Pumpkin Carving!

I wasn't sure if we were going to be carving pumpkins this year or not. After all, I haven't carved a pumpkin since I was a kid and it wasn't exactly my favorite thing to do. Well, after much debate, I decided that we should carve a pumpkin for Maci this year because it will be her first Halloween and we needed to be able to take pictures for her scrapbook and so on! Well, I'm glad we did! It was so much more fun than I had ever remembered and she loved watching every single second of it. We even decided to carve a pumpkin out for her to sit inside of with her Halloween shirt on! It turned out so cute!

Rolling Over!

A few of Mom's first "proud moments" have been accomplished by my little Maci. Her first major accomplishment was rolling over from her back to her stomach. She has learned to do this with ease. It seemed like it really took her no time at all. Every time I would lay her on her play mat to play with her toys, I'd turn around to do something and turn back She would start screaming to let me know she needed help rolling back over!
Her next accomplishment was "talking", or at least I think that's a good way to classify it! She makes so many funny noises. Her first, and one of my favorites, is growling! I couldn't believe when I heard that deep dark growl come from her the very first time. How could she make such a noise? It must be one of her favorites too, because she does it all the time. Her newest is a higher pitched "ahhh" with a little giggle added in. She has discovered that she has a voice and is definitely loving it!
Her latest accomplishment is finally being able to roll from her belly to her back! No more yelling for Mom to come rescue her! She can do it all by herself now! I'm not really sure if I should be happy or sad at all of the new things she is learning. It seems like she learns something new everyday! I'm happy because it's so much fun to see her learn to do things on her own. On the other hand, I'm sad because she's growing up way to fast. I'm not ready for that! I've had numerous people tell me how fast they grow up, even when I was pregnant. But, I don't think you truly understand just how fast that is until you experience it!

Preparing for the holidays!

Fall is fading fast and winter is quickly approaching. Soon, we will be waking up to a snowy covered ground and frost an inch thick on the windows. Fireplaces will be blazing and eventually the smell of fresh cut pine will fill the air. Along with these season changes comes our first set of holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas! I'm looking forward to our first Halloween with "Peanut". We recently went on a Halloween camping trip and she got to wear her cute little fuzzy owl costume for the very first time. She was adorable! Now it's getting time to carve her very first pumpkin and go trick-or-treating for the first time. So many firsts! The camera will be getting some good use!
After the Halloween fun, the family get-togethers and bountiful feasts begin. I must admit, I'm tired already just thinking about it. Normally, Steve and I make our rounds to all of the family events. Although, this year may be a little different. We are lucky in the fact that all of our relatives live within a remotely close distance. However, taking a baby to several different places, in and out of the car a million times, all in one day could lead to nothing more than a disaster! Especially, when she's all dressed up! Christmas is going to be a lot different this year and with each year to come. Although Maci is only going to be seven months old, I think that she is going to enjoy seeing the Christmas tree all lit up and the beautiful shimmering decorations hanging from it. Luckily for us, we won't have to go too far overboard with presents and shopping this year, except for the fact that I love to go shopping on Black Friday and baby clothes and shoes are completely irresistible to me!

No more newborn!

Well, I officially no longer have a newborn! At least that's what they say. Apparently, only the first three months are considered the newborn period! In a nutshell, the last three months have been the best three months of my life! I never knew that having a baby would change my life so much. It probably helps that Maci is not a fussy baby and has slept through the night basically since she was born! It's amazing how quickly a baby can learn. It seems as though she learns something new every day. She's now to the point where there is constantly a string of slimy drool hanging from her bottom lip and everything she touches now goes directly to her mouth. She always seems to have that sweet little smile on her face and will giggle and coo to just about anything. She can't quite sit up on her own yet but she tries so hard. Maci is not the type of baby who wants to lay around, she would rather be sitting on your lap looking around, standing while you hold her up, or propped up with her Boppy pillow. She's pretty independent, already! Where did my baby go? Her newest addition is her jumper. She can't reach the floor whatsoever, but she loved to feel like she's standing up and being able to watch what's going on, all while playing with her toys. She does have a favorite toy, her elephant. It's bright blue with several other bright colors on it. Each foot has a crinkly sound to it as do the ears. It's so hard to believe all the things she can do in such a short amount of time. I'm looking forward to what's to come although I'm sad to see the time go!

Immunizations

Immunizations! I think that is one of the scariest days for parents! I definitely wasn't looking forward to the day when I had to take Maci to get her first set of immunizations! I knew it was one of those things that had to be done, but it was also one of those things I wanted to put on the bottom of my list to do. I had discussed the topic with many friends, family members, and the pediatrician. I wanted to keep my baby protected from as many diseases and illnesses as I possibly could, I just didn't want to see her in pain!

 Another issue that had been brought to my attention was the possibility of autism. There were several cases shown on the news that were cases of autism thought to be caused from immunizations. What do I do now? I wanted my daughter immunized, but I also wasn't sure I wanted to take the risk of causing autism. I decided to wait to have her immunized until after her two-month checkup so that I could discuss my concerns with the pediatrician. Upon discussing this topic with our pediatrician, she informed us that the studies that were shown were in fact not reliable. There were many other issues of concern when scientists reviewed the evidence. I felt much better knowing that I was able to do what I felt was the right thing without having to worry about the consequences.

Well, it was time. I didn't get much sleep the night before anticipating the day ahead and knowing my poor little girl was going to have to get 2 pokes in each leg. Finally, it was over. She only cried for a minute and I was so relieved to have it over with for the next two months! Hopefully, next time will be a little better now that I know what to expect!