Miss Raya

It's been a couple of weeks since I updated.  Life certainly has been busier than usual.  One of the biggest updates for Miss Raya is that her I-teeth have started to poke through.  Her lower left has come through and she's working on the lower right.  This is just crazy because most kids don't get these teeth until they're 1.5 years old!   Many times they're the most painful too - I know they were for Easton.  So, I just feel awful for her :(  No wonder she hasn't been able to sleep lately.  Another big update for Raya is that she can sit for a few seconds on her own.  It won't be long before she's a full-time sitter!

Sleeping at night still isn't the greatest.  The past few nights have been a bit better with only waking up about 2 times.  Before that it was 3 or 4... I think her poor teeth were just hurting so bad.  She's also getting so much better at naps during the day.  Although, sometimes she'll wake after a half hour and we'll have to go pick her up and hold her in the bathroom with the fan on for a few minutes and then she'll go back to sleep for like 2 hours.  Many times the only way we can get her to sleep is to go in the bathroom turn the light off, fan on and water on.  One night I found Jake in the bathroom doing this but he also added shaking a tylenol bottle to the mix.  I laughed - but I'll be honest...I've used it since then too.  Oh the things that we come up with to get our children to sleep!  

Raya is OBSESSED with Charlie.  If he walks in the room she imediately starts squeeling, kicking, and has the biggest smile ever!  It's impossible to feed her when he's in the same room because she just sits up and wants to reach for him.  

She's really starting to play more with her toys and even scooting herself around on the floor to reach for toys that she wants.  I can't believe she's going to be 6 months old next week!  So bittersweet... 

Trying carrots for the first time.  Not a fan. 

A little resemblance to mom 

Ready for Easton's Halloween party at school

Loungin'

Puppy love

Loving Raffi

Sitting like a big girl

First time swinging

In awe of Raffi

Fall fun

All bundled up for the corn maze

Having fun watching Easton jump in the corn pit

Pumpkin picking

My tired little pumpkin

An early reader! ;) 

Singing "The Wheels on the Bus"

Corn maze with Dad.  Aren't Raya's boots the cutest?  

5 months

Our sweet little Raya is already 5 months old!  You'd think I'd be used to how fast they grow up but every month I'm completely amazed as to how quickly the time has gone and how big they get.  A few of Raya's favorite things:

1. Singing and music
2. The Wheels On the Bus
3.  Big brother Easton --- he's hilarious!
4. Charlie
5. Bath time
6. Imitating noises we make

I think she's going to be sooo excited in a month when she can start to have mushy baby food.  She watches us like a hawk when we eat and tries to grab our  food!  Hopefully that will help her reflux a little too when she starts food as it's starting to act up again.  Poor babes.  :(

Easton is doing so well with her lately.  He likes to sit next to her and "protect her" because he's the big brother. It's pretty cute.  The other day I moved her from the swing and he didn't see me and asked, "where'd sweetheart go?"  Does it get any cuter than that? :)

She rolls front-to-back and back-to-front like an ol' pro now!  Most nights she rolls over and sleeps on her tummy.  Occasionally she'll wake up crying from this as she can't find a way to get comfortable after she does this.  Especially if she rolls to far into the crib rails.

Loves to give her kisses

Baptism lamb from Mary and Eddie

We are the coolest people around....

That's what Raya must think because she doesn't want to miss a wink of what might happen in our house.  That's all we can come up with as to why this girl doesn't sleep!  She does ok at night (most nights)  Still wakes up about 2 times to eat but she does not nap well during the day suddenly.  It's been going on about 2 weeks now.  Hopefully we can figure out how to put a ka-bosh on this soon because she needs her sleep and Mama (and Dad on the weekends)  needs more than 30 minutes of downtime a day.

She is quickly moving out of baby stage... she can scoot herself around when she's on her tummy.  She will usually do this to get after her favorite toy or to try and chew on Charlie.  Of course we don't let her chew on Charlie but she loves Charlie and loves to put everything in her mouth so yes, she has tried to gnaw on his paw.  She loves to sit up more and reaches for toys she wants.  Makes me so sad how fast they grow out of teeny tiny baby stage.  Especially since she may be our last baby but at the same time it's so fun to see her grow and learn new things and watch her personality grow.  Bittersweet, I must say.

The day of her baptism she wasn't feeling well at all.  Didn't like anyone else to hold her and it was just a rough day for her.  PLUS the baptism lasted like 2.5 hours.  Crazy Catholics.  But when we got home the greatest thing happened.  It was Easton's bath time and Jake was holding Raya as Easton was in the tub playing with this power ranger bath toys and Raya just busted out laughing big belly laughs.  It was the first time we've heard her laugh and I was able to get it on video.  It's so funny and cute!  It was so unexpected after the rough day she had but it definitely made our day complete.  Easton loves to watch the video over and over again and still tries every night to make her laugh.

The only issue we have with tummy time anymore is when she uses it to get out of taking her medicine.  She used to fall asleep when I would give her her medicine and now she just flips right over to her belly when she sees it coming.  She also rolls over to her tummy every night which still makes me super nervous because I'm the most worried Mother you'll ever meet.

Tummy time is so fun now 

Fun at Auntie Mary's Bridal shower

Twisting and turning trying to avoid her medicine

Trying to get Charlie

They were all up in each others grill 

Cutie pie!  Love those cheeks! 

She loves this puppy.  Especially when it sings.  She love love loves singing! 

Baptism

Pictures for now... Thank you to our family for helping us celebrate Raya's baptism.  A big thank you to Jake and Mandy for being her Godparents and thank you to everyone for Raya's wonderful gifts!

update more later :)

Love this photo.... Where's Jake?  Mandy's face and Stella preparing for Raya to scream! :) 

4 months old

I think 4 months has been the biggest change with Raya.  She is rolling from her tummy to her back and from her back  to her tummy.  This seems to happen most when she wakes up from naps as she likes to sleep on her side and so when she wakes up she rolls right over to her tummy.  But I'd say her biggest accomplishment is the huge improvement with tummy time!  She not only lifts her head but her whole chest off and will even play with toys for awhile on her tummy.  Thank goodness -- this worried Mamma was beginning to..well...worry!

The sleep thing hasn't gotten any better.  She will usually nap pretty well during the day with a couple short half hour naps and then one longer nap anywhere from 1.5-3 hours.  Night time she seems to just be hungry all. night. long.  We've tried many different things but I think our next 'trick' will be adding rice cereal to her diet to see if that helps fill her up.  I've read in so many places that there's almost always a dip in sleep at 4 months... so we'll probably just have to wait this one out!  And be utterly exhausted.  

One of our favorite (and I'll just go ahead and speak for Jake here as I think he agrees) things that Raya does is when she first sees you and flashes a BIG smile she gets shy and will bury her head in whoever is holding her.  It's difficult to explain but it's quite possibly the cutest thing ever.  

She's also getting very interested in her big brother.  She will just stare at him and watch him close no matter what he's doing.  The other day it was during supper.  She just couldn't take her eyes off of him as he was eating and being goofy.  Although, sometimes (most of the time) she has no choice but to look at him as he loves to be 'all up in her grill' (see kids...I was cool at one time).

Kisses for my sweet girl.  Easton is becoming quite the photographer! 

They're both getting so big

So sweet

I'm getting pretty good at this tummy time stuff

Aunties ... plural

pretty girl

Starting to move while sleeping

I am in love with this photo - such a beauty

She's on the move

I witnessed Raya rolling over in her crib yesterday!  ahhhh!!!! Mom does not like this.  I wouldn't mind if it was a roller to her back but she rolled from her back to her tummy.  She did this when she woke up and continues to when she wakes up from nap.  I can live with that - as long as it's not in the middle of the night where I have to worry about her face-planting it into her sheets.  She's also lifting her head SO MUCH BETTER now at tummy time and doesn't immediately scream the second you put her on her tummy.  That's major progress, people!!

She's a drooling maniac.  I hope these teeth poke through soon because they sure do give her trouble some days.  :(  Although I read some babies can teeth for months before the teeth pop through.  Ugh, I hope that's not the case with her.

Sleep.  Oh sleep, where art thou?  Raya hasn't been napping great and has been waking up many, many times at night.  I feel like I haven't slept in weeks.  Tonight we're going back to a later bedtime to see if that helps.  Fingers crossed.

Raya thinks her big brother Easton is hilarious!  We heard her first tiny little giggle the other day.  Easton was being being silly at dinner (and by silly I mean naughty) throwing or spitting food and Raya was loving it (oh great, reinforcement).  But it was cute to her a laugh come out :)

Content with being on tummy... this never happens