Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

http://gallery.mac.com/christacoppola#100330

Here is a link to the slideshow I made for Tula for her first year. I suggest when you click on it, to sit and let it load for a few minutes before you press play, or it will keep timing out on you. Let the grey line at the bottom get about half way or so and then you should be good to go. Also, if you watch it in small or tiny mode it will take less time to load =)

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did making it. I heard this song when I was pregnant with Tula and they have been in my head and heart ever since. To go through all these pictures of her first year was so tough, I had over 10,000! But I picked some of my absolute favorites to share with you all. The video at the beginning was the first video we took of her, the evening she was born, one year ago today. Happy Birthday Tula Belle! What a wonderful gift this year has been to us. Mommy and Daddy love you to pieces!

Out For a Walk!

Tula finally got some walking shoes that I don't mind letting her get a little dirty. Actually, they were from her brother's collection and they just came in the mail. I pit them on her last night and took her for the nightly walk to get the mail sans her stroller or red car. She just got to walk along holding my or Grandma's hand. She thought she was "so big" and loved to stop every few steps to bend over and pick something up. She also like to look down where she was walking and try and step on things she came across. Leaves, bugs, whatever might be in her path. She especially though it was cool so stop right beside an ant hill and watch them all, she will learn soon I suppose that that is not a good place to stop. For now, it is just so fun to watch her explore all her surroundings. I was walking behind her and my Mom taking some pictures and just in awe of how much Tula has changed and grown. She looked like a little girl, out for a stroll with her Grandma. And I guess that's exactly what it was. Wow.

A Prayer For Tula...

A few weeks after Tula was born, John and I made our first trip to Canada for me to introduce her to all of my family and friends. It was then that my good friend Jessica gave me Tula's "baby shower" gift. It was the most beautiful, hand crocheted pink and white baby blanket. You could tell that it took lots of time and I loved the idea of knowing that Jessica has spent hours creating this gift. It was her first blanket she ever made, and you would never know. It was perfect. But what was the most special about it to me were the four little cards attached to the top of it. They were prayer cards, to be attached to Tula's crib and read every night. The prayer was written by Jessica, and as I read the words aloud, I felt as though all the desires and wishes of my heart finally had words to them. I felt like this prayer captured an idea of everything a Mother could ever want for her child. And Jess, I love that you knew all these things about me. That you pray for my Baby as I would. I thank you for the gift of your friendship, for the blanket, the prayer cards, and most of all, the comfort of knowing that you have been praying for our family this year. Though I never did attached the cards to her crib, they are still attached to the blanket right beside it. And from time to time, I do take a moment to flip though them and quietly pray Tula's Prayer again. I will never grow tired of reading those cards, and I realize almost a year after the fact, that those words, those dreams, and that prayer only becomes more and more true as time passes. I desire these things more for her life now than I did a year ago, although I never thought at that time it would be possible.

I asked Jessica if it would be okay if I shared her "Prayer For Tula" on my blog and she was alright with it. It means so much to me, and as we enter the last week of Tula's first year, I find myself reflecting back on these sorts of special times and wanting to document all of them. Not just for myself, but for Tula.

Tula, Mommy prays for you all the time and more often than not they are prayers of Thankfulness and Praise. You are a special gift to us. But I also have so, so many hopes and dreams for you and I want you to know that I pray these words of love and life over you all the time as well. I promise to always want what is best for you. To love you unconditionally, and at times more than you love yourself. And to pray for and with you, in and through all things. I love you so much. I am thankful beyond words for you.

Father, bless this little girl. I pray that you would send angels to surround her and protect her all the days of her life…That her footsteps will be led to the places that you have prepared for her already…That her body would be healthy, and that she would have an assurance that you are the Healer… That she be filled with joy, because Your joy is what will be her strength. I pray for wisdom, that she will be granted a strong and sharp mind, For discernment, to guard and protect her… That she will flow in compassion, and love people in a way that will delight you… For prosperity in everything her hand touches… For faith to believe in the impossible… And for a spirit of hope in the midst of a storm. I pray that she will exude a radiance, that just her presence will permeate the very essence of you… That anointing will flow in her life, so that the gifts that you have blessed her with will blossom… For ears to hear what Holy Spirit is speaking… And for a heart to be a doer of the word.

These things I ask, believe, and thank You for in Jesus name. Amen.

~Jess

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were written all the days that were ordained for me…”

Psalms 139: 13-16

And Ryan, I loved the dress!!!! I feel like I have been waiting for a year (I guess I have been) to finally let her wear it. And if this little peanut would grow a little, she *may* fit into it before summer is gone. Jessica and Ryan are the two craftiest and creative people I have ever met. Tula's Uncle Ryan made her this beautiful dress, it's a one of a kind creation and I cannot wait for her to wear it! He started her her very own "couture line". How cool is that? Here is a sneak peak...Ryan, can't wait to see what the Summer '08 collection has to offer! Isn't it beautiful?

Taking Steps!

Grandma came for a visit with an agenda. She is bound and determined to teach my baby how to walk, and I am pretty sure I am not ready for this. I went out yesterday for an hour and came home and she said she took her first 9 steps! Then I came downstairs this morning, and this was what I found....

I printed this picture...

...and got and extra copy for Tula to have. It was in her toybox for a couple days and then I brought it down to the truck. When I would buckle her in, I would give her the picture of her and her Daddy to look at along with her snack trap or whatever else she may be holding. The other night, after dinner out with a friend (Daddy had been on the road for a couple days) when I went to get Tula from the carseat. I saw the picture laying on the seat beside her and I looked at it and said "Daddy!" all excited and then I kissed the picture. Then I gave her her picture. She started kissing the picture, did that a couple times and then pulled away and started blowing kisses to it. It was so adorable. One of those precious moments I never want to forget.

A Day In The Life...

...of an "almost" one year old. I wish I would have been doing this all along. Sometimes our schedule shifts and I can't remember how things were a month or two ago as far as wake up times, naps, walks, bedtime, etc. Well, thats not totally true... I will never forget the days that Tula slept till 8 or 9 am everyday, but those days have been gone for two or three months now. Ahh, those were the good old days. At any rate, here are the "here and now" stats... something for me to refer back to in a few months when I am wondering what our days were like when it was just the two of us and she was just a baby. Here goes...

6:00 am Wakey, wakey! I got get Tula and bring her to bed with me for awhile. She nurses, I catch another 15 minutes of zzz's
6:15 am Get up, throw on housecoat, change a sopping wet diaper, head downstairs for breakfast. Tula usually sits for a good 15 minutes eating Cheerios while I get my breakfast ready, hers ready, and "open up" the kitchen for the day. Or should I say "close it down" from the day before..lol. It depends.
6:30 am We eat. Me first usually, only cause I am a starving pregnant woman. She has her O's anyways and she picks at those till I am done. Then it's time for her usual breakfast, fruit (apples, pears or banana) with cereal and some milk in a sippy.
7:00 am Tula gets out of the highchair and plays with her downstairs toys while I continue to clean up breakfast and putz around the kitchen. Right now, she loves her push walker and that is usually what she chooses to do at this time.
7:30 am We head upstairs. We have a good hour (at least) till naptime so we do lots of different stuff. Play in the loft with those toys. If I am getting ready or have things to do in my room she loves to hang out in there with me and snoop around in my closet or under the bathroom sink. She likes to stand at the tub and throw anything she can find into it. She loves when we go into "Brother's" room and I usually organize in there (yes, I am nesting!) and she loves the change of scenery and looking around, playing with some of her old toys. We go into her room and play on the floor. She still loves her Fisher Price Sing Stage and usually goes over there and has a dance or two. She likes to get her groove on first thing. Most of the time, I can leave her in her room alone for awhile and check emails or do whatever for 20-30 minutes. She comes out when she is done playing alone, she checks out the house a little, and will come and find me usually after she has had her morning poop or seems sleepy.
8:30 am Usually this is naptime. We change diaper if we haven't already from morning poop. We sit in the chair and read a little while. Right now, our new book Brown Bear, Brown bear is a fav or the old faithful I Love You Through and Through. I nurse her, and she goes down, usually without a fight at all. It seems the morning nap is the sleep of the day she needs the most. It is the only time I find if she is tired and I am not in the room with her, she will almost come and get me, rubbing her eyes and awning. She seems to like going down for that nap.
8:45 am Free time for Mommy! Take a shower, hang out online, gab on the phone. All that fun stuff.
10:30 am Maybe even 11, on a good day. Tula wakes up. Usually quite happy. We hang out in her room a bit, diaper change if needed, and get her out of pj's and dressed for the day. She is almost always in PJ's till after her morning nap. She usually wants a little snack, maybe some Cheerios, to tide her over until lunch. This is usually the time we leave the house as well, if we have things that need to be done. Lots of our playdates with friends start around this time too. Usually between 11 and 2 are our "out and about"time and most days we aren't at home during these hours. I usually have a lunch packed for Tula, which at this point is just two containers or YoBaby yogurt. Um, and more Cheerios. We usually head for home around 2 or 2:30 so that Tula can have her afternoon nap in her crib.
2:30 pm Maybe 3 is naptime. Lately, because the morning naps have been longer (a good two hours) the afternoon nap is getting a little shorter. If she falls asleep in the car from where ever we had been that afternoon, she transitions well into her crib. If we are home, its a little harder to get her to settle for this nap than the morning one but she still isn't ready to ditch it so she gives in eventually. Sometimes I will have to nurse her twice. After the first time she wants to get on the floor and then when she realizes we aren't leaving the room and that it's "sleepytime" she will nurse again and snuggle me for awhile before falling asleep. She won't fall asleep while nursing anymore, but she will pick her head up and put it on my shoulder and snuggle like that. As her one year birthday approaches and I realize that all this unlimited snuggle time with her will soon be much less, I am more inclined to spend the extra 10 minutes it takes and wait till she falls asleep on me before I put her down. However, she will go down to sleep by herself, I can put her down in her crib awake and she usually won't fuss very long before she falls asleep. More free time for Mommy!
4:00 pm or 4:30 she wakes up, usually not as pleasant as she did from her morning nap. We snuggle for awhile and try fun stuff to keep her entertained till dinner. Music, anything music, usually works. I let her blow on her Kazoo, I play the harmonica, I sing, clap, whatever. This would be probably the worst part of her day. She doesn't like to be put down and doesn't like to be alone. usually, it works best just to head downstairs and let her ply in the kitchen while I get dinner ready. She loves her tupperware cabinet and that will keep her entertained for a few minutes.
5:00 pm Almost on the dot, every day, she is ready to eat. She doesn't like to wait for her dinner. Normally, I feed her sweet potatoes and then chop up something for a finger food for her to munch on (aka play with) while we are eating our dinner. She usually will sit pretty good. If I give her watermelon, we could have a 5 course meal. She would sit there eating that stuff forever. Anything else probably buys me another 30 min or so
6:00 pm John and I usually eat around this time, maybe a little earlier and are done and have the kitchen cleaned up by about 6:45
6:45 pm Nightly walk. We like to go for a walk after dinner and before bed, after it has cooled off a little outside. We used to go through the park and down around the lake to see the ducks, by the pool so Tula could see everyone swimming. She loves to watch the kids jump and splash at the pool and see the ducks swim over to her. However, that walk is getting pretty long for me and I am getting slower and slower so we usually just go get the mail and do a loop around the neighborhood. Tula loves her nightime walk and doesn't stop looking around the entire time.
7:15 pm Home from walk, Daddy takes her upstairs and gets ready for bathtime while I do whatever I feel I need to do in the kitchen for the end of the day.
7:30 pm is bathtime with Daddy. Tula's other favorite time of day. She is happiest in the tub when her Dad is bathing her, only cause that has been his job since day one. She doesn't "mind" when I do it, but you can tell she LOVES it when he does. So when he is home that's his thing.
8:00 pm Tula is bathed and brushed and diapered and all that fun stuff. Daddy usualy plays with her on our bed for a minute and this i smore of their time, but it doesn't take her long to look around for me. She is ready for bed after her bath. I take her, we say "Goodnight" to Daddy and blow kisses, we may or may not read, depending on how tired she is. She nurses and is out like a light.

I clean up the house little, tidy up the toys she left laying around, and spend time with John before he goes to bed (usually way early, around 9ish) Then I am up till 11 or 12 doing my thing, whatever that may be. I hit the pillow knowing I stayed up too late and praying she sleeps till 9, but at 6 am the next morning those little squawks start and somehow its not near as hard to wake up to as I thought it would be the night before. She is a treat to wake up to and the smile I score when I fling her bedroom door open and say "Good Morning" is worth every wink of missed sleep.

I have never been a schedule person and this is definitely not a schedule that we keep or are stuck to. However, it is a routine that I have learned makes my life a whole heck of a lot easier if I follow it as closely as possible, day by day. It changes as Tula changes, but the fact that it is still there does not. Tula loves knowing what is next and predictability, so keeping as close to this for now keeps her the happiest. And a happy baby is a happy Mommy, so I am more than willing to do my best to make it happen for her.

So that, my friends, is a day in our life. And I wouldn't change a second of it for the world!

A fun night.......

Tula wanted to ham it up for the cameras tonight. We went out for dinner with her and she blabbed through the whole meal. She wasn't whining but she was so loud. No one thought it was cute. We got home and she was a clown for a good hour. I guess she had some energy to burn...

I have an eleven month old?!?!?!

Actually, I have for a week already. And that means that I am a week closer to having a one year old than I should be while writing his blog, so I may be a little sappier than I should. Yes, I am having a really hard time with the whole "my baby is turning one" situation. I wish I could say I am not going to think about it cause I have a whole month till it happens, but I don't. This week slipped right through my fingers, we have really been so busy. And I now have only three weeks. I am praying that this month drags on and on, but as excited I am for Tula to be one, I am sad for me. I just don't know if I am ready for her to be One! I know now that there is no way that there will ever be enough pictures, journaling or videos that I could have, I have been looking through them all the last few days and I remember every little moment like it was yesterday...and I just want more and more. This year just flew by and I am having a hard time believing it is almost done. Anyways, I am sure I will have lots of time to write all about the joys and sorrows of my baby turning one in a few weeks. For now, I will stick to the 11 month update that you have all waited so patiently for all week.

Big news this month....we have top teeth!! One popped through right after we got home from Canada, and although the other took a couple weeks, it has now cut through as well. Those are the two top middle ones. And the tooth on either side are little white bumps that should be through any day. It is so strange to see my little baby with what feels like a "mouthful" of teeth. She has started to do this cheesy little smile sometimes too where she shows her top teeth and kind of throws her head back so you get a really good view and it is really quite entertaining. She knows it makes me laugh and every once in a while, just out of the blue, she will do that for me for no apparent reason. It gets me every time. These top teeth haven't given her near as much trouble cutting through as the bottom ones did the first time around that she was teething, thank goodness!

Tula is still cruising all over the place and furniture. Unfortunately for her, this is all the walking practice she gets at this point. I wish I could spend time bent over holding her little hands and helping her learn to walk, but it's just really painful and tiring on the preggo mama. John has worked so much this month that he hasn't been able to help her out much in that department either. And the walker she has here is nothing like the one we had for her in Canada and is basically useless. I guess Tula will be a "self-taught" walker, cause she's not getting much help from the parental unit. She is getting so confident and fast at going around our furniture and love to explore new places as well. She loves climbing stairs, any stairs, anywhere anytime. Oh, and if you saw the pictures in the Mac Gallery from May, she loves to look out our front window and tries once or twice a day to see if she is tall enough yet. She crawls over and gets way up on her tippy toes. Sometimes she even puts one leg up like she is trying to climb the wall. And her little fingers hold on to the ledge sooo tight while she tries to pull herself up to look out the window. At this point, she get get almost to her nose, but on her toes and its not comfy. She cannot wait till she can just stand there and watch the action go by. The other day, when my Mom was leaving, she had all her bags at the front door. When I walked down the stairs, I found Tula standing on one of my Mom's suitcases with her elbows on the window ledge looking out across the street to the field where Grandma was taking Sadie (her dog) pee. Tula was just standing there, watching. Of course I couldn't get a picture, I was too freaked out about the fact that she was on the suitcase and wouldn't leave her there to get the camera, but it was priceless. She love Grandma, but she loves that dog just as much I think and could stare at her all day long I think.

Along with the love of climbing that has stared this month has been an increased awareness in depth perception for sure. Tula now likes to climb INSIDE her kitchen cabinet to play with her tupperware and kitchen toys. The first time I watched her get out, it scared me to death, but I was able to stand back and not help and know she was only a couple inches off the ground. She would reach down with her hand, she could see the tile but couldn't figure out how to get to it. Each time she would reach down a little further till she finally got it and slithered her whole body out. Now, she will go in and out like nothing. When I put her on my bed, she will crawl to the edge and look over. I don't trust it 100% to leave her like that yet, but I think we are close. I really don't think at this point she would crawl off. She is starting to learn how to get down from a chair with me. She will get onto her belly and slide off feet first. Her learning some of this stuff has been so helpful and is making life so much easier for me. I am able to carry her around less and less the bigger I get, and she is adapting so well. It doesn't seem to bother her to crawl around behind me sometimes when we are home and playing together.

Our playtime has become so much more fun now that she can interact so much more. Tula thinks that I am the funniest person in the whole wide world, and we spend lots of time giggling together throughout the day. Her laugh makes me laugh, and I love that I know a million ways to crack her up. She loves to be tickled, kind of just poked around the neck. Especially if it is after crawling behind her saying "I'm gonna get you." She gets so excited, she tries to crawl away so fast, but looks behind herself, sees me, and cracks up and just lays there on the floor. She loves peek-a-boo and any form of it. When she is getting her diaper changed and I duck down beside the table, when I crouch n front of her highchair, when I hide her under the sheets in our bed. peek-a-boo is an all time fave. She still loves to look at pictures and videos of herself on the computer. She will laugh at herself laughing, sometimes almost just as hard, as though she is reliving the moment. I wonder what she remembers, sometimes she stares at the screen so fondly I am sure she is thinking, That was such a great time..." Tula is starting to enjoy books more, she used to not love to sit through them, but I am trying to find more with less words and that seems to be keeping her attention so much more. Tula loves anything in life that she can expect. So the books she is learning, she loves. She loves that she knows whats coming and that usually keeps her more interested than not knowing or surprises. I have said it before, she is her Daddy's Girl.

Not too much is new in the food department this month. We started adding ground up almonds to yogurt and fruits occasionally but they seem to be going right through her so I am going to keep that to about once every second day for now instead of daily. She really seems to like things that I add the nuts to so that's a good thing. Ive also starting adding cinnamon occasionally to her fruits and cereals, just to give her some new flavors. Other than that, its still the same old same old, sweet potatoes, apples, pears and yogurt Oh yeah, she loves spinach and apple too. Lots of Cheerios. But that's really it for finger foods. I have tried giving her trays of different stuff in her highchair. Mac and cheese, plain noodles, even fruits that she likes pureed she doesn't like raw and chopped up. She still loves to be spoonfed and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I am afraid I will be pureeing for her for a long, long time. I will keep you posted if anything changes, and may be posting a HELP post to get more finger food ideas because I am stumped and feel like I have tried everything at this point. Yes, everything but meat. Tula is still vegetarian and I am not ready to change that yet. I don't know why I can eat the meat but I can't stomach giving it to her? Maybe Organic meat, but not yet. Ryan, I blame you for telling me about chickens with two and three heads that have never seen the light of day. I didn't need to know!!!!!! Argh. Breastfeeding is still going well and for anyone expecting a "I weaned my baby" update at a year know that that will definitely not be happening. Tula is still nursing about 4 or 5 times a day and it is still one of the most favorite times of the day for both of us. She is so snugly and affectionate, and she loves that special time with me. I am not in a hurry to have her weaned before the next baby, so that will be interesting, to say the least. I have heard it's a great way to reduce sibling rivalry and increase closeness, I guess I get to find out firsthand. I can't wait!

Sleep has been going wonderfully the last few weeks since we have been home from Canada. the first night or two were tough because I guess she was just adjusting to being back in her own bed, but she has been sleeping through the night almost every single night the last three weeks. I think there have been two night she woke up once. She is usually in bed by 8, and along with the sleeping though the night territory comes a baby that likes to be up at 6. THAT has been a major adjustment for me, way earlier than any human being should be awake as far a I am concerned. But I am getting used to it and the fact that most nights make for a full nights sleep at this point are my consolation prize for the early mornings.

Tula has started giving hugs and it's truly the best feeling in the whole wide world. I don't even really think she understands it yet, but she seems to know it feels good too and I get lots of them throughout the day. Oh yeah, and blowing kisses. They started just for Daddy at bedtime but now she gives the occasional one on command, or at "bye bye". She is such a Lovey.

Anyways, I could write a book and as the months go on I may have to start. I am currently in the process of transferring this blog to an album and let me tell ya folks, its no small task! It has been one of the things keeping me so busy this week and I am about halfway done and I would say a good 10 hours into it. I think it will be a great way for Tula to have her first year documented. I will try and post a link to the album when its ready so you can all see it.

Can I just say thank you to those of you who read so diligently and call and give the gentle reminders that I need to update? lol I appreciate those of you who care enough to log on from time to time and check out what is new and great in our world. I wish I had time to post more often but the fact of the matter is, every time I get on here I ramble on for two hours and I just can't do it once a week. But thanks for all your love and support and after working on this book this week, I realize that this blog was, and is, by far one of the BEST things I did for Tula. I am so glad that sometimes when I didn't feel like posting I had people reminding me to or just telling me that they logged on and loved the video or whatever. I am so glad that you all have enjoyed reading about our life (almost) as much as I have enjoyed living and then documenting it.