When I was 6 months

I couldn't help but mention, when I was 6 months old my biological mother passed away. It gives special meaning to this day with our daughter. I watch her fall asleep upon my breast. As I take a deep breath with hers, I think I can somehow describe in words my emotions for this special day. I am still speechless; overwhelmed with the love I feel (and have never felt before). I can't imagine the pain of losing Sierra at this point in our relationship; even without knowing you were going to. My biological mother's death has made me much more aware of the ephemeral aspects of child rearing. Those which I will always cherish.

6 months tomorrow!

January 11, 2014

Here we are turning another corner; Sierra is army crawling her way around everywhere now! What a big girl she has gotten to be so quickly! We had another phenominal week in world of parenting. It may have been because I was able to take more vacation from work again this week. Sunday Gus, Sierra, and I went for a great hike near Lake Berryessa. I used to run this hike while I was preparing for my JMT hike, and I would finish it in about 1.5 hours so I predicted it would only take us about 2.5 hours to hike with the baby... not a chance. It took us 3.5 hours between the steep climb with the (amazing Osprey pack) baby on my back, the feeding stops, and actually enjoying the scenery it took us a bit longer. Yes, I asked to carry her up the climb... the baby weight isn't gone yet! Gus took over when we hit the really rocky terrain (he has better ankles and stability than I do). After we finished we stopped at the Berryessa Gap brewery, where they were playing live music and had a food truck parked. It was a really fun! This is what I imagined us doing as a family when we received our Osprey pack at our babyshower.

On Monday Gus' cousin Nic came to town, and Sierra and I went to pick him up in Sacramento. We all went to lunch in midtown after he got in. It's so nice to get to know him better; he has a great sense of humor and is really quite whitty. Lyn, Gus, Nic, Sierra, and I all went out to dinner that night and went to trivia night afterwards (although Sierra and I had to leave early so she could get to bed). Apparently, their team would have done better if I had stayed (I'm just sayin'). Nic headed out the following morning; it was really great to have him visit. Sierra loved staring at her uncle.

Wednesday Sierra and I went to a baby play group!!! It was so fun for us. She still loves playing with other babies, and I love getting to know other moms in town too.

On Thursday I had to work in the morning so Gus worked swing shift so that Sierra could go to her last free swim class. Gus had a great time with her there, and he even told me he wished he had been able to go to more. Unfortunately, our schedule only permitted me to bring her most of the time. While I was at work I was given a bunch of hand-me-down toys from a colleague, and quickly introduced them all to Sierra once we got home. I strapped her into this car and pushed her around the driveway for 20 minutes, and she still didn't tire of it.

We went over to the library and met up with another mom and her babies on Friday, and then we had Sierra's (dun-dun-dun) ..... 6 month shots later in the day. Poor thing. It's so hard to see her cry like that. She is really LONG for her weight apparently. She was 18 lbs 11oz and 28.5 inches long and 17.5 inches for her (huge) dome piece... just like her papa (well I guess my head is huge too)!

Gus and I both got our lifts and our cardiovascular exercise in this morning. The dogs, Sierra, and I went for a run together and Gus hit the rollers on his bike. It's nice to get into more of a rhythm for our exercise again. We are going over to our friends Lisa and Jeremy's for a parents' dinner (5 families with new babies from around town) tonight. I'm excited for Gus to meet some of the dads of the moms and babies I have known for the past few months.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014

January 4, 2014 (Just shy of 6 months)

Last week Sierra discovered her tongue... Pretty funny really; she's sticking it out and chewing on it more often. We made her carrot puree with breast milk and rice cereal. She wasn't sure what to think of it really.

But I still really enjoy our "quiet times" (only quiet when she's tired) breastfeeding.

Also, this week she has been sitting upright for extented periods of time after we plop her on the floor. She is making really great advancements in her crawling attempts. She is actually moving forward now! Her first tooth is coming through on the bottom now too... which means a lot of drool!

We were able to see Grammy and Grandpa Jer-Bear on there way through town on Monday afternoon. On Tuesday (New Year's Eve) we went with our good friends, the newly weds, Julia and Chris for a hike in Cool. They had their energetic pup, Taj, and we brought our hiking back pack for Sierra. What an awesome pack (made by Osprey)! She had a great time in it too. Afterwards we went to brunch at an amazing restaurant in Loomis, which was a converted greenhouse.

On New Year's day, Auntie Lyn came over to babysit for a little and Gus and I went for a bike ride together. It's great to spend time with just Gus while Sierra was with family.

Thursday we had one of our last free swim classes, and Sierra submerged again. She kicks and splashes in the water, and it is evident that she loves that time she spends there! Friday we went to a free sample baby sign language class and in the evening we went to "family swim night" with Gus too. There were 2 other infants there that Sierra proceeded to splash (which she does when she is excited) everytime she got close to them.

Something else we have been enjoying are our short daily runs in the Bob with the dogs. I strap the dogs to my waist and push her down the dirt farm roads by the house almost daily. The runs are short, but they are fun for all 4 of us.

Happy Holidays

December 28, 2013 (5.5months-ish)

Saturday morning we made it to Grammy's and Grandpa's house, kicking off the holiday with family. It was so nice to have Sierra healthy on this trip because she was so much more interactive with everyone. She loved having so many people to play with over the holiday. Having a baby really does change the spirit for us; all of the sudden every aspect of Christmas takes on deeper meaning. Grandpa Jer-Bear brought out his iPad for Sierra to practice her new favorite skill (pounding on tables), on the piano app.

Sierra even sat on Santa's lap and told him what she wanted this Christmas!

She spent some great quality time with Great Grandma, Auntie Lyn, Grandpa Jer Bear, all of the dogs, and Mom and Dad, of course. Mom and Dad were able to get out to mountain bike 3 times together, thanks to all of the family babysitters!

We all gathered around the fire pit one night to roast marshmallows.

Jerry and Anne brought us all out to dinner in Fresno one night and all of the other nights we stayed in and cooked delicious food for everyone. It definitely made it easier to have cooked the lasagna and casseroles ahead of time; so we could spend more time relaxing together.

Sierra loved all of the gifts she was given, she took to this fisher price "tower" quickly.

At Christmas dinner, I introduced Sierra to paddy-cake... she was quite entertained!

We headed home the day after Christmas, and I unpacked and grocery shopped while Gus went off to work. Yesterday Sierra and I brought Bailey and the girls out to lunch for Bailey's birthday gift. In the afternoon I prepped the dinner and house for having our good friends, Joe and Elsa, over. Elsa played with the baby as I made dinner, and the guys got to talking quite quickly! It was great having them over; it definitely made us realize how much we miss seeing them.

Under-da-sea

December 20, 2013 (5.5 months-ish)

Last weekend we experienced the Monterey Bay Aquarium with Sierra! It was one of my Christmas gifts from Gus, but it was really a gift for all of us. My dad also got us a room in downtown as our Christmas gift, which made the weekend even more special. We were able to walk to the aquarium from our hotel; the trail walked along the bay and cannery row so we had a good time getting to see the seals and the ocean birds on the way there.

Sierra was enchanted by the fishes and turtles and sea otters and sharks and jelly fish and penguins!!! Gus and I couldn't stop looking at her expressions as she saw each new exhibit... It was awesome.

We were also able to see our good friends Ashley, Scott and Christian again!!! Ashley and Scott recently moved down from Arcata, and it is always heart-warming to see them again (it was because of their marriage that Gus and I met after all).

Sierra has been saying DAH DAH all week long. She doesn't actually associate it with Gus yet, but we still consider it her first word none-the-less. She successfully and happily submerged at swim class again this week (and I even saw her open her eyes underwater). Maybe she was wishing she was under-da-sea again.

As we prepare for the holiday Sierra has received some early gifts from family members, like this amazing piece of craftsmanship from my Uncle Denis. It's a carosel with a music box inside of it. All of the wood is different and unique. Leopard wood, zebra wood, walnut, purple heart wood... A gift to keep throughout her life.

We were able to do some baby socializing today; we saw a woman and her kids at an indoor playground in town and then went to Bailey's to hang out with the girls! Afterwards I packed up the car for our trip down to Gus's mom's and Jer-bear's for Christmas! Her naps have been short today, but at least she gets some good cuddle time in with the dogs.

1-2-3 Up and Under

December 13, 2013 (5 months and a day)

Another seemingly big week in development for our little one! She is managing to sit-up every once in awhile now (after we sit her down). Now she is starting to use her arms more in her crawling attempts; she goes onto her elbows and then draws her legs underneath her. It seems as if she is more content playing on a blanket on her tummy than ever before. When Gus gives her the bottle she holds it in with her hands now. Thank goodness she is eating again for him and Bailey! She isn't eating much from the bottle, but she is now eating rice cereal (which we introduced on Saturday to her... we actually thought rice cereal was rice crispies at first... Bailey showed us it is actually the powdered stuff). On Thursday she went underwater (1-2-3 UP and UNDER) in her swim class, and did really well with it! When she came back up everyone was cheering, so she looked around and smiled at everyone. She really is growing up fast. It feels like Gus and I are just starting to come above water too (we are actually getting more uninterrupted sleep). 

This past Friday I put our ornaments up on a laundry line with clothes pins (because we don't have space for a tree). Sierra loved looking at them as I held them up to her.

Saturday we stopped by to say goodbye to her "boyfriend" Marion and our friends Jill and Ian before the shove off on their move to Illinois. They will be missed, not only because they were great people but especially since they are some of the only people we hang out with in Davis!

Later that day we picked some of the wonderful greens that Gus had planted in our garden. He did a great job with the spinach, mixed greens, kale, chard, and parsley... we were able to use it in our dinner too! Sierra was my little helper (not really but she watched me pick); she had to get seriously bundled up! This was the day we also first introduced her to rice (albeit crispy) cereal... she seems to like it!

On Sunday we went to brunch at all of our friends' (Carmen and Michi) house with, Lyn. We introduced Sierra to kittens, cats, bunnies, rabbits and another flock of four chickens! Sierra had a great time at the brunch, and later that day came with me to the Cross-country banquet. What a trooper that girl is!

 Today we met up with Bailey and the girls to go to a play group for infants AND toddlers in Davis, which was fun to do. Sierra sure does like other babies!

In the Spirit of the Holidays

December 6, 2013 (almost 5 months)

The rest of the weekend was fun at Jer-Bear's and Anne's. We even got some pictures with Grammy and baby with her apple onesie on before she outgrows it.

Every week I ask myself the same question... Where does the time go? All of the sudden the day is over and our baby has gotten bigger and has developed some new small yet important developmental skill. Unfortunately this week she has decided that taking a bottle is no longer acceptable... Really??!! So that means she eats and eats all morning long, starves herself for 7 hours and then binges on milk when I return from work. This creates quite the upset to her temperament (not to mention Gus'). So we tried syringe feeding... no go. All of the 4 bottle choices... no go. Looks like rice cereal and breast milk is happening on Monday, which is actually a little bit sad for me. Rice cereal means the introduction to real foods, which means she is growing up. Why am I sad about it? Well, our baby is getting older! It's okay though, because I truly do love every step of this parenthood. Another sign that she is getting older was our swim class this week. The instructor asked how old Sierra was (because 5 months is when they can first submerge), and I responded next week she will be 5 months. Strange how quickly time flies.

Sierra and I decided there is no need to have a tree (there isn't the space for it anyhow), so we used laundry line and close pins for the ornaments. In the spirit of the holiday I gave her all of her gifts early (AS USUAL for me). Socks, bath toys, a hat, and a doorway bouncer... which she really loves (but we need padding on the door frames so she doesn't hit her head on the edges).