**SPLASH**

And today was Morgan's first swimming lesson! I have no pictures of this week's lesson b/c it's too hard to juggle a wet baby, myself, and an expensive camera in the pool area. Next week when Adam's home, it's on.

She did really well! Morgan just kind of "took it all in" and didn't go overly crazy but didn't hate it either. She went to swimming lessons with her friends Olivia (and dad Kurt) and JoJo (and his mom, Casey and dad, Joe). JoJo was a splasher while Olivia took a while to warm up - and then did better than them all by floating with a little help from dad. Morgan and JoJo both went under with Casey's advice of blowing in their faces and as soon as they stop sucking in air, dunk. Morgan was fine with it the first 2x...3rd one...a little protesting to let me know she was done with that for the lesson. :)

The swimming lesson was more laid back than I thought it might be...they practiced putting their ears in the water, their noses...sang some songs, played with some water toys. I'm glad we're doing it but it's less structured than I thought it would be. Fun fun though and it's good for her!

I hate whining. So much. But my back is still killing me. I'm off to go stretch and find some ibuprophen. Sigh. Stupid back. It's really putting a damper on things at the moment. :-/

On a positive note, however, Steph and Patt are coming to visit tomorrow night!! SOOOOO excited about this. Now...how to clean while feeling like this and Adam not getting home until 8pm tomorrow night (stupid late flight)...

Swimming Lessons

I think I may have broken it...meaning my back. I wrote a few weeks ago that it was hurting and that I went to my friend's husband who's a chiro and it was slowly getting better. Then yesterday, Morgan and I went for a walk and I decided that I missed running and burning more calories and decided to run/walk instead of just walking. To make a long story short, I can hardly stand up straight and my back is KILLING me. It hurts so much. And Adam's on travel this week so there's no relief from carrying around the 18lb kid or to stretch my back/legs and a wall is NOT the same. So sad, old-looking me will be walking around like I'm 90 for the next week or so.

Today, I signed my big girl up for her first swimming lessons. I'm SO excited for her!! She loves her baths and has no problem with me pouring water over her head or getting water on her face. She doesn't particularly care for face-plants into the water when she leans too far forward for a toy that's out of her reach (oops, bad mommy, just one time) but otherwise she's fine with water. It's every Thursday night from 6:30-7:00pm and she's going with two of her friends. Since teeny ones can't be in the water alone, this means I will have to don a swimsuit...yikes. I have a tank-ini that I bought in anticipation for the Kansas trip and didn't use...but it's still scary to have to put it on. In public. In front of non-strangers. Sigh. More incentive to work out...once my back isn't affecting my every move. But it's not about me - it's about Morgan starting swimming lessons!

She's already got quite the agenda for the summer -

• Swimming lessons 1x/week
• Daycare on occasion to visit friends and socialize while mom either works or catches up on life
• Baby lap sit (a library program for little ones where they read books, sing, dance, etc)
• Stroller Strides 2x/week
• Visits to WI when Adam's out of town.
  

Sounds like a good summer to me. Can't. Wait. :) WEEKS away!!

Big Girl Pictures - 6 months

Today we went to a place in the Quad Cities called "Picture Innovations" for Morgan's 6 month pictures. She took a nap for about 35-40 minutes before we left and when I went up to her room to get her, she was awake but I'm pretty sure was just in the process of moving before going back to sleep. :-/ She snuggled with her blanket and sucked her finger/thumb the whole way to the portrait studio...and then did fairly well.


She of course, was frightened of the photographer. We have GOT to get her over this stranger danger thing. Sigh. After lots of work, silly faces/noises, Adam was the winner with his fake hacking cough that won her over. (weird child, I know, but it made her smile so he wins) We have many great pictures and the price could NOT be beat. We also got a CD to keep and use so that's exciting if anyone wants a different picture(s) than the one(s) we hand out.


Last night may have been one of the best nights of my mommy life. Let me preface...Friday night, Morgan slept from 7:30pm-8:00am with only ONE visit to her room to put her nuk in her mouth. Total time out of bed for mom - 108 seconds (I'm speedy). Last night, she one-uped herself and slept from 7:30pm-7:40am with NO nuk replacements. NO visits to her bedroom for either of us...and she has successfully completed a "sleep through the night" in my book. If you go by the books, she slept through the night a LONG time ago as she didn't require nighttime feedings and slept for 5-6 hours straight. Didn't count in my book...this did. And I hope she keeps this schedule for every weekend forever and ever Amen. :) (I know, I know, highly unlikely. A mommy can wish.)


Speaking of nuk replacements or nuk use in general, it has taken a nose-dive in the Schmidt household. I'm tempted to wash them all up one last time and put them away. Morgan has a new love for her left thumb and forefinger. She will suck on either one at will to soothe herself, entertain herself, or as a tool to create more drool. While this is FANTASTIC now, I do worry a little about the future b/c we can't take a thumb away the same as we can a nuk...again, still enjoying the sleep for now. :-D


Now that I wrote all that business about Morgan sleeping through the night, she just started crying in her crib but I think she had a bad dream. It was a different cry. Nothing a little chest-rubbing reassurance didnt' cure...and a forefinger. :)

Ok, off to make dinner. Adam will be home from turkey hunting soon so he'll be ready to eat I'm sure. Hope you enjoyed the pictures - there are 80 billion more but those will have to do. :)

Food & Shakin'

Few quick notes while Morgan takes an uncharacteristic late day weekday nap as she skipped her afternoon nap at the sitter's...

• Add to Morgan's food repertoire: kiwi and blueberries. Next on the list - strawberries (got approval from the sitter - she knows everything) and those little dissolvable stars. Since she's getting so good at sitting and her fine motor control is quite good now, I think she's ready.
  
• I guess Morgan is making some good gross motor control at Mary's house. I was excited b/c she's doing well at home, but Mary said today that Morgan is starting to move PLENTY on her own and it won't be long...
• Speaking of the next movement step, I was able to support Morgan's legs/knees last night and she was able to hold herself up (on the arm end) on all 4s for about 4-5 seconds. Progress, baby!

On a separate note, I particularly miss back home this week. No specific reason. Sometimes I just wish we lived closer to family so Morgan and I had someone else while Adam is gone. Sometimes we get lonely. But then he comes home and it's better. The end.

My big girl - 6 Months Old

Our big girl is 6 months old today, April 19th, 2010

She now likes to sleep in her high chair if she's tired.

While Daddy's traveling, the only other person to help out is Morgan!

First Daddy/Daughter dance at Meg & Trey's wedding in Manhattan, KS.

Tired baby...emotional mom. Couldn't help crying all over the
place thinking someday this is going to be HER wedding. :'-)

I love my daddy!

Meg, the happy and very beautiful bride, and the Schmidt girls.

Ha ha, momma, you're so funny...

Lovin' on the baby

Happy Schmidt Family, 04/10/2010

Ok, now that you've got your picture fix in, I've got lots to share since I haven't been on here much lately. My laptop is currently on the fritz with our home wireless internet and I haven't had a chance to call an IT person to help. :-/ Annoying. Anyway, here goes.

We are STILL waiting on these alleged "teeth." She has some s/s (signs/symptoms) such as not SLEEPING as well, eating less, chewing well, the same, since she's a huge chewer/drooler...but no teeth. We're thinking that it might be the top teeth first since her front gum line is *slightly* changing here and there...but not enough to say yup! They're coming! So we wait. And wait. And hope that there is an end to some of this behavior...which really isn't that bad at all - but the sleeping...I miss the sleeping.

Speaking of sleeping, you saw in the pictures that she can now sleep in her highchair. She did this for lunch yesterday (Sunday) and dinner tonight. The poor thing. Also new on the sleeping front, Morgan slept on her STOMACH in her CRIB for 45 minutes Saturday afternoon. I left her in her crib wide awake so as to let her try putting herself to sleep and low and behold, 15 minutes later, she's out with her fingers in her mouth. Sweetness. And then yesterday (Sunday), she slept on her back in her crib for TWO HOURS. It was glorious. I got lots done and then I even got to sit on the couch and read a book (gasp) for about 10 minutes before she got up. LOVE this.

Over this past weekend, Morgan has decided that she is now a thumb-sucking baby. She doesn't do this constantly, but whenever things are idle, she's tired and without a nuk, or in between chewing on her fingers/thumb, she now sucks her thumb. It's terribly adorable though b/c she wraps her index finger around her nose...so we ooo & ahhh and then pull her thumb out and give her the nuk instead. I can take that away later. Not so much on the thumb. It's still really cute though. :-D

Yesterday while Adam was doing some crazy mulching work outside, Morgan and I found ourselves in her room and playing. We had a GREAT time...it was the first time that I really felt like we were having some back and forth interaction and truly playing. Her eye coordination and tracking speed has also SIGNIFICANTLY increased and she now tracks with crazy-fast precision. Anyway, while we were playing, I put her on her tummy to practice using the muscles she needs for crawling. She's getting really good at getting up high on her hands and is starting to get some alternating leg motion although is super preliminary. Next thing I know, there is something next to Morgan that she wants WAY more than what is right in front of her and she spins around to get it. I, being the mean (curious) mommy that I am, I put it out of her reach a little further until she had done a complete 360 on her own. Which she did. And of this I am ridiculously proud. We are very concerned about her development and growth and are excited to see each new change. Adam is especially excited for her physical development for sports later. Like a true Schmidty should be. :)

This past weekend on Saturday, Morgan and I participated in a mommy/child exercise group in the Quad Cities known as Stroller Strides. It involves you and your baby/children in strollers along with other moms/kids and for an hour there is walking, some running (if you want), toning, and strengthening exercises. It was GREAT. Morgan and I are definitely planning on joining by the end of April b/c the signup fee is significantly lower than usual and are going to make it habit over the summer. For now we might just do Saturdays. We loved it, got compliments on the well-behaved baby (again - we LOVE this), and are eager for more. I still have this dang weight to lose and it's not coming off by wishing.

Props to the hubs. Tonight marks the end of Adam's 5th last class of his MBA. He is taking one fast-track class at the end of May/June and then another week intensive class this summer. Then there's only TWO left. I'm so proud of him. He's the strongest man I know. I don't think I could ever travel the way he does AND go to school AND be the best husband/father ever. I am the luckiest girl ever - I heart my little family. xoxox

Traveling, a Wedding, and lots more

I have tons to say now that it's been about a week and a half since my last post. Since last night was a rough night without Adam in the mix (Toronto this week), I'm really tired and need to be in bed.

Last week - Morgan did quite well on the EASY drive down to Manhattan, KS for my friend, Meg's wedding. It was great that Adam could drive and I could crawl back and forth b/w the front/back seats. Thankfully I'm kinda bendy and could do it. That night? Not so great. Our fault. We forgot the bottle at dinner and she got WAY too overtired. Things settled by around 11:30pm and we all slept, Morgan in her car seat b/c the hotel crib didn't work out.

Morgan then turned into super adaptable, cute, happy baby the rest of the weekend. She did SO well - beyond our wildest dreams. She smiled at anyone who gave her the time of day although she still cried a majority of the time if someone else besides Adam/me held her. We worked on it though. We just warned people she's going to cry, not to worry, and here you go! :) We tuckered her out and then left bright and early Sunday morning (7am!) so that Adam could catch his plane. The wedding itself went off without a hitch. It was beautiful, Meg was gorgeous, Trey is a rather dashing individual, and we're really happy for them. On Sunday, Morgan was rather tuckered out and was a PEACH the whole way home. I got SO lucky. She slept 3 of the 5 hours it took to drive home and was content with looking outside, playing with the toys I handed her, or having a bottle with my arm (that felt broken by the end) reaching way back to reach her. Continued to thank God this whole week for Sunday.

Other Morgan updates:

• She now sits for long periods of time. We still don't leave her unattended b/c if she's going over, she's going over hard if something's in the way. The other day, however, she sat for at least 10 minutes without changing positions. It's fun to watch her "fall" forward and be SO surprised when she's suddenly on her tummy.
• Morgan's been eating like crazy. As in up to 8 oz of FOOD at supper some nights. No wonder she's gigantic.
• She continues talking up a storm and after some discussion with my fellow SLPs, her vocalizing "mama" when upset and looking for me is not quite her first word. It's not consistent enough yet but it's fun to say "Yes, Morgan, what do you need, honey?" We pretend she talks to me all the time.
  
• Morgan now sits in the bathtub until it's time to wash her hair. She LOVES this, btw.
• Morgan had her first shower this past weekend while we were in Kansas. She woke up a stinky baby and instead of putting her in the questionably clean bathtub, we did that. And it was fine. She might have even...liked it. :)
  
• I missed our cloth diapers all weekend.
  
• Since we got back, Morgan's been a little clingy. I can see why, though, as I think she felt like she was all alone for hours in the back seat even though she could see me in her mirror and hear me just fine.
  
• The never-ending wait for a tooth is upon us. I like to blame everything negative on the "suspected tooth arrival" but who knows. Thought I might have felt a slight bump last night during one of the 2.25 hours I was up trying to keep her from being awake but it was gone this morning. Mary said that might happen and that she thinks Morgan is chewing more than usual...I see no difference as she chews on everything constantly. We shall see. Really wish Adam was home tonight so I was ensured some sleep.
• The past two days she's come home from daycare in a onsie b/c she gets too hot there. It's been upper 70s or 80s the past two days. LOVE it. :)
• Nursing update - Morgan is now a morning and nighttime (bedtime) nurser. I am no longer pumping at work (as of today) b/c I only get about 1oz. On the weekends I will likely nurse her once during the day, but we're officially decreasing Morgan's nursing time.
  

Ok, I need to pack her bag, wash bottles, and GET TO BED. Later peeps. Pray for a better night for me, huh? I appreciate it more than you know. :)

Happy First Easter, Morgan!

Happy Easter blog followers!!

Happy Easter! What a lovely day...Morgan was the cutest stinkin' thing I've ever seen in her Easter dress and I'm so glad she got to wear it. But dang if this kid would take any sort of decent nap today...but she got enough sleep in to keep her from being too terribly fussy so we'll call it a victory.

Mommy & Morgan on Easter Sunday.

Opening Easter basket(s) at home

Mmm...tasty cow...thanks Easter bunny...

Morgan is amazing. I think it's b/c of her cold (or possible teething - one can never tell, especially rookie parents) but she slept until 7am this morning. SEVEN. A. M. And she only needed nuk plugs 2x which meant once for each of us. We all woke up feeling rather rested and happy this morning. Maybe that's why Morgan didn't sleep much today...either way, thank you Morgan for the extra (needed) sleep.

Having fun with her Easter package from Aunt Steph and Patt

Ah ha! Someone loves being dressed up.

Morgan didn't have to search for her Easter basket this year, but she enjoyed exploring everything that came in them...yes, them. I needed 2 baskets for all her stuff. :) She got: wooden toy animals, 3 books, a swimsuit cover (for our upcoming trip to Kansas), a toy bus that has a little guy and legos inside, and hair bows. Adam got an Ipod armband, some candy, and frames for his desk as he doesn't have any pictures of Morgan! Both of us are sharing some tiny cadbury eggs. I got a gift card from Von Maur where I'm going to buy my crazy jeans when I finish losing the very last of my baby weight. Sigh. Wish I didn't have to say that when she's 5.5 months old...

Test-driving bunny ears from Grandma Susie & Grandpa Andy

Easter bunny photo shoot...not so easy this year.

Happy Easter!

Ok, off to give the kid a bath. She's been lounging in the recliner with Adam for the past 25 minutes. She's doing this new "feeling" with her fingers where she kind of rakes new/different textures to explore. Adam thinks this is the greatest thing. I think it's cool she's exploring and learning. See ya, bring on the dirty monkey child!

Randomness

I feel like I don't have much but feel the need to update Morgan's stats/development a little bit since it's been a while. Forgive me for any repeats.

Morgan, when placed on her tummy, now almost always digs her fists into the floor and lifts her chest off the ground. One of these days she's going to figure out her legs too and then we're in for it - mobile baby. Then we will finally invest in those expensive baby gates for the stairs...and yes, the ones with the doors built in. My luck we'd get the cheap ones, I'd have the baby in my arms, try to step over, and go down the stairs sacrificing myself to save the child person. No thanks. Will spend the extra moola for the convenient door.

When Morgan pushes herself up while on her tummy, she now randomly loses her balance and accidentally rolls over onto her back. HILARIOUS to see the look on her face once she settles and realizes she's survived the crazy-fast roll-over.

Morgan has been "talking" like crazy lately. She's using all sorts of sounds and has been using variegated babbling for a few weeks now (various consonants in her "ramblings"). Today she was telling whoever would listen at the mall about something crazy interesting.

Speaking of the mall, we (and by we I mean I) were/was super interested in having Morgan's picture taken with the Easter bunny but we were too cheap to spend $24 for one 5x7 and a few wallets. I'm sure she'll thank us later when she's not screaming with EB...however, it was GREAT to see my nieces' picture with the EB and my older niece crying her poor little eyes out...only b/c it was cute. Sad little duck. :)

EB comes tomorrow. I'm pretty sure he's bringing me a gift card towards my crazy expensive jeans for when I reach my goal weight (only 7lbs to go as of last check!!). SUPER excited to collect said gift cards. (Von Maur for all you who might be intersted.) :-P

My battery is dying on my computer. I suppose I should charge the darn thing and go wash some bottles. Adam took care of loading diapers in the wash tonight so that was a nice thing to skip. Go hubs. :)

Big Cart-Riding Girl

What a great first day of my (what I call) Easter break; otherwise known as the "four day weekend." The temperature made it up to roughly 85 degrees, it was sunny but with just enough haze that you weren't blinded when you were outside, and with a breeze that made it not too hot to do anything. Loved it. :-D

Adam had to work today but since I didn't, the whole Schmidt family got to sleep in until 6:45am. WoAh!! That's an extra 1.25 hours for me. Morgan woke up super happy and was just lounging in her crib, feet up on her bumper, when I went in to get her. Lovely. :) Nurse, play, breakfast, diaper/clothes changed, and darned if I didn't put her in her crib with a nuk and she put herself to sleep from a completely awake state. In her crib. Awesome. :)

So today was yet another where my weight decreased about another half pound. I don't know where this is coming from but I'll take it for all it's worth! I AM eating a bit better and with smaller (somewhat) portions, but nothing that would account for the weight dropping off like this. Again...not complaining one bit - maybe my body was just sick of it as much as I am.

Today we received two very nice packages from Grandma Sherri & Grandpa Al as well as Morgan's Aunt Steph and Uncle Patt. There were even some treats for her to share with Mom & Dad which were much appreciated! :)

Today after Adam got home from work, he suggested we head to Menards to run some errands and exchange our propane tank so we had somewhere to cook the hamburgers I had planned for dinner. Well, I just carried Morgan in as I've been doing here and there at the store for short trips, and the cart seat was at such an angle that I thought she'd be able to sit in it with me watching her and/or strapped in. So in she went (without the seat protector I bought for her back when I was preggo and thought it was a great idea) and it went well! She hung on to the sides and/or front for dear life but overall did really well. She looked like she was 5 y/o instead of 5 months. Sigh. We were told by the guy mixing our paint for the bathroom (kind of a light blue-hint of green color) that we looked like kids at Christmas with a new toy (referring to Morgan). Hey - it's not our fault she's totally fun and we were bored while waiting. I think he might have been jealous b/c we have the cutest little girl on the planet. :) It's ok. I would be too if she weren't mine.

That said, my wine glass is empty and I should really go see what's left after Adam's 2nd trip to the bottle. It's a good bottle. No reason. But I love it anyway. Later peeps.