Footies

Gemma is almost 5 months old! :)

Her latest new trick is playing with her feet and toes. They are her favorite toy these days. She just loves to grab them, preferably both feet at the same time. She's become Graby McGraberson - everything she needs to touch and put in her mouth. Here she is on her way to grab the camera. :)
Here's what happens when she actually grabs the camera - Attack of the Giant Baby:
Thank goodness she's so adorable because lately she's been reverting and waking up at all hours of the night. She used to be such a good sleeper but now I feel like I'm dealing with a newborn again. In my mom's groups, everyone with babies this age is going through the same thing, it seems. It just may be that she's going through a growth spurt or maybe teething. She drools like crazy.

Blitz doesn't help us much either. He's taken to howling for attention at the most inopportune times, often waking up the baby. Scott and I are still trying to figure how to deal with it.
All in all, life is good and Gemma is the light of our lives. :)

Bouncy Chair

Gemma loves her bouncy chair. At first she was completely terrified by it but now she loves it! :) Here's a short little video or her playing in it:

Gumpa

Vic is Gemma's honorary Grandpa, or Gumpa as Vic likes to say it. :) He's been such a wonderful friend to me and Scott and we are so happy to have him in our lives. Here he finally got a chance to meet her and he was all smiles. :)

Below is Gumpa with Ali, his kitty - objects may appear larger than reality. :)

Mug Shot

This picture really makes me laugh. We were walking to one of our classes at Blossom Birth on a chilly day. This looks like either a really bad drivers license shot or a mug shot - her grabbing her bunny is a really funny detail. :)

Stanford babies

Our friends, Rolando and Dolores, had a party for their daughter Raquel, who turned 1 early January. It was great to see everyone - it was like a mini Stanford reunion only with babies! Oh, how we've all grown-up... kinda. :)

Gemma getting ready for the party - she didn't like her hair accessory. hahaha
Birthday girl, Raquel, Dolores and Sophia. It was hard to get a picture of them all together - the kids were so active. It is a glimmer of what is to come for us. :)Moosh had Maya just 1 week before I had Gemma. It was so nice to catch up and talk baby. It is amazing how I can talk for so long about baby stuff. Never thought I'd be that way but now that I'm in it, is an amazing and ever changing adventure that keeps me on my toes and I'm always looking to share notes with other mamas.

Here they are with daddy Art:
It was great to see Victor and Lorena with their two kids.Art takes a turn carrying Gemma:
A good time was had by all...Maya was ready to leave:

Gemma turned on her side just now!

So it starts!

Gemma just rolled on her side by herself for the very first time! And
then she proceeded to repeat her new found talent 4 times in a row!

Here's a little video of our girl in action. :)

4 Months!

Yesterday Gemma hit her 4-month milestone! :) She's happy and doing well. :)
Her favorite things to do these days:
* Babble and squeal in delight, especially in the mornings.
* Screech in discomfort - this little girl has some lungs on her especially when we misread the cues like when I try to feed her and she wants to nap!
* Chew on both index fingers at the same time. It is hilarious and I have get a picture of this.
* Produce saliva like it is going out of style, especially in bubble form.
* Grab her toes! - She did this for the first just this past week!
* Play 'shy girl' in the mirror - she looks at herself, smiles, turns away only to turn back to the mirror and smile again at herself. She also likes to play this game with her daddy too.
* She likes to sit up these days and observe everything, especially Blitz .
* Her mouth is the first line of defense when investigating anything and everything!
* She loves her bunny, we call him Frank the bunny, sometimes Frank ze bunny (a mountain climber) or Frank le bunny (a chef)
Here she is actively grabbing her first toy successfully just before xmas!:"I did it, mommy!!!"Her stats:
* Weight = 14lbs 2 oz. - she's doing good, but dropped from 75% to 65%
* Head Circumference = 16.14 ", maintaining at 50%
* Height = 24" , maintaining at 50%I have been concerned about my milk production since it has gone down some for 2 reasons I think - first my bout with mastitis (never fully recovered my flow) and Gemma sleeping through the night.

So a friend of ours loaned us their child scale (thanks Gary & Jen!) to do weigh-and-feeds to see how much she is really getting. She should be getting at least 4 oz but preferably 5 to 6 oz at each feed, per the lactation consultants. At the clinic I went to yesterday she only got 2 oz. But that was in the afternoon and she definitely eats more in the mornings. Hopefully the scales will help me understand what is going on better.

Here is Blitz, of course, weighing in on the topic. LOL! We found out he weighs 7.5lbs. He's doing much better and starting to regain some of his weight after his illness. :)
I've also started taking fenugreek, a traditional herbal supplement used to increase milk production. It has this sort of sweet smell to it and I'm told I might start smelling like pancakes drenched in maple syrup but if it helps with my production, I'm all for it! :)

Just before the weather turned, Gemma and I went out for a walk around Lake Elizabeth:I'm excited for this new year and continuing our journey with Gemma - she makes us laugh every day and it feels great.

Wishing you all the best!

Familia Krotz

Before the holidays, we asked our friend to take a family photo in the hopes of turning it into a xmas card. Well, we did manage to take the photo but the card didn't happen. Hopefully next year we'll be able to do it. Thank you for the pictures, Komei! :) :) :)

Here's another version: Gemma was happy before the photo shoot but wasn't very happy or cooperative during it.
I rarely get in photos these days but here's one after the shoot with tired Gemmita. In this next year I hope to take more pictures with her! :)