crossrhodes

One of my friends asked my brother to take portraits of her daughter after she saw my brother’s photos on Facebook.  Since he was coming down to set up shop in my house, I asked our mutual friend to bring her daughter, too.  My brother took longer than expected to setup his background and lighting and the babies were getting antsy.  We thought the photo shoot was a bust but he caught a few great shots anyway.  (If you’re on my Facebook list, you must have seen them by now.)

Anyway, these are Layla’s “BFF”s =)  They were all born within weeks of each other, same month, same year.  At least 2 of them, if not all 3, were born in the same hospital.

I’m really glad I found moms my age with first borns of the same age, too.  That was not the case with James.  I was still in high school when James came into the world thousands of miles away on the other side.  Some of his friends’ parents were old enough to be my parents or at least a decade older than I.  We hardly had anything in common.  With Layla’s friends, their moms and I speak the same language… in Elmo’s voice =)

Two weeks and counting!  At 14-1/2 months, she finally started sleeping in her crib!  Now I know what proponents of co-sleeping meant when they said I will know when my Layla is ready.  She gave me subtle signs.  One night, I just got her excited about ownership of her very own bed.  I pointed to daddy’s bed, then mommy’s bed (same bed, opposite sides), then clapped and cheered when I pointed to Layla’s bed.  That seemed to do the trick!  She’s been sleeping in it every night for 2 weeks without a fight!  (I didn’t want to post it earlier and jinx myself. *hehe*)

It’s been harder on me, I think.  I miss cuddling with her in bed!  I have to fight the urge to pick her up and lay her next to me.  Her crib is still in our room.  We’re not ready for separate rooms yet =)

A couple of days ago, I started putting her in her crib for nap time, too.  I thought I’d better get her used to a new nap routine before her swing gives out, which could be any day now.  Besides, when daddy works from home, she can’t nap as long in her swing downstairs.

Today was her 15-month well-child visit.  She weighed in at 27 lbs (I swear she feels 10 lbs heavier!) and measured 33 inches tall.  Apparently, I’ve been giving her too much of the wrong kind of milk.  We’re switching back to whole milk (for the fatty layer of her expanding brain) and cutting back on the amount per serving.  I tried eliminating the bottle altogether this week since she’s great with a sippy cup, but not when it comes to milk.  I’ll try again soon.

Otherwise, she’s developmentally on track.  I was concerned about her caloric intake and size (she’s always been in the upper 90th percentile and the tallest of her peers), but her weight is still proportional to her height.

She is still perfectly content playing by herself even with other kids around.  I think it’s an only child syndrome.  She can climb the stairs, close a buckle, and cleans up her toys w/ my coaching.  I sometimes have to wrestle with her at bath time; she stands in the tub and walks around.  Her vocabulary is growing; she understands a lot more than she can speak.  She signs “I love you” when I put her down in her crib and knows all the hand motions to Itsy Bitsy Spider, Jesus Loves Me, Where is Thumbkin, etc.  She’s such a good girl!  So smart, too!  I just feel so old now that she’s becoming really active.

Just yesterday, Don predicted it won’t be long now when she’ll take off her diaper and smear poop all over the place.  Today was the day, but thank goodness there was no poop!  So, instead of going to see the penguins at the aquarium this morning, I’m cleaning a puddle of pee and hosing down everything that was swimming in it, including Layla.

This is Layla’s second year camping at the shore.  We started in Jersey and ended in Delaware.  A few mosquito bites, a bruised cheek, and a mild suntan later, and she’s back home in her big swing with her big toys and mom’s big bed =)

She’s doing some funny things lately!  She started playing a game where she crawls between my legs.  If I’m standing with my legs together, she’ll get down on all fours and try to squeeze her head through as hard as possible to where her hair tickles my legs and I giggle and let her through.  And she’ll do this over and over and over again!

The other night when she saw an ice cream sundae in her daddy’s hands, she instantaneously put her hands together to say grace.  “Mmeh!” (Amen!) expecting to be fed some ice cream =)

We’ve been camping at the Jersey shore for a few years now but this year, we did things we’ve never done before.  It took a baby for us to visit the nearby petting zoo and enter the carnival on the boardwalk.  We’ve driven by the zoo and walked past the carnival all these years but never had the desire to go inside.  Now we’re taking turns going on kiddie rides and taking pictures.  “Look at mommy!” *click*click* “Look at daddy!” *click*click*

My brother left for the Philippines today on a medical mission trip.  For someone who hates heat, humidity, and sweats like a pig, he volunteered to serve in one of the hottest, most humid places in the world.  We’re really proud of him!  He’s an IT guy (not healthcare), but he’s going as the official Team Coordinator and unofficial photo journalist (I’m more worried about his camera and gear than I am of him).

They are serving in Payatas, a mountain of garbage that underprivileged families call home.  Needless to say, there is a great need for healthcare in a community atop a dump site.  (Did I mention he’s also sensitive to smell?)

Have a safe and blessed trip, dogg!  Layla says, “Bring back some cornic, Uncle!”