Growing like a weed and speaking Chinese

It's been a few weeks since I've written and I'm both suprised and disappointed by this. There is so much to record and so many wonderful events that take place daily that I want to remember and one day share with Sophie (although I'm fully aware that we are sharing them now!) It just seems so difficult to find the time (and energy) to sit down and write it all down. Sigh. Note: this is not a complaint! These have been, by far, the best days of my life...

Last Monday was quite eventful, Sophie completed the task of rolling all the way over onto her belly without any assistance from (ahem) yours truly. This one really counted! She really loves to lie in her little ocean and play with the sea creatures, especially the octopus that watches over her. She has found her feet so she loves to hold one foot in her right hand and pull on the bells and whistles inside the ocean with her left. She has also become quite the explorer with her mouth, so everything goes in it! Her hand-eye coordination has become quite good and can bring things up to her mouth and squeals in delight when she's done it...already displaying self confidence, I love it!

We took Sophie to tour Jack Daniels Distillery last week, as well. I know, it sounds a bit inappropriate...but it was really a great trip. It was a gorgeous day and the tour was mostly outside and Sophie really enjoyed herself. She's built up her neck muscles so she can now sit facing forward in her carrier and she was loving it! When she was just a few weeks old, it seemed that this was the only place she wanted to be, as early as two weeks old we were out taking walks, doing the laundry, dishes, even vacuuming with her tucked cozily inside.

At the end of the tour we were given the chance to cool off with some good ole southern lemonade, which was fantastic. Neither Wyatt nor I are big whiskey drinkers but it was interesting seeing how it's made. Sophie wasn't so keen on the lemonade but really enjoyed napping on Wyatt's shoulder while he enjoyed some for himself! She was one tired little girl! After the tour we went to the town square for bbq and icecream and we let all the bikers make funny faces at her. People can't help but love her!

Sophie is quite the little chatterbox these days. I am confident that she has a vocabulary of her very own and I'm pretty sure she was speaking Chinese yesterday while we were getting her ready for school. I've been barking up the wrong tree with Spanish! My favorite book to read to her is "Sophie's Trophy"...a book that Wyatt found before she was born. It's a cute little book about a brother and sister whom are frogs and she is an ugly frog that never wins any trophies like her brother. All the while the book introduces spanish words. And of course Sophie gets her own trophy in the end...Aww.

Sophie is a great companion and loves to explore the outdoors. I've begun running again in the hopes of completing my first marathon in December and Sophie has been training with me. It is her favorite place to be for naptime. She loves the wind in her face and becomes so relaxed with just the first sign of the stroller in motion. It is truly one of my favorite things to do with her. My best friend Tab is usually with us, too, so we have a great time. They both keep me motivated. And being Sophie's mom couldn't make me any more proud. I think part of the reason I want to keep running is so that Sophie will be proud of me. Last December, when I was 25 weeks along, Sophie and I completed the St. Jude's half marathon together. So, I guess I feel like Sophie and I will always have that bond...even if she gets older and doesn't like to run herself.

Tonight we went with Wyatt to watch him play hockey and this was Sophie's first time watching him play. I don't know who was more proud...Sophie watching her dad score a goal or Dad watching Sophie through the glass. I always knew that Wyatt would be a great father. But that phrase "great father" really pales in comparison to watching him with her. It's such a blessing to be able to share not only the day to day tasks of parenthood (that we all know are not always fun, fun, fun) but to share the joys and memories with someone who loves something or someone just as much as you do...that you created together. Having a partner that enhances this experience has been the greatest gift I have ever been given, with the exception of Sophie herself.

Sophie enjoys her time with Wyatt. She is very interested in his goatee and has begun pulling on it frequently. She studies his facial expressions and lights up when she sees him. He also loves to play music for her. The other day I heard the piano being played and thought it was Wyatt, but it was Sophie playing with her feet, with a bit of help from him. We took Sophie to a concert in the park on Monday and she really liked that. I think music will continue to be an important role in our family and I am so excited to see Wyatt continue to introduce her to the more and more. He's also come up with a few new tunes of his own for diaper changing time and other daily activities..."little baby bottom" is my favorite...

Sophie went to the doctor yesterday for her four month well visit and shots. She's now 15 pounds, 12 ounces and 26 inches long (both about 90 percentile). Wow! I just keep thinking about how quickly the time goes and how much she's already grown. People always tell you to hold on to every minute because it goes by so quickly. And they are right. And how much fun is to to see your child growing and learning right before you? Absolutely amazing. I guess it goes back to Goethe. Nothing is worth more than this day.

Blowout on I-55

Two weeks ago I walked into Sophie's school to pick her up and was greeted by a nice gentlemen who introduced himself. I'm sometimes bad with names and I must say I was hyper focused on that cute little girl hanging out in the swing to really pay attention to who he said he was, but soon after the introduction I heard "health department" and suddenly my ears did a double take. With letter in hand he begins to explain that there was a potential TB exposure within the infant program and that they are doing TB screening on all of the children in the program. Now, never having been through this sort of thing before, I realize that I'm not really sure what to do. So I look around, and notice the other moms whom have just been given the same spiel and have the same piece of paper in hand. One I know happens to be a nurse. Mental note, take cue from her, as I'm sure she has experienced this before...and if she is freaking out then I know better how to respond. No dice, she is cool, calm and collected. Ok, so that's a good sign, right?
Standing right next to me is my good friend whom I've just referred to start bringing her son to school with Sophie. This was his second day there after a bad experience somewhere else! Great! So, not only am I worried about Sophie but I'm also feeling somewhat responsible about subjecting him to the same thing. Hopefully we're still friends.
I think we both took the information in stride and walked out together. "So, yeah, um..."is the phrase that came out of both of our mouths at the same time. "Call you later". Fast forward a couple of hours and she's already done her own research online and I've talked to my sister in law who's called her pediatrician to get the 411.
The timing of this TB outbreak couldn't be better. We're supposed to be leaving the following day to visit family so I can't take her to get tested before we leave (because I'll need to bring her back in 48 hours later for the test to be read and we won't be back yet). And we won't be back on Monday when they are coming to the school to administer tests there. So I make an appointment for Tuesday morning. Great. While I'm at the doctor, I'll also ask him about her first cold that she's just gotten while we were away on our trip, recommendations about her teething and suggestions for her inability to go poo. Not quite. Never having been through a TB outbreak, I didn't know that Sophie's appointment was just for shots and that she wouldn't be seen by the doctor. (In hindsight this makes sense - especially after seeing 100 other kids in the waiting room on the "shot list" so that they can return to school). So the nurse tells me that I can see the lady at the front desk to make an appointment. Ok. So the lady at the front desk leaves a message for the lady who schedules appointments to call me. Ok. So four hours later she calls and says I can come back at 4:00pm. Ok. Hello, Dr. Laue! Have I got some news for you!
Poor kid. She went a good four days without having a bowel movement and this is not like her. I fear that I've passed on my "crippled digestive system" (what my gastrointernalogist diagnosed me with...that's a clinical term, right?) My aunt and I drove through a tornado to aquire some pear juice and I think this did the trick. The next day and three bowel movements in four hours later...Sophiebug was feeling much better ("blowout on I-55" takes on a whole new meaning :)
That night we slept at my sister's place and I slept on the couch right next to the pack and play. I heard Sophie sniffling. Sniffling? But she didn't appear to have any problem sleeping. Yet. The next morning she awoke with a mild fever and congestion. Her first cold! Wouldn't you know that all of this happens when I am out of town and my owner's manual, aka What to Expect The First Year, is at home? Luckily, I did have my mom who was super helpful...especially when it came to giving some TLC to Sophie on our long journey back home. Let's not forget our pit stop in Nashville to pick up my college roomy, Mon! Sophie was so patient in her car seat...and we all know how much she loves that!
It's been a week and Sophie is doing much better...her TB test was negative, her cold has almost completely cleared up and although she continues to be irregular, she has been going poo without intervention. Oh, and she's over 15 lbs. 7 ounces...so she's thriving! (In fact, the thought of her weight doubling before she outgrows her car seat makes my arms very sore!)
Now...to tackle that little teething problem...