Our Tour of South Dakota

So life has been a roller coaster. Literally up and downs. I feel like a start every blog like this, but life does not seem to be slowing down. Life in Minnesota has been going great. I like where we are working and loving where we are living. Brian's family is super awesome.

Two weeks ago we started a journey that was going to last thousands of miles and through many states. First we left and worked in Iowa for a couple days, then headed over to Rapid City. In case you are wondering thats on the west side of South Dakota, 50 miles from Wyoming. About a 7 1/5 hour drive! yay! Leila loves driving!  That night we went to a pre-wedding dinner for Katie Anderson, now Hunter. It was so great to see everyone and meet new people.

We then flew out the next morning at 7 for Georgia to attend Todd and Nancy's wedding. We had an extra surprise,  my mom drove 8 hours north to come see us! YAY! 3 weeks seemed like half a year! It was great to spend some time with both my friends, who i havent seen some since b4 i was pregnant, and my mom! The wedding was perfect! Beautiful reception and a happenin' dance floor! It was especially great to dance it up with my best friends!

It was a quick weekend, then a "short" flight back to South Dakota. Monday morning we had a busy day planned. Started at Julie, Mary, and Katie's Dad, Bruce, house. He has a sweet log house that he has remodeled and expanded. Then we stopped by where Katie had her wedding. Beautiful location. Our next stop was the Winery! I was excited. Julie works there and offered some great tips to buying a couple bottles... like i needed persuasion. We bought a couple and I have definitely enjoyed some so far!

We filled our day with touristy events like Crazy horse and Mount Rushmore. Took lots of pics! Then Brian made the suggestion that we should take Old Tyme Pictures. I thought that was a great idea! So we did... and right before the rain came!

As of Leila and her advancement... she has been learning by leaps and bounds. "Top 99th percentile you know!" She stands up by herself quite frequently and if you hold her hands, she will walk as far as you can go. She is super close to walking. We have our phones out to records almost always.

Brian and I started making the noise with our mouth and finger that goes POP... well leila tries to mimic us and puts her finger in her mouth and pulls it out to make her own noise. Cutest thing ever. She is more and more aware of everything and not only what you say but how you say it. She understands when Brian says no, doesnt mean she listens!!

We have another big week for work this week and then off to the twin cities, then Memphis! I have a feeling life is going to stay this way...

Thankful Thursday

Ever since I have gone back to work leaving Leila has been tough. Some days are better than others. But today instead of dwelling on the time we spend apart, I am thankful of the time we have together.

This morning was one spectacular moment. Leila was mimicking the kissing noise and made the cutest face. Her whole mouth turned inward to make the squeaking part of the smooch. I have tried to get a picture of it, but it comes and goes too fast. And makes my heart melt.

She has been a lot more talkative this last week and standing up by herself for 30-40 seconds at a time. She is so close to walking its not funny. I am tempted to take the next week off just to be there for the first steps! lol.

Today I picked up Leila around 7:45 and she was in the best mood. So happy and playful. We also had a great bath time while learning our letters and numbers. Its these moments that make life wonderful. If only there were more hours in the day to play!

Here is a picture of Leila standing at Mount Rushmore!! She is also exploring pine needles and dirt!! Looks like a future Scientist!! :)

Summer time in Minnesota...

So i am a little behind, but i am trying to keep up. Life has been a whirlwind. So i will try to catch you up... in a nut shell!

Sunday, May 22, Brian, Leila, and I and a bunch of our work friends participated in the "Get your Rear in Gear" 5k run. It was "fun." LOL. The weather was less than favorable. It was kind of cold and rainy, so Brian ended up taking Leila back to the car to stay dry! yea and it also got him out of running. It was fun to get together for a good cause.  That was at 8 in the morning and by 2 I was on a flight to Dallas for a week of sales training.









The week away from both of my babies was tough. I would be lying if i said i didnt cry. I know one thing for sure, I will never do that again! Or atleast for a long time.

Memorial Day weekend was great! We didnt do much of anything except move in and spend time with Family. Brian did a couple rounds of golf, but other than that, it was relaxing!

Today was my first day ON THE JOB! lol. It could have started off better, but Leila decided to have a scream fest at 2am. It was a long hour, because we could not figure out what was the matter. After an hour she just wore herself out and fell asleep. So the morning was slow but I followed this great guy. Works hard, recruits hard, and has a great smile. Oh did i mention i worked with Brian! :) Tomorrow is my first day by myself and I am excited! I am working in the little town of Warren, MN. If you look on the map, you wont find it! lol Wish me luck I will try and update you on my progress soon!

As far as the separation anxiety, I am doing ok. This morning I was ok dropping her off at Grandma Carla's, because i was able to stay and hang out for an hour then leave for the day. When i stopped back by on our way out to work to drop off her sippy cup and heard her crying, it pulled at the heart strings. Part of me wanted to go in and pick her up and rock her to sleep, and the other part of me was already inside with her! :) People keep telling me it is going to get better, but i dont understand how that is possible. When i am not with her, there is a void. But i am trying to thicken my skin and get thru this. One day at a time.

Oh and I forgot to mention, Leila learned how to wave last weekend. It is the cutest thing ever. She even said Bye, not sure if she meant it, but it sounded like it!

Life in the Fast Lane...

So it has been a little while since I have updated Life with Leila, but man there has been a lot going on. The last time I posted we were planning to go to Tarpon Springs with our favorite play dates, Emma and Brett. And we had fun. Not only did we get to see some cool new fish and animals, Leila went on her first bounce house. She loved it!

Sister from another Mister, Hannah!

Cita with her little angel

Yay for Friends and Family

This last week has been very busy. Last saturday was our going away party. And i thank everyone for coming and celebrating with us! I will me you guys so much! Special Thanks to my Aunt Neenee and Mamacita! They are the best!

Lauren and Mallory

The next day was our big family photo shoot on Hillsboro River. It turned out great! Leila brought her A-game and was an angel to work with! We just looked through our shots yesterday and we got some good ones! Cant wait for the canvas's to be done and delivered! They will be a great addition to the house.

Sunday night we went to game night at Jess and Brian's house. A play date for both adults and babies. It was a blast. We played Scattergories, which turned out to be hilarious!

Tuesday was our last night in florida and so of course we had another small get together of friends and Family! Shout out to Jessica for being the best mom and friend! Thanks for coming over and "sipping" some wine!

Wednesday morning was my BIG test day, and after all that wine, man was i feeling excited to take it! lol. But against all odds, I passed! with a 92 (wink wink)! I then drove home, finished packing up the car, then we took off to Nashville, Our midway point to Minnesota.

The drive was one for the books. Somewhere around hour 18 we realized we had wax spilling down our back seat. Talk about a fun ride after that. We some how made it through the 26 hours, but Leila made it an adventurous trip as well. Thanks to my mom for getting us the dvd player for the car. I always said I would never sit Leila in front of a tv screen, but it was a savior in the car.

Well it took 2 days, but we are here in Minnesota! We had some great friends over today for a welcoming party. As you can tell we find any excuse to have a party! pictures will be posted soon...dont worry! Tomorrow is our 5k and I am really excited. I hope it doesnt rain. I also leave for Dallas tomorrow for a week. A WHOLE WEEK. AWAY FROM MY BABY! I am not sure how i am going to deal. I would love some ideas to keep my mind off it. I have a feeling a good cry is in order! lol

Here are some adorable pics of our friends and family!

                                                                         !Enjoy!

9 month check up at 8 1/2 months...

Leila is so advanced she even gets to have her check ups early... lol! Today we went for her 9 month well visit. We scheduled it early because we will be in Minnesota for her actual 9 month bday! It was a great visit. Leila's head measured in at 42.5 cm around, 18lbs and 10 oz., and 28 inches long. That puts her in the 60% for height, looks like Leila got my height genes, and 50% for weight. She is lower in weight for a couple reasons. First, it is still 2 weeks away from her 9 month mark, and breast-fed babies tend to bulk up, aka get super healthy rolls, then slim down when they become more active (And boy is she active). She is still eating great and growing like a weed.

At 9 months the doctors test for Tuberculosis and prick their finger to check their blood. One test is for led because babies tend to put EVERYTHING in their mouths, so they want to make sure that their led is low. Which Leila's is. Her lymph-cells were higher than usual, which means she could be fighting off an infection or just getting over one. But the doctor said since she has not had a fever it will be gone soon. She also had to get a shot, to get us on schedule with the rest. Leila was a trooper with the tuberculosis "shot". She didnt flinch. The prick to the finger was a bit worse, she didnt like it when they were squeezing it to get more blood to come out. The last shot was as bad as the ear cleaning. Man she does not like that. She has been holding her hands in fists ever since the doctors, doesnt want to take any chances. lol.

When it comes to development, she is right on track, if not ahead :) She is picking up small items, like cheerios, and talking and even drinking from her sippy cup. I am in love with her new noises and laughs. We spend a lot of time laughing. And our new daily routine is dance time. We crank up the tunes and dance like no one is watching!! She even bounces to the music.

We "invested" in some new Baby Einstein. My first Signs and Baby Noah. Love them both. I try to do the signs for each word when I use it, like mommy and daddy. And Baby Noah teaches a little of the bibles and also takes you around the world and shows which animals live where. You know me and animals.

Speaking of Animals, we are going to our 3rd aquarium tomorrow with our play date pals, Brett and Emma and Jessica of course! So excited. Only one more aquarium to go to before we leave Florida. The clearwater aquarium, with winter the dolphin that has a fake tail!

That is all for now. In case your keeping a record, we leave for minnesota in 2 weeks!

She's going to be my Drama Queen

Last night my mom, aka Cita, took Leila and I to an outdoor play at Demons Park. It was Rent! Which is like our favorite play. We saw it when we went to New York City on Broadway during our Mother-Daughter trip back in 2006. Love it! It was so much fun. You bring your own food and drinks and you sit on blankets. We had seats in the premiere blanket seating (oh lala... lol) and got there early enough that there was only one couple in front of us. Leila loved it too! Of course she had a blast smiling and laughing with strangers near by and Cita and I enjoyed some wine and watching her. I have to say Leila has got rhythm. Anytime there was music being played, she was clapping and bouncing her cute little butt to the beat! Here are some pics from the play:

We ran into a friend of my mom's, Michele! She was a blast from the past. Havent seen her since i was in high school. Boy is she funny!

Leila also got to meet the cast! They were all very nice!

Here she is with "Angel"

Here with Mimi and Maureen

Leila Flirting with "Mark"

It was such a great night. I love my mom so much and she nailed this gift! Quality Time with my favs!

Oh and i forgot to mention... We found a tooth! Leila's first tooth has broken through! Yay! After 5 months of our Doctors telling us she is "teething" we see some results!

Oh and we did have a brief standing up by herself. As in she used my leg to stand up, let go of my leg, and then fell down a couple seconds later! But its progress! She is such a smart and beautiful baby! (I know i'm biased) :)

I'm 8 months old... and boy have I grown!

April 21st was Leila 8 month birthday and its amazing the milestones we have crossed. As you know Leila is on solids, but we are pretty consistent to eating 3 meals a day! Yay! It seems that her favorite foods now are the ones mommy makes. (not just tooting my own horn, Brian noticed this!) She has mastered feeding herself gerber lil munchies and any small pieces of fruit you put in her hands. When it comes to favorite foods, there isn't one that she hates. A few flavors that need mixing, like organic spring veggies but with time she eats most. She is definitely a fruit lover! Gets that from Me i think. I am still nursing 3-5 times a day, but she is on mostly food now.

As for movement, she is in constant motion now. She can crawl all over. I have already noticed that when its quiet that means she is typically doing something she shouldn't... like shredding paper! *Side note: When i was little I couldn't pronounce my R's very well, so when watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles i used to call the bad guy the shweddah instead of Shredder*. That has now become Leila's nickname because she will shred any paper product into the littlest pieces. Besides the mess, its the cutest thing. She makes a face like "Ooh look what I'm doing." She has also been pulling herself up on anything. Who knows maybe walking will be soon!

Now as you can see I can talk, but little miss Leila has become quite the talker herself. No true words yet, but the volume has definitely increased. She is constantly laughing and smiling. She is a very happy baby. No teeth yet, but i believe they will be here relatively soon. You can feel them right under the surface. Her favorite playlist is the genius to Layla by Eric Clapton. We use this and slow dance with her at nap and bed time and it works great. Her favorite movie is still Neighborhood Animals by Baby Einstein, yet Finding Nemo is a close second ;)

She is wearing clothes from  6-9-12 months depending on the maker. She still lets me put bows and headbands on her head, but is getting better at removing them, thanks to daddy i think. Her favorite Toy right now is a pink golfball and the foul baseball we got at the rays game, pretty much anything that rolls.   She has recently become not a fan of the car seat, i believe due to our 7 hour drive down to the keys, so we are working on getting that back on the good list.

Overall, she is a happy, smiley, gabbing, singing baby girl who loves playing inside and outside!!

                                   Happy 8 months baby Leila!