8 Months Old!

Yep - 8 months ago today I was having a baby! Ok, still to this day I can't believe it. I have a wonderful daily reminder though! She is still doing great. We had a rough night while Daddy is away at the cook-off, but we managed. She woke around 12:40 and I think I finally got to bed around 2:00. Surprisingly I wasn't too extremely tired today. I was busy and I think that helped. No clue why she got up, but after a lot of crying it out she finally went back to sleep. We tried letting her cry it out the other night and I failed miserably. I stared at the clock and the monitor for maybe 10 minutes and gave in. I know, I am a sucker. She doesn't cry, so it was really hard for me to listen to her get that upset. I scooped her up and she was back asleep within a couple of minutes. We didn't hear a peep all night...so something worked...sort of. Well last night I figured the same thing, but she didn't cry near as hard. She rolled herself over and scooted to both ends of the bed, turned her aquarium on and off and then decided to pick it up and bang it against the side of the crib. Ok, Mom gives in again! Also, mental note that the mattress needs to be moved down a notch or two. She got mad that time, so I scooped her up again. And it didn't help that during this crying session she was crying 'ma ma' the bulk of the time. Does she know how to pull at my heart or what? Well she fell back asleep and allowed me to lay her back in her bed. Ahh success. I am hoping for a better night tonight. Nana and Grandpa are going to come tomorrow for some Cora time while I go do the Rodeo thing for my committee at the cook-off. Last night was hard not being out there - I haven't missed it since I opened the Downtown Aquarium and that was five years ago! I was there all three days last year while I was 5 months pregnant. There is always next year!

Well I better get some things done while she is asleep, so then I can get some sleep. Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Wednesday!

Okay, so we all get up pretty early in the Wolford household. I am really going to hate it when she fights me to get up...worse than she already does. She is just like her Daddy. It was cold and I hadn't gotten a picture of her in this cute little sweater she got for Christmas, so I snapped a few just in case we don't have another cold day for her to wear it. It is so cute on her!
Katie kept getting under Cora's little play table. I don't know why, I guess she thought she would be protected from Cora. Ha - soon she won't be!
We are working on eating the puff star things. They essentially dissolve in your mouth, so it is a little weird. But Cora is not very sure about them. She is getting better about actually putting them into her mouth instead of just holding them. She likes to have one in each hand, so it really throws her for a loop when I give her three on her tray! I would just love to peek into her mind every once in awhile to see what she is thinking.
Cora is doing great in her new class. Her transition consisted of moving over to the new class. She never had to go back. The old teachers are visiting her every day, which makes me feel better. They are special to Cora and she gets excited to see them. The new teachers are very nice, it is just going to take some getting used to for all of us. I have been wanting to get her from three daytime bottles to two and for some reason the past three days she has gone down to only one! I think it is just going to take some time to get used to the new room and teachers. She is really watching those other kids though. It is really cute.
Well I ordered her Easter basket last weekend from Potterybarnkids.com. For those of you that don't know, I ordered all of us new stockings for Christmas. When we got them Cora's said Cole instead of Cora. Not cool. I called and they immediately replaced it and refunded my money. So tonight when I saw the packages on the doorstep I brought them in and just figured I would open them later. Then thought I better make sure I got Cora this time and not Cole again. Would you believe when I opened the box it was a maroon USC lunchbox!!! I am 0 for 2 with PBK! So I called for a replacement...and the person on the line was very nice...but no apology. This happened last time too. There was no mention of crediting my money back, so I may have to address that with them, but I will give them a chance. So, now you know why PB is so expensive - they have to give half of their stuff away for free because they can't get it shipped correctly! And, if you do order something, don't wait until the last minute...just in case you have to be sent a replacement. So I have to wait another week before we get the cute basket liner with her name on it. That's my luck these days.
Well it's Rodeo time in Houston! Cook-off is this weekend...it is going to be hard for me since I won't be going up there except for a little while on Saturday (to work my committee). Next year I will be back in full swing. Since I am still nursing, it just isn't worth being away from her or a pump for longer than 5 or 6 hours. I also won't be up at the Rodeo as much as in previous years - I guess I will be saving lots of money though. We are planning on taking her up there one day to go through the Ag Venture area. So hopefully I will get some cute pictures.
This is also a warning since Dennis is going to be up there a lot with his committee and work, I am not sure how often I will be posting during the next four weeks, but you never know!

Busy Body

Cora was a busy body this weekend. I stood her up against her exersaucer and she was loving it.
Standing again with her other toy...all smiles and didn't fall down.
I was trying to sneak her into a nap...so much for that. She sits straight up in her swing now. Little fart.
Playing some more, but sitting down this time.

Cora is so close to crawling! She got up on her knees and was rocking back and forth. I am so excited. She is really doing well going side to side and in circles to get to something. It is only a matter of time. She starts transitioning to her new class on Monday. I am very sad to move from the teachers we have become so attached to over the 6 1/2 months she has been there. They are wonderful and have made her going to daycare so much easier on me. The next class will be wonderful too - it will just take a little time getting used to the new teachers and their routines. It will be a good change for Cora - she will be around babies that are movin and groovin! The bulk of them are crawling and pulling up and I think one or two are walking some. So she will get to see more advanced kids and learn things.

I also spent the morning checking for the best price on Britax car seats. Augh - of course I have to buy my little darling the Cadillac of car seats...but did I really need two? Okay, only the best for our little darling. I bought mine and then discussed with Daddy and he said to just go ahead and get one for his truck too. I got the Onyx and we got the Crocodile print for his truck. Yes, she will be stylin!

She is sleeping really well at night - going to bed by 8:00 or 8:30pm and sleeping until 9:00am on the weekends. She isn't much for napping though. I tried about 4 times to get her to take a nap and I finally got her to sleep on the 4th try and she only slept for an hour. Only enough time to unload the dishwasher, fold a load of clothes and grab a bite to eat. Shucks.

Well I better finish up the laundry and get to bed - Monday mornings always come very early!

Have a wonderful week!

Lazy Weekend

It was a lazy weekend. Dennis was setting up for the cook-off, so Cora and I played, played, played! We also started a new fruit - Papaya. Yes, they make that in baby food. She actually was fine with it - I expected a better reaction because it smelled funky, but it didn't taste too bad. Yes, I have tasted all the food she has eaten. I keep trying to get Dennis to try some, but he refuses...
Saturday evening Daddy took Cora on a walk in her wagon. She loves it.
He started going a little fast, so she had a death grip on the sides. Mommy made him slow down a little bit...he was making me way to nervous. They both had fun though.

Bouncy Bouncy

Over the weekend we went to cousin Peyton's birthday party. Here are some pictures of Cora jumping in the moonwalk with Daddy.

She wasn't sure about it, but loves to bounce so it was ok.
I think I am going to have to find a slinky...she loved this!

Doing Circles

She's getting closer and closer...now she pulls up one knee and goes in a circle! Ok, so for the sake of documentation I taunted her with the dog toy and kept moving it. That is her favorite dog toy since it is soft rubber and good to chew on. Nice.



Jackpot! I am not totally mean...I did let her have it...for about two seconds.
She is also saying 'ma ma', but it isn't for me. It is just the "m" sound and she usually does it when she is fussing. Darn it.
I have some other pictures to post but my laptop has a mind of its own and has been acting up this week. I hate Vista! I'll try to get them up in the next couple of days...

Standing

Cora is pulling herself up to standing position when I hold my hands out for her to grab them. She does just about all the work herself. She is very wobbly once she gets to standing, but she likes to stand. Here's her standing in her bed and holding the railing. I stood her up for this and thought it was too cute not to take a picture. She thought it was fun.

Here she is in her Jumperoo that I had to get for her. She isn't real impressed with it. Glad I didn't buy it new! It may go back on Craigslist soon if she doesn't start having fun in it!
We hope everyone has a wonderful week!

First Tears

Ok, so it is the first real tear that actually fell from her eye on to her cheek. She recovered nicely and was laughing at the dog or something when I took a picture. (The tear is on her left check, or actually almost to her chin.) What can I say - she is a really happy baby and doesn't cry all that much.

Well she still isn't crawling, but no worries. She is trying to pull herself up into my lap/arms when I hold my hands out. And she will pull herself up to standing position when holding our fingers

She has started on 3 food meals a day now. All the food going in is coming out quite often too! Sorry had to mention since she is working on filling her diaper as I type this up. I can't wait.

She is also saying 'ba ba ba'. There is no meaning for it, but she just repeats it over and over again. We are working on da da and ma ma, but we still get ba ba. I'll take it!

The animals are getting either very brave or are very desperate for attention. They keep getting closer and closer to her. And she keeps getting big handfulls of hair. You'd think they would learn. Boy do they have a world of hurt coming when she does get mobile! For their sakes, I do hope she takes her time in crawling. But then again, they all need an exercise program to get them back into shape. :-)

Well after changing her diaper it reminded me that she is rolling around like crazy on the changing table. She also thinks it is funny to grab the blinds. Yes, we were not so bright and put the changing table in front of the window...we may need to reconsider that decision soon. It is a bonus for her when she gets her foot in between the slats...yep that's a daily event.

Another thing, she is 'giving five'. Its cute, but she doesn't really grasp the whole concept just yet. Still working on clapping, but no luck yet. I think she may be working on waving, but not sure. Every once in awhile she raises her hand up and waves it.

No signs of teeth yet...no complaints here either! Her eyes are still a gorgeous blue, guess that came from Grandpa Ric and Aunt Kristan...and probably why I think she looks a lot like Kristan's baby pictures. Her hair is changing colors everyday. One day it looks brown, another day red and another day strawberry blonde. So who knows what color it will end up being.

Funny note - she is playing peekaboo with Maddie (cat) around my feet right now. Of course Maddie doesn't have a clue. Cora just loves the animals. If they come near her she busts out giggling. It is priceless.

Okay, time for me to wrap this up...Cora was on the floor about two feet away from me and now all of a sudden is able to grab the edge of the laptop.

I kept thinking I needed to just give an update on all her doings instead of just posting pictures. She has become quite clingy to me in the evenings when it is just the two of us, so we usually just sit on the floor and play and read books.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Heart Walk for Laura Grace

Most of you know about my niece, Laura Grace and her heart condition (Tetrology of Fallot) that she was born with. Well she is 4 years old now and my sister is getting ready for the Heart Walk they do every year. I thought I would post her email she sent to me:

It is that time of year again for the Heart Walk in our hometown.
Last year we didn't get to walk due to Laura's surgery. This year we are so thankful to God that we all can walk as a team. Everyone knows someone affected by heart disease or stroke. In honor of Laura Grace, we will be walking in this year’s Start! Heart Walk. We have set a goal to raise funds for the American Heart Association and need your help to reach our donation goal. We are raising critical dollars for heart disease and stroke research and education. You can help us reach our goal by making a donation online. Click on the link below and you will be taken to my personal donation page where you can make a secure online credit card donation. The American Heart Association's online fundraising website has a minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you prefer to donate less, you can do so by sending a check directly to me. Your donation will help fight our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers—heart disease and stroke. You are making a difference. Thank you for your support.
Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support American Heart Association - Floyd, GA

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day. I know I will be getting lots and lots of sugar from my little Valentine!

Where are you going?

She's scooting backwards! She's pretty quick sometimes too. She turns some if she wants something near her. We'll keep you posted!

Laws of Nature

Of course she is going to pick the dog toy among all of her toys! Yum...yum...

She is so close to crawling...she gets her knees under her to sleep...and no, she didn't even move when I took the picture.

When you are bored...

Okay, since I started this blog I have been seriously slacking in getting Shutterfly albums updated. Most of these don't have captions, but there are lots of pictures to see!

November Pictures

Family Photo Shoot (her santa picture got in this one somehow.)

December Pictures

January Pictures

Valentines Photo Shoot

I know, I take way too many pictures! But looking through old ones the other day - she is growing so fast and I don't want to forget anything!!

Happy Thursday!

Okay, well the diaper rash is almost cleared up! Yeah. We have gone through some diapers this week! And I don't know if I will ever get all that Desitin goop off of her hiney.


Here's her with her new Taggies blanket I broke down and finally ordered. She loves her Taggies book that Aunt Kristan got for her, so I figured she would like this too. I was right. I think she is overwhelmed by all the tags though! She chewed on the bulk of them the first night I let her play with it.

I fed her some dinner tonight and apparently it wasn't enough, she was still fussing for more. I had some bananas and mashed one up for her to eat. She has had it before and ate it just fine, but tonight she was making some faces. She ate a lot before the faces started so I think it was just because she was full, but she kept opening her mouth when I held the spoon out, so who knows! It was cute though. I even seasoned it with a little cinnamon. Again, I think it was mostly because she was done, but the pictures were funny.

Oh, and I think I may have figured out part of the gaining weight problem...oatmeal cereal is really fattening! I was checking all the labels on her food the other night and found that everything is no fat except for the Oatmeal cereal - it has 1.5 grams of fat per 1/4 cup serving! Wow - that is a lot for a little baby. We have ceased the oatmeal for now, so maybe that will help some. Minor new mom blunder...I am entitled, right?

Oh, and update on the lovely Zyrtec. We are in bad tree pollen again...I am sniffling and sneezing like crazy! Cora is doing wonderful. I can tell she is getting a little bit because she is sneezing almost as much as I am, but her nose is a lot better than mine is - thankfully. I am used to suffering at this point! Maybe I should switch to Zyrtec...especially since it is over the counter now.

She rolled over at school three times today! They keep missing it though...maybe she is doing it for attention now. :-) Either way, she is getting better. She also is scooting a lot more while sitting up. Last night I was trying to get her to move and let her go for my cell phone...one big stretch and it was hers! So I thought I would be smart and let her go for the dog toy that she was so intently eyeing...couple big stretches and jackpot! Of course, laws of nature, she always finds the dog toy out of all the toys in the pile. She is scooting backwards when placed on her belly, so it is only a matter of time that she will be fully mobile!

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Dennis is getting ready for the cook-off coming up, so it will be a lazy girls weekend...hopefully!

The Beach Cont...

Cora is going to fall right in with the other 5 grandkids and be especially fond of Grandpa. She got a lot of time with him this weekend.
We visited the Knox gang for a little bit and Ashley and Abby were teaching Cora all about Hannah Montana while we were looking at the houses and visiting.
That's the rest from the weekend. I took Cora to the doctor yesterday for a severe diaper rash and her weight is up to 19 pounds 11.5 ounces! And I wonder why my back is killing me!! She did roll over at school finally, so hopefully soon she will be really moving. I know I will hate when she is all over the place, but she needs to be moving so she will thin out some!