in the spirit of an actual web log, here's the scoop on our last two months:
well, you know about the reflux. the sad news is that the pediatricians have recommended i refrain from most of all of my favorite foods in case they aggravate her reflux & upset her tummy. the worst of it? NO MILK! honestly. if you know me at all, you recognize the travesty of that. so, no dairy (man, i miss cheese), no chocolate (i discovered on my own that this gives her much gas), no peanut butter (not sure this really bothers her) & now...no juice, especially apple. without the milk, i had seriously upped my juice intake. when i scoffed, the pedi asked, "what's wrong with water?" NOTHING! that's what's wrong with it. anyway, the first pedi assured me i'd not be subsisting on only water & boiled chicken, while the second seems to have no sympathy for me (the second one is female...go figure). of course, trying to be proactive about the whole sensitive tummy thing, i am staying away from spicy foods. it almost seems like i'm staying away from flavorful foods, essentially. woe is me.
ok, for the good stuff...the stuff that makes it all worth it:
when she was one month & one day old, i witnessed my daughter's first real smile. since birth, she seems to smile & laugh as she falls asleep, but kept the responsive kind to herself. it was the morning & she woke up in a good mood. i had her laying on the bed & we were chatting face to face & there it was! are there words for that kind of feeling?! SO SWEET. for the last several weeks, she's continued this happy morning ritual with me & even added in her own conversation. i love to talk with her, as she coos & babbles & makes all kinds of great noises, most resembling a cat and sometimes a chicken. she really is talking to me in her own little 2 month old vocabulary. does it get any better? yes! this past friday, she laughed aloud on purpose for the first time. this time, daddy was the witness, as well as the cause. sadly, i missed it, as i was taking full advantage of "daddy time"& soaking in a bath. that didn't stop topher from calling me out of it twice to witness drew's latest milestone...only to miss it both times. oh well. i actually love that it was shared between the two of them, as he isn't privy to our morning conversations usually.
my friend debbie was right. seeing your husband with your child is one of the most intense sights you'll ever behold. has he ever been more attractive & sexy than then? oh my goodness, i love it. i was actually surprised by how the daddy in him came out. our second night home was when drew decided it was time to show us what this new parenting stuff was all about. i think she learned to cry that night, i really do (a lesson she's not stopped sharing). well, toph's response to that left me worried at first. soon enough, though, he realized that she didn't quite speak english yet & speaking it louder did not help her understand him, nor him understand her. (turns out you're supposed to speak soothingly to calm a baby, not yell at them). from that moment on, he's a whole new man, i think. and, i too, am a whole new woman. one with a beautiful baby & the sexiest husband alive. lucky me.
wanna see what i see every morning? this sweet face...
daddy time! i think this was around toph's birthday in august. notice drew's outfit...bought by her daddy!
oh my goodness, this was one of those heart melting moments for me & tops my list of fave pics.
we met uncle josh for the first time in september. he was great & loved cuddling with drew. she kept licking his arm like a little cat...and, what's funny is that she licks things all the time now when something's near her mouth. 
baby feet are so sweet!
