"I do it myself!"

Preface: Aria takes naps in her swing (long story as to reasoning, but it is necessary at this point in her life) and frequently, her blanket will fall over the side and stop the swing. I can tell over the monitor when this happens because of the *click* noise that the swing makes when it stops swinging, but is still turned on; at this point, I can usually sneak in her room and fix whatever it is from keeping the swing going so her nap will continue uninterrupted.

Today, Aria's swing started the telltale click and, since she hadn't made a noise, I assumed she was still asleep. As I snuck into her room, I was very careful not to make any noise so as not to wake her but, behold, when I opened the door, she was looking at me with big eyes, smiling from ear to ear and holding on to the sidebar on the swing so that it would stop. My thoughts are that she figured out that she could get up when the swing stopped (when I get her up, the first thing I do is turn off her swing) and she was ready to get up. She was also trying very hard to unfasten the buckle (which is nearly impossible for someone of her size and age) so she could get out. No whining, no complaining - she just was ready to get up.

It's these little things she's figuring out (like hanging on to the sidebar will make it stop, and mommy will come in) that make me realize how fast time flies - I can't believe how grown up she looks compared to even just a month ago. My baby girl is growing up.

Learning new things!

While on vacation this past week, it seemed as if Aria was learning new things at leaps and bounds! She now understands what we are trying to tell her, which is HUGE (although, she still likes to ignore us and pretend, even though we can tell she actually understands.) This week, she started raising her arms up when we asked "how big is Aria" as if to say "THIS BIG!!" It made for a lot of laughs and outrageous cuteness. She now claps when we say "patty-cake," yay!!" or "clap!" which is super cute - sometimes she misses and just looks at her hands like "what do you think you're doing?!"

Aria also broke her second tooth early last week, and her toothy grin is just too adorable. She's crawling on all fours a lot more now and climbing up stairs at astounding speeds. She's standing up much easier, and I know it's just a matter of time before she takes off running!

Vacation Recap :)

We took Aria on her first real family vacation this past week to the same place where my first family vacation was - Pipestem, WV. It's a beautiful state park and resort with camp grounds, cottages (where our family now stays), a gorgeous lodge, 2 swimming pools, lots of hiking and, of course, breath taking views. This was also the first time Josh had been able to come, since last year I went into labor early the day before we were supposed to leave.

Aria had an absolute blast. Between the fawning attention of all my extended family to the daily trips to the pool, there was never a dull moment for her. We took her on walks and even a tram ride down the mountain :) It was great to get away for a few days and hang out as a family.

Today's the day...

We're leaving for vacation today with Aria - her first major car trip since Christmas, only this time, we'll all be hanging out in her space. Let's all hope and pray she still sleeps... updates will follow :)

Toothless No More :)

As us this afternoon, we can't call Aria by her nickname "toothless" any more, because it simply isn't true :) I discovered Aria's first tooth today and noticed that a second isn't far behind! :) Now we just got to keep our fingers out of her mouth lest her razor sharp newly-discovered weapons draw blood lol...

Obviously, I can't capture a picture of her first tiny tooth at this point, but the first smile I see where you can see her tooth will be posted on here post haste :)

Child Proofing: Advice needed :)

So, as my recent posts would clearly show, the need to child-proof has become sudden but imperative. Most of our "storage" furniture (think, TV cabinet, desk and their respective drawers etc) are low lying, it appears as though I should get shelves that suspend from the ceiling to keep our important documents (Josh's social security card was almost baby food yesterday) and other important electronics from being toys, or worse, food, for Aria. Anyone live in a slightly space-challenged apartment/home also inhabited by an incredibly active, albeit totally naive toddler and have brilliant way to keep everything organized and in one piece? Including said toddler...?

Loving Snuggles and Short Term Memory

So after all the frustration that was vented in my earlier post (and seriously, I was on the brink of insanity) I tried putting Aria down for another attempt at a nap (she just would NOT go down for a nap today) and for the first time today....there was no screaming. No angry face. Not even any baby chatter when I closed the door. It was perfectly and completely silent. After just a minute, I looked in on her and she was completely and peacefully asleep. Just like that. After all my frustration, annoyance and irritation from all the little things going wrong, my baby fell asleep. And I felt guilty. Horribly, utterly guilty.

There's something so beautifully innocent about watching a baby sleep. They look almost angelic, and we can almost forget the terror that was our home just moments before. Aria took one of the longest naps I can remember in the past few months, almost hitting 3 hours long. When she started waking up, I went in right away - something I rarely do. I usually let her wake herself up and comfort herself for a few minutes before I go in there and get her up. Today, I went in right away and instead of practically jumping out of her swing - as in the norm - she snuggled right into my arms when I picked her up. No pushing away, no instantly talking or whining. Snuggles. Now if you know Aria, you know she is NOT snuggly baby. At all. But I got about 15 minutes of quality snuggle time with my baby, and after all the irritation I had felt towards her earlier. I was horribly rebuked. I'm sure that if Aria were a little bit older, she would have been able to sense my frustration with her earlier in the day, but being so little, she doesn't really see that, and good thing for me, too.

 Because of a baby's lack of long term memory or whatever it is that causes them to forget small wrongs against them, they will always love you, no matter what happened a few hours previous. They know we, as parents do love them, and that's what comes to mind when they see us. Not the heated words we may have said in their direction or the angry looks over something trivial (like a channel change on the monitor...)

I so wish I was like that; to have the ability to just forget wrongs because I know that the person who wronged me really does love me (did that make sense?). If I could just see the big picture, see the love of the person for me and my love for them... how many less arguments would there be? Because really, the big picture is always love. Always. The next time I'm tempted to hold a small hurt against my husband, daughter, or friend, I hope I remember the love.

Dealing with Daily Frustrations

This week has not been the best as far as smooth parenting goes....not that parenting is ever smooth, but you get my drift. Aria has recently become more and more mobile - seems every day almost - and with mobility comes "discovery," which, to parents, translates to be massive destruction. From pulling lamps down and cords out of plugs to destroyed magazines, laundry that was once clean now all over the floor and trying to remove my daughter's pinched little fingers from the dresser drawer...and trying to put the VHS player back together after her little fingers discovered it. Now, I know these are basic dangers that most parents have guarded against, but being the first week of mobility, well.... I wasn't really prepared. She's also figured out how to stand up in her crib and change the channels on her monitor, which is beyond inconvenient. Anyways... with all the annoyances, I was getting seriously frustrated and trying not to take it out on Aria, because in all reality, you can't blame a toddler discovering her world for the first time. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to baby proof the entire house...without Aria ending up in a child-protective cage of some sort....

Heat Wave!

Here in Detroit, we've been experiencing some incredibly hot temperatures. Due to Aria's small body size and my lack of desire to deal with the heat, we've been staying inside as much as possible. However, if we do want to go outside and play, but still stay cool, we have the option of heading to the pool, thank goodness! Our apartment complex has a community pool that we can all use and Aria has fallen in love with. While the water is still really chilly for Josh and I, Aria doesn't seem to mind it at all, and keeps trying to escape our arms and go swimming for herself. Her first pool experience was on Memorial Day when we were up north with some family and friends, and she loved it so much, I knew the pool was going to be a frequent destination this summer. Since she's already kicking her legs and waving her arms, I find it a distinct possibility that she'll be swimming around the same time she starts walking! :)

Walk it off

Michigan is just getting to the perfect weather for long afternoon walks, which is something I've been greatly anticipating. Even through all Aria's issues the first few months of her life, taking her out for a walk seemed to calm her down, and things haven't changed much. My mom left this afternoon after being here on and off for about a week, and Aria just falls to pieces every time she leaves. The longer the visit, the more traumatic the end of it is. So, as soon as my mom left, I got us all ready and took Aria out for a nice long walk to take her mind off the tragedy. It works like a charm every time :) What activities do you do that helps to calm your children down?

Shopping with Baby

Since Aria's been born, we have dreaded shopping as a family. One of us would watch her at home and the other would go shopping. But with the advent of her ability to sit up on her own, things have changed. One of Aria's favorite things in the world now is going to the grocery store. So much to see and touch, and people to talk to - she it just in heaven at Meijer (our grocery store of choice.) Aria's enjoyment of the grocery store has brought a new era of family shopping to the Wardell home. Going to Meijer is now an adventure and family outing. Since it's so close, we can walk there with Aria's stroller if we're just picking up a few things, or we can load up in the car and use her "cart cover" when we need to do a big trip. Either way, her outgoing conversations with strangers and love of the ceiling lights and fans makes shopping  a fun trip :) We're just learning to keep the cart far enough away from her curious hands to keep random things from coming off the shelves and into our cart....

This was Aria's first trip in a cart :) Still can't go anywhere without the blankie...

Apologies... and contest winner!

I know, I've been absent from the blog world, and I've had many MANY inquiries about who won the giveaway and I apologize for it taking so long. Due to our-of-townedness and the flu, I wasn't online long enough to do the drawing immediately after it ended but here's the announcement. Congratulations, Margee!!! You won the large utility tote :) Everyone else who entered will also receive either 10% off or free shipping (which ever you choose) off your order the month of June! Also, in case you want your own large utility tote, this month only, for every $31 you spend, you can get one for only $9!! Thanks again to everyone who entered and keep watching the blog for more giveaways and money saving tips!