Look who's walking!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sarah - 10 Months
Events:
Thanksgiving: We hosted Thanksgiving with Ted and my families at our house this year. Both our parents and our brothers were able to come and we had a great time. I loved seeing Sarah interact with her uncles. She had so much fun. She also enjoyed eating with the family. She was so tired that day she fell asleep at 6:30 and slept through the night!
Stairs!: This past weekend we noticed that Sarah can crawl up the stairs very efficiently. She now regularly crawls the whole way up a set of stairs. I have tried to get her to crawl down the stairs, but she just likes to go up right now.
Day to Day:
Eating: Sarah definitely prefers to feed herself with her fingers. Her favorite foods these days are corn, mac & cheese and chicken nuggets.
Playing: Sarah loves pulling things out of toy boxes and baskets these days. She also likes stuffed animals. One of her favorite games is to offer you something, you take it and say thank you, then she takes it back.
Sleeping: Sarah still wakes up pretty frequently once a night. But, there were definitely some nights this past month she slept through!
Communicating: She's definitely babbling and it must make sense to her. (We often think she's saying "what" or "cat" but we're still not sure). There's lots of intonation in her voice and she looks at us like we understand her. She likes to clap her hands when she's happy too. We're teaching her "High 5" and "Kisses" and she's really picking them up fast.
Favorite thing about this age: When she's joking around and cuddles and lays her head down on my chest.
Least Favorite thing: She puts everything in her mouth! I think I pull something out of there daily.
Photo session this month was a challenge... Here are my favorites!
Thanksgiving: We hosted Thanksgiving with Ted and my families at our house this year. Both our parents and our brothers were able to come and we had a great time. I loved seeing Sarah interact with her uncles. She had so much fun. She also enjoyed eating with the family. She was so tired that day she fell asleep at 6:30 and slept through the night!
Stairs!: This past weekend we noticed that Sarah can crawl up the stairs very efficiently. She now regularly crawls the whole way up a set of stairs. I have tried to get her to crawl down the stairs, but she just likes to go up right now.
Day to Day:
Eating: Sarah definitely prefers to feed herself with her fingers. Her favorite foods these days are corn, mac & cheese and chicken nuggets.
Playing: Sarah loves pulling things out of toy boxes and baskets these days. She also likes stuffed animals. One of her favorite games is to offer you something, you take it and say thank you, then she takes it back.
Sleeping: Sarah still wakes up pretty frequently once a night. But, there were definitely some nights this past month she slept through!
Communicating: She's definitely babbling and it must make sense to her. (We often think she's saying "what" or "cat" but we're still not sure). There's lots of intonation in her voice and she looks at us like we understand her. She likes to clap her hands when she's happy too. We're teaching her "High 5" and "Kisses" and she's really picking them up fast.
Favorite thing about this age: When she's joking around and cuddles and lays her head down on my chest.
Least Favorite thing: She puts everything in her mouth! I think I pull something out of there daily.
Photo session this month was a challenge... Here are my favorites!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Hello Photoshop!
I just had to give Photoshop a try after reading this blog post from Katie Bower@BowerPowerBlog
These are the results!
These are the results!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sarah - 9 Months
Events:
VA Beach Trip: Sarah and I visited with my friends Kate and Lauren (and Anna) in Virginia Beach Oct 8-11. Despite Kate getting appendicitis and having her appendix removed, everything went well and the kids are all enjoying playing together. It's quite an adventure getting them all together, but so great getting to see such good friends.
Quack: For Halloween, Sarah dressed as a duck (although several friends thought she was a chicken -- her costume could be either I think). I got her costume at a Tot Swap sale for $4 and it was well worth it. So fun to dress her up and she liked playing in it too!
Cartoons!: Today I discovered that Sarah will sit still and cuddle when we watch a cartoon. We watched Handy Mandy before church and she sat on my lap under a blanket. It was nice to relax and not have to watch her constantly.
Day to Day:
Eating: She's very easy to feed these days, definitely interested in food and tells us when she's "all done" by waving her hands in the air. We've also been enjoying giving her some extra treats -- some Gerber finger foods as well as some chocolate candy from Halloween. She definitely likes chocolate!
Playing: Sarah is all over the place, getting into all sorts of things we never thought of child-proofing, like some low drawers in our dinning room (she squished her fingers in them when she leaned on them. Both baby gates are installed as of tonight (Hallelujah! and Ted and I are still on speaking terms)
Sleeping: Sarah is still consistently waking up in the middle of the night. We've decided that she is probably more use to being nursed in the middle of the night and that she doesn't really need it, so we're going to try some sleep training -- letting her cry\only nursing a little if she really won't go back to sleep on her own.
Communicating: She's definitely babbling and it must make sense to her. (We often think she's saying "what" or "cat" but we're still not sure). There's lots of intonation in her voice and she looks at us like we understand her. She likes to clap her hands when she's happy too. We're teaching her "High 5" and "Kisses" and she's really picking them up fast.
Growing: No new teeth this month (just 2 on the bottom) but she's definitely been teething, so we expect them to come soon. Her hair is definitely growing -- I think her hair is one of the most remarkable changes from month to month.
Favorite thing about this age: Mischievous look when she knows she's doing something wrong
Least Favorite thing: Still waking up in the middle of the night!
It's harder and harder to get her to sit still. A blog I read mentioned using a laptop with cartoons to capture the kid's attention, I will be trying that next month!
VA Beach Trip: Sarah and I visited with my friends Kate and Lauren (and Anna) in Virginia Beach Oct 8-11. Despite Kate getting appendicitis and having her appendix removed, everything went well and the kids are all enjoying playing together. It's quite an adventure getting them all together, but so great getting to see such good friends.
Quack: For Halloween, Sarah dressed as a duck (although several friends thought she was a chicken -- her costume could be either I think). I got her costume at a Tot Swap sale for $4 and it was well worth it. So fun to dress her up and she liked playing in it too!
Cartoons!: Today I discovered that Sarah will sit still and cuddle when we watch a cartoon. We watched Handy Mandy before church and she sat on my lap under a blanket. It was nice to relax and not have to watch her constantly.
Day to Day:
Eating: She's very easy to feed these days, definitely interested in food and tells us when she's "all done" by waving her hands in the air. We've also been enjoying giving her some extra treats -- some Gerber finger foods as well as some chocolate candy from Halloween. She definitely likes chocolate!
Playing: Sarah is all over the place, getting into all sorts of things we never thought of child-proofing, like some low drawers in our dinning room (she squished her fingers in them when she leaned on them. Both baby gates are installed as of tonight (Hallelujah! and Ted and I are still on speaking terms)
Sleeping: Sarah is still consistently waking up in the middle of the night. We've decided that she is probably more use to being nursed in the middle of the night and that she doesn't really need it, so we're going to try some sleep training -- letting her cry\only nursing a little if she really won't go back to sleep on her own.
Communicating: She's definitely babbling and it must make sense to her. (We often think she's saying "what" or "cat" but we're still not sure). There's lots of intonation in her voice and she looks at us like we understand her. She likes to clap her hands when she's happy too. We're teaching her "High 5" and "Kisses" and she's really picking them up fast.
Growing: No new teeth this month (just 2 on the bottom) but she's definitely been teething, so we expect them to come soon. Her hair is definitely growing -- I think her hair is one of the most remarkable changes from month to month.
Favorite thing about this age: Mischievous look when she knows she's doing something wrong
Least Favorite thing: Still waking up in the middle of the night!
It's harder and harder to get her to sit still. A blog I read mentioned using a laptop with cartoons to capture the kid's attention, I will be trying that next month!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Sarah - 8 Months
Major Accomplishments:
First Teeth!: Her 1st tooth showed up on Sept 10th (bottom left) and the other bottom one wasn't far behind.
Eating: Sarah is eating 3 meals a day of solids and gets 6 bottles\nursing. I'm still nursing in the morning and evening.
Playing: Sarah loves to play with table-like toys or just stand by an automan. She is very good at assisted standing and loves to watch all the action! Now that I'm back at work full-time, Sarah is with Grammy(Beth's mom) on Mondays and Mrs. Kristine Tues-Fri.
Communicating: We're teaching Sarah the sign language for "more" (finger tips together on both hands, and touching each other in a clapping like motion) and "All Done" (hands upright rotating quickly back and forth). I've joked that Sarah has her own signs for more and all done. She hits the tray of the high chair for "more" and she won't open her mouth when she's all done. :)
Favorite thing about this age: Belly laughs
First Teeth!: Her 1st tooth showed up on Sept 10th (bottom left) and the other bottom one wasn't far behind.
Crawling: Sarah started crawling this month! She's not too fast yet, but now the pressure is on more than ever to get those stair gates up.. :)
Understanding "Sarah" and "No": This month we realized that Sarah started reacting when we'd say her name and also when we say "No"
Day to Day:
Eating: Sarah is eating 3 meals a day of solids and gets 6 bottles\nursing. I'm still nursing in the morning and evening.
Playing: Sarah loves to play with table-like toys or just stand by an automan. She is very good at assisted standing and loves to watch all the action! Now that I'm back at work full-time, Sarah is with Grammy(Beth's mom) on Mondays and Mrs. Kristine Tues-Fri.
Sleeping: Sarah rarely wakes up in the middle of the night. She goes to sleep after very little fussing (if we start calming her 20 minutes before bed time). She sleeps 8pm - 6:30am regularly.
Communicating: We're teaching Sarah the sign language for "more" (finger tips together on both hands, and touching each other in a clapping like motion) and "All Done" (hands upright rotating quickly back and forth). I've joked that Sarah has her own signs for more and all done. She hits the tray of the high chair for "more" and she won't open her mouth when she's all done. :)
Favorite thing about this age: Belly laughs
Least Favorite thing: Child-proofing
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sarah - 7 Months
Sarah is now 7 Months old. She is doing well and really enjoyed our multi-vacation summer. We just got back from my dad's family reunion in San Diego. It was a great time, but we definitely caught a cold that is now a sinus infection and bronchitis for me. Sarah and Ted just have a cold right now.
Sarah is now sitting up very well and is even standing and holding on to things on her own. She still isn't crawling and doesn't have any teeth... but both of those things seem eminent (and have for a while!). She started babbling "ma ma" this month (about a week after "da da") but there is still no evidence she knows what she is saying. She's still going to bed around 8pm and waking about 3:30/4 but I'm hopeful that will stop soon. She's tried lots of solid foods, but she's still not completely getting the hang of it and it's a mess trying to feed her. Here are the pics from her session!
And if there was any doubt as to whether she's her father's child... let me put that to rest now... :)
Sarah is now sitting up very well and is even standing and holding on to things on her own. She still isn't crawling and doesn't have any teeth... but both of those things seem eminent (and have for a while!). She started babbling "ma ma" this month (about a week after "da da") but there is still no evidence she knows what she is saying. She's still going to bed around 8pm and waking about 3:30/4 but I'm hopeful that will stop soon. She's tried lots of solid foods, but she's still not completely getting the hang of it and it's a mess trying to feed her. Here are the pics from her session!
And if there was any doubt as to whether she's her father's child... let me put that to rest now... :)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Perspective
I saw this picture in a blog post recently and it definitely gave me some perspective. As I prepare to go back to work "fulltime", I am glad it's not really FULL time as this woman experienced.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Sarah - 6 Months
Sarah is now 6 months old! This month has been really fun. We started solid foods a couple weeks ago and Sarah is trying a new food every 3 days. She's had rice cereal, bananas, carrots, green beans, and sweet potatoes. I think she's starting to get the hang of swallowing and is really enjoying the new flavors. She's able to sit up pretty well, but still falls over a lot. We got her a Baby Einstein jumper used because she loves to jump. As you can see from the pictures, all of Sarah's original hair is gone... we cut her comb-over right after camping, so now her hair is more even. It's going to be a light brown or blonde I think!
We went on a couple trips this month. July 9-11th we went camping at Assateague Island with some friends from my Bible study. Sarah did well camping and even though the weather was less than desirable (rained most of the time!), we had a great time hanging out with friends.
Sarah and I went to Catonsville Commons Nursing home to help Kelley from church with giving the residents a bingo game. It was so fun to bring Sarah to let the residents see and play with a baby. I think this guy in the picture was only there to see Sarah because he hardly played bingo. :) It was such a good experience too because there was a blind woman there and she heard Sarah laugh. I spent some time with her at the end letting her hold Sarah and she just loved it. It was such a special time and I think will become a regular event on our schedule.
We also went to Deep Creek with Ted's family (July 24-28th). That was lots of fun too, a couple days Ted and I were able to get away while Ted's parents watched Sarah. We went jet skiing twice and it was really fun. I rode on the back while Ted drove. We also enjoyed playing pool and cards in the evening.
Here are Sarah's 6 month shots. Taken early in the morning on July 29th.
We went on a couple trips this month. July 9-11th we went camping at Assateague Island with some friends from my Bible study. Sarah did well camping and even though the weather was less than desirable (rained most of the time!), we had a great time hanging out with friends.
Sarah and I went to Catonsville Commons Nursing home to help Kelley from church with giving the residents a bingo game. It was so fun to bring Sarah to let the residents see and play with a baby. I think this guy in the picture was only there to see Sarah because he hardly played bingo. :) It was such a good experience too because there was a blind woman there and she heard Sarah laugh. I spent some time with her at the end letting her hold Sarah and she just loved it. It was such a special time and I think will become a regular event on our schedule.
We also went to Deep Creek with Ted's family (July 24-28th). That was lots of fun too, a couple days Ted and I were able to get away while Ted's parents watched Sarah. We went jet skiing twice and it was really fun. I rode on the back while Ted drove. We also enjoyed playing pool and cards in the evening.
Here are Sarah's 6 month shots. Taken early in the morning on July 29th.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sarah - 5 Months
Can you believe Sarah is 5 months old!? Time really does fly!
This month has been FANTASTIC! Mainly because Sarah has been sleeping through the night very consistently. She goes to bed at 8pm and sometimes wakes around 6am, but often sleeps till 7 or 8! She's also taking a regular nap at 1pm and mini-naps in the morning around 10am. I'm not particularly fond of "scheduling" a baby, but now that she's on a schedule, I wouldn't have it any other way and she isn't fighting it.At night, when we put her down she sometimes fusses a little bit. When this happens after about 10 minutes of crying, we say she needs the "Daddy Touch" -- which is Ted calming her down and putting her to sleep. For some reason the Daddy Touch works best. Recently she was crying and I told Ted to give her the Daddy Touch but he was caught up looking at something on the computer. I didn't nag him, but a couple minutes later, Sarah fell asleep (on her own) and Ted said, "see, she just needed the Daddy Touch"
Sarah's definitely still loosing her hair, which is sad for us. Ted calls her "baldy" sometimes, rather than "fuzz" (her old nickname). She is great at grabbing and holding toys and rolling over. She's learning to sit up and sometimes I think she'll crawl soon (she has a strong desire to get places -- I can see it in her eyes). She also likes to giggle and talk\coo at us. Sarah also started teething this month. Specifically, last Tuesday! :) She is drooling and biting everything. She likes when we just rub her gums with our fingers or put a cold teething toy in her mouth.
This month has been FANTASTIC! Mainly because Sarah has been sleeping through the night very consistently. She goes to bed at 8pm and sometimes wakes around 6am, but often sleeps till 7 or 8! She's also taking a regular nap at 1pm and mini-naps in the morning around 10am. I'm not particularly fond of "scheduling" a baby, but now that she's on a schedule, I wouldn't have it any other way and she isn't fighting it.At night, when we put her down she sometimes fusses a little bit. When this happens after about 10 minutes of crying, we say she needs the "Daddy Touch" -- which is Ted calming her down and putting her to sleep. For some reason the Daddy Touch works best. Recently she was crying and I told Ted to give her the Daddy Touch but he was caught up looking at something on the computer. I didn't nag him, but a couple minutes later, Sarah fell asleep (on her own) and Ted said, "see, she just needed the Daddy Touch"
Sarah's definitely still loosing her hair, which is sad for us. Ted calls her "baldy" sometimes, rather than "fuzz" (her old nickname). She is great at grabbing and holding toys and rolling over. She's learning to sit up and sometimes I think she'll crawl soon (she has a strong desire to get places -- I can see it in her eyes). She also likes to giggle and talk\coo at us. Sarah also started teething this month. Specifically, last Tuesday! :) She is drooling and biting everything. She likes when we just rub her gums with our fingers or put a cold teething toy in her mouth.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sarah - 4 Months
Sarah is now 4 months old. It's been a great month this past month. Lots of growing and development. Sarah is loosing some of the hair she was born with and it's growing in lighter-- more like a light brown. She's moving more in her crib and is able to roll over, although she doesn't do it a lot. She is able to hold on to rattles and understands she is getting it to make the noise. She can hold her head up pretty well, but still gets tired doing it...
Sarah's also getting better and better at sleeping, she's started going down around 8pm and still wakes up for a feedings around 11pm and 4/5am, but sleeps regularly till 7:45am.
We took these pictures on Saturday morning (the 29th) before we drove down to Virginia Beach to visit with some of my college friends. (more on that later!) It's pretty early, so the lighting isn't great, but here are Sarah's 4 month pictures!
Sarah's also getting better and better at sleeping, she's started going down around 8pm and still wakes up for a feedings around 11pm and 4/5am, but sleeps regularly till 7:45am.
We took these pictures on Saturday morning (the 29th) before we drove down to Virginia Beach to visit with some of my college friends. (more on that later!) It's pretty early, so the lighting isn't great, but here are Sarah's 4 month pictures!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Sarah - 3 Months
We're now a week into Sarah's 4th month... She turned 3 Months last Thursday... Boy am I glad to be out of that stage! I think 3 months might be my favorite age. She's cooing and smiling most of the awake times. She's rarely fussy these days and if she is, it's resolved pretty quickly by feeding her or when she poops.
I started working last week. I started with a planned 3 day\week schedule. My mom would watch her Mondays and Kristine (our neighbor with a day care program) would get her on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Kristine also has 2 other kids -- a 2 year old boy and a girl 1 week older than Sarah.
Last Thursday was her first day all together with all 3 kids and apparently, it was a little too much to bear. She called me on Monday night, realizing that having all 3, even just 2 days a week, she would not be able to provide the kind of care she wants to give. She didn't want to leave me "in the lurch" but since my schedule and my mom's schedule are relatively flexible, it worked out to have my mom watch her the rest of the week as well, just through May. By the end of May, Kristine will have some help from some college students home from the summer and once school is out, the other 2 kids will stay at home since both their mothers are teachers.
We're so grateful for Kristine, because she knows her limits and was honest with us. We're glad she's able to watch Sarah just part time, which is quite hard to find! And she's so close (walking distance!) and I can tell she has a heart for child care. She's actually being trained for foster care and will be able to provide a home for some kids in our community when there is a need.
Sarah has really grown a lot this month. Even I can see it! She's been getting some soy formula during the day, since I'm not able to pump the full amount that she wants to eat. She's doing well at going back and forth from the bottle to the boob, so we're able to continue breast feeding. I'm hoping to be able to continue for at least another 3 months, maybe longer.
She's sleeping for about 6 hours at night most nights... but she does sometimes wake up sooner than that. She's very good at just nursing and getting back to sleep, so I don't mind getting up that much. It's actually nice to get rid of the milk I am soaked in...
Her favorite toys these days are mirrors and mobiles. Part of our morning routine involves me getting her all ready, then I put her in her crib to play with her crib mirror for about 20 minutes while I get ready. She's thoroughly amused by it. Many thanks to Lauren for the suggestion of the crib mirror! She also still loves the mobiles above her crib and her swing. Her face lights up and she even puts her hands up, signaling them to rotate. We call them her "friends". as in, "Do you want to play with your friends?" "Whatcha doin' friends? Just hangin.."
Here are her pics! These were taken on April 29th before I went to work (at 6:45 am!) She's a little sleepy...
I started working last week. I started with a planned 3 day\week schedule. My mom would watch her Mondays and Kristine (our neighbor with a day care program) would get her on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Kristine also has 2 other kids -- a 2 year old boy and a girl 1 week older than Sarah.
Last Thursday was her first day all together with all 3 kids and apparently, it was a little too much to bear. She called me on Monday night, realizing that having all 3, even just 2 days a week, she would not be able to provide the kind of care she wants to give. She didn't want to leave me "in the lurch" but since my schedule and my mom's schedule are relatively flexible, it worked out to have my mom watch her the rest of the week as well, just through May. By the end of May, Kristine will have some help from some college students home from the summer and once school is out, the other 2 kids will stay at home since both their mothers are teachers.
We're so grateful for Kristine, because she knows her limits and was honest with us. We're glad she's able to watch Sarah just part time, which is quite hard to find! And she's so close (walking distance!) and I can tell she has a heart for child care. She's actually being trained for foster care and will be able to provide a home for some kids in our community when there is a need.
Sarah has really grown a lot this month. Even I can see it! She's been getting some soy formula during the day, since I'm not able to pump the full amount that she wants to eat. She's doing well at going back and forth from the bottle to the boob, so we're able to continue breast feeding. I'm hoping to be able to continue for at least another 3 months, maybe longer.
She's sleeping for about 6 hours at night most nights... but she does sometimes wake up sooner than that. She's very good at just nursing and getting back to sleep, so I don't mind getting up that much. It's actually nice to get rid of the milk I am soaked in...
Her favorite toys these days are mirrors and mobiles. Part of our morning routine involves me getting her all ready, then I put her in her crib to play with her crib mirror for about 20 minutes while I get ready. She's thoroughly amused by it. Many thanks to Lauren for the suggestion of the crib mirror! She also still loves the mobiles above her crib and her swing. Her face lights up and she even puts her hands up, signaling them to rotate. We call them her "friends". as in, "Do you want to play with your friends?" "Whatcha doin' friends? Just hangin.."
Here are her pics! These were taken on April 29th before I went to work (at 6:45 am!) She's a little sleepy...
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