The biggest news of the week is that we’ve found our first tooth!!  It’s reasons like this that I love writing weekly updates.  On Sunday (March 30) Dusty was playing with Annabelle and made the discovery.  It’s one of the bottom middle ones.  This means teething has begun.  I promptly got out the baby Tylenol and teething gel to help relieve some of this pain that has to be coming but we haven’t noticed any real changes in her demeanor and she doesn’t seem to bothered by this foreign object in her mouth.  I had assumed the negative effects of getting teeth started right at away but nothing yet.  All I hope is that it’s not too rough on her when it all starts. Read more information about Delaney Park Dental for oral health and hygiene.

This week Annabelle had a couple of play dates with her cousins.  It’s so much fun to watch them all together.  Emma and Mia take turns carrying her around the living room and making her laugh.  They have this game they play where one of them gets to try to make Annabelle laugh and once she does the other gets a turn.  They go back and forth like this while I’m watching from the kitchen, trying to get some dishes done.  I’m so amazed that even though Annabelle and her cousins are more than 7 years apart that they have so much fun together.

Now that she’s getting a bit older and has started getting teeth I wanted to introduce some new foods.  Annabelle ate pureed plums and zucchini this week.  As always, she did fine with both.  I think the zucchini is a little less flavorful for her and isn’t as exciting as some off the other foods.  We’ve been mixing the zucchini with other foods to make it a bit more tasty.

Evenings at home are a lot of fun.  She’s old enough now that she can play on the kitchen floor when we make dinner.  While Dusty’s cooking I’ll prepare some dinner for Annabelle and feed her.  And then I’ll give her a few baby buff snacks that she can gnaw on for a bit.  She’ll play for a bit longer and then right before or right after dinner I nurse her before going to bed.

Putting Annabelle to bed is usually a family affair.  Now that I think about it, it’s not only bedtime but anytime she needs a new diaper or a new outfit.  She’s such a wiggler and wants to be on all fours or sitting that laying down for a diaper change or to get pajamas on involves Dusty entertaining her while I carefully maneuver around and change her.  In the mornings I’ll hold her, facing Dusty and while he talks to her I’ll put her onsie on and then Dusty quickly puts pants on her.  If there’s only one of us she’s already crawled across the room with a shirt around her head, naked from the neck down.

Annabelle turned 7 months old this week!  We’re over half way to her first birthday and our first year as parents!

Annabelle surprised us a bit by starting to crawl on the day she turned 7 months old as you might have seen from the video.  When she went in for her 6 month check up the doctor had said that we shouldn’t be surprised if she doesn’t crawl right away because she does such a good job rolling but it looks like he was wrong.  For the first few days this week she looked as though she might crawl, she would get on all fours and move an arm or leg but not much after that.  We didn’t think much of it because Annabelle almost rolled over for weeks and almost sat for weeks.  I kind of had assumed she’d be “almost crawling” for a few more weeks or more.  Then over the weekend I was in the kitchen cleaning some dishes and had brought Annabelle in with some of her toys.  I noticed that if I was on the other side of the kitchen she’d start coming after me and after a closer look, she was CRAWLING!  So I promptly took out my phone and captured it on video!

We celebrated the week by trying some new foods.  I spent the weekend steaming and pureeing fruits, vegetables and even some chicken.  This week Annabelle tried peaches, blueberries and chicken and potatoes.  She loved it all!

For any new mommies making your own food, I’ll put this out there, blueberry puree is weird.  At least for me, I’m not sure if I’ll be making blueberries anytime soon.  First, they stain things.  My fingers were stained purple.  Annabelle’s mouth was purple. Everything the blueberries touched were purple. Second, blueberries need to be mixed with things because they have the consistency of syrup after being pureed. I mixed my blueberries with sweet potatoes and they still ended up having the consistency of gelatin.  I probably needed to use less berries and more sweet potatoes but I did 50/50 as my directions said.  I froze some of it and we’ll use it (Annabelle didn’t mind the consistency or that it turned her mouth blue) but we won’t be making anymore for a while.

Meat! I was a little curious about how Annabelle would like meat but we had an extra piece of chicken breast and because Annabelle is such a great eater I wanted to see how she’d do.  I heard that some kids don’t really like it and it takes a bit of time before they want to eat it but Annabelle had no problem.  She’s our little garbage disposal, eating whatever we give her.

It’s the smallest things that seem so momentous when you have a child. Annabelle is officially standing! I picked her up from daycare and one of her teacher’s mentioned that she woke up from her nap that day and stood up in her crib. It was a bit shocking because she really hasn’t tried to pull herself up or stand at home (and sad that it happened when Dusty and I weren’t around). The next morning when I went into Annabelle’s room to get her ready, there she was, standing up in her crib. And then we promptly moved her crib bed down a few notches. By the end of the week Annabelle was pulling herself up and standing whenever she could. She’s still working on her form. She uses her head a lot. She’s working on holding on tight and sitting a little more gracefully.

Standing in her crib at daycare also means she’s graduated from the crib to what we call the “futon”. It’s a tiny bed with a mattress that lays on the ground.  Our little lady is growing up!  Here’s a picture of her tiny little bed. Isn’t she adorable!

It’s crazy to think that just a few weeks ago I couldn’t wait until Annabelle could sit on her own.  She’s mastered sitting and you would have thought she had been doing it her entire life.  The same with rolling, she’s not even rolling anymore.  No need to.

This week there was another Montessori monthly meeting.  It was about math and how they introduce math concepts to the kids from an infant all the way up to age 5 or 6.  It’s amazing how much “learning” is purposefully integrated into the regular happenings of the infants’ and toddlers’ days.  The presentation asked us to think about how we learned math concepts and I seriously can’t remember.  Even at her young age, she’s learning math just by hearing the teachers and older kids (kids are up to 18 months in her room) count.  They count books, they count how many pieces of food they have left, they count the days of the month, etc.  Hearing about these learning opportunities gets me excited for Annabelle.  Now I find myself counting in front of Annabelle at home.

I loved holidays before Annabelle was here but now with a child in the house I’m truly in love with holidays. St. Patrick’s day was no exception! Annabelle got a new outfit from Grandma Jane that she looked absolutely adorable in. Everyone at daycare was a bit jealous of her green tutu pants.  There’s a parade every year that goes through the Old Market and with it being a tad warmer than it’s been, we decided to take Annabelle to see her first parade. She wasn’t all that excited for the parade, it happened to fall right at the same time as nap time so she took a few peeks and then fell asleep. Things like parades make me excited for when Annabelle gets older.  When she’ll get excited to see the green horse, the candy being thrown, the Irish dancers, men in kilts, and the fire trucks that come at the end.

Annabelle is still our little yogi! She loves downward dog. The notes that are sent home from daycare each day have talked a lot about how much she likes being on her head and how all of her teachers are amazed by all of her acrobatics. Currently it’s her way of getting around and then being able to sit. No more rolling for our little lady, she’s all about sitting and her crazy acrobatics.

Annabelle is becoming a grabber, hair grabber that is.  The other day I picked up Annabelle and watched as she pulled another kid’s hair.  I got to daycare and she was sitting by a younger friend who was laying on his stomach playing with a toy.  Annabelle placed her hand on the little boy’s head, patted it and then grabbed a bit of hair and pulled.  Poor little guy was upset and I don’t blame him.  Her teachers told me she’s done it a few times.  She’s just figuring it all out and testing out her new fangled ability to use those little pinchers of hers.

Oh my goodness, there have been so many changes in our little lady this week.  She could probably start walking and I wouldn’t be surprised.  So, Annabelle can officially sit by herself.  And not only that but by the end of the week she not only was able to sit for a substantial amount of time (and I wasn’t afraid to leave her side) but she was also able to go from sitting to laying down and then back up again.  And now it seems she wants to crawl.  The doctor told Dusty at Annabelle’s 6-month check up to not be alarmed but that she might not start crawling right away because she’s so good at rolling that she’ll just use this form of transportation for longer then she needs to.  It looks like this might not be the case.

My favorite moment this week was picking Annabelle up from daycare and finding her sitting on the floor by herself playing.  My heart melted instantaneously.  It hit me that my little girl is growing up so fast!  And she’s doing things that real human beings do! She was so happy just sitting there by herself, playing with a toy, not paying attention to a darn thing going on around her.

Each day she’s getting stronger and stronger.  It’s amazing to see how much more confident she’s become over just one week.  She does this funny little thing since she’s started sitting.  She’ll be sitting and then at some point gracefully (or not so gracefully) fall to a laying position.  Then she’ll start rolling.  And at some point she’ll put her head on the ground, butt in the air and move her feet so that she’s created a little tent with her body.  She’ll do this for what seems like forever.  I can’t figure out what she’s trying to do.  The teachers at daycare call it her gymnastics.

Annabelle loves her food.  It’s reassuring that she’s a happy little eater.  When she’s home with us during the day, she’s nursing every 2.5 to 3 hours.  When she’s at school she takes 5 oz every 3 hours.  I’m also sending pureed vegetables for lunch and 3-4 times a week we feed her pureed vegetables for dinner.  Up until this week I was just sending 1 oz of pureed food but she loves it so much that she “told” her teachers that she’d like a little more (at least this is what it said on the note that was sent home with her).  It sounds like she was getting a little jealous because her friends that she sits with at lunch were getting more food at lunch and were getting snacks too (what a bad mom not knowing that she was ready for afternoon snacks).  Starting this week I’m sending 2 oz of pureed food (usually 1 oz vegetable and 1 oz fruit) along with some baby puffs for a snack.

Our new food for the week was pureed apples (AKA applesauce).  Of course she loved it and why not, they’re delicious apples.  I was a little hesitant about making applesauce because I thought it would be too difficult but all it includes is steaming peeled and cut up apples and then pureeing them with a bit of milk or water.  So easy!

About a week ago I turned in Annabelle’s daycare re-enrollment forms for next year.  Our daycare doesn’t require Annabelle to go year-round and with me having the summer off (and us going to Paris for an extended stay again this summer) we had to decide how long we’d keep Annabelle out of daycare.  She’s staying at home for two months and then we’re sending her back in July when I start teaching a couple of summer classes.

I mention all of this because I didn’t realize all of the mixed feelings I would have about not sending her for two months.  Most of my apprehension comes from seeing how much she loves going and how much she gains from going.  I really love where she goes.  I worry that she’ll forget all of her teachers and friends.  I worry that while she’s gone she’ll stop amazing us with all off her wonderful new talents, meeting such momentous milestones so fast.  I’m anxious about being at home with her so much and making sure I make the most out of it (I want to be one of those mom’s that plans learning activities everyday but know that it’s not likely to happen).  They do things so purposefully at daycare.  And let’s be truthful, they’re much more educated about what an infant needs than I am.  Sometimes I wonder if I’d be doing some of the things I am doing right now if it weren’t for seeing them being done at daycare.  I know, I know, I’m a good parent, it’s not rocket science, there are great resources online and I can do all of those things that they do at daycare at home but it’s still scary to think about.

I’m leaving you with the picture above and below to show you what a mover and shaker our little lady is.  One moment she’s laying down, eating the shoe she’s pulled off just a moment ago and the next thing I know she’s sitting up, tossing her shoe aside and working on taking her other shoe off.

Almost two weeks ago our little lady turned six months old!  I can’t believe we’ve been parents for half of a year already!  Dusty took Annabelle to her 6-month checkup and came home with all kinds of information for me.  I had written a list of questions for the doctor about food, breast feeding, sleeping, etc. and Dusty was so great about asking all of my (somewhat crazy) questions.  Annabelle is 15 lbs, 6 oz and 27 inches long.  She’s in the 34th percentile for weight and 88th percentile for height.  In the past 2 months she’s gained 7 oz and grown 1.25 inches.  The doctor said she’s just perfect and I must agree with the man!

Our doctor told Dusty this is the best time, 6-months.  And I really have to agree.  She’s so inquisitive, expressive, and just plain fun.  She jabbers to me in the mornings while I’m changing her and smiles such big smiles when she sees her daddy.  She’s making so many developmental changes it’s hard to keep up.

She’s sitting, almost! She sits just a bit longer by herself than she did last week but I can’t, in my heart, officially say she’s sitting yet.  I dropped her off at daycare this week and some of her friends were sitting, playing with a couple of toys.  I sat her down so she was sitting near them and I just couldn’t leave her there, knowing that she would plop right down seconds after I left.  I was a little sad to lay her down on her back but know she’ll start sitting anytime now.  Her teachers say that she is sitting well enough that she sits at the small tables with her friends to eat her yummy lunch though.

This week Annabelle tried bananas.  I had bought some bananas, wanting to give something sweet to Annabelle.  Really, she’s been eating butternut squash and sweet potatoes, which are pretty darn sweet, but this was her first official fruit.  It’s so much fun to watch her eat.  The first spoon full is always the best.  She’s eager to put anything in her mouth but then she has this moment of “What did I just put in my mouth? Am I going to like it?” and then “Yes, please, more, now!”

I really enjoy making baby food for Annabelle.  I didn’t know if I would like doing it and if I would have the time but most of the time I whip some up when we’re cooking on the weekends.  I’ll prep my food, steam it, puree it, and then separate it into small portions to be frozen for the week, right along with the other cooking that we’re doing and it doesn’t end up being a big deal.

Sleep was one of the questions I had for the doctor.  As much reading as I’ve done on sleep, I thought asking the doctor would be a good idea.  He said that a 6-month old should be able to sleep 9-12 hours without being fed.  I think this gave Dusty and I both encouragement that feeding her just once during the night will be okay.  She goes to sleep at 7pm and often times sleeps until 2 or 3am when I feed her.  If she wakes up before then we just rub her on the back and give her a kiss before heading back to our beds.

We have such great parents and siblings! I feel very lucky to have so many of them close to us.  I know each family is different and dynamics can be difficult but to have family calling us, asking, really telling us, “You should go out on a date, I’ll watch Annabelle.”  Or my sister offering to take Annabelle on a Saturday night when she has an otherwise empty house (and all four kids are out).  It means so much.

When I started writing weekly updates about my pregnancy I scoured the internet looking for soon-to-be mommies and new mommies who were writing about their pregnancy and new babies.  It was a good way to figure out what people wrote about and gave me some inspiration.  One thing I wasn’t quite sure about was when people wrote their blog as if they were writing to their child.  I didn’t quite get it.  Why write to someone who is still in your stomach or who’s just weeks old.  So, I get it.  They can read it when they get older but really, are they going to want to.  And here I am, wanting to do it.  I want to tell her all of the wonderful things she’s doing (and not so wonderful things), how her smiles make me laugh, and how she just amazes me everyday.  I’m not sure exactly what to do but don’t be surprised if I go back and forth, writing to all of you as well as to Annabelle.

Dusty’s birthday was this week and we had a great time celebrating with family.  Family gatherings are a lot of fun with our dear little Annabelle.  She’s changing so much that every time we see our friends and family we have new updates and Annabelle has new tricks to surprise everyone with.

I can’t get over how much Annabelle smiles. Is this normal? I’m sure it is but really, I love it! I think she really likes us.  I mean, I’ve hoped she likes us, she’s stuck with us for a while but it’s so nice to see her smiles and giggles to reassure me that she really does love us.

Sleeping is going much better.  She’s waking up 2-4 times each night but the big accomplishment is that we’re only feeding her once, usually around 2 or 3am.  Otherwise, when she wakes up we go into her room, comfort her a little and leave her to fall back asleep.

We’re still working on sitting.  We can leave her for just a few moments and then she’ll start to sway and head for the floor.  We’re not leaving her sitting on her own quite yet but we’re getting so close.

It’s amazing how much I look forward to the weekends but in a different way than I did before. I think everyone looks forwards to the weekend but it’s different when weekends aren’t any longer just about what I want to do.  Our weekends are beginning to look very different compared to when it was just the two of us, and even when we were a family of three at the beginning when Annabelle was still a little unmovable blob.  She was an adorable little blob but for the longest time she didn’t do much of anything but eat and sleep so we spent the weekend working (Dusty) and sewing/housework (Me).

It’s hard to describe but I look at weekends a bit differently than I did when it was just Dusty and I. These days we’re doing a lot less catching up on work and housework and a lot more spending time with each other.  We spend time amusing our little bean (while she amuses us).  I can’t wait until the weather warms up and we can go on walks together and really introduce Annabelle to the Old Market.

The trials and tribulations of being a parent. Trying to balance adult time while getting enough sleep.  I had a perfect girls night! A lovely friend of mine got tickets for Christmas from her husband to see Justin Timberlake and all he asked was that she find a friend to go with.  I was that lucky friend!!!!  I almost forgot how much fun it was to go out for a nice meal with a good friend and do something completely out of the ordinary.

The reason I mention all of this in Annabelle’s weekly update is that the concert was on a Monday, we had a really busy schedule for the rest of the week and by Friday I was completely dead on my feet.  I hate to admit that at some point during the week I went a little crazy due to lack of sleep.  I remember the days when Dusty and I had something going on every night of the week and were eager to go to our favorite restaurant for a drink at the end of the week.  Now, as Friday approaches, I’m thrilled when I see nothing on the calendar and can be in bed before 9pm.  Annabelle, what did you do to this super awesome couple that were always up for doing something before we had you?

Happy belated Valentine’s Day.  Annabelle celebrated Valentine’s Day with a party at school and got her very first card in the mail from her great-grandma Dee Dee.  Another lesson as a new parent, even the youngest of children celebrate holidays at school.  Thank goodness for the note that went home with Annabelle a week or so before the holiday letting me know what kinds of things would be best to give for valentines.  Annabelle gave little containers of play dough with her valentine card.  My favorites that Annabelle got were bubbles, a pair of socks, a balloon, a toothbrush, and chocolate chip cookies the size of pennies (because I got to eat the mini cookies).  Annabelle’s favorite seemed to be the heart-shaped balloon.

Quick note, I always thought it was weird when parents called what I viewed as daycare as “school” but here I am doing it myself.  I’m not sure if it’s that the staff go by Ms. (fill in first name) which makes me think of a teacher, or if it’s that I work at a school and so when I talk to Annabelle I ask her how school was or how much fun she had with her friends at school, or if it’s that now that she’s going to daycare I feel like she’s learning things just like she will be when she’s actually in “school. “

Annabelle’s sleeping great.  She goes to bed sometime before 730pm and if she wakes up before midnight we comfort her by rubbing her back, talking to her and playing some music.  Most of the time she goes right back to sleep.  And then when she wakes up after midnight we change her if it’s necessary (this is when she usually needs it) and I nurse her before putting her back to bed.  She’s been waking up just twice a night.  Life is good!

Annabelle had peas for the first time this week.  I was a little worried she wouldn’t like them because, well, who really likes peas but you would have thought it was the best thing she’s ever eaten.  She eagerly waits for that spoon to hit her mouth.  Next week we’re trying winter squash.

Annabelle is still working on sitting by herself.  She’s a bit wobbly and after a few moments starts to lean and then fall to one side but she’s getting better!  She’s got the tripod down but needs just a little more stability.

This week’s outfit might be one of my favorites. Annabelle is wearing daddy’s Flywheel onsie as a tribute to her love of amazing WordPress hosting and to Valentine’s Day.  She’s also wearing a pair of DIY jeans I made from Dusty’s old jeans and a pair of DIY TOMS inspired shoes I sewed while she was taking a couple of naps over the past. I’ve also made her a few sensory play toys and a doll I’ll share at some point.  And of course, I love the bibs I’ve made for her. We use them all of the time.  I spend a lot of my free time finding baby-related sewing patterns and tutorials that I can make as well.  I’m sure Annabelle will be embarrassed that she had to wear clothes that her mother sewed and had homemade toys but I think it’s absolutely adorable.

I love how much our little bean smiles these days.  She’s so expressive and bubbly.  She’s never in a bad mood (okay, maybe when she’s just pooped or when she’s hungry or when it’s getting close to bedtime but otherwise, she’s darn near perfect).

Right now Annabelle’s in this great spot where she enjoys playing on the floor by herself and is trying to figure out everything around her.  Sometimes I think she’s trying to look right inside of us to figure us out.  I know she’s thinking, who is this person and how can I get her to do everything I want!  I’m just amazed at how her little mind is growing.  She’s getting even better at “finding” toys around her and trying to grab them to put in her mouth.

Annabelle is in loves tags.  Yes, she loves those tags that they put on stuffed animals, on the inside of shirts, on blankets and on toys that say what the product is made out of and includes all kinds of warnings.  I’m telling you, we have some of the coolest toys and what she’s doing is laying there, with this cool toy, trying to grab at the tag attached to the cool toy.  I remember months ago saying to myself that one of these days I should cut those tags off some of those toys because they were ugly.  Now I’m kind of glad I didn’t because they give her all kinds of entertainment.

Annabelle loves her food.  We’ve been making and feeding her baby food for a while but it’s never been very consistent.  We’ll try some squash or cereal or sweet potatoes here or there but it’s not every day.  We’ve starting finding it to her every day though and she really likes it.  This week I brought sweet potatoes for Annabelle’s lunch and her teachers said that she’s a really great eater.  I guess some of the other kids don’t like eating (or aren’t good at it) but she’s a rockstar! Loves her sweet potatoes.

Sleep, the topic I like thinking about the least but end up talking about (and thinking about, and reading about) the most! Annabelle’s sleeping like a 6-month old.  She has good nights and not so good nights.  We started trying a bit of sleep training at the end of the week.  I’ll save that fun stuff for another post.

Each week I try to jot down notes on how Annabelle’s changing and what she’s doing so when I finally find time to write a blog post I have something to write.  For some reason, these updates are becoming a little harder to write each week.  I’m not sure if it’s that we’re just so busy or that things are just becoming “normal” and weeks fade into each other.  I’m not always sure what to write or what really stands out from last week.  Yes, Annabelle is changing but we’ve gotten into a rhythm and our days are looking a little more predictable.

Our little lady has some kind of cold virus again.  She’s got a runny nose and a bit of a cough.  The virus has made her night feedings a little difficult.  Because she’s congested and coughing there have been a couple of times that she’s eaten and then promptly thrown up during one of her coughs.  The hard part is that it happens in the middle of the night or early morning when neither Dusty nor I are at our best.  We learned quickly though and have adapted a few things to help her get through the nights.  One of them being, putting a blanket under Annabelle’s crib so her head is propped up to help her breath.  Towards the end of the week she’s started sounding horse and it’s so sad yet adorable all at the same time.  It just makes my heart melt when she tries to talk and she sounds like an old toy who’s voice box got a little mangled.

I remember babysitting when I was younger and love playing peek-a-boo with the kids.  They laughed.  They giggled.  All I had to do was cover my face or put my hands over their face and then suddenly produce a surprised face while moving my hands.  They loved it.  Every once in a while I try to play peek-a-boo with Annabelle but most of the time she just stares at me with this look, like, “what the heck are you doing mom, you’re crazy.”  This week we got her to crack a smile and even jump a little.  She was a bit surprised when Dusty and I both popped our heads out from behind our hiding spot, saying “peek-a-boo.”

This week we also discovered that Annabelle’s able to hold her own bottle.  We don’t feed her a bottle at home very often but one day I picked her up early from daycare and we had an extra bottle so I thought we’d better use it.  I was holding her and trying to feed her when she grabbed ahold of the bottle and was essentially telling me should could do it on her own (without saying it out loud).

Sleeping is better this week, even with her stuffed nose and coughing.  She sleeps for about 5 hours the first leg and then she’ll wake up around every 3 hours after.  I cross my fingers that things continue to progress and soon she will only be waking up once each night.  I’m still waking up two to three times a night but getting a little extra sleep in between each feeding has helped tremendously.

I love hats on Annabelle! This hat and booties is from Dusty’s mom.  She got it at a market while visiting her sister in Indianapolis.  I’m absolutely in love with both!