More Firsts

Besides being a total slacker when it comes to posting - we have had a lot going on and Julia has experienced a lot of firsts.

October:
First tooth
First time crawling (finally!)
First time pulling up to a standing position
First time trying (and loving) table food
First time saying "Da Da"

November:
First road trip to Southern California (and she did amazing!)
First time drinking through a straw
First time sleeping in Mom and Dad's bed (ugh!)
First wave hello/goodbye

December:
First time grinding her teeth (she only has 3)
First Christmas season


As we celebrate this holiday season, I would like to ask you to keep my blogging-mom friend, Jenn in your thoughts and prayers. In 3 days she is due to give birth to her second child, a sweey baby girl. Like us, she and her husband Mike suffered the unthinkable loss of their first baby boy, Tyler, in 2007 after a very premature birth. She is an amazing person and deserves to be a mommy!!

Wordless Wednesday

As we hit the road... driving to Southern California to spend some much overdue time with the Hensley side of the family, please enjoy some recent pictures of Julia with my new Canon Rebel Xsi D-SLR camera.

Camera

Well... you may remember that I blogged about losing my camera battery charger. Well, we bought a new camera (a fabulous Canon Rebel Xsi) and then I found my battery charger! So now we have pictures that we thought were gone forever AND new pictures with a great new camera that I cannot seem to figure out how to use. It will take some time, but I will get the hang of it.

David has been gone this week at a Management training class in Arizona leaving Julia and I home alone. As she starts to crawl everywhere - this has been a great time for Mommy bonding. I don't usually stay on the floor and play, that is usually David's thing with her. But this past week we have been doing just that. She is growing up so fast, is so amazing, so funny, so smart, so mischievous, so brave, so tough and so darn cute!

Daycare has been going really well. She seems to like Amanda, our provider but still isn't too interested in playing with the other kids. I think she is used to adults and needs more time to get used to someone her own size.

We are planning a road trip to southern California for Thanksgiving. It will be our first long distance road drip (longer than 2 hours). We bought a new convertible car seat for the occasion and hope that everything goes smoothly.

With the cameras back in action I will try to get some pictures posted this weekend!

Things that made me smile today...

1. My baby feeling a bit better as she is fighting off an ear infection.
2. My wonderful husband!
3. My new haircut -- now let's just hope I can style it like she did!

Trying to avoid the flu...

Our strategy, as of late, is to AVOID the FLU! On Monday evening Julia came down with a fever. As it progressed through the night and next day we started to worry about the flu and, of course, H1N1. After daily calls to the advice nurse and even a phone appointment with her Pediatrician we ended up at the doctor today. Julia has an ear infection. I hate to say it, but we are relieved. Relieved that it isn't something more serious. She is eating less and has lost some weight but is now on antibiotics and will recover nicely.

As a mom determined to breastfeed through the first year this has been a difficult time for us. Julia has refused to nurse and only occasionally wants a bottle. This is frustrating for me to say the least. I know she has greatly benefited from 8 months of mother's milk -- but I'm just not ready to give up yet. So, as any mother in my situation would do, I will pump and be patient. Be patient and hope that she will resume breastfeeding soon. I really want to get to the 12 month mark.

Oh and did I mention that I am sick too? Probably not. As I worry and care for Julia I often am finding myself totally and completely wiped out and forgetting that I am sick! Not good for my body, that's for sure. I am trying to care for myself -- and with the help my the husband I will be fine. It's amazing how much of me I ignore when Julia needs me. Something every mother knows, I'm sure.

About the pictures... I cannot find my battery charger for my camera, which is why there are no photos since August. I am trying to convince the husband to let me get a new camera. A Canon DSLR. Wish me luck or you can make a donation to my camera fund. Hehehe!

Firsts

Lots of FIRSTS this past week...

• First week at daycare
• First day on a "bottle" only
• First tooth
• First arm/leg coordination attempt at crawling
• First piece of toast
• First time she did not go to work with Mommy

Our little angel is growing up as she has transitioned to day care. If you follow me on Facebook you may have read about our daily progress. She is starting to get used to not going to work with Mom. Our new daycare provider lives in Lathrop and is a Teacher. Well, she was a teacher in Tracy but now does daycare as she also takes care of her little ones. She is wonderful and we really are happy with our choice so far. She has her masters degree in Education and her teaching credential in multiple subjects. She used to teach with our friend Sopa, so we are happy to have a connection in that regard.

Bottles are becoming easier. The funny thing is... after buying every brand under the sun, Julia has settled on liking the first set of bottles we ever bought. Glad she found something that works.

On Friday, 9/18, Julia cut her first tooth - with many more fussy nights ahead of us, we are looking forward to more teeth!

Crawling... she is trying so hard to crawl. I thought tonight was the night, but she only budged a bit. I still think she will walk before crawl... as she hated being on her tummy and loves to stand. We shall see.

Toast is a new favorite!

Today was the first day I was actually in the office and Julia was not. Last week, her first week at daycare, I worked from home to be close by... this week was the first day of ta whole new normal.

I have been really lagging on photos, I need to get better about it - but first I need to find my camera's battery charger!!

On Friday, October 2nd, Julia will be 8 months old - ALREADY!

Where, oh where, has Julia been?

First let me apologize for being such a lazy blogger lately. Julia continues to grow, develop and make us proud every day! Lots has been happening around the Hensley household so I will take the easy way out and just make a list!

• Turned 6 months old on August 2nd
• First trip to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Phil's Fish Market, the Mystery Spot, Capitola and LaSelva Beach
• Rolls around to get from one side of the room to another
• Scoots on her butt while sitting to make her way to a favorite toy
• Got her first "trim" (not a haircut, just a trimmed the long wispies)
• Still no crawling, she would rather stand up than lie on her tummy
• Moved from 1st foods into 2nd foods (baby food)
• Loves green beans and carrots and is starting to accept fruit (she makes the funniest faces when trying new fruits, must be way too tart for her!)
• Starting to drink from a sippy cup (Note: she refuses a bottle, so this is HUGE)
• Moved from bassinet to sleeping exclusively in her crib (this has been since June, just failed to mention it earlier)
• Says MomMomMomMom, though without meaning (still music to my ears!)
• LOVES, absolutely LOVES (did I mention LOVES?) to go swimming!
• Arranged daycare to start sometime in September (Mommy is having a hard time with this one)
• Is wearing size 12 months +
• Last doctor's visit weighed 18 lbs 3 oz and 28 inches tall (way ahead of her peers in height!)
• Loves to play with her friends at work
• Had her first (awake) visit to Will's resting place (all other visits she has been sleeping)
• Was featured in a follow up article in the Dameron Digest (Dameron Hospital Foundation's periodical)
• When not sleeping or eating, she laughs all the time, loves to play with Daddy, go to work with Mommy and spend time with Nana and Papa

I will post pictures soon -- I promise!!

A Sensational, Sunny, Swimming Sunday

Thursdays with Liana

On Thursdays at work, Julia gets to hang out with one of her BFF's -- Liana Osorio. On this past Thursday, most of the day when one was awake, the other was sleeping... making it hard for a photo op. Donning matching giraffe print outfits, here they are hanging out at the end of the day.

"Who's this and why is she wearing MY outfit!?"

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"Uhhhhh... why is she touching me?"

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"Maybe she's kind of cool... she seems nice."

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"Ok, I think I like her, she is funny!"

"Patty cake, patty cake, baker's man..."

Wordless Wednesday

Battle of the Bands

Today the executive staff at work hosted a Relay for Life fundraiser called "Battle of the Bands" where groups assembled and performed songs using the game Rock Band. To raise money, we could pay to enlist a band to perform or we could pay to dress down in rock star or groupie attire. Julia took to the competion and dressed as AC/DC's #1 fan and even snapped her photo with some other "band mates".

Dressed and ready to roll, complete with faux-hawk!

Posing with the other AC/DC #1 fan.

Julia and Dree (aka Mike D from the Beastie Boys)

Wendy, Tommy, Julia and Christian all sporting AC/DC attire

Chillin' at work in the Bumbo

Side view of the faux-hawk

Babies in the Workplace

Julia comes to work with me everyday... and here are a handful of pics that a friend, Bernadette, took last week from her iPhone.

Growing up fast...

I have really been slacking on the updates. Julia is getting so big, so fast - right before our eyes. Like any new parents, we are so overwhelmed with the amount of love we feel for her. As we miss Will every day, Julia reminds us that life has many twists and turns and we are eager and excited to learn as each day unfolds.

Here is the low down on what we have been up to:

• Julia has been going to work with me every day since May 11. She is loved by many and is spoiled by all. She enjoys all her work "Auntie's" and loves to explore new offices and departments without Mom in tow. Regularly a coworker will stop by and take her for awhile.
• Julia rolled over for the first time and neither David nor I witnessed it. I was at work and she was on her activity mat playing as I was working with a colleague... I turned to look something up and she rolled over and my colleague, Ann, was the only one to witness.
• David travelled late last month for work and while he is gone, he misses Julia so much. I miss him too, not to mention the extra set of hands!
• March for Babies came and went. We raised just over $1700 with a huge help from Julia's Auntie Sandy (my sister-in-law). Sandy raised money in memory of Will all the way from Jerome, Idaho! One day I received a letter in the mail with checks totalling $565. I was so humbled and had no words (yes, me... I was speechless... hard to imagine!).
• Four month well baby check up was June 1. Julia weighed 15 lbs 4 oz and measured 27 inches long. Her height continues to top the charts at 100 percentile!
• We started rice cereal! She enjoys it as she learns new textures. Vegetables, here we come!
• Julia definitely has a voice! She talks up a storm, to us, with us, at us, along with music... one day David and I were having a conversation and as we talked, she talked louder and louder. Soon we realized we raised our voice and she raised her voice even more. It will be a loud household one day.
• As Julia gets bigger, she is really taking after Daddy! When she was born, many people said she looked just like me, as she grows, she is really looking like David!
• Those of you who donated to the Dameron Hospital Foundation in memory of Will... keep your eyes out for the next edition of the Dameron Digest. They are doing a follow up story on our family and our newest miracle, Julia.

And now... photos, please enjoy!

Showing off her neck muscles!

Yummm... rice cereal (mixed with one part slobber)!


Those legs never stop... little Miss Active!

She is very tall for her age... as seen here on her activity mat.

Two of my favorite people in the whole wide world!

Bunny slippers given to Julia by Auntie K...

As her hair thins out and the remaining hair grows into scraggly pieces, we are looking for new and creative ways to keep her hair out of her face... this is her Pebbles Do.