Bebe 2: Gestational Diabetes

I know this blog is titled Growing My FIRST Human, but I don't really want to change it and I don't have anywhere else to document Ka'io's birth... so here ya go! 

First of all, this pregnancy was so different from Lainey's. I wish I would have written more about it, but having a toddler means any screen time we have is dedicated to Minions or Zootopia. 😂

With this pregnancy, I got gestational diabetes. They suspect I may have had it with Lainey too, it was just so mild it went undetected. After having Lainey I gained a ton of weight so then getting pregnant so quickly and being so much bigger than when I got pregnant with Lainey didn't help. When I first found out I got a little extreme about it and cut carbs almost completely and lost about 15 lbs in two weeks. I realized I didn't need to be quite so extreme and slowly started eating a little more normally, just healthier alternatives. For example, I could still eat a PB&J, I just had to use sugar free J and whole wheat bread. The brand of PB didn't even matter, I could eat the regular stuff that my dad insists is terrible for you and my blood sugar would be totally fine. Oh yeah, I had to prick my finger and test my blood sugar when I first woke up in the morning and an hour after every meal. I thought it would be a lot worse than it was, I just had a hard time remembering to do it toward the end of the pregnancy (like when I was forgetting everything haha). 

After a month or so of trying to be totally perfect, I had to start taking insulin at night. My fasting blood sugar (first thing in the morning, after not eating for 8 or so hours) was never low enough. That was really when I started being less extreme with my diet; I was pretty discouraged. I also could not stab myself with a needle! Ho'oulu didn't want to do it either so I put off taking it for an extra week or two after the doctor prescribed it. I finally convinced him to do it (after many hours and nights of holding a needle to my arm and trying to convince myself to do it haha). He became a total pro and really saved my life - and Ka'io's! Not literally but maybe a little bit. 
I think the worst part about having gestational diabetes (besides the potential harm to the bebe, of course) is the extra appointments. We live AN HOUR from the hospital and we had to go there for non-stress tests, which twice a week for the last month, plus I still had to go to my regular OB appointments every week. So I had THREE appointments a week! And before that for about a month I had a non-stress test once a week. It was so awful. 
Gestational diabetes is the worst. I am so sorry to those who have type 1 or type 2 because that's indefinite; I could look forward to having a normal life again after giving birth (hopefully anyway. It's possible for it to just stay and basically become type 2, but I was SO LUCKY to not have that happen).
So basically if you ever want to have kids, start cutting carbs and working out now. 😂

This was a very brief version. If you have any further questions or you need low carb food ideas, feel free to message me on FB, comment here, text me, whatever! I'd be happy to help in any way I can. 

VBAC! Ka'io's Birth Story

I waited too long (3 ish months) to write this so I missed a lot of details and probably mixed things up. Oops. 

First of all, as I mentioned in another blog post, I had gestational diabetes with this pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes aren't supposed to go past their due dates. My doctor wanted to induce no later than that day, which was discouraging to me because my whole life plan was residing on this birth. I've wanted a ton of kids for as long as I can remember. I'm one of six kids and while other people would tell me that's a lot, I always wished I had more siblings. My dad is one of nine and my mom is one of eleven, and that always seemed like way more fun! So my goal was eight, which is how many kids are in Ho'oulu's family so he was thinking the same! It was "the plan." Starting with a c-section put a damper on that plan, so I absolutely HAD to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) this time. Being induced lowered my chances at a successful VBAC because they could only give me pitocin and the amount would be very limited; too much could cause my previous c-section incision scar to rupture, which could result in an emergency hysterectomy. 

At 39 weeks, the doctor checked and I was not dilated. I had a false alarm that weekend where I had contractions all day Saturday and Sunday, then on Monday they got to be 6 minutes apart so we went in and I got to a 2 or so and that was it. 
Side note: while in the hospital for that false alarm we had THE GREATEST OB named Linda Chong. At first she seemed too peppy and I was like, "Nope! Send someone else!" because I was in so much pain haha. But she took such good care of me (and even Ho'oulu) and she was just the sweetest person ever.
I was set to be induced that Wednesday, January 18th (my due date). I can't tell you how badly I wanted to be in labor for real that Monday. I just kept thinking that if I had to be induced I would end up having another emergency c-section. But the day came and there wasn't much I could do. I'm not one to disregard a doctor's suggestion or opinion, so I was being induced on my due date. I had a regular appointment that morning around 10 then the big appointment was for 2pm. We dropped Lainey off at Ho'oulu's sister's house before the morning appointment because our doctor's office is about 45 minutes away and the hospital is in that same direction. I felt bad leaving her even longer than we needed to but it made more sense this way. 

At the 10am appointment (for which we were late and actually rescheduled to 10:30) they said I was still at about a 1 or 2, I think around 60% effaced, and my cervix was at a -3, which means it was really far back. This all means I wasn't in labor but I was induce-able, which is what we were looking for. 

After the doctor's appointment we decided to go to the mall and walk around to hopefully get things started so I wouldn't have to be induce. Obviously that didn't work so we ate lunch at Ruby Tuesdays (not the best idea) and headed to the hospital. 

It seemed to take forever to even get started. They admitted me and gave me a gown and everything, checked me (and at this point I was already sick of people poking around my privates and we hadn't even started!😂😭), hooked me up to machines (basically like a nonstress test, plus IVs), etc and then we just waited. Guess what amazing OB came in while we were waiting... Linda! (She was the one from the side note earlier.) I was so happy to see her. She really is amazing! Eventually Linda brought in a tool that was supposed to help get things going that was like a deflated balloon that they stick in your cervix and then blow it up and your body pushes it out, thus helping you dilate and I think it softens the cervix. 

Sometime around 4pm they started the pitocin. That was in the IV on my left arm, along with a water and sugar mixture to keep the diabetes under control. At some point they added an IV in my right arm for plain water. 

I felt like it would have made more sense to start in the morning so I wasn't in labor all night, but it wasn't my job to plan these things. Haha. 

Soo yeah, then I started having contractions, which I will not even attempt to explain. And I had intense back labor which is 1,000 times worse than regular contractions. It helped to lean forward but the monitors for baby's heart were on my tummy and I couldn't find a position while leaning forward on the bed that wouldn't bump them. I kept trying and then nurses kept having to come in and fix my monitors. 😬 I felt like I was being so annoying because it was like every contraction that I'd try and move to a better position and someone had to come in. 😂 Linda's shift was over before I got annoying, but the nurse who took her place didn't talk, like at all, so I REALLY felt like I was annoying her. I kept apologizing, which probably got as annoying as coming in, and she just gave like a half smile, fixed it, and left. It was pretty awkward.
I finally just stood up and that helped a lot, but it was getting late and I was tired, and as it turns out being in a ton of pain for extended periods of time is exhausting. The IV with two lines was in my left arm so my left foot and leg started swelling like crazy. It looked like I had that elephant man disease and it hurt like crazy. I kept rocking back and forth (to let one foot rest at a time) and trying to find a way to sit, but again with the monitors and the nurses and the apologizing. So I stayed on my feet for something like 10 hours and then finally just decided to get an epidural. This was somewhere around 5am. I felt like such a failure, and I felt like I was sentencing myself to a c-section. I read way too much after Lainey was born and epidurals have a tendency to slow things down, so I always wonder if I hadn't gotten the epidural with Lainey if she'd have been born vaginally (I was already dilated to a 9 when her heart rate dropped and they couldn't get it back up so they had to cut her out). I had also gotten it pretty early in the process, so I also wonder if I had just waited a couple hours to get it if that would have helped too. 

So I was really sad and discouraged and emotional at this point. I even get upset thinking about it and am tearing up now. I felt like I was losing 4 children (if I had to have a second c section then all my future kids would have to be c sections too and I wouldn't be able to have more than 4 kids and I wanted 8). 

Basically I was being super dramatic. 😂

So I called in the nurse and asked for the epidural. I think they might have had to check me to make sure I was dilated enough, but I don't remember for sure. 

The anesthesiologist came in and I liked her a lot. She talked me through everything and I didn't feel a thing after the initial numbing shot. 

Despite the emotional anguish I was feeling, that beautiful, blessed epidural gave me enough physical comfort to be able to lie down (sweet relief for my poor legs and feet!) and even sleep for a couple hours. 

Any time you get an epidural you also have to get a catheter. I've heard they're sooo uncomfortable and miserable but because I'd had the epidural so I didn't feel a thing. 

I woke up in the morning feeling surprisingly refreshed, despite only getting 4 hours or so (that puts us around 9 or 10am, I believe). I was sooo ready to have this baby! Some of the drama from the previous night had warn off and I was feeling far more hopeful and optimistic, though there was a nagging in the back of my mind that I had seriously failed. 

I kept wondering when things would start happening. My water broke and I thought that was the beginning, but then it still felt like nothing was happening. I felt like the nurses should have been in there or something, but they could see our monitors at the nursing station. I finally asked a nurse what we were waiting for, or rather how I'd know when whatever we were waiting for was happening. She said I'd feel an extreme pressure like I needed to poo, and even with the epidural most people still felt it. 

I felt it and called the nurses in (made a big hoopla) and the OB (a young brunette who I had seen at the Waipio clinic a couple times during this pregnancy) said it would be better if I could wait. Ka'io was posterior, meaning he was face up, which meant I'd probably push forever and then end up having an emergency c section. I could tell she wasn't expecting to deliver this baby (she thought a surgeon performing the c section would). So they said if I could wait and hold him in his chances of turning would be better. They had me lie half on my back, half on my side with something between my knees. I was pretty uncomfortable but I was willing to do anything at this point to not have a c section. I was fighting away that nagging feeling and that horrible voice in my head telling me that I shouldn't have gotten the epidural, but I HAD to stay positive. 

After what felt again like forever, the same OB and a male OB came in and asked if I was ready. I no longer felt the urge to push (the poo pressure) so I wasn't sure. The male OB checked me and I was fully dilated, effaced, and my cervix was +2 (or 3? or whatever it's supposed to be). So the took the catheter out, which kinda freaked me out because I couldn't feel anything so what if I peed? I had heard stories of women pooing but not peeing. 

Anyway, as far as I know I didn't pee. 😂 

Then nurses prepped me and idk where the male and brunette OB went but a new OB/midwife came in and SHE. WAS. IRISH. Any negative thoughts or doubts I had were gone. Ireland is my favorite country I've ever visited and I always tell Ho'oulu that if I have to flee the country he'll find me in Dublin. 😂 plus I'm Irish! Her name was Mary and I just wanted her to talk nonstop. 

I couldn't believe how quickly it went from waiting and nothing happening to everything happening (thankfully not as much as in Lainey's birth though haha). 

The midwife named Judith helped hold one leg up (making two right ankles of my knee and hip flexers) and Ho'oulu held the other (he was on my right side). I grabbed behind my knees and when a contraction started, Mary talked me through taking a deep breath and then pushing as hard as I possibly could for like 3 seconds. Then I'd take another big breath and push as hard as I could. One more time and the contraction would be over and I'd lean back and put an oxygen mask on (doctor's orders - I flipping hate having that on my face - but it helped Bebe so I did it). I'd have another contraction and it would all start again. I kept looking back at the monitor with Baby's heart rate. I expected to drop every time, I was just waiting for something horrible to happen. That was my motivation; I had to get this baby out asap before anything bad could happen, before his heart rate could drop. Every time I thought I was surely going to collapse and give up, I'd look back at that monitor and remind myself to push harder, hurry up. 

Mary was surprised and seemingly impressed with a lot of pushes and how quickly he was coming out, even though he was posterior. She told Judith to go get the team. Everyone came in pretty casually and then they saw how far out he was and they snapped into gear and got ready. I was defiantly (yes defiantly, I'm not misspelling definitely) happy to prove the brunette OB wrong, and I took way too much pride in seeing the surprise on her face when I should have been a little more focused elsewhere. 😂

So after two hours of pushing, he was finally out. They put him immediately on the gown on my chest, which surprised me because I thought they were big into skin-to-skin but this was not actually direct. He was covered in all kinds of blood so I didn't mind him being in the gown haha. I had him for maybe two seconds before they took him to clean him up, and I was only vaguely aware of what was happening from that point on. Mary stitched me up, I think Ho'oulu went to look at the afterbirth and cut the cord, everyone congratulated me multiple times, and I laid on the bed and cried and cried and cried and laughed a little and cried a lot. I was so unbelievably happy. Happy isn't even the right word, I think it was more joyful. I wanted them to hurry up and bring him back to me but I couldn't stop grinning (and crying). I hadn't just given birth to this one beautiful, perfect boy, I had given our family a shot at growing; I had gained back those four other children. 

In that moment, I felt invincible. The nurses and doctors kept telling me how strong I was, how impressed they were, how crazy it was that he came so quickly even though he was posterior. All those feelings of failure were long forgotten. 

I can do hard things... and I can do them well. 

Bebe Tracker... Catch Up! 14 Months

So I'm a little behind. 

I know, how dare I not post an update about this adorable little human?! We've been having a ton of fun and life is crazy. 

Her favorite foods are oatmeal, Cheerios (multigrain or honey nut), string cheese, fruit snacks, nectarines, grapes, strawberry Greek yogurt, and probably anything with a ton of processed sugars but we try to limit her intake there. 😂 She finally decided she not only likes cows milk, she LOVES it and drinks a ton of it every day. She particularly loves drinking the milk from her cereal bowl. We're teaching her great manners. 😜

She'll eat bananas, green beans, peanut butter, and other yogurts, but she eats them much less vigorously as the foods she loves and gets distracted a lot easier haha. She seems to hate cooked carrots (spits them out every time) but liked to chew on raw carrots when she was teething... Though she still spit those out. She also doesn't seem to like apples, even if I slice and peel them. 

She has two molars on top and two molars on bottom! No canines yet so there's a gap between her four front teeth (four on top and four on bottom) and the molars. It's pretty cute and has been really great for all those foods she loves. Haha. 

She's completely mobile and walks around everywhere, but when she's angry or if I leave her for too long then she wants to be carried/held. She's still my little mama's girl. :) She has a hard time walking in slippers (aka sandals for my mainland friends) but has done pretty well in tennis shoes. Both are incredibly adorable! 

She is the most stubborn and opinionated kid I've ever met. She's already picking out her clothes sometimes and will not let me dress her in anything else. She also decides when she's done wearing clothes and when she's ready to take a bath (which is great because it's so stinking hot in Ewa Beach, where we live, so we play in cold ish water almost every day, whether that's in the bathtub or at the beach). She doesn't like to be buckled in her car seat and will scream for hours if she's already taken a nap or something. If she's even a little bit tired then she'll usually fall asleep pretty quickly, which has been a real life saver since we started weaning her. I still breastfeed her at night and I feel bad when she wants to nurse in the day time, but with another baby coming we need to hurry up and be done! 

I have days where I wish she were less clingy but I love love love her snuggles and hugs and kisses. Whenever I need to do something without her I say, "Go give Daddy a kiss!" And she almost always does. It's SO ADORABLE! She's also quite the daddy's girl, which is so fun to watch. ❤️

She is completely obsessed with dogs. Ho'oulu and I are very allergic so we've compromised by showing her a million dog videos a day. Whenever we're in Oregon she loves to be outside and play with Bogie, my parents' dog, but she's also kind of afraid of him because he's so much bigger than she is (he's an old chocolate lab). The same goes for Ho'oulu's brother's dog, but he's teensy but very energetic and sometimes a bit too in-her-face. She never wants him out of her sight though! And she loves to bark at dogs and at dog videos. 😂 it's so cute! 

She also talks and signs quite a bit. She says mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, help, up, cheese, hi, goodbye, go, peek-a-boo (sounds more like pita-baaah), piko (Hawaiian for belly button), dog, yeah, Bear Bear (what she calls her teddy bear), button, cupcake, and she repeats after us really well (when she's in a good mood and wants to cooperate haha). She can sign eat, drink, please, more, all pau (all done)... And I think that's all but I always seem to forget some when listing them haha. She's also really good about nodding yes or shaking her head no. She still gets them confused or does both sometimes, but for the most part she seems to have it figured out. 

She is outgoing and friendly and says "haaiiiiiii" and waves to every person we see when we're out. People stop us constantly to tell us how cute she is and ask questions about her, and some people (weirdos) even ask to hold her. I freaking hate strangers who ask to hold my kid. Don't be that guy, no matter how cute the kid. 😂

I think she's going to be right handed and have curly hair, but I can't be sure of either. 

She is so funny and makes me laugh every day. We also get frustrated with each other sometimes, but those days are few and far between and usually come about because I'm being lame and am tired and she wants to play and be crazy. I always feel bad for that, especially since I was such a crazy kid and I had the most energetic and fun (not to mention patient) mother on the planet! Lainey deserves that so I try to be more like my mom every day. 

I'm so in love with this little girl and I thank Heavenly Father constantly for letting me be her mama. Ho'oulu is the best dad and I just feel like we are the most blessed little family! Living in Hawaii has been really hard for me since I was pregnant the last time (being so far from my mama when I was about to be a mama) but I try to stay grateful for the beautiful paradise I've gotten to call home for almost 6 years now. There is truly nowhere like it and sometimes I'm sad I won't be raising my kids here (we're moving to the Utah soon and if we never win the lottery, we probably won't be coming back). I want Lainey to be our little hula girl, and it seems she wants that too! She dances whenever music plays (like most kids) but she seems particularly drawn to hula and always tries to copy their moves. It's so adorable. So hopefully wherever we end up we can find a super stellar halau for her to learn. 

She's also our fearless little ocean girl so I'll be sooooo sad to be away from the ocean. If we're ever rich enough to move back (and Ho'oulu is pretty set on that happening), I hope it's when all our kids are young enough to be as fearless as Lainey is and I hope they love the ocean. 

Welp, that's a little glimpse into our lives! Special sneak peak into the family life and not just Lainey's progress haha. 

Bebe Tracker: ONE YEAR + Her Bday!

I can't believe she's a year old! This is blowing my mind constantly. She is suddenly very affectionate and loves to give us hugs and kisses (still only open-mouthed). She talks (babbles) constantly and has started calling me "Mom-bah" (instead of Mama). She has 8 teeth (!!!!!) and loves to use them. 😁 She  is SO FLIPPING TALL. I forget how tall she is and then she stands next to something (especially in our old apartment where we lived when she was born) and I can't believe how high she can reach! 

I'm still working a little on signing, but she finally asks for more to eat. I still get so excited when she does it! And it's adorable. She also nods and shakes her head. And she knows where your nose is and will you poke you on it if you ask her, "where's my nose?" 

She loves to click her tongue too. Ya know, like puts her tongue on the roof of her mouth and makes a big click when she releases it. She loves that and loves it when we do it back. 

She can say Mama, Mom, Dada, Dad, uh oh, Grandma, Grandpa, Papa, hi, fish (as in goldfish snacks, not for the real animal), dog (and hi dog!), bird, thanks/thank you, up, this, ball, Bear Bear (what we call her teddy bear), and piko (Hawaiian for belly button). She loves to lift our shirts up and say "piko!!" Though she can't really make a K sound yet, so it sounds like pito. 😂

She has also started humming! She doesn't actually hum a song really, but will say "hmm hmm hmm" when I'm singing to her. Her favorite song is "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus" and it helps when she's crying. That song has actually ended meltdowns before, particularly when we're in the car and she's anxious to get out. And okay, I'm not the most tech savvy so I just barely found out you can play music and vocals on the LDS music app (haha!). So we've been playing hymns and primary songs and she LOVES them! They stop her crying in the car every time. It's magical. 

She is so obsessed with dogs. When she hears one bark she rushes to the window and says, "dog! Dog! Hi dog!" And waves. She is also learned to bark back at them. 😂 she just says "ruv ruv ruv" in her normal voice, and it is THE CUTEST THING. 

On her birthday, Ho'oulu had to work so I took her to Windward Mall to go to the pet store. She was so excited to see the puppies and Guinea pigs (ew). She usually gets excited to see birds outside but maybe they weren't moving enough to keep her interest. 

Ho'oulu's parents and brother met us as well, and spoiled her with lots of great presents. :) 

I should have also mentioned before we went to the mall, we went to Walgreen's across the street. In that parking lot I hopped a big curb and totally embarrassed myself, but the car seemed fine... Till I got out of the mall hours later and saw my tire was completely flat. So I called my in-laws, who had just left and they came back. Sears at the mall was still open and they have a tire center, so when we realized the tire was annihilated I could buy a new one. 😁

I kept saying that I was reminiscing so much about buying a car last year on the day she was born I just needed to buy a new tire. Haha so sad. 

But other than that minor set back, it was a pretty fun day. And we're having a real celebration Saturday, so that will be fun too! 

Threenager By Age One

I don't know if this is some kind of phase or if I just have a whiney kid with a lot of attitude, but Lainey has been throwing fits constantly! She is kind of teething but this is unlike any of her previous teeth (which all came in two at a time and she's only getting one right now). I am ready to scream at any second of the day (because she's been screaming for weeks). She's so emotionally fragile it seems like anything can set her off. And she's a shrieker! She'll go from totally fine to screaming bloody murder in less than a second and all because she saw a dog and then it walked away. Or because someone else is playing with something she had. Or because she just wants me to hold her and walk around (but she doesn't even come to me first half the time, I just have to figure it out). She's becoming a pain to take in public... And just a general pain haha. Her happy moments are giddy and so funny and then they can be over in the blink of an eye! I know I sound like a whiner right now too, but we're driving and she doesn't want to be in her car seat (and she's very tired) so she's screaming bloody murder. 😑😑😑😑 

Bebe Tracker: Eleven Months

I swear this girl gets more and more perfect every day! She's so funny and so cute. She can wave and blow kisses, though we're still working on timing. She waves and says, "haaaiiiiii" to basically everyone in a crowd, like at the airport or when we went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Hollywood). But she gets shy when we tell her to say it to one specific person, or she would just rather chew on her fingers. 

She was so excited when Ho'oulu finally got to Oregon! We picked him up from the airport and she fell asleep on the way, so when she woke up and saw him she didn't even cry (she usually screams when she first wakes up, especially if she can't see me). She was happy and kept reaching out to touch his arm or hand, as if to make sure he was still there. She did this even after falling asleep on the way home! It was so cute. 

She's still obsessed with stairs and could play on them for days on end. Now she can slide down them and it's kind of hilarious. She was sleeping through the night for a while, but that has since ended. She stands on her tippy toes a lot lately and it's quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen. 😍 She will walk around holding our hands a little more, but not for very long. And she sidesteps and it's so cute. She can also stand and balance for probably forever. I think she could walk by herself if she wanted but either she's lazy or she doesn't know she could do it if she just tried. She has quite a bit of hair on the back of her head but still very little on top. She can say hi, mama, dadda, Grandma, Grandpa (which she only whispers now for some reason), Papa, uh oh, thanks, and up. I think she's figuring out that mama doesn't mean up since we've been working on up so much. 😂 

She has six full teeth, a seventh halfway out, and an eighth about to poke through. She grinds them sometimes and I grab her cheeks, which she hates, but then later she'll look straight at me and do it while giving me a look like, "I do what I want!" It's crazy how stubborn she is already. 

She also bites me while eating. It is seriously so painful! We tried flicking her mouth and that didn't work. So for now I just stop feeding her when she does it and that seems to have worked better. 

She loves to dance! Whenever music (of any genre) starts playing, she'll bob her head, kick her knees, and/or do the washing machine with her arms. 😂 that includes when my mom was teaching piano lessons! That was pretty hilarious. 

She will eat almost anything but she seems loves broccoli, corn, lime corn chips, and Reese's peanut butter cups (or any chocolate really - definitely my kid!). 

She scrunches her nose and smiles at us, and sometimes she closes her eyes when she does it and then waits or us to copy her, which she thinks is so funny. 

She is the funniest little girl and I still can't believe she's my DAUGHTER! She makes us laugh more and more every day. I still think of her as a baby, but really she's almost a toddler and I'm a little freaked out! I can't believe how quickly time has flown. ❤️

Bebe Tracker: Ten Months!

She can stand! Sometimes she'll be holding on to something and standing and then she'll start examining her hands, and it's like she doesn't even realize she's standing by herself. And then sometimes she realizes and claps! I love when she claps, especially when it's because she's proud of herself. She also seems to have figured out when to wave, at least when she's not being shy. She holds onto the couch and walks sideways but won't use my hands to walk forward. So maybe that'll happen this month, maybe not. We're in Oregon visiting my family and she's obsessed with her second cousin Jace, who is 3 months old (and sleeps through the night)! She always wants to go to whomever is holding the baby. Unfortunately she and I caught colds while traveling so now my mom and Kaylee are sick and Jace might be getting it too. She also LOVES the big stair cases leading to the basement or the top floor (which is where we're sleeping). We tried to use a chair from the kitchen table to block off the stairs and she crawled through the legs and onto the stairs. Jace has this toy/seat that Lainey loves to sit in. It plays music and has dangling toys. She stops crying whenever we turn on the music and sometimes she dances! It's adorable. (see below; also please note her Rainbow Bright leggings!)

I love when she stands on her tippy toes, and I think she's going to have huge calves! It's actually inevitable because Ho'oulu and I both do. She loves taking a bath but is sooo wiggly I can barely hold onto her! It literally hurts my heart because I'm so nervous she's going to fall face first and drown. She's pretty good at catching herself when she slips while crawling but I'm still just a nervous first-time parent. 😜

She has six teeth, four on top and two on bottom. She loves to eat pickles but then she (and I) smell(s) like pickles all day! I looked up the ASL sign for pickle so that I could call her my pickle girl. Oh yeah and I'm trying to teach her ASL. I only know the basics so I can't teach her much, but thank goodness for the Internet.

She's grown out of most of her footy pajamas, but we have a couple she can wear while we're in Oregon. She's finally growing some hair but only on the back of her head, so she's going to have a mullet (like some of her paternal cousins👍🏽). I think she also learned how to pick her nose and eat it. 😑 And she can open the wipes and pull them out, which she thinks is so fun. What a joy that has been (ha). She is so good at drinking from regular cups or straws. She always wants to eat what I'm eating and still won't eat baby food. She would rather be outside at all times of the day or night, especially since Grandma has been taking her on the swings and trampoline and Grandpa has been taking her on the four wheeler. I don't think she ever wants to leave! She is sooo curious about our big, old chocolate lab named Bogie. She wants to be able to see him and touch him but as soon as he moves or looks at her she gets scared and wants me to move her - but not too far, she still has to be able to see him! She makes the funniest faces like squinting her eyes or crinkling her nose when she smiles, and when she's mad or crying she leans her head back like she's really complaining. 

(This isn't a great picture of it but I was so close to capturing the DRAMA.)

She misses her daddy SOO much. Every time she sees a picture (there are collages above the bed we're sleeping in and a picture as you're walking down the stairs) she gets so excited and says, "Dadda!" She's also used to him coming home from work when she's in bed so the other night when I was feeding her before bed time she stopped eating, looked up at the collages, and asked, "Dadda?" And looked at me with a lot of concern. I brought up a picture on my phone and she grabbed it, put it up to her face, and started to cry and say "Daddaaaa" over and over. It was quite possibly the cutest and saddest thing that has ever happened and we can't wait for him to come on Saturday (hopefully)!