When we were picking out names for our baby last year, we came across the name Ilaria. We jumped online to read more about the name and learned that it was derived from the Latin Hilaris (and taken from the Greek hilaros) meaning "happy, cheerful, glad." We had found our name...if it was to be a girl! When Gabe said to me, "It's a girl!" I was so very excited. Immediately we told ourselves that no one was going to pronounce it correctly, so we used the English pronunciation...until recently. A visit from Gabe's cousin Sjaak got us thinking. I have been with Gabe for over 12 years and have been pronouncing Sjaak's name incorrectly. When we discovered this and started talking, I said that I would like for Ilaria to not get to college before people are pronouncing her name correctly. Sjaak said, "You can start today." That was all I needed to hear. Certainly no one is going to pronounce it correctly if we don't tell them how to pronounce it. So, we are using this blog as our forum to help everyone out! The following link is an audio to help with this: http://hearnames.com/name-categories/search/ilaria.html We will still be using Ila as a nickname (Eye-la), but wanted to give everyone a heads up on the 'change.'
We have had the pleasure of more visitors the past few months. Grandma and Grandpa (their names for now) came to visit at the beginning of March. Then in mid-March Uncle Mike came to visit for his first time in CO (next visit we need to plan on more sightseeing). In May Sjaak, Ilaria's first cousin once removed came to visit. In addition, Bonnie and Mike are great at visiting us when they are in CO. It was so nice to see our out of town family and those that have welcomed us into their family here in CO.
Without planning, my maternity leave could not have been more timely! I returned to work on April 19th and it has been a bit of an adjustment for all of us. Ilaria was not taking a bottle at the time and I was coming home twice a day the first week to feed her as our car was in the shop. Long story short, the second week I decided to buy a fast flow nipple for the bottle. Gabe called me at work and said, "I have some 'bad' news. She took 3 ounces without any fussing." I could tell he really did not have 'bad' news, but he knows how much I enjoy nursing and the bonding that this experience provides for us. The 'bad' news was that she was not going to need me as much. The 'good' news was that she was not going to need me as much. One goal in raising her is for her to become an independent girl and this is just one step in that direction. She (and Gabe) continues to do well with the bottle. I have even been able to give her a bottle a couple of times. Gabe commented the other day that he thinks she is realizing that she can count on him to meet her needs - how cool is that!!?!? It is very comforting to me knowing that Ilaria is at home with her daddy and I am so thankful that we are able to do so. One day I came home and found the following pic on the camera - one proud daddy!
On her 5 month birthday we decided to start her on some rice cereal. Not her favorite, but we are sticking with it and just giving it some time. On a not so pleasant note, we had discovered blood in her stool a few weeks ago and her doctor thinks she may have an allergy to the bovine protein found in dairy. So, for the past 3 weeks I have been off of all dairy & beef (this protein is also in beef). Quite the challenge, but worth it. She seems to be doing well and in the next couple of weeks I will start to slowly add items back into my diet to see if she indeed has an allergy to something. Another big thing was her second hair trimming. Daddy did a great job cutting Ilaria's hair as it was getting a bit out of control!
Next matter of business: more about Ilaria - what else would we talk about!?!? She is developing right on track and it gives us such joy to be witnesses of her growth. She is very active now and has discovered how to roll from her her back to tummy and back again. This seems to wake her up at night as she gets 'stuck' in a position in her sleepy state and can't seem to figure out how to get 'unstuck.' Gabe has been working with her to sit up on her own and she is really coming along. Ilaria's friend Alex has been sharing his toys with her and she really is enjoying the activity saucer lately. Sesame Street really grabs her attention and buysmummy and daddy a little time to eat dinner.
Finally, we are going to be in MD from June 30th - July 11th and hope to be able to visit with as many people as possible.
