My Sunshine

My Sunshine is my baby girl.  She really is the light of my life.  She is almost 8 months old and is growing and learning faster than I could have ever imagined.  As I fed her this morning and while we played I fell in love with her even more.  She is such a sweet girl.  Here are a few reasons why:

• When she wakes up in the morning she doesn't start crying for me right away. (Sometimes she does.)  Instead she talks in this super soft, super sweet voice.  She sometimes will talk like this for nearly 15 minutes.  I just sit by the baby monitor and listen.  I hope she doesn't mind my eavesdropping.  When she starts to whimper I go in and she grins from ear to ear and gets so excited.

• She claps.  It's not awkward, uncoordinated clapping either.  It's very coordinated and she even makes a clapping sound when she does it.  For an 8 month old that's pretty awesome.  She thinks clapping is one of the greatest things in the world and does it often.

• She has the best smile and it is contagious.  She gets it from her Daddy.  His smile is my favorite physical feature.  I am so glad she got that from him.  When she smiles her whole face smiles.  Her eyes smiles, her forehead relaxes, her cheeks tighten, and her lips widen bearing her 5 front teeth.  It's a wholehearted smile.

• She is generally quite happy and easygoing.  She has a personality like you wouldn't believe.  When you flash her a smile she always gives one back, unless she is crying of course.  People comment all the time how she is the happiest baby they have ever met.  I agree.  It's refreshing.  She always makes my bad days better just by being herself.  She's powerful that way.  I think that she will, throughout her life, be such a big help to people and will be able to spread her happiness to them.

• She seems to always be thinking and figuring things out.  She is curious about everything.  She wants to explore everything using all of her senses.  Touching, hearing, seeing, and tasting.  I'm not sure if she smells everything, haha.  I think her favorite senses are touching and tasting.  Everything she touches goes in her mouth. 

• She army crawls all over the living room.  She hasn't gotten up on her knees yet, but that doesn't seem to bother her.  She does like to get up on her hands and toes and pushes off with her toes.  That's kind of funny to watch.

• She is petite, weighing in at around 15 lbs, and is 27.25 inches tall.  She is a skinny little girl, but it suits her.  All of her pants are either too loose and perfect length or perfect fit but too short.  I have a feeling that pants will be a struggle for us for the next few years. 

• She is gorgeous.  Her smile, long lashes, side swept bangs, beautiful brownish/green eyes, her little nose, and her Italian olive skin.  She is going to have so many boys wanting to date her. (not until she's 30!)

• She loves to be outside.  She gets so excited on walks.

• When she gets excited she moves her whole body.  She kicks her legs, flails her arms, grins from ear to ear, and all this shakes the rest of her body.  She squeals and giggles too.

• She giggles when we tickle her.  Sometimes when we run errands together I hear her giggle randomly in the backseat of the car.  She giggles when we go on walks.  She giggles when we play peek-a-boo.

• She loves my hair.  She giggles when I shake it in front of her face.  She also loves the blow dryer.  She watches me intently when I use it.  I put it on the cool air setting and on low and blow it on her and she loves it!

• She gives me what I think are kisses.  She opens her mouth wide and kisses my face.  She thinks its funny.  I love it.

•  We like dancing together.

• Her best friend is herself in the mirror.  

• She is loud.  I think it's funny.  It sometimes causes glares from strangers in public places.  I don't mind, I think she is too cute to keep quiet.

• She does well with strangers.  She has a secure attachment with Joe and I.

I think this list is mighty long.  I could probably go on and on about her.  She is so precious to me.  You should all meet her if you haven't yet.  I can almost guarantee you would be greeted with a warm smile.

Oh and today, she is having fun blowing raspberries.  Over and over.  Gotta love having bananas and oatmeal all over.

My Disc.

One of my discs in my lower back is bulging.  "It's herniated," says the doctor.  Can it be fixed?  YES!  I start physical therapy on Monday.  They're going to decompress my spine for 2 weeks and then have me do different exercises to strengthen my back so that I can start running, yes running.  I am thrilled and so is my husband!  I hope it all goes well.

I don't even know what caused it.  I first started having this pain when I was 10-12 weeks pregnant.  We had just moved a week or so before.  I may have lifted something too heavy - but I was pregnant so I wouldn't do that.  Oh well.  It's getting fixed. :)

Exercising.

I want to exercise so bad!  But it is difficult for me.  Not because I have a hard time motivating myself to get out the door, it's because I have a bad back.  I begged my husband to let me buy a jogging stroller and he did.

I have used it a handful of times.  I go jogging/walking for about a mile.  I'll do this for 2-3 days and then my back starts threatening me with a vacation.  So I have to stop for a week until it starts to feel better, then I go jogging again.  It's really quite depressing.  I have never had so much will and motivation to exercise before like I do now, yet I physically can't do it.  I need to go see a doctor I think.  I need to be fixed.  Does anyone want to trade me backs?