Belly Laughs!

Layla was having a good time sitting in her stimulus package the other day and she let out a little snort, which she does a lot, and so I snorted back, which in turn made me cough and Layla found this to be the funniest thing she has ever seen!

Layla's four month check up was today and it went really well. She did get her shots, which she hates doing, and I hate watching her get them. Poor thing. She was a trooper though. She only cried for a minute. She is now back up to the 25th percent isle on weight at 12lbs 12oz! Yay! She is almost double her birth weight, so apparently I am doing something right. =) She is also in the 25th percent isle for head size, so no Heikes dome there. And she is in the 50th percent isle for height at 23 1/4 inches.

The doctor said she looks and sounds great and is a strong girl, especially with her head control, so he said we can start her on rice cereal any time. I am probably going to start pretty soon and give her a bit just to see how she likes it. She has been eying our food and loves to watch me eat and drink, and has been making chewing motions with her mouth so I think she might be ready for it. I'm so excited to start spoon feeding her!

4 Months Old

Time is flying by. Four months doesn't seem like that long, but when you look at how much Layla has grown and changed it is just crazy!!! So much has happened in the last month. She is cooing, squealing, babbling, and giggling so much more these days. I just love to listen to her. She is getting so big and I can't wait to find out her official stats at her doctors visit next week. I weighed her myself and she is right around 12lbs, though I don't know how accurate my scale is, and she was wearing her diaper and clothes.

Speaking of diapers and clothes, she is growing so much that we just finished her last box of newborn size diapers and are moving up to the size 1. She is getting taller too, but she is still such a skinny minny that some outfits swim on her from side to side, but are tight from top to bottom. It is nice that we are going into summer, because most of the summer outfits don't have feet. =)

Just in the last couple weeks she has learned to grab things and bring them to her mouth, roll over from her stomach to her back (although I am not always sure that it is on purpose, or more of a graceful fall of sorts), she is starting to master holding her own bottle, and she can sit up and stand so well (with assistance of course). She especially loves the standing, which she can do while only holding my fingers. She is so strong. It makes me fear that she is going to walk early, though. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen! She also has her fingers in her mouth all the time and is very animated with her hands, arms, legs and feet. She is moving constantly and sometimes has a hard time relaxing. She just doesn't want to miss a moment.

We had another one of our brief photo sessions and got a few cute ones. I was comparing them to her earlier pictures and it is amazing how much she has changed. Her face is definitely filling out. I just love those adorable cheeks!!! She must be a good mix of Pete and me because we hear that she looks like both of us equally. Apparently we make a good mix, because she is the cutest little bug I have ever laid eyes on (not that I'm biased).

So Many Firsts

It has been a few weeks since I last posted and I can't believe how much Layla has changed! She has her doctors appointment at the end of the month and I'm anxious to see how much she has grown. It is funny that half the people, when they ask her age say, "She's so little" and the other half say, "She's such a big girl." And most of them assume she is a boy, which is starting to annoy me, not because they think she is a boy, but because she will be in lavender and ruffles and flowers and people still say she is a boy. I've come to the realization that so many people just aren't that observant. She isn't bathed in pink, well then she must be a boy. Not really sure why they think she is big for her age though, she still fits in newborn diapers at almost four months. Maybe she is just tall. I think she is just perfect. =)

Mom and Dad came down for a couple weeks and we went to Palm Springs. It was Layla's first real trip, and she did so well there. She experienced so many new things: She got to go in the pool, which was so fun. We took her to The Living Desert, which was disappointing, but we still had a good time. We also did the Palm Springs Street Fair, and there was so much for her to look at, listen to, and smell there. She loved it.

The zebras at the living desert


One of the only animals that was close enough to get a good picture of.


At the Street Fair


All tuckered out after a long day

She mastered the art of grabbing objects and pulling them to her mouth, and she really mastered hitting the shrillest notes while continuing to discover the range of her voice. That made eating out quite the experience sometimes. We are going to have to learn an inside voice soon. She is turning into a little giggle monster too, which is so awesome. I just love hearing her laugh. She was such a happy girl, getting all kinds of attention, and she even slept through the night four of the nights we were there! I couldn't believe it.

Such a happy girl

It was her first time in the pool and she seemed to love it. She was definitely fascinated with the water and she looks so cute in her little swimsuit and fishy sun hat (thanks Auntie Cheryl).

Over the past few weeks Layla has been holding on to objects pretty well, as long as they are small enough for her hand. But now she is reaching for them, grabbing them and pulling them to her mouth. Grandpa is so proud that her first time doing it was with a golf ball.

She has been full of giggles too. I was happy to finally get it on video. Sorry about the poor videography. I was more concerned with capturing the audio then paying attention to whether it looked right.

This video is one of my favorites with her little gurgle scream sounds she makes while laughing with Grandpa.

Wine Tasting

Pete, Layla, and I went wine tasting up in Santa Ynez/Los Olivos area with Stacy and Michael on the 30th and we had such a good time. The weather was so perfect and the wine was delicious. It was nice to have a relaxing day out in the sun. We took in Zaca Mesa, which is one of my favorites, as well as Foxen and Consilience, both of which I had never been too. I loved Foxen. It had such a happy relaxing atmosphere and the pourers were so friendly and informative. Consilience wasn't my favorite for both wine and atmosphere, but I like trying new places. Some photographer I am, I only got one picture of my little bug, but I guess that is a sign that we were having such a great time.

Hanging out with Stacy at Foxen Vineyards.
I love how she's got her eye on that glass of wine like she wants some.

So Silly...So Sweet

Sometimes you just need to scream!

It is hard when you aren't sure if you are awake or asleep.