Jovi's 1st Christmas

We set up our Christmas tree last night and Jovi was fascinated!

I wish every Christmas was a baby's first Christmas.

I'm sure some baby somewhere, will be celebrating their first Christmas next year, or the year after that…

But I want my baby to have her first Christmas be every Christmas.

It was just so magical watching her see everything.

Between the lights & the ornaments- She was entertained.

And so were we!

Here are a few favorites…

When I say a few, I probably mean like 15

Eight month stats

Jovi is eight months old!

She turned eight months old last Thursday (11/13). I think there's only been maaaaaybeeee one time I've posted EXACTLY on time. Suck!

Here's what our chuncky's been up to:

- She crawls everywhere (started just before she turned eight months), and is pretty fast.

- Gets super excited to see her dada, and nana on FaceTime. Those are the two we FaceTime with on the daily, and she LOVES them!

- Still trying to get those top center chompers to come in. They're SO close and I can see AND feel them. They're just stubborn and don't wanna come down. Urgh!

- Has realized she has legs and wants to do more w/them than just crawl. Yeah, she only crawled for about two weeks before she was pulling herself up on things. She first started w/pulling herself up on me (while sitting on the floor playing w/her). But now it's anything really. Her swing, the couch, the wall- You name it, she pulls up on it.

- Loves to crawl over to the kitchen floor and drool, then play in her drool. Gross, I know. 

- Loves to poke and play w/our faces. She especially loves to pull on daddy's ear, grab at his nose, and touch his face; Especially when he has whiskers and hasn't shaved in awhile. As for me, she loves to pat my face, and stick her fingers in mouth. I dunno what it is about faces, but it's the cutest thing.

- Eats all her baby food all gone now! She eats one fruit in the morning (followed by a bottle of diluted apple juice), and she'll eat one vegetable in the afternoon. She likes them all. Definitely has her favorites (apples, peaches, squash, and sweet potatoes), but will eat all her food ALL gone, even if she's not too fond of it. We have an EXCELLENT eater!

- Speaking of baby food, it doesn't have to be warmed up anymore. We stopped spoiling her, and give it to her straight out of our pantry. The only time we had to warm it up before, was when we'd refrigerate it, but now she eats all her baby food in one setting, so that's no longer needed :)

- She gets SUPER excited to see her BFF Hayden. As mentioned in my previous post, Hayden lives just two houses over from us and they play often during the week. Hayden's family sat in front of us @ church the other day, and she got SO excited to see her, and was trying to get at her the entire time. Kinda disruptive, yeah, but still super cute.

- We've lowered her crib! It doesn't look like a little baby crib (to me), anymore. She's lowered as low as it can go 'cuz heck- Why not. We'll just have to keep lowering it, so why not just do it all at once?!?! And that we did. She didn't like it at first. The first night, I think she felt really far away from things (ie- her mobile and the baby monitor), but she's adjusted to it now, and so have our backs :)

- She (lately) has been pulling out her pacificer just to talk to us, then will put it back in when she's done babbling. Don't worry- I speak baby fluently and TOTALLY understand everything she says… Not really…

- Has started giving kisses. I kiss just right under her chin and she slobbers on my forehead, like she's kissing me back. She'll slobber on Jake's head, when he's down on the floor playing w/her and it's THE cutest thing you've ever seen. She also gave Hayden kisses the other day, when she was on the floor getting changed. I didn't realize she understood and realized what kisses were, but BOY DOES SHE!

- She thinks knows it's the best time of the day when her dada comes home from work! She demands for him to get on the floor and play w/her RIGHT AWAY. No, not even a bathroom break is okay. She'll scream at him until he pays FULL attention to her. She really likes climbing on him, patting his head, pulling at his face, and getting tickles. Can we say daddy's girl?!?

- I don't have the exact height & weight for her, since she hasn't had an appointment since her last visit… BUT… I can tell you that she's growing out of her footies SUPER fast. She is currently wearing 12 month footie pajamas, and I fear she'll outgrow them next week. Stop growing baby girl. Can't you just be our little baby forever?!?! Between you crawling & wanting to stand up all the time- There's just too much goin on for our little (big) eight month old girl. 

Seven month stats

Jovi is seven months old!

She turned seven months old exactly a week ago today, so last Monday (10/13). I'm such a failure, slacker, bad mom, for not posting on time. UGH! Get with it!

Here's what our little lady has been up to:

- She sits up now, completely on her own.

- Loves to FaceTime (mainly so she can see herself, but really she just thinks she's seeing another baby & doesn't QUITE realize it's her yet).

- Is teething like cuh-razy, trying to get those top suckers to come in. Poor baby. Drooly, slobbery mess. 

- Has discovered how to pull the blanket over her head & hide. I'm not sure if she thinks she's invisible (kinda like the whole "I can't see you, so you can't see me" type deal), but she really gets enjoyment out of it & has been doing it for awhile. She's so calm when she's in her own little place, and I love watching her do it.

- Has realized her love for the tile by the front door entry way. She will roll over there as fast as she can, and will just kick and play. You'd think bonking her head, or slamming her feet on the tile would hurt. Nope, not our baby. She's got a tough (and big) head, and I'm convinced those heels of hers are made of steel.

- Thinks it's funny to try & escape when I turn around for 2.5 seconds (while on the changing table).

- Likes to put her big toe in her mouth & it's the cutest and grossest thing all at the same time. 

- Likes to pat and touch Papa Bear's face ALL the time now. I think she likes the feel of his whiskers, but only with her hands. The whiskers aren't so forgiving on her tummy.

- Has gotten all her bottle feedings to just 5 ounces every time.

- Eats baby food once to twice a day. We've only had her on one (squash) for the last week now. We want her to finish all those containers, before we move to another flavor, which will be sweet potatoes. Yum! Those will be tasty for her; Although, she does quite well w/the squash. She didn't at first, but she's gotten the hang of it now (and no, we don't mix it w/anything).

- While eating her baby food, it has to be warm. At first, we were thinking it was a texture thing (I'm super texture sensitive, so we thought she inherited that horrible trait from me), but no- She's just spoiled and used to having really warm bottles, so that's how she likes ALL her food to be. A little gross if you ask me, but oh well- The kid's happy and she eats it all. I see no harm in it.

- She now drinks apple juice once a day. It's 100% apple juice w/just natural sugars in it. We still dilute it w/water, but she does quite well w/it and all this fiber is so good for her.

- Still eats rice cereal at night, before bed time. She now knows it's part of her routine and gets really excited. It's so cute.

- She's recently changed the way she smiles. She sticks her tongue out and kinda scrunches her nose. It's so adorable and I just love seeing her do it. 

- Speaking of smile… She's such a happy baby and loves to laugh. She really will smile and giggle at anyone, as long as they're paying attention to her. It's real easy to get her to smile and or laugh. 

- She has a best friend! I don't know if I'd get them BFF bracelets QUITE yet, but she sure does love our neighbor. They live two doors to the east of us, and have a baby girl who is EXACTLY two months younger than Jovi. Her name is Hayden, and we love play dates & walks w/her. Jovi loves to touch Baby Hayden and giggles at her constantly. We're working on her manners.

- Tries to catch her baby mobile hanging from her swing. You can't really pull it down, but boy oh boy does she try! It's so cute to see her interact and play w/it, and other things too.

- She knows how to pull her pacifier out of her mouth, and can also put it back in. She likes to hold the string and pull it in & out of her mouth, just lightly sucking on it. I don't know if she thinks it's a game, or if she's just proud of herself for being able to do it, but it cracks me up.

- She is super talented and can suck on her thumb AND pacifier at the same time.

- Sometimes she'll gag herself because she'll stick her thumb so far into her mouth. I'm not such a fan of that.

- She tries to grab her little toy butterfly that hangs from her carseat. She's SO determined to get it in her mouth (and sometimes she can). I'll go to get her out of the car, and it'll just be soaking wet. Disgusting.

- Which leads me to my next point… She smiles SO big when you open her side of the car door. She knows someone is coming to get her out of the car. Though she loves car rides, and does super good in her car seat, she's always just super excited to see someone there for her. And hey, let's face it- She knows she's getting kisses. This girl LOVES kisses.

- If you put your lips together and make a lip smacking noise, she thinks you're layin one on her and will open her mouth for a kiss. She giggles and smiles at the very thought.

- She talks constantly and stares intensely at us, while in the kitchen.

- And weighs 17.3 pounds (67th percentile), is 26.25 inches long (57th percentile), and has a head that is in the 91st percentile (44.5 cm). Her doctor says she's doing great and that we should keep doing what we're doing.

Six month stats

Jovi is six months old!

She turned six months on Saturday (09/13). AH! Halfway to a year already. You better BELIEVE I've already started planning her first birthday.

Here's what our chunky monkey has been up to:

- She rolls around like cuh-razy. Both ways too!

- Has two teeth. Both in the bottom front and we THINK another one is coming in up top.

- When playing on the floor, she scoots as close to the living room window as possible, and plays w/the curtains. That just means one thing guys- Her love for Target already. 

- Tries to roll over when we change her diaper now. It's getting pretty difficult to change her these days. 

- Holds both her feet and grabs at ALL things.

- Enjoys pinching and grabbing at our faces. It's pretty cute. The pinching thing? Not so much, but the grabbing at our faces? Oh yeah.

- She still starts out at eating 5 ounces, but will easily down 6 in the morning when she first wakes up.

- Has started eating a little bit of rice cereal at night before she goes to bed. It's the cutest thing to see her licking the spoon like a puppy dog.

- Is trying SO SO hard to sit up on her own. She comes close, but not quite. Soon guys, soon.

- LOVES seeing her Papa Bear pull in the drive way. She seriously gets so excited & tenses up. It's the cutest thing EVER.

- Enjoys a good game of Peek-A-Boo and often jumps when we "scare" her. She's such a jumpy baby.

- Has recently started this new thing, where she'll look away from me & smile, but won't look right at me and smile. Pretty sure she knows what she's doing too. That little stink.

- She really really likes her stroller and will look around at everything, while on our afternoon walks.

- Likes other babies but looks at them like they're NUTS when they cry.

- Has become smarter and smarter w/knowing who people are. She has voice and face recognition when we FaceTime w/family now.

- Speaking of FaceTime, she really likes FaceTiming w/Papa Bear, while he's at work. 

- She likes to look at herself in the mirror. I'm not sure if she thinks she's seeing another baby, or if she just really likes looking at herself, but she smiles so big and thinks she is just the coolest.

- Enjoys looking at photos of herself. She recently watched a video of herself giggling (on my iPhone), and was drooling over it. She seriously couldn't take her eyes off it and thought she was pretty neat.

- And she smiles SO big, when we go in to get her in the morning, or after any nap. It just melts my little heart, and I could die happy seeing that little one smile. Her sweet face lights up a whole room and just makes my entire day. 

Tutu dress

A wonderfully talented & sweet lady in our ward took these of Jovi yesterday.

She needed a baby model to help advertise for her headbands and tutu dresses.

Sure! You can use my kid!

Thanks so much for taking these Mandy. You did a great job!

I can't wait to book her for our family pictures!!!!

This is one of my faves!

I also love these last two. Those baby blues :)

Five month stats

Jovi is five months old!

Jovi turned five months old last Wednesday (08/13).
Here's what our funny bunny's been up to:

- She rolls from her back to her front, and her front to her back. But only rolls to her right side. Not her left. Little weirdo.
- Lifts her head SO high when on her tummy. She pushes her butt up in the air and rocks back & forth, almost making an attempt to crawl.
- Enjoys her mamaroo swing STILL and laughs/talks to the mobile.
- Has one tooth in the front, on the bottom, and has a neighbor tooth joining it. It's SOOOOOO close to surfacing. Poor baby.
- Gets a kick out of sticking her tongue out & doing motor boat noises. Yeah, she laughs at herself & smiles at us, like she did something big. 'Cuz ya know what- She did!
- Grabs all her toys and holds onto them SO well!
- Always holds her right foot w/her right hand. Never the other tootsie- Just the one. 
- Kicks and stretches when we change her diaper. Seriously, it's the funniest thing. Her stomach sticks out so far.
- Eats anywhere from 5-7 ounces. (We start her out at five and she usually finishes that, no problem.
- Gets SUPER excited when she sees daddy come home from work. We usually stand outside & wait for him these days.
- She sleeps in her nursery now. All alone. And it's such a long walk down the hallway, when I hear her sweet little cry, for whatever reason.
- Has a baby monitor & makes THE cutest little noises on it. 
- She sticks her tongue out (like a baboon), when she's teething, and makes little monkey noises.
- Loves to play games. She'll turn her head away from me (if I try to kiss her), but if Jake tries to kiss her… That's a different story. Now, if Jake's holding her and HE tries to kiss her, she won't let him. But if I try to kiss her while he's holding her- Done. She'll let me. And she grins while doing it. 
- She's hilarious and constantly makes us laugh w/her little noises. She almost sounds nasally. 
- Likes her teething ring, but not cold. And usually prefers her hands over anything.
- And lastly, she has grown a whole inch since her last appointment (07/30). She's now sitting right at 26 inches. 

Four month stats

Jovi is four months old!

Jovi turned four months old on Sunday (07/13), so just four days ago.
Sorry I didn't post earlier. Getting back from a ten day vacay has NOT been easy.
It was the unpacking that killed me. Not Jovi (for the record).

Anyway, here's what our little lady has been up to:

- She screams & squeals. A lot. For no reason at all, really. Just likes to hear her own voice, now that she's figured it out.
- Has more rolls than you would find in a bakery. (Okay maybe not).
- Is teething and super drooly.
- Comes close to rolling over. Just can't quite figure out that one little arm.
- She can lay flat on her back and kick her feet, to the point where she can pivot in a complete circle. She doesn't move her head, just her feet, and it's THE cutest thing. I believe she'll be mobile soon.
- Belches louder than me sometimes.
- Loves to sit in her bumbo (like King Tut), but like all things- In moderation. She gets sick of it after about five minutes. Go fig.
- Loves and I mean LOVES fans. They're her new mobil.
- She's become super ticklish right underneath her sweet little neck.
- Likes bath time & kicking in the water.
- Still hates the sun, but definitely tolerates it better more, now.
- Enjoys sitting up on the couch. She looks like such a big girl! (It kills me).
- Has discovered how to give momma the puppy dog look. I die. (She doesn't really know she's doing it though. Or does she?)
- She really really really likes getting kisses. Right on her cheeks. She'll even lean into you for it, and will open her mouth in excitement, and just GRIN!
- Really likes to eat her hands and talk at the same time. She's a multi tasker! (Not like her momma at all)
- Loves her piano toy that Nana got her. It plays music & lights up and she LOVES it!
- Will give a flirty grin to anyone who will pay attention to her. And I mean ANYONE!
- Went through a growth spurt while we were in CA to the point where we had to loosen her car seat.
- Enjoys her Mamaroo swing more than ever, now that she can stare at her friend, the mobil. 
- She loves to open her mouth & give kisses whenever we get close to that sweet little mouth of hers.
- And weighs 14.7 pounds (53rd percentile), is 25 inches long (63rd percentile), and has a head that is in the 84th percentile (42 3/4 cm). Doctor says she's doing great & progressively growing, just as she should be. 

It's a full moon tonight!

A few weekends ago, my sister and I noticed it being a full moon outside.

She quickly grabbed my camera and set it up on the tripod, while I ran after her.

We were in the perfect place for these pictures- Away from the city.

I love where we live and I love how we captured these images.

Not only were we able to capture the moon, but it's reflection as well!

In these images, you can see how the moon was moving. Notice the reflection changes…

I was so excited we were able to capture this. Thanks, Kelsey, for all your hard work!

Note: All images are straight out of my camera w/no editing and or filter. 

California

Friday, June 27th- Leave UT and arrive in Bakersfield late that night.

Saturday, June 28th- Hang out in Bakersfield & have a pool day.

Sunday, June 29th- Attend church w/Aubre's parents in Bakersfield.

Monday, June 30th- Leave Bakersfield to drive to Pismo to stay night.

Tuesday, July 1st- Leave Pismo to drive to SLO to stay night.

Wednesday, July 2nd- Leave SLO and arrive in Bakersfield that night.

Thursday, July 3rd- Aubre & Jovi in Bakersfield. Jake gone fishing.

Friday, July 4th- Albert's annual 4th of July party & BBQ.

Saturday, July 5th- Leave Bakersfield to drive to Kernville to stay night.

Sunday, July 6th- Leave Kernville to drive back home to UT.

The first day we were there, we just kinda chilled and visited Nana at work. She's all about showin off that baby!

We did our traditional Los Hermanos dinner later that evening and boy was it delicious! 

Photo taken on my iPhone

Saturday, Jovi had her first swim in Nana's pool & loved it! (I have never had a more relaxing Saturday)

Sunday, we went to church in my parent's ward & visited w/Jake's grandma afterwards.

It was so nice seeing Meme meet her new great granddaughter for the first time. 

Meme and Jovi

(I feel like Jovi looks naked w/o a headband)

Photo taken on my iPhone

Monday, we headed to Pismo a litter later than planned. (When do you ever leave on time w/a baby?!?!)

I was very excited to stay w/the people we were staying with, on Monday.

Jake knew this couple from awhile back & had quite the history w/them.

He had never met their kids, and I had never met this sweet family. I had only heard nothing but great things about this family, so I was very excited.

I had been friends w/the wife (Jessica) on social media ever since Jake and I were dating (just before we got engaged).

I never thought we'd be able to meet, since we lived in different states, but I always knew that the day we did meet, we'd be great friends instantly. And that we were!

We (unfortunately) didn't get a picture of all of us together, but we did get one of our little girls!

(Jessica and I were pregnant at the same time & had due dates just a few days apart. Jovi ended up coming three weeks early, as many of you know, so our babies are almost a whole month apart now).

Jovi and Brielle

Photo taken on my iPhone

We took Jovi the famous… You guessed it… Splash cafe! (It's a must when you go there).

Jake and I have each been here several times. It was fun to take Miss J

Photo taken on my iPhone

Tuesday late afternoon, we left Pismo and headed to the San Luis area, to stay at Jake's cousin's house.

I had never met his cousin, but I've met her husband.

He used to come up to Utah & go snowboarding w/Jake waaay back in the day.

Jovi had fun playing w/their little boy, who was 11 months old at the time. He was such a doll and we enjoyed a delicious BBQ that night, in their cute 'lil backyard.

Wednesday morning, we headed out towards the Avila Beach area, together.

We had fun walking the pier, and eating lunch on the pier together.

And then we had to say goodbye to the beach.
Back to flaming hot Bakersfield we went.

We got back to my parent's house early Wednesday evening and I crashed!
Jake went fishing early Thursday morning, so my mom and I just hung out @ the house w/Jovi, while we waited for my g'ma to get there.
It was so much fun to just hang out at the house together. Just us girls :) And Austin :)

Jovi & GG

Photo taken on my iPhone

Jovi and Nana

Photo taken on my iPhone

Friday was the 4th and boy did we have fun!

We woke up early Friday morning, and went to the annual BBQ put on by the church.

(When we first moved to Bakersfield July 1999 we went to the 4th of July breakfast, to meet everyone we'd be going to church with. It's become a tradition w/my family, that we go every year to this breakfast).

Uncle Austin and Jovi had fun together

Photo taken on my iPhone

Photo taken on my iPhone

Photo taken on my iPhone

We did the traditional fireworks in my parent's front yard. These were a few of my faves (no editing):

Saturday morning we left for Kernville, to see Jake's family.

Nana cried.

Pretty sure she's cried every time she leaves Jovi. It's the sweetest.

We continued the 4th of July festivities at Uncle Dan & Aunt Bonnie's house.

It sits right up on the lake, and has a beautiful view of the Isabella area.

Photo taken on my iPhone

Photo taken on my iPhone

That pretty much sums up our California trip.

We left for home (Utah) Sunday around noon.

We had such a great time & enjoyed spending time w/everyone.

Thank you to all, for your wonderful hospitality. We absolutely appreciate it. 

Jovi was such a good little traveler the whole time.

She went through so many changes (elevation changes, time change, environment change), and did so so so good. We could not have been more impressed