Tales from the Diaper Genie...

So, I have been neglecting this blog lately (sorry!). I just recently discovered that I have also been neglecting taking pictures of our baby girl. I need to get on top of that. I guess I have good excuses. Johanna has been teething for weeks (she is now sporting two top teeth!) and now she is sick with a cold. She seems to be doing better today which is such a blessing. School has been keeping me super busy. I feel like I always have so much school work that I need to be working on, plus there are always things that need done around the house. I have tons homework to do, piles of laundry, we need groceries, and Johanna's closet needs changed over to 12-18 month clothes. I guess we make 'em big!! Enough woe-is-me from the full-time student mommy who also has an outside job (just had to throw that in there)! I suppose I could be working on homework right now, but where is the fun in that :)

Johanna is growing up so fast. She seems more like a little girl than a baby. She is crawling all over the house and just started pulling herself up to standing (this past Wednesday). She is moving to stage three baby food (the kind with chunks) which makes their pooh REALLY stink now (just to warn all the other mommies). I am hoping that she will start to eat "real" food before too long. She doesn't seem to be a picky eater, but she especially likes the banana apricot with mixed grains fruit. I will now insert a huge plug for Earth's Best Organic Baby Food. We LOVE it!! Plus, if you get the variety packs it is not much more than making it yourself (which I have done). The last time I made it myself, it only saved me 2 bucks and took me two hours! The only down side is that Wooster doesn't have a babiesrus which carries the biggest variety of the Earths Best foods.

Johanna likes to squeel and say "mama" and "dada". She also has favored saying "blah, blah, blah" lately which just cracks me up!! She LOVES to look at her reflection in the window (at night) and in her highchair tray (which makes feeding kinda a pain!). She is over just looking at herself in the mirror and loves trying to see her reflection in different ways. Although she still really enjoys talking to herself in the car mirror.

I feel I should tell all other mothers (and I will look back at this to remind myself when we have another baby) that things kinda get more difficult again at about 7-8 months. Teething is no fun (even though the first two teeth weren't bad at 5 months). It has caused Johanna to start pooping like a poopstar (i think this probably isn't helped by her cold). She has pooped out of her diaper and all over her crib at least one a day (usually before she gets up in the morning) for about four days now. Thank heavens my own child's poop doesn't gross me out at all. She's now mobile which is fun, but can be stressful at times. She now has quite the personality (which is so much fun!), but that comes along with a new sense of will which can be difficult. She also started going through a strange sleeping stage (the kind where she wakes up too much, but thankfully puts herself back to sleep). I am saying all this because I think it is good to know what's coming. This helps me to realize that there is nothing wrong with Johanna and keeps me from losing my mind. Plus, it's all a passing stage. So, here's some encouragement to all the mommies out there! It gets harder again, but more fun. When things get difficult, just remember, "this too shall pass"!!

That's all for now!! Enjoy the pics and video (hopefully) that I will post. Pictures of her in her Halloween costume are soon- to - come!! The pic with two babies is Johanna (indians onesie- GO TRIBE and pink pants) and her buddy Katelyn! The adult holding her in another one is Brian's sis Margaret who is due with her third in January.