There is nothing in the world that compares to a mother's love for her child. I have spent hours upon hours watching my baby girl sleep, playing with her tiny toes, and kissing her mini-me nose. From the moment she was born, I thought she was perfect. I watch Liana play and wonder what she will want to be when she grows up. The possibilities for her future are endless.


Since last month's update Liana has worked on sitting up, moving around on the floor, bouncing in her jumper, growing two teeth, gaining a pound and a half, sleeping in her own room, and trying her first taste of solid food! So much has happened this past month and Liana has grown an incredible amount.


I was so anxious and a bit sad the first night Ashton put Liana down to sleep in her own room. I was used to her being less than three feet away from me in her bassinet, and now she is in a different room. I slept very lightly the first night and woke up to any break in static on the baby monitor. Liana did so well with the transition though, and now she is in there every night.


Liana's first taste of solid food was a bit of pureed strawberry that I let her try when I was making a smoothie. She seemed to like it, so a few days later I mashed up the end of a banana to feed her, but... that didn't go over so well. She made the worst face I've ever seen. I couldn't tell if she didn't like the taste or just wasn't used to the consistency. I tried mashed banana again the next day and about a week later, but she made the same icky face each time.


Did I mention that Liana has her two bottom teeth? Yup! I actually thought the teething process would last a bit longer, but she's getting through it like a champ! One day when she was being particularly fussy, I noticed two white lines under her gums where her front bottom teeth would be. She spent the next few days excessively drooling and and being extra fussy before nap time. Within a week, her first tooth (bottom right) broke through and about a week later her second tooth (bottom left) broke through, and now they are coming in fast. She doesn't seem to be as cranky or sore as when they were first coming in though. I love it when she smiles or laughs and shows them off. :)

 
I feel like a broke record when I write these updates, repeating how I can't believe how much time has passed and how big Liana is getting. Mothers always say "they grow so fast" and "these are the days you'll miss when they're older." And I know exactly what they mean. I see mums bring their newborns into my work and I think, "I remember when Liana was that small" and I miss it. I loved how tiny and fragile she seemed. I loved watching her sleep and kissing her face all smooshed up against my chest. I loved her tiny newborn clothes and waiting for her first smile.


I would never want to rewind or slow down time, though. Babies grow so rapidly and are constantly learning new things. Liana literally keeps me on the edge of my seat with what to expect next. I've seen her first smile, her first laugh, her first time rolling over, standing up on her feet, cooing, reaching for objects she wants, and resting her hands on her feet to attempt to sit up on her own.


Next will come actually sitting up on her own, responding to cause and effect games (like peek-a-boo), getting her first taste of solid food, developing an understanding of associations, sleeping in her own room, etc. I can't wait to experience her "firsts" with her and watch her little personality blossom.


Currently we are working on getting her to sit up on her own. Liana still does tummy time to strengthen muscles (by having to lift her head/neck/shoulders), improve coordination (by grabbing for toys in front of her), and promote mobility (by trying to get objects out of her reach or turn toward a noise). I also give her plenty of time to practice actually sitting. I will help her by holding her hands for balance, putting a pillow behind her (which she usually tries pulling her self away from so she can sit up even more), or resting her hands on her feet while she sits leaning forward (i have a clip of this for her next video!).


I love trying to show her new things, but I'm trying to be patient and let her figure certain things out on her own. I am starting to offer her more toys so she can choose what she wants to explore and play with. She always looks so thoughtful and I can tell when she is really trying to figure something out because her eyebrows will scrunch together and she won't lose focus unless I literally pull her away. She focuses a lot when she plays with the toys on her new exersaucer.


After sitting up on her own, I think our next feat will be letting her sleep in her own room (eek!---sad mummy day) and letting her taste real food! Those will probably be between 5-6 months though. But I am so excited!

Check out a clip of Liana's laughing fit this week:

Hello again! I realize I have been quite MIA on here lately, but there was no way I would miss posting about Liana's past month! We've been super busy with moving (once again) and I am juggling being back at work and trying to get out of the house with Liana on my days off. I'm hoping to get into a better blogging routine soon, so I can post more often.


Growth! Liana is growing like a little weed! My little munchkin is probably nearly double her birth weight now. Most people look at her and comment on how tiny she is. I agree with them, but I know being her parent allows me to also see how big she is at the same time. She is smiling all the time now, even at strangers, which I am happy about! Our pediatrician mentioned (and I've read about) babies developing separation anxiety between 2-4 months, and one of the signs is selective smiling (reserving smiles only for mummy and daddy). Another sign is waking more at night and looking around to make sure her parents are close by, but Liana doesn't do this either. I think it's because she spends most of her waking time with us and there aren't really periods of time when we set her down and walk away.


Strength! For over a month now, Liana has been bearing her weight down on her feet like she is ready to stand. She obviously lacks the balance and coordination to stand up on her own, but by practicing while holding my hands she is building up strength in her legs. Our pediatrician and my baby emails say babies start bearing their weight down around 4 months and Liana has been doing it since before she was 2 months old! I'm not surprised though; the day she was born I had her laying on my chest and when she heard a noise she lifted her head off of me and turned her head to both sides before laying it back down and completely surprised the nurse! I also think Liana is really close to sitting up on her own. My baby emails say that on average babies sit up at around 4 months, so I think she is right on track. When I lay down and sit her on my belly with my legs behind her, she pulls herself forward to sit all the way up (instead of just laying back resting on my legs). She usually overshoots and pulls too much and ends up falling forward. I usually catch her with my hands and let her push her hands off of mine to sit up straight again, but she usually overshoots again, pushing too hard, and resting her back on my legs again. She knows how to push and pull herself forward and backward to get to where she wants, and as soon as she gains balance she will be able to sit on her own!! Another thing she does is when she is laying down and holding my hands, she grips my hands pretty hard and uses them to pull herself into a sitting position, and then bears down hard on her feet and with another giant pull she straightens out her legs and uses my hands to pull herself into a standing position! I'm going to see if I can get a video of her doing this so you know what I'm talking about. She is just so strong it honestly amazes me!


Changes! On numerous occasions I've caught Liana sleeping on her side. Previously, she would only sleep on her back. I got her to sleep on her tummy only once but I deliberately put her like that to see if she would like it. She's not a very picky sleeper though and sleeps through pretty much everything and can sleep anywhere. Which also brings me to her bassinet! I didn't think she was going to sleep in it, but since we moved I was adamant about getting her to use it. Her regular sleep schedule at night is from 10-6. This first two nights in her bassinet she went down between 9:30-10pm and woke up around 3am. We figured out it wasn't the bassinet though, it was because she was too cold! After adding another blanket (covering up to her belly button), she has slept through until 6-6:45! (Last night, for example, she slept from 9:30pm-6:45am). She also still enjoys her morning nap too. She eats right away when she wakes up between 6-6:45am and then naps until her next meal at 9-9:30am.


Development! Liana is working on developing hand/eye coordination. She hasn't successfully reached out, grabbed, and held onto anything yet, but yesterday she was pretty close. I always have my cell phone all up in her face since I use it to take pictures/videos of her and while the camera was on she reached out and grabbed the side of my phone and tried dragging it away, haha! I think I'm going to put more toys on the floor with her during tummy time and on the tray of her high chair so she can work on grabbing them. I also haven't heard Ani laugh yet! She is a whole bundle of smiles, showing off her gums at any chance she gets, but she hasn't even let out a giggle yet. I'm trying to wait patiently, but she is really testing me!!


**Please excuse the continuously grainy and washed out pictures. I am still using my cell phone for photos! :( **