20 weeks and loving it!!

 Well, Anna is now 20 weeks old.  I cannot believe it!  Time just seems to fly by.  I hope it slows down at some point...

Anna is such a sweetheart.  Her personality continues to develop.  She's even more fun to interact with.  I still enjoy a making her laugh!  It's pretty much the highlight of my day hearing that little belly laugh.

We had our 4 month doctors appointment last Friday.  Anna officially weighed 13 pounds 3 oz (I think it was just a difference in scales from the 13 pounds 4.5 ounces the day before) and is 24 inches long.  Despite looking like a little chunk, she's actually in the 15th percentile for height and weight.  That was really a surprise to me.  I'm convinced that all her weight gain goes to her cheeks and thighs!!  Ha!

We have taken a small step back, and yet it is nonetheless forward, in the sleep department.  This week it has been hit or miss because we have begun not swaddling her at night when she sleeps.  This was a big step for her...  so far, she has done pretty well.  We had one very horrible night, but other than that, it has been par for the course.  Sleep, however, has been further complicated by the fact that I am pretty certain she is starting to sprout a tooth.  There's not much there, but there is something that feels awfully suspicious on her bottom gum, front and center.  So stay tuned for the big reveal!  In general, she is still getting up about once a night sometime between 2-6 to eat.  Then she'll go back down usually until 8-9:30 somewhere in there.


Anna can still fit in some of the 0-3 month clothes, but we are mostly in the 3-6 month clothes now.  Yesterday she was weighed and she came in at 13 pounds 9 ounces.  So, she's doing great!  Last week we were given the go ahead to give her food whenever we deem her ready.  I think we're going to hold off as long as we can, closer to 6 months.  But, if she starts to not seem satisfied, or isn't gaining sufficient weight, we may be more open to that idea  (or perhaps if that suspicion of a tooth comes to fruition, we may start sooner too... hahaha)

This week our big treat was the amazingly warm weather.  Anna and I celebrated with getting a pool.  Now, this isn't just your little dinky baby pool... this is a pool that is plenty big enough for me to sit in it with her... it's also big enough for Jeremy to fit in it with us... and if all we wanted to do was sit... probably a few other people too.  I got a little carried away.  But hey, the plastic dinky pools were about $10 cheaper, so I said what the heck, let's get a bigger pool.  I was surprised how well our little princess did.  The pool water was fairly cool (despite trying to dump lots and lots of HOT water in there), and she still liked it.  We actually stayed in the pool about 2 hours, so by the time we got done it was VERY cold, and she still liked it!

In greater strides, I am also happy to report that Anna did very well with her Grandpa C this week!  He even said "I had fun with her today."  And THAT my friends is a HUGE step.  So, the key to it is to have nice weather and a stroller!!  Haha!!

Anyway, that's about all to report for this week.  Thanks for checking in on us.

The picture above was taken as I was showing Anna the video message from her Auntie Katie.  She LOVES her video messages.  I'm not sure she completely understands what was going on... but it sure is a cute picture!!  Hope you feel better Auntie Katie!!

19 weeks!

 So our little angel is 19 weeks old today!  I realize I say this probably every week... but she's such a cutie pie, and I love each and every day with her!!  I have completely fallen in love with her little personality.  I love making her giggle, smile, and snort.  She cracks me up to no end!  I love the many faces that she makes  (a few of them have been caught in this week's picture montage).

 It looks like I caught her when she was puckering up!  Hehehe... or blowing raspberries.

 You can quite regularly see this face.  She likes to have her hands

clasped together.... and usually this leads to sucking on her hands as well.

 She gets these BIG eyes a lot!  Sometimes I tend to surprise her... even though
I haven't moved.

 This is one of many reasons why I am sooo in love with this little girl!

 We were waiting for Aunt Jill and Uncle Dawson on Monday, so we took a few pictures.  I thought this was a good one!!

 Also on Monday, when I was eating my dinner, I looked over only to be stared down by my cutie... looks like someone is about ready to eat solids!!  She totally seems like she wants our food when we eat.  hahaha

 On Tuesday evening before her bath, I took this picture... and I sent it around to all (or at least i hope all) of her Aunts (or "Aunts" as it may apply) in my cell phone.

 I took this picture after a successful bath.

This is a picture of Anna playing with her little ducky that she got this weekend.  Its cheeks light up, and he sings a little Easter themed song.

Well now that you've seen a little bit of our week in pictures, I guess I will post some stats (mostly for my remembrance). 

We have had a good week of night sleep, for the most part.  She seems to still wake up once in a night, although the time varies.  One night this week it was 2:30am, and a few other times this week it was somewhere between 5 and 6:30.  Regardless of when she is fed last she does seem to be in the groove of waking up somewhere between 8 and 9:30.  Although today she slept like a champ and slept in until 10:30.  I kept checking on her because she NEVER has slept that late.  However, hopefully it won't change... starting tonight we are trying to wean her off of being swaddled.  (Crap!  She loves being swaddled!!)  So, hopefully she'll sleep just as well as she has been.

Our little angel is also growing.  While I feel that she is growing like a weed, I was informed today at her 4 month check-up that she is a petite, delicate little flower.  At 24 inches long, and 13 pounds 3 ounces she  is in the 15th percentile for her height and weight.  I guess she is taking after me with her height... and maybe her father for her weight?  I don't know.  She's just a little peanut I guess!  (Of course when you see her with just a diaper on, you'd never know she was in the lower percentiles... she's got her little Buddha belly and everything!!)  We are starting to wear mainly 3-6 month clothing.  The tops are a little big, and the pants tend to be on the longer side.  But since pants tend to ride up, i find that I don't have to pull the 3-6 month pants down as much.  I am totally LOVING the new wardrobe too!  It's like Christmas all over again.

Anna is still eating every 2-3 hours.  As mentioned in the picture... she seems to be very aware of things when we are eating.  We aren't going to start her on solids just yet... but I imagine that in the next few weeks we may see how she feels about a little rice cereal.  Her pediatrician said we could give her some rice cereal any time since she has phenomenal head control.  So stay tuned for the pictures of that as well!!

Anna had a good appointment with her pediatrician today.  Although she was a little bit on the miserable side this evening because of her shots.  (Oh, that's so hard on me.  I hate seeing her in obvious pain... I shed a few tears along side her.)  I am so grateful that the Lord provided me with such a great mate!  He definitely has the strength when I am weaker.  He is such a blessing to Anna and I.  I hope that I can impress on her how blessed we are to have such a sweet Godly man in our lives.

Well, that's about it.... it was a pretty busy week for us.  So hopefully next week we'll get a little bit of a break. As always thanks for checking in on us!!  Until next week!!

Dedication to the Lord

It's exciting whenever a new child enters a family. There's no greater moment when parents sense that children are a gift from God. In these joyful moments, pastors have the privilege of sharing how parents can express their full appreciation to God through baby dedication.

Dedicating a child acknowledges God's sovereignty not only over the child, but also Mom and Dad. Parents present their child before God and His people asking for grace and wisdom in carrying out their responsibilities. Parents also come praying that their child might one day trust Jesus Christ as Savior for the forgiveness of sin.

The best passage for discussion as to why we wanted to have Anna dedicated is Deuteronomy 6:4-7. First, it commands parents to love God; if they truly wish for their child to one day love and follow God, their lives must be an example. This is a good challenge for Jeremy and I to live as godly parents. 

Second, Deuteronomy makes clear that the duty of teaching children belongs to us- her parents; Sunday schools can provide weekly instruction, but we must seize the teachable moments that arise throughout life.

Sometimes it is custom for parents to choose godparent(s). Often viewed simply as an honorary title, its value however can be greatly enhanced by defining how this role will be carried out. Many godparents assume responsibility to provide cards and gifts of a Christian nature for the child on birthdays and holidays. Some periodically ask the parents how they are doing in training their child (Proverbs 22:6). Still others have arranged that in the event of the parents' unexpected death, the godparents will take the child into their home (This of course requires legal documentation).

So, Jeremy and I felt it was important to have Anna dedicated to the Lord.  As our promise to raise Anna up in His word.  It was a beautiful day, and the dedication though short and simple, was wonderful as well.  We were shown much support by family and friends. After our church service we had everyone over for a little luncheon.  It was fun, and almost like a little party... even though we weren't meaning for it to be a party.  But then again, why not take the opportunity to eat a little and socialize when all our families are together?!

Anna is such a loved baby!!  We are blessed beyond measure to have the family and close friends that we do.  Our small gathering was about 30 people... hahaha... but it was fun.  Also it was a good reason to have my house clean... and it was a good reason to get together, eat, and try out the garage space as an overflow for party food.  (Since her birthday is in December I figured we needed to figure out a way to get the large number of people in our house without forcing everyone to sit on top of each other.  I was inspired by my in-law family who routinely have parties using their large garage.) It worked out well!

18 weeks!!

Well, the pictures above sort of show exactly how our little princess is becoming such a ham... and how she has discovered her hands, AND discovered that when she puts things in her hands, not only can she feel it, but she can put that object in her mouth!!

I can honestly say that the weeks are flying by now... and that I look forward to, and am savoring every moment with my little girl. This week (Monday) was her 4 month birthday. I couldn't believe it when I woke up on Monday that she was 4 months old already. Where is time going?? I am absolutely loving her little personality. I adore her little laugh! I try to make her laugh at least once each day. That doesn't sound like a whole lot, but I still haven't found the consistent trigger that will "always make her laugh." In fact most of the time there isn't the same thing 2 days in a row. So, she's keeping me on my toes, and forcing me to be creative! Tonight, she liked when I sort of tickled her lip with her toes... yep.. her very own toes!! haha... It was cute, and she giggled.

This week Anna started sitting regularly in her bumbo seat! She really likes it, and it's darling to see her play with some toys on her little tray. As you can see from the picture above (mid yawn) that sometimes playing can be exhausting. When Anna is not in her bumbo seat, she is most likely on her play mat swatting at toys (and sometimes chewing on them), swinging in her swing (and sometimes sleeping in her swing), or playing in her exersaucer/jumper. Those are the "hot" toys these days. I love that she is enjoying the jumper, because it has buttons to push that light up, more toys to bat at, a little spinny wheel thing... it's just fun to see her figure it out.

Anna still loves her bath! And really, we're getting near the end of her baby bathtub. We really need to invest in some sort of bath seat ASAP! Another thing that she likes is the gypsy mama wrap. It's like a moby wrap, but a different brand. She loves to face outward, and kick her feet. It's so funny. And regularly the moving around makes her fall asleep! (So then I turn her around and she snuggles in, or I put her in her crib or pack n play!)

This week, I started transitioning her out of 0-3 month clothes and into 3-6 month clothes. Our little diva has short legs though, so some of the 3-6 month pants are still a little on the long side... but the 0-3 month shirts/onesies are just getting way too small. (Babies should not have cleavage!) This newness brings on a whole new set of fun, as we have sooooooooo many new clothes to choose from. I love it!! Such a diva.

I did not have her weighed this week, so I can't update that... but she is still is in size 2 diapers, and I think will be in them for a little bit longer.

As far as sleep goes, we are doing so much better. She slept through the night on Monday... and sort of on Thursday night. Sooo wooohoo! Otherwise she is getting up once a night between 3-5, and then will usually sleep til closer to 9 unless we have some place to be early.

She doesn't have teeth yet, but I think it's only a matter of time... she is a drooooool machine!

Well, that's about it for now... this week was extremely busy for us, as Jeremy's grandfather passed away. So, hopefully sometime before next week, I'll be able to put pictures up from our vacation last week.

Thanks for checking in on us!

17 weeks

Well, this past week we spent our time in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was so much fun. We had a blast. Below are a few of the pictures I had on my phone from our trip.
Our little angel got to stay up late on Friday night to see her Auntie Katie and Uncle Todders. This is a picture from our dinner at Applebees. This was the first time Auntie Katie got to hold her since she was about 2 weeks old. So, it was a big deal, and a lot of fun!!
I borrowed a wrap from a friend of mine. It was a total blast wearing my baby around Myrtle Beach. Not to mention, she LOVED IT!! Auntie Katie wore her around downtown Wilmington, NC. I'm not gonna lie, she was so stinkin cute! Auntie Katie zipped her up in her sweat shirt, so all that was hanging out was her head and feet. (picture to come) All the friends, and family wanted to get in on the fun too... including Aunt Kimmee... so we wrapped her up with the baby. Even though the picture above shows my mom holding on to Kimmee's leg, we had her just right, so Anna could hold Kimmee without help. Kimmee loved it!!
Miss Tuck got to have her share of baby time!! Obviously, this was taken on Anna's first Easter! We had fun with you Jess!
And of course, Grandma had a lot of fun at the Carter's, and Children's Place outlets. As you can see, Grandma thought Anna needed her first pair of sunglasses. And what little diva wouldn't need/want sunglasses?!
Anna also experienced her first baseball game. That day (Thursday) Anna was extremely tired. So it was rare to get an eye-open shot. But here she is snuggling with Auntie Katie.
Then Miss Tuck got to hold our little giraffe. She slept for most of the game in her arms. They both stayed nice and warm.
I enjoyed wearing my baby around in the Gypsy Mama wrap. She liked it too. After she fell asleep while we were shopping, we turned her around and she just nuzzled on in to me, and slept for quite some time. Sooo cute!
The best part of the vacation is that Daddy got to come with us. This year we added 3 newcomers to our family trip. We had Anna, Jeremy and Uncle Todd. It was so much fun having our newbies join us. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way!

As far as other stats go... here's the low down on our little princess.

Hands. Hands. Hands! She has found her hands, and they are constantly in her mouth being sucked on. Sometimes it's 1 hand/fist, other times it's a few fingers. Sometimes she tries to get both fists in there... hasn't worked so well for her.

Anna has been sleeping ok. I was pleasantly surprised that she slept so well on vacation. We put her pack n play in the walk-in closet in the master bedroom (where we stayed), and it was really dark. We put a night light in there, put the bathroom fan on, and it was goooood sleeping. We had a treat one day this week in that Auntie Katie had her first slumber party with Anna and kept her in her room over night. It was glorious sleep that night, and she didn't do too badly for Katie either. The vacation did mess up her nap schedule... she used to take a 2-4 hour nap in the afternoon... now she takes a couple 1-1.5 hour naps during the day. She did do a lot of napping in her pack n play on vacation... so I'm hoping that will mean she'll start taking naps in her crib at home... or at least in the pack n play. We're working on it. She still likes to be swaddled when she sleeps.

She is still in size 2 diapers,and 0-3 month clothes. However, we are on the tail end of that clothing size. I'm sure we could start transitioning her out of the 0-3, and into 3-6 very soon. We're just at the awkward sizing... some are a little snug, some are a little big still. Onesies tend to be more snug than her pants. So, we may be in 3-6 onesies long before we're in 3-6 pants.

Anna is still eating every 2-3 hours during the day. At night, she'll usually eat sometime between 9:30-11:30, and go down after that feeding. Then she'll wake up somewhere between 3-6am to eat. Last night she woke up at 3 ate, and then slept til 9. So, at least we're sleeping a little later in the morning too! That just started on our vacation too.

One of my favorite developments this past week is still laughing! We've gotten more laughs this past week than ever before. It is so much fun!! I could listen to that sweet little giggle ALL DAY LONG!! The funny thing is there isn't 1 particular trigger that will get her to laugh... one day it's "this" thing, and if you try it the next day, it may make her cry, or stare at you... hehehe... and then it's something else that makes her giggle. I love it! It's so much fun!!

Well, I'm going to try to get some rest as well, since she is sleeping now.

Thanks for checking in on us... I am going to try to put the pictures from my camera on here in the next few days as well!

16 weeks!!

Well this will likely be a very short post... but, I should get some commendations for posting at all, seeing how we are on vacation!!

Our munchkin is currently tipping the scales at 12 pounds 13 ounces. She is still in size 2 diapers, and 0-3 month clothing.

This week had another set of blessings... on Sunday night she SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT!! Now, granted she only did it once... but hey, it's one more than I had under my belt before!! And let me tell you, it was GLORIOUS!! (It was particularly wonderful since I was not feeling well on Saturday night, and a little bit through Sunday, so I really needed the extra sleep!! It was the Lord showing His mercy on me.)

This week also brought Anna a new cold. Blech!! I hate baby colds. They're pretty awful!! Especially since we are on vacation as mentioned before.

Speaking of vacations, Anna is on her first vacation!! She was a trooper in the car today. She slept most of it, really. So that was good. I'm just hoping it doesn't completely throw off her night time schedule. So pray for us!!

All right, well her favorite Aunt Katie (not to be confused with her other favorite Aunts...) is here. So... we're out!! Thanks for checking in on us!!!

This week she has enjoyed some time in her play station/exersaucer. She looks like a little peanut, but she seems to like it. She doesn't quite get the concept of playing with it... but, she likes looking at the objects!!