Walking, a fever, and a squinch

Well, Jenna has begun taking steps independently. She hasn't figured out how to stand up without holding on to something, though she does try. But once she is standing up, she will walk to her toys or the couch or whoever happens to be in the room. It's so amazing to see her little body walking across the room. She falls down quite a bit but it usually doesn't faze her much. She still prefers crawling if she is in a hurry because she is such a fast crawler but you can tell she's pretty proud of herself for walking.
This weekend was pretty rough around here. Jenna woke up Saturday morning at 5am with a fever. We gave her some Tylenol and it worked for a couple hours but then her temp just went right back up. I wasn't overly concerned because she seemed fine and was still playing and eating. Saturday night her temp was about 102 and so we called the pediatrician. He said to switch to Motrin and call him if it went to 104 or if Jenna seemed much worse. It was a little bit of a rough night but we didn't have to call him back. Sunday, she still played a little in the morning, but once she woke up from her nap she was burning up and very unhappy. Her temp was 104 and the pediatrician told us to head to urgent care. Her ears and throat checked out okay and they said it is a respiratory virus and to watch for signs of pneumonia. Poor Jenna was so miserable. We began rotating the Tylenol and Motrin and did tepid baths (pure torture). Finally around 3am this morning the fever broke. Poor baby was sweating and shivering. I sat up with her for a couple hours and she finally went back to bed. She seems a little out of sorts today but so much better than yesterday.

So the squinch is the nickname we gave for Jenna's new cheesy grin. In fact, if you tell her to do the squinch, she will give you this cute little smile. I absolutely LOVE it and melt every time she does it.

And finally, Jenna's newest baby trick is blowing bubbles in the bath. She doesn't actually blow bubbles, but she puts her little face down in the water. She's actually giving the water "lovies" or kisses. It started because I asked her to give me lovies and she put her face in the water. She does it every night now and is so proud of herself when we cheer her on.

I Love Weekends!

We had a perfect weekend here at our house this weekend. On Saturday we stayed home in our pajamas all day long. Pat had homework and so Jenna and I stayed in our pjs and played with all her toys. It was so much fun and she is so darn sweet. She was so easy and fun this weekend, she makes me want to have 10 kids. There are definitely other times when I think she may end up an only child....just kidding (mostly). Anyways, this weekend she was so perfect. So on Sunday, we got out and went to church and lunch with our friends and then ran some errands. We ended up at Babies R Us....we were supposed to be buying new jammies and diaper sacks, when we decided to go look for a new toy for Jenna. We haven't really bought her any big toys and she seems so bored with her current toys, so we decided to get her this farm animal toy. Its seriuosly cute and has a barn door that Jenna crawls through. She can also stand up and play with it which she loves. This toy was a big hit with Jenna and it kept her busy the rest of the afternoon and evening. We even got to eat dinner like a normal couple while she played in the family room. Here's a few pics from our weekend.

Then & Now

Mommy & Jenna 5/09

Mommy & Jenna 9/09Hard to believe she has changed so much in 4 months. I don't quite realize it until I looked back. She is so much fun, and it just keeps getting better!!

Random Stuff

So, it's been awhile since I posted and to be honest it's been awhile since we've taken many new pictures. I know, we are horrible parents. Jenna is nearly impossible to photograph because she never holds still. Consequently, most pictures are blurry or are of the back of her head. We have used our new video camera but I am vowing to start taking more photos. Anyways, the first one was from the other night and Jenna was just being so darn sweet. I love her chubby little face and the funny expression on her face.

This picture cracks me up. Pat generally dresses Jenna each day, especially on week days. Anyways, this shirt says "Daddy's Girl." Jenna returned home from daycare like this. Her daycare provider is Stephanye and she and Jenna just love each other. I love knowing that Stephanye takes such good care of Jenna and gives her so much attention and affection while she is away from us.

And finally, perhaps the best picture of all...Jenna sleeping on the changing table. This picture is from the other evening. After work, Jenna and I ran to Target for a few things. I could tell she was tired and so I tried to be fast. As we were driving home, she really started to get sleepy in the car. Once we got home, I set her down to change her diaper and clothes and as soon as I set her down, she flipped over, stuck her butt in the air, and fell fast asleep. She was seriously exhausted. She was not too pleased when I woke her up to put her pjs on!

As for what's new....

• I have been at my new job for exactly 1 month and I absolutely, whole heartedly LOVE it!!! It is 5 days a week now but I never have to worry about another weekend or holiday.
  I also get 60-90 minute lunch breaks everyday, and I am getting to work with one of my best friends, Erica.
• Pat is working away at his credential. He is substitute teaching for Clovis Unified this year and has a couple long term jobs lined up. He has really loved some of his classes and is super excited to be done.
• Jenna is doing well. She had a cold, which then turned into Roseola, but she recovered quickly. She is all over the house and into everything. Seriously, some days she exhausts us. She is standing independently, and has even taken a few steps, but then usually falls. She is seriously a tough kid, she falls and hits her head so much and rarely ever cries. She is having some definite stranger and separation anxiety. She gets very anxious when new people come around, or people she hasn't seen in awhile. Honestly, I'll be excited when that stage passes. At her 9 month appointment, she was 20.5 pounds and 29 inches tall. She is such a funny and busy little baby and we are having an absolute blast watching her grow.