Thanksgiving

Our family headed up to northern Indiana on Thanksgiving to spend the long weekend. Giada did pretty well in the car. Mommy sat in the back with her to keep her entertained when she wasn't sleeping. It took us longer than "normal" of course because we had to stop and feed & change Giada. It was fun getting to introduce Giada to lots of new family members. Our girl has a sleeping routine that was thrown off by our travels so she was a little upset Saturday at her great-grandma's house, but Brian and I think she did really well considering she didn't really get to nap well that day. The only time she really gets upset is when she is tired.
I went into work two half days this week. The first day wasn't too bad, but I cried on the way home the second day. All I could think about was how much later I'll have to stay once I officially go back and it just breaks my heart that I'll spend more time at work with my students than I will at home with my baby. I know it'll get easier once we get into a routine and I will learn to balance work and home. Plus, Giada has been struggling with taking a bottle. We are trying different brands to try and find one she likes. So that adds to my stress when I'm away.
Giada is 4 months old today! My oh my, where did the time go!?!

Good Morning Sunshine

4 generations of Deardurff's

Meeting proud Grandpa

All bundled up - it was cold!

Giada with cousin Annie at Thanksgiving.

"Talking" to Mommy in the car on our way home.

I'm 4 months old!

The bigger the bow, the better the mommy!  ;-)

Everyone always asks, "How's Wrigley do with Giada?" I think this photo says it all. He loves his little sister and loves to lay with her.

strong girl

Giada is getting so strong! She loves to be on the floor and able to move her arms and legs...on her back, on her belly, on her side! She is going to be rolling over soon. She used to hate tummy time flat on the floor, but has always loved being proped up with the bopy or tummy to tummy with me. Now that she is stronger she does great flat on floor. Its amazing how much change happens in such a short time. She also is getting good at "communicating" because there are times when she does NOT want to be held and she will let us know to put her down and play!
She does NOT like riding in the car. I think its because she is confined to her seat and she can't move like she wants to. It breaks Mommy & Daddy's heart to hear her scream while we drive, but of course we can't stay home all the time. Haha! She doesn't cry very often which makes it even harder to hear.
Her "talking" has also picked up. And oh my, her laugh is contagious! Ceiling fans still fascinate her. Wrigley LOVES Giada. It is so precious. Her spit-up is his favorite thing. We find him sleeping in her room a lot, but at night he still sleeps in our room. He does get jealous when Mamaw or Papaw come over to see Giada and he lets them know that he gets their attention first. Luckily, my parents love him as much as we do and are happy to get down and love on Wrigley so he feels special, too.

Re-Introducing a Bottle

Last week we reintroduced Giada to a bottle. She was not happy at first, but she has gotten better (we tried every day last week). Its funny that she had no issues taking a bottle when she was 2 weeks old (so Mommy could get some extra rest) but since she hasn't had a bottle in 3 months I guess she decided she didn't like it. We didn't give up. With help from Mamaw, Giada has learned that a bottle will feed her just the same. This means Mommy can go to yoga classes again, doctor's appointments, etc. and leave Giada with Mamaw or Daddy and a bottle. And of course, sadly, I'll be headed back to work in a month and a half so she'll get a couple bottles a day and I'll have to pump at work.

Everyone always asks how Wrigley is with Giada. From day one he has seen her as another member of our family. He loves her so much and she adores him. They love to look at each other. He is always "checking" on her when she is on the floor playing. He often will lay down right next to her. She already pets him and it is precious!

Giada is grabbing and swatting her toys. She loves her soft ducky. She is still developing her hand-eye coordination and it is so funny to watch her try to get toys and stuffed animals she grabs to her mouth.

It is amazing how much Giada has grown in 3 months. She is so strong. She can sit up in her Bumbo seat. She loves sitting on our laps and she will even grab our fingers and pull herself up to a sitting position. Mommy and Daddy don't let Giada watch TV - we just feel it isn't good for her developing brain at this age (this is a widely debated issue and this is our opinion). That means Brian and I don't watch TV until Giada is in bed for the night because if it is on she will scoot herself around to find a way to see the TV. So instead we spend our time together playing!