updating more often, but I'll try to do better over the next few months!

9-Month Update

We just finished with Leighton's 9-month well visit and there is a lot to share!

First of all, while checking L's mouth/throat, we were able to see her top gums and realized that Miss L is getting a bunch of new teeth on top! We already have the two bottom teeth, but it looks like at least 2, maybe 3 more are coming in on the top.

Leighton is crawling all over the place, pulling herself up on to everything and is getting ready to stand and walk soon. That being said, she's not gaining a ton of weight and actually losing some from being so mobile. She now weighs 16 lbs. 9 oz (10-25 percentile) and is 27 7/8 inches tall (25-50 percentile). And to no one's surprise, she still has that huge head! (18 inches in circumference which is in the 90th percentile).

Our growing baby girl needs to start eating more food, so we have the green light to try regular food, since baby food is not something she is enjoying. On to the big girl stuff!

We've been playing a lot this summer and enjoying the backyard. Her cousin, Danny, was in town recently and we went on the river and lake for a city boat tour. Pictures are below!

Our next big trip is coming up soon with a trip to Santa Fe and then another one to Ohio. Can't wait!

Talking and Crawling and Whatnot...

Can't believe it...Leighton is crawling!!! She started on Monday (6/14) and hasn't stopped since :)




She's also talking...babbling is more like it, but still...funny to watch!

Teeth, Balloons, Rings and Lunch

So many exciting things happening this week!

We discovered Leighton's first tooth when daycare called us on Monday to let us know that she had bit the daycare teacher :) I can't believe she has her first tooth!!! She is getting so big, so fast :(

Then today I had an early Mother's Day surprise! Leighton and Mike came down to work and brought me lunch, balloons, a card and a ring for Mother's Day! I was floored and so surprised. My husband and daughter are amazing and I love them to pieces :)

Nothing like ending the work week with a huge smile and a warm heart.

6 Month Update

Leighton had a very busy day on Friday!

Her photo shoot went pretty well.

We thought that she would be in her prime, happy time at 9:30 as she would have just finished a nap and that is usually the time she smiles the most. Well...when she woke up in a strange place with strange people she didn't exactly find it fun or worth smiling about! The photographer started with some "baby parts" shots of her feet, hands, eyes, face, belly, etc and then moved on to some photos of her with us and then some of her alone. She did a few pictures naked and in the process of calming her down she managed to pee all over me!!!

All of the photos were black and white and shot on film versus digital, so we have no idea how they are going to turn out. However, based on all of the photos hanging up in the studio, we are really excited to see the proofs!

After the photos we headed back into the city and downtown to stop by my office and visit my coworkers. They never get to see her because Mike and I are both working so there is no one to bring her in. We visited for awhile and Leighton managed to wave to everyone which is something new that she just started doing that day. I don't think it was intentional, but it was very cute :)

Finally, our last stop of the day was to the doctor for her 6 month well-visit and vaccinations. Dr. Ray did a full, all-over check up and confirmed that Leighton is a very healthy baby! Although Leighton was diagnosed with a penicillin allergy after an ear infection a month or so ago, Dr. Ray said it is possible that she doesn't have the allergy, but she will need to be tested. It was good news as I am hoping L doesn't have to deal with the allergy. We'll get her tested at some point in the next few months and see what we find out.

She now weighs 14 lbs 15 oz (30-35th percentile) and is 25 1/2 inches long (25-50th percentile). And...her big head is still getting bigger!!! She has a head circumference of 17 1/2 inches (70th percentile). We are hoping the big head means a big brain :)

We have the go ahead to start solids (which we had already started) so we will continue trying new foods with her and see how things go.

Her shots were typical and involved the momentary screaming that always accompanies getting stabbed in the leg by the nurse :( However, her little body reacted differently this time around versus the last two times and she ended up with a fever Friday night and all day Saturday. She didn't sleep well and spent most of the night and day fussing and trying to nap. Her fever broke last night and she ended up sleeping 15 hours straight which I think she desperately needed.

She is back to her old self and enjoyed a nice walk today and flower shopping with mom and dad :)

Her next well visit is in July and I'll post an update at that point. I'm sure we'll be posting pictures, videos and more updates before then though!

Looking forward to Friday

We've got a busy day ahead of us on Friday and can't wait!

Leighton was selected to be part of a photo shoot for a local photographer. She is updating her portfolio so that she can be promoted to her own studio and is going to use Leighton as one of her portfolio subjects!

Bonus is that the sitting fee is waived and we get to keep all of the proofs!

This is an old-school photo studio, so all of their prints are done by hand and are in black and white. I'm excited for the opportunity to have some professional photos taken of L and right around her 6 month mark, so it is great timing!

After the photo studio, we're heading downtown to show her off at work and then on to the doctors office for her 6 month check up and shots. Should be an interesting end to our day.

L has been to the doctors office a lot in the last few months due to RSV and then an ear infection, so she now recognizes where we are when we walk into the examining room and she is NOT happy. Hopefully this visit goes smooth and we don't have a screaming baby for the remainder of the day.

I'll post an update after her appointment with the latest and greatest news from the doctor. Until then...happy last week of April!

Figuring out the Swing

Leighton is starting to like her swing and in doing so, has learned quickly that she can pull herself up to sitting (the seat is reclining) and smack the crap out of the toys that are on the tray attached.

Quite entertaining for us to watch!

Talking Talking Talking

Feet are the Greatest Toys Ever!

While the cats away...

the mice will play!

And that's exactly what happened while Mike was in Vegas for the last 5 days. However, it wasn't so much as play, but more work, work, work and try to fit in some mommy/daughter time.

Unfortunately, work had me busy and working late hours, so L and I didn't have much time to hang out. At first, I thought that might be the reason she decided she would wake up almost hourly in the middle of the night. Little did I know that this was the start of an ear infection.

When she slept from 9 am to 4 pm straight at daycare on Thursday, I knew something was up. So in between client calls and meetings, we went to the doctor and then to the pharmacy to pick up antibiotics. She's doing much better and is starting to get back on her schedule of sleeping through the night (thank God!).

We did have some adventures while Mike was away. Namely, her first swim class as well as plenty of Colby time and playing with her feet!

Mike returned late last night and with some of our money still in hand, so I am happy. Looking forward to taking my own vacation without the hubby and kiddo!

St. Patty's McCutie

Our little irish peanut was decked out for St. Patty's Day in her McCutie onesie from her godparents, Scott and Michelle Hagley.

We had to share her and her outfit with my office since she was looking so cute! Since Mike had the day off to head to Vegas, he brought her by to show her off.

Thought we'd share her with you too!

A day in the life of Leighton

This is pretty much what you get...lots of smiling, squawking, and blowing raspberries, all amplified if you stand her up in front of the mirror.

4 Month Update

Leighton had her 4-month well visit on Friday (2/19) and all went well. We met a new doctor, Dr. Hong, and she was really wonderful. Hopefully, we'll get a chance to meet with her again because she is one of my favorites so far at the practice.

Little Miss L weighed in at 13 lbs 1 ounce and has grown a little taller to 24 1/2 inches long. She's in the 25th-50th percentile in height and weight. However, she must have inherited the big head from my dad because her head circumference is 16 3/4 which is in the 75th-90th percentile!

The doctor commented on how great her tone and head control were and she was impressed with L's ability to roll from front to back and back to front. L also showed off her new talking/babbling and raspberry blowing skills for Dr. Hong. She apparently is doing extremely well and is progressing as normal, so we are very happy!

The only sort of sad news is that she would like L going to bed earlier at night versus her 9:30/10 pm bedtime because she is such a good sleeper. She wants her to get a solid 12 hrs a night, so unfortunately we will get less time with her during the week since we don't get home until 6:30 pm and she eats right about then. So...bedtime will be at 7 pm or so. Bummer for us, but good in the long run for L.

Other than that, her shots seemed to not bother her as much as getting her head circumference measured (have no idea why that set her off), so we won't be going back until her 6 month well visit at the end of April.

We've got tons of new pics and videos that Mike will be posting soon and we'll continue to keep everyone updated on what L and the rest of us are up to over the next few months :)

Hugs and Kisses!

Rolling Over

Leighton has been rolling over for the last week or so, but we haven't been able to catch it on video...until now! See below for the milestone :)

Leighton's Baptism

Leighton was baptized on Saturday, February 6th and we had close friends and family there to share in our excitement for her introduction into the Catholic faith. We are such proud parents and are so happy that our dear friends and family could share in this special day. Thank you to everyone who could attend and we were thinking of our family and friends who couldn't be there but were there in spirit. A BIG thank you to Megan for taking all the pictures!

Leighton Giggles

So shortly after finding her voice, Leighton has found her laugh. She has always smiled and grunted but this was her first audible laugh and it absolute cracked us up. I have no idea how many times we've already watched this.

Leighton's Found Her Voice

So Leighton seems to have found her voice and just keeps on talking...

Back to Work...

Ok...so it has been a long while since I posted last and wanted to give the latest and greatest updates on L and the rest of the family.

We had a wonderful, quiet Christmas at home. Just the three of us and Colby hanging out, opening presents and eating cinnamon rolls with mimosas. It was nice and low-key and we really got to spend some quality time with L before the craziness of New Years weekend and then going back to work. That's right...back to work...ugh!

L had her trial run at daycare on the 29th of December and it was miserable for me. Mike and I definitely think they do the trial runs more for the parents :) Leighton did great though (after a little rough start as she was boycotting eating) and we all survived. It was nice to go grab breakfast and spend the day together, just the two of us.

Then...we were off to GR for New Years eve and the Hormuth Family Christmas. We spent the long weekend with Scott and Michelle Hagley, where they smothered L with hugs and kisses and she was living it up. The Hormuth Family Christmas was chaotic and fun with 25 people crammed into a living room with a large tree and a TON of presents. L was oblivious, but I'm sure in a few years we are going to have to hold her back from trying to get at all those pretty presents!

Unfortunately, I had to go back to work this week, so I've been back at TPN since Monday. It has been really hard to leave L, but the workload is already picking up so I don't have much time to think about missing her. I have to say that by 5:00 I'm counting down the minutes to leave and pick up my precious baby!

We don't have much on our plate for the next month or so, so it should be nice and quiet here in Chicago. L's baptism is scheduled for 2/6/10 and then her 4 month well visit at the pediatrician's is on 2/19/10 so we'll update more then!

Love and hugs to all!