Big Helper

While we were in Lima, Natalie was very excited to help feed Abby.  We even got the "I get to feed Abby" song.  The meal?  Bananas. 

However, I failed to give proper direction to Natalie prior to feeding Abby as Natalie shoveled overflowing spoonfuls of food in Abby's mouth.  Not that Abby minded, she loves bananas!  Regardless, I have to say, it was rather cute.   

I love the way Abby is looking at Natalie in this photograph!

Sippy Cup

Trying out the sippy cup...

Park Fun

I know Abby has swung in a swing at daycare, but Brent and I have yet to swing with her.  So as far as I'm concerned, this was her first time swinging.  But, this was her first time swinging in a bucket swing!  So it is an actual first.  See?  I knew I'd find a loophole!

At first, I misjudged the size of the swing... "Uh, Daddy?  Mommy?  This swing is too big!  I can't see a thing unless I turn my head my head a certain way and squish it..."  In my defense, it looked much smaller from the parking lot through my car window. 

So we moved to a better swing fit for Abby.  Abby says "Aah, much better!  I can see!"  She loved the swing.  She looks like such a big girl holding on with both hands. 

Thanks Amy Palmer for the ladybug hat!  With such fair skin and a bald head, hats are a necessity!  So far she doesn't pull them off...even when the strap gets trapped in her mouth. 

Time with Grandma

Abby and Grandma T (or Grammy Sue...those names seem to be interchangable) had a fun time together on our last trip to Lima.  Lots of giggles and snuggles. 

6 months

Happy Half Birthday to my sweet little girl!  Six months have just flown by!  Just think that Brent and I have been able to keep this baby alive AND happy for six months.  Whew! 

 

This first picture is my favorite...spit up and drool coming out of her mouth.  That seems to be a constant in our lives, so it's nice that it was captured on film for all to see.  She ALWAYS needs a bib on, however even with a bib on, I manage to get slimed one way or another.  We have even started to "double bib" as some bibs don't have the plastic underneath, so her shirt just gets soaked just as much as the bib.  Isn't that the purpose of the bib?  To protect the clothes?  So, we put a plastic lined on underneath and then a wider, more absorbant bib on top.  That seems to lengthen the time between bib changes.   

New things happening at 6 months:

• rolling over from back to belly at night - every night.  We woke up one day last week to find her on her belly in her crib. And she's been on her belly every night since then.  Soon, I think the toosh will be going up in the air while on her belly and that'll be a pose to document! 
• rolling from belly to back.  She seems to favor rolling over on her left side, so we keep encouraging both ways. 
• sitting up without support.  I feel like this skill snuck up on us!  One day she needed assistance and the next she was on her own. 
• bringing feet to her mouth.  Every time we lay her down, pop! go the feet to her mouth. 
• pulling off her socks.  Soon it'll be warm enough to not need socks, so I'll get a break from fighting that battle this summer. 
• babbling.  She's quite chatty.  All sorts of sounds! 
• raspberries.  She loves making raspberries with her bottom lip.  She'll imitate us making raspberries with her tongue too. 
• solid foods.  so far so good!  you saw the video right?
• she's inconsistent with sleeping through the night.  I feel like we celebrate one night, but the very next night she's waking up 1-2 times.  Ugh.  So obviously that's a battle we're still working through. 

First Foods

At 2 days shy of 6 months, Abby had her first taste of solid food - sweet potatoes!  We waited until she was closer to 6 months and when she was giving us those "readiness signs" to start solid food.  So far she's had sweet potatoes and bananas and loves them.  She keeps grabbing our hand to shovel it in faster. 

Happy Easter

Since our Easter was spent saying goodbye to the Davis Grandparents and traveling back to Cincinnati, we didn't get a traditional picture with the Easter Bunny.  Oh well, maybe next year.  So, to make up for it, I dressed Abby up and we had our own photo shoot Easter style (aka throw some plastic Easter eggs and voila!  It's an Easter photo shoot). 

The yellow blanket was hand knitted by Rosalie Davis - we love it!  The purple dress and hat was a gift from Lisa Lee and the pink dress was on the clearance rack at The Children's Place.  Score! 

Happy Easter!

A Spring Day

It has been unseasonably warm this spring and so we have been to be found with the windows open, bare feet and time being spent outside.  This particular day was no different.  Abby loves being outside.  Not only is it a great opportunity to feel the grass on your feet and fingers, there's something new to look at besides the interior four walls of our house. 

Abby is sitting up by herself!  Did I forget to mention that?  I feel like one day she wasn't sitting and the next day she was sitting without any assistance. 

5 months

Abigail Jean is 5 months old!  Crazy how time is flying by so quickly.  Things that have happened since last update:

• We had thought that Abby was teething since she was constantly drooling, sometimes chewing on her pacifier, not eating as much and well, it could be that time for teething.  However, after 2 rough nights of sleeping and one absolute sleepless night for everyone in the house (even Lacey was wide awake!), we took Abby to the pediatrician.  The nurse diagnosed her with a double ear infection.  I had a mixed reaction.  First I was estatic that there was medicine to cure my over tired, cranky baby, but then I was sad.  She wasn't even 5 months old and she has a double ear infection?  Isn't breastfeeding supposed to prevent these things?  What's the future to bring?  I immediatley jumped to her needing to get PE (pressure equalization) tubes at a young age.  I almost cried in the doctor's office, but quickly pulled it together - I mean it was ONLY an ear infection.  After one dose of the bubble gum medicine (amoxicillin) we could already see a change in Abby.  Since Abby didn't like sleeping on a flat surface, we were advised to have her sleep propped up.  So her bouncy chair went into her crib and that's where she slept for 3 nights until we felt it was fine for her to sleep flat on her back again.  Now we know the signs and we won't wait so long to go to the pediatrician's office! 
• Still not rolling over on purpose, but she is getting so close!  She continues to do the "torticolis turn", but won't get her hip over to complete the roll.  I guess she is content just turning and looking.  We keep encouraging her however. 
• Vocalizing up a storm!  She just coos all the time.  I've been listening for a variety of consonants and vowels (Obsessed SLP here!).  So far I've heard, "ah", "agoo", "oo" and a bunch of glottal sounds.  She will make this funny sigh/glottal sound every now and then.  It's just funny, but I imitate her and she just looks at me and smiles. 
• Breastfeeding is more challenging as she's getting distracted.  I like to play on my Kindle Fire while she's nursing, but I've learned I can't do that as easily, if at all.  Abby will constantly want to lean back and reach towards my Fire (oftentimes "clicking" on things or turning the pages in my book!). 
• She hasn't gone back to sleeping through the night yet.  I keep waiting.  In the meantime, she's waking up 1-2 times at night.  Brent and I are not afraid of the cry it out method (Brent may disagree about my willingness!), but when she cries at night, I can tell that it's not a cry that is going to settle any time soon.  So I go in to feed her.  Am I creating a monster by feeding her?  Don't know.  Perhaps.  Does she quiet down and fall back to sleep?  Yes. 
• Everything is going in her mouth.  She grasps onto a toy, finger, clothing, whatever is close and in the mouth it goes. 
• Still no solid foods yet.  We're holding off as best as we can to as close to 6 months as possible.  So far, Abby hasn't shown us the "readines" signs so we're just keeping on the path we're going.  Research has shown that holding off until 6 months  for solid foods can:
• reduce food allergies and thus allowing for an easier time when we do start solids
• allow time for digestive maturity
• have greater protection from illness
• protect baby from iron deficiency anemia
• prevent future obesity
• maintain my milk supply

Next month, Abby will be a half a year old!  Oh my! 

Irish Baby

If you're on facebook, you've seen this picture before, but if you're not, then it's new to you!  Aunt Megan/Uncle Kevin and Natalie gave this shirt (and matching socks) to Abby.  We've got to get use out of it before St. Patrick's day!