Arianna's first vacation

This past weekend, we drove the 293 miles to Rockaway Beach in Oregon for Arianna's first summer vacation.  We were joined by our friends Christi, Ben and Felix.  Our residence for the weekend was a townhouse located on a beautiful private lake right across the street from the Pacific Ocean.  When we arrived, we strapped Arianna into the Ergo and took off for the beach.  So it's July, right?  I figure the ocean and beach will be super warm. Well, I was only right about the burning hot sand. The wind was blustery and the ocean was freezing.  The Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico around Florida have spoiled me something fierce.
However, I think Arianna had fun.

Beach time

Right before we took off to go to the beach, we toasted with a glass of wine to vacation!

Toast to vacation!

Uncle Ben, Arianna, and his wine

The beach with Auntie Christi, Felix, Ari and mommy

 Later after the babies went to bed, Ben and Carlos played X-box.  Christi and I took off in the kayaks.  As freezing as the wind was, we had so much fun kayaking around the lake and just chatting.  Nature is such an amazing part of life.  The utter calm of the water with the wind blowing in our faces is just what I needed. 

The beautiful lake

Christi and I getting ready to take off.

Friend hugs!

Just the grown ups!

Carlos and I hanging out by the lake.

We went to Tillamook to taste some yummy cheese.  We also went into Rockaway Beach for some really good fish for lunch and bought salt water taffy.  We played games and just had a nice time relaxing away from it all.  On Sunday morning, we jumped into our car and started the drive home.  Arianna did such a great job in the car. I was just amazed.

 Ari and I stretching on the way home. SO happy to be out of the car.

Ari wants to drive.

 We had such a great time with great friends.  Can't wait for our next adventure!

Hawaii?!

7 months old

At 7 months old Arianna can, likes....

Arianna loves puffs.
Has eaten chicken, cornbread, and cheese

She can sit up very well with help getting there.  

Heard her first thunderstorm.
Slept in her very own crib for the first time! 
Went to her first CUBS game.
Fed herself mum mums
Celebrated her first 4th of July with a parade.
She thinks Felix is the most exciting human ever.
Loves the neighbor kids. Like really loves them.
Heard the bagpipes for the first time and loved them (which will make Great grandma Batton proud)

Give me your camera!

Sleeping so peacefully at Auntie Christi's 

It's a nail biter of a game. Go Cubs!

Mum mums!

I love cereal!

Spending time with daddy

Sitting up and chewing her ball

Spending time with Uncle Matt

Looking at her beautiful face

meltdown

Cutie

What? I'm not ripping it off.

bananas!

6 months old

She loves her oatmeal cereal. (giggles all the way through)

Has eaten carrots, green beans, apples and squash.
Scoots backwards while on her tummy. 
Loves to stick out her tongue.
Can hold her bottle and her pacifier. 
She has a lot to say at meal times. 
She loves to eat her toes.

Loves the cat. Giggles as soon as she sees her.

Carlos and I have more water on us after bath time than Arianna does.

Eating the book instead of reading it.

Finally Swirly let Arianna pet her.

Her first taste of oatmeal.

Tummy time

Carrots are good and messy.

This is what she thinks of pictures.

Cutest face ever!

Not letting go of her pacifier.

5 months old

Arianna is 5 months old.

Learning to suck her thumb to self-soothe
FINALLY uses a pacifier for nap time

Visited the tulip fields

Loves to kick and splash in her bathtub

Screams like a banshee

Working towards sitting up
Tries to blow raspberries but ends up spitting all over
Has started to move from the place I laid her down to somewhere new
Loves to listen to Pink and Taylor Swift

Daddy snuggling with the precious baby at the tulip festival.

Smelling the tulips

Chewing her thumb

sleepy girl

Holding hands with her BFF Felix

On Mother's Day!

Our first Mother's Day!

wondering if I can do it

I am scared every day that I am going to leave my daughter without a mother.  I say this because my mom passed away when I was 5 years old. You can see how this would give someone a complex. In my mind, moms die.  So every time I get a headache or feel a weird pain in my neck, I think of my mom and freak out just a little bit. My mind goes places it shouldn't and that is that.

Also with not having a mom growing up, I feel like I have no idea what I am doing.  I know every new mom feels that way but most of them have their moms to lean on. I don't.

Yes, I might just be feeling sorry for myself but I think that I am entitled to that after the life I have led.  People say I am strong and that I can get through anything. But I wonder how strong I really am. Maybe I have just been making it through the best I can and now I am finally breaking. I have always had to be the strong one, the mature one, the one that remembers everything for everyone, when do I get a turn to just be?

Sleep is over-rated, right?

Sleep?

What's that?

I mean, I used to know what that is...for 8 blissful hours I would lay in my bed and sleep.  Now, I lay in my bed, hear a stir in the co-sleeper and think "No, not yet. Just go back to sleep please!"  However, snuggling with a precious little baby even though I am exhausted is quite an amazing thing.  I used to get my sleep and now I sit up feeding my daughter and realize how blessed I am.

Okay, maybe I am not there yet.  But someday I will be :) Right?

Aren't we Catholics pro-family?

As I sat and read a blog written by a Catholic mother, I thought have how absurd some people are at Mass. As far as I have ever been told, we Catholics are supposed to be pro-life and therefore also pro-family.  But as I sit at Mass, I notice all the glares people are giving parents for having a child that makes noise or won't sit still. I find it quite infuriating. Everyone has the right to be at Mass.  That family might be exhausted from being up all night and really need the healing grace of Jesus in their life at that moment.  They shouldn't feel like they need to sit in the cry room or jump up and run to the vestibule to stand by the cold door so people won't hear the cry.

I do appreciate Fr. Hersey so much when he hears a child cry.  He searches for the child making the noise, looks right at the parents, and smiles! He loves having the children in the Church during Mass.  He says it makes the Church feel alive. I mean those kids are our future as a church.  And if they get the sense that they are not welcome, when they can make the decision, they won't come back.

Before I was a parent, I always wondered how parents could take their focus off of the Mass to "deal" with their children. And then I had Arianna.  I find that her noises and her smiles just redirect my prayer to thankfulness which is what the Eucharist is all about.

So far as a new parent, I haven't felt the annoyance from anyone while having Arianna at Mass. I find that so many people just love seeing her. I mean, why wouldn't they, she is so adorable. And for the most part, she is usually a happy Mass goer.  She likes the music and sometimes "sings" along.  As soon as it gets quiet, she will yell to make sure everyone is still paying attention. She has received so many blessings from Fr. Hersey already.  I love having my job because it means Arianna will grow up in the Church and I truly appreciate that since I didn't find the Church until I was in college.

I don't know if this really had a point other than how much I love my church and hope that people understand that children belong at Mass.