First words already???

A few days ago (4 months and 1 day) runt said what sounded like "mama" numerous times. Since then, we have been trying to get her to do it again, but she won't do anything if she has your attention. Its only when you are distracted that she calls. So, my husband and I sat in front of her on our phones (with the camera on so we could see her without her knowing) and she said it! At least 5 times! My runt not only signed mama first, but spoke it as well! I'm super excited she said mama first, but I'm even more excited that she is so smart.
My only problem? This kid is growing up too fast! She is over the 100th percentile for her height, 97th percentile for her weight, and bigger than any 6 month old I have met! I both love and hate this. I mean, my kid is awesome! However, I missed out on the little baby. She only stayed that way for 2-3 weeks and now she is constantly on the move or talking. I love all of the things she is learning and I love that she is ahead, but part of me wishes she would slow down!!! Its worth it, but geez....

Funny stories

As I have stated before, I want Keeley to be able to look back at all of the funny stories and things she did as a baby. So, here are a few.

One night, I ate a ton of banana chips (they are like crack). I didn't think anything of it. The next morning as I was changing Keeley, I noticed she smelled really sweet. Her skin smelled like syrup and it was so strong it could make you gag. I started freaking out since this can be a symptom of a few very serious diseases. Turns out, if you eat too many banana chips and are nursing, your kid will reek of bananas. Its like baby perfume!

She was always fine laying down. Then, she learned to sit up by herself and wouldn't lay down. Then, she learned to stand and refused to sit. At 13 weeks old she took her first steps (as long as she has a hand to hold) and she refuses to sit still. Her first time, she walked so much that her legs were shaking from exhaustion. I made her sit down and she screamed because she was so mad! I'm terrified this runt is going to be like me and get into EVERYTHING!

Baby girl has learned to give kisses. Not rooting, actual kisses. Usually, she saves them for me, but occasionally gives a few to others. Her version of kisses is opening her mouth and allowing me to kiss her tongue. She doesn't try to suck or look for food, just simply sits there with her tongue out.

Today, I was on the first floor in the bathroom getting ready for work. Baby girl was in the bedroom on the second level. I had the video monitor on and the volume was pretty  high so I could hear her over the TV. She started grunting and then let it rip. She was farting so loud it was actually creating an echo through the monitors! I had to turn it down just so she wouldn't be woken up by the receiver....on the other end of the house!

The runt has been watching us do zurburs (where you lightly hold your lips together and blow air) and she is starting to pick it up. The feeling of the vibration on her lips makes her smile and then she gets mad because she can't make the noise. Once she calms down and makes it again, she won't stop smiling and the process is a major loop.

Usually, when something is really funny, she giggles or squeals. Every so often, she will find something so hysterical that she can't even look any more. She will be smiling and then squeal and bury her face. Its like she just can't handle how funny some things are and it cracks me up.

Hope there are many more stories to come :)

Baby boy!

After years of waiting for a little brother, he is finally here! My mom was induced three weeks early due to complications and he came into the world at 5 pounds 4 ounces and 17 inches long. He was in the NICU for the first 6 days, but was released last week and got to meet his niece! They get along great as long as I'm not holding him! Baby girl looks like a giant compared to him! It is actually pretty funny. She is almost in the 99th percentile for her height and he is not even close! Plus, she is WAY ahead of him in development so she will scream at him expecting a response and get mad when he just sits there.
She is becoming more and more active. Today she started mimicking sounds she hears. She has also learned to scoot when she is on her back and how to sit up without much help (sometimes she will fall forward but otherwise does it all herself). She will walk with assistance and never wants to sit still! I can't wait for her to be ready for museums, but I also want her to be my baby forever :)

Challenges I will gladly face!

When baby girl started rolling, I knew we had a smart one on our hands and I was thrilled! Later on we had an appointment with her doctor (who had already noted this without my knowledge). When we spoke with him he told us that although she cannot be tested at this age, he strongly suspects she is gifted. I have a gifted sister and am as well. So, I know there will be many challenges that lie ahead. From behavioral issues (boredom at school, not enough mental stimulation, etc) to frustration issues (a gifted child's mind often grows faster than their body which makes tasks they KNOW frustrating since their body cannot yet comprehend it). He recommended I do lots of research into the subject (signs she exhibits and how to nurture her mental age while still respecting her physical age) and we will see if she is still showing signs at her next check-up. So, I have spent hours reading about it. She meets or exceeds every single indication of a gifted infant (up to her age and a little beyond)! We play more with her toys, watch documentaries (even though she cannot understand them, they expose her to things outside of her natural surroundings such as elephants and space), read books (children's and research books), take her outside often to explore new sights and textures, and talk to her about absolutely nothing. I know that nurturing her ability will consume the majority of our lives around her (since she doesn't sleep much during the day) and that there are some issues likely to come with her ability. I know I may get frustrated at times and the older she gets, the more nurturing she will need. However, this is one of the challenges of parenthood I will GLADLY face. I will spend every waking hour helping her learn and grow until she takes this on herself. Mostly, I am excited! Being a gifted child, my favorite thing was going to museums. Any museum. The old boring museums? Loved them! To this day, I take every opportunity to explore new places and go on vacations to historical places just so I can visit new museums. The part that excites me so much? She is showing signs of being just as curious. Which means I may have just found a museum buddy I don't have to drag behind me to get there! I can't wait to see if she will be as big of a nerd as her mom! Yes, I'm excited she is smart, but I always figured she would be since her father and I are both above average. Now, I'm just excited to help her grow into her full potential :) I may have to sacrifice everything (including our savings account for a better school if her school is not meeting her needs), but they are sacrifices I am willing to make!

My little brat :)

The other day baby girl kept spitting out her binky and sticking her fingers in her mouth. Since we don't want her doing that I kept telling her no, removing her fingers, and replacing them with her binky. She would look at me, spit out her binky, and stick her fingers in her mouth. Finally, I said "Michelle I am serious! No fingers!".....she looked at me with a HUGE smile, spit out her binky, and stuck her fingers in her mouth. I turned to my husband shocked and asked if he saw it. He replied with "your kid". I turned back to her and she laughed at it! I repeated it....she spit out her binky and laughed again! I guess we have a new game....
I'm gonna call it "my daughter is a brat and she got it from mom".

Tummy time sucks!

Baby girl hates tummy time. Like, with a passion. As soon as she knows it is coming she whimpers. However, hubby read somewhere that they should be rolling over from tummy to back by 8 weeks. So, I broke out the toys and laid her on the blanket. This was only the third time I have made her do tummy time. Within seconds of laying her down she rolled over. She hates tummy time so much she just wanted it done with. She did it three times in a matter of ten minutes and now I can't get her to stop! She scared herself the first time and I thought it was hilarious. She just lay there on her back shocked to see mommy and daddy looking down at her. Once she realised it was okay she kept smiling and kicking. She was talking up a storm and told me all about "milking ducks" (it is a saying my grandma used to use). She would not be quiet! I love it! Anyways, after looking into it, I found that they shouldn't be able to roll over until 12 weeks at the earliest, but more commonly 16 weeks. I know everyone thinks their baby is a genius, but come on. My baby just accomplished a task at half the projected age. I'm a pretty proud momma!

Our song

Today in the car baby girl started to whimper because she didn't feel good. I turned on little child by white lion and she was instantly quiet. I played that song for her while I was pregnant from the first day I knew. Every night I would lay down, put my phone on my belly, and have it on a loop. Now that she is here I play it for her whenever we are riding together, cuddling, or she just needs some noise. It almost always puts her to sleep. Although the lyrics are fitting, this song actually has a meaning for me. 24 years ago when I was in utero my mother would put headphones on her stomach and play the exact same song. I hadn't heard the song in 15 years and I was going through some CDs of top 80s songs and that was one of them. It instantly calmed me. My mom told me the story of my first song. Now, I have given my daughter that same song. We listen to it together and both relax and let our stress melt away. We have our song and no one else can take that. No matter how far we are or what may take me away, she can always listen to it knowing I love her more than anything.