Fever, family, food, and everything in between!

We've been without a working computer for a few weeks, and I've been itching to update this blog! So let's get right to it!

June 5th

Makena was very clingy and had a slight fever in the evening. Went to bed and woke up crying and so congested that she was getting frustrated with nursing. Took her temperature a few times (I don't care if the thermometer is one of those fancy 1 second ear ones...it still takes too long when the baby is crying and squirming!) and the highest reading we got was 101.7 so we called the night nurse. Poor baby was miserable. We sat in the steamy bathroom and got some saline nose drops and sucked out boogers like crazy. It was a rough night, she woke every hour from midnight till morning. :( Took her to the Dr on Monday and he said she just had a regular ol' common cold.

June 7th

We went to the Silicon Valley Duck Race for the first time! We sponsored 3 rubber duckies, but didn't win anything. It was cute though, and my parents and Diana and Nickel and Sofia came along. Makena wanted to eat this tiny duck of my mom's, but I love how in the photo she looks shocked at seeing such a little rubber duckie! lol.

Then Grandmo pushed her around in the stroller for a few minutes and she fell asleep!! Her first (and only so far) stroller nap! She pulled her hat down and covered her face and was out for about 45 minutes. A miracle!

June 14th

I went to a La Leche League meeting. I have these red sore dry patches on my areola and I think it's because Makena has gotten lazy with her latch. (And I've gotten lazy about correcting her...) Later that night Pam was sitting on the floor next to Makena who was doing some tummy time, and I was on the couch watching tv. Pam yelled "Look!!" and I stood up and looked and said "what?!" and Pam said "She just rolled over!!" and sure enough she was on her back! Pam says she just caught the very end of her rolling, and I missed it entirely. No fun!

June 16th

We had been watching like hawks and finally she did it again and we both saw it clear as day- Makena rolled over, from tummy to back!

June 18th

Pam went to work and her boss was waiting with a box of her belongings and she texted me and said she lost her job. So that sucks. She's still looking for something, and it's been tough for sure. :( The bright side is that she gets to be home a lot now to be with us! And she's gone back to teaching a few soccer classes with her old job.

June 21st

While taking this photo outside our apartment (for a few days she loved sticking out her tongue like that. So funny!) we both looked at the camera to see how it came out...and then realized neither of us was holding Makena up! She was sitting all by herself at 5 months (and 1 day) old!

June 23rd

I know we have no income other than my about-to-end unemployment benefits and the money I make babysitting, but I can't resist and buy an Ergo Baby Carrier. I'd been wanting one for a long time and they were on sale at babysteals.com and I had to act fast before they sold out!! And it's a fantastic product and I'll use it for a long time! Breaking the news of my impulse purchase to Pam went over much better than I thought it would. lol!

June 25th-28th

We flew to Denver, CO for a wedding and to have Makena meet more of Pam's family, her granny and Uncle Kyle. The flight was okay, she wanted to grab and put everything in her mouth.

We were glad it was only about 3 hours! And we had some bad turbulence that had me gripping the seat and Pam's leg. The pilot kept telling us "Just a few bumps, nothing to worry about," but the fasten your seatbelts sign was on the whole time and they even had to stop drink service so the flight attendants could sit down. It was rough. Especially for me who can't stop imagining worst case scenarios all the time! Ugh! But we landed just fine (as I walked off the plane an older woman patted me on the arm and thanked me for being a good mom. I think I said "Oh, thanks?" and she said she didn't hear a peep out of my baby and that's the sign of a good mother. LOL!) and got our rental car and made it to Kyle's house. At the wedding the next afternoon she slept the whole ceremony, and then Pam was lifting her up to blow on her stomach and she was giggling so adorably. See?!

Then we went back to Kyle's house and Makena got to meet Pam's mom for the first time! We went to Downtown Denver and met up with Pam's friend James and then later Dwayne. The next day she got to meet Pam's brother and we went out to eat brunch then took photos in City Park.

Then it was time to leave, so we drove to the airport and Makena was exhausted and finally fell asleep for the drive. At the airport we had hours to spend and Dwayne gave us free food since he works at a restaurant there. We spent a lot of time at a great toy store and then sat at the terminal while our flight kept getting delayed. But it wasn't too bad at all, and Makena rolled over back to tummy for the first time! The ride home was a nightmare, it just took forever to get in the air and Makena was SO fussy. We finally got flying and the lights dimmed and she nursed and fell asleep across our laps. And we held her like that the entire time until we landed and she woke up.

July 2nd

Swimming! Makena got to wear her adorable bathing suit and we took a dip in the pool at my parents apartment! She loved it, and we loved it! Her favorite part is splashing, and she laughs when she splashes water in her face!

On July 4th we didn't have any plans, but Makena did wear a cute outfit!

She also had her first taste of real food!! Pam was eating a peach and we let Makena lick it. She loved it! Also, about a week before that we had bought her a sippy cup, and she LOVES drinking water from it. Then we slowly started adding more first foods...She bit a banana on 7/7, sat in her high chair for the first time and tried avocado on 7/9, had a couple spoons of homemade rice cereal on 7/13, and on 7/15 we went to Whole Foods and bought a bunch of different fruits and veggies to make for her! She had sweet potato that night for dinner and got a special treat- a Baby Mum Mum...which is an organic rice cracker type thing for babies that dissolves almost instantly in her gummy slobbery mouth. She loves them!!

July 10th

We went to the park with my sister and the kids. Makena wore the outfit they bought her.

July 11th

We went to San Francisco and had a baby reunion for all our birth center friends who had January babies! This is the group photo from April (Maya left before we took it)-

Lakota, Makena, Quinn, Chloe, Rowan, Jaesun, and Esme, about 3 months old!

And this is the same group (with Maya but missing Quinn)-

Chloe, Jaesun, Lakota, Rowan, Makena, Esme, and Maya, about 6 months old!

It's always nice to see everybody and catch up. We wish we lived closer and could get together more often! They are a great group of people and babies, and as an added bonus both Esme and Quinn have 2 mommies. :) And we seem to all share similar thoughts on parenting which is nice.

July 16th

Makena is a rolling machine! Pam and I were doing some housework and we had her laying on a blanket in the livingroom. We kept noticing her roll over 4 or 5 times in a row, especially to try and reach Donte as he would walk by. So cute! She can definitely purposefully roll over now when she wants to. She still really hates being on her stomach. She's even starting to dislike being on her back, all she wants to do is sit. But she keeps trying to reach for things and turns her body while sitting and falls over a lot. And she cries almost instantly and want to be sat back up. It's exhausting...she has us trained well! Yesterday she fell hard while trying to grab her sippy cup. Instead of bringing it up to her face (like she knows very well how to do!) she leaned her head down and fell right into the cup. Screamed!! It took lots of cuddles to soothe her but then she was over it and wanted her cup again.

July 17th

We went to my nephews 9th birthday party, and Makena was the star event. All the little kids loved handing her things and she just loves watching children play! After the party we drove to Fresno to visit Kimberly, Susan, and baby Kansas. Makena slept in the car... until she woke up. We stopped in Los Banos and I fed her, then she cried the entire way to Fresno. Finally fell asleep as we turned onto their street. Of course. Let me tell you, driving while your baby is screaming is one of the hardest things ever. It's awful. But we got there and we all went to bed. The next day we played with the babies and went swimming! (And played with their new underwater camera!)

July 20th

We left Fresno and on the drive home Pam was sitting in the backseat with Makena. She was feeling in her mouth and said she thought she felt something. We stopped for lunch at Casa de Fruta and sure enough, Makena has her first tooth!!!! The last couple days have been tough, this teething thing is no joke! She's been super fussy and clingy and crying about everything. What happened to our sweet cheerful baby?! Last night was super hard. She woke up around midnight screaming and I couldn't console her at all. So I decided to try the Hylands Homeopathic Teething Tablets, and literally within seconds she was asleep and SMILING! It was so adorable, I am a believer in the magic of those little white tablets!!

Today is July 24th. Right now Makena is sitting on the floor playing with her toys. I had the Boppy around her back to help soften her toppling over, but she's scooted across the blanket (while sitting the whole time!) and is now about 4 feet away and facing the opposite direction that I put her in. At this rate I don't know if she'll crawl...she cries when on her stomach and can move around pretty well while sitting! Annnnd she just fell backwards with a thud. That Boppy pillow was so helpful sitting over there on the other side of the blanket. lol. She's crying, but it's not a painful cry, just a "I'm pissed off that you aren't helping me to sit up again" cry. I'm talking to her and she's fine. And now she's not crying at all but keeps grabbing at her mouth. Poor thing, I'm pretty sure either another tooth is about to pop out or the first one is hurting her. Oh good, now she's grabbed a book and is occupied with that while she sings a lovely song for me. :)

I'm going to get dressed and head out for a walk. Pam scouted out a nearby playground that has baby swings covered in shade if you go before noon!

Makena loves...

(I don't have time to sit and type much these days, so this has been a few days in the making!)

I can't believe how big Makena is getting. We can tell she is changing and growing up right before our eyes. It's amazing. I've watched many kids, but I've never had one every single day to really see how much she learns each day! It's so fun to see her little brain working and figuring out the exciting world around her. Her personality is becoming clearer, she loves so many things. She's interested in everything and has a great attention span! She loves to work at something until she figures it out. But, she doesn't get upset if she can't. She just directs her attention elsewhere. I often catch her smiling at her toys while she plays by herself. It's so sweet!

She is such a delight, and pretty easy going. She will sit contently with you and just cuddle or smile at your face. She can "play" on her own for a long time. She's pretty darn close to perfection, but we're struggling to get her to sleep on her own. Naps only happen if it's quiet and she's nursed to sleep or rocked, and she won't stay asleep unless we hold her the whole time. We love it! Holding a sleeping baby is so precious. But it's exhausting too. I'd love to put her down for a nap and walk away and have an hour or 2 to do something. I feel like since I get to be a stay at home mom I should relish every single second with her, and the thought of missing out on holding her for even an hour while she sleeps makes me sad. I do know that eventually we'll need to get her to learn how to fall and stay sleep on her own. It's just SO hard.

I tried letting her cry it out the other day. She had been falling asleep as I nursed her, so I put her in the co-sleeper and walked out of the room. She started crying the second I walked away. I waited 5 minutes (aka, an ETERNITY) and went back in. I put the pacifier back in her mouth and patted her tummy. She grabbed onto my hand and tried to pull me closer. I walked out again and she screamed. I repeated that again (crying while watching her cry on the monitor) and then the 3rd time went in after 10 minutes of hell, and she was a wreck. Red faced, tears in a puddle under her head, shaking and scared and lonely. I picked her up, apologized profusely, and she promptly fell asleep in my arms hanging on to me for dear life. So the crying method isn't going to work for us. Maybe down the road when she's older, but I'd really rather find another approach that works.

When I'm home it's fine to have her nap in my lap, but when I take her to work with me she pretty much doesn't sleep. She'll nap briefly but wakes up because there is so much excitement going on. If I could get her to sleep upstairs in Colin's crib it would be better for all of us! So we decided to take a step back and get her on a schedule, but first we have to know what her natural patterns of sleep are. So I've been keeping track all week. And after 4 days there is no pattern. Everything I read about sleep and babies promises that getting them to sleep better will make a happier baby. But she's already happy! One book said that babies who aren't well rested won't smile and don't engage in babbling conversations. But Makena is super smiley and loves to babble and talk to us! I think mybe she's just so alert and aware of her surroundings that it's hard to close her eyes. Some days I'm not sure how she survives on so little sleep, but at the same time she's still in a great mood. Her Dr. says that basically she's doing great at her only job- keeping us on our toes.

But I could go on forever about sleep and lack of sleep. Back to things Makena loves...
Who doesn't love a good snuggle!?

She loves to grab. She can grab things so well now, if I have anything in my hand she wants it. And the second she gets something in her hands it goes into her mouth. She loves to chew (well, gum) on her fingers. She will spit out her pacifier and stick her fingers in her mouth. She leans forward constantly to bring her mouth closer to whatever she sees. She wakes up in the morning and grabs at my face. She tries to grab Pam's glasses. She grabs our hair. She even grabs the cord to the camera and sucks on it when I try to take her photo!


She loves playing in her jumper. Best $40 I ever spent. She LOVES LOVES LOVES jumping. She'll be totally content for up to an hour jumping away and exploring all the toys around her. We start to feel guilty after a while because sometimes we lose track of how long she's been in there. But at the same time, if she's happy, it's okay right?? At first she could only kinda spin the gecko spinner, but now she spins it fast and also can spin the sun. I think her favorite part is the plastic bug with fabric wings because she can actually pull it up to her mouth and slobber all over it. She also grabs at the animals, tries to grab the lights that blink on and off, and can reach up and bat at the hanging frog and parrot.

She loves getting her diaper changed. We usually change her in the changing table portion of the Pack n Play, and she will lay in there happily for a while. She's always loved that spot. She loves getting her clothes and diaper taken off. She loves naked time! She doesn't cry or fuss when getting clothes put on, except of course if the neck part takes to long getting pulled over her face. She loves the diaper changing song that Pam made up and I chime in to sing backup. "Cleeeean butt, cleeeeean butt, Makena has a cleeeean butt! Cleeeean butt OH, cleeeeeeean butt, Makena has a cleeeeean butt! A what? My baby girl has a cleeeean butt! A who? Makena has a cleeeean butt!" Or something like that. Those are basically the words but I think the song kinda changes a bit each time. lol.

She loves standing, and if you hold her up she will stand for a very long time. Her legs don't buckle and she doesn't wobble.

She also loves sitting up, and she sits so well on your lap.

Or she'll sit propped up on a chair or the couch. She can sit for a while and pay attention to whatever is going on. After a while she'll start to topple to the side. In her carseat she tries so hard to sit up and will strain her neck to hold it up but she can't move much since she's buckled in so snug.

She loves watching me eat. She'll stare at my fork and follow it from my plate to my mouth as I take a bite. Some people say that when a baby shows interest in food it's time to feed them solids, but we're holding off a little while longer for a variety of reasons. She likes to grab at my cup of water and has spilled 2 nice full cups of cold water on both of us. So far just 2, I'm sure there will be lots more!!

She loves taking baths, and I couldn't be happier! When I was pregnant the only time I spoke to her out loud was when we were in the bathtub. (I spoke to her often in my mind, and sometimes when Pam would talk to my belly sometimes I'd say something, but almost every time I took a bath I spoke to her. I'd ask her to grow strong and healthy and tell her that I was going to try to have her enter the outside world into a warm bath. Didn't get the water birth I hoped for, but I still got a baby that loves the water!)


She loves being startled. Anything that makes her jump in turn makes her laugh. "BOO!" giggle giggle! "Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh-CHOO!" giggle giggle! I used to tell Pam to stop scaring her but she insisted that she liked it, and she's right. She really loves it!

She loves having her hands held when she's sleepy. She'll close her eyes and reach her hands all over searching for a finger to grasp onto. We hold onto her hands a lot when she's in the carseat crying and we have no other way to comfort her. One of our first car rides she was crying the most she ever had and I felt so helpless and she held onto my finger and calmed down for the rest of the ride home. I've been trying to offer her the lovey bunny to hold onto, but she still prefers to hold a nice warm finger. Then we cover her hand with our hand and hold her arm still from flailing around. Sometimes that's enough to help her drift into sleep. It's adorable.

She loves watching TV. I'm torn about it. One day (right around when she turned 3 months old) she just seemed to notice the television all of a sudden, and the next day she couldn't take her eyes off it. If she's crying and she sees the TV on she'll stop crying to watch. But more than just the TV, she loves Sesame Street. And much to my dismay I put it on for her to watch. Yes, I feel like she's too young to watch TV. No, I'm not proud of it. But it gives me a break and I feel like she isn't just a total zombie, she actually laughs and talks to it and interacts the same way as if I were talking to her or showing her something interesting. She loves the musical numbers. But more than Sesame Street, she LOVES Elmo. When Elmo's World comes on she lights up. She'll kick her feet and coo and shriek in excitement. She'll laugh when he laughs. It's really adorable. Pam hates Elmo, and I'm not a fan either, but I can see why he's such a favorite for kids. That high squeaky voice just makes her smile. I asked her Dr if he thinks it's ok for her to watch TV and his opinion is that she's too young for it to be detrimental. Surely there are better things for her than watching TV. I know that. But I think if it's a tool in my kit of things to do and used in rotation with all the other more enriching activities, well, I don't think it's too terrible. I've read studies that suggest otherwise, and I know zero screen time is suggested for babies. I guess I weigh in the fact that if I need 30 minutes to make a meal in the kitchen or take a shower or go online to use two hands to type or whatever, that those 30 minutes aren't going to make me a bad mom. And if it's an hour one day that's okay too. And if it's a really hard day and more than an hour, well, I'm okay with that. Obviously as she grows and can DO more, I'll feel less of a need to entertain her with the TV. Enough about that!

She loves when we sing to her, and so far I think her favorite is "Down by the Bay." Or maybe it's just because I shake my head funny when singing "baaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

She loves watching Donte walk by her. And she loves touching him. She reaches out her hand and will call out to him sometimes. At least that's what I think she's doing. lol. We'll call him over to sit with us and let her "pet" him, but she usually just grabs and yanks his fur. He doesn't seem to mind too much. He likes the attention but after a while he jumps away. She gets lots of cat hair in her hands and we have to make sure to rinse them off before they go into her mouth!



She LOVES her Gloworm. It was a baby shower gift from my Grannybug, who I named after a Gloworm I had as a kid. If Makena is crying we can press the tummy of the Gloworm and she'll stare at it and smile as it's face is lit up and it plays music. Unfortunately, it only plays short songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and then the music stops and the face light turns off and Makena will look around and start to fuss if she wasn't done looking at it yet. So we spend a lot of time pressing it on over and over. I've memorized the order in which the songs play. I'd love to rig it up to play much longer!!


She loves when you blow raspberries on her tummy (or cheeks or neck or feet...) and it almost always gets a giggle. She recently learned to mimic the blowing of her lips to make the sound. If you do it to her and she sees your mouth she'll often do it back. Lots of spit bubbles and drool!

She loves the mobile over her crib. If she's really crying usually that calms her down, and if she's in a good mood she loves to lay in her crib and talk to the animals circling over head. Sometimes I just hold her eye level with the mobile and she smiles so big at it. She kicks her feet and starts to act fussy until I turn the knob. I think she knows that clicking sound means the fun is about to start! I love that she loves the song Imagine!



She loves grabbing her feet. Once she's laying on her back she reaches for her feet and pulls them up. This started right around when she turned 4 months.

She loves her Baby Einstein Radio toy. My mom bought it for her and it's a total hit. It plays nice longish tunes and the lights flash and she loves to watch it. We usually have it sticking up on the side of the changing table and when we lay her down to change she turns her head and looks at it expectantly. We make sure to take it with us for car rides because sometimes it's the only thing that will stop her from crying in the car!
And I love her! She is happy and plays on her own. She can entertain herself for a little while as long as she has something in her hands. She is so much fun, and can do so much already!

4 month stats and DISNEYLAND!

I'm a week late because this was a busy week!

Makena's 4 month check up was last Monday. She weighs 15 lbs 14.5 oz, and is 25 inches long. She's growing big and now weighs more than the average 6 month old baby! She has found her feet and loves to grab them and tries to eat her toes. She is getting better at grabbing her toys (and anything near her hands including full cups of water and plates of food...) and she loves jumping in her jumper! She makes some really funny loud noises and will shriek and vocalize and then she'll notice you're watching her and smile. She chews/sucks on her fingers a lot, and sometimes has her fingers AND pacifier in her mouth at the same time!

When she got her shot (just the dtap this time, we've decided to stop giving her the Rotavirus vaccine) she screamed and Pam stood up with her to try and distract her with the circus wall hanging. And she stopped crying immediately. It was like a Twilight Zone moment.

Her Dr asked me how my diet is going, and I said I've been eating dairy again. He said that's okay but her wants to check her poop for blood again. I was supposed to bring in a dirty diaper but she's been pooping less (once or twice every other day or so) and I had forgotten to save one. So we're going to bring one by for the nurse to check sometime.

Then Aunt Holli (Pam's sister) came to visit from May 18th-25th.
It was so great to have the first family member from Pam's side of the family come meet her! Aunt Holli got lots of smiles and it was SO wonderful to have an extra pair of hands around the house! On Thursday night I was sitting in the bedroom and Makena had just finally fell asleep in my arms. Pam came in and whispered to me "Do you want to go to Disneyland tomorrow?"

What?!

Pam was offered Saturday off since it was her birthday, and her boss said she could leave early on Friday too, which meant she'd have a 3.5 day weekend. And Holli had never been to Disneyland except for once when she was very little and didn't remember, and I found some awesome last minute hotel deals, and we had 2 free admission tickets from when we volunteered. We had been planning to go to Disneyland in October, but in November we have a trip to Washington planned for Makena to meet all of Pam's family and we were worried about Pam taking off so much time in a short period. And everything just seemed to be falling into place so we packed up the car and left! (I'm leaving out the nightmare of getting an oil change for the car that morning and being told we needed to replace some other part which made our departure time 5 hours behind schedule...)

So we hit the road and headed to Southern California! The ride was exhausting, Makena doesn't love the car, so she either needed to be entertained or helped to sleep. It's SO hard to be driving and have your baby crying. How uncomfortable would it be to have to be strapped into a carseat for hours?! Not fun at all. At one point (thanks to my sisters suggestion) I even leaned over her and breastfed her while Pam was driving. It was not comfortable for me at all, but it worked really well and she fell asleep! Getting stuck in traffic just made things worse, but we made it eventually!

We checked into the Portofino Inn & Suites hotel around 11:30 pm. Makena had a diaper change, got pj's on, had a late night snack, and promptly fell asleep. Pam and I LOVED having a king bed...it made co-sleeping so much easier! Look at all that room!

Normally when visiting Disneyland I have done extensive planning at home in the weeks beforehand. I type up an itinerary with must see events, restaurant reservation times, and what order to ride the rides in.

This time, I didn't even know the park hours. We woke up and took it slow and easy at the hotel room (I gave Pam a birthday card and Makena gave her a gift, but the bag was mysteriously empty so I told Pam to go ask Makena what she did with the present...and she was wearing a shirt that I made that says "Mama makes me laugh!") and then we walked over to Disneyland. The walk was super easy, it was maybe 10 minutes. We got to the ticket booth and redeemed our vouchers and Pam asked if since it was her birthday would they let her upgrade to a park hopper ticket. I told her it says everywhere in the fine print and on the website that they won't allow that, but, in all Disney magic, the lady said we could! The we walked over to the gates and the Disneyland music was playing and I started crying. I was so excited and couldn't believe we were there!

We went to the Main Street City Hall and Pam got her birthday button and Makena got a First Visit button. The guy gave us a lot of buttons, VoluntEARs buttons, Honorary Citizens of Disneyland, Celebrating a Special Moment, Happily Ever After...it was great but then got a bit ridiculous and I think we left with about 12 buttons! I saw Pluto and we went over and took a photo with him, but then I spotted Mickey Mouse and even though the line was starting to get long we knew we just had to wait!

Then we took the obligatory photo in front of the Walt & Mickey statue with the Castle in the background. Pam and I always take a photo there, here we are in 2007-



And here we are in 2010 with our baby! (And Aunt Holli)

We walked through the castle to head to Fantasyland.

First Makena tried to pull the sword out of the stone, but she wasn't quite strong enough. Maybe next time! Then we got on our first ride- the Casey Jr Circus Train! I'd never been on it before, but I assumed it was a train...except it's not really on train tracks. It's more of a roller coaster track, and there is even a little hill. It went pretty fast at parts! Makena loved looking at everything going by.

We hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so we went next door to the Village Haus but they had stopped serving breakfast at 10:30 just a few minutes before we got there. So we had lunch for breakfast! Makena nursed and I saved a table for us while Pam and Holli got the food. The iced tea was so delicious, we went back to get another one. Makena fell asleep so we sat there and let her nap for a while. Then we walked over to the Matterhorn and she and I sat on a bench and Pam and Holli went to get in line. But then the Monorail went by overhead, and honked super loud mere feet above where my baby was trying to sleep. So she woke up and we went to find the girls. But they had texted saying the line was too long and they were in line at Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters instead, so we met them there. Yep, we cut in line. But apparently if you have a baby you can do that! It worked out perfectly. And Makena rode her first "real" ride!

I was nervous as I sat down in the car alone with her, but she was totally into it! I think she's too young to be scared of anything right now, she just watched all the lights and I even scored pretty high considering I had her on my lap!
We went back to get in the long line for Dumbo, and Makena was super sleepy and getting fussy. But she made it! I was afraid she would fall asleep the second it was our turn. When you are the next riders to get on they give you a plastic feather sorta as your ticket to get on. I had no idea about that, it was a cute touch. Disney never fails to impress me! Of course the second Makena held the feather it went into her mouth. Gross. I wonder how often they disinfect those things...

I've never been on Dumbo before, and this time Pam held her and I took video while Holli took photos! Definitely not worth the wait, I think it was close to an hour. By far the longest line we waited in. And it was HOT! Most of it was in the sun until then end where they had umbrellas set up. I'm pretty sure that's where Pam and I got our lovely sunburns. At least we made sure Makena was wearing her huge hat and covered as much as possible! But worth it because you just have to ride Dumbo with a kid. Unless you're that couple behind Pam, who waited in a long hot line to make out for a minute in a flying elephant.

Then we rode Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Once again, Makena was mesmerized by all the action! We stopped and took a photo in the teacup where Pam and I took a photo a few years ago. Can't find the photo now, but basically it's me, and Pam, and no baby. But it's a much better photo with our baby in it for sure! (Kinda nauseating with all the pink, but I digress. I loved wearing pink while pregnant, and I'm still rocking the maternity clothes daily so it is what it is! And we can't help but buy Makena pink clothes because they are just so adorable. lol.)

Right by the teacups is the Mad Hatter's store, so Makena tried on some Minnie Mouse ears! Isn't she beyond precious?!?! I love her so much.

Next we walked over to It's A Small World (and this was the first time and I think only time we put her the stroller) and I knew Makena would just love the music and dancing kids. We took her out of the stroller and left it in the insanely massive sea of stroller parking. While in line she got fussy and I realized I needed to feed her, so I did, while standing and walking in line! Haha! They say mom's are generally great at multitasking, but come on, I think this tops the cake. I'm ready for my award.
She drifted off to sleep and it was time to board the boat. So on we went, and she slept through the entire ride. So much for her loving it! Oh well, at least she enjoyed an uninterrupted nap!
We were ready for lunch so we headed over to Tomorrowland to eat and kill some time before Pam and Holli rode Space Mountain. They had picked up Fastpasses earlier, and it worked out perfectly to sit and eat and take a little break until their time slot arrived. We ate a delicious salad and some more iced tea. Pretty sure I had 3 large iced teas throughout the day. I could've had more too, man it was tasty!

They went on the ride and I went to save a spot on Main Street for the parade. Right before the parade reached us, Makena did a huge poop, and she needed an immediate outfit change. So I quickly pulled the stroller aside and changed a very poopy mess and then we went back to watch the parade. She loved it, kicked her feet and smiled and squealed the whole time. She especially liked the little bikes that went by carrying the characters and the dancers with sparkly dresses.

As soon as the parade was over we went to Adventureland and the Tiki Room had just opened up so we went right in and sat down. The last time I was in the Tiki Room I was 16 years old and in a completely different time of my life. Crazy how much things change!! I had a feeling Makena would enjoy all the singing animatronic birds and the water fountain, and she did. She looked up and around and back and forth. Then we went on Pirates of the Caribbean, and she tried to fall asleep in line. By the time we got inside she was wide awake, so there went another very short 25 minute nap...
Pam asked if it was too scary of a ride for Makena, and I said "No, it's like It's a Small World, just a slow boat." But as we set sail I quickly realized I forgot about the dip. And the 2nd dip. Oops! But she was fine and didn't even notice. And they wouldn't have let us ride with a baby if it wasn't safe to begin with. I really think taking a baby to Disneyland has a lot of advantages to taking an older young child. (like, 2-5 years old.) She could ride mostly everything, has no concept of waiting or being impatient, didn't complain or get frightened about anything, wasn't bothered by any change in a routine since she doesn't have a routine yet, and she was FREE to get in! Sure, she won't remember any of it, but we have adorable photos and had so much fun with her. It was such an easy day, I was so relieved that everything went so well. I still can't wait to take her when she's older and "gets it" and the magic will be so exciting to share with her.

Next was the Haunted Mansion, and I fed her and waited at the front door to cut in line once Pam and Holli got there. We went in to the spooky elevator, and there were a few people screaming but then we were waiting in the corridor to board the doom buggy's and more idiotic people were screaming. Stupid people thinking "I'm an adult and this ride is lame so I'm going to pretend I'm terrified because I think I'm hilarious." Makena started to cry and wouldn't stop, and we kinda panicked because we were in a sea of people and there was no cast member around and we couldn't see an exit. Finally Pam just grabbed Makena and hopped over the rope and was pointed towards a door and walked out through a secret exit passage way! I'm kinda jealous, even though she had the screaming baby she got to see a part of Disneyland that I've never seen! haha.

Holli and I went on, and I'm SO glad Makena wasn't there. The jerks behind us continued screaming throughout the ENTIRE ride. It was beyond obnoxious. There was a little girl with her mom in the car behind us and we could hear her crying. I'm sure it was because the people were scaring her more than the ride was! Not cool. When it was done we met up with Pam and Makena had a little snack and then we realized it was getting late so we headed out. Stopped to check out the Mickey Ear hats first though...

Super cute, but we'll buy it once she's older and wants her name on it. The parade was going on as we tried to leave the park, so we stopped in some stores and bought a rainbow Mickey head antenna ball for our car. Before we left to walk across the pavilion to California Adventure we had to take the obligatory photo in front of the entrance Mickey flowers!

Then we took a photo in the last A in CaliforniA.

(I like that you can kinda see the stroller in the reflection. Even though she didn't really use it to ride in, we used it to carry all our stuff and it was great to have. Unfortunately she isn't the type of baby who will fall asleep in a stroller, but somehow she survived on 4 naps throughout the day that were less than 30 minutes each.)

Holli and I waited in line to ride Soarin' Over California, and Pam waited by a table with Makena and tried to get her to take a nap. It didn't work and she was fussy the whole time. I sat down to feed her as soon as the ride was over, and Pam and Holli headed over to Paradise Pier to ride the new Toy Story Midway Mania. And a few seconds after the walked away Makena decided she didn't want to eat and needed a diaper change. And I didn't have the diaper bag with me because they took the stroller with them so I wouldn't have to worry about carrying her and pushing the stroller to go meet them. And I didn't have the Baby Bjorn carrier either. I called and texted but they didn't get my messages until I had already carried Makena in my arms all the way over to them across the park. Changed her diaper and we all got in line together.

Makena started to lose it, and we knew it was late and she was way over stimulated. But we got to the front of the line and asked for a parent swap ticket. Pam and Holli went on the ride, and I sat down with Makena on a bench by the exit. They told me it was a 7 minute ride and to just wait there. So I bundled her in a blanket and nursed her and she fell asleep. When Pam and Holli got off they came over to me and I passed Makena over to Holli and Pam and I rode together. What an awesome ride, and SO worth the wait!! It's basically like playing a video game the whole time, and you wear 3D glasses and shoot this little pop gun . As fun as it was, I found my mind drifting to wonder how Makena was doing. We just kinda left them sitting there and what if she woke up and was crying?! What would Holli do with her?? I had no worries that she was safe and in loving hands, but it was the first time we left her anywhere with anyone.

The ride ended and as we were waiting to disembark I craned my neck over the side of the car and saw Holli sitting on the bench with Makena. I gave her a thumbs up and she returned it, meaning that she was still fast asleep! Success! We got off and Holli held Makena outside while Pam and I went to the bathroom.

So sweet. She had her little hand up on Aunt Holli's chin.

We left the park and considered taking the bus back to the hotel because we were all exhausted. But we figured by the time we found out what bus we needed and waited for it we could already be back, so we just walked and again it wasn't that bad. Sure our arms, feet, and pretty much every muscle in our bodies were sore, but it was such a great day! We walked in the door a little after 9, ordered dinner to be delivered, and I fed Makena. She fell asleep and stayed asleep for a loooong time! We ate really yummy pasta and all went to bed.

The next morning we got up, packed, checked out of the hotel and drove to Downtown Disney. We had breakfast at The Rainforest Cafe, much to my delight. Makena loved looking at all the huge fish tanks.

Then it was time to shop some more. We wanted to find a shirt for Makena and I wanted a hat. No luck. But we did find a picture frame! The Lego store is always a hit. I can't wait until Makena is old enough to play with my favorite childhood toy!

We decided to hit the road because we were going to have to tackle it eventually. And we wanted to be home in time to watch the Lost series finale! And though we didn't find a shirt for Makena that we loved enough to spend $20 on, we did find this one at a knock off souvenir store as we left. It says "My First Mickey T-Shirt"

And she's just adorable in it!

Photos from my phone

I love when I'm nursing and she grabs at my boob. I think it's so sweet.

This is how I get her to fall asleep in the car when she's tired and crying. She loves having her face covered by a hand. I think she likes knowing we're close by.

This is how I spend my day when I get to stay home. We sit on the couch when she naps, and Donte likes to come sit near us.

Makena has had many poopy diaper explosions. Usually she just leaks out of the sides. Sometimes just her pants get dirty, and not the onesie underneath. This one made me particularly sad because it was her brand new outfit AND she got poop in her belly button. But it wasn't her worst one...there was a time where she pooped SO much that it went all the way up her back up to her shoulders. Gross!

I just love this baby! She is so smiley and easy going. Then again, we pretty much hold her all the time, so she doesn't have much to complain about!

Our 1st Mother's Day!

First of all, yesterday we went to Makena's first soccer game! Her cousin Nicolas was playing, and she sat on the sidelines with Sofia and watched.


Today is Mother's Day. It's surreal to me that today I got to celebrate motherhood. Most holidays stay the same year to year, but Mother's Day takes on a whole new meaning when you are a mom yourself!

We started the day by exchanging cards, and somehow Makena got Pam and I the exact same one. lol. Great minds think alike!! I was worried that might happen, but I couldn't find ANY cards that said Mama! Pam also got me (I mean, Makena got me...) a really cute children's book that she wanted me to read, and as I read it a giftcard to Old Navy fell out. Apparently she thinks it's time for me to buy some jeans that fit. haha.

Then we went to brunch, and Makena was so good. She started to get fussy and fell asleep on Pam's lap and slept for a whole hour that way. I was shocked she fell asleep, usually she needs to be swaddled, laying on her side, and rocked in your arms. (Or she'll fall asleep while breastfeeding, but that's a topic for a whole other post!) For a pretty easy going baby she is quite high maintenance in the sleep department. She won't even sleep in the car. She hates being buckled in and restricted, and tries to sit up and holds her head out and forward. Usually I can get her to sleep in the car if I put my hand through the back of the car seat and rest my hand on her face while holding her pacifier in her mouth. Sounds absolutely crazy. And it is. But she LOVES to have your hand on her face to fall asleep! And she likes to grab onto your hand (or arm) See-
Then we went to Color Me Mine, a pottery painting place. They were offering free sessions for all moms, so all we had to pay for was the plate we picked out, which was $11. The advertisements didn't mention you had to make a reservation, so we had to kill time at the mall across the street and somehow ended up in Carter's buying baby clothes... lol. When it was time to go back we took turns entertaining Makena and painting our plate, which is going to be so adorable once they glaze and fire it!!

See, we used her little footprints to make a butterfly! (The pencil marks will disappear.)


Then we went to PF Changs where my Dad took us all out to eat dinner. I gave my Mom a peace scented candle (I love that they gave peace a scent! lol) and Makena gave her Grandmo a garden stone with her feet imprints!

It's still wet in that photo, I didn't take a photo of it when it dried, but I'm sure I'll take one when my Mom puts it in the ground!

And here we are!
Makena had a really long day out and about, and she did so well! Couldn't get any smiles out of her by the end of the day, so here's a cute smiley photo from a few days ago. =)

I have SO many photos and video clips of her. She is such a joy and we laugh all throughout the day. We feel so lucky (and we're still so in awe!) that we have this amazing baby who we get to raise and love for the rest of our lives. I can't remember my life having any purpose before her, and I can't imagine ever living my life without her!