9 Months

Updates~

Baby Gates are UP!

Crawling began at 9 months.  She is also pulling up on items to standing.

Loves saying Dada and Momma.

Will hold bottle by herself sometimes.

Loves her sippy cup with water.

Snacks on Zesta crackers, Graham Crackers, and bread.
2 teeth on bottom still.

Eats baby food 3 times a day.

Loves Yogurt and fruit.

4-6 oz bottles a day.

Wearing 12 month clothes.

Enjoys Baby Einstein movies, bath time, shopping with Momma, being outside, looking out the front door.  Smiles all the time!  Loved the summer and playing in her baby pool.

TIME FLIES! 8 MONTHS OLD

UPDATES:

~2 teeth on the bottom 

~Sleeping through the night!

~Eats baby food fruits in the morning and baby food vegetables for dinner

~ Sits up on all fours and rocks, but no crawling yet

~ Loves bath time, riding in the shopping cart, stroller time, being outside, and swimming in the baby pool!

~Smiles all the time!

~Weighs around 20 pounds!

7 MONTHS!

25 Facts About Me!

Saw this idea on a blog I love to follow.  Haven't posted in ages (hoping summer helps me get back into the swing of things) and thought this one would be a great summer kickoff post.  Plus it was fun!  Hope you enjoy these 25 random facts you may or may not know about me!  :)

I once choreographed a dance to Joyride by Roxette.  The choreography was quite simple.

1) Stand in circle. 2) pick up hand weights 3) pass hand weights to next person 4) repeat

----this might by why Britney Spears never asked me to choreograph any numbers.

• My babysitter growing up, Edna, made the best freaking Ramen Noodles ever. I swear.  And what was even better was the she let Trey and I eat them in my bedroom at my Playschool 2 in 1 kitchen/vanity.  So we would open the window and talk to each other about how freaking amazing our noodles were.

I seriously get so pissed off when Mustard wins the Hot dog Race at the Royals games.

I.DESPISE.MUSTARD

Growing up with an older brother was tough.  I would get so excited when he would actually play with me.  But, it wasn’t ever really what I had hoped.  Like one time we played “Find the unlocked door.”  This game entailed me running around outside trying to find the door he had unlocked {the rule was that one ALWAYS had to be unlocked but you could switch them based on where your opponent was around the house}.  Turns out Trey’s version of this game was to lock them all, play his Nintendo, and listen to me pant outside for hours.

I wore hoop earrings from sun up to sun down every day for 10 years until I had a baby who found it very fun to stretch out my holes {insert that’s what she said comment here}.

Every year around Christmas I miss that my brother doesn’t live in Kansas City anymore.  We always met at Tom Fooleries and got drunk on a weekday.   

Well crap, now I am double sad that Tom Fooleries North is closed.

• I have always wanted to be a teacher…it was my calling in life.  Ask my Mom.  She will tell you I began scolding my imaginary students at a very young age and even had to put Tommy in the closet a few times to think about his actions.

I have the mouth of an effing sailor.  It’s part of the package so take it or leave it.

I still have a fear of jelly fish after watching Hobie get bit by one on Baywatch.  Apparently I don’t have to worry about this too much as I live in Missouri.  Who knew???

I often think that my dog Brinkley looks like many other animals.  {deer, birds, insects?}

• I can’t stand it when people type in basic font.  BORING!  My favorite is Papyrus—if I am feeling crazy, I kick it up a notch and make it bold and in fuchsia.

Ava Maria makes me smile every time I hear it.  Then it makes me cry because I want to do my wedding day every year and I can't!

Repetitive noises are my kryptonite.

• Vacuum lines in the carpet are my crack addiction.

I never wore sunglasses nor purchased them until I was 19 because I thought my face wasn’t appropriate for them.  

I.KILL.ALL.PLANT LIFE.

I eat more cheese in one week than one should eat in one year…and yet I don’t like cheese on my burgers.

I never thought in a million years that Daniel Allegri would know my name.  Let alone marry me and be my baby daddy! :)

I permed my hair until I was in 6^th grade.  Then the perm stuck.  From that moment forward I would never have control of the mop on my head.

 I cashed in savings bonds to purchase a Chi straightening iron in college {this was like a huge deal!}.

• I left my dog in the bathroom while I went to a party in college and he chewed through the Chi straightening iron cord.  I cried...for a VERY LONG TIME.

My dog Brinkley has the longest name ever.  Professor Brinkley Patrick Cunningham Allegri.  Daniel and I are pretty sure he has an English accent and studied and taught at a university in London before we adopted him.

My best friend Angela and I love to sing “Don’t Cry for me Argentina” from the Broadway musical, Evita.  I didn’t, however, say it was good singing, but we do put our whole hearts into it.

A perfectly sharpened pencil is the cats pajamas.

I really like Rage Against the Machine.  For what reason, I am not sure.

1/2 of a Year!

Gia Therese you are doing amazing and growing up right before our eyes. You are the light of Mommy and Daddy's life and you have brought us more joy then you will ever know. You are now 6 plus months and here is an update on you!!!
16 lbs 10 oz 26 inches
You sit, roll, babble, laugh and smile!
Eating 6 ounces
Transitioned beautifully from Mommy's milk to formula
Reaches and plays with toys
Still loves bath time
Loves going for jogs with Mommy in the stroller
Adores your Daddy
Can hold your own bottle for a bit
Bed time of 7:30, dream feeds around 9:30-10
Wakes in night if very wet or needs a bink inserted, no more middle of night feedings
Getting back into the swing of eating baby food---had a rough go when you got sick a few weeks ago. Night time routine: Baby food Bath Book Bottle Bink Bed
You're a B baby!

Love you to the moon and back baby.

What?!?! You're 5 months old??

Gia Therese Allegri is 5 months old!!!

Likes:
bath time
smiling from ear to ear
grabbing her feet
rolling over from back to front
sleeping on your tummy
Nuk binkies--no more Soothies
Watching your hands move around


Updates:
We have tried rice cereal, squash and green beans, and you seem to like all of them so far!!!
Wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes
Wakes one time for a feed around 2 a.m.
Bedtime 7:30
Wake time 6:30
16 lbs 6 ounces

Here are some fun pictures of our big girl!!!

Where Am I?

Thoughts at 4 a.m. the past few mornings:

Did I let Brinkley out to pee or am I just standing at this door staring blankly at my deck?

Did someone purposely put the effing ironing board in a spot that I would walk DIRECTLY into it?

Why does Daniel hear Gia cry all day long and all night long when she ISN'T crying...yet when she is...somehow it's all me?

Who needs an alarm system in this house when a burglar would have to meet me in the hallway looking the way I do at this exact moment in time.

Exhausting
adjective  (ig-zaw-sting)
              ~producing or tending to produce fatigue, weariness, or the like
                     ~synonyms:  debilitating depleting draining fatiguing sapping taxing tiresome wearing wearying

Yep---that sounds just about right doesn't it babe?!

I've been working with my 2nd grade students this week on using a thesaurus and jazzing up our words to become better writers.  So here it goes....

I am freaking depleting. 

Damn I am good writer.

My fear:  In the wee hours of the morning I shall awake to realize I am nursing my dog Brinkley...and waiting at the door for Gia to do her business in the backyard.  All while Daniel brews a fresh pot of coffee and reaches for my breast milk for his creamer.  Then, while rubbing his eyes as they burn---he places his cup of joe on what he thinks is a coaster, yet in reality---it's a breast pad.

Yes, you can see how....at times, it can be debilitating to parent a new baby!

Yet I wouldn't change it for anything.

Here's to hoping we get some sleep in the next few days or Momma ain't gonna be looking so hot.

What's Happening???

To say my life has changed would be an understatement.
Do I stand back sometimes and have out of body experiences?
Duh.
What do you do? Smile, laugh, and blog about it.

Welcome to the world of parenting....Allegri style.

Fact:  My night stand used to house ibuprofen, water, Sex and the City books, remote control.  

Now it houses freshly pumped breast milk, prenatal vitamins, a video baby monitor, and books that remind me to have safe sex in the city so I don't get knocked up again.

She Said:  Babe, will you assemble exersaucer?

He Said:  The what?

She Said:  The exersaucer...

He Said:   Isn't that the same thing as the Johnny Jumper...nevermind, I can't believe Johnny Jumper is now a part of my vocabulary.

Who knew the baby bjorn serves double duty...hands free baby carrier, and also an adult bib--Gia's head catches my salsa so it doesn't get on my clothes!  SCORE! :)

Setting~Friday night

Plan~Dinner at Margaritas 7 p.m. then renting a movie and drinking wine.

Reality~Dinner at Margaritas at 6:30, one beer/margarita, no movie, in bed by 9 p.m.

What the hell is that?  Oh...no biggie...I just found Gia's missing sock...static cling attached it to my underwear....I found it at 10:30 a.m.---I got dressed at 7:30 a.m.

Daniel used to hum to The Black Keys or Beck while cooking dinner...

Daniel now hums Twinkle Twinkle.

PRE-BABY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION: Hey Reagan, what are you guys doing this weekend?

POST-BABY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION:  You going to pump and dump that?

We are in our element! Stay tuned.

M I Z.... G I A !!!!

The cutest Tiger fan on the block baby!

4 Month Baby

From mile wide smiles and eating her hands,
To rolling over and splashing in the tub...this girl of mine is so incredible!
Gia is doing so great and we are having the time of our lives watching her grow everyday.

4 MONTH STATS:
~eating 5 oz
~size 2 diapers (still blows through them!)
~3-6 month clothes
~14 lbs 4 oz
~24 inches tall (that's 2 feet!!)
~ swaddling with one arm out (sometimes we still need both arms in for comfort)
~bedtime between 7-8 p.m.
~eats at midnight and 4 a.m.
~wakes between 6-7 a.m.


Gia LOVES...
~bath time
~car rides
~making Mommy do laundry every night by having to wear 3-4 outfits a day
~her exersaucer (for about 20 minutes)
~Johnny Jumper (for about 15 minutes)

Gia rolled over from front to back for the first time February 11, 2012
Gia laughed for the first time on February 3, 2012

3 Months Old!!!

Gia Therese you must stop growing...it's happening to fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3 month update:
~found your hands and love to shove both of them in your mouth
~you smile ALL the time!
~grasping at things (necklaces, rings on play mat, blankets)
~eating 4 ounces..and sometimes more---you never miss a meal dear!
~ready to roll over any day now
~we are anxiously awaiting your first laugh---you are so close, but haven't found anything funny enough to laugh about yet!
~graduated to 3-6 month clothes but we still squeeze into some 0-3 b/c they are so darn cute!
~sleeping about 6 hours straight through the night, but waking up for a small feeding around 3 a.m.
~you love your babysitter Julie
~could happily bathe every night!
~starting to focus on books during our reading time at night
~your neck is SO strong!

Our goal before next months update: Get your sleeping schedule on track!  You were sleeping through the night a few weeks ago but that was because Mommy and Daddy weren't getting you to bed before 9 or 10.  You would wake around 5:30 or 6.  Now we are trying to back that off and get you to sleep earlier (by 8 or 8:30).  Every night is a trial and error!  But you are such a good baby!

Wordless Wednesday

Okay, it's Reagan who owns this blog...as if I could be wordless and not write ANYTHING! :)
Here are some fun shots I have gotten of GTA over the past few weeks...she is so freaking cute!  Enjoy.

We Gotta Sleeper!

Gia girl has slept through the ENTIRE night for the past 3 nights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I cannot believe it.  She has been getting her last feeding around 9 or 10 at night and with a bath and a good swaddle we lay her down.  With an occasional whine here and there because she has spit out her paci, she eventually falls asleep.  Now, her mother on the other hand, continues to wake at 2:30 and 5:30 thinking surely she will rise for a nightly feeding.  But no, she doesn't!  I rush into the room, place my hand on her chest and my finger under her nose, to make sure she is still breathing....then curse the fact that I am awake and she is in her slumber! :)

But, at the end of the day Mommy and Daddy are happy campers and are feeling much more rested these days! Keep it up Gia!

Also, she has found her hands and attempts to shove both of them in her mouth at the same time...therefore causing herself to gag.  We HAVE NOT figured out the cause and effect relationship yet.  

Her smile is a mile wide and she shows it off so much these days---she is changing every day and although I want it to slow down, it sure is fun to be on the ride with her!

That's our update on Gia girl!

2 Months Old!

Here is our 2 month update on Gia Therese:

Weight: 11 lbs 3 oz
Length: 22 inches
Loves~being held upright on the shoulder, eating, car rides, ceiling fans, mobile in her crib, bouncy seat, big girl bath tub, laying on your legs and kicking her feet.
Hates~having to be burped in the middle of feedings, tummy time, having her nose cleaned with sucker, diaper changes right after she wakes up.

Gia has an awesome grip and she can hold on while being pulled up by Mommy or Daddy.  She can lift her head to 45 degrees when on tummy--but hates every minute of it...we must push through though! :)  When up on feet, she pushes up with her legs and can hold her weight for a few seconds (not alone of course!).  She can focus on objects in front of her face and follow them from left to right!  She smiles a ton and is beginning to use her voice more by cooing and changing her cries.  Gia was 2 months old on Christmas Eve!  Here is her 2 month photos!!  Such a doll baby.

Santa Baby

We took GTA to meet the fat man in the red suit on December 17th at Briarcliff Village.  I highly recommend going three because they offer free pictures (that you download from their website) and you can take your own pictures as well!  Gia had on her "I believe in Santa" outfit and was adorable of course!  Here are a few shots from meeting Mr. Claus!

The 12 Gifts of Christmas (teacher style)

So, as a teacher it is very evident that we already do a pretty selfless job----but around the holidays it becomes even more apparent!

We know we won't get bonuses or elaborate gifts...but we do get gifts---
so I decided to write a song about it!


When you see the last one, I have an explanation of it below! :)

12 Gifts of Christmas
(to the tune of 12 Days of Christmas)
By: Reagan Allegri


On the day before Winter Break my students gave to me:
12 mugs for coffee
11 trinkets from home
10 stinky lotions
9 half burnt candles
8 homemade somethings
7 stuffed reindeer
6 re-gifted items
5 random things
4 more mugs for coffee
3 banana breads
2 homemade ornaments
A gift card with a zero balance

Okay, so I got a Walmart gift card today from a kiddo and it has a baby on it.  I was so happy to get this gift from a student and she said, "It's for the baby!"

 I told her I would definitely buy something for Gia with it!  Then she said, and I promise I am not making this up....if you want to use the gift card though you have to put money on it.

That's right folks!  I got a gift card with a zero balance that has already been used!  So enjoy your Christmas bonuses or nice gifts from your bosses! ;)

Third Time's A Charm???

So, as a first time Mommy to be, I always looked at Moms out there and asked myself the big question...HOW DID YOU KNOW TO DO THAT?  I always worried that I would forget something, do something wrong, or be left completely confused because I just didn't know to do things.

And, as it turned out....I did!  Of course I am going to forget something, do something wrong, and be completely confused.  I realized that all those other moms out there knew what to do because they do had messed up and learned their lesson!

Need an example?  Here.

Questions I had in my head while pregnant, and then the answers I came up with:

Question: When do you cut the baby's nails?
Answer:   When they scratch you across the face making it look like you were in a cage fight.  Awesome.

Question:  Can you tell if the water is the right temperature for your baby during a bath?
Answer:  You can if Gia craps in the water....ahhhhhh, pure relaxation!

Question:  How did you know to pack extra clothes in the diaper bag?  I wouldn't have thought of that.
Answer:You learn this when Gia craps up her back at Ruby Tuesdays and she has to wear a diaper until I scrounged together some blue pants that were too small and a pink onesie (which wasn't pink to begin with...but it got thrown in the washer with a red shirt).

Question:  How do you know how much milk to give your baby in a bottle if you breastfeed?
Answer:  You know how much to give them when they are screaming at the top of their lungs, so you feed them more and then they stop screaming and push the bottle out of their mouth.  Thanks Gia, you are a pro at this! :)

Question: When are you supposed to transition your child into their crib from your room?
Answer: When Gia decided to sleep soundly on her own yet make moaning and groaning noises all night to soothe herself....Daddy and Mommy were VERY tired and a tad irritable.  Baby Girl got introduced to her crib at 5 weeks! :)


So mommas-to-be out there, it is all a LEARNING PROCESS!  Not one mom out there knew what to do at every given moment...so find the humor and laugh it off if possible!  After all, Gia won't remember this anyway....well, $#&^ ... unless you have a blog out there to remind her how "crappy" you were at this parenting gig!!! :)

Baptism

Gia Therese Allegri was baptized on December 11th at 2:00 in the afternoon at St. Therese Catholic Parish.  Father Michael Roach baptized her and her Godparents, Jennifer and Jeff Bianco, were there to welcome their God Daughter into the faith!  It was a wonderful day of family and celebration!  She wore the baptismal gown that Trey and I both wore at our baptism 28 and 31 years ago! :0)

We love you GTA!!!

 Godfather (Jeff), Godmother (Jen), Gia, Mommy, and Daddy

 It's rough!

Gia with Grammy and Pops

Grammy, Mommy, Fr. Mike, Daddy, Gia, and Pops

The gown you wore was also worn by Mommy and Uncle Trey at their baptism!

 Baptism time

 PaPa, Mommy, Fr. Mike, Daddy, and May

The fountain

Momma Said Knock You Out!

It's been awhile, I apologize.  But boy am I back, and I have a good one for ya!  So it has been so wonderful being a Mommy to Gia...there is no better gig in town.  I fall more in love with this girl, and feel so incredibly lucky to call her mine....but man....when you enter parenthood....WOW, you enter a DANGER ZONE of mothers out there.  I have encountered some Mommas I truly hope I never become...so today I pay tribute (yah right) to the following Moms---and I pray I am never like you ;)


Negative Nancy
This is the mom that no matter what you talk about regarding pregnancy, motherhood, child development...you will always feel like someone wound up their arm (like in the cartoons) and the just socked ya right in the gut.  Well...unless you are me...and you can't keep your mouth shut and your conversation goes something like this:
Reagan: Man, I tell you what I am beat.  This waking up every 2-3 hours to feed is for the birds!
Nancy: Oh you think that is bad, wait until she gets really sick and craps all over herself and her bedding in the middle of the night---you stumble around trying to get new bedding on and then she throws up on you.  You then have to get into the shower at 4 a.m. to wash the puke out of your hair and then you are wide awake with a sick baby.  Yah, wait until then...
Reagan:  Wow Nancy---I am not sure what you want me to do with that information...jump off a cliff?  I am just stating the fact that I am tired and it may take me a minute to get used to waking up so much...not sure how you thought that story would motivate me to keep doing what I am doing.
Nancy: I am just saying...
Reagan: Yah, I know---you are always just saying something....

Interrupting Iris
This is the mom that when someone asks you a question about anything dealing with your role as a parent, she interrupts and explains it for you---because she had a baby first---she is the pro here and you just suck.
Random Person: Hey Reagan are you breastfeeding Gia?
Reagan: Yep.
Random Person: I have a question about pumping, do you mind if I pick your brain.
Iris: I nursed my child and she was the best nurser ever.
Reagan:  That's great Iris, Gia is doing very well too...anyway, sure, shoot your question at me.
Random Person:  How often do you pump.
Iris: Well I pumped every 2-3 hours because it was important to me to get my stock built up.  I am really good at pumping and breastfeeding.  I would nurse my child and then immediately pump so I could trick my body into thinking I needed more milk.
Reagan: Well, there ya have it.
Random Person: Clearly directing the question at me...So tell me about the type of car seat you went with.
Reagan: Well we had no clue what...
Iris: We chose a Graco--I read tons of reviews and that's what we went with.
Reagan: Iris, you want to just field the rest of the questions here...I don't think I am needed.
Iris: Huh?
Reagan: Yah....

One Upper Wanda
This mom pretty much just speaks for herself....ALL THE FREAKING TIME.
Reagan:  Gia slept for 5 hours before waking up for her first feeding...rock on!
Wanda: My child did that really early on.
Reagan: I am really excited for Gia to see Santa this weekend.
Wanda: My kiddo didn't cry at all.
Reagan: I am so pumped! Gia smiled today, it was the coolest thing
Wanda: My child smiled in my stomach.
Reagan just walks away.

Dear Lord, please always remind me to just  BE Gia's mom---no one else needs my input, and if they do....they will ask!  This I pray! ;)

Scrub-A-Dub-Dub!

Bath Time!!!