FAQs and Updates

FAQs in the Months of August and September: 1. Is Bella walking? NOPE! She is close, but not quite ready to go! She has taking a very tiny step forward here or there, but not quite ready to take off on her own just yet. All in her own timing! She'll be walking the rest of her life, so we'll let her decide when she wants to move to that new milestone! She does love to stand in the middle of the room without assistance all the time, so its just a matter of time really! 2. What does Bella like to get into these days? EVERYTHING! She has found new drawers to open (which we are a bit behind on the baby-proofing!), new things to push (TV buttons), has climbed up on the dining room chairs to get something down off the table, loves to get in the pantry where Daddy had to save her from eating the thousands of sprinkles she managed to get in to and open, loves the dishwasher, recycle bin, toilet, trash can, book shelves...you name it, she has probably discovered it. She also LOVES to talk and jabber. Will be interesting how many words a day this child gets in when we can verbally understand what she is staying! 3. What is Bella's normal schedule like? Well for the most part, she wakes around 7:00am and has some milk in her sippy cup (she is completely off bottles as our Peditrician recommended due to research on tooth decay, etc). She then goes to the sitters Monday, Tuesday, THursday, and Friday, has breakfast around 8-8:30, plays, gets tired around 9:15-9:30, sleeps or blabs to self in crib for 1-1 1/2 hours, wakes and plays some more till lunch at 11:30-noon, plays, sleeps 1-4 (with some crib play time there too if she goes down late or wakes early), milk at 4, plays, dinner at 6, plays, milk and bed at 8pm. 4. Is Bella still a good sleeper and eater? For the most part, YES! She is definitely a good eater all the time although she does let us know if she doesn't like a texture of some foods (picky like her Daddy on that!). Her sleeping has gone through a bit of a change as her morning nap is shortening, but for the most part, she is still pretty good about staying and playing in the crib and then falling asleep when she's ready. 5. What are Bella's favorite things? Well, depends on what time of the day. When Mommy is around, its her, but as soon as Daddy comes in the door from work...its him up till bedtime. However, if we are both around...whoever has food or is doing something that she could potentially destroy...they become her new favorite! 6. Where is Baby #2 going to sleep? Well, for the first part of his/her life, he/she will be in our room while I nurse and wait for the night time hours to stretch a bit. Then, we plan to put up a crib that has GRACIOUSLY been given to us in the guest room with a corner of the room designated for the new baby. THat way, we can keep our extra guest bed for visiting family, etc, and just move baby into our room when people come to stay. 7. Are you finding out the sex of Baby #2? To the disappointment of a few "key" friends, NOPE!!! Sorry! Will have to wait till February! 8. Do you have names picked up? Sortof! Will use the same boy name we had for #1 and are still trying to decide on a girls. New names have come into the mix, so still determining! 9. How are you feeling with the pregnancy? Just dandy! Tired, and this summer a bit hot due to hormonal changes and the AZ heat, but overall, as long as I have a bottle of water on hand, I can manage just about anything! 10. Are you excited to have them so close in age? ABSOLUTELY! I know it won't come without its challenges here and there, but that's the way I grew up (4 kids in 4 years on 3 birthdays with oldest and third having same b-day). Wouldn't have traded it for anything!! Always said I'd love to have them close if the Lord allowed! 11. Most annoying pregnancy comments you get? The worst one I get this time around so far is "good luck on #2 being as good as Bella" or "Get ready, next one is going to be horrible" or "HA, HA, if your first was good, your next is going to be a nightmare." THANK YOU, People, but I'd rather you keep your comments to yourself if you have nothing better to say then discourage an expecting mom! I'm fully aware that #2 will be different than Bella and for that, we welcome the individuality and the spunk and the new adventures that lie ahead. We would never want to compare our kiddos to each other as all are uniquely gifted and made by God. If the next one is a handful as so many people almost "wish" upon us, then FINE. We'll take him/her just the way they are. Well, that's about it for the FAQ for now. Hope these videos and photos satisfy a "certain someone" that keeps asking for updates!

From Miscellaneous Bella Photos