Grandpa's girl

Akyah is doing very well! She is rolling everywhere, sitting up, and has started waving. She is so smart! She knows how to pull her bib off and thinks it’s funny to do so. Akyah is getting very good at repeating things. For example, if you say “ah” she’ll say it back and recently she’s also started waving back if you wave to her. Last week she got pink eye for the first time and then gave it to me. I was also sick and then got a nasty case of food poisoning causing me to miss a week of school (yuck!). So, I am behind and a little stressed about that but I’ll catch up.

Anyway, Akyah will be 9 months old this Friday and I’ve started to add little amounts of soy and dairy into my diet as recommended by her pediatrician and so far so good! This is wonderful news. If things continue then there is a really good chance she will grow out of her intolerance and can enjoy one my and her big brother Kameron’s favorite foods = ice cream!!! Yay!

Akyah still has no teeth but think they be making an appearance soon. I also feel like she is thinking about crawling but not quite ready. She’ll pull up her right leg but keeps the left one straight. I am very sad to report that as of a few days ago Akyah seems to be weaning herself. She absolutely refuses to nurse during the day- she’ll nurse in the morning, before bed at night, and if she wakes up in the middle of the night but refuses during the day. I’ve been told that some babies wean themselves. I am really disappointed, I wanted to nurse until she was 1 but even if she stopped today then I’d be happy with 9 months of breast milk, most babies don’t get that now-a-days. Aunt Molly and I were talking and I think its because she like to bite on the bottle nipples and quite frankly better them than me.

When she saw the doctor last week she weighed in at 16 lbs, 8.5 oz. More of an update on height, weight, and percentiles after her 9 month check-up next week… just wanted to give an update since it’s been awhile.

Akyah is growing so fast and I love seeing all the firsts! She looks more and more like her grandpa and great-grandpa every day it absolutely amazes me sometimes. Last night I was feeding her dinner and she looked over at her great-aunt Molly and had the cutest smile on her face, a smile that would melt anyone's heart, and she looked exactly like my dad! :o)

Fun at the park

Akyah and I have been to the park every day it's been nice in the last few weeks. All of the dresses Akyah is wearing were a gift from her big sister and brother... Here are a few of my favorite pics from our recent park trips:

swinging at Bush park

My angel

I love the park mommy!

Waterfront park enjoying the sunshine!

Soaking up the sun

"reading" or rather listening to her favorite book

Easter

I know I'm behind on posting but I've been sick...

Akyah and I had a wonderful Easter. We went to church in the morning and I cooked lunch and dinner for our household, including all my nephews and friends from church. I had a couple really cute spring dresses for Akyah to wear but it was too cold so we went with a warmer dress. Here are a couple pictures with cousins after an Easter egg hunt around the house:

Eric, "Eye-uh" (as Ian calls her), & Ian

I could not get her to keep her legs down

Akyah with her Easter chick, "chickie" & sticking all the plastic eggs in her mouth that she could get her hands on!

Happy 1st Easter my little honey bunny!

Thankful

I'm an extra thankful mama these days. This last Sunday at church I was reading the hand out and my eyes fixed on the prayer requests and one was for a couple whose son was born April 1st and only lived 90 minutes. Sad, very sad. I just can't shake the thought, the agony, and the pain that couple is going through. I found out that they knew ahead of time their baby was not going live but it doesn't hurt less... I had 6 months with my dad and wasn't enough, it's never enough.

I am beyond thankful to have Akyah as my daughter and that she is such a beautiful/happy baby but most of all I am that she is healthy and perfect in every way! I find myself in the middle of Holy week and even though there are a lot of things in my life that I wish were different, things that are hurting me, and things that I know will never change even though I desperately wish they would I can't help but be thankful.

I love Akyah more than anything on earth, I fall more in-love with her every day and know there is no greater love than that between a mother and her child… A love and bond that cannot be broken.

1st Sippy Cup

Akyah was introduced to the sippy cup last night. She had a small amount of water in her purple sippy cup and did a good job. She did take a couple drinks but mainly was more interested in biting the cup and playing with it :o)

Akyah's hair is getting thicker and gets a little curly when it's wet so it'll be interesting to see if she has curly hair?!? My aunt Molly and I noted last night "she definitely has Burger lungs" as Akyah was baby talking and carrying, on quite loudly at the restaurant and at home, and continued to note just how much she's like her grandpa! We looked at some older pictures of my dad as a child and my grandpa (Akyah's great-grandfather) and she looks so much like them both, proudly having great-grandpas ears and grandpa’s eyes, hair color, and beautiful smile. I miss my dad so much but when I look at Akyah, I see so much of him in her and can’t help but smile. Akyah even wrinkles her eyebrow the way my dad did, for those of who know “the look” and there are some other facial expressions she makes that remind me of my dad (and myself).

Akyah is sitting up very well on her own and rolling around everywhere. She will roll from one side of the room the other in no time flat. I cannot believe she is 8 months old and will be crawling soon. Parent/infant swim class has been a lot of fun (even though the water is freezing), Akyah loves the water. Akyah seems to be growing out of and is bored with her current toys so we got a few ones today, she loves anything that talks and signs to her.

Here are a few shots from last night for your viewing pleasure:

Yay mommy, my very own cup!

1st drink out of her first ever sippy cup, what a big girl!