"Jillie Bean"

Jillian Juliette - 2 years 9 months You LOVE to DANCE, girl. You're crazy good at it for a two year old. You've started dance classes this month with our friend, Mariana. You've gone to 4 classes and you're already getting the hang of it, learning a routine, and getting better! You've grown up in so many ways, it's hard to believe. Many kids, when they have a new sibling introduced into the family take a few steps back in their development...you have not. You've only advanced and matured since Olivia, "mia hermana", as you say... came to be in our family. You can use the curser and navigate pretty well on the Sesame Street web page, cut with scissors, color in the lines, paint, sign your alphabet, recognize the alphabet letters (in English), speak fluently (as a 2 year old can) in English and Spanish. You can sing almost any Beatles song... and if you don't know it... you can at least DANCE to it! I know you've grown taller because you can reach the light switch in your room to turn the light on and off now. You are the best girlie! You're so full of life, personality, and LOVE. We love you to death!!!

my cutie

Jillian's Spaghetti Face

Okay... so I'm going to start this "I Heart Faces" challenge thing.
The next challenge is Purple and the following Random Act of Kindness....
we'll see what I can come up with. :)
for now here is an updated picture of our Jillie-Bean!

Sippy Cup

She's been able to hold her own sippy cup now for about 3 months. But only recently has she been able to handle THIS sippy cup that doesn't have handles. She's doin' great! The next step is trying to get her to drink her milk out of it. She's not too fond of drinking milk out of anything that's not her bottle.

The Twinkle in Your Eye

This is a classic Jillian smile.

7 and 8 month pictures

papi and clau


playing with mommy!


7 month picture

Easter and then some

Jillian sportin' her chubby bunny hat! Thanks Nona! We love it! This picture is adorning our livingroom wall!



she's learned how to give kisses!

This is an Easter tradition that's been in the Donell family only for the past 8 or 9 years... but that I want to carry on with Jillian and my family.
It's the ressurrection cake. It's a chocolate cake covered in nuts in the shape of a tomb, with an angel on top saying "he's risen!".... so this is a picture of Jillian and I making our first Resurrection cake together.
This year I read through Noel Piper's Treasuring GOd in our traditions... to refresh my memory on some things and begin to think about what kinds of traditions we'd like to implement in our family for Easter.
do you all have any suggestions?

I've been thinking and pondering the passage in Deuteronomy and how Clau and I can bring Jesus to Jillian's little 8 month old world and life. Here are some ways that Clau and I do that:

1. Who loves baby game. Who love's Jillian? JESUS does! Who loves Jillian? Mommy does! Who loves Jillian? Daddy does! etc.... She LOVES this game. Any of us begins with the special tone of voice and saying "whooooo loooooves JILLian?... and she immediatly smiles.
2. Including her when we pray at meals and bedtime.
3. singing hymns to her and including her in the singing at church.
4. teaching her the "thank you" sign.... teaching her to be thankful.
5. loving others by celebrating their entrance and arrival to our home... we stop whatever we're doing and we make a BIG rucauss(sp)... saying, "Look Jillian! It's ________!!!!!!"
6. Reading her Bible stories from the Lloyd-Jones children's story book about Jesus! Wonderful redemption focused book!
7. and lastly... disciplining with stern "no"´s and slaps on hands and occasionally the thigh/butt sxxxk.... we´re learning to discern what's direct disobedience for Jillian.... and what deserves what.

3 months

I'm three months old now. I turned 3 months the same day that Paw Paw got here!
So here are my new tricks.

- I can grab at things... actually open my hand, aim, and grab... especially mommy's necklaces.
- I eat about 180mL at each feeding
- I sleep an average of 7.5 - 8 hours a night.
- Mommy's trying to teach me to fall asleep in my bed all by myself instead of someone's arms. It's kinda hard, but I'm getting used to it.
- Something I forgot to mention last month was that on October 8th I started sleeping in my own room instead ofm bed in mommy and daddy's room.
- I've chosen my favorite toys: Shiney, Smelly books, my cloth book, and my dolly.
- now when mommy reads to me I grab the book and I like to "turn" the pages too.
- anything I get ahold of I take to my mouth. Things are quite tasty.
- I smile at EVERYONE and almost all the time. I'm a very happy baby.
- I'm getting better at sitting up... (honestly I think she's going to be sitting at 6 months easy.)
- My 3 month clothes barely fit me.
- I've finally grown out of my newborn shoes that Nona bought me, but my other ones are still a littl bit too big.
- Places I've been this month: US Embassy, Buenos Aires, Natalia Villegas' house, Villa Paz, and Iglesia Centro Crecer.

Looky what I can Do!

I'm two months old now. Here are a few of my favorite things:

The Classical music that plays on my swing.
When you make "bla, bla bla" sounds at me, stick your tongue out at me, and make "knock knock" noises at me. I try to immitate you... and I haven't quite figured out how the big people do it yet, but I'm getting there.
My favorite songs are: I Love You So Much, The Cuppy Cake Song, How Deep the Father's Love For Us, In Christ Alone, I Love You Today (Andrew Peterson).
My favorite bands are: U2 and The Beatles.
I still love a good warm bath.
I love to kick around on my froggy mat... there's this baby that always looks at me and makes faces at me when I'm on my froggy mat too. (mom:the mirror she looks into)
I like to hang with mommy in her "muchila" (baby bijourn) and the love sling.
I like these two colorful books that mommy puts in front of me all the time (colors and animales)... they have fun pictures in them.

but most of all my all time favorite is when you talk to me.

Looky what I can do:
respond to sounds all around me.
follow mom and dad across the room.
kick and wiggle and turn from side to back.
coo... A LOT... especially the "aaaahggg" sounds.
hold my self steady.
raise my head at a 45* angle on my tummy.
see and pay attention to objects that are "far away"
bat at my rattle that hangs from my froggy mat.
smile, laugh, and squeal.
sleep 7-8 hours at night.
drink 5-6 ounces of milk
I'm wearing my 3 month clothes.

My Personality:
Morning is my happiest time. I laugh and smile pretty easily with people... and of course... especially when they talk to me. I'm a social butterfly!

Days 58 - 61

Mother's Day (argentina)
Day 61/365

Day 60/365
My Little Kangaroo in the "Love Swing"


Day 59/365
morning happiness

Day 58/365
daddy's favorite jammies

Day 44

We went to our Pediatrician today for our 1 month check up even though she's 6 weeks today. She's doing great! She's healthy and right on target.
She's gained 1.200 kilos and has grown 6cm. That's my girl!

a little behind

Okay... so I've gotten a little behind in my blogging and my 365 Jillian project.
There IS a reason though. Last sunday I was put in the hospital with a 103.6 *F temperature and obviously some kind of infection. It turns out it was a just an normal case of mastitis common to new nursing mothers (ME).... that apparently causes very high temperatures. The on call doctor gave me a shot to bring down my temp. and it did.... along with my Blood pressure too! Within minutes of the shot I couldn't see, hear, or breath. Not fun. Hence...why they hospitalized me... they just felt I was too unstable to send me home. On Monday I was released with some antibiotics and a good night's sleep. (Jillian stayed with Abuelo and Abuela, while Clau went to work that night). It sure fel weird not getting up with Jillian in the middle of the night.
Tuesday I spent resting... and Wednesday I went back to school! SO... this past week has been a lot of getting up to speed on my classes and taking things back over, balancing work, baby, and home.... and trying to find a new rythm for our family for these last few months of school (November 30th is Wallace's graduation day).
Friday I went to my OBGYN for my final check-up. Everything seems to be fine and I no longer need to see him...and don't want to... for the next 2 to 3 years. :)
So on that front... no news is good news. I get to enjoy Jillian alone for the next 3 years... and that sounds pretty good to me. :)
I've lost a total of 11.5 kilos (which is about 25lbs)... but I've still got about another 10 kilos to go! ugh! Hopefully getting back on my feet at work and walking to and from school will help that process... and yes I gained waaaay too much than the recommended amount in any country for a pregnancy.
SO... Sorry for the lack of photography today. I took the camera to church to document Jillian's first sunday... but my camera was out of battery. STINK huh? Next Sunday, I suppose.
Have a great week people... and I'll try to upload some new photos this week.... I think I'm going to just skip these past seven days in the 365 project.

XOXO,
Amy

1 MONTH - September 18th 2009

I'm one month old now! Looky what I can do!
smile back at you when you talk to me (3 weeks)
Longer and regular 5-6 hour stretches at night
coo
fold hands and bring hands together
follow the sound of mommy and daddy's voices and find them in the room (as long as they're not too far away)
make lots of funny faces
stick out my tongue
hold my head steady (45 degree angle)
I end every meal with.... HICUPS (just like in utero)
My newborn outfits don't fit me anymore!

My Personality:
fisty, I know what I want and I get really mad when you don't give it to me immediatly. I love to be held, especially at night time before I go to bed.
I love it when my daddy holds me and talks to me, I almost immediatly stop crying.
OH... and I MUST have my hands in everything.

Things I enjoy:
I love my bouncy seat, and I love it even more when you bounce me really high.
I like to go on walks with mommy and daddy in my "mini cooper" (the Bob stroller).
I like to read a few books with mommy before I go to bed at night.

XOXO,
Jillian

Jillian's Stats

Jillian Juliette Molina
August 18th, 2009
3 kilos and 750 grams (8lbs)
50 centemeters long
healthy and strong!

She's crazy about her hands. She waves them all around and if you tuck them in under her blankets or swadel them in, she gets real mad and wiggles them loose.
She won't sleep unless you swadel her in real tight either... of course with the exception of her arms. She's almost found her thumb! I think we'll end up with a thumb sucker.

She loves late night talks with her daddy and day cuddle time with mommy. She's already discovered her daddy's beard.

Her hunger increases more and more every day. I call her our little "chanchita" (piggy) or.... our Hungry Catepillar. She's a strong nurser! From the first day she had NO PROBLEM latching on. And mommy's getting better at it too. Today we had two nap time stretches of 4 hours and thrity minutes. And some good long wake time.

Her eyes are blue. Her lips are just like Clau's. She's got her mamma's dimpled chin. Her fingers are long... not like mine. Maybe she'll be a piano player like her daddy! She's got hair! It's dark, but not black. I think it might lighten up some as she gets older. Both Clau and I were blond when we were little. And every day we're discovering more!

We have fallen in love with her. I feel like she's the Grand Canyon. No matter how many pictures you take or how many times you see it you are still always amazed at how big and vast it is and you're never really able to capture all it's beauty. No matter how many times we look and stare at our little girl, we are so amazed at her... and every day we fall in love with her even more.

We send everyone lots of love and MANY THANKS for all your prayers and notes. We are SO happy and just soaking up these precious days.

Love,

Clau, Amy, and Jillian