22 weeks

Laney is getting so strong, that she's able to get into her "Jump Jump" now. She's not quite sure what to do exactly, but she does like it. You should have seen the expression on her face when we first put her in it. The pink towel below her was for her UNSTOPPABLE projectile reflux.






Laney absolutely LOVES bath time now. If she's ever cranky at night beore bedtime, her bath ALWAYS puts a smile in her face. She splashes by simultaneously kicking and slapping her arms against the water in her little tub. It's so fun to see. I LOVE giving her a bath! I can't wait to see her in our baby pool soon and very soon.





Laney also loves to eat her cereal. I have to do some reading on it, and I had better hurry it up because I'm running out of time before we move to another solid. I don't know how to balance her solids and her milk. She's so finicky about her eating anyways. That has always been and still is our area of struggle, even with feeding her breast milk via a bottle. I want to be sure she gets her nutrition from her milk and more calories from the solids. So far, it's usually half of what she used to drink and some cereal...but how much cereal? She'll sometimes drink part of her bottle and not want solids..so should I wait an hour and reinforce snacking? Now she's snacking throughout the day and that's such a bad habit to start. I just guess on how much cereal, but I need to do some reading. This is her right before her meal.






So much is changing with Laney. She's about to hit a growth spurt, cut a few teeth, start solids, and go from three naps to two within two weeks. She thinks she knows better though and only wants two naps. She also refuses to go to sleep without being swaddled. Her arms go crazy, and they usually knock her pacifier out and that's a big no-no. Her pacifier is a MUST. I'd die without that little piece of pink plastic! Here she is supposedly down for her nap, but she broke out of her swaddle and turned herself around. She's SO CLOSE to rolling over from her back to her stomach, so I just have to stop swaddling for safety reasons. Without it she'll squeal, talk up a storm, munch on a toy/blanket, play with the water toy attached to her crib, turn herself around in her crib...basically do everything BUT sleep. The swaddling was my way of letting her know that it's night-night time. Speaking of naps, I had her on such a great sleep schedule and she was happy with it. Now, I'm not sure how long to wait until she's ready to go down for a nap again with all of these changes taking place. She used to be ready for a nap an hour after she woke up. Now...I don't know what to do b/c sometimes she's tired and sometimes she's WIRED. A sleep routine is great for babies. They are so much happier and know what to expect. Sleep is SO IMPORTANT for physical and mental growth. We just got back from GA a few days ago, and Laney just isn't the same contented baby she was before we left. She needs good, solid naps and that's not happening. She wakes me up at 5:00 am every day, whereas before it was between 6:30 and 7:30. Any advice???









(SIDE NOTE: I'm completely on bum Genius diapers now, except for when I'm washing all of them, which is why she's wearing disposible. I'm so excited to post about them. It's so fun!!)

Laney is doing so well with her exersaucer!! We used to have to put a towel under her feet so she could stand up, but we no longer need that. Now, she reaches for toys dangling above her, tugs on toys, and touches all the keys that make noises. Yesterday I turned around only to see her tugging on the dangling ring with all her might. The arched bar holding the rings was bent, she was pulling so hard! Laney is getting so active and seriously a SUPER STRONG baby. I'm not just saying that b/c she's mine. She really is!







Can I just say thatI love being a Mommy! It's such a blessing and so rewarding. With Mother's Day coming up, I'm honored to be a part!