Springing into the 7th Month!

What a great month and how fast it went! Someone asked me how old she was and I had to catch myself when I realized that she was only two days away from 7 months old. So this month was our first Easter and as each month passes, the switches keep flipping. All the sudden she does so much more.

She has begun catching herself when she topples over, which doesn't happen too often as she seems to have very good balance! She is suddenly more active and getting a little frustrated that she can't go with you when you leave a room, which will inspire her to crawl no doubt. She has figured out that she can roll across the living room from one side to the other to reach things or just to keep herself busy. She is really enjoying her Easter bucket where she can unload the toys and put them back in. Sometimes I fill it with water and she "catches" whatever is floating in the bucket.

We have been spending a significant amount of time outside as we have been working religiously on the yard. So I set her up in a little patch of shade with a selection of toys each day and she does different things with them every day. The bucket is a classic example. She has a little activity table that makes all kind of musical sounds and then says words if you flip the page and she just loves that! Her little eyes light right up whenever she gets it really going. She got a little bit of sunburn on her bald head so we headed out the next day to get sunblock for her. We have tried the sippy cup and it started out badly but now is going along like a champ.

She is responding to familiar faces very well and starting with a bit of shyness. She spent an evening with Uncle Scott and Aunt Beth and really had a blast. Her and Scott watched cartoons on the computer and Beth took lots of pictures! She will be easier to send off for awhile with folks as she gets more accustomed to the sippy cup. She also spent an afternoon with Grandma Nancy while her Dad and I celebrated our anniversary and everyone survived with no ill effects! She is very long and lean right now. It's been commented that she is a bit chunky but right now she has no belly to speak of, just big cheeks. I measured her at approxiamately 26.5 ". We'll see what the doctor says next month. She is wearing 9 month clothes just fine, too. We did her first headband and rabbit ears for Easter and she was a doll. Also, her first bath in the BIG DUCK tub. Pretty fun and cute!

Lastly, food. We have expanded horizons to include Tomato, Potato, Cheddar Cheese, Yogurt, Grapes, Corn, Leek, Onion, Garlic, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme and Dry Hydrangea flowers. Yes, you read it right! She tried to devour one while in my arms and succeeded in part with no ill affects.

Some new things have already transpired in this first week of her seventh month, but you'll have to stay tuned for those:) I am beginning to enjoy this Mommy thing a little more now.

Hannah's Half Birthday

March 14 was her 6 month mark. Just so hard to believe that she is already half way to a year. I sit and watch her change every day and still I feel like I haven't seen enough!

Her facial features have started changing dramatically in the last couple weeks and her jaw line is preparing for the ever anticipated TEETHING episodes to begin. She is sitting in her stroller and her high chair with no assistance and loves to hang in her Pack and Play with her musical bird. She grabs at things with high concentration and has wonderful finger dexterity.

We took her to the Columbus Home and Garden show and she was a champ for the whole 7 hours we were there! From there we went to a dinner at Dave's boss' house and still not a complaint. She is getting better at church and we even took our first trip to the library together. She really enjoyed that because they had puzzles and a huge Cat in the Hat doll that she just loved.

We went to look at some daycare operations and were scared right out of a Goddard school, which disappointed me as I know their reputation. They are, however, a franchise and this particular location smelled like a vet office, was unorganized and the staff looked and dressed unkempt. So so disappointing. Hannah smiled and reached out her hand and touched two of the other little girls and they didn't even respond....no smile, no expressions, just blank stares. So the Kindercare we went to was wonderful. Smelled clean, great staff, all the kids pretty happy, rooms clean and organized (except for the mayhem that was lunch when we got there!). That gives me some hope and perhaps now I can find a job!!! lol

We added broccoli, blueberries and plums to the food list with great success. We also tried to do some formula. She took one bottle and would have nothing to do with the second one. Hopefully we will be adding in some juice soon. All in due time. She is very social and interactive even with people she doesn't know. Our friends Becky, Scott and son Samuel stopped in last weekend and she really enjoyed the interaction with Samuel, who is 10 I believe. That Sunday we had other friends who had a three year old and a teen ager come visit and she watched carefully at all what was going on.

We are into the 6-9 month box of clothes now and are continuing to be grateful to Kathy Sutton for all the clothes she saved for us! We have been taking walks out to the pond every day, watching the dogs run (which is great entertainment) and doing plenty of dancing with our Playschool sing along CD. We even spent a little time on the blanket in the not quite dry yard yesterday.

Our 6 month check up put her at 16.4 lbs and 25 1/2 inches long. Moving along nicely! Now Mom needs to save up for some cool stuff like puzzles for our house and some board books, since all our are a little more advanced!

Five Month Foodie!

So we are tooling along through the ever so white month of February and I find myself curious if the bland whiteness will dull Hannah's love of color! Not really, but I'm tired of the white and can't wait to start showing her all the great stuff outside...other than snow:)

We had a landmark day a week and a half ago and she not only managed to get A foot in her little mouth, but BOTH feet at once! She is just chattering away to the baby in the crib mirror when she wakes from her naps, tries to lick everything and concentrates with great seriousness when she is trying to grab for something and make all little fingers work in the same direction.

Hannah is pulling at objects now to pull them either closer to her or out of someone's hand, or even off a toy bar. She is very strong. She loves to stand and is sitting very well on her own, though the weeble still wobbles and will fall down if you aren't paying attention!

So our culinary repetoire is extended to pears, apples, banana, whole grain cereal, carrots, parsnips, bok choy, turnips, sweet potatoes and peas. By the end of this week we will be adding some rutabaga in there and mango. She is a really good eater, eating about 4 ounces or better at a sitting and eats real food twice a day. Her gums are swelling up and her chews on all her fingers.

She's watching Daddy raptly and finds him much more entertaining than Mommy at the moment. He is a proud father as she held her first drumstick this weekend! (I need to find a decent job so I can purchase a piano or good keyborad for those long fingers:)) Hannah is not a consistent giggler at this point. She seems so serious. Pleasant but serious. the same thing will not make her giggle twice in a row. She smiles and has a peaceful look on her face more than big smiles and giggling all the time. I hope she gets a little happier as time wears on (of course I'll be happy with her just the way she is, too!!) .

Other than that, she is doing great and our 6 month check up is in two weeks!

Five Months Old

Hannah is Five months old this Valentines Day! She is growing like a little weed. Her hands are so ig already. She loves to put her hand up flat against mine. She enjoys watching me act like I'm directing music with my hands and singing in my "church" voice. She vibrates her lips like a little motor boat and whispers to see if anyone is listening. We are anxiously awaiting the first official word!
She reaches for her links and tests everything with her tongue. Toys, stuffed animals, live animals and people.
We have tried sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, carrots and even turnips with no opposition. She seems to be shaping up to be a good eater! I worry just that she may become constipated and don't want to have to do that suppository action.
She can roll over from her belly to her back but doesn't do it very often. She smiles at her favorite toys which happen to be a bouncy Tigger and a Meercat stuffed animal that Grandma Nancy got for her. She loves the Tony Tiger arm puppet, too.
She is sleeping through the night on a regular basis and sits for church pretty well.
At four months she was 24" (100%), 15 lbs (100%). She is doing great!

December

Here we come! Fast approaching our first Christmas together as a family. Mommy, Daddy and Hannah. My heart has ached to have a family of my own to share these special times with. I am glad that you don't know too much about what is going on. We dont have any traditions started or even thought of. Daddy has been working so hard and hunting to put meat in the freezer. Last night he got two deer and he was just so proud of himself! I wish you could have seen his face. You are getting better about sleeping through the night and I am doing better with just going with the flow of the day. I think we found a new church yesterday, too! I miss our old church in Mount Pleasant Ohio so much! You never have met anyone from there yet, except for Aunt Barb! We will be going back there to meet some folks soon. I can't wait for you to see some of them. Your little toes on you right foot look like they will not be fully developed. So you have something about you that will be a little bit different. There's nothing wrong with that! We are all different in one way or another. It is just how we handle it that makes it be a big deal or a something special about us.

Daddy and I just love you so much. Every day we watch you see new things and adjust to new things and Daddy just can't wait until you can give him a big hug all by yourself and don't cry when he holds you.

New Mom Euphoria

At the age of 39, I was fairly certain that child rearing was out of the picture for several reasons. Some reasons to include punishment for choices made in the past, others to predicitons from the medical profession stating as much and then the age and lack of husband factor.

Yet here is proof that life exists and that God truly has a sense of humor. We are a family 13 months after meeting each other. My little alien (which is what she looks like in the cool new ultrasound pictures)at 20 weeks was moving like crazy and hard to photograph! Then at 41 weeks, she arrives.....forced into the world from her comfy little nest! Picture perfect (to us of course) and ready to meet her fan club.

In her first 25 hours, she is lifting her little head, looking directly at her Mom and Dad and the nurses and holding her pacifier. We are amazed at this little human in front of us with her frowns, smiles, waves, fists and her instinct to eat as if on cue!

We are blessed by God to have been given this gift of life to protect, groom, train and send out into the world. I gaze at this little face and wonder what she will become. Who she will be.