Little Thumbelina

Yesterday, Aunt Jean and Grandma Jo referred to Cora as Thumbelina while we were talking via Skype. How perfect is this nickname for her?! She has always been our tiny, tiny little fairy princess. I think this nickname fits her and her personality to a tee.

I am sorry to say that this blog won't have any pictures to go with it. :( However, I have a quick Thumbelina story to brighten your day.

Cora was outside with me yesterday while I finished planting our garden and began the long process of weeding our yard. Dandelions are out in full force! As I was planting the last tomato plant, I spotted a lady bug. I wondered what Cora would do, if she'd even care, when I showed her the little red beetle. I had the little bug on my gloved hand and walked over to Cora who had been watching me ever so intently. I put the lady bug on the tip of my finger and let it run down towards my hand. When Cora gets excited, she opens her mouth really wide, her eyes get so large I'm afraid that might coming shooting out of her head, she has very loud shallow breaths like she can't quite catch her breath, and she shakes uncontrollably. It is quite the sight. The little lady bug brought on the full excitement in her little body. Just when I thought she was going to burst from excitement and not breathing like a normal kid, she burst into shrills and squeals a the top of her lungs. She was kicking her feet and reaching, straining as hard as she could to reach the bug that was furiously sprinting across my hand. About this time the lady bug took flight and landed on right in front of Cora on her exersaucer. Oh boy, did the fists come flying. She wanted the bug so incredibly bad. Thank goodness she doesn't have good eye-hand coordination and I was quick to scoop the guy up or it could have been the last of his days. I took the lady bug over to a nice blade of grass and let him rest. The excitement must have used up a lot of energy and resources because Cora wanted fed shortly thereafter. It was such a fun moment, and definitely one I'll never ever forget. She is sure going to like her birdhouse from Grandma Jo and the birdbath Daddy is going to get.

Well, we're going to get some lunch and head back outside for another fun day in the sun!

Ergo BABY!

I wanted to write a quick review about my newest baby carrier--the Ergo Sport. I absolutely love this thing. I have a gazillion other carriers that I've tried out. Here is a list of my carriers and a quick note.

• ring sling-- which I like. It ends up getting fairly heavy on my back when worn for long time periods though.
• Baby Bjorn-- I hate hate hate this carrier. It is extremely hot, hard on Cora's hips, and my back aches when I wear it for more than 20 minutes. If I can give any advice to moms-to-be, don't waste your money. And if you have one and "love" it, you haven't spoiled yourself with a good carrier. :)
• Mei Tai-- I like this one, too. It is quite similar to the Ergo without the buckles. It just wraps around and ties. However, mine was made with flannel and it gets HOT!
• Ergo Sport!!-- This carrier is amazing. I have been wearing it constantly and I have no pain anywhere. Cora is so comfortable she'll actually sleep in it. Here is what I like about it.

Most of the weights bears on the hips. It has a very supportive waist band. If you backpack, you'll know how important it is to have a good waist band.
The straps are padded and contoured to fit my shoulders nicely
I can wear Cora on my front, back, and hip.
I can wear her until she weighs 40 lbs!
I have a backpack that straps on. If you don't need that much room, you can get a waist pouch.
It is not too hot.
It is easy on Cora's hips. She is still small, so I have to be careful with that.
There is a hood to pull up to block the sun and hold their head during naps.
There are a bazillion accessories such as a weather cover. I really need to invest in that if I plan to use this hiking. :)
I can get Cora into and out of the pack with no assistance.

It allows me to hold Cora more which is very very important to me.
Lee can easily fit this carrier as well.

So, are there any cons? It is still a bit difficult to get Cora in and out of the back carry. I need to use my bed for assistance because she can't hold on yet. Within a few months, I'll be able to swing her around to my back.

Here are a few pictures of what it looks like. Ignore my hair do. My bangs need trimmed.

This is me practicing a front carry with Mya. She liked it so much that she wanted to be held in it. She is 23 pounds and her weight was very evenly distributed throughout the carrier making a medium size baby comfortable to carry. (Yes, Mya is small...little shorty).

This is a back view with Cora. She is asleep with the hood pulled up.

Here is a side view with my sleeping girl. You can see how the hood just conforms around her head.

This is us the first time I tried a back carry. She fell asleep a short time later. :)

I have spent a lot of time researching carriers. Something that is very important to both Lee and me is that we hold our children as much as possible. Cora spends a lot of time in our arms. I don't practice attachment parenting per se, but I agree with a lot of the philosophy. The reason I say I don't practice it, is because I really haven't fully researched it. If you're interested, google search it. It is a philosophy coined by Dr. William Sears.

I like to say I practice Sascha parenting. I breastfeed on demand. I sometimes co-sleep. I do not believe in "crying it out". I smile every time I see her even if I want to slam my head against a wall. :) Finally, I wear my baby. I am a firm believer that baby wearing will not create attachment issues. If anything, it will create a trusting bond between Cora and me. I don't want to get to0 preachy in this post. I just wanted to put something out there in the blog world that if a mom really wanted to wear her kid, an Ergo is great. Based on how much I like the Ergo, I am guessing a Moby wrap and Babyhawk would rank high up there for me.

Woosh...Did you hear that?

I barely heard that. It was time flying by since Cora has been born. Today marks Cora's 5 months being an "outside" baby. Outside my uterus that is. :) Of course I have pictures to share. But first, let me update my readers on some new milestones.

• She starting babbling. Dadadadadadada is her favorite.
• She blows raspberries. Especially right before she gets upset.
• She is now eating carrots and butternut squash. She loves the butternut squash and cries if there is only rice on her spoon.
• She is teething. It is hell.
• She is starting to sit up unsupported. She only lasts for a few seconds, but she is getting better and better.
• She holds her arms up to me when she wants to be held. It tickles me pink. :)
• She has started to giggle uncontrollably. She stops when I turn on the video camera. :(
• She thinks it is funny when I tell her I am going to eat her. She shoves her fingers in my mouth. This lasted really long last night. She obviously didn't want to go to sleep.
• She is insanely ticklish on her ribs.
• She is starting to get moles! I noticed two freckles on her belly today. It was only a matter of time since her parents are very, very moley. :)
• She is getting more and more coordinated with holding her toys. She is starting to reach out and grabs things while I hold her.
  
• She loves having the breeze blow in her face. She thinks it is the best feeling ever and gasps each time.
• Alright, enough of that. Here are some pictures!
  

This is what her fantastic hair looks like straight out of the bath. Sooo curly.

She was wanting the CD case. She had no idea how well she was sitting up on her own. Lee and I were shocked!

Look at that. No back support! It definitely helps the couch is soft and conforms to her, but still.

These were some fun pictures I took just because. I messed around with them on the my Mac. She is such a sweet little girl. Don't you all love how she puts her hands under her head when she sleeps. I really love these pictures because her sleeping pretty much sucks right now. Well, it sucks for me anyways.

I bought this dream soother thing to help her sleep. She really likes it. It definitely calms her, but doesn't put her to sleep. Only Mommy and my milk can do that. She can put herself to sleep for naps though. Thank goodness since she starts daycare in a week.

The other night, Lee and I awoke to hear her turning on her "fish tank". She continues to amaze us for how fast she learns. I'd like to see a babies brain developing. Wouldn't that be something?

And, finally, a picture to embarrass myself with. Lee made chicken fried steak (my favorite) the other night. I was having a pity party the night before about how I couldn't just go sit in a pub and have a beer with friends whenever I wanted. Boo hoo, I know. So, Lee showed up the next night to cook me dinner and had a 6-pack on Alexander Keiths India Pale Ale. When I sat down, he just looked at me like I was insane. He asked in a smart ass tone, "Are you hungry?" I quickly replied with, "Leave me alone. I breastfeed." He about fell off his chair laughing. I guess he didn't like my excuse for being a complete glutton. This is disgusting, I know. My only confession is that I am salivating looking at his picture. And, yes, I ate it all.

The Camera Loves You Little Guy!

Maxon Troy arrived today at 3:51pm PST. He weighed 7 lbs 12.5 oz and measured 19.5 in. Michelle did a stellar job despite having a forceps delivery. I feel your pain, Michelle. I really, really do. I am so proud of you. Max is quite the giant compared to Mya and Cora!

Welcome, little Max, to this great big world.

Us Rogers girls definitely know how to make a baby with hair!

Proud Dad

My sweet nephew

The epidural must have felt good.

Santo, you couldn't look any happier.

Mommy, Daddy, and Baby. I love this picture.

My incredibly beautiful little sister.

Michelle, Max, and Dr. Weisert. I was lucky enough to meet Dr. Weisert when I was in Tucson. She was great.

Mya meeting Max for the first time. She says Max very well.

Turns out she'd rather snoop through the drawers. :)

Thanks, Rochelle, for sending the pictures so fast!

He's HERE!!

I am happy to announce that Maxon Troy has arrived!!! I only know that he weighed in at 7 lbs 12 oz and was born about 15 minutes ago!!

My Nephew IS

almost here!!

Stay tuned! :)

Happy Mother's Day TOOOOO MEEEEEEEEE!

Cora is tuckered out after a long day with Mommy and Daddy. We went on a great walk down by the river. Then Lee cooked shish-kabobs on the grill. Mmmm Good. Cora played in the grass and dirt. Good times had by all.

Lee and his carbon copy.

Cora did not want to sit in her Bumbo. She really wanted the grass.

This stuff is cool.

Dirt!!! Heck yeah!!

Mom, this green stuff is great!

Sunning the baby.

She loves to be outside.

Kris Kross Will Make Ya JUMP JUMP

Here's to some Jolly Jumping fun. Cora loves her jolly jumper, if you can't tell from the video. ;) She is getting much better at it. The harness no longer completely engulfs her little body either. Speaking of little bodies, Cora had her 4 month immunizations this last week. Here are her stats.

13 lbs 7 oz (with a bulky cloth diaper, so she is probably an ounce or 2 less)--20th percentile
25 1/4 in long--50th percentile
Her head circumference was also 50th percentile.

So, the little tyke has definitely grown but she is still a pipsqueak. She has been extremely consistent since birth and grown at a very constant rate which is great! She turn 5 months old next week. I can't believe how time has flown by. Here are a few more pictures just because.

I want to eat the chair. The little area behind her is the play section of her new bedroom. It will soon be Dollhouse Central. I am sure Lee is going to build her the biggest, most fabulous dollhouse when the time comes.

This look gets her whatever she wants.

So does this one.

And this one. Who am I kidding? She has us wrapped around her finger.

I love her eyes.

Cutest face in the world.

We were all ready to head outside to enjoy the nice weather and it started to rain. Boo. Doesn't she look so sweet in her sunhat?

Mommy, are you watching how good I can play?

All smiles for the camera. After I saw this photo, I realized she needed the exersaucer raised a bit. She is getting so long!

This picture cracks me up every time. She is standing up really good in this thing. I love the determination on her face. We keep little toys on the counter that she can play with (tennis ball, rubber ducky, etc). She thinks it is really great to drop them through the leg holes at the bottom. You can see her pacifier down there now. What a stink! Oh, I didn't mean to put up a bunch of pictures of her in her exersaucer. I promise she doesn't sit in it all day. ;)

Nom Nom Nom

Little Corabelle has starting eating solids!! Her doc said she was holding her head just fine to start solids at 4 months, but he said I could start anytime between 4-6 months when I felt comfortable (wow, that was a long run-on sentence! I am too lazy to reword it. Sorry!). Well, Aunt Michelle felt comfortable and had the rice cereal waiting in Tucson. Cora thought it was fantastic. Cora didn't have any tongue thrusting reflex and swallowed like a champ.

She is now eating two meals of rice cereal a day. Each meal is about 3 Tbls of rice cereal and some water to wash it down. She is drinking water out of both a regular cup and a sippy cup. What a big girl we have!

Here are pictures of Lee feeding her. The pictures don't do much justice. The whole time she eats, she is grunting, kicking her legs in delight, and farting. Too funny! For veteran feeders, I have a question. Why do dads make such a mess when feeding? Hahaha. Enjoy the photos.

Open Sesame

I'm doing good, aren't I, Mom?

Whoa, Dad! That bite was huge!!

Dinner plates for eyes.

Convenient for us, the previous tenants of our new rental left us a high chair.

I want more!!

Yummy!

On a side note, I added more songs to my playlist. Cora and I like to turn it on when we are chillaxin'. She really enjoys the old country and bluegrass. Or, maybe she thinks I am funny when I sing at the top of my lungs. Who knows?