Our Little Peanut

23 Months

2012-02-11T09:04:00.001-05:00

Little Peanut,
This has been possibly your best month yet!  This is your last month as a one year old and I am trying to cherish every moment we have left!  Things have been going really well this month and I am feeling extremely blessed. Mommy is feeling a lot better (still nauseous and throwing up from time to time, but much better), your little sister is growing perfectly (already half way through the pregnancy), and you have become a champion sleeper! You are sleeping 12-13 hours at night and 1.5-2.5 hours for naps. AMAZING!  You have never been a good napper, so this is truly a miracle, especially after last month where you had all but given up on napping. I am trying to enjoy every second, as I know it most likely won't last. But all that sleeping has made you so pleasant to be around! Instead of being cranky in the evenings, you are smiley and energetic. What a wonderful change of pace!

Your schedule right now:
7:30 or 8am - Wake up, Breakfast
10am - Snack
12pm - Lunch
1:15pm - Nap
2:45ish - Wake up (I always leave you for a full 1.5 hours no matter what, but lately you have been sleeping for close to 2 hours! Thank you!)
3:30pm - Snack
6pm - Family Dinner
6:30pm - Playtime with Daddy
7pm - Bedtime routine
7:30pm - In bed

There are two major transitions that are fast approaching that are making Mommy very nervous. At some point we are going to have to move you into a toddler bed and eventually you will have to be potty trained! AHHHH! I am so worried about those two major changes! Part of me just wants to put them both off for another year, but another part of me wants to just get them both over with. What to do, what to do?

You are a still a champion eater, although I do think you might be slowing down a bit. The other day I took you out to lunch to Honey Baked Ham and one of the workers there couldn't believe how well you did. She asked me how old you were and when I told her, she was shocked. She said she has a child the same age and they are always forced to eat at fast food restaurants where they have a playground. She couldn't believe that you would sit so nicely and not whine once. It was a good reminder for Mommy of how blessed we are to have such a well behaved little girl!

You are saying the funniest things these days and have learned that saying, "Please Mommy/Daddy?" will get you anything you want! It's just irresistible! You have started saying "I love you Mommy/Daddy" without any prompting, which just melts our hearts! When did you get so incredibly sweet? A few other precious sayings - "Come wit (with) me Mommy" (as she grabs my hand), "Watch me Mommy", "Thank you Mommy", "Play all day", "Read this pease (please)", "Daddy, in the tent" (when she wants daddy to play in her tent), "I see baby Emma?" or "Morning Emma" (to my tummy). You are still singing all kinds of songs (or at least trying to).   You can sing the Barney theme song word for word and your latest is the Alphabet Song, which you sing out of order ("ABC, ABC, QRS" etc.) Precious!

You have recently started wanting me to hold you like a baby and sing to you. It's the most precious thing! We rock in the chair in your room and you just let me hold you while you request different songs - "Lullaby and Goodnight", "Rock-a-bye Baby", "Hush Little Baby". Sometimes you let me hold you for several minutes, which is amazing. You also went through a couple weeks of wanting to listen to lullaby music while we rocked you in your chair. "Moosic" (music) you would say and then we would rock you for several minutes. At one point we started doing this in the middle of night when you were waking up, hysterical. This was probably not the best decision, as it wasn't an easy habit to break, but it was totally worth it! Those were some of the best cuddling moments ever!

For the latter part of the month you were sick with a never-ending cold. It started with a runny nose and slight fever and turned into an ear infection and croup. Thankfully after a 10 day dose of amoxycillian, your nose has finally stopped running!   I sure do hate when you are sick, but I can't say that I don't love the extra cuddles.

Other 23 Month Stats:
- You still wear size 5 diapers day and night (overnight diapers at night)
- You still wear a size 7 shoe
- You still wear mostly 2T clothes, with a few 24 month and 3T things mixed in. But it won't be long before all you can wear are 3T clothes.
- You weigh 29 pounds and are 34.5" inches

How can you possibly be one month away from 2 years old? Impossible! I love you more and more everyday!

Pregnancy: 21 Weeks and THE NAME!

2012-02-10T10:32:00.003-05:00

It was a very exciting week! We had the big 20 week ultrasound (anatomy scan) and everything looked perfect. We feel very blessed! We also announced her name (we have known it for several weeks now, but wanted to wait to be 100% sure she was a SHE!) Her name is Emma Rose. Emma was my great-grandmother's name (on my mom's side) and Rose was Brian's great-grandmother's name (on his dad's side). So not only do we love the name, but it also has significance! :-)

Here's what's going on this week....

What's going on with the baby right now?
-She is the size of a large banana or carrot.
-According to our ultrasound she weighs 12oz right now (definitely on the bigger side). This just proves that you have absolutely no control over how big your baby will be. My body was starving for months (23 pounds lost, remember?), yet the baby didn't suffer at all. It truly is amazing!
-She is about 10.5" head to toe

What's going on with me?
-I am very close to my pre-pregnancy weight! Only 4 pounds to go. So that means I gained 2 pounds in the last week. I seriously need to slow this weight gain down now!! But it makes me feel better to know that at this point with Hannah I was 10 pounds heavier. Maybe I can avoid gaining nearly 50 pounds like I did with her! YIKES!
-This week I was very uncomfortable. It is hard to find a comfy position to sit or lay in and I am already struggling to breath at times. I feel huge already!
-Nausea and heartburn are still ever present. The nausea tapers off throughout the day (thankfully!) but then the heartburn starts at night. No rest for the weary. ;-) Still taking reglan every morning for the nausea, but nothing for the heartburn yet. I threw up at least 2 times this week, which was not fun. And spent the entire day Sunday on the couch. I felt awful. It scared me that I might be slipping back into the severe hyperemesis days. But thankfully I felt a lot better on Monday!
-I wore my first pair of maternity jeans this week. They are still HUGE, but I'm in that in between stage where my pants are starting to get too tight and maternity pants are too big. So today I did the old hair tire around the button trick on my normal jeans. We'll see how long that lasts.
-I had a lot more energy this week, despite not being able to sleep well. I toss and turn all night and struggle to fall asleep in the first place.
-Still lots of movement from the baby! Still mostly at night and Brian is feeling her a lot more now.
-Next appointment: March 5th for the diabetes screening

A little more info about the ultrasound this week...it was great. It was so incredibly detailed. I loved every second of seeing our little Emma dance around on the screen. She was moving a ton and had her little hands up by her face for most of the time. She was rubbing her eyes and even sucking her thumb at one point. Adorable! She had her little legs crossed at the ankles and at one point was stretching out her little toes. We were able to see all the parts of the brain and heart, as well as the umbilical cord and diaphragm. It was amazing. Everything looked just as it should and we were so thankful. After recently finding out about so many unborn babies with medical problems, I was feeling so blessed to have a healthy baby growing inside of me. It really is a miracle!

We also booked a hospital tour for April. It seemed a little silly booking one, but they have a family tour, so I thought that would be good for Hannah. However, we are all so familiar with the hospital (after Hannah's birth and my two stays earlier in this pregnancy) that it still seems silly. But hopefully it won't be a complete waste of time.

My Baby Bucket List

2012-02-04T14:28:00.002-05:00

I got this idea from another blogger - http://babydickey.com - and loved it, so thought I'd copy! This is a list of things we want/need to get done before baby #2 arrives. We are halfway there and the spring is shaping up to be crazy, so we have to start thinking about these things! Yikes!

BABY ITEMS we need to get:
-~~Crib~~
-~~Dresser~~
-~~Bedding set (bumper, 2 sheets, sham and pillow for chair)~~
-Chair for the nursery
-~~Nightstand, hutch, toddler rails~~, and conversion kit for full size bed
-Crib Mattress (suggestions on which one would be appreciated!)
-~~1-2 more sheets for the crib (yellow, grey or white)~~
-Waterproof mattress pads (2)
-Newborn (1 pack) and Size 1 Diapers (2-3 packs)
-Pottery Barn Chair with her name for our monthly pictures (just like Hannah)
-Possibly some new nursing bras and tanks
-Nipple Cream - All Natural (Personal, I know, but it's a fact of life with nursing!)
-~~Changing pad covers (2 - yellow, grey or white)~~
-Personalized Pottery Barn blanket (just like Hannah, but in yellow, grey or white)
-Wall decorations for the nursery
-Curtains for the nursery with built in black out panels (yellow, grey or white)
-Sound machine (same as Hannah's)
-Lamp for the nightstand in the nursery (yellow, grey or white)
-Pottery Barn baskets and liners for the hutch
-CD player for nursery
-Trash can to use as diaper pail for nursery
-~~Baby book - start filling it in now!~~

THINGS TO DO in the nursery:
-Empty room of everything that's currently in there
-Choose paint color and purchase it
-Paint (walls and touch up trim)
-New carpet
-Fix the closet shelving
-New door hardware on door and closets
-Figure out lighting
-Make letters to hang above the crib to spell out baby's name
-Pick up the nursery furniture when it arrives and assemble it all
-Hang curtains (after we buy them)

OTHER THINGS TO DO:
-Strip all cloth diapers in hopes of using them with baby #2
-Air out the crib mattress for 28 days before baby's arrival (gets rid of chemicals)
-Wash all newborn and 3 month clothing
-Hang and fold washed clothes and put away
-Figure out how to hook up the IP camera we bought to use as video monitors for the girls' rooms
-Preregister at the hospital
-Stock the freezer with meals for after baby arrives!
-Plan a night or weekend away with Brian before baby comes
-Maternity photo shoot
-Set up a newborn photo shoot for after baby arrives
-Pack my hospital bag
-Install car seat
-Set up pack n' play, swing, bouncy seat, activity mat
-Write thank you cards as needed

Pregnancy: 20 Weeks!!

2012-02-03T09:06:00.041-05:00

HALF WAY! Brian seems to think time is going fast, but I seem to have the opposite feeling. It seems to me like I should have had this baby already! Those first two months of extreme sickness (severe hyperemesis) took a lot out of me, which made it seem like much longer. But I will admit that the weeks are going faster now that I am feeling better. So that's good! Here's what's going on this week....

What's going on with the baby right now?
-She is the size of a small cantaloupe, butternut squash, or banana (depending on which food you prefer) ;-)
-She is about 10" head to toe and weighs about 10.5oz

What's going on with me?
-Heartburn is in full force. Thankfully it usually waits until nighttime to appear, but that makes sleeping a bit uncomfortable. I sleep propped up with several pillows, which isn't the most comfortable position. Thankfully I haven't had to take any zantac for it yet, but I'm sure that won't be far off.
-This week was exciting because I finally got to wear some maternity clothes! I'm only wearing the tops at this point, as most of my regular pants are still too big. But I know those elastic waistbands are in my near future....yeah!! (I know, I'm weird, but I love maternity clothes! So comfy!)
-Lots of movement from the baby. She is most active at night, when we are relaxing on the couch. Brian has felt her move a few times now, which is exciting.
-My dill pickle craving has returned. I was reading my journal from Hannah's pregnancy and found out that my dill pickle craving with her started around the same time. Too funny! This just confirms 100% that we are having another girl. :) I've also been on a sushi kick for the last couple weeks. I'm sticking to mostly the cooked variety, but I won't lie, I eat the raw sometimes too. So good!
-Still nauseous for the majority of the day, but definitely worse in the morning. But I no longer have to lay on the couch for any length of time because of it, so I take that as a win! But I do end up laying down a lot in the morning if we don't have an activity planned. I am just SO tired all the time...still!
-I only have 6 pounds to gain back before I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. That means I gained 3 pounds in the last week. WOW! I better slow down with this rapid weight gain or I am going to be huge by the time this baby arrives.
-I took my first belly pic last week!!! YEAH! I promise to post it very soon!
-My belly button has started to flatten out, which happened with Hannah too.
-I am starting to get a little sad that Hannah will no longer be the baby of the family. It's going to be so hard to have to share my time with Hannah and the new baby. I know I will love them equally, no question, but to have to take time away from Hannah and for her to have to share me and Brian with someone else is going to be tough. I am enjoying that she has been more cuddly than normal lately (thanks to a cold) and trying to cherish every moment we have left as just the three of us.
-Next appointment: February 8 for another ultrasound!

Pregnancy: 19 Weeks

2012-01-27T08:57:00.016-05:00

Another week has come and gone. Here's what's happening right now....

What's going on with the baby right now?
-She is about 6" from crown to rump (10" head to toe) and weighs about 8.5oz
-Hair is starting to grow on her head, which I can believe because the heartburn has already started. I imagine that she will be born with a full head of hair just like Hannah.
-She is pretty much fully formed now and just have some growing and fattening up to do. She will weigh more than 15 times her current weight by birth! WOW!

What's going on with me?
-Yep, still nauseous all day! It does seem to get slightly better throughout the day, but still have some days that are worse than others.
-I'm peeing all the time, which really this development is happening later than normal. Normally by the second trimester the uterus has moved up higher in your abdomen, therefore making the urge to pee less frequent. However, because of all the weight loss in the first trimester, I feel like most of the normal first trimester things are happening now. So yeah for frequent bathroom breaks in the middle of the night.
-My appetite is definitely growing. It's still not huge and I still have a lot of food issues (many things I can't stand the thought of and moments where nothing sounds good), but when I do find something I like I eat a good amount of it. For example, last night I made a Blueberry Cornmeal Cake and ate two large pieces. So good!
-I now only have 9 pounds to gain back before I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. So that means I gained 1 pound in the last week. I did break out a few maternity shirts this week, although not because I needed to, more because I wanted to. Man they are comfy! :-)
-I finally have a baby bump! (But of course no belly pic to show for it yet!) It's still small in the morning and progressively gets bigger throughout the day, but it's there! YEAH!
-Next appointment: February 8 for another ultrasound! (We had to move it back one day because of Brian's schedule)

Good news! We have sold several things on Craigslist and Ebay that were taking up space in the new nursery. We've even made several hundred dollars on it! Yeah! There is still a lot of stuff in that room, but we are weeding through it. Unfortunately a lot of it will end up in the guest room, making that room very crowded. Maybe it is time for us to actually use the attic.

Pregnancy: 18 Weeks

2012-01-20T13:49:00.000-05:00

18 weeks....almost halfway there! Here's what's happening this week...

What's going on with the baby right now?-She is the size of a baked potato...5.5" from crown to rump. She weighs about 7oz.
-Her ears have developed enough to allow her to hear sounds! I always loves this point in the pregnancy! Now she can learn our voices!
-She is moving all the time, but they are still light movements. Every once in a while I can feel her little foot pushing but it doesn't last long. Brian has yet to feel any kicks from the outside. Looking forward to that!

What's going on with me?
-I am still dealing with all day nausea, but I do think I have seen some improvement in the last week. It seems to come and go more often now instead of being constant. Loving that!
-I now only have 10 pounds to gain back before I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. So that means I gained 2 pounds in the last week. Not bad! Still wearing my normal clothes and even some I borrowed from a friend that are size smaller than I normally wear. Some day the maternity clothes will make an appearance.
-The results from the AFP test came back completely normal, so that was great news. We are so thankful that the Lord has protected our baby despite all the trouble the beginning of this pregnancy had!
-Next appointment: February 7 for another ultrasound!
This past weekend we ended up buying the crib for the baby's room. We hadn't planned on buying it yet, but while we were looking at the one we wanted we noticed that the price was mis-marked. When we asked about it, the sales associate told us that it was a mistake but they would honor it for us before removing the sign. YEAH! So we ended up ordering it right then and saving over $80! Can't beat that. It is the same exact crib we have for Hannah (Bonavita Hudson Collection), except in white this time (Hannah's is dark brown). We love Hannah's furniture and did a ton of research before picking it so we knew we would want the same thing for baby #2. Thankfully it will take 8-10 weeks before it's ready for pick up because her room is no where near ready for furniture! We have so much junk in there right now. We have used it as an office/storage room for the past 3 years and now have to figure out where all the stuff in there is going to go. I am trying to sell a lot of the bigger pieces of furniture on craigslist, but so far, no luck. :-( This is another time that I REALLY wish we had a basement to store all the extra stuff in. The main thing that is taking up space in that room are 8 gigantic tubs of Hannah's outgrown clothes. Yes, 8!! And that's only newborn to 18 months!!! Oh my! Good thing we are having another girl that will get to use all those clothes!

Hopefully I will have a belly picture to post soon. With my last pregnancy I was so good about taking a weekly belly shot, but this time around I have yet to take one. Yikes! I blame it on the intense sickness in the beginning, but now that I am feeling better I blame it on not being in the habit like I was last time. And for some reason, every time I remember to do it I am already in my pajamas and look awful. Who wants to remember that?! Maybe I will take one tonight, before I get into my 'comfy' clothes. ;-)

Pregnancy: 17 Weeks....IT'S A GIRL!

2012-01-12T22:08:00.000-05:00

This is my second pregnancy update since finding out we are expecting #2....not what I had planned, but I am just thankful that I am feeling well enough to write this post!

For those that don't already know, we are expecting another GIRL! We had an early ultrasound last week that gave us the great news. We were definitely surprised, as we truly thought this was a boy (since the pregnancy has been so different from Hannah's), but we are thrilled. Hannah can't wait to have her little sister here with her!

Also, for those that might be wondering, this will be our last pregnancy. After spending two months flat on my back and in and out of the hospital with severe hyperemesis, I cannot put my body through that again. I lost 16% of my body weight (23 pounds!) in less than two months and was connected to an IV pole for the majority of that time. There were days when I truly didn't know if I would make it. But by the grace of God, I did! As soon as I hit the second trimester, there was a marked improvement and I have been disconnected from the IV ever since. I am still constantly nauseous and throw up a few times per week, but that is nothing compared to where I was! Now time for the weekly update....

What's going on with the baby right now?
-She is over 6 in long from head to toe and weighs over 6 oz (according to our last ultrasound)
-She has started to develop her baby fat....can't wait to snuggle with that cuddly baby!
-Her skeleton is transforming from soft cartilage into solid bone

What's going on with me?
-Nausea is ever present. I am now taking Reglan orally (instead of the pump being attached to me 24/7)
-I have gained back 11 pounds of the 23 I lost since the beginning of the pregnancy...progress! Only 12 more pounds until I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Maybe I won't gain 50 pounds during this pregnancy like I did with Hannah!
-I had my monthly obgyn appointment today and everything was great. The heartbeat was strong and they drew some blood for the AFP test, which will test for possible chromosomal problems with the baby such as down syndrome.
-I have started to feel the baby moving, which is so fun! It's still too light for anyone to feel from the outside, which makes it feel like a little secret between me and my little baby girl! Love! :-)
-I am exhausted all the time....VERY exhausted! This should have ended with the first trimester, which makes me a little concerned since at my last check my thyroid level was extremely low (indicated hyperthyroidism). They will retest my levels at my next appointment (at 20 weeks) and we will go from there. Unfortunately there isn't much they can do for it during pregnancy.
-Next appointment: February 7 for another ultrasound!

And now for a little pregnancy survey fun....
~when is your due date: June 22, 2012
~what are your fears: That I won't love this baby as much as Hannah....silly, I know, because deep down I KNOW I will!
~what are you most happy about: Having another baby...completing our family!
~do you want a boy or girl: Originally I wanted a boy, but know that we know it's a girl, I am thrilled!
~does the father want a boy or girl: He didn't care at all!
~have you felt the baby move: Yes! Best feeling in the world!
~do you have names picked out: Yes! We will announce soon!
~are you scared about labor: A little, but this time I will be getting an epidural which makes me less scared in some ways and more scared in others.
~who will be in the delivery room: Brian, midwife and nurse(s)....possibly my mom and mother-in-law....we'll see
~are you having the birth videotaped: I definitely didn't want to with Hannah, but this time I think I do. Not of the actual birth, but a side view would be nice. I wish we had more videos of Hannah's birth and since this will be my last birth, I would love to document it better.

22 Months

2012-01-11T13:14:00.002-05:00

Hannah "Baby",

You don't know how good it feels to be able to write this letter to you! After so much sickness (Mommy lost 23 pounds in less than two months!!) it feels amazing to be able to do anything more than lay on the couch! I wish you knew how happy it makes me to be able to play with you again! Even though I am still not feeling good, I am much better than I was before. We were even able to send MeMaw and PaPaw home and Daddy back to work. So now Mommy is taking care of you all alone! I still have to take lots of breaks and fight off the constant feeling of needing to throw up, but it's progress and I'll take it!

So what are you up to these days....SO much! Your vocabulary has literally exploded! You say full sentences now - "Elmo sleep with me", "Sorry Mommy", "Help please" - sing lots of different songs - "I love you, You love me" (Barney song), "Oh Christmas Tree", "Twinkle Twinkle" - and say all kinds of words! You can easily count to ten now and can name a few colors (pink is a favorite). You are obsessed with little people toys and play with them for hours on end! You love to line them up on the table and then make them all lay down ("night night") and then put them all back in a row again. You also love to make-believe with them in their house and you call them all your babies. Precious! You have also started walking down the stairs all by yourself, although you still want me to carry you from time to time "old me" (hold me).

You have started sleeping a little later in the mornings which I am so grateful for! You typically wake up between 7:30 and 7:40am. You are still my alarm clock and I roll out of bed as soon as I hear you talking. Oh and can we stop right there and highlight the work "talking". You no longer scream when you wake up, but instead wake up happy and well rested. Amazing! I now know that if you wake up crying it's because you are still tired and need to go back to sleep. When I come into your room you often greet me with a "morning Mommy" which just makes me smile! I always ask you what you dreamed about and you almost always reply "yayas" (lovies) and when I ask you what they were doing in your dream you always reply "night night" (sleeping). Precious! Then you show me each thing in your crib - lovies, teddy, blankie, water, etc. Usually the only way I can convince you to let me get you up is to ask you if you want to eat breakfast, to which you always reply "YES"! You are one hungry girl!

Bedtime is our favorite part of the day. You are so silly while we are trying to get you ready for bed (which can be exhausting) but you are so happy. You LOVE to be a naked baby and run around with no clothes on. This has often resulted in your peeing on the floor, but lately we have been working on having you sit on the potty again (after a few month hiatus where you refused to sit on it). You still haven't actually peed in it, but at least you are starting to sit again. Our nighttime routine consists of eating dinner around 6pm, followed by playtime with daddy until 7pm. Then we head upstairs to do the naked baby routine, brush your teeth, put on a clean diaper and pjs, read two stories, say prayers, and give hugs and kisses. Lately you have been pretty stingy with your kisses though, especially for Daddy. But as I put you down for the night and Daddy walks out of the room, you call out "Night Daddy" over and over as he calls back to you, "Night Hannah". I sing you your song "Good Night Sweetheart" and tuck you in. You say, "Night Night Mommy" and/or "Yuv You Mommy" (Love you Mommy) which just melts my heart. Love!!

Napping is a whole different story. You have almost completely stopped now. I still put you down for a full hour, but you rarely fall asleep and if you do it is usually for only 30 minutes...brutal. I aim to put you down by 1pm and get you up around 2pm. I try to use this time to rest but when youa are talking or whining the whole time, that makes it pretty difficult. I sure hope this is just a phase and that you will begin to nap again very soon! I know you still need a nap because just yesterday, when we were driving home from playgroup around 5pm, you fell asleep in the car! Talk about brutal.

Eating is still your favorite activity! You are obsessed! If you aren't eating, you are asking to eat. It's constant! Just today I bought you some vanilla almond milk in hopes that giving you something other than water to drink would help fill you up. So far you love it, but you still ask for something to eat every five seconds. You'd think that I was starving you. But then you'd see your growing belly and realize that I'm not! You are off the charts girl....nearly 30 pounds now! Yikes! Your favorite foods right now are bunnie crackers (similar to goldfish, but the organic variety), blueberries (still), apples, daddy's grilled chicken, and yogi (yogurt).

You have become obsessed with our iPhones lately. You can't get enough of looking at pictures of yourself ("Hannah pickies"), watching video clips of babies on youtube, or playing with the 'Elmo Calls' app. You also love to hear "the man" on Daddy's phone, which is a James Taylor song that you love...'You Can Close Your Eyes'. It's really precious. You listen to it with Daddy and sway back and forth with him while you sing, "gonna be ayight" (You can close your eyes, its alright).

Other 22 Month Stats:
- You still wear size 5 diapers day and night (overnight diapers at night)
- You wear a size 7 shoe
- You wear mostly 2T clothes, with a few 24 month and 3T things mixed in

When I look at you now I don't see that tiny little baby we brought home from the hospital, I see a beautiful little girl! You have grown into an adorable toddler, full of joy and spunk. I could just stare at you all day....you are breathtaking!

20 & 21 Months

2011-12-12T13:12:00.001-05:00

Sweet Hannah,

Where do I begin? These past two months have been a roller coaster for all of us! At the end of October (a couple weeks before your 20 month birthday) we found out that Mommy was pregnant! It was a complete surprise and we were thrilled! After trying for 2 years to have you, we never thought it would happen so easily for our second pregnancy. Just one week after finding out that you were going to be a BIG sister, Mommy started feeling sick.....VERY sick! For the next two months, Mommy spent her days and nights on the couch or in the hospital, hooked up to an IV and various medications. It was miserable for everyone....especially you. It hurt Mommy to know that I was missing out on so much time with you. But we were very lucky to have MeMaw and PaPaw as well as Grandma and Grandpa coming up to stay with us. We had someone here to help for a solid two months. Daddy was the biggest helper of all! He had to take off a lot of work to help out around the house and take care of you and Mommy. He had to be exhausted from trying to do it all - work, taking care of you, taking care of me, and taking care of the house. That's a lot for one person to deal with! I hated having you see me so sick (especially when you came to visit me in the hospital during both of my stays). I could tell it was scary for you and that you just wanted things to go back to normal. So did I!!! But despite all the turmoil, you did great. You were spoiled rotten by both sets of grandparents (and Daddy) and you weathered the storm very well. You continued to grow and change on a daily basis (making Mommy even sadder to be missing out on that!) and you learned so much during those two months. I wish I had been able to keep track of all that you learned, but Mommy was just too sick. Please know how much I wish I could have spent every moment with you and how sad it still makes me to have missed out on so many days with you. I love you more than you will ever know!

Pregnancy: 6 Weeks

2011-10-27T15:38:00.002-04:00

What's going on with the baby right now?
-He/She has tripled or even quadrupled in size and is now three or four millimeters long!
-He/She is working on growing a nose, some ears and a mouth.
-He/She is also growing flappy little leg and arm buds.
-He/She has a heartbeat that can be seen on an ultrasound — 100 to 160 beats (although we havent heard it yet)

What's going in with me?
-Definitely peeing more often!
-Nausea set in at the end of the week....yuck! I was really hoping this pregnancy wouldn't be as bad as the first, but after just 2 days of nausea, I can tell it's going to be a rough one as well!
-I've actually lost 2 pounds this week, which is my favorite way to start a pregnancy!

I had my first obgyn appointment today. They did my yearly pap since I was due for it anyway. While they were doing that they found some new blood on my cervix, scary!! The midwife didn't think it was anything to be worried about, as she said that during pregnancy your cervix is just extra sensitive, but it was definitely a little worrisome to me. I have yet to see any blood myself, so that is good! Praying that everything is progressing well! I will find out my blood levels tomorrow so we can be sure my progesterone is high enough.

I am continuously giving this baby's life over to the Lord and surrendering my fears to Him. I know that He is in complete control!

Someone is going to be a BIG Sister!

2011-10-27T14:49:00.002-04:00

That's right, I am expecting #2!! We were pleasantly surprised to find out that I am pregnant a few weeks ago. As of now, the due date is June 22, 2012. After trying for 2 years to conceive Hannah and having to use fertility drugs, we never thought we would be surprised by a pregnancy. We just assumed it would be a long road again and had planned on waiting a little while longer to start the fertility treatments once again. But after realizing my period as a few days late, I decided to take a test. I almost didn't take it because I was just so convinced that it would be negative. But the second I took it, it was clearly positive! Oh my! I knew that this time around I really wanted to get Brian's reaction on video, so I had to wait to tell him. I climbed back in bed, heart pounding and faked going back to sleep. Then Brian asked me if I had taken a pregnancy test (found out later that he had heard me messing around with the box), I lied and said "no". He got up to get ready for work and when he went downstairs to eat breakfast, I came down a few minutes later with the video camera on and the pregnancy test in my hand. I handed it to him and said, "what do you think about this?". He was shocked, but excited! We waited a few hours (since it was so early in the morning) to tell anyone else.

We are so thankful for the Lord's timing with this pregnancy and His perfect plan!

19 Months

2011-10-11T11:57:00.001-04:00

Dear Hannah,

Apparently a 19 month old is designed to be a parrot. You are repeating everything we say these days. One example is with our dog, Bubbles. I am often saying "no bubbles" for one reason or another so now you like to yell at her too saying, "no, no buh buh". Then today when I was talking to daddy and said something was driving me nuts, you were suddenly yelling, "nuts, nuts"...yikes! Guess I need to watch what I say even more closely! Your vocabulary has simply exploded. One I'd my favorite things you have been saying lately is "happy" while you give a great big smile. Adorable! You also constantly list all of your friends, asking where they are - "haddah" (Hannah), "Anne", "Will", "Dodi" (Dominic), "Carly". Your greatest achievement this past month is learning to count to ten! You can do it all by yourself...amazing! And each number actually sounds almost right. So smart!

As you approach 2 years old, we are beginning to expose you to the potty and the concept of peeing and pooping on the potty. Every night before bed we have you sick in the potty and normally you sit for a second and then pop up saying, "almos" (which in your language means all done). But the other night you actually peed! It wasn't much, but you did it and we were so proud of you! Then the following night you almost pooped on the potty, but missed and ended up pooping right on top of the clean diaper I had laid out to put on you. Good try! The funniest part is when you sit down and start grunting like your really trying to go. Haha. Not sure where you learned that.

You are still eating a ton of food throughout the day and thankfully you are still eating some a lot of healthy foods! We have managed to keep you from drinking any juice (water only), eating any fast food, or anything fried. Hoping to keep your palate very pure for as long as possible. A typical day of eating looks like this:
-Breakfast - tons of fruit and a carb (waffle, pancake, cheerios, toast, kashi cereal bar, etc.) and sometimes yogurt or an egg
-Snack - dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cranberries, prunes, etc) and a carb (dry cereal or crackers)
-Lunch - veggies (broccoli, carrots, peas, etc.), sandwich (almond butter and jelly or deli meat and cheese or hummus) or leftovers, fruit, cheese
-Snack - veggie and carb
-Dinner - usually whatever we are having or leftovers (always lots of veggies, a protein, a carb, a fruit, and some dairy

You continue to wake up every morning between 6am and 7am, but I leave you in your crib until 7am, no matter what. Amazingly, your nap has started extending a bit, to an hour or an hour and a half on a good day! Such a difference from your typical 45 minutes! I've stuck to my one hour rule (in the crib for a full hour, no matter what). You are usually in bed by 7 or 7:30pm, after we finish your bedtime routine - bath (as needed), potty time, new diaper, pjs, brush teeth and hair, story time, prayers, hugs and kisses, "good night sweetheart" song, in bed. You have to have your blankie ("bankie") and two lovies ("ludie") every time you are in your crib and sometimes even when you are out. Thankfully you are flexible with which lovies

You have become a tooting machine! You are so incredibly gassy (must be a Vaccaro gene) and it's hard not to laugh when you toot. So when you toot now, you smirk and giggle. We are trying to work on getting you to say, "excuse me", which sounds like "skoos ee". I think we are going to have to stop the giggling and just work in the manners. But man is it funny!

Other 19 month stats:
- Wearing a size 5 diaper day and night
- Wearing 18 month, 24 month and 2T clothes
- Wearing a size 6 or 7 shoe

I love you precious girl...toots and all! ;)

18 Months!!!!

2011-09-11T20:49:00.000-04:00

Hannah Grace,

This past month has been incredible. You have made me smile and laugh more this month then ever before. Your charming personality is really starting to show and you are shaping into a beautiful little girl.

You are officially a toddler now, which means I can no longer call you a baby (but I will!) or use the excuse, "I just had a baby". Instead I must now admit that my baby is growing up and will soon be 2! Yikes!

You are currently a talking machine. You learn several new words each day, so many that I have stopped counting. I can't even keep track of all the words you can say now because you can basically say anything you want. We ask, "can you say ___?" and every time you say it! And surprisingly it is almost always completely understandable. Insane! You don't put very many words together yet (to form sentences), but I know that won't be long. The one sentence you have been saying recently is, "ready, set, go!". And you have started to "count" things as well...."one, uh, uh" as you point to different things.

Watching you learn new things is amazing. Your dad and I are often blown away by how much you know and understand and all we can say is "Wow!". You can point to and name most every body part now and love doing it! You continue to eat like a champ, with very few foods that you don't like. Your favorites continue to be berries, cheese and all carbs. Veggies are not on the top of your list, but you will eat most things, especially broccoli and peas. You are little miss independent at the playground now, going down the big slide all by yourself. You are obsessed with other children, especially your playgroup friend, Hannah. You talk about her non-stop and every time we go anywhere you ask for Hannah ("haduh"). Every child is called a baby ("baba"), no matter if they are 7 months old or 7 years! And the latest thing you have magically learned is to tell me when you have a poopy diaper. You always hide somewhere while you poo and when you are done you come to me and say, "poo poo". So smart! You say hi and bye ("bye bye" with a strangely southern accent) freely and wave hello to complete strangers everywhere we go. You can identify most animals and can say many of their names and make most of their sounds. It truly is amazing to see how much you have learned in just the past month.

You are so sweet precious girl. You love to give hugs and kisses, especially during the Barney song! As soon as you hear that song, you get the biggest smile on your face and must run to whoever is nearby to give them a giant hug! Best.thing.ever!

18 month stats:
- 27 pounds (75%) and 34" (off the charts!!)
- Size 5 diapers - we had to stop cloth again because of the bad rashes you always get :(
- Size 6 shoe (but you will only wear your crocs!)
- 18 and 24 month clothes

Neve forget how much your mommy and daddy love you! SO MUCH!!!

17 months

2011-08-11T21:44:00.001-04:00

Hannah Grace,

You are just one month shy of one and a half years old! That means you are closing in on two! Which means you will be heading off to college soon....well, maybe not, but it sure feels that way sometimes.

Your vocabulary has really taken off in the last month. You can now say at least 20 words. Here's a list of all the ones I can think of: mama, dada, han(hannah), gaga(grandma/grandpa), papa(her other grandfathers name), buhbus(bubbles, our dog), boober(blueberries), buhbuh(bye bye), bath, boo-boo, chee(cheese), hat, wawa(water), baba(baby), baba(Barney), emo(Elmo), ball, uh-oh, coo kee(cookie), nah(no), up. You also said your first sentence a few days ago.."more please", but I think it might have been a coincidence because you haven't repeated it since. Instead you just sign it. You sign lots of words too: please, eat, more, love, all done, thank you, yes, no, duck (along with a quacking sound), bird, and fish (my favorite...you smack your little lips together).

You still love your baby dolls and are constantly holding one or looking for one to hold. Our latest trick to help with diaper changes is to tell you that your doll, Tyler, needs a new diaper. (As a side note, that doll used to be daddy's when he was your age). We lay him on the floor and you come over to "help". You lay next to him and we talk about what a good job you both are doing. :). You love to dance with your baby dolls, give them kisses ("mmmmm"), feed them ("nom nom"), and put them to bed ("buhbuh"). You are going to be the best mommy some day!

Speaking of dancing, everytime you hear music (at home or in a random public place) you just have to dance. You start bouncing up and down and swaying side to side. It is adorable! Just today you were holding one of your baby dolls and we turned on some music. You immediately started dancing. You held your baby doll's hands and moved her around in an effort to make her dance too. I guess dancing is in your genes! I can't wait to sign you up for your first dance class!

You know most of your body parts now. You don't say them, but you point to them on a baby in a picture or yourself. You can also find them on mommy or daddy. Here are the ones you know: head, hair, eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, ears, arm, hand, fingers, belly, legs, feet, and toes.

Daytime sleep is still a very rare commodity, but thankfully you are still a champion nighttime sleeper. You normally sleep 11.5-12 hours at night, without a peep! However, you never sleep more than one hour during the day. But I'm okay with that. It just means I get to spend more time with you every day! :)

You have unfortunately hit a very whiny stage. You have 4 molars coming in all at once, so that probably explains it, but man is it exhausting. You really gave us a run for our money last night when we were trying to have a nice family dinner at a local restaurant. You didn't want to sit in the highchair, you didn't want to sit in the booster seat, you didn't want to sit in either of our laps, you didn't want to stand up next to the booth, you didn't want to eat any of the food I brought....it was exhausting! We managed to shovel our food in and then at the end of the meal, you started screaming for "baba" (Barney) when we realized we had not used all our tricks. Daddy quickly pulled out his iPhone and started your favorite Barney episode! Thank you YouTube!! Why hadn't you asked for that earlier? You stood on the floor with the iPhone on the booth and your chin resting in your hands, SILENT and content! Ahhh. We got to eat the final two pieces of sushi in peace. Oh the life of a parent with a toddler...so luxurious! ;)

In an effort to not make this letter go on and on, here is a list of other things you have been up to this month:
- You weigh 26 pounds now and are still around 32.5 inches tall
- You are officially done using a pacifier and have dropped down to one nap per day.
- We had a lot of family time this month, with MeMaw and PaPaw and Aunt Audrey, Uncle Buddy, Cody, and Kyle coming to visit for a whole week and a trip to Panama City to see Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Chris. You loved seeing everyone and were vey spoiled! ;)
- You can throw a ball overhand.
- You are obsessed with Barney! You ask to watch it all day long. I limit you to one episode per day, while I am preparing dinner. It really is the highlight of your day.
- You got 3 new teeth this month.
- You are still wearing a size 4 diaper during the day and size 5 overnights at night. However, this month we started using cloth again as well.
- You now wear a size 6 shoe....your favorite brown (and very smelly) size 5 shoes no longer fit, which really made you sad.

Hannah Grace, you are something else! You are full of energy, full of love and full of surprises. Mommy and Daddy love you so much! We were just talking about how much we love you today. We think we love you more than any other parent in the world (of course, this is probably not true, but it feels that way to us). We are always aware of what a special gift you are to us. A little over two years ago now, we had come to the end of our rope in trying to have a baby. It just wasn't happening and we were devastated. And then came you! God was so faithful to us and we will never forget that. Even on the days when we are practically falling asleep while reading you a bedtime story or when we are shoveling food into our mouths in an effort to get out of the restaurant, we will always love you! You are the answer to so many prayers! We love you BIG!

Check out this giveaway!

2011-08-04T13:39:00.000-04:00

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16 Months

2011-07-11T19:02:00.103-04:00

Sweet Hannah,

Today you are 16 months old. You are nearly a year and a half. Wow. We have had another whirlwind month of growth and change.

Here's what you have been up to in the last month:
- You weigh 24.3 lbs and are 32.5 inches tall
- You still wear size 4 diapers during the day and size 5 overnight diapers at night.
- You are still wearing 18-24 month clothes and most of your 12 month clothes are getting too small.
- You wear a size 5 or 6 shoe.
- You now have 9 teeth...four on the bottom and 5 on the top.
- You can now use a fork pretty well. A spoon is not quite as easy, but we are practicing.
- You can sign several words: please, more, eat, all done, love, fish, cat, duck, bird, bunny, yes (you shake your head), no (again, you shake your head), and thank you (sometimes).
- You can say a lot of words too: mama, dada, buhbes (bubbles, our dog or the soap ones), buh buh (bye bye), ba (baby), buhber (blueberries), staber (strawberries), bah (ball), gaga (grandma or grandpa), mamaa (MeMaw), and papa (papaw).
- You make lots of sounds too: quack quack (duck), moo (cow), panting (dog), and brrr (car or plane).
- You are a climber! You love to climb on the couch and chairs and are getting very good at getting on and off.
- You run everywhere and very rarely fall. However, your knees are definitely showing the signs of being a toddler. You love to be outside, but the ground is a lot harder to navigate out there, which causes you to trip every so often. You have had bloody knees a lot this month, with the worst fall being at the 4th of July parade. Ouch!
- Our favorite activity this past month has been going to the playground at the church behind our house. I push you in your pink car and you point and grunt the whole way there and when make the turn toward the church, you get so giddy and start bouncing up and down. Once we get there you don't last long, but it's worth it just to see how happy you are!
- You love to read. You are constantly bringing us books to read to you. You hand us the book and then turn around and sit in our lap. So sweet. You love to read the same stories over and over and rarely let us finish one story before getting up to get another one.
- You know most of your body parts now and can point to them when asked.

This past month you had your 15 month doctor appointment. You were given two vaccines - MMR and Chicken Pox. I was very hesitant to get either vaccine, but in the end decided to just do them. I regret that decision a little. 8 days after those vaccines, you developed a fever, runny nose and slight rash on your chest and back. You were generally miserable and not yourself. Your sleep was messed up as well (even worse than normal, which is never good!). After a week or so of on and off low grade fever, you seemed to be feeling better. And then you had three teeth pop through - two lower incisors and one upper molar. So I can't be sure of what caused the fever and runny nose, as it may have just been from teething. But the rash makes me suspect the MMR vaccine. I'm definitely hesitant to get the second dose.

Our favorite thing you started doing this month is praying. It is truly the most adorable thing you do. When we say your bedtime prayers or prayers before meals, you snap your little head down and wait. You look up often, checking to see if we are done and if we aren't, you bow your little head again. Precious!!

We had a scare this month as well. This past weekend you fell out of your crib. You were not hurt, just a little shaken up, but my heart was racing for several hours after it happened. It was during your morning nap. You had woken up after only 30 minutes and were screaming (nothing out of the ordinary for you). I was washing dishes and decided I would finish them before going to get you up. Then I heard the tell-tale thud. I knew exactly what had happened. I ran upstairs and when I opened your bedroom door you were standing right there. You immediately stopped crying and didn't seem hurt at all. I inspected your entire body and didn't find any bumps or bruises. That afternoon I took the bumper out of your crib (which you had used to boost yourself out) which I guess I should have removed earlier. I just never thought you were string enough to hoist yourself over the railing. Guess I was wrong! ;)

One last major change this month...you no longer use a pacifier! Two nights ago, Daddy put you to bed and couldn't find a pacifier, so he just put you down. I was shocked that you slept the whole night through, for 12.5 hours, without a peep! Amazing! Then today you took your nap (we are only doing one now at 12pm) without one and again did good. It was very short (40 minutes) but that isn't anything new, so it seems like losing the pacifier hasn't bothered you at all. Such a big girl!!

Little peanut, you are changing drastically every day and we are falling more in love with you every minute. Every day is not easy and we have lots of frustrating moments and tears (from both of us), but it's all so worth it! You are the most precious thing to us and we love you unconditionally! I never knew I could love someone so much!

15 Months

2011-06-14T21:51:00.000-04:00

You turned 15 months a few days ago, and I'm behind. I was away on a trip on your 15 month birthday with the other moms from our playgroup, so I missed it. But you were not lacking love or attention while I was gone. Grandma and Grandpa Vaccaro stayed with you while I was in Florida and showered you with lots of love!

15 months...this age is the best! You are so adorable right now and so much fun! You are super giggly and interactive. You amaze me! Your comprehension is astounding and your vocabulary is growing every day. Your latest obsession is climbing. You have figured out how to climb on to the couch, chair and anything else you can reach. When you are trying to climb up and can't quite reach, you start grunting as hard as you can. It is so cute..."uh uh uh". Your latest feat is the chair in your room. We have used that chair since the day you were born to nurse, read to you, say prayers, and sing your good night song. But now when we try to sit with you in the chair, you immediately start grunting to get down. Once we let you down, you grunt and groan, trying to get us to get out of the chair. Once we concede, you are so happy. You climb your way up the chair and perch yourself happily in it. Then we can proceed with reading your nighttime story. Little miss independent!

You are officially running and rarely fall anymore. But if you do, you just hop back up and keep going. Your new favorite word is "buh buh" (bye bye) and you say it all day long! You have also become a little tickle monster. You love to be tickled and to tickle everyone and everything! You tickle your baby dolls and make a little tickling noise while you do it, and just crack yourself up!

We have been remodeling our kitchen for the last month and it's been a bit of a nightmare. We have been without a kitchen for over a month now and using the dining room as our makeshift kitchen. But you have adapted well and even managed to take a record nap during the floor installation. Go figure. Hopefully we will have our kitchen back to full function by your 16 month birthday!!

Here are your 15 month stats:
- You still wear size 4 diapers during the day and size 5 overnight diapers at night.
- You wear 18-24 month clothing, but some 12-18 month stuff still fits as well.
- You wear size 5 shoes.
- Your hair is getting very long, almost covering your eyes in the front. It covers your neck in the back and flips out at the bottom. So much hair! I just wish I knew what to do with it!
- You have 6 teeth now...4 on the top and 2 on the bottom. I don't see any signs of more on the way, but I'm sure it won't be long. Speaking of teeth, you have started to really hate having your teeth brushed. Every night it is a battle to try to get just a few passes over each tooth (I mean you only have 6...shouldn't be too tough, right?!). Tonight I even tried using riddled toothpaste, but I actually think that made it worse. You tried to suck in the brush the entire time. My next attempt will be with with an electric brush. We'll see!
- You can now sign the word for "love". Amazing!! You cross your arms over your chest and squeeze tight. Every once in a while you will even point to me after you sign "love", saying "love you". MELTS MY HEART!!
- You still take 2 naps every day, one at 10am and the other at 2pm. Each one is about an hour, but the last few days the afternoon one has been 1.5 or more!! Love! We tried giving you just one nap per day, but that was a complete flop. You would only nap for 45 minutes and then be up for the rest of the day and miserable. After a week of trying, we went back to 2 naps. We'll stick with this for as long as it works. You go to bed around 7 or 7:30pm and wake up around 6:45 or 7am...can't complain.

We love you little peanut...all 15 months of you! :)

14 Months

2011-05-11T15:19:00.015-04:00

Little Peanut,

You are 14 months old today and I'm more in love with you today than ever! You have become a little person these last few months, with your own distinct personality, which I love! You look more and more like a little girl instead of a baby these days, which makes me a tad bit sad, but also thrilled to see you growing into such a beautiful girl!

You are developing quite the personality. Lately you have been very giggly and silly. You love to play hide-and-seek, rough-house with Daddy, dance, do the motions for several songs we sing at music class (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Two Little Eyes, Round and Round the Garden, Tick-Tock), and give lots of kisses!

This month we hit a major milestone - I stopped nursing you. This was a hard decision, but one I knew needed to happen before I leave you with daddy for 3 nights in June. We started by dropping the bedtime one and daddy was in charge of putting you to bed for about a week. Then the next weekend we dropped the morning one and again daddy was the one to get up with you and feed you breakfast. What would we do without him!? I am still dealing with the pain of weaning (physically and a little emotionally) but you seem to have moved on just fine, which is great! We have decided not to give you cows milk, which has been a bit of a controversial decision, but you are getting calcium in other ways (cheese and yogurt) and we are sure to feed you vitamin rich foods like salmon, eggs, spinach, beans, broccoli, peas, and almond butter.

Here are your 14 month stats:
- You still wear size 4 diapers during the day and now wear size 5 overnight diapers at night.
- You wear mostly 12-18 month clothing, but you are really in between sizes right now. 12 month stuff is a little small and 18 months is a bit big.
- You are back to eating like a champ after having a bit of a picky stage a few weeks ago. You eat most foods now, as long as we save the carbs for last. Once you see pasta or bread, you will eat nothing else!
- You LOVE the Praise Baby DVD we bought you for our car trip to FL. And let me just say that I love it too! While we rarely, if ever, let you watch tv, I don't mind letting you watch Praise Baby from time to time.
- You have added one word to your speaking vocabulary - You now say "buh buh" for Bubbles (our dog). And you can also sign "help" now. But despite your lack of true words, you talk all the time. This just started recently, where you will have a full conversation with yourself or a stuffed animal. Precious!
- You LOVE baby dolls! You pretend to feed them your toy food (especially the bananas), give them sips of water from your sippy cup, put them down for a "nap" before you take your own, and give them lots of hugs and kisses.
- You understand so much! You understand what "no" means and most of the time you obey. When I say it's time for "night night" you start waving goodbye to Bubbles and head toward the stairs (to your room). When I say its time to change your diaper, you head for the playroom (where we keep your diapers). When I ask you if your hungry, you walk right to the kitchen (you are ALWAYS hungry!). When I saw it's time to put your shoes on, you get so excited and try to get them on your feet. It's scary how much you understand!
- You have 5 teeth now...3 on top and 2 on bottom.
- Your napping schedule has been a bit off lately, making me think you might be getting close to dropping to one nap per day. We'll see....

Hannah, you are so precious to us! We so enjoy watching you grow into the sweet little girl you are becoming. God blessed us immensely when He gave us you!

We love you!

Tot School - 13 Months

2011-04-22T10:54:00.063-04:00

This week was our first week officially doing Tot School. We have been doing our own version for months now, but it was time to make it official. As a warning, this will be a long post since it is out first time doing Tot School. I want to be sure to explain exactly what the day-to-day looks like for those readers that might be curious. Future Tot School posts will not be this detailed.

For those that are not familiar with Tot School, please click on the picture above to find out more, but the main gist is playing with a purpose. I have found that Hannah has been roaming from toy to toy without much attention given to any one item. I felt that she wasn't getting all she could out of each experience. I also wanted to make myself more accountable for what we are doing during the day. The teacher in me needs direction and purpose in the activities we do on a daily basis. Since I am home full-time with Hannah, I feel that it is my job to expose her to as many things as possible. While we call it Tot "School", it is in no way a rigid teaching environment. We continued to play as usual, but I was more purposeful in structuring the activities and the environment.

So, what did we do this week? Keep reading to find out!

On Monday I introduced Hannah to Tot Trays. She had 3 trays with one activity on each. The tray is used as an organizational tool and as a clear boundary for when it is time to clean up. The only rule we had was that she could only play with one tray at a time and had to clean up one tray before moving on to the next.

We started with a puzzle. She had very little interest in the puzzle, but was fascinated by the tray! I figured she would be since they are new and shiny. As a side note, these were not the trays I had originally wanted, but while looking for plastic ones at hobby lobby, an employee told me about some trays they had in the back that had small chips in them. He said they would give them to me for 90% off, making them $1 each. I couldn't pass that up. So, yes they are hideous, but they are very sturdy and were very cheap! :)

After the puzzle, we moved on to plastic eggs and an egg carton (in our Easter theme). She loved this activity! This was the second time she had played with these, so I knew they were a hit already. These kept her busy for about 10 minutes. She was most interested in opening all the eggs and shaking the egg carton around.

The last tray was blocks. These were also a hit as she loved knocking over the towers I built and trying to build her own. Stacking is a skill we have been working on for quite some time, so to see her making progress is great!

The rest of the day was spent running errands and we made a trip to the library, where Hannah ran all around. We did squeeze in some table time (where Hannah sits in her high chair and does an activity on her own) while I made dinner. I had her practice drinking water out of a regular cup (that was messy) and then she played with a magnet tray (a cookie sheet with magnets on it) and the plastic eggs again.

On Tuesday I changed up two of her Tot Trays. I kept the plastic eggs and egg carton out since she loved them so much the day before. But the other two were changed to the ring stacker and containers with Pom Poms. The containers were a hit! She was determined to put the lids on herself, but would get very frustrated when she couldn't get them off. I used that opportunity to teach her the sign for "help". She doesn't sign it perfectly, but she has adapted her own version. :)

On Wednesday (our last day of Tot School for the week) I kept the same trays out for her, which she enjoyed. We also did blanket time for the first time. I have debated about wether or not I wanted to even invest the time and energy to teach her this. For those that don't know what blanket time is, it's a principal from the Babywise series. Essentially, you place your child on a blanket with a few toys and require them to stay on the blanket for a set amount of time. We started with 3 minutes and Hannah did pretty well. She tried to crawl off the blanket a few times, but each time I place her back on and told her to stay on the blanket. Thankfully she didn't throw a fit and was okay with it. I'm pretty sure it went so well because it was new and she wasn't really sure what was going on. I hope to continue blanket time and increase the time over the next few weeks. We also did Table Time, with a shaving cream bag. This turned out to be a flop, as all she wanted to do was eat the bag. Live and learn! ;-)

Overall, our first week of Tot School was a success. It was short because we left for FL on Thursday afternoon. I don't think I will write a weekly update of our Tot School, just because I know I won't have the time, but I thought I would give an update if our first week and plan on updating every so often. But my main purpose in writing this post was to share the link above with other moms so you can get some great ideas for ways to play purposefully with your child!

Have fun!

13 Months

2011-04-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

Hannah,

I am a few days behind in writing this letter, but I have a good excuse....you! I am busy chasing you around the house these days. Two weeks ago you decided to start walking and you haven't stopped yet. You went from taking a few steps here and there to full on walking overnight...literally! The drastic change is astounding! Just today you taught yourself how to stand up without holding on to anything, so now you are a real, full time walker! Wow! Your balance and agility amaze me. You can turn around without flinching or bend over and pick up a toy with no trouble at all. Nothing slows you down.

You are so much fun these days! You are a little person now and I honestly love this stage. If I could freeze you in time, I would. You aren't saying much at 13 months, just "dada" and "mama" still, but you make lots of sounds that have meanings, like the barking sound you make when you see a dog, "uh oh" when you drop something, "uhuhuh" when you want something, "doh dee doh dee" just to be cute, and a lot of other grunts and whines. But your best way to communicate is through sign language. You can sign several different words now: please, thank you, eat, milk, more, all done, duck, and bunny. I need to brush up on my signing skills so I can teach you more.

Here's what you are up to at 13 months:
- You are wearing mostly all 12 month clothing, but some 18 month stuff is starting to fit. I finally packed away all your 9 month stuff.
- You are still wearing size 4 diapers, but now you wear size 5 at night.
- You are a champion nighttime sleeper, sleeping 12 hours every night, without a peep. This makes me so happy! Your napping has even improved a little this month. You still take 2 naps, each about 1 hour long. While I know this is not great, I am happy with it.
- You help us get you dressed (when you want to), by putting your hands through the holes or lifting your legs into your pants. But your favorite part is putting on your shoes. You lift your foot in the air, with a big smile on your face. You love shoes! You are wearing a size 5 shoe now.
- You eat all kinds of foods now and love most everything, except veggies. The only veggies you really like are peas, potatoes, carrots, lima beans, corn, and broccoli (sort of). Your favorite foods are cheese, meat and all bread products! That apple didn't fall far. :)
- You are still nursing 2 times per day, morning and night. I keep thinking about dropping one or both of these, but I just don't think we are ready. The only reason I am thinking about dropping them is because it's what other people think we should do, not because we want to. So I think we will continue until you don't show an interest or I'm worn out. But right now I love those few minutes of snuggle time and so do you. Why would I take that away from you?
- You can roll a ball back and forth with me and you can even kick a ball as you walk around.
- You love to be outside. Now that the weather is so nice, we spend a lot of time in the back yard. You love riding around the neighborhood in your pink buggy.
- You have 3 teeth now. One of your top teeth just came in and you have at least 2 more right on the verge of breaking through. Your latest pastime is grinding your teeth together...not my favorite thing!

Next week we are starting Tot School (www.1plus1plus1equals1.com/TotSchool.HTML), which is basically just playing with a purpose. The teacher in me just has to be sure that I am exposing you to as much as I can and being purposeful with what we are doing everyday. I will be sure to post an update of how things go.

We are so proud of the little girl you are becoming and love you so much! You have completely turned our world upside down and we love it!

We love your little peanut!

iPad Mania and Other Randomness

2011-04-08T14:32:00.001-04:00

How did we ever live without this thing? It has taken over my life. Haha Just kidding, but it definitely is addicting! Last night I had a horrible night sleep because I couldn't stop playing words with friends in my head. Has that happened to you or am I the only crazy one? Years ago when I played free cell all the time, the same thing would happen. When I close my eyes I see the letters and start making words...crazy right!

In other news, I apparently thought it would be a good idea to chop off the tip of my thumb this morning. Ouch! I was preparing a delicious beef stew for Hannah, while she was eating breakfast (obviously the beef stew was not for breakfast...it had to cook all day). I was doing great..chopping away and feeling all supermom like. Next thing I knew I was sawing through the tip of my thumb....nice visual, right? I didn't know what to do...wash my hands to get the raw meat out of the wound or apply pressure first? It started bleeding so much, that I chose to apply pressure and not worry about the thousands of bacteria breeding on my skin. That choice was also easier because it meant that I didn't have to look at the tapping wound. I immediately called Brian, just in case the cut was so bad that I passed out or something. I figured it was probably in Hannah's best interest for me to notify another adult of the siutuation. I am happy to report that I did not need to go to the emergency room, but I have been changing the bandaid every couple hours and it is gross! It really is amazing how incapacitating it is to not be able to use your thumb. I tried to take a picture of the nastiness, but it wouldnt show up in the picture, so you can thank the camera for sparing you.

Anyone have fun plans for the weekend? We have another weekend with nothing on the calendar, which makes me smile. I get to do my favorite thing...spend lots of time with my two loves.

I'll leave you with this video of Hannah walking!

Walking!!!

Hannah's 1st Birthday Party

2011-03-30T16:01:00.002-04:00

I am so behind in posting and the only thing I can blame is life. Things are always crazy around here, but with a toddling 1 year old, it's just get crazier by the minute.

I took Hannah for her 1 year check up and she was 22 pounds 2 ounces (75%) and 30 inches tall (90%). She is growing and developing right on target and took her 2 vaccines like a champ. :-) I also spoke with the peditrician about my desire to not give Hannah cow's milk (I'll have to write a separate post about that) and she was surprisingly supportive. I am still nursing her 2 times per day (morning and night), but when I stop that we will reevaluate ways to get enough calcium and vitamin D into our little peanut.

Now on to the fun stuff. We celebrated Hannah's first birthday on March 12th with some of our family and closest friends. It was a beautiful day and Hannah had a great time. She LOVED her smash cake, but was thankfully (and surprisingly) very neat with it. That certainly made this neat mommy happy. ;-)

Unfortunately I did not take many pictures on the day of her party, as I was a little busy with hosting. But thankfully my wonderful sister-in-law, Lauren and photgrapher friend, Lindsay got some great shots!

Hannah's Smash Cake

Decorations

Cupcakes (made by my sis-in-law, Lauren)

The Birthday Girl

Food!

Carrot and Cucumber Flower

Red Pepper Flower

Not particularly happy at this moment...

Party Favors

Showing off the hand-colored water bottle labels

Here comes the cake!!

A little shy about everyone singing to her

This is as messy as it got....

Happy Birthday little peanut! We love you!!!

ONE Year!!

2011-03-11T11:49:00.003-05:00

Hannah,

I will never forget the day you were born. After 2 years of trying to conceive, 9 months of morning sickness and various aches and pains, and 8 hours of the most intense pain I have ever experienced, came the most joyous moment of my life. They placed you on my chest, all covered in slime, and you barely made a peep. No crying, just contentment. I held you for the next 30 minutes and breathed in your brand new baby smell. We had been through a lot together and this was the moment we had both been waiting for. Your long nails scratched my skin, your little tongue licked your lips and your squinty eyes examined your new surroundings.

I love the little girl you are growing into and look forward to the next year of watching you grow. It is such a priviledge to be your mother. It brings great joy to my heart to see your face light up when I enter the room, to recieve one of your wide-mouthed kisses, watch you clap your hands and wave bye-bye for no apparent reason, hear you say "Doh Dee Doh Dee Doh" and "Dada" for the majority of the day, and watch you throw your hands in the air when we say, "SO BIG!". I love the way you smell right after a bath - so fresh and clean! I love the way you hug your teddy bears, squeezing them tightly and shaking side to side. I love your open-mouthed smile and how giggly you get right before bedtime. But my favorite thing you do is when you randomly crawl over to me and lay your head on me for a cuddle. I just can't get enough of that!

Here's what you are up to at ONE YEAR!!!!

You are at least 22 pounds and over 31 inches tall. I will do the actual measurements later today and update.
You have just started standing and taking your first few steps. It really came out of nowhere! You can stand on your own for several seconds at a time and have taken as many as 5 steps in a row. You get so excited when you start walking! Adorable!
You can sign the word "milk" and do it all the time (even if you aren't hungry). Sometimes it means "milk", but other times it means "all done", "duck", or "hi" :-)
You say "Dada" all day long, but a few weeks ago you started saying "Mama", which brings such joy to my heart!! You also bark every time you see a dog! Adorable. You don't say many words, but you sure do understand a bunch!
You love to dance and it's just precious! You can also do the motions to "Two Little Eyes" (point to your eyes and ears, open and close your hands, and stomp your feet). You are so smart!
You love to climb on your "Hannah" chair and you can get in and out all by yourself.
You still wear size 4 diapers and are wearing all 12 month clothes and some 18 month pajamas (although they are too long still). You are wearing size 4 shoes too (although you only have 1 pair).
You still only have your two bottom teeth. And I really don't see any others coming in.
You are great at helping Mommy get you dressed - at least when you will actually sit still long enough to do that. You stick your little arms right through the holes and then take off again! ;-)
You started eating a few new foods this month - french toast, pancakes, waffles, nectarines, strawberries, and cheese. Unfortunately we had to stop apples again because they really don't agree with your bowels. :-( Hopefully you will be able to eat apples one day because you really love them!
Your schedule these days looks like this:

7am - Wake, Nurse, Diaper Change
7:30am - Solids (usually cereal and fruit, but sometimes you have french toast, pancakes or waffles and fruit)
8am - Playtime
9:15 or 9:30am - Nap (most of the time you only sleep 30 minutes, but a few times this month you slept a full hour!)
10:15 or 10:30am - Playtime
11:30am - Solids (usually a meat, veggie and fruit)
12pm - Playtime
1:30pm - Nap (most of time this nap is only 30 minutes as well, but a few times this month you slept for a full hour. And a couple times you actually slept for 2 hours! WOW!)
2:30pm - Playtime
3pm - Snack (breastmilk in a sippy cup and a veggie or cheese)
3:30pm - Outside time (this is usually a long walk in the stroller), followed by more playtime!
5:30pm - Solids (usually a few veggies and a fruit)
6pm - Daddy time
7pm - Bedtime routine (pjs, diaper, nurse, brush teeth, story, prayers, song, in bed)

Tomorrow we will be celebrating your birthday with a some family and friends. Mommy has been planning your birthday for a few months now and I can't wait to celebrate this milestone in your life. We have so much to celebrate - your first year of life, mommy and daddy keeping you alive for a whole year, successfully nursing for a full year, and mommy not going completely nuts during the past year! :-) You can thank Daddy for the last one. Without him, Mommy would have lost it! You are one lucky girl to have such a wonderful Daddy! It melts my heart to see how much he loves you and how much you love him!

A year ago today we had no idea what being parents really meant. No one could have prepared us for the year ahead. I spent over a year reading every parenting book I could get my hands on, writing down detailed notes and planning out your schedule as best I could. I thought I was prepared, but I had so much to learn! The Lord spent the first year of your life teaching me just how much I needed Him. I thought I had it all under control, but when you didn't fit into the mold I had planned out, everything fell apart. I have had to learn over and over that I am not in control and that the Lord is. Letting go of my tight grip has been painful at times, but also very freeing. I won't lie and say that the past year has been joyous at every turn...it hasn't. It's been a tough year. It's been a year filled with growth for everyone. But it's been the best year of my life!

Happy Birthday little peanut! No matter how big you get, you will always be our little girl! We love you unconditionally (believe me, you have tested that this year) and are so thankful that the Lord blessed us with you!

What a Difference a Year Makes

2011-03-04T20:22:00.000-05:00

Hannah turns one on March 11 and I am shocked. I have been told, time and time again, how fast time flies with a baby and I have to say, it's true. Somehow time just speeds by and you are left wondering where the last year went. Yet in the day-to-day, time sometimes seems to stand still. Funny, isn't it.

With Hannah's birthday quickly approaching, I have spent the last few weeks reflecting on the past year and all that has happened. Something about birthdays that just make you reflect....especially first birthdays! A year ago I was a nervous wreck, 9+ months pregnant and ready to pop. I so wish I could have seen into the future and told myself some things. If I could have, here's what I would have said....

Dear Sabrina,

You are about to jump on the craziest roller coaster ride of your life! It is absolutely amazing and incredibly scary and insanely fun and excruciatingly hard - all wrapped into one. But take a minute to just relax and enjoy these last few days of baby-free life. You will have enough time to worry about all things baby in the year to come.

You will feel completely overwhelmed for the first 6 months or so of Hannah's life. Your hormones will cause you to be crazy for a little while and that's okay. You will cry for no reason at all and that's completely normal. The first two weeks with a newborn will be the hardest weeks of your life, but it will get better! The nights will be the hardest, but Brian will be right there for you, every step of the way. He will wake up with you for the 2am feeding and lay on the floor in Hannah's room while you nurse her. He will fall asleep there, but he's there and that's all you will need. You will feel distant from Hannah in the beginning - like she is a stranger. That will make you sad and you will feel guilty about it, but after just a short time you will fall madly in love with her and never look back. You will forever be grateful for a sweet friend that told you it is completely normal to feel that way and that you aren't a bad mother for it.

Being a stay-at-home mom will be the toughest job you've ever had. It will be different every day, but painfully the same. But it will be your favorite job yet! You will try to keep the house in order, but you will fail. You won't cook dinner every night and the house will be in shambles some days, but that's okay. It's only because you will be too busy crawling around on the floor with your precious baby to even notice.

I know you are worried about the labor and doing it drug-free, but you will do it and everything will be okay. Yes, it will hurt and you won't be prepared for the intense pain. You will say, "I can't do this" several times, but you can! It will only last 8 hours and Hannah will be perfectly healthy and BEAUTIFUL! You will be taken away by her beauty....so unexpected. Your recovery will be scary and you will shed a lot of tears, but things will go back to normal and you will survive.

Breastfeeding will be painful in the beginning and there will be times where you just want to give up, but don't! Nursing will be one of the best things you do in the next year. It will become very natural and believe it or not you won't want to wean her at 1 year....and you probably won't! :-)

Hannah will not be a good sleeper! This will drive you crazy and make you pull your hair out. You will spend hour after hour reading about ways to get her to sleep. You will try everything and nothing will work. You will change her schedule when she is 6 or 7 months old and that will be the best thing ever. No, she still won't sleep well, but things will get better. Why don't you just go ahead and start out with the Babywise schedule from day one and things will most likely be a lot smoother for everyone! Hannah will cry for what seems like hours when you put her down at night, but eventually (around 10 months) she will sleep through the night consistently and you will feel like a new woman! The Lord will teach you so much over the next year about how not in control you are. It will be a painful learning experience, but such an important one. I hate to tell you, but even when Hannah turns one, she still won't be a good napper and you are just going to have to deal with that. Some days she will sleep great and others she won't sleep at all....oh well.

You will worry that Brian will stop loving you as much as he did before Hannah came along. I know you are scared about having to share him with someone else, but don't be. He will be the most amazing father and will love you even more than he does now. Your heart will burst when you see him hold her. He will love her unconditionally from the moment he lays eyes on her and that will melt your heart. He will change every single dirty diaper while you are in the hospital, but don't be fooled. You will have your fair share to change the moment you get home. :-) Oh, and Hannah will look just like her daddy! You won't get any credit for her amazing looks...she is his twin. But you will LOVE that about her. Her eyes will be crystal blue, just like Daddy's and her facial expressions will be his. But every once in a while you will see yourself in her and those moments will be priceless.

Give her a pacifier...just do it! Don't be so stubborn for the first 3 months and refuse to let her have one. It's silly. There are much bigger things to worry about. She will not go off to kindergarten with a pacifier in her mouth. I don't know how you will break her of the habit, but who cares. You can cross that bridge during her second year of life.

Hold that little newborn every chance you get. She will grow up way too fast and you will wish you could cuddle with her again. She will only be cuddly for about 2 weeks of her life and then she will want nothing to do with being close to you, so get it while you can! You will not ruin her if you hold her the entire first week
of her life. Do it! You will wish you had.

You will spend the next year memorizing which steps creak and how to close a door without making any noise. You will learn to flush the toilets when Hannah is awake and you will accomplish nothing during nap time out of fear of doing something that might wake her up. Whoever came up with the saying, "sleep like a baby" must not have had one.

You will make some amazing friends over the next year. They will keep you sane and help you in more ways than you can imagine. They will make you feel like you aren't crazy and not alone. They will be there to listen to you complain about how hard being a mom is and they will completely understand!

Everything you think you know about being a mom will prove to be false! Nothing will happen the way you planned and that will be hard.

You will fall deeply in love this year. You will better understand your heavenly father's love for you as you learn to love unconditionally and without reservation. There is nothing you wouldn't do for that little peanut. She will fill you with such great joy and will help you understand what is truly important in life.

11 Months Old

2011-02-11T12:30:00.099-05:00

Little Peanut,

You have entered your final month as a baby. In a few short weeks you will officially be a pretoddler and I have to be honest and say that I am really sad about that. I am missing your baby days with a passion (even though they were really tough at times) and wish I could freeze time! But I will say, 11 months is the perfect age - you are coming alive! You understand so much of what we say, you are more adorable than ever, you are content most of the time, and to top it all off you are sleeping so much better! My sweet baby, please stop growing up. Do you hear me? It wasn't long ago that I could hold your entire body in my arms, but these days holding you at all is nearly impossible. You just can't wait to get down and GO!

You are such a joy and so full of life. I spend many hours just staring at you each day. When you catch me staring, you light up. Your smile melts my heart. You giggle and "talk" in your own little language and I forget all about the sleepless nights and napless days. Who needs sleep when you have a healthy, smiley baby to play with everyday?

It's been a tough month in our house. You have been sick since the beginning of January and are currently finishing up your second round of antibiotics for a double ear infection that just won't go away. Thankfully you seem to be feeling a lot better and all that remains is the snotty nose, which I have decided will most likely stay until spring hits.

Here are your 11 month stats:

I haven't weighed you yet, but the last time we went to the doctor, on Jan. 20, you were 20lbs. 13oz. so I imagine you are at least 21lbs by now. You wear mostly 12 month clothes, although you can still wear some 9 month stuff and are starting to fit in some 18 month stuff....go figure. You wear a size 3 or 4 shoe (you really don't ever wear shoes, but we have a couple pairs). And you are still in a size 4 diaper, however I may need to move you up another size at night because you are soaking through the 4s. Yikes!
You are still a champion nurser, but we did drop one nursing this past month, so you are down to 3 per day - 7am, 3:30pm and 7pm. I didn't realize how much I would dread the day that I have to stop nursing you. I thought I would be ready by 11-12 months, but now I'm just not so sure.
You dance all the time! This is probably my favorite thing you do these days. Maybe it's because I took dance lessons for 10+ years or maybe it's just because you look so adorable when you shake from side to side with your hands in the air. I can't wait to take you to your first dance lesson.
You are not standing on your own or walking at all, but I'm okay with that. I'm in no rush for you to be a walker. I am loving every minute of the crawling and cruising stage! I have no doubt that you will be walking soon enough. For now you love to stand holding onto anything and everything, and you love to stand on your tip-toes most of the time. This, of course, is because you are a ballerina in training. ;-)
You understand so many words - dada, mama, dog, bubbles, clap, wave, kiss, how big is Hannah?, no, night-night, eat, milk, hug, and many more - but you aren't saying anything other than dada still. Although every time you see Bubbles you make a funny sound that almost sounds like buhbuh, so maybe you are saying more than we think.
You can sign "milk" and "duck", but not always in the right context. I think you do "duck" kind of on accident, but it still counts in my book. And "milk" seems to be a universal sign that means milk, all done, and eat.
My favorite time of day with you is right before bedtime. You get so giggly and silly. I guess it's a result of being tired, but it is adorable. Every little thing sets you off and you just laugh and laugh. Let me tell you how much better that is then the days where you would scream and scream in the evening hours. Much appreciated! :-)
You eat all kinds of things - squash, zucchini, onions, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cottage cheese, yogurt, black beans, blueberries, beef, chicken, turkey meatballs, pasta, bread, hummus, mangoes, peaches, apples (finally!), bananas, black-eyed peas, and SO much more! I have started giving you mostly finger foods, which is a lot easier. And you definitely prefer to feed yourself most of the time - although sometimes you refuse to lift a finger and want me to spoon feed you your entire meal. I'm okay with that - it just means you are still my baby!
You go to bed at 7pm and wake up at 7am (almost exactly). You take two naps every day, at 9am and 1pm. They are almost always 30 minutes or less, but I make you stay in your crib for a full hour each time. You are not a huge fan of that and are sure to make your displeasure known. I hate to hear you scream and cry, but mommy needs that hour break and you need the "rest" (if you can call it that). The other day you actually slept for almost 2 hours during your afternoon nap - that was AMAZING! Maybe you will be a better napper one day....and maybe not.
You still only have 2 teeth - the bottom two. Again, I am in no rush for you to get more. I know they will come in one day, but until then I will enjoy that you are not able to cause much pain when you decide to bite down while nursing. ;-)
You clap, wave, give high fives, give kisses and hugs, play peek-a-boo, and love to show us how big you are (SO BIG!).
You just started a new game where you will lay your head down (on me or on the floor) as I say, "Night Night". Then you pop your head back up as I say, "Good Morning". Adorable!

I love you little peanut - to the moon and back!

Mommy Survey

2011-02-02T09:29:00.001-05:00

I thought it would be fun to do this survey. Something a little different.

I saw it on a blog I read often - http://blog.wantingwhatyouhave.com/ Check it out!

First: Post a picture of you and your kid(s).

Second: Answer the questions.
1. How many children do you have? One
2. What are their ages? 10 months
3. What time of day do you start your day? 7am, when Hannah starts screaming (she does not wake up happy, despite my best efforts)

4. What do you eat for breakfast? cereal, lately I am loving Kashi!
5. Do they watch TV? No, she has seen tv before and has watched her Baby Einstein Sign Language dvd a couple times, but definitely doesn't watch on a regular basis.

6. What are their favorite activities? crawling, pulling up on everything, cruising, climbing up the stairs, playing with mommy and daddy, eating

7. Do you get a break during the day from them? Not for long, Hannah takes 2 naps each day, but they are normally only 30 minutes each. However, I make her stay in her crib for an hour for each nap, which results in a lot of screaming on her part....praying that she gets it eventually.

8. How do you end your day? Brian and I usually watch a little tv (something on DVR because we are addicted to skipping commercials!) and try to get in bed by 10pm.

9. What is your best parenting advice or tip? Everything with a baby is a phase...don't get too comfortable. Try to enjoy every moment, good or bad. And just know that nothing will go as you planned.

A Clean House = Bliss! :-)

2011-02-01T16:18:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend cleaning the house and let me just say how wonderful it feels to have a clean home! For those that don't know, I am very type A and as crazy as it sounds, I love to clean. :-) I have a passion for organizing and find great joy in doing a load of laundry. Crazy, I know! Now just because I love cleaning doesn't mean I always have a spotless home....that's actually far from the truth. While I do love to clean, I love even more to play with my 10 month old and live life in the moment. Often times that means I must forget about the dishes and the laundry and look past the dirt on the floors and the dust on the tables and just play on the floor with my baby. Life is too short to clean all the time and those with a little one (or more than one) know how hard it is to keep things clean anyway.

But everyone knows the feeling that a clean house gives....pure joy! The smell of fresh sheets, the joy of an empty laundry hamper, the sight of a spotless floor...AHHH!! If only it would stay that way.....

In other news, I am feeling much better today and am so thankful for that. Hopefully we can all be healthy for the month of February!

I hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday and that the weather in your area is better than ours. It has been misting for two days and is getting chilly again...yuck. Is it Spring yet? ;-)

Sick Mommy

2011-01-31T10:03:00.000-05:00

January has been a rough month in our house. Everyone has been sick, at least once. This past weekend I came down with another cold - sore throat and congestion. If only I could take my head off and replace it with a healthy one! Hannah has been sick since January 6th and just yesterday finally finished all her antibiotics. Now I am trying to keep my germs off her so I don't reinfect her.

In happier news, this past weekend we had amazing weather in Atlanta and enjoyed it to the fullest. Being able to wear short sleeves in the middle of winter just puts a smile on my face. We had all the windows open and even had a picnic in the backyard. Perfection! Unfortunately it was just a tease and today it is raining, bringing back the chilly temps. But it was a nice reminder of how wonderful it will be in the Spring!

I leave you with some pictures of Hannah (who else) enjoying the beautiful weather -

Sick Baby

2011-01-22T20:11:00.000-05:00

Our little peanut is sick. It all started with a cold, over two weeks ago. She had her first fever (101.7 at one point), was stuffy and just overall not feeling well. I knew she was sick when she fell asleep on my chest for over an hour (on two different occasions!). I will say that I enjoyed every second of those naps though! ;-) After two weeks with a runny nose and horrible sleep patterns, I knew something wasn't right. I finally decided to take her to the doctor this past Thursday afternoon and I'm so glad I did! She has double ear infections, wheezing in her lungs, and a yeast diaper rash. She is now taking Amoxicilian for the ear infections (2 times per day for 10 days), an inhaler for the wheezing, and nystatin cream for the diaper rash. We are a regular pharmacy around here! After 2 days of medicine, she definitely seems to be feeling better, but her sleeping has not returned to normal. Her naps are a mess - she is crying again when we put her down and then when (or if) she does fall asleep, she only sleeps for 20-30 minutes before she is up and screaming again. UGH! I know she needs more sleep than that! I am still hopeful that the medicine will continue to make her feel better and her sleeping will get back on track, eventually.

Big Girl!

2011-01-18T21:00:00.001-05:00

Hannah is growing up so fast! I can hardly believe that in less than 2 months we will be celebrating her first birthday. We have started planning her big bash and it has really started to take on a life of its own. Less than a week ago we didn't even know if we would have a party, but now we are throwing a big bash! :-) I am excited about it, but also getting a little nervous. I don't plan on going crazy and doing an over-the-top soirée, just a gathering of our closest friends to celebrate this special milestone in Hannah's life. I am determined to have fun planning it and on the day of....I will not get stressed out! (Now, you better remind of that in a month!!)

There have been a lot of fun milestones happening around here. Hannah has been doing the cutest things lately. She started giving high fives a couple weeks ago - I had never even thought to teach her that, but the day I started, she caught right on. I hold up my hand and say, "Give me five" and she slaps my hand a couple times with the largest smile on her face! She loves it!! This past weekend she also started playing peek-a-boo. When she is laying on her back, she will pull a blanket over her face and then we say, "Where's Hannah?" and she pulls the blanket down, smiling her enourmous grin! PRECIOUS! Another favorite that she learned this past wekeend is "So Big!" We ask her, "How big is Hannah?" and she throws her arms over her head as we say, "SO BIG!" Again, she smiles the entire time. Then just today she started my ultimate favorite - kissing! I ask her for a kiss and she will lean in with her mouth wide open and then I go in for the kiss. She giggles and I melt! Oh my sweet baby girl is growing up so fast and I am trying to soak in all those precious moments. I just can't get enough of that sweet baby girl!

10 Months Old

2011-01-14T22:59:00.002-05:00

Sweet Little Peanut,

Your tenth month was the fastest yet. I blame that on Christmas and our monumental snow storm in early January!

Speaking of Christmas, this month you celebrated your first one! We spent it in Florida at Grandma and Grandpa Vaccaro's house. It was wonderful to be with family (Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Chris) and you loved all the attention! But surprisingly you weren't very interested in the presents on Christmas morning. You didn't even care about the wrapping paper or boxes. I think you were a bit overwhelmed. But you were a HUGE fan of the Little People Nativity Scene.....maybe you already understand the true meaning of Christmas! :-)

Here's what you are up to at 10 months old:

•You weigh 21lbs. 13oz. (71%) and are 30 inches long (93%). One tall girl!!
•You wear mostly all 12 month clothes (9-12 months) and some 18 months (12-18 months). But you can still fit into some of your 9 month clothes (6-9 months).
•You are still wearing a size 4 diaper and size 3 or 4 shoes.
•You have your two bottom teeth now!
•You are cruising all over the furniture these days, but don't seem too interested in standing on your own or walking. You have also mastered crawling up the stairs, but have no idea how to get back down...which resulted in a scary fall a few days ago. Thankfully all is well! :-)
•You have been eating lots of new foods and love feeding yourself. Sometimes your entire meal is finger foods! Right now your favorite foods are pasta, bread, puffs, and blueberries. Not surprising since those are some of my favorite foods! :-) You are still nursing 4 times per day and doing great!
•You said your first word this month - "DaDa" You had been saying it for a while now, but I hadn't counted it yet because it didn't really have any meaning. Then the other day I asked you, "Where is Daddy?" and you pointed right to him and said, "DaDa"!! Adorable!
•This month we realized just how much of a little person you have become. You understand so much of what we are saying, which is so fun! When you start to refuse to eat something we start a little trade off where I will give you a bite of the food you don't won't, followed by a bite of something you do. I say, "One bite of this and then you get a blueberry (or pasta or whatever)" and you will suddenly open you mouth wide. It's amazing!
•This month, naps have been a nightmare. I blame it on all the craziness of the holidays, but I'm ready for you to get back to taking better naps. Right now you take 2 naps each day, but they are sometimes only 30 minutes each! UGH! Thankfully you have been sleeping 12 hours straight at night for the past couple weeks! That is a huge improvement from last month. It took a week or so of retraining for you to sleep through the night again, but it worked!
•You have started to get really whiny and clingy, which has been challenging for me. You don't like to be too far away from me and would really like for me to hold you all day long. It's hard to get anything done. But I am trying to enjoy this clingy stage because I know it is fleeting and soon you will want nothing to do with me. :-(
•You still arent' waving or clapping, but you are pointing at everything. You point and then grunt, which I interpret as you asking for something or an explanation of what something is.
•You make the cutest sound that is too hard to explain, but it's when you click your tongue on your bottom teeth and say "dododo"...I think I got it on video....at least I hope so! :-)
•Your eczema is still flaring up, but I have continued the lotion regime and I think it's getting a little better. I'm hopeful that it will disappear when the weather warms up!
•Your hair has grown so much that it hardly sticks up anymore...that makes me sad! My little girl is growing up!
•You still love to share everything with us - your pacifier, your toys, your food.
•You have started giving high fives - ADORABLE!!! I say, "Give me five" and you do!

It amazes me how much you change every single day. I lay you down at night as my little peanut and when I pick you back up in the early morning, you have changed into my big girl! It is the most amazing thing to watch, yet also a little heartbreaking. But there is nothing else I would rather do!

I love you little girl!

2010 Summary

2011-01-06T11:10:00.001-05:00

I saw this survey on a blog that I have been following since I found out I was pregnant - Baby Dickey - and thought it was a good way to sum up 2010. Enjoy!

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
- So much!! Birthed a child (unmedicated, I might add!), nursed a child for 9.5 months (and still going), did everything required to keep a newborn alive and raise her to be a healthy and happy 9 month old, became a MOM!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
- I don't remember making any last year (not a big resolution fan), but this year I did feel a sense of renewal and have been determined to be more intentional with my time. I'm not sure that doing a survey like this is very "intentional", but I figured it would be an insightful way to summarize the last year of my life.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
- ME! And several of my close friends - Amy, Lindsay, Asheley, Heather, Lindsay (another one), and more...

4. Did anyone close to you die?
- Thankfully, no

5. What countries did you visit?
- Definitely didn't make it out of the country, but did make it to several different place - NYC, Flagler Beach (3 times), Panama City (3 times), Siesta Key, and probably other places I am forgetting.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
- More time to enjoy with family and friends - 2010 was ALL about the baby and I want 2011 to be more about the world outside of these four walls!

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- March 11 - Hannah was born!!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- Delivering my first child without any medications (not even a tylenol people!)
- Succesfully nursing my child for 9.5 months (and counting)
- Keeping her alive for 9.5 months (and counting!!)

9. What was your biggest failure?
- I wouldn't call it a failure, but I do feel like I didn't get to enjoy Hannah's newborn stage like I thought I would because I was so concerned with her schedule and making sure she did 'xyz' every day. I was definitely obsessed with that (and still am, if I let myself be).

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
- A cold here and there, but nothing serious. Recovering from my labor was illness enough!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
- Our new camera (Nikon D3100) - just have to figure out how to use it in a mode other than auto now!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
- Brian's! He has been the most amazing husband and father! During my labor he was unbelievable! He didn't even sit down for 8+ hours and was by my side the entire time. He was the best father right from the beginning - so involved and just in love. He would wake up with me in the middle of night when Hannah would cry and come into her room with me while I nursed her. He was my rock! He was understanding of my crazy hormones and listened to me cry over the silliest things. I wouldn't have made it this past year without his amazing support!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
- No one I can think of

14. Where did most of your money go?
- Hannah!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- All of Hannah's milestones: smiling, laughing, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, pulling up, sleeping through the night!

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
- "Goodnight Sweetheart" - I sing it to Hannah every time I put her down for a nap or at night

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner
c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same - nah, poorer because we are remodeling our kitchen soon! ;-)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
- Spent more time with friends, but babies make things so much more complicated!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
- Wasting time

20. How did you spend Christmas?
- In Panama City with Brian's family

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
- Absolutely! Hannah has made me understand God's love for me in a whole new way. I am madly in love with that baby!!

22. What was your favorite TV program?
- We became DVR junkies this year, so we watched a lot of shows (that's what happens when you have a baby that has to be in bed by 8pm) - Top faves were Modern Family and The Middle

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
- I don't hate anyone - I might not like their choices or actions, but I don't hate them.

24. What was the best book you read?
- I don't think I read any books in 2010 (besides children's and parenting books)...sad

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
- Hmmm....not sure. I think I knew about him in 2009, but Mat Kearney became a BIG fave this year. We went to the most amazing concert at Eddie's Attic in the summer and were blown away!

26. What did you want and get?
- Hannah!
- Our new camera
- Lots of baby things

27. What did you want and not get?
- Nothing...I mean there are things that I would like to have, but nothing that I need.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
- I don't even know if we went to the theater once in 2010. I know I saw the new(er) movie with Katherine Heigel about raising a baby, but I can't even remember who I was with or where we were. It was cute, but definitely not the best movie I saw. We just watched Inception a few weeks ago and that was good. But there really wasn't a stand out movie that I saw this year.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
- I turned 28!! At first I wrote 27 because there is no way I am 28, but I am!! Yikes! Brian's parents were in town on my birthday and we went out to dinner at Maggiano's (technically I think we went out the night before my birthday).

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
- It was overal a wonderful year!! But if Hannah has been born a natural sleeper, that would have made my stress level a lot less! ;-)

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
- Whatever fits and is clean and comfy. I spent the majority of 2010 on the floor with a drooly, reflux baby! Fashion wasn't really in my vocabulary.

32. What kept you sane?
- Brian, my mom, my playgroup girls!!!

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
- No one I can think of

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
- Political issue?? I don't even watch the news, I hate politics! I only want to know the stuff that impacts me directly and that I can do something about. If something is going on that I have no control over, I want nothing to do with it. What's the point??

35. Who did you miss?
- Family! I hate that we live so far away from everyone.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
- My playgroup girls! Heather, Asheley and Lindsay, I don't know what I would have done these past few months without you!!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
- Take things one day at a time.
- Life flies by, so enjoy every second.
- Everything with a baby is a phase!

New York, New York

2010-12-14T13:38:00.000-05:00

We survived...barely. We made the big trip to NYC with Hannah last week and it was quite an adventure. We flew out on Tuesday afternoon and came home on Sunday. Hannah seemed to have a lot of fun (LOTS of smiles!) but I came home exhausted. I need a vacation from my vacation!

For the first 3 nights we stayed in a hotel in the city (The Hilton Manhattan East, which I highly recommend!) The 3 of us were in one room (a small room!) and Hannah did not sleep well. She woke several times each night (several nights it was every hour). I couldn't let her cry it out because we were in a hotel with people all around us, and I swear she knew it! So the only thing that would calm her down and put her back to sleep was to feed her. UGH! After spending weeks weaning her off the night feedings at home, we were back to square one. There was even one night where I fed her 4 times...FOUR! Needless to say, I was tired! And don't even get me started on the napping situation. We were lucky if she would even take one nap per day. But despite the lack of sleep, she was surprisingly happy and loved the big city! It was very cold and she wasn't a fan of getting all bundled up before heading out, but once we were moving, she loved it. We were amazed at how much we didn't do while in the city. We knew we wouldn't be able to do all the things we normally do, but we had no idea just how hard it would be to do anything. Literally all we saw while we were there was Toys R Us, FAO, and Times Square....that's it! We didn't see the window displays at Macy's or even the big tree at Rockefeller! Awful, I know, but there really wasn't any time with Hannah. By the time we got her ready to go out into the cold, took the train down to Rockefeller (the subway is definitely NOT baby friendly) and started heading toward all the sights, it was time to feed her and then head back to the hotel for a nap. Yikes.

For the last 2 nights of our trip we stayed in White Plains in a two bedroom suite with Brian's dad. It was so much better! Hannah still slept horribly, but at least we didn't have to hide out in the bathroom while she fell asleep. We actually had a living room to watch tv in and didn't have to go to bed at 9pm. However, I will say that one of the highlights of the trip was eating dessert in the hallway of the NYC hotel and playing cards while Hannah slept. On the last day of vacation Hannah got to meet her Great Grandma Vaccaro, which was definitely the best part of the trip. It was so wonderful to see Brian's family and made all the sleepless nights worth it. But by this point in the trip you could tell that the lack of sleep was catching up with Hannah and she wasn't quite as happy as she normally is.

We were all thrilled to head home on Sunday and sleep in our own beds! Funny that when we arrived in Atlanta there were snow flurries, while that morning in NY they were having a warm front. Go figure.

Traveling always makes me appreciate being home even more.

9 Months Old

2010-12-13T11:23:00.001-05:00

My Peanut,

9 months old...really? You have been outside my belly for the same amount of time that you were inside my belly! (Well technically I guess that's no true, since pregnancy is actually 10 months, but you get what I'm saying.) You are changing so much every day and I can hardly keep up. It is hard to believe that you are the same baby that I held on my chest the moment you were born - covered in slime, but perfectly content to just lay there with me. I wish I had known then that you would only let me cuddle you like that for a VERY short time. After those 30 minutes of snuggling you were ready to conquer the world! Oh how I miss that chubby little peanut. But oh how I adore the pre-toddler you are becoming!

Here's what you are up to at 9 months old:

You weigh 19 lbs. 15.5 oz. (75%) and are 29" tall (90%!!) You are gonna be one tall girl!
You wear mostly all 12 month clothes (9-12 months) and some 18 months (12-18 months). But surprisingly you can still wear some 6 month stuff (3-6 months) and a lot of your 9 month clothes (6-9 months). The sizing labels are so misleading sometimes. We just put you in whatever fits! ;-)
You are wearing a size 4 diaper and size 3 or 4 shoes.
You have started to give kisses, but only Eskimo ones and usually only for daddy. He says "Hannah, give daddy a kiss" and you lean forward with you mouth wide open and rub your nose on his. It is precious!
You are still attached to your pacifier at night and for all naps! Some day you will give it up. ;-)
You are pulling yourself up onto everything and even starting to cruise a little from one piece of furniture to the next. You have mastered standing up and sitting back down and now I hardly worry about you falling or bumping your head at all. I'm glad you learned that skill quickly!
You aren't waving or clapping yet, but you are so close. You love when I clap your hands for you and sometimes if I wave you will hold your arm out and flap it a little, but nothing consistent.
You love to knock down block towers! As soon as I start to build one, you abruptly knock it over and smile your huge smile in amazement!
You make all kinds of sounds now - "Uhh Uhh Uhh", "Da Da Da", "Ba Ba Ba" and occasionally an "M", but mostly just a lot of random noises.
You have one tooth now, with one more on the way. You got your bottom left tooth a few weeks ago and the bottom right one should be popping through any day now. Thankfully you haven't started biting yet!!
You are still eating all kinds of foods and have recently started eating more finger foods. Your favorite right now is whole peas. It is so fun to watch you pick them up with your tiny fingers and put them in your mouth. You are becoming a pro! You are also still LOVING the puffs and would eat them all day long if I let you. They were our saving grace during our trip to NYC this past week! We had a break through with homemade green beans and peas a few weeks ago too...you are finally eating them without a fight! YEAH! But now that you are are getting so good with your fingers, I think I will just give you pieces of green beans and whole peas now instead.
You are still nursing wonderfully and still 4 times per day - 8am, 12pm, 4pm, and 7:30 pm. I aim for 4-5 minutes per side and lately you have been doing great with that. You still eat solids 3 times per day - 8am, 12pm, and 4pm and are slowly increasing the amount you eat at each meal.
Your sleep is still very erratic and this past week while we were in NYC it got completely out of control. With you sleeping in the same room as us and in the pack n' play instead of your bed, you were just completely out of sorts. You were up at least 3-4 times every night (some nights it was every hour!) and ate 2-4 times in the night. INSANE! But last night you were back in your own bed and did a little better (only woke 3 times and only had to feed you 1 time). Hopefully things will get back on track now that we are home.
You take 2-3 naps per day, but lately it is more often just 2. Each nap is 40 minutes - 1 hour and you usually go down perfectly for them. Two 40 minute naps is not the ideal, but I take what I can get with you!
You HATE having your diaper changed and being on your back. The moment I lay you down your goal becomes to flip back over and get as far away from me as possible! It has become quite the wrestling match to get a clean diaper on you.
You have had a mysterious "rash" on your bottom and thighs for the past month or so. We finally went to the doctor today and confirmed my "self-diagnosis" of eczema. I hate that you have that, but hopefully if we keep you lotioned up it will clear up in no time.
You still have crazy hair that sticks up like you just stuck your finger in a light socket....I LOVE it!
You now take a bath in the big tub and LOVE it. You still slide around a bit, so I have to keep a hand on you at all times, but you just love to splash in the water!
This month was filled with more firsts - first time riding in your big girl convertible car seat, first time meeting Santa, started standing up in your crib, first time eating cheerios, first tooth, first Thanksgiving, first time eating chopped up green beans, peaches and whole peas, first time eating broccoli and mango, first trip to NYC, first ride in a taxi, and met Great-Grandma Vaccaro for the first time.
You can climb up the stairs with limited assistance, but you haven't figured out how to get back down without a lot of help.
You started "sharing" your pacifier and toys with us in the last week. It is adorable! You hold out your pacifier and when we take it you smile your HUGE smile and then a few moments later you reach out to get it back. You like to do that game over and over!
You love playing with people's noses and mouths and you LOVE when daddy pretends to bite your fingers. Such a silly daddy!
You are still the most social baby and smile at everyone! You are incredibly happy as long as you are out and about and not going to sleep! You have the most adorable smile and dimples. We must get told how cute you are at least 10 times every day. I am realizing just how important it is going to be to have another baby soon so you don't become a complete brat! ;-) But mommy isn't in any rush! I want to enjoy your babyhood before we bring another one into the family.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T15:20:00.001-05:00

A trip to the beach to watch the sunset

Playing ;-)

With Uncle Brent and Aunt Lauren

4 Generations!

We had a wonderful trip to FL for Thanksgiving. We left on Sunday night at 5pm and arrived at 11:30pm. It was definitely a good idea to drive at night because Hannah ended up sleeping the majority of the trip. She did such a good job on the way down and was in a fabulous mood the entire week! She smiled the majority of the time and slept very well while we were there. She hit a few exciting milestones during the week as well. She started pulling herself up in her crib and she got her first tooth! She handled the new tooth like a champ! :-)

It was great to spend time with my parents (MeMaw and PaPaw) and Hannah got to meet her Uncle Brent and Aunt Lauren for the first time. It was so good to see all of them and made us realize just how much we wish we lived near our family.

We came home yesterday and drove during the daytime, which was definitely not as easy as the night. Hannah took two short naps during the drive, but was definitely ready to get out of the car during the last hour or two. I ended up driving for the second half of the trip and Brian sat in the back with Hannah, to give me a break from the entertaining. When we got home Hannah was in quite a mood - she obviously missed all the attention she had been getting. She slept horribly last night and so far today has cried through both of her naps. She is definitely paying us back for the car ride yesterday. Maybe she's getting another tooth and this time isn't taking it so well? Not sure what the problem is, but she is miserable. :-(

We have so much to be thankful for this year - a healthy baby, wonderful family and friends, a secure job for Brian that he loves, the provision Brian's job provides that allows me to stay home with Hannah, our health, our home, and most importantly our Savior who loves us unconditionally!

8 Months Old

2010-11-11T08:30:00.002-05:00

Sweet Hannah,

Another month has gone by and you are 8 months old. Hard to believe that you are closer to your 1 year birthday than to the day you were born. You aren't listening to me when I whisper in your ear, "Slow down!" Don't you know you are supposed to always listen to your mommy! But these days you don't slow down for much. You are all over the place! Into everything! You started crawling a few days after you turned 7 months old and haven't slowed down since. You are starting to pull yourself up on things now too. But you haven't quite mastered that yet, which I'm happy about. I am in no rush for you to grow up. If you decide that you want to stay my little peanut forever, I'm okay with that!

Here's what you are up to these days (besides crawling):

I haven't weighed you yet, but at your last doctor's appointment (October 20), you weighed 18 lb. 14 oz., which was less that what you were when I weighed you at home on October 11. I am pretty sure you are at least 20 pounds by now though.
You still have no teeth and no real signs of any coming in....I am loving that. No teeth = no biting while nursing! ;-)
You talk all the time - "dadadadada" is your favorite thing to say. Everytime you say it I just assume you are asking for your daddy, so we then spend a few minutes talking about daddy. I think you two will be best friends one day! :) I think you said "hi" the other day too. At storytime one of the other mom's said "hi" to you and you looked right at her and said, "HI"!! It was probably just a coincidence, but it was cute either way.
You adore our dog, Bubbles. You can't get enough of her and would chase her around the kitchen all day if I let you.
Your obsessed with cell phones and tv remotes...apparently a favorite of all babies. I don't know what it is about these things, but the second you see one you stop everything to try to get it. And shoes...you are obsessed with those too! It's been really hard trying to teach you that those are "no" items. We are going to have our hands full when it comes to discipline with you!
You eat all kinds of foods these days - prunes, pears, plums, peaches, apricots, raspberries, carrots, green beans, sweet potato, squash, peas, chicken, oatmeal cereal, whole wheat cereal, rice cakes, puffs, wagon wheels, teething biscuits, and greek yogurt. You are generally not picky about what you eat, except when I try to feed you homemade green beans or peas. You HATE those!! It's definitely a texture thing though because you love the jarred variety. If I try to feed you the homemade ones you start crying and gagging....it's pathetic.
You are still nursing like a champ. You nurse 4 times per day still (8am, 12pm, 4pm, and 7:30pm) and average about 4 minutes per side. You also eat solids 3x's per day (8am, 12pm, 4pm). You definitely aren't very interested in eating these days though. You have better things to do with your time. ;-)
I could watch you play all day. You are so fascinated by the littlest things. You love the tags on toys and the shadows the sun makes when it shines in the playroom window. You love the writing on my Gator sweatshirt and the specks of dirt on the floor. Who needs toys when you have those things! :)
This month was filled with firsts - first time at the park, first time in a bucket swing, first time at a pumpkin patch, and first time drinking from a straw.
You are wearing 9 month (6-9) and 12 month (9-12) clothes and size 3 diapers, although you now wear a size 4 diaper at night. You are also wearing size 2 shoes.
You sleep with your pacifier for every nap and at night. This was definitely a habit we didn't want you to have, but after exhausting every other measure, we decided it was okay. You sleep much better with it and so do we! ;-)
You love to turn off the light in the playroom. Every time we walk out, I ask you to turn off the light and your little finger reaches out to the light switch and pushes it down. Your face lights up with excitment. Precious!
The last 3 nights you have slept through the night again! Amazing! Just when I thought I was going to go insane from waking 1-2 times every night, you started sleeping 10-12 hours again....thank you!

We love you so much and cherish every day with you. The Lord truly blessed us 8 months ago!

Independent Playtime

2010-11-05T10:14:00.000-04:00

Independent playtime is a concept I took from the 'Babywise' series and have used with Hannah since she was only a couple months old. Just saying 'Babywise' probably has some of you wanting to close my blog, never to return. But keep reading and I think you will find that this is a very helpful tool for any parent.

Independent playtime is a set time, each day that Hannah plays on her own. Right now her independent playtime takes place in the pack n' play and I usually try to do it right after breakfast, before her morning nap. Before she goes into the pack n' play, I set out several toys and tell her to choose one to take with her. After about a minute or so, I pick her up along with the toy she is currently playing with and place her in the pack n' play. I always have at least 3 other toys in the pack n' play that I rotate every so often, along with a musical toy and a mirror. Every time I put her in, I turn on the musical toy, hand her another toy to play with, set the egg timer, and leave the room. I make sure to stay out of her line of sight, as this is a time for her to play on her own. Right now she stays in there for 17 minutes at a time. However, when we first started, it was only 5 minutes. I do not go into the room until the timer goes off, even if she is crying! However, after almost 6 months of doing independent playtime Hannah has truly learned to enjoy this time and rarely fusses at all. After the timer goes off, I go into the room with a big smile and say, "Wow Hannah, you did such a good job! I am so proud of you for playing all by yourself." I say that even if all she did was cry the entire time. This shows her that there is nothing to be sad about and that the timer is what brought mommy back, not her crying. Before I taker her out of the pack n' play we always clean up her toys (we just stack them in the corner).

There are many benefits to independent playtime:

It teaches your child to enjoy their own company, creating independence
It teaches your child to focus on a limited number of things at a time (mental focusing), therefore increasing their attention span
It encourages creativity in your child
It teaches your child orderliness by limiting the number of toys and cleaning up when they are done

So, how do you get independent playtime started with your child(ren)?

Start with a short amount of time - 5 minutes is a good starting point
Place your child in a pack n' play or even on a blanket (if they aren't mobile yet) with several toys in reach
Set a timer in the room (so they can hear it when it goes off) for the designated time
Don't come back until the timer goes off (but stay within ear shot)
Even if your child cries the whole time, praise him/her for "playing" all alone!
Clean up the toys together (even if your child is too young to help, let them watch you)
If your child did not cry at all, increase your next independent playtime by 1 minute. If your child did cry, keep the time the same. Continue to increase by 1 minute everyday that he/she doesn't cry until you reach your goal (30 minutes is a great goal) You increase the time when your child doesn't cry, but you never decrease the time when he/she does cry. You just continue doing the same amount of time until he/she does not cry. It may take a while, but you will get to your goal eventually. Hannah will be 8 months old in a few days and we are just now at 18 minutes, so you can see how long it might take.

I hope that you will implement this 'Babywise' principle into your child's life as I really do think it is a vitally important skill. If you have any questions about independent playtime, please ask!

Happy playing! ;-)

Mommy Idols

2010-10-28T13:39:00.000-04:00

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" - A question that is asked of children throughout their lives. My answer was always the same, "A mommy!" There was never any doubt as to what my life's purpose was. I have always known that I would be a mother and that has always been my ultimate goal. Little did I know what a challenge it would be to get to that point and then what a challenge it would be once I was there.
We tried for two years to conceive and it was a painful road. We did all the fertility testing and everything came back "normal" - unexplained infertility they told us. We waited and prayed that the Lord would bless us with a baby. This was my first of many lessons in patience and trust. I was forced to lay it all in the Lord's hands and trust Him. We tried everything (naturally) that we could to become parents and it just wasn't happening. I was forced to give up my trying and let the Lord do what He wished.

After finding out we were PREGNANT I knew right away that I was having a girl. I don't know why, but I just knew. I had always wanted a boy first (again, I don't really know why, I just did). But the day of our gender ultrasound I was not surprised at all to find out we were having a girl. However, I was disappointed. We had tried so long for this - why couldn't I at least have the boy that I had always wanted? The Lord taught me to trust Him more. He had a plan and a little girl was part of that plan. Again, I was forced to trust His plan, not my own.

Throughout my pregnancy I knew I wanted to have a natural (un-medicated) delivery. I did a lot of research about the possible side effects of an epidural and other drugs used during labor. I didn't like the idea of using medication, so I prepared as best I could for a natural labor. We prayed for Hannah to come a few days early or at least on her due date so that I wouldn't need to be induced. Her due date came and went. Come on Lord, can't I at least have this baby the way I have planned and prepared? Once again, my heart was tested. Do you trust me Sabrina? Do you truly believe that I have the perfect plan for you and Hannah? There was nothing I could do to make Hannah come according to my plan. Again, I was forced to trust that the Lord was in complete control.

While preparing for the arrival of our sweet little baby, I read every book available about caring for a newborn. I spent hours (thousands of hours) making lists, taking notes and planning out what to do and when. I had a plan and a back-up plan for my plan! I knew what I was doing. Well......AGAIN, I was forced to give up MY plan and realize that the Lord was in control, not me. My baby didn't follow any of my plans. She didn't do anything by the book and all those hours were wasted. Lord, why couldn't I at least get something I wanted?  She doesn't sleep like the books say she should, she doesn't eat like she should, we have tried to let her cry it out for 4 months straight and it's still not working! Why Lord? What are you trying to teach me? And again, the Lord was showing me that my plan is not His plan - He is in control, not me!

I could go on and on giving illustrations of what my plans were for Hannah and how they crumbled (didn't want her to use a pacifier and now she is addicted, wanted her to follow the Dr. Denmark schedule but she wouldn't, etc.)  Motherhood has always been my ultimate goal and hope for my life. I had placed motherhood on such a pedestal my entire life. Now that I had reached that goal and it had become my reality, things just weren't what I had expected.  Motherhood was my idol and when it started crumbling around me, I began to see my desperate need for Jesus. I couldn't live up to my own expectations any longer. I was failing as a mother, in my eyes.  So now what?

It has taken several years to realize what an idol I have made of motherhood. I never saw it as a bad thing (and it's not, in and of itself). But I had placed such value on being a "good" mom and having the "perfect" family. I wanted everyone to think that I had it all together. I wanted other moms to say, "Wow, Sabrina is such a great mom." How selfish and ugly that desire was and is.  It's not about me. What good does it profit me to hear the praises of others? And to appear to have it all together. It may feel good for a moment, but it has no eternal value.

Have I conquered this idol? Absolutely not! It is a struggle I deal with on a daily basis. And the Lord will continue to shatter my "plans" in order to teach me that He is enough and that He is in control. While the road has been painful at times and extremely frustrating, I can truly say how grateful I am for each trial - they have brought me to the end of myself and into a deeper relationship with the Lord. I am so thankful that I don't have to live up to my standards as a mom, but that I can rest it all on His shoulders and trust that He will guide me down the right path. What freedom there is in that!

All Better!

2010-10-27T10:32:00.000-04:00

Hannah is finally back to her old self, although she does have some snot still, but I think that is just a part of life with a baby. After going to the doctor last week and being diagnosed with croup, I started her on prednisone (an oral steroid). Things went down hill fast! Hannah was completely out of sorts, wouldn't sleep, wouldn't eat, didn't want to be held, didn't want to play....she just wanted to fuss. I felt so bad for her because I had no idea what was wrong or how to help her. It was very frustrating for both of us and I felt like a horrible mom! How could I not know how to help my own baby? After two days of constant fussing, I finally started searching online for answers. I stumbled upon some parent comments on prednisone and its side effects. Oh my goodness - it makes kids CRAZY! I had no idea. I briefly read over the side effects on the medicine label before giving Hannah her first dose, but nothing stood out. I gave her the medication for the two days, as prescribed, and thought nothing of it. It sure would have been nice if the doctor would have warned me that it was going to turn my happy baby into a nightmare child! UGH! I was beyond frustrated with the doctor and wanted to call them up and yell at them for making my child miserable and for making me think I was an awful mom. After spending almost an hour researching this oral steroid, I was frustrated but also relieved to know what was causing my child to be so off. We just had to wait for the medicine to get out of her system. Thankfully it only took a couple more days before she was back to her smiling self. I was sure to make a note of her reaction to this drug so we can avoid these side effects in the future. The other frustrating part is that I am not even sure if she actually had croup. She did have some wheezing when she breathed in deeply, but she never developed the croup cough (or any cough). I could kick myself for giving her a medication when she really didn't need it. Live and learn!

Croup

2010-10-21T13:55:00.000-04:00

Hannah is sick. Yuck! She started with a runny nose on Sunday and it has progressed into an all out snot-fest! I have never seen so much snot. Her poor little nose is so red and dry from all the wiping (which really isn't a lot since she won't let me near her face). Yesterday she woke up crying and when she would breath in it sounded like a seal barking. I knew that wasn't good, so we headed to the doctor to have her checked out. Of course she didn't make the barking/wheezing sound while we were there, but the doctor listened to my description and diagnosed her with croup. She is now taking a steroid medicaton - prednisone - and is also getting a round of medicated eye drops for her goopy eye. Poor thing. Thankfully she is looking and sounding a lot better today and I haven't heard that telltale croup cough since yesterday morning, so maybe she never really had it....who knows?! Just praying that she is on the mend and will back to normal soon! But I will say that she has really handled this sickness like a champ! Despite all the congestion, she is still her happy self and crawling all over the place! I will post a new video of her crawling soon. She is really a pro now.

We Have a Crawler!

2010-10-16T17:38:00.001-04:00

Hannah officially started crawling this afternoon! She has been so close for a few weeks now, but today she finally did it! She's still learning, but she is already getting into everything. Oh boy! This is the first video we have of her crawling...more to come. Don't mind our crazy voices and over-excitement.

7 Months

2010-10-11T10:26:00.046-04:00

Dear Hannah,

You are seven months old today. You are no longer a tiny little baby who I can cradle in my arms. You are a playful, active, bundle of energy. You love to move and are trying so hard to crawl these days! You want nothing more than to dart accross the room and to chase the dog around the house.

Here's what you are up to these days:

You weigh 19 pounds 2 oz and are 27 inches long
You are still toothless...which I am happy about. I don't look forward to teeth - biting while nursing is a bit of a fear for me
You finally started saying consonant sounds - gagaga, googoogoo - and I swear I heard you say mama the other morning, but you won't repeat it, of course.
You are getting really good with your hands. You just got a new toy - a bubblegum machine - and you are so good at pushing the lever and grabbing the balls that come out. I am amazed at how grown up you are!
You love to suck on your toes. I wondered for months if you even knew you had toes, but then one day recently, you really discovered them. You had known about them for a few months, but you hadn't realized how fun they were until now. You prefer your left foot over your right....must be extra tasty. ;-)
You still love people! Strangers are no problem for you....you love everyone!
You have tasted all kinds of new foods - chicken, beef, potatoes, pastina (tiny pasta), chicken broth, peaches, peas, plums, green beans, and prunes. You have also chewed on a few pieces of bread and love it! There really isn't a food you don't like. But we do still have to watch carefully for constipation, as that is still a problem for you.
Your schedule is still the same - nursing 4 times per day (8am, 12pm, 4pm, 7:30pm) and eating solids after the first 3 nursings.
You still wear size 3 diapers and are wearing 9 month (6-9 months) clothing, although you can still fit into some 6 month (3-6 months) stuff too.
Your sleeping is getting better, although still not perfect. However, this month I finally let go! I finally realized that it is okay if you don't sleep exactly when I want you to. I have stopped obsessing, which has been such a weight off my shoulders. You will sleep when you need to! Your schedule is still the same as it was at 6 months.
You have started to get up onto your knees and rock. You are getting really close to crawling, but not yet. I really think it will be any day now!

As I say every month, I can't believe how big you are getting. In the grand scheme of life, I realize you are still so small, so I try to enjoy you just as you are every single day! I squeeze your chubby little thighs and smell your sweet baby hair and kiss your soft, pudgy cheeks every day. I just can't get enough of you!

I love you little peanut!

Infertility

2010-09-24T14:07:00.000-04:00

For those that know me, you know that we struggled with infertility for 2 years before becoming pregnant with our little peanut. Those two years were some of the hardest we have ever gone through and the pain of infertility is not easily forgotten. I know many couples that have struggled in the same way and some have a much harder road then we ever did. My heart aches for those that are still trying. I feel so overwhelmingly blessed to now have our little peanut, but I remember very well the pain of wanting and waiting! Just because we are no longer dealing with infertility, doesn't mean that I can't relate to or understand the pain of those still struggling. I find myself complaining about my present circumstances (life with a baby is tough too) but then I see something like the following video and am quickly reminded of how hard the infertility battle is!

For anyone that has dealt with or is dealing with infertility...get the tissues ready for this one....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqfGqOx2iDQ

God has a perfect plan! He really does! And I know how hard it is to see that in the midst of the struggle. But I am living proof that God's plan truly is the best! He hears your prayers and sees your tears. He will provide!

Every 2 Weeks

2010-09-15T16:33:00.001-04:00

I have decided that parenthood's ups and downs happen in two week cycles. For two weeks things will go great and then it's like a switch flips and then for the next two weeks you are pulling your hair out. Then things go back to being great. This may not prove true for everyone, but it does for us. Some of you are blessed with an "angel" baby and things have been relatively great since the beginning while others have a bit of a challenge on their hands. It is so easy to become overwhelmed and frustrated when baby doesn't sleep or eat well, but if I continue to remind myself that this is just a phase and things will get better, it makes it easier to deal with.

For example, when we switched Hannah's schedule to more of a 'Babywise' approach, things were great right away! She started sleeping 10-12 hours through the night and napping 3 times per day for at least an hour each time. I kept a very detailed log of our entire day so I could see the patterns and what worked and what didn't. For about 2 weeks, things were going GREAT! I spoke the praises of 'Babywise' and told everyone I knew that 'Babywise' was exactly what we needed. Well, then things changed. I didn't change anything with our schedule or routine, yet she stopped sleeping through the night and her naps became almost non-existent! UGH! What happened to our 'Babywise' cure all?? I had several break-downs and tried to figure out what was happening. What was I do differently? Was she sick? What she teething? What she going through a growth spurt? Nothing I did seemed to solve the sleep problems. So we are just dealing with it. I continue to stick to the routine (as much as possible) and hope that things will click again. I assume that by next week, she will be back to "normal" and things will be great again. But in the meantime, we push on. Today has been especially tough. Hannah woke up two hours early, ate, and thankfully went right back to sleep for 2 more hours. But then the rest of the day was completely off! She didn't take her morning nap at all (after letting her cry it out for an hour, I gave up). Then she only took a 30 minute afternoon nap (again, I let her cry it out for an hour when she woke up early...no luck). Now she is down for her final nap of the day and thankfully has been sleeping for the last 20 minutes, but I'm sure it won't be long before I hear her crying again. Oh the joys of parenthood! haha

So, what's my advice for those days and nights that are just completely crazy? Keep trying! Just chalk it up to a bad day (or week, or month) and move on. Yes, you will be frustrated. And yes, you will shed some tears. But things will get better (eventually) and when they do, you will be that much more thankful. Times like this remind me so much of our struggle with infertility! While we tried to conceive for 2 years, deep down inside I knew it would eventually happen, but the waiting sure did stink! I pleaded to the Lord and cried out to Him for strength. It was the hardest thing I had ever gone through. But the Lord was faithful! He heard my cries and He blessed us with our sweet little peanut. The same was true with my horrible morning sickness during pregnancy and my extremely painful labor. And it's still true today! God is always faithful! He will always bring you out of the darkness and show you His mercy! But sometimes we have to endure the tough times to get there. And when we do, the good times are that much sweeter!

So press on. Don't get completely obsessed with the "little" things that go wrong every day. Focus on the good times and the many blessings in your life. And know that God will be faithful and will bring you brighter days!

That's my sermon for the day! ;-) I needed to hear that more than anyone!

6 Months

2010-09-11T22:12:00.002-04:00

Little Peanut,

Today is your half birthday! Are you kidding me? How can you possibly be 6 months old already? Your 6th month has been filled with ups and downs....mostly ups! You are full of life and such a happy girl! You are getting so mobile and want nothing more than to be able to move. You lay on your tummy and kick your hands and feet in hopes of being able to propel yourself across the room....soon my little peanut, soon! Your personality is starting to shine through and you are a ham! ;-) You LOVE being around people (such a social butterfly) and love attention! You have even started smiling every time the camera is pointed in your face (which is a lot!)...future model? We are so in love with you and can't even remember life before you...who wants to?!

You weigh 18 lbs. 5 oz. and are 26.5 inches tall! SO big!!
Still no teeth or really any signs of teeth...but you do drool like crazy and put everything in your mouth!
You love to ride in the front of the shopping cart, sitting up like a big girl.
You sat in a highchair at a restaurant for the first time the other night. You loved it!
You still love bath time and now sit up in the tub instead of laying down. You love being able to play with your toys, but mostly you just love the water.
You haven't said very many consonant sounds yet, but you do like to "talk". Lots of "oohs" and "ahhs" and high-pitched screams (thankfully they are very soft though).
Everything you see, you pick up and put in your mouth...everything!
You are ticklish under your arms and giggle all the time now. Sometimes I can just look at you and you crack up! :-)
You sit up all by yourself and never fall over....well, unless you get really curious and try to turn all the way around to see something behind you ;-)
You roll all over the place now and can spin yourself around in any direction you wish. But you also still love to "fly" on your tummy (arms and legs up in the air, kicking away).
You know your name and turn towards us when we call you
You love everyone! So far, you have no signs of separation anxiety and are more than willing to share your beautiful smile with everyone you see.
You are nursing 4 times per day (8am, 12pm, 4pm, 7:30pm) and eating solids 3 times per day (8am, 12pm, 4pm). You were eating all kinds of foods, but then had a horrible case of constipation, so we stopped all solids for a few days. Then we started again, but very slowly. All you are eating now is pears, carrots, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes. But so far, you love everything we give you! You are now even faster at nursing (only 5 minutes per side!)
We have been working on highchair manners a lot this month. I am teaching you a few words in sign language ("please", "all done", "more" and "thank you") and teaching you how to keep your hands on the tray while I feed you. So far you have done GREAT with that and we have avoided messes at meal time, so far.
You are wearing size 3 diapers now.
You wear 6 month (3-6 months) clothes now and some 9 month (6-9 months) clothes fit you too. I have finally packed away all your 3 month stuff!
Your sleeping is getting so much better (although you still have your bad days - and nights). Most of the time you are sleeping through the night (10-12 hours) and napping 3 times per day. Bedtime is still a struggle most nights, but there are those occasional nights where you fall right to sleep without a peep (like tonight!) Your schedule right now looks like this:

8am - Wake, eat (nurse and solids), play
9 or 10am - Nap
10 or 11am - Wake, play
12pm - Eat (nurse and solids), play
1pm - Nap
3pm - Wake, play
4pm - Eat, play
5pm - Nap
6pm - Wake, family dinner time, play
7pm - Bedtime routine (bath, pjs, nurse, bible, prayers)
8pm - In bed

Today also marks 6 months of nursing for us. From the beginning it was always my goal to try to nurse you for at least 6 months. And here we are, going strong! I have no plans on stopping anytime soon.

It's amazing how fast time flies...it's already been half a year! Before we know it you will be walking and talking! Oh my! There are so many things that I don't want to forget about how you are at this exact moment. You are just so precious! I don't want to forget the sound of your sweet giggle, the noises you make while nursing, how you get so talkative right before bedtime, and how every time I go in to get you out of bed, you have the biggest smile on your face!

We love you so much little peanut! More than you'll ever know!

My Poor, Stopped Up Peanut

2010-08-23T14:16:00.000-04:00

Get ready from a TMI post about baby bowel movements....

Sweet Hannah is severely constipated! She hasn't had a "normal" bowel movement in almost a week. Yesterday it got really bad! Each time she would try to poo, she screamed in pain! It was heart-breaking to see me little peanut in so much pain. I cried each time she did. I did things I never thought I would do....stuck a suppository in her booty, scraped poo out with my fingers in hopes of assisting her, used a thermometer with petroleum jelly on the tip to try to stimulate the poo reflex....UGH! It was a very emotional day for Hannah and for me.

I am not exactly sure what caused the constipation, but I have a feeling it was the bananas I introduced into her diet a few days ago. In an effort to get her back on track in the poo department, we have stopped all solids for the time being and are back to nursing only. I suspect that she is hungry, as she has cried for each nap today (which isn't normal lately), but I have seen some improvement overall. She has had 3 bowel movements today, with the latest one being almost back to normal and only slightly uncomfortable for Hannah. YEAH!! Hopefully she will be back to normal real soon and then we can go back to re-introducing solids....very slowly! I am going to essentially start from scratch with the solids and stick to one food for several days before introducing another. That way I can very closely monitor how her digestive system handles each food. I think we will start with avocado (again). She seemed to like that when she ate it a few weeks ago and I have read that it is easily digestible....exactly what we need right now!

Wordless Wednesday: Family

2010-08-18T09:28:00.009-04:00

I have the best family ever! This is a picture of my cousins (on my dad's side). They are like sisters and I love them so much! Unfortunately this picture is from April 2009 and the last time I saw most of them was Sept. 2009...too long!! :-(

New Schedule

2010-08-16T10:01:00.000-04:00

After LOTS of thinking, planning and praying, we have a new schedule for Hannah. The last 2 months have been exhausting and filled with many tears (for Hannah and me). I just couldn't decide what to do in order to "fix" her sleep problems. We tried all different things and nothing worked. Finally, after much hesitation on my part, we decided it was time to give Babywise a try. I have read the first book in the series (and am working on the second right now) and really love the idea of BW, but I was so hesitant to start it. The main reason was because of how much trial and error it takes in the beginning to determine baby's "optimal waketime". I just didn't think I could figure that out on my own. I am VERY type-A and like things to be laid out for me, in black and white. With BW I have to do a lot of discerning on my part and that makes me a bit anxious. But after consulting a Babywise website that I LOVE (http://www.babywisemom.com/), I found a general schedule that I could start with and tweak as needed. So on Friday morning, we jumped right in! Here is what our new "ideal" schedule looks like....

8am - Wake Hannah (if she isn't already awake), nurse, feed solids, change diaper, independent playtime (right now she is in her pack n' play with toys for 12 minutes...more on that in another post)
9am - Short story, song, and put down for a nap (1-2 hours, depending on what we are doing that day)
10 or 11am - Wake Hannah, playtime and/or errands
12pm - Nurse, Feed solids, playtime
1pm - Story, Song, Put down for a nap (2 hours, hopefully!)
3pm - Wake Hannah, playtime
4pm - Nurse, Feed Solids, Playtime (I try to do independent playtime again, but not always)
5pm - Story, Song, Put down for a short nap (1 hour at the most)
6pm - Wake Hannah, playtime
7:30pm - Bedtime routine (bath, pjs, nurse, bible story, prayers, bed)
8pm - In bed (this is where the crying begins....she HATES going to bed!)

Things are definitely not perfect and we are still working out the kinks, but I do think that this schedule will work well for Hannah. I am happy that her first two feedings line up with breakfast and lunch and eventually will work on moving her 3rd feeding back a bit to make it line up with dinner time. Then, eventually we will drop that last nursing and be down to just 3 meals a day. For naps, she is taking 3 for now, but will soon drop that third cat nap and just do a morning nap and an afternoon nap. Then at 1 year we will move to just one nap (an afternoon one).

Today is 4 of this new schedule, so I am not judging anything yet...but there is silence in my house right now and that means a sleeping baby! ;-) There is a light at the end of this tunnel!!

Thanks so much for all the advice and encouragement the last few days. It was greatly appreciated!!!

Need Help!!

2010-08-12T13:30:00.000-04:00

Okay everyone, I need some suggestions! As you know (if you have been reading this blog for any length of time), Hannah is definitely not consistent with her schedule and/or sleeping. However, I am determined to keep trying and being the type-A person that I am, I must have a plan! ;-) Right now I am nursing Hannah 5 times in a 24 hour period (well, at least 5 scheduled times...anything else is just extra). I also feed her solids at 3 of those feedings. My goal is to drop one of her nursing sessions and be down to 4 feedings with 3 of them having solids in addition to the nursing. I also would like to try to align her feeding schedule more with a "breakfast", "lunch", and "dinner" time. I am also trying to figure out how her nap(s) will work into the schedule. So this is where I need help! Please look at our current schedule and offer any suggestions you have!!!

Somewhere between 4-6am: Hannah wakes up crying...I try giving her the paci if it is before 5am because I really don't won't to feed her that early, but sometimes that doesn't work, so I end up feeding her. My goal would be to drop this early morning feeding, if possible, but I don't know how to do that if she is the one waking up this early and won't go back to sleep. After this feeding I put her right back down and she goes back to sleep.
Somewhere between 8-10am: Hannah wakes up crying...I try to give her the paci again if it is before 8:30am, but if that won't work I get her up, but don't usually feed her til closer to 10am. This nursing session is not usually a very good one. She doesn't seem very interested. My guess is that she isn't very hungry since she got such a good feeding a few hours earlier. Ideally I would combine these two feedings somehow and have her first feeding be somewhere between 8-9am ("Breakfast"). I also feed her solids after this nursing. After this feeding we run errands, have playgroup, and don't have a schedule nap, although she does cat nap sometimes. But I really need this time to be able to get out of the house and not have to be home for a nap, that is why I have always down the afternoon nap.
Usually about 1:30pm: I feed Hannah again. This nursing session is also not very good (she is generally not nursing well anymore except in the early morning....she is so easily distracted and is fussy while nursing...I am a little worried that my supply is dropping) I feed her solids after this nursing as well. Then I put her right down for her afternoon nap (I hope for 3 hours, but lately it has only been a 2 hour nap). She usually goes down pretty well for this nap.
Somewhere between 3-5pm: Hannah wakes up from her nap (My goal has been for her nap to be from 2-5pm, but things are changing around here!). I try to put off her next feeding to closer to 5pm no matter when she wakes up from the nap. I nurse her and give her solids at 5pm.
7:30pm: Bedtime routine (bath, pjs, nursing, storytime, prayers) I nurse her again (even though she just ate a couple hours ago) and she sometimes eats well, but most of the time does not. But she is again very fussy while nursing, as if she is hungry but can't get anything out. This is a very challenging time of day for me because it can get pretty stressful. I have given her formula on occasion at this feeding and she usually will gulp it down, which then makes me worry about my supply again! :-( However, she is 17lbs right now, so I really don't think she is lacking in the food department!
8pm: In bed...this is where the fun begins. Sometimes (most of the time) she goes down okay, but then after 30-40 minutes she is awake again, crying. We try to let her cry for 10 minutes before going in the room, in hopes that she will fall back to sleep, but that usually doesn't happen. So we end up going in after 10 minutes and giving her the paci, which usually (though no always) puts her back to sleep. Then the schedule starts all over again....

HELP! Suggestions are VERY welcome!!

Thanks so much!!

5 Months Old

2010-08-11T16:52:00.000-04:00

My sweet little girl,

You are 5 months old today and what a 5 months its been! So much has changed in the last 5 months. Just today I saw a newborn baby while walking around Babies R Us (buying you a 5 month birthday toy) and I couldn't believe how big you were compared to that little newborn! I won't be able to call you my little peanut for much longer (although I'm sure I will!).

This month was filled with firsts! You are such a little person now, with quite a personality. You are VERY active and rarely sit still. Trying to change your diaper or get you dressed is quite the task these days. You are constantly wanting to roll over and scoot around. I'm sure crawling is not far off....oh boy! You have a very lively personality and you are definitely the "life of the party". You love having everyone's attention and are so happy when someone is holding you or playing with you. But being alone is another story. You are a social butterfly! :-)

Here's what you're up to these days:

We weighed and measured you at home today and you weigh 17 pounds and are 26 inches tall!!
You can roll over both ways, but you are mostly working on back to front right now (thankfully you haven't been rolling in your crib much lately)
You can sit up all by yourself for several minutes now...you rarely need me to catch you, but I still sit right next to you just in case!
You LOVE to stand up while holding onto the couch. We just tried that for the first time a couple days ago and you thought it was SOOOO fun!! :-)
You can scoot all around while lying on your back (and also your stomach, but you only do that in your crib...like the time I know I put you down facing one way and the next morning you were completely turned around).
You love to "fly" on your tummy (you put your arms and legs up and just kick away) I think you get frustrated though because you aren't actually going anywhere....soon enough my love!
Your sleeping is still a bit off. The last couple days have been better, but still not great. You still have trouble after we put you to bed at 8pm. You often wake up 30-45 minutes later, crying. It has been hard to get you back to sleep at that point. I used to feed you again, but have now decided that you really aren't hungry (you just ate at 7:30pm) so we have resorted to letting your cry it out for 10 minutes at a time....NOT fun!!! I definitely shed a lot of tears myself. :-(
Waking you up from a nap or in the morning is one of my favorite moments with you. You are all smiles!! I LOVE that you are waking up happy now....precious!
You are eating several different things these days - applesauce (which you seem to like), peaches (still not sure about those), oatmeal cereal (you seem to like it), rice cereal (yum!), and today you tried avocado for the first time (you seemed to like that too!) You are also getting really good at drinking water from a sippy cup. I also let you practice taking sips from a 'real' cup and you do pretty well!
Nursing is still going well, but you are getting REALLY quick (5-7 minutes per side) and you are very easily distracted when you eat.
You love bath time and you have so much fun kicking your feet and splashing water everywhere!
You are so good with your hands! You can transfer a toy from one hand to the other with no trouble and you reach for toys that you want and grab things so easily. The other day at the grocery store, I gave you a green bean and you held onto it for a long time! I finally had to take it away from you when you decided it would be fun to try to eat the green bean whole. You also love to grab things you aren't supposed to...mommy's food, earrings, hair, dirty diapers....
You love our doggie, Bubbles! You love when she walks by and you try to reach out and grab her. She's not a huge fan, but I think she will really start loving you when you are a little older and start feeding her scraps from the dinner table. :-)
You LOVE getting undressed! You smile and giggle and think it is just the most fun you have ever had! ;-)
You are wearing size 3 diapers now! Although you can still fit into size 2's, but they are getting snug!
You are wearing almost all 3-6 month clothes (6 months in most stores). But there are still a few 0-3 (3 month) things you can wear and that I squeeze you into!
You put everything in your mouth and love to blow raspberries! Mommy loves when you do that....just not when you're eating! ;-)
We still aren't sure if you are teething or not...lots of drool, chewing on your fingers and sucking on your bottom lip...but no redness of inflammed gums, so maybe not?? But if your sleep is this crazy before teething, I don't even want to think about what it's going to be like when those suckers start popping up! UGH!
You love to be carried on my hip. You are such a big girl now and definitely don't like being held like a "baby"
You schedule these days looks like this:

5 or 6am (I am hoping this gets later soon!) - You wake me up, I nurse you and change you and put you right back to bed
9 or 10am - You wake me up, I feed you (nursing and solids) and change you and then we play!
1:30pm - Feed you (nursing and solids), change you and then put you down for a nap (2-4 or 5pm)
5pm - Feed you (nursing and solids), change you and then we play some more!
7pm - Bedtime routine (bath every other night, pjs, diaper change, nurse, bible story, prayers) and you are in bed by 8pm
The rest of the night is "unscheduled" and sometimes chaotic. I try not to feed you again (although sometimes that's all that works) and we let you do some crying on and off until you fall asleep. But there have been two nights in the last week or so that you actually slept through the night!!! PROGRESS! :-)

It is such a joy to watch you grow and I am so thankful that I get to stay home with you everyday and witness all these changes. Your Daddy and I love you more than words can say!

Wordless Wednesday: Sunset

2010-08-11T10:10:00.002-04:00

Happy 6th Anniversary!

2010-08-07T09:23:00.044-04:00

Today is our 6th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe that it's been 6 years since our wedding day! 6 years ago today, I walked down the aisle and made the best decision of my life. I married my best friend! I didn't know what love was until I met Brian and I didn't know someone could love me so unconditionally. He loved me for me! I knew he was going to be my husband from the very beginning....he was perfect! As the saying goes, "Opposites attract", but I think we prove that wrong. We are so very similar it's scary. Yes, we have our differences, but overall our personalities are very much alike. We are both indecisive, fairly laid back and like things a certain way. As a result of being so similar, we rarely (if ever) argue or fight. And if we do, it only lasts for a couple minutes before we both forget all about it. I honestly can't tell you about any significant arguments we have had because there haven't been any. We truly compliment each other perfectly.

Brian,

You are the most amazing husband, father, and friend. You are the hardest working man I know and I am so thankful to be able to call you mine. You are smart, funny, amazingly attractive, hardworking, an incredible provider, supportive, selfless, understanding, my rock, an awesome daddy, and so much more. Hannah and I are very lucky to have you in our lives! I will never forget the day I walked down the aisle and saw your face. You were so overwhelmed with love and emotion that you couldn't stand still. Tears flowed down your cheeks and I knew that I was the luckiest girl in the world. You were mine! I could hardly believe it. How did I deserve such an amazing man? The last 6 years have flown by and you have continued to amaze me. You have been my rock and support through our trial with infertility and then through a rough pregnancy and an even rougher labor and delivery. Then when Hannah was born, you sobbed. I saw the love you had for her and my love for you grew more. I knew you would be the most amazing father, and you haven't proven me wrong. You changed every single diaper in the hospital and were amazing during the first few weeks of Hannah's life. I don't know what I would have done without you. You are my best friend and I love you more than words can say. Thank you for being who you are and for loving me for who I am.

I love you baby!

**The pictures above are not from our wedding day, but are from a 'Trash the Dress' photo shoot we did 4 years later (in 2008) with our amazing photographer friends, James and Lindsay Christerson at http://www.adfotos.net/**

Daddy and His Daughter

2010-08-05T09:42:00.000-04:00

I love how much Brian loves his little girl! It melts my heart to see them together. I thought I would put together a few of my favorite photos of the two of them. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday: Picnic

2010-08-04T08:38:00.000-04:00

This picture is from March 2009...before I was even pregnant with Hannah. We had a picnic at a local park. Weren't we just so cute! :-)

Vote for Hannah!

2010-08-03T20:41:00.002-04:00

Please take just one minute to vote for Hannah in the Gerber Photo Contest.

http://www.gerber.com/photo/?entryid=68761&/#/detail/

You can vote once per day, per computer until August 31st.

Hannah says "Thank you!"

Rite Aid Diaper Deal

2010-08-03T14:22:00.000-04:00

I thought I would share with you a great deal on diapers going on at Rite Aid this week. If you aren't familiar with Rite Aid, let me tell you a little bit about their two rewards programs. They have a new program called +Up Rewards. This is a card you get at the store and you scan it each time you shop there (just like CVS or Kroger). The card gives you "money" for your next shopping trip, on certain items. These are coupons that print at the bottom of your receipt that you can use on your next purchase (just like CVS Extra Care Bucks). Rite Aid also has another reward program called Single Check Rebates. This is something you do online. After each shopping trip, you go to their website (https://riteaid.rebateplus.com) and enter your receipt information and then at the end of the month you have to go back to the site and request your check for that month. (You can only request your check one time per month, so make sure you have entered all your receipts for that month!) This online rebate takes a little more "work", but is essentially free money. I get a check in the mail every month from Rite Aid for at least $5, but sometimes up to $20 (depending on that month's deals). This is a regular check that you can deposit or cash at your bank.

So, here is the diaper deal going on at Rite Aid this week...

Buy 1 pack of Pampers Diapers at $8.99

- You will get back $2 of +Up Reward "money" for your next shopping trip at Rite Aid
- When you enter your receipt online, you will earn $2 more that you can have sent to you at the end of the month
- If you got the Sunday Paper this past weekend (August 1st), there was also a $1.50 coupon for Pampers in the P&G Coupon flyer that you can use
- Also in the same coupon flyer was a coupon for a free pack of Pampers wipes when you buy a pack of Pampers diapers that you can use
- So, you can get a pack of Pampers diapers and a box of Pampers wipes for $3.49!! That's a great deal!!!

Even if you don't have the two coupons from the Sunday paper, it's still a good deal!

If you have any questions, let me know!!

Solids & Sippy Cups

2010-08-02T15:23:00.000-04:00

Hannah has started eating rice cereal on a more regular basis. We started her at 3 months, but then stopped after a week or so because she started not sleeping well. We thought the cereal might be causing her troubles. Then at 4 months, we started again. She was definitely ready! So far she has had rice cereal, baby food apples, all natural applesauce, and peaches. It is fun to let her try new things, but for now it is mainly just for practice. She is definitely still getting all her nutrients from breast milk. She only eats a couple tablespoons each day (if that), but we are trying to increase that slowly.

We also gave her a sippy cup of water for the first time. She wasn't quite sure what to do with it, but after a few days she is starting to get the hang of things. I only put a small amount of water in her sippy cup each day (1-2 oz total) and only give it to her after she eats (nursing and rice cereal). It's not that she needs the fluids, it's just for the practice. Most of the water ends up running down her chin and around her neck. But at least it's just water, so it's not to messy!

While it's fun to watch Hannah try new things, I am definitely a little sad to see my little peanut grow up. Didn't we just bring her home from the hospital?

Wordless Wednesday: Let it Snow

2010-07-28T09:50:00.000-04:00

Obviously this is not a recent picture, since it is July and we live in the south, but I thought it was worthy of sharing. Living in Atlanta means that we don't get very much snow, but when we do, it is fun! This picture was taken in March 2009. We had a TON of snow that day (for the south!) and the same thing happened again in 2010. A little snow would feel good right about now. :-)

Library Storytime

2010-07-26T10:04:00.008-04:00

Hannah went to her first Library story time at the local public library on July 12. We decided to go last minute, so we were both not exactly "ready". I hadn't showered yet for the day and Hannah was still in the onesie that she wore to sleep in the night before. (I'm not lying when I say we decided to go at the very last minute). I didn't even have any makeup on. Yikes! Hannah really liked the class, but the best part was meeting new friends! We met two other babies and their moms and are now in their playgroup! I am so glad that we decided to stop by that day (despite our dirtiness!).

Siesta Key

2010-07-25T09:49:00.027-04:00

I realized I never wrote about our trip to FL. We spent a full week (July 3-10) in a condo on Siesta Key. It was so relaxing and beautiful! We decided to fly, to avoid the 10 hour car trip with a 4 month old and I am so glad we did. The flight was relatively uneventful, although Hannah did have a minor meltdown on the flight over. But as soon as the engines came on, she was passed out.

Hannah got to meet her great-grandparents (Brian's mom's parents) and they loved her and she loved them!

Hannah was not a huge beach fan, but it was really hot, so I don't blame her! She is just too little still. I have a feeling that she will love it once she can sit up and play in the sand!

The fourth of July took on a whole new meaning...instead of really being able to enjoy the fireworks (we had the most amazing view from the balcony of our condo!) I was worried about Hannah waking up. But thankfully the condo came equipped with a very loud box fan, which we put on full blast to block out the noise!

Overall, it was a great trip and we really enjoyed spending time with Brian's family! Here are a few more pics from our trip....

Our Playroom

2010-07-24T08:58:00.001-04:00

I am so excited about the playroom we are creating for Hannah. It has been a work in progress for a couple months now, but it is finally starting to come together! YEAH! I still don't know how to decorate the room, but I have figured out the layout and the furniture we need. We already have a couch and a chair in the room (these used to be in our family room) and the pack n' play is in there. Other than that, we needed a lot of book storage. Since I used to teach second grade, I have a ton of children's book (we are talking a couple thousand!), so we needed some bookshelves. I really loved the shelves at Pottery Barn Kids, but the ones I liked were $200 a piece....and we needed at least 2. So I went on the hunt for good quality shelves at a decent price. Thanks to some friends on Facebook, I found some at Target that are very nice! And the price was amazing...just $60 each. At that price, I could order 3 for less than one of the PBKids ones....so I did! I spent a couple hours on Tuesday putting the shelves together (wow there were a lot of screws!) and am very impressed with how solids they are!

Since I didn't get the PBKids shelves, I decided to get the baskets from there (they were on sale and so cute!) I spent Wednesday putting those together (very easy) and filling them with toys. I love the way they look on the shelves.

The top shelves will hold books and the baskets will have toys in them. Yeah for storage that is practical and cute! But now I need help with the rest of the room! Unfortunately the couch in the playroom is read (doesn't really match my pink and green baskets), but the chair is a very neutral khaki. You can see the wall color in this picture (also a neutral khaki). The other thing I want to get for the room (eventually) is a small table and chairs. I have been looking on a great website (www.eplayfurniture.com) and have a few in mind, but nothing picked out yet. I like the look of the espresso table and chairs to match the shelves. But I desperately need help with the decorating of the walls and the rest of the room. I am so bad at that! I barely have any pictures hanging on our walls in the entire house and we have lived here for over 3 years! I need help!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! :-)

Great Customer Service

2010-07-23T08:46:00.016-04:00

I love my Keurig Coffee Maker and I love their customer service department! I woke up on Tuesday in desperate need of some coffee. I don't drink much coffee normally, but when I do, it is because I need it! If you read my post yesterday, you understand why I have been in need of coffee lately. Well, I turned on my Keurig machine to make a strong cup of coffee and to my dismay, it wouldn't brew. I tried everything I could and then called customer service for some assistance. They had me try a couple different things (maybe a total of 10 minutes of trouble shooting) and when nothing worked, they told me they would ship me a brand new one! Just like that. No discussion, no begging, just a new machine. We were given our machine as a gift about a month after Hannah was born, so it's only 3 months old, but I don't have a receipt or the box it came in or anything. But they didn't even ask for that information. The only thing I have to do is mail them the k-cup insert from my old machine in a padded envelope within 30 days of recieving my new machine. This is all the proof they need that I owned the machine. And to pay me back for the inconvienance and cost of shipping them the k-cup (it's a small part) they are also shipping me two free boxes of k-cups of my choice (I chose hot cocoa and a variety pack). While I am not happy that my machine broke, I cannot say one bad thing about the company! Why can't all company's be so wonderful? I can't wait to get my new machine and coffee in the mail!!

Sleep...or lack there of!

2010-07-22T20:37:00.000-04:00

Oh sleep, where art thou? Hannah's sleeping habits have taken a nose dive over the last 2 months or so. I realize now just how lucky we were to have such a great sleeper for the first 3 months. Hannah slept through the night (7 hours) at 5 days old and never looked back (well a few days here and there, but nothing notable). Then at 3 months (almost to the day), she started waking up in the middle of the night. For the first week or so I treated it like a growth spurt and would feed her and she would usually go right back down. Well, when her night waking continued, I realized that it was no longer a growth spurt and most likely a habit she had formed. So we started trying a few different things....mainly giving her a pacifier before she woke herself up completely. This has worked well for the middle of the night wakings (usually just once or twice), but the latest problem is when she first goes down for the night. We are just never sure how it will go. Sometimes she falls right to sleep with barely any fussing, while other nights she screams for 45 minutes or more (with us going in and out a couple times to check on her and comfort her). Then there are the nights (most nights lately) where she wakes up after having been asleep for about an hour. Sometimes the pacifier will work during this waking as well, and sometimes it won't. Sometimes the only thing that works is another feeding (even though she just ate an hour ago). This night time inconsistency is really starting to wear me out. After letting her cry it out for over 3 months, it is just exhausting that she still doesn't get it. Doesn't she understand that we aren't going to get her up and play with her...it's bedtime!

Well, after talking to some friends and trying to figure out why she is not falling asleep well and/or waking up in the middle of the night and/or an hour after falling asleep, I decided to try something new. Our typical night time routine looks like this:
7:10pm - Bath time (every other night)
7:20pm - Pjs, massage with lotion, a few minutes of quite play in her room with mom and dad
7:45pm - Feed (lately our goal is for her to nurse on each side for at least 7 minutes, but sometimes she won't even go that long)
8pm - Story from her children's bible, prayers, and bed
I decided that since she doesn't always have a great feeding at this time, maybe my milk supply is down too much and she isn't getting enough. So tonight I decided to supplement with 2 oz. of formula after she nursed. She was a little hesitant at first, but then she ate it all. In addition to the extra food, I used the Johnson & Johnson Bedtime lotion for her massage tonight. And I gave her the prevacid her doctor had prescribed for her a while back (we hadn't give it consistently because we really don't like giving her medications....more on that in another post). So with all of those different things, I am praying that she sleeps very well tonight! So far, so good! She went down with no crying at all (a little fussing and complaining, but only for a minute and never any real crying) and has been asleep for about 20 minutes now. We'll see what happens when she hits the 1 hour mark!

Any suggestions anyone has would be HIGHLY appreciated. It is so hard to hear her cry and equally as hard to get up in the middle of the night to pop the pacifier in her mouth or feed her. It is just hard because I know she can sleep through the night (she did it for 3 months!) and I really don't want to create bad habits with her. I am really not a fan of giving her the pacifier at night (a habit I don't want to have to break down the road), but that is all we have come up with so far and it really is magic for her. The second we put it in, she plops her head right back down and falls asleep (not always, but typically).

Praying that tonight she will prove me wrong and sleep wonderfully!

Wordless Wednesday: Frank Sinatra

2010-07-21T09:45:00.000-04:00

Bless his heart, my husband is not a singer. But we sure do have some great memories of him serenading us while playing Guitar Hero! I sure do love that man! :-)

Mommy Fail...

2010-07-18T14:14:00.022-04:00

I officially win the title, worst mom ever! Let me preface this post by saying that Hannah is fine and her happy little self, but me on the other hand....not so much!

Here's what happened: On Friday I was out grocery shopping with the little peanut. I was first in Rite Aid and she was getting fussy, so I got her out of her car seat (she was in her car seat, which was in the snap-and-go stroller) and held her as I finished getting what I needed in there. As I was paying, I put her back in her seat so I could get my wallet out of my purse. I failed to buckle her in at this point....mistake #1. Then we went next door to Publix and she was a happy little camper and I was just running in for a few items. I grabbed a basket (the hand-held kind) and started on my merry way. I propped the basket on the handlebars of the stroller and started filling it up.....mistake #2. You might be able to imagine what happened next...the stroller tipped forward. I let go of the handle for one second and the weight of the basket was too much, causing the stroller to tip. Thankfully everything happened very slowly and I was literally RIGHT there, but it sure did scare Hannah and me! She didn't fall out of the car seat, but remember...she wasn't buckled in. So her head fell forward a little (not abruptly or jerky, just forward) and she bumped it on the handle of the car seat. She screamed bloody murder for what seemed like hours (in reality it was maybe 2 or 3 minutes tops) and now has a scrape on her head (no blood, just some flaking skin) to remind me of what an awful mom I am. I can't even explain to you how scared I was and how awful I felt. I grabbed her out of her seat as fast as I could and held onto her for a long time. I wanted to burst into tears right there, but thankfully the Lord gave me the strength to pull myself together and be there for Hannah. But I sure did break down once we got into the car (which by this time, Hannah was totally fine....blowing raspberries and making goo-goo noises in the back seat...securely buckled in to her seat now!)

To top everything off, on Friday afternoon Hannah had her 4 month doctor's appointment (more on that in a separate post). So you can imagine how I felt admitting to the doctor how she got the scratch on her head. Yikes! And to make it even worse, Hannah had to get a few vaccines at that visit....the poor thing!

Needless to say, I will NEVER use a basket like that for shopping again (not even sure how I will ever grocery shop with her....just too scared now!) and I will ALWAYS buckle her into her car seat, no matter what!

Welcome to motherhood.....

Tummy Time

2010-07-17T09:34:00.003-04:00

Things have changed drastically around here! Hannah is growing up so fast and I can hardly believe how much she changes every day! I was uploading new videos and got side-tracked, looking at old videos. It is amazing to see how much she has changed!

Check out this video of Hannah doing "Tummy Time" at 12 days old.....

Then look at her "Tummy Time" just 4 days ago (17 weeks old)....

What a difference a few months makes!

Bubbles is so funny!

2010-07-16T09:14:00.003-04:00

Hannah gets a kick out of our dog, Bubbles. Bubbles rarely barks, but when she does, Hannah thinks it is hilarious....priceless!

We have a screamer....

2010-07-15T21:06:00.000-04:00

Hannah can scream! And scream she does! :-) In the past few days, she has really found her voice. She screams a lot now and has also started blowing raspberries. For those that don't know what raspberries are, it is when you vibrate your lips by blowing air through them. Of course, when Hannah does it there is a lot of spit involved!

Please don't mind my horrible filming, but I have to try to tape her without her noticing. She gets camera shy the second she sees the camera.

Wordless Wednesday: Bubbles

2010-07-14T09:27:00.000-04:00

This is our 6 year old Bichon Frise, Bubbles. She is a handful, but when she barks (which isn't often) Hannah thinks it is SOOOOOO funny! So at least she's good for something. :-)

4 Months

2010-07-11T14:27:00.062-04:00

My little peanut,

You are 4 months old today! What a difference 4 months makes. You are completely different than the day you were born. You have changed so much!! Just look at how much you have grown!!

You are wearing 0-3 month and 3-6 month clothes (3 month are getting small and 6 month are a little big still)
You are wearing size 2 diapers (but not too much longer until you are in size 3)
You have really discovered your voice in the last week or so. You are cooing and squealing all the time. You make high-pitched noises and have the sweetest little voice!
You can tripod sit fairly well now. I'm sure it won't be long before you are sitting on your own.
You still loves to stand up. We don't have to give you much support either...you just hold onto our fingers and can stand up for several minutes.
You LOVE chewing on your fingers. If you don't have a paci in your mouth, you have your fingers! Maybe you are teething?? You are also drooling like crazy and making little spit bubbles all the time. I am trying to get you to blow raspberries, but you aren't interested. You just think it's funny when mommy does it! :-)
You eat every 3-4 hours (usually 3.5 or 4) throughout the day and you are still a champion nurser! I so enjoy the time we spend together nursing. It is such a special time!
You take a 3 hour nap in the afternoon (from about 2-5pm) and you sleep through the night (sometimes) from about 9pm-6am. But lately you have started waking up in the middle of the night...boo! We put you down at 7:30pm, you sleep until about 8pm, then wake up screaming?? Sometimes the paci will put you back to sleep and other times we have to rock you or just walk around with you. Then I feed you again at about 9pm and you usually go right down for the night. Then I wake you up at 6am and feed you and put you right back to sleep. You usually sleep until about 9 or 10am before you are up for the day. I sure do love those extra hours of morning sleep!!
We are starting to feed you rice cereal, again. We took a few weeks off after the first time you tried it because you started waking in the middle of the night, but since you are still doing that, we assume the cereal doesn't have anything to do with it, so we are trying again.
You love to be held! I think that is our fault...we have spoiled you a little. ;-)
Your head control is amazing! We never even have to think about it anymore. You hold it up all on your own. You can lay on your tummy and hold up your head for what seems like hours! Don't you get tired??
You LOVE your paci! We really didn't want you to be a paci baby, but what can we do? It is a magical thing. If you wake in the middle of the night or in the middle of a nap, we just pop it in and it's like a sleeping pill....works every time! :-) I'm still hoping you will figure out the whole thumb sucking thing so you can self-soothe yourself back to sleep!
You have forgotten how to roll, or at least that's how it seems. You used to roll from tummy to back like a champion, but you've stopped now! What's the deal? But you are SO close to rolling from your back to your tummy now, so at least you are trying!
You are giggling more and more every day. When I hear that giggle it melt my heart. Please giggle more!! It is the most precious sound to a mother's ears. You are starting to laugh when we tickle you now, which is so cute. And for some reason you find it hilarious to get undressed. It's just the funniest thing in the world to you. When Bubbles barks it makes you crack up too. :-)
You love your doorway jumper! You love bouncing when I turn on the music (I call it dancing, of course!)
You love playing with your toys and you can hold them in your hands and grasp them all by yourself. Of course, everything you touch goes straight to your mouth! :-)

We love you more than you can imagine. There are times that I find myself tearing up for no apparent reason, except that I love you so much. I try to cherish every day with you and want so desperately to remember you just as you are right now....but you keep changing! I tell constantly tell you that you need to stop growing up, but you just aren't listening.

Oh little peanut, how I love you!

Wordless Wednesday: Sister

2010-07-07T09:32:00.000-04:00

I love my sister-in-law! I have known her since she was in 5th grade and have had the pleasure of watching her grow up. She is now in college and I am so proud of her! Love you!

A gift!

2010-07-05T09:36:00.025-04:00

Psalm 127:3 - "Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him."

While in the thick of parenting, we often forget what a gift our children are to us. Being a parent is a tough job and being a mother is an endless and often thankless one. When our days are bombarded with laundry, dishes, poopy diapers, spit up, nursing, baby talk, paying bills, organizing everyone's social calendars, cooking dinner, ironing, and other often monotonous tasks, it is easy to forget why we are doing it all. While trying for 2 years to conceive our little peanut, I often thought of how the trial of trying would make me appreciate our miracle baby that much more. And while I have definitely found that to be true in some instances, I too get bogged down in the daily grind at times and throw all of that to the wind. What I wouldn't have given just a couple years ago to have a little one taking up my time. Now here I sit, finding myself complaining from time to time about how mundane my daily life can be. But the Lord calls my child a gift and a reward....what an awesome reminder! How true that verse is! Despite all the chaos that is motherhood and the boring and disgusting things we do on a daily basis, Hannah is a gift and such a blessing in my life.

Thank you Lord for entrusting me with such a great blessing. Guide me as I work to raise her in a godly home! Let her know you from a young age. And let all I do, day in and day out, be to glorify You!

Happy 4th!!

2010-07-04T09:44:00.000-04:00

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July!!! We are currently soaking up some sun in FL and loving every minute of it!

Enjoy the holiday weekend and I hope you have tomorrow off of work to enjoy with family and friends! If not, I will be sure to have an extra margarita for you! ;-)

I promise to post pictures of Hannah in her 4th of July outfit when we return!

Out of town....

2010-07-03T05:41:00.000-04:00

We are leaving BRIGHT and EARLY this morning for FL! We are so excited and can't wait to spend a week with family, relaxing at the beach. While I am gone, I have scheduled a few different posts for your reading pleasure. (I didn't want you to miss me too much!) :-)

I'm sure I will have lots of pictures to share when we get back....sure to be a few shots of a little girl in some 4th of July gear! :-)

Thankful

2010-07-02T09:27:00.000-04:00

I have so many things to be thankful for....we all do! Even when times are tough and our lives seem to be crumbling around us, we can choose to be thankful. The Lord has blessed us with so much. We live in a time of abundance and in a free country! All of us have a place to call home, family, friends, and even a computer to access the internet from! :-) In an effort to thank the Lord for all that He has blessed me with, I thought I would make a list of just some of things I am thankful for! This is by no means a way for me to brag about my accomplishments or the things I have, but is my attempt to brag on the Lord and what He has done in my life. I know that every good and perfect gift comes from the Lord! (James 1:17)

My salvation - Jesus paid the price for my sin and covered me with His perfection. That right there is enough to be thankful for even if you can't think of anything else!
My family - I have the most amazing family (immediate and extended). My husband is amazing! I don't even know where to start with how much I love him! He is definitely my best friend! And my little girl is our little miracle. I never knew I could love someone so much, so fast! Then there's my parents who raised me in a Godly home and taught me about Jesus from a very young age (I'm sure they were reading me bible stories while in utero!) I also have the most amazing siblings who love the Lord and are such a bright spot in my life. I so wish they all lived closer!! I have amazing aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, and grandparents too! There isn't a family better than mine...I promise! :-) But on top of all that, I have been blessed with the most amazing in-laws! My mother and father in-law are amazing! I always hear horror stories about mother-in-laws, but I have never found a negative thing to say about mine. She is awesome!! My two sister-in-laws are more like sisters to me than in-laws and I love them to pieces! Not to mention my two brother-in-laws, who are a blast too! :-) Who has it better than me?!?!
My friends - Throughout my life I have been blessed with amazing friends. Many of my closest friends growing up are still some of my closest friends today. But I have also made some of my best friends within the last 5 years that we have lived in Atlanta. It was tough moving to a city where we knew no one, but now some of our closest friends live right here.
Brian's job - I do not take lightly the fact that my husband has a wonderful job (these days many people are without one). He has been very fortunate to have a job in the finance world that has remained stable through all the chaos. We are blessed that we are able to live on his salary alone and that I am able to stay home with our little girl.
Being a stay-at-home mom - This is the job I always dreamed of doing. What a blessing to be able to stay home every day with my little peanut!
Our house - We have a safe and secure place to live and raise our daughter in. We have running water, air conditioning, heat, electricity, food, water, and a place to sleep at night. It is so easy to take these things for granted because everyone around us has them too, but not every one in every country is as blessed as we are!
Our church - When we moved to Atlanta we were overwhelmed with the vast array of churches to choose from. The Lord led us to Perimeter Church through a pastor at my home church (Riverbend Community Church) in Ormond Beach, FL. We could not feel more blessed to call Perimeter our home church. We are so thankful that Hannah will be under the preaching and teaching of that church and will be raised in a church that preaches the truth!
Health - While so many people around us are dealing with overwhelming healthy issues, the Lord has blessed me and Brian (and Hannah) with our health. We are so thankful for every day that the Lord continues to bless us and keep us healthy!

Those are just the top things that I am thankful for today....I could go on and on. It's the big things and the little things that make me feel so blessed.

Take time today to thank the Lord for His many blessings in your life!

Vacation

2010-07-01T09:24:00.000-04:00

Just typing that word makes me happy....VACATION! :-) We are leaving early Saturday morning to head down to Siesta Key for a week long vacation with Brian's family. We have rented a condo right on the beach and can hardly wait to get there! Brian's grandparents live in Sarasota, so the main point of the trip is for them to meet Hannah and for us to get to spend time with them. But we also plan on relaxing on the beach and in the pool everyday! Can't wait!!

We decided that we should fly down instead of making the 9+ hour drive with a 3.5 month old. I realize that at this age, she is probably the most portable she will be for a while, however I just can't stand the idea of her having to be cooped up in the car seat for that long. She is starting to really not like being in the car, so I can only imagine how awful it would be. What used to be a 9 hour drive would quickly turn into 10 or 11 with all the stops we would have to make....not to mention how messed up her schedule would be. So we are opting for a short plane ride (1.5 hours in the air...but of course you have to also factor in the time it will take us to get to the airport and the fact that we have to be there at least an hour early.) So I am thinking from door to door it will probably be 5 hours, tops. That's a lot better than 10 or 11 hours. Plus Hannah will not have to be in her car seat for that whole time, since she will be in our laps on the plane.

Since this will be Hannah's first flight, I am a little nervous about how things will go, but I have a plan (of course!) Our flight leaves at 8:45am. Hannah normally wakes up at 6am, eats and goes right back down til 9:30 or 10am. So instead of putting her back down, we will just feed her and get her ready for the trip to the airport. Hopefully (but probably not) she will sleep on the way to the airport and while we wait for the flight to take off. And wouldn't it be amazing if she actually slept on the plan....HAHAHAHA I highly doubt that she will sleep at all once we get her up at 6am, but one can hope. :-) I plan on nursing her during take off and during landing (even though that is not her normal feeding time) to help her ears regulate. And she will have her paci for the flight too. A couple toys and mommy and daddy to entertain her and hopefully she will be fine. Then if all goes as planned (which it rarely does), we will arrive in Sarasota at 10:30am and take a cab to our condo. Hopefully Hannah will get to take her normal afternoon nap (between 2 and 5pm) but with all the family around, I'm just not sure. The goal is to keep her schedule as normal as possible, to avoid too many melt-downs! We'll see....

Packing is definitely a challenge, but thankfully we will have a washer and dryer in the condo! So I plan on packing light and doing laundry while we are there. Our goal is to not have to check any bags (trying to save a few bucks....HATE that they charge for luggage now!), which could be tough since we are packing for 3 people for a full week.

Please share any advice or tips you have for flying with a 3 or 4 month old and any ideas for things to bring or not bring for her. I can use all the help I can get!!

Wordless Wednesday: BB

2010-06-30T09:26:00.009-04:00

BB = Before Baby

This picture was taken in 2008 while we were visiting Brian's parent for Christmas break. Oh to be that young again! ;-)

Don't You Get Bored?

2010-06-27T09:00:00.047-04:00

I have been asked this question a lot lately...."Don't you get bored being home all day?" The answer is yes and no. Being a SAHM is something I have always wanted to do. Even as a little girl I used say I wanted to be a wife and mommy when I grew up. Now that I am actually living this dream, I can say that it's not always what I dreamed of. However, it is still my dream job and I truly do love it.

Being a SAHM is a tough job! It's definitely not sitting around eating bon-bons all day. I am exhausted at the end of the day, but I find this to be the most fulfilling and rewarding career. As I said in a previous post (The Mess Can Wait), I stay at home so that I can take care of Hannah....she is my #1 priority. However, I am also in charge of so much more. It is my responsibility to keep the house clean and orderly, to prepare the meals, to do the shopping, to iron, to feed the dog, to get the mail, to do the laundry, to keep our social calendar organized, and so much more. Yes, Brian helps me in so many ways and I have been blessed with an amazing husband who actually likes to do some of those things too, but ultimately they are my responsibility.

So how do I stay sane? How do I keep this job from becoming mundane and overwhelming? Well, it's not always easy, but I try to switch it up a little, every once in a while. I agree that staying locked up in the house would drive me crazy, so I make a point to get out of the house at least once a week (usually more often). We do all kinds of things: grocery shopping, lunch dates with friends, play dates, story time at the library (haven't technically gone yet, but it's on the calendar for mid July), dinner dates with daddy, shopping trips (even if it's just to look...remember we are always trying to be thrifty!), and even just walks in the neighborhood. Getting out of the house is a priority for me. When I first had Hannah I found myself staying inside a lot! Mostly due to the fact that I was healing (physically and emotionally) and that taking a one or two week old baby anywhere is overwhelming. But it didn't take me long to realize that I couldn't survive that way. I started going stir crazy and knew that I couldn't keep up that routine.

When I think about my role as a SAHM, I often think of the Proverbs 31 woman. Who has time to get bored when you have her standard to live up to (ultimately, it is God's standard, but you know what I mean)

Proverbs 31:10-31
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. Shewatches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all." Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Being a stay at home mom is exhausting and mundane at times, but it's so rewarding. I am blessed to be able to stay home every day with my beautiful little girl and watch her grow up. Being confined to these four walls can get tiresome, but being a SAHM is not a boring job. It is full of surprises and joy! I have been called to be a mother and I take this job seriously. I strive to be like the woman spoken of in Proverbs 31 (well, maybe not the "she gets up while it is still dark" part! haha) What a lofty goal!

I am so blessed!

A Day in the Life of Me

2010-06-26T12:46:00.086-04:00

I thought it would be fun to share what a typical day looks like for me and Hannah (is that the proper English or is it Hannah and me? or Hannah and I? I never know.) Hannah is 3.5 months now, so life is just starting to get a little more exciting. She has really come alive in the last month or so.

Our day begins at 6am (well, sort of). Brian usually wakes Hannah up (unless she has already woken us) and brings her to our bedroom. After a minute of cuddling with Daddy (she won't cuddle for long because she is STARVING!) he hands her to me so I can feed her. I change her diaper, shower her with kisses, and we smile back and forth for a couple minutes. Then I put her back into her crib for her morning nap. I usually go right back to sleep as well!
We are up for the day between 9 and 10am (sometimes earlier...depends on what Hannah wants to do). If she hasn't already woken me up, I will get her by 9:30am and bring her downstairs for her next feeding. I try to wait until 10am to feed her, no matter when she wakes up. So if it's early we will play for a few minutes first. This could be anything from laying on the floor and starring at each other to sitting in the exersaucer while mommy checks e-mail...just depends on her mood. At 10am (or a little earlier) I feed Hannah again and change her diaper.
After her tummy is full, I put her in the pack n' play that we have in the playroom downstairs. I put her on her tummy and put a couple toys and a mirror in her reach. I set the timer (right now we are doing 7 minutes at a time) and leave the room. This is her "independent playtime". I try to stay out of sight and let her explore on her own. We are trying to work up to 15-20 minutes at a time, but I don't add minutes until she is able to go the allotted time without fussing or crying at all. That shows me that she is capable of more alone time, so I add another minute next time. While she is playing I usually try to wolf down a bowl of cereal or something for breakfast (7 minutes doesn't give me much time to digest, but at least it's something).
When "independent playtime" is over, we usually head back upstairs to get dressed for the day. I put Hannah in the bouncy seat in our bathroom and shower while she plays with a few toys. This is not always very relaxing though. She usually fusses the whole time and I am constantly reaching out of the shower and trying to pop the paci back into her mouth (after dripping her with so much water that she is soaked...opps!) After a very quick shower, I hop out and get dressed as fast I can before another melt-down starts. If I'm lucky I can take a minute or two to brush my hair (forget about makeup!). Then we head into Hannah's room to get her dressed. She gets her bath at night, so we just change her clothes (although I sometimes just let her stay in whatever she slept in...just depends on how dirty it is).
Once we are both dressed, we head back downstairs for some more playtime. It is usually around 11:30am at this point. We spend time in the playroom playing with different toys, looking out the window, practicing different skills (sitting up, rolling over, etc.), listening to music, bouncing in the jumper, and just hanging out. This playtime doesn't really have a time limit; Hannah decides when it's over. But it's usually at least 30 minutes or so. One or two days a week I use this morning playtime to run errands. After we get dressed, we head out to go grocery shopping or to meet a friend for lunch. I can't stay in the house all day every day...I'd go crazy!
At some point during the morning, Hannah starts to get fussy, so I try to let her take a cat nap. I don't put her in her crib for this nap, I just let her fall asleep where ever we are (in her bouncy while I'm showering, on our bed while I'm getting dressed, in the playroom while we are playing, in her car seat while we are out and about, or even in my arms.) There is no schedule with this nap (imagine that...me without a schedule!) Ultimately I'd like her to stay up during this time so that she is good and tired for her afternoon nap, but I certainly don't force her to stay awake.
Depending on what time it is after all that is done, we will sometimes go on a short walk around the neighborhood before her next feeding (which is at 1:30pm). All depends on how our morning has unfolded.
Between 1 and 2pm I feed Hannah again (I aim for 1:30pm). Right after this feeding, she goes down for her long afternoon nap (2-3 hours). This is when I do whatever it is I want to do (clean, prepare dinner, blog, check email, rest, eat lunch, finally feed Bubbles, finally take Bubbles out....opps!)
Hannah wakes up somewhere between 4:30 and 5pm. I try to push her feeding until 5:30pm, so if she wakes up before that, we play for a few minutes. I feed her and then usually put her in her exersaucer in the kitchen while I work on dinner. Then it's just the waiting game for daddy to come home from work....our favorite part of the day! :-)

So that's our day in a nutshell. I can't wait to see how this all changes as Hannah grows up. It will be fun to look back on how different things are as she gets more mobile and interactive.

Here is video of Hannah from the other morning. I just loves those laughs!! Enjoy! :-)
Click here to see the video

Are we crazy?

2010-06-25T14:45:00.000-04:00

We may have lost our minds, but we are going to attempt to go out to a "fancy" dinner tonight....with Hannah! Oh boy! We are going to try out a new steakhouse in the city with some friends and have no other option but to bring Hannah with us (kind of last minute and not sure how Hannah would do with a babysitter anyway). We made our reservation for 6:45pm so that we could try to beat the "fancier" crowd and to try to work around Hannah's bedtime (which has been 7:30pm lately, so we'll see). We are hoping that she might sleep in her carseat, but you never know!

I asked Brian if we were even allowed to bring a baby to a fancy restaurant. I mean, have you ever seen a baby in a steakhouse (and we're not talking Outback). Hmm....I wonder if they will even have a sling or highchair for her car seat. If nothing else, I'm sure we will get some weird looks. :-)

This is sure to be an adventure. Wish us luck! I will be sure to let you all now how it goes.

All About Me...A to Z

2010-06-23T09:52:00.035-04:00

A: Attached or single? Definitely attached and loving it!! We will celebrate our 6 year anniversary on Aug. 7!

B: Best friends? My husband, Brian is my best friend hands down! But I am also blessed with some great girlfriends and family members that I consider to be my best friends

C: Cake or Pie? Can I pick both?! I really like them both...just depends on my mood. But if I had one of each side by side, I guess I would pick pie (as long as it's apple, pumpkin, key lime, or something else yummy)

D: Day of choice? Saturday because Brian is here with us and we don't normally have any obligations.

E: Essential item? Jesus, my family and friends

F: Favorite color? Depends on my mood....blue I guess. But having a little girl is starting to change that.

G: Gummy bears or worms? Both...I LOVE gummies!!

H: Hometown? Born and raised in the Daytona Beach, FL area (but no longer live there)

I: Favorite indulgence? Lately it's been ice cream :-)

J: January or July? July! I definitely like summer better than winter

K: Kids? Our sweet baby girl, Hannah who is 3 months old

L: Life isn't complete without....? My family and friends!

M: Marriage date? August 7, 2004

N: Number of brothers & sisters? One of each, plus 2 brother in laws and 2 sister in laws

O: Oranges or apples? Apples...green ones. But I also love orange juice.

P: Phobias? Bugs of all kinds!! YUCK!

Q: Quotes: I'm really not a quote kind of person

R: Reason to smile? My sweet little girl makes me smile every day! She is such a blessing from the Lord.

S: Season? Fall

T: Tattoos? Nope

U: Unknown facts: See my previous post - 25 Things About Me

V: Veggie? I like most veggies but the first one that comes to mind is corn on the cob

W: Worst habit: Picking the skin around my nails

X: X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound! What an amazing day it was to see our little peanut on her first ultrasound!

Y: Your favourite food? Pasta...yum!

Z: Zinc or sunscreen? Sunscreen

3 months old....better late than never

2010-06-22T15:01:00.001-04:00

I realized today that I never wrote a 3 month post. Silly me! I will try to resist the urge of saying things like "I can hardly believe she is 3 months old already" or "Man, time flies!" But those things are certainly true! Hannah turned 3 months on June 11 (so more than a week ago). I weighed her on June 19 and she was 13 lbs. 8 oz. She is starting to fit into 6 month clothes (3-6 months) and wearing size 2 diapers (when she isn't wearing cloth). She has come alive in the past few weeks! It's amazing to see how different she is from just one month ago. She is so much more alert and active (hard to believe, since at her 1 month pediatrician visit the doctor called her "active"). Wait till the pediatrician sees her at her 4 month visit!

This is what our days look like at 3 months (well, at least an outline):

6 or 6:30am - Wake, feed, change diaper, put back to bed
9:30 or 10am - Wake, feed, change diaper, playtime with a cat nap thrown in at some point
1 or 1:30pm - Feed, change diaper, put down for afternoon nap
5 or 5:30pm - Wake, feed, change diaper, family time with a cat nap sometimes thrown in
8 or 8:30pm - Bath, feed, bedtime routine, change diaper, put down for the night

Our goal lately has been to get her to bed earlier. In the beginning we were trying to get her to stay up until 10pm, but now that she is older, it's time for an earlier bedtime. She needs the extra sleep and mommy and daddy need some time alone!

For the last week or two she has been struggling to make it through the night without waking up to eat. This has been very frustrating since she was doing so great. I'm not sure if this is a growth spurt or a result of moving her bedtime earlier (therefore moving her last feeding earlier), or something else. Last night when she woke up fussing at 12:15am, I stood at the foot of the crib watching her flail around in her sleep. She wasn't really awake, but was definitely restless. I tried everything I could think of (took off the blanket, turned off the fan, gave her a paci, rocked her, changed her diaper, etc.) but when none of that worked, I just fed her and put her back down. She fell asleep with little trouble after that and slept until 6:15am. Who knows?! I wish I could figure it out, but I keep reminding myself that this won't last forever. There may even come a day that I miss our middle of the night cuddle time. ;-)

So here's what Hannah has been up to these days:

Not rolling over like she used to. This is weird to me, but I remember reading that while a baby is learning a new skill, they often seem to forget an old one. Who knows?!
Squealing and screaming. I'm pretty sure Hannah has discovered her voice. She is a screamer! haha Especially when I'm in the shower and she can't see me. It's not necessarily a cry, just a scream for attention. Oh boy!
She still isn't laughing much, if at all. We did get a video of her laughing at Grandma the other day, which was so cute! But other than that, she hasn't laughed at all. I guess we just aren't that funny. She does squeal every once in a while and she definitely gets the laughing look on her face, but nothing comes out. ;-)
She has started eating rice cereal. We tried a little on the day after her 3 month birthday. She really seemed to like it! But since starting the cereal she has started waking up in the middle of the night. I don't know if it is just a coincidence or what, but it has made me hesitant to give her cereal every day. However, I think I might be changing my mind on that and will probably begin giving it to her more often. I gave her a little after her lunch feeding and she went right to sleep for her nap with NO crying!! Wow! Maybe it does work. :-) More to come on solids in another post.
Teething? Not really sure. Hannah has been very droolie and chewing on her hands like crazy. I didn't really think anything of it...just thought those were normal baby things to do. But as I have been reading some different things, I found out that those can be signs of teething. Hmmm...maybe? But haven't noticed anything different about her gums yet. We'll see.
She still loves bath time! If she is ever cranky, the bath always fixes it! :-)
She is starting to not like being in the car. This is hard on me because in the beginning she loved it and so did I! It was so nice to be able to get out of the house and have a happy baby. She is still happy once we arrive at our destination, but the car ride isn't always too fun. She does better when the car is moving, but when we stop at a light, forget about it!
Cloth diapers are going great. No, I don't love scraping poop off the diapers before putting them in the washing machine (and yes, I realize I don't have to do that since breastfed poop is water soluable...but I just can't throw it in without at least rinse it off!), but it is definitely worth the money savings! And she is just so cute in cloth! :-)
She can sit up with very minimal support now. We have also been practicing "tripodding" (where she sits up and uses her hands out in front of her for support) and she can do that for a few seconds all by herself. I think once she starts sitting up she will be much happier. She just wants to be able to do things for herself and gets frustrated when she can't. Life will be great in her book when she can crawl..but I'm not really looking forward to that! ;-)
She still cries every time I put her down for a nap or bedtime. We can't figure out why, but have pretty much determined that she just needs to cry to let off steam. It kills me to listen to her, but there really is no reason for her to be crying (believe me, I have spent hours trying to problem solve!) However, this afternoon when I put her down for her nap, she didn't cry at all!! It's days like this that I cherish the silence. I did give her cereal before nap time, so maybe that helped? Not sure, but you can guarantee that I will be giving her cereal before bed tonight! :-)

I'm sure there are things I am forgetting...mommy brain at it's finest. But I must say that 3 months is a fun age! All your hard work is finally starting to pay off (with lots of smiles from that little peanut) and baby really comes alive. I try to cherish every moment with my little peanut and enjoy her being so small. I want to remember her like this forever, but then I think about how tiny she was at birth and I can hardly believe it.

14 weeks old

25 Things About Me

2010-06-21T09:52:00.003-04:00

I thought it would be fun to share some random facts with everyone. Some you may already know and some may surprise you. :-) These are in no particular order and are VERY random! Enjoy!

I am a sinner, saved by grace! I love the Lord with all my heart!
I have been married for almost 6 years (in August). I have one child (Hannah) who is 3 months old.
We tried to conceive for 2 years and were successful after our second round of the fertility drug, Clomid.
I grew up in Florida (lived there for 22 years before moving to Georgia after getting married)
My husband (Brian) is my best friend! We are so alike, it is scary. We rarely fight because we are so similar and truly have nothing to fight about. We are definitely a go with the flow couple.
I will be 28 this year. (I actually just had to do the math in my head because I wasn't sure if I was 26 or 27 right now! WOW!)
I was born with a life-threatening condition called Pyloric Stenosis where the valve from my stomach to my intestines was narrowed. This meant that I wasn't receiving the nutrition that I needed and was vomitting up all of my meals. I dropped down to an unhealthy weight and required emergency surgery on Christmas Eve 1982 (at 1 month old). Thankfully there were no further complications and all I am left with is a scar across my stomach.
My favorite tv shows are: "Friends", "Bachelor/Bachelorette", "The Office", "Grey's Anatomy", "19 Kids and Counting", "King of Queens", "Modern Family", and "The Middle". But I rarely have time to watch tv these days.
I love to clean and organize! I am obsessed with organizing everything. I have even toyed with the idea of being a professional organizer.
I love being a stay at home mom and this is what I have always wanted to do. Even as a small child I always said, "I want to be a mommy when I grow up."
We love the SAW movies! Hard to believe, I know...but we have seen them all and it is our yearly tradition to see the latest in the theater (If you know us, we never see movies in the theater, so this is a special treat!)
One of my greatest pet peeves is when I see a woman driving the car with a man in the passenger seat. I don't know why this bothers me so much, but it does. I guess because in my family my dad ALWAYS drove, I just got used to that. Now seeing it any other way is just weird.
I LOVE being out and about. I also like being home some, but I get very antsy if I don't leave the house often enough.
I am a couponer. We subscribe to the Sunday paper just for the coupons. I'm addicted to www.southernsavers.com
I have recently developed a love of ice cream (following in my father's footsteps). My favorite flavor has to be chocolate peanut butter.
I hate cats. Yuck!
5 jobs I have had: secretary at a heating and air company, cashier and then office staff personnel at Publix, daycare worker, teacher, mother
I'm definitely not a morning person. I can stay up late, but hate getting up early.
I took dance lessons for a good portion of my life (12 years). I did ballett, tap, jazz, lyrical, pointe, and gymnastics. I plan on enrolling Hannah in dance classes as soon as she is old enough.
I am obsessed with keeping my toe nails very short. Brian always says I cut them too short, but I definitely don't think so. I can't stand to have any nail hanging over. The nail must be flush with the skin....does that make sense?
I shave my legs every time I shower (even in the winter).
I used to bite my nails til they bled! It was a horrible habit. I stopped when we got engaged and I wanted to show off my ring without being embarrassed of my fingers.
I love to cook but I rarely make the same meal twice. I like to experiment in the kitchen, which has resulted in some meals that had to be tossed in the trash (only 2 or 3 times). I keep thinking that once I get a good repertoire of recipes I will start making the same ones over and over....but what constitutes a good repertoire?
I rotate all of my clothes (including socks and underwear). After I wear something, it is put to the back of the closet or the bottom of the pile in the dresser so that I don't wear it again too soon and so that everything is worn equally. Obsessive? But that way I also make sure to purge my closet of things I don't wear...if it's in the front and I keep skipping over it, it's time to get rid of it! :-)
I love to travel (or did before Hannah came along). We to some amazing places in the past 6 years: London, Paris, Hawaii, Vegas, NYC, St. Lucia, all over FL, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Key West, St. Louis and more. Life sure is different now that we are parents. :-)

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T09:43:00.003-04:00

Happy first Father's Day to my hubby! I am so proud of the father you have become. Hannah is so blessed to be able to call you "Daddy". I love you!

And Happy Father's Day to my daddy! I could not have asked for a better father. I am so thankful for the example you showed me of what a Godly husband and father should be. Because of your example I was able to chose the perfect husband and father for Hannah. (I'm pretty sure you and Brian are twins!) Thank you for being such a great dad! I am so blessed! And Hannah is blessed to have you as her "PawPaw".

Journaling

2010-06-18T12:55:00.024-04:00

While purging the front room (see my previous post) I came across a box of journals. I have been journaling for as long as I can remember and still do. I found journals from as far back as 1989 (I was just 7 years old). My journals are something that I cannot purge...I LOVE looking back at them. Journaling is an outlet for me. I write in my journal about my struggles and my joys. As a child I would write almost everyday, but these days it not nearly as often. I definitely don't write daily, or even weekly...sometimes not even once a month. But I do write whenever I am struggling with something (I use my journal as a prayer journal at times too). I have even started a journal for Hannah. I am writing her letters about things she is doing and how she is growing. I hope to be able to keep up with it as she grows and when she is old enough, she can start her own.

Writing is definitely a passion of mine and I find so much peace in it. When my mind is jumbled with thoughts, it always helps to get them down on paper. Writing clears my mind and helps me focus on what's truly important. And I love looking back at past entries and seeing all that the Lord has done in my life. It also helps me remember my past (I have an AWFUL memory) and is a source of true entertainment when I am bored. :-)

Do you keep a journal? If you have children, do you encourage them to keep a journal or diary?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Remember that Sunday is Father's Day! :-)

Purge the Clutter

2010-06-17T12:23:00.059-04:00

Yesterday I spent a few hours purging and organizing boxes of teaching stuff. My mother-in-law was in town and was a great help! While Hannah was napping, we took time to go through each box and decide if I really needed the items inside. After being a teacher for 3 1/2 years, I had accumulated a lot of stuff! I can't imagine how much I would have had if I had taught any longer. I had stored all of the stuff in our front room (technically the formal living room) and recently decided that we should turn that room into Hannah's playroom. But before we can do that, we have to clear it out. My mother-in-law is a teacher, so I was hopeful that she would be able to take some of the stuff to use in her own classroom. We managed to go through every box (thanks to Hannah sleeping so well for her nap) and purged a fairly large amount of stuff. I have a large pile of stuff that I need to take to my old school to give to other teachers and we filled a large trash bag with garbage. The items that I decided to keep were things that I thought I might be able to use with Hannah someday (children's books, games, arts and crafts supplies, etc.) We are looking for bookshelves to store the children's books on (Any suggestions on where to purchase these? We want quality shelves at an affordable price!) and the remaining tubs will be put in the guest room closet(s) for now. It is still a work in progress, but it feels good to purge!

Organization is a passion of mine. I LOVE it! I have honestly thought about being a professional organizer (maybe someday). I try to keep the clutter in my home to a minimum (even hard now that I have a little one). But purging can be tough. What about the items that have sentimental value? What about the things I just might need one day? What about the stuff I want to save for my future ______ (insert kids, grandkids, etc.)? What the gift(s) someone gave me that I don't really like? It really is hard to get rid of stuff. We spend so much time and money accumulating it all....we just don't want to let it go. Even though I love to organize and clean, I don't consider myself a purging expert. I too struggle to let go sometimes. While organizing yesterday I found myself using all sorts of excuses...."But what if Hannah wants that someday?", "What if I go back to teaching someday?", "I've had that for so many years", "My ______ (insert grandma, grandpa, mom, sister, husband) gave that to me"....and on and on. The thing that helped me the most was having another person there with me to tell me that I needed to get rid of something. She put things into perspective and reminded me of my end goal (to make the front room a playroom for Hannah). For the sentimental things I reminded myself that it's not the actual item that holds the memory, but it's what is in my heart and mind. (Don't get me wrong, I did keep some of the sentimental stuff). For the things I was holding onto because I might need them one day, I thought about how long they had been sitting in this front room (almost 2 years now) and realized that I had lived that long without them, so I probably could continue to live without them.

If you have stuff sitting in closets, in your attic, in the garage, under the beds, in the cabinets or anywhere else that you haven't used in a year or more, you most likely don't need it. Yes, there some items that you don't want to or don't even need to part with, but the majority of the junk that clutters our homes is just that....junk! It's time to purge. Start out slow...one drawer or cabinet at a time. Don't get overwhelmed. But be brutal and honest with yourself....do you really need all that stuff? And don't just throw it all in the garbage, think about what you can do with it. Is there someone you can give it to? Could you sell it on Craigslist or Ebay? Could you donate it to Goodwill? Or if you left it at the end of your driveway, would it disappear?

Cleaning out the clutter will make you feel so much lighter and less stressed. It takes time and effort, but it's so worth it in the end.

Is Anyone Out There?

2010-06-16T14:12:00.000-04:00

I love reading other people's blogs and really enjoy writing my own. This blog started as a way to document my first pregnancy and has sort-of morphed into the ramblings of a first time mom. I always wonder if anyone really reads it though. I mean, I don't expect to have a large group of people following my blog, but it would be fun to know that what I am writing isn't just sitting out in "computer land" going unread. So, are you out there? Leave me a comment on here and let me know! Also, if there is anything that you would like to see me blog more or less about or if you have a topic idea, please share! I don't want to bore you! :-)

Marriage

2010-06-11T14:46:00.000-04:00

We have been married for almost 6 years now, so I am definitely not a marriage expert. But I also have 6 years under my belt and that's not nothing. ;-) I am so in love with my husband and so thankful that the Lord chose him to be mine. Our anniversary is coming up in August and I can hardly believe it's been 6 years. It seems like yesterday I was walking down the aisle. Where has the time gone?

Since having Hannah, it has been tough to find time for us. Her schedule (6, 10, 2, 6, 10) has made it tough for us to spend quality time together. Since she is up with us from 6pm to 10pm, one if us is almost always holding her and entertaining her while the other is cleaning up or trying to take a break for a few minutes. We are definitely looking forward to an earlier bed time for her so we can have some one-on-one time! I really think an early bedtime for children is crucial for a marriage. This is your time to reconnect. However, I will be sure to note that I also think it is important for mom and dad to have some one-on-one time while the children are awake too. This shows the kids that mom and dad's relationship is strong and provides a sense of security for them. Even if it's just 15 minutes on the couch talking when dad gets home from work, it's proof to the children that the marriage comes first.

Another thing that has been tough since Hannah arrived is making sure that we put our marriage first and not her. Our marriage is our top priority. Yes, Hannah is a VERY important part of our lives and we love her deeply, but our marriage must come first. Our marriage is the foundation of the rest of our family. If our marriage crumbles, so will everything else. While it is hard to keep up with the demands of a newborn, we strive to keep each other the top priority (after our relationship with the Lord). I realize this is a fairly controversial subject because so often moms make their children their #1 priority. But think about it...is that really the best thing for everyone? What happens when the children become more independent and don't rely on mom for everything? What about when they finally move out and it's just you and your husband again? If you have neglected your marriage for all those years, what will be left of it?

So tonight, make your spouse your top priority and see what happens. I know for me, I can't wait for Brian to come home! It's my favorite part of every day. :-)

More Ways to Save

2010-06-10T13:30:00.014-04:00

I am just in a saving money mood lately! :-) I thought of a few more ways that we cut corners around here, so I thought I would share. Maybe you will find something that is helpful!

I only use half a dryer sheet for each load. I find that half works just as well as a whole. Better yet, you can skip dryer sheets altogether. But I like the way they make my clothes feel and smell.
I reuse gallon ziploc bags when I can. When we open a bag of cookies I store them in a ziploc to keep them fresh. Instead of throwing it out after the cookies are gone, I reuse it for something else. Since the cookies were in their original bag still, the ziploc isn't dirty at all. I do this for as many things as I can....ziplocs are expensive and not exactly a "green" product.
I only use half of a baby wipe on small messes. I tear them in half if it's just a wet diaper and stick the other half back in the container for next time. They tear easily and half a wipe is all I need for wet diaper changes.
Brian and I rarely buy gifts for each other. Neither one of us has the love language of gift giving or receiving, so gifts just aren't a huge deal for us. We would rather have a hand written letter than an expensive gift. However, it is nice to get a surprise every once in a while. :-) But normally when we want or need something, we just buy it then.
I save scrap paper if it's blank on one side. Instead of throwing out paper that only has a little writing on it, I try to reuse the clean sides. For example, when I print a coupon it only uses the top of one sheet of paper and the rest is just blank. After cutting out the coupon, I save the rest for writing down grocery lists or other notes. This is definitely the "greener" way.
I never get my hair cut! This is not because I want to save money, it's more of a matter of laziness really. But I really only get a hair cut once a year, if that. When I do get it cut, I have it cut fairly short and then it just grows out over time. I like going from long to short and I get to donate the hair they cut every time. I also don't color my hair or highlight it because that is just so expensive and really not good for your hair. I figure as I get older and get grey hairs I will have to dye it, so why start now?!
Brian does all our lawn care himself. Granted we don't have a very pretty yard, but it is maintained and looks just fine for us. We aren't very outdoorsy people, so as long as the grass is mowed, we are fine!
Brian does our taxes himself. He actually enjoys it....one benefit of marrying a finance guy! :-)

Random Thoughts and Questions

2010-06-09T16:21:00.000-04:00

My mind is all over the place today, so I thought I would write a random post and include all of my mind's wanderings.

First of all, we are all back to normal and feeling healthy! Thank you Lord for the blessing of health. The house has finally been put back together and life has resumed as it was before.

Hannah will be 3 months old on Friday (just 2 days away!). Hard to believe, but my little peanut will no longer be a newborn. She will move on to the infant stage. 3 months brings changes to her schedule. Up until now her schedule has been the 6, 10, 2, 6, 10 feeding schedule. She has always napped between the 6am and 10am feeding and the 2pm and 6pm feeding. This schedule has worked GREAT for us! What changes at 3 months is her bedtime. Instead of keeping her up until 10pm, we will start putting her down earlier. I'm just not sure how this is going to work. Essentially the schedule stays the same, just more sleep....hmmm?! I'm just not sure how to go about doing this. Dr. Denmark (the pediatrician whose book we have followed since day 1) recommends feeding at 6pm and putting them to bed soon after. Then doing a dream feed at 10pm (where you go in and feed them and put them right back down, barely waking them up). Then after a month you drop that dream feed and they are supposed to sleep straight through til morning. Yeah right?! I just don't see that happening?! Any suggestions??

Brian's parents and sister are coming into town on Friday! YEAH!! We LOVE having family come visit. It will be especially fun because Hannah will be starting rice cereal when they are here. Let the fun begin! :-)

We had a scary night last night. Since I am trying to figure out this whole new schedule thing, I am toying around with different options. I decided to feed her a little earlier than usual last night (8:45pm) and put her down. She did great until she woke up at 10:30 crying. I should have just let her keep sleeping, but my confusion about the new schedule made me get her up to do a "dream feed" (even though she was definitely not asleep). She ate a full feeding but spit up a bunch of it after we finished. After burping her I put her back down and she fussed for a minute, but quickly found her fingers to suck on. Then I heard a loud barf sound and ran into her room to clean it up. She was choking! She has sucked in a lot of spit up through her nose and was trying to cough it out. I was frantic! I screamed for Brian and he came running up the stairs. We grabbed the suction bulb and cleaned out her nose, but she was still struggling to catch her breath and had a bright red face. It took her a few minutes to clear it all out and then she was fine. But it sure scared me! We finally put her back down (after lots of snuggles) and she fell asleep with just a little fussing and slept til morning. Ugh....what a scary night! I don't think I'm a fan of the "dream feed".

Hannah is having a very fitful nap today. She fell asleep pretty well, but then after about 45 minutes she started screaming. She did this on and off for about an hour. I kept going in to check on her and she wasn't actually awake, just fussing and crying in her sleep. I didn't know what was wrong, so I tried putting a blanket over her...maybe she's cold?? (Even though it's really hot in our house upstairs). I tried taking the blanket off..maybe she's hot?? I tried moving the fan to a better position so she wouldn't be hot. I tried feeling her diaper to see if it was really wet (she is napping in cloth...so might be?!) But I just couldn't figure it out. She finally was quite for about 30 minutes straight until she started crying again. This time she was awake (head was popping up) so I took the blanket off (again) and popped a paci in her mouth (something I really don't like to do). But now she is back down and sleeping soundly. So I guess a paci every once in a while is okay...but I definitely don't want to start a habit. Any ideas on why she might be crying in her sleep like this??

Hannah has developed a new habit. She loves to suck on her right index finger knuckle and rub the back of her head with her left hand. It's so cute. She does this when she is awake and when she's asleep. I guess it's soothing to her to rub her head? Too funny!

We are still doing Cry It Out and it's getting better (shorter crying periods) but she is still crying for almost every nap and bedtime. It's so frustrating! I thought she would have gotten it by now and no longer cry. Nope! We started officially letting her CIO on April 15th, so almost 2 months ago. Anyone else have a baby that took this long to learn to fall asleep without crying? Is she always going to cry herself to sleep? I have seen progress, but I yearn for the day that she goes down without any fussing!!

Well, Hannah is up again! The paci feel out, so time to go put it back in and pray that she will fall back asleep for another half hour or so. Naps like this are tough! :-(

The Mess Can Wait

2010-06-06T12:14:00.038-04:00

My neck is still very sore and I have been confined to the couch for most of the day. Thankfully Brian is here to help with Hannah. Brian is great with Hannah and can do most everything for her (change diapers, give her a bath, change her cloths, keep her entertained,etc.) but when it comes to the house, that's another story. When I am sick or out of commission, the house goes to pot! It is awful. There are dishes everywhere, laundry piling up, dirty carpets, dusty furniture....it's just awful! Not to mention that we haven't had a home-cooked meal in quite some time. I'm not sure if Brian doesn't see the mess or if he just doesn't care. Either way, I am stressed out seeing the house fall apart around me. When my house is in chaos I get very flustered.

But what about those women that seem to have it all together? You stop at their house unannounced and it is sparkling clean. They have several toddlers running around, but somehow manage to keep their house spotless? How on earth do they manage that? I want their secret!

I am the first to admit...I LOVE a clean house! I love how it feels to climb into a bed with fresh sheets. I love the smell of clean laundry. I love a home-cooked meal. I love that feeling of accomplishment. I pride myself in a clean home. But I also am okay with a little dirt sometimes. I have my priorities.

I am a stay-at-home mom for a reason. I stay home to take care of Hannah, not the house. Yes, keeping a clean and orderly house is part of my job, but my first priority is Hannah and her care. She will only be little for a limited amount of time. Before long she will be grown and won't need me nearly as much. I will have plenty of time to keep a well maintained home after she is grown. For now, I must cherish every moment with my baby girl and if that means leaving some dishes in the sink or sitting on a floor with a little dirt, then so be it. The mess will wait!

Money-Saving Tips

2010-06-05T10:52:00.067-04:00

A few posts back I wrote about how we strive to live frugally and to be wise with our money (Life Abundantly) I wanted to make a list of some of the money-saving strategies that we use on a daily basis around here. Not all of them will work for everyone, but maybe there is something on this list that you hadn't thought of before.

Clip coupons - These can be accumulated from so many different sources...the Sunday paper, magazines, coupon dispensers in the grocery store, and online...And even if you only have a couple every time you shop, you will at least be saving more than you were without them! And when you combine a coupon with a sale, you save that much more!
Stock up - When you find a good price on something you use often, buy a bunch of it! We do this with a lot of things (cereal, chips, snack bars, canned goods, pasta, pasta sauce, frozen veggies, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, wipes, cleaning products, etc.) The one thing we buy this way that has saved us the most money is boneless, skinless chicken breasts. We never pay more than $1.99 per pound and we freeze them. We buy several packs at a time, trim off any fat, pound them thin, wrap them in saran wrap, and store them in gallon sized ziplocs. Then I just take out how many I need and let them defrost in the fridge the night before I plan to use them. Such an easy way to save a lot of money!
Use cloth diapers - This doesn't apply if you don't have little ones at home, but I thought I would put it on this list anyway. We use cloth diapers part-time (not at night or when we travel) and save a bunch of money. Yes, there is the up-front cost of buying the diapers, but they pay for themselves in no time and can be used for multiple children. The resale value of cloth diapers is amazing as well!!
Breastfeed - Again, this doesn't apply if you don't have little ones at home. I think it goes without saying that you save a TON of money breastfeeding instead of formula feeding.
Make your own baby food - Also doesn't apply for those without children at home. It really doesn't take that much more work and the benefits and cost savings are huge. You know exactly what your child is eating and you can make large batches and freeze in smaller portions.
Buy things used - You don't always have to have brand new items. We have never purchased a "new" car and most likely never will....why would you? Baby items are also great to buy used. Other things that come to mind that are just as good second-hand are books, cds, and dvds, among other things.
Shop online - You can save a ton of money by buying things online. When you buy online you can take the time to find the best price available and there is less of a chance of impulse buying. We use sites like www.froogle.com to make sure we are getting the best price. Also, be sure to look for coupon codes before you buy anything online. Check out the website www.retailmenot.com
Sell unwanted items on Craigslist - I have actually made a good amount of money by selling our "junk" on Craigslist. There was a time when I was making a couple hundred dollars a month from my sales and getting rid of unwanted stuff we had lying around.
Stay organized - When you are organized you know what you have. That way you won't purchase something you already have but just forgot about.
Buy nice things - Yes, the initial cost is more, but you save money in the long run. If you buy furniture that is well made, it will last longer. If you buy cheap stuff, it will fall apart and you will have to replace it more often, therefore costing you more.
Buy/Eat what is in season - We always eat the fruits and veggies that are in season, therefore on sale. I plan our meals around what is in season. This way we are eating the freshest fruits and veggies and saving a lot of money!
Reuse plastic grocery bags - I try to use reusable grocery bags as much as I can, but when I do get a plastic grocery bag I always reuse it at home. I use them in small trash cans so that I don't have to buy trash bags for those cans. We also use them in Hannah's diaper bag for dirty diapers and for Brian's lunches. Another good place to keep some is in the car...you never know when you will need one! I used them as barf bags on more than one occasion while pregnant. :-(

Neck Pain

2010-06-04T16:47:00.000-04:00

Those that know me well, know that I have a recurring neck problem. It has happened every year for the past 3-4 years (I know it happened in 2007 and 2008, but I'm not sure if it happened in 2009). Every year around this time I get a horrible neck/back pain that is debilitating. It's so hard to describe, but it almost feels like my head is too heavy for my neck and there are very few positions I can hold my head in that don't hurt. In the past I have been forced to lay in bed for several days until the pain goes away. But this time I don't have that option. With a 3 month old baby in the house, I don't have the luxury of laying around all day....she needs me! So I went to the doctor this morning, in hopes that they would be able to tell me something, but nope. I am so frustrated. I feel like every time I go, they never have an answer other than..."It will go away on it's own, but here's some medicine to ease the pain." Blah, Blah, Blah. So I walked out of the office with no answers and few samples of muscle relaxers. Yippy!

Thankfully the pain seems to be subsiding today (praying that it's gone soon!!) so hopefully I will be back to normal in no time. But I may have to try out a chiropractor. Just a little scared to go to one since I have heard mixed reviews. Anyone have any experience with one? Otherwise I could try physical therapy to learn some stretches to do, but not sure if that would help either. I just want answers! Why does this same pain come back every year (right around the same time each year) without any known cause? My mind, of course starts to wander and think of the worst case scenario...."What if it's a horrible disease?" Ugh! I just have to release the worry to the Lord and know that He is in control! And pray that it goes away and never comes back!! For now, I will sit on the couch for as long as I can...or at least until Hannah wakes up. :-)

12 Weeks Old

2010-06-03T11:00:00.000-04:00

Hannah is 12 weeks old today. She is getting so big and really coming alive. I'm not sure how much she weighs exactly, but my estimate is about 13 pounds. She is such a happy baby (most of the time) and such a blessing! I love spending everyday with her and am so thankful that I have the opportunity to stay at home with her.

Her schedule is about to change a bit, now that she is closing in on 3 months. Right now her schedule looks like this:

6am - Wake, feed, put back to bed
9:30 or 10am - Wake, feed, playtime
1:20 or 2pm - Feed, put down for nap
5:30 or 6pm - Wake, feed, playtime
9:30 or 10pm - Feed, put down for the night

She does great with this schedule and is finally starting to get into a good routine. But at 3 months, Dr. Denmark suggests putting them to bed earlier and doing a "dream feed" at 10pm. She also suggests starting solids at this age. We still aren't sure if we will do this now or at 4 months, but when we do begin, it will be very slowly. We are excited for Hannah to be moving into this new stage, but also a bit sad to see our newborn baby grow up into an infant.

These days Hannah is smiling up a storm and cooing and squealing. She still hasn't laughed out loud, but she is so close! Any day now.... She hasn't rolled over from her tummy to back in a while, but I keep trying. She holds her head all by herself now and has such a strong neck and back. She loves to try to stand up and "walk" and we are practicing letting her sit up on her own too (not even close yet, but she likes to try). I wish I could stop time right now and freeze Hannah at this age. I LOVE 3 months (or close to 3 months)!! I know I will probably say that at other ages, but this is definitely my favorite so far. She is no longer a sleepy baby, but a happy, playful one! I love her so much!