Growing so fast!

Wednesday we went to visit Lea's pediatrician for her 4 month well check. Verdict? She is a happy, healthy girl! She weighs 14 pounds and is in the 50th percentile for weight. But get this... she's in the 97th percentile for height! Geee... I wonder where she got 'tall & thin' from? Certainly not from her mom and dad (insert sarcasm here)! :)

We decided that we'll start giving Lea rice cereal when she's 5 months old. We'll do that for about a month and then try some bananas, apples, etc. I feel comfortable with this plan after talking to our pediatrician. I've read so many contradicting studies... some claim starting solids to early will increase the child's risk of developing allergies but others say if you start very slowly there really isn't a risk. One thing that eases my mind is the fact that allergies are mainly hereditary and considering Kevin and I are practically allergic to nothing decreases Lea's chances.

We're still giving Lea infant Prilosec for reflux. Her heartburn seems to be much better but now she is spitting up a lot more (several times a day). We'll continue this medication for another month or two.

Lea had more vaccinations at this visit. She did very well... only cried for a couple minutes after the two shots. Unfortunately, one of the side effects from these is a fever and little Lea now has a fever. She was been pretty unhappy and uncomfortable yesterday. Last night, though, she slept so well. Woke up once, at 2:30am to eat, then went back to sleep. In fact, it's now 8:15am and she is still sleeping! I hope she feels better today.

This weekend our weather forecast looks very grim. Tomorrow (Saturday) we may get about half a foot of snow! That's a lot for us!!! The yucky part is that this snow may be mixed with ice. I would usually look forward to a little winter snow, however we are planning on having Lea baptised Sunday morning. Family and friends are to meet us at the church and then gather for lunch at my parent's house afterwards. If the weather doesn't cooperate and causes roads to be impassable, then we'll have to reschedule.

Here's a couple pictures of Lea after her doctor's visit (before her fever kicked in!). She loves her Svan high chair!

She loves to squeal (load) these days! It's adorable... even though it can really hurt your ears sometimes. :)

Crocs Review & Giveaway

Check out The Bragging Mommy blog for her Crocs review and enter to win a pair! :) She is giving away a pair of Crocs Blitzen Polar shoes.

Good luck!

Four Months Old

Lea is 4 months old! Here's what she's up to these days...

• She is getting good at grabbing toys and bringing them to her mouth to chew on. She also chews on her first two fingers - all the time!

• She has rolled over from her belly to her back (but only during 'naked time' after her baths!) and rolls to her side from her back all the time.

• Her exersaucer is becoming a favorite toy as she finds something new on it every day.

• She loves books! We read to her every night. She smiles and watches the pages turn... and often tries to turn them herself.

• Her favorite new 'trick' is blowing 'raspberries' and spit bubbles. She'll do it for so long that her chin and shirt become soaked in slobber!

• She is discovering her feet!

• She is very close to making the "buh" sound.

I have some really cute videos from our new Canon Vixia video camera, however the file type doesn't seem to want to load in blogger. I'll figure it out soon so I can share them with you. :)

Lea and I have started a Mom & Baby Yoga class on Friday mornings. It's very interesting! The oldest baby is 6 months old. Anything goes during the class... one mom could be nursing or changing a diaper while another might be trying to calm her fussy baby. Honestly, the babies (about 6 total) were very happy. Lea enjoyed it so much, she fell asleep!

Her four month well check is next week. We're looking forward to finding out just how much she is growing. (she's getting so big!)

On a side note, be sure to check out my blog post on our company blog, INK by Scandinavian Child.

The Working Mom

I've had many titles throughout my life: daughter, sister, student, girlfriend, fiance, wife, aunt, mother and now... working mother.

My first week back at work is over. I am filled with mixed emotions, not to mention much more exhausted than I thought I would be. The hardest part was waking up and realizing that I had to leave. I have been so used to spending the day playing, reading, napping and taking on a role as 'stay at home mom'. I won't lie, the past 15 weeks have been pretty nice! I have very much enjoyed my time at home with Lea. My mother came up to our house to keep Lea while I was out. Leaving the house was difficult. When I was driving to work on Monday morning, it actually felt like every cell in my body was yelling "Where are you going? Your baby is the other way!"

Another side of me was a little bit excited. I was going back to the office with a new schedule and a tweaked list of responsibilities. (I am now working as a part-time Marketing Associate.) I was also looking forward to seeing all of my co-workers again and getting back into a more stable routine. Once I made it to the office, my day went very well. I kept myself busy as to not continuously think about my baby girl! In the back of my mind, though, I was always wondering what Lea might be doing at home. Was she napping, eating, playing on her floor gym, reading a book, listening to music or playing in her exersaucer? It took a couple of days just to remember where everything was and all of my passwords. Once I did, though everything else was like riding a bike.

Then, when it was time to go home I could hardly contain myself! I had to watch my speed because I just wanted to drive as fast as I could. When I made it home, joy filled my heart, ached in my bones and ran all over my skin. Seeing Lea's beautiful smile and her excitement to see me is the absolute best feeling in the world! I couldn't grab and hug her fast enough. I was back home with my baby girl and life was good.

So, I am now a working mom. I have joined a new group. I feel like I know some secrets that other women will never know.... some secrets that are sad and scary, but others that are joyful and exciting.

2009 - A Year in Review

So very much has happened this past year! It's almost hard to believe.

January 8th 2009... we found out I was pregnant!

April 14th 2009... we found out we were having a GIRL!

June 6th 2009... my brother got married!

July 17th 2009... I turned 30 years old and was 30 weeks pregnant!

September 18th 2009... Arrived at the hospital at 3am... false alarm!

September 19th 2009... Went back to the hospital at 3am. Lea CaLynn Thomas was born at 10:54am!


September 25th 2009... Celebrated Kevin's big 3-0 (and Lea was just 6 days old!).

October 2nd 2009... Lea enjoyed her first bath at home!


October 19th 2009... Lea weighs in at 10lbs 3oz on her one month birthday.

October 31st 2009... Lea 'enjoys' her first Halloween!

November 12th 2009... Kevin and I celebrate our four year wedding anniversary by having a quick dinner out away from Lea for the first time!

November 19th 2009... Lea weighs in at 11lbs 14oz on her two month birthday.

November 26th 2009... Lea's first Thanksgiving!

December 12th 2009... Lea meets Santa for the first time.

December 19th 2009... Lea turns three months old.

December 25th 2009... Lea wakes up as happy as can be for her first Christmas morning!

We've had such an amazing year. While it's hard for me to believe that 2010 can beat 2009, I know it will! Lea has grown, changed and learned so much these past 15 weeks. I can hardly imagine how much she'll grow, change and learn this year!

Happy New Year, everyone.