Smiling for the Camera :)

Carly just started smiling for the camera! Weird I know! So yesterday I was getting some snap shots and she was being awfully smiley all of the sudden. Well today, she saw the camera and as everytime I was ready to take a picture and said Carly to get her attention - she smiled. Like she knew I was taking pics and she knew she was supposed to smile.... My baby is psychic! We are loving all of her words and how cute & snuggly she is! Her headband I decided to make this morning before church - it's super easy - click HERE for tutorial.

Beach Baby

 We went to the beach today! I've been dying to take Carly swimming. Today wasn't a swimming day obviously, but carly did get her legs wet in the ocean :) It was super windy but Carly did really good.

This pic was taken later (no BYU is not playing just yet, but they are later tonight - Carly was too excited!). Daddy & Baby watching TV (actually it's baby einstein lol). Thanks for the cute BYU tshirt Amber & Evan!

half rolling and talking

Carly has proven to be a little chatterbox! We love listening to her talk. She always has a lot to say. Even though she still hates tummy time, I'm trying different things - like turning her on her side. She tolerates it sometimes but other times it'll make her just as mad. This week she's been awesome at keeping her head up. Honestly, I think it's because she's so curious - she loves looking around. At church on Sunday that was all she wanted to do - look around. She's been getting mad when I lay her down anywhere because she'd rather be sitting. Yesterday we went in the backyard (like we did every day last week) but she did not want to be laying down. Once I sat her up on my lap she was perfectly happy. She's starting to notice the boats going by. Today on our walk she saw some birds. I mean, she really saw them, she was actually looking at them :) She's started sitting in her bumbo for longer since she's holding her head up. And I've been able to put her little homemade shoes on her!

Carly splashing in the tub

Alright so I'm still waiting for my family to send me the video file they have of Carly in the bathtub at 1 wk old. I'm dying to compare the two :) This is what she has been doing lately. Actually she's been splashing a lot more than this, but you know how it is trying to capture it on tape. Most the time she notices the camera right away and just stares at it. A couple times a month I fill up the regular bathtub to have a swimming lesson with Carly and practice floating on her back, etc. She's a great little swimmer already!

Carly laughs!

Ok so this is a quick little post but was so excited to hear Carly laugh for real!!! She's laughed quietly in her sleep a handful of times but this was the first time she full out laughed while awake. At church she started getting fussy so I pulled her out of her carseat. Morgan started waving his tie around in front of her face to distract her and she laughed. Apparently waving a tie around is hilarious. Who would have known? :)

Health and Fitness

This picture was taken on Sunday - when it was in the 50's here. Yes we are dressed super warm :)

I had a rough pregnancy but was lucky and didn't gain an excessive amount of weight - I was still able to wear all my regular clothes (including jeans). My labor & delivery was quick and after a few weeks I felt like I was just about back to my pre-pregnancy weight/body. Then I started gaining weight in places I never have before. It has been driving me crazy because now my wardrobe is more limited than when I was pregnant... I started running - really running - once we got home from christmas break. My knees have been suffering - it hurts really bad. That was actually the reason I stopped running not too long before getting preggo. I was training to do a half marathon but it was hurting my knees too much. I'm still keeping my new years goal of working out at least 3 times a week. This is the workout I started this week. So far, so good. This is a workout I can do during the day with Carly - she goes in the moby for the walk and I do the rest while she's napping. It's great because it's easier on my joints, I'm still sore, and I'm incorporating more muscles than just running alone. I'm definitely not saying that it's better than running - if I had my choice that's what I'd be doing. However, I love that I don't have to wait for Morgan to get home to do this (and I don't have to worry about pushing a stroller either).

I'm also trying to change the way I eat. I'm not doing an actual diet just yet, but rather I'm trying to incorporate healthier foods. I'm including more fruits and vegetables in my diet and trying to limit the carbs. I've been trying to eat small, frequent snacks instead of huge meals (which is how I have always had to eat in the past). I'm alternating between a fruit here, a vegetable there, salads, nuts, etc. If anyone has had success with a particular diet - let me know.

I'll see how it goes - I'm hoping I'll be able to button my jeans by the end of next week :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MORGAN!!!

We celebrated Morgan's 30th Birthday on Monday. I made him breakfast before he left for school and we had a delicious dinner when he got home - steak and twice baked potatoes. He got these red velvet cupcakes for dessert - delicious by the way, I can't stop eating them :) Carly gave Daddy a set of pictures for his birthday and I gave him custom made jimmer t-shirts (the jerseys are so expensive!). I was able to use my new sewing machine to make them high quality (thanks Barb!). Carly has been extra cute with her daddy lately - she just loves talking with him.

3 months!

So Carly May is 3 months now! It's so fun to watch her learn and grow. Her latest thing is she has started putting fingers in her mouth (instead of just sucking on her fist). Unfortunately she doesn't have a ton of control just yet and she keeps accidentally choking herself/making herself gag. She's thrown up twice now because of it, multiple gag noises and grumpy faces because she doesn't realize she's doing it to herself yet. I have, however, been trying to give her a binky instead and have put her blanket over her hands to avoid it somewhat. yikes. She loves to go crazy splashing in the bathtub - her whale tub. I'll be posting video of that soon!

Learning Lots

Got milk?

Carly's favorite toy. And mine :)

I love my little Miss Carly and sure have been learning a lot like...

• Prioritizing. Once she's down for a nap, I'd better do the most important things first since I have no idea how long she'll sleep for. Like eating, going to the bathroom, showering....
• Dinner. It's better to prepare dinner sooner rather than later. Some days I make dinner earlier in the day & refrigerate it until Morgan texts me that he's on his way home - then stick it in the oven, or whatever to get it ready.
• Walks. Carly loves being outside and moving - so walks are something we've started doing on a daily basis. It's great for me to get out of the house, get some sun, and some exercise.
• Sleep. When she's ready to sleep I'd better put her down relatively soon or else she'll have a meltdown. Last week I did 2 different things with friends and left early both times because of a fussy baby. She had meltdowns both times :(
• Poop. It's not just a special occasion, it's a daily occurrence with this baby. Don't wear anything you care about in the morning because baby will have a blow out and you will have to change anyway. I've tried moving up to size 2 but she had it anyway, so we're gonna finish off size 1. I've tried different brands: Huggies, Pampers, Costco, Luvs, next we're trying Target Up & Up brand...
• Pumping. I don't do it because I want to store extra milk, but because baby will have nights where she wakes up and only wants to eat on one side and go back to bed. The first couple times I just went back to sleep. Then I realized what a mistake that was when I was engorged. Ok not doing that again. That's ok I guess - even though I'm tired - at least I have baby food storage lol. Blessings right?
• Church. Church has been really hard this year (all 1 month of it). 1pm church should not exist for family wards I'm thinking. When we had 11am church it was perfect. She always slept right through it. Today it was: sit still and be good through half of sacrament, then fall asleep = power nap I guess. She woke up not too long after and started getting fussy. Tried to feed her but she didn't want to be fed. Wrapped her in a blanket and gave her a binky. Was ok for the first part of sunday school but then wasn't happy even with me standing in the back, bouncing her. Well we left because I don't see the point of being at church if I'm just walking the halls anyway. At least during Sacrament meeting, if I had to be in the mother's room - I would still be able to hear the speakers. And wouldn't you know that right as we pulled down our street - she was fast asleep?
• Toys. I finally get to start giving her toys to play with!!! I'm so excited! She's been able to hold onto a couple different toys! So fun!

On to New Years Resolutions. I've been working out 3-4 times a week. Cooking at least 3 meals each week. Reading my scriptures daily. Going on lots of walks. And working on down-sizing and de-cluttering the house in preparation for our big move this summer. Life is busy but oh so good!

Future Soccer Player

Carly has started moving those little hands more and more. And what I really mean by that is that she's opening her hands instead of keeping them in fists all the time. She's started holding the ball that her Aunt Andrea got for her for Christmas and has even tried to suck on it a few times. And I'm beginning to see her use her feet more. Soccer player? I think so!

Also, the reason why she has no clothes on is because we went for a walk and she got super hot & sweaty (wearing only a onesie). So I told her she could be naked for a while. She liked that idea :)