Cuteness

Keira's First Ponytail!

Fun in the park with Daddy.

 

Just so cute today, I had to take a picture.

 

Dance Moves

Keira has some dance moves that could put even Beyonce to shame. There are a few songs that especially put a special hop in her step, one of which is "Pants on the Ground" which is just a clip from American Idol this year. She happened to have her pants on the ground one day, so I played her the song and took these pictures of some of her enviable dance moves. Notice the ice cream scoop in one hand.

Seen below is a video of Keira dancing to the Cops theme song. This is definitely one of her top 5 favorite songs to jam to. Who needs tv when you have entertainment like this?

Keira's Corner

I am learning that, when it comes to babies, you must choose your battles wisely and sometimes you must surrender entirely. Our most recent battle was purely territorial.

In my living room there is only one possible location that our couches fit and that particular configuration results in a big empty corner where the two couches meet at their 90 degree angle, hereafter defined as "The Corner." In The Corner is a small end table, a lamp, some blankets, and the occasional TV remote or empty glass, nothing more, nothing less. Despite it's lack of interesting objects, Keira had become obsessed with The Corner and would often dangle herself over the arm of the couch like a fishing pole in an attempt to gain access to said Corner. Sooner than later, she learned that she could make her way over the arm of the couch and stand on the end table and would do exactly this the moment I turned my back.

This wouldn't be such a problem if she wasn't over there knocking over the lamp and falling down and getting stuck. I couldn't so much as set foot in the kitchen for 10 seconds without her making a mad dash for The Corner and it was getting to the point where she needed constant visual monitoring. It was becoming hazardous and I knew that I needed to teach her to stay out of The Corner for her own good and for my peace of mind. Try as I may to convince her to stay out of The Corner, no spanking, no sharp words, no distractions, no nothing could keep her from throwing that little leg over the arm of the couch the moment I was out of sight. It was becoming a game to her, but it wasn't very funny to me.

At this point, I knew I had no choice but to surrender. She was determined to have The Corner so I let her have the stupid corner! I took everything out of The Corner and pulled the couches apart far enough for her to walk in, then I put a blanket on the floor and moved her toy bin back there to make a little play area. The results- No more climbing over the arm of the couch because there is no longer anything no climb onto. No more battle for the corner, she can walk right into it and it's all hers. A little fun play area for Keira with a view out the window. Her toys are not out in the middle of my living room any more. And now I can step into the kitchen to make a meal without wondering if she is going to break her neck on the end table... well, until she finds something else to break her neck on.

Even though I was forced to succumb to her baby will, I'd say that ultimately it was a win for both of us.

"EEE!"

Today Keira said her first alphabet letter! She was taking her bath and just as we were finishing up, she pointed to her foam letter "Z" and said, "EEE! EEE!" I realized she was pointing to the letter "Z" and I was so proud that all the hours we have spent reading Dr. Seuss' ABC book are finally paying off!

Now her alphabet bath toys are for more than just teething!

You Crack Me Up

Making It

After 3 months of unemployment, I still haven't gotten so much as one interview and there seem to be no suitable jobs out there for me. If you would have asked me 3 months ago if we could make it on one income, my answer definitely would have been, "No freaking way," but somehow we're making it and somehow I became a stay at home left to save and, as long as we can keep it that way, my new job is right here at home.

Christmas this year as I previously mentioned was very sparse and consisted mostly of hand made gifts, one of which was an old toy box that I was painting for Keira. The painting process was going quite well and I had made significant progress until one day about a week or two before Christmas the paint started bubbling and cracking as soon as I would spray it on. It was just too cold and wet to be painting. On Christmas Eve, the weather seemed warm and dry so I made one last attempt to finish the toy box since it was my only present for her and the paint bubbled and cracked just as bad as before. The reality sank in that I would have no present for my baby for Christmas. I held back my tears as best as I could, closed up the garage, and went back in the house to report the bad news to my husband. That morning, I got a phone call from the bishop of our ward who told me that he had a gift card from the ward that he wanted to drop by. I didn't ask what store it was for or how much, but knowing I was in need I gladly accepted. He brought our family a Target gift card and I can't express to you how relieved I was just knowing I could get my baby a couple toys for Christmas.

Even though money has been tight for us, we have managed to be able to take a couple inexpensive overnight road trips. We drove to my dad's house in Groveland in the mountains before New Years and played in the snow.

Then this weekend we drove to San Francisco to see the Aquarium of the Bay. The Aquarium was awesome and Keira enjoyed it even though she was well past her nap time.

After the aquarium, we drove to Art's grandparents' house in Oakley to stay the night. We had a good visit with them and the rest of the family. Keira had a fun time playing with her great grandparents and even wanted Great Grandma Kathy to read her bed time story instead of me. It was really cute. Great Grandpa calls her "Traviosita" which pretty much means "Little Trouble Maker." I think it describes her perfectly.

Cousins Johnny and Hailey Spofford, Aunt Coleen Spofford, Cousin Jamie Navarro, Grandma Kathy and Grandpa George Navarro, Cousin Bekah Navarro, Art, Krysta, and Keira Martinez.

When we left Oakley, we drove about 40 minutes to Tracy to have dinner with my old co-worker/friend Pam who moved away about 2 years ago. It was like 3 awesome trips all in one weekend!

Day by day, I seem to be getting better at being a stay at home mom. I am trying to be more self disciplined, and I am getting better at keeping house and at setting routines for Keira. Recently I had become increasingly lethargic even after getting a substantial amount of sleep. I realized that I had lost a considerable amount of weight and that I am barely above 100 lbs. For my height, I should be a minimum of 25 lbs heavier than I am. I imagine that a big part of why I'm so tired is that I am so underweight and haven't been exercising, so I started a healthy reverse diet and non-aerobic exercise plan to hopefully gain at least 20 lbs. I have also been taking vitamins and I am starting to feel better already after only 2 weeks and have gained a pound or two as well.

Keira, of course, is quite fond of my constant presence at home. Since I have the time now, I have been able to establish a firm bedtime routine wherein we first pick up her toys, then she eats a yogurt (as a substitution for a bed time bottle), then we go brush her teeth and have a drink of water, then she picks out a book to read, then off to bed. Instead of holding her until she falls asleep, as Art had taught her to do, she now goes to bed awake with no trouble. She is down to only one bottle a day, and I'm sure you can guess who is responsible for keeping her on that last bottle- Daddy. Keira wouldn't miss that bottle one bit, but Art is having a hard time accepting the fact that she is growing up so fast. He feels like if she no longer drinks a bottle she won't be his little baby anymore. I told him, "She will always be your little baby- she just won't always drink out of a bottle."

Keira is still the biggest bundle of energy you have ever seen. It is impossible to get her to sit still for more than a minute. She is constantly on the move and constantly finding silly things to do...

She likes to walk around in Art's shoes. This time she put on his flip flops- both on one foot.

When you tell her how pretty or cute she is, she lifts one shoulder up and tucks her chin into it like she is shy or bashful.

I discovered she LOVES toast. I tried to give her a bite of my toast and instead she snatched it from me and started cramming the whole thing in her mouth bite by bite. She ran around the room with it, laughing and stuffing her cheeks like a squirrel.

She LOVES to call Grandma on my cell phone. I have a new phone that has an icon of all of my "favorites" and all she has to do is tap on my mom's picture enough and it will call her. My mom said she gets tons of calls and voicemails with Keira giggling in the background. About a week ago, I saw her playing with my phone and I said, "Are you calling Grandma?" and she looked up at me and said, "Yeah." It was so sweet.

She has a couple kitchen drawers and one cabinet that she is allowed to play in and she loves to get the oven mitts and put them on her hands.

She loves to read books but the only time she can hold still long enough is when she is exhausted at bed time. Her favorite books are the Dr. Seuss ABC book and It's Not Easy Being a Bunny.

She still loves to play songs on the piano. I tried to get her dressed up to take a cute picture of her, but I have come to realize that if I want to get any pictures of her smiling, I am going to have to get a new camera. My camera takes WAY too long to take the picture and by the time it does, she is across the room or making some silly face.

She has curly hair all the way around the back of her head and her ears. She is also showing a LOT of preference for her left hand and even learned how to snap all by herself a couple months ago. I have no idea how she learned how to snap, but she can do it with both hands.

I can put her hair in piggy tails now! It is not easy to get her to stay still long enough to part and comb her hair. In fact, it's a miracle I could do it.

She is a really good eater and there is not too much that she won't eat, but she has recently decided that she wants to put everything in her own mouth instead of you putting it in her mouth. She even takes the fork or spoon out of your hand and does it herself. She doesn't like raisins and won't drink milk out of anything but a bottle. She prefers juice or water.

She is 22 lbs which is 50th percentile for her weight but she has grown an inch a month since her last check up, putting her at 31 inches tall which is 75th percentile for her height. We won't talk about her 19 inch head- that's off the charts! She is starting to outgrow her size 4 shoes and she only fits wide width shoes because her feet are so chubby still.

I'd say we're definitely making it and then some. Things have been difficult for us, but it's impossible to deny how blessed we are despite our obstacles.

No Money and No Prospects

I have been jobless for over a month now and have not gotten so much as one interview. I have no money and no prospects and I don't like it! I am having to face some harsh realities...

1. I found out this week that I was denied unemployment benefits because I am not available to accept full time work. First I cried, then I got angry.

2. I don't make a very good stay at home mom. I lack self discipline when I don't have a reason (such as a job) to bathe and make myself presentable each day. I delight in a clean home and nice appearance but despise putting in the effort to obtain it.

3. As much as I love my daughter, working part time was a nice little break from my motherly duties. Stay at home moms don't get breaks.

4. I can't buy things. In a way this is a good thing because it is forcing me to be resourceful. The angel fell off the top of my Christmas tree, breaking her head into several pieces and I glued it back together. My Christmas presents this year consist of only home made things. A crocheted afghan for Art from yarn I bought 2 years ago, I am painting a toy chest for Keira that I have had since my childhood with leftover supplies from painting her crib and dresser last year, and everyone else is getting hand made scarves from scrap yarn, home made ornaments, or copied CDs and DVDs.

5. I can't go take a family portrait like I wanted to this year. A snapshot in front of the tree will have to do.

There are seriously no jobs right now and I am trying to come to terms with the fact that I might not have a job for quite some time. It's been especially hard going from thinking that everything was going to be ok because at least I could get unemployment to holy smokes I better scramble and get a job! Being unemployed is mentally straining in more ways than one, that's for sure.

Despite my many reasons for unhappiness, I know I still have all the more reasons to be happy. I still have a cute bundle of joy under (and occasionally snatching ornaments off of) my Christmas tree.

I keep failing to mention that all of the tests we had done in connection with Keira's fainting episodes came back completely normal. The doctors are not worried about her at this point, so I am putting my worry aside too. We're relieved to say the least.