Months 9-10

Hey All-

I hope y'all have been doing well.  I have been great.  There are so many things that I want to tell you about.  Last time I wrote about my Thanksgiving experiences and now I want to tell you about my Holidays.

For Christmas we made the long trip to Illinois.  It's about a 10 hour ride so Momma and Daddy always leave around 9 PM and drive through the night so I will sleep most of the time.  This trip Daddy drove most of the way so I'm sure he was really tired by the time we arrived.

When we got to Illinois I saw snow for the first time.  I know Daddy was concerned about the condition of the roads as we got closer to Grandma and Grandpa's house, but fortunately we didn't run into any issues.

This what the snow looked like in G-ma & G-pa's front yard

I finally got to meet to meet Santa Claus.  I had heard all about him for several months and I wanted to see who this guy really was.  I went with Momma, Grandma A, Auntie Cassie, Connor, and Daddy.  Overall he seems like a pretty nice guy, I'm not to sure about his beard though.  I do have to say that he brought me a lot of gifts.  So many that Daddy wasn't able to fit them all in the car.  I guess he should have brought his trailer.  Needless to say we will have a lot of things to bring home when we come back from my first b-day party.

Grandma A and I waiting to see Santa

I'm not too sure about this guy.....

Opening gifts at Great G-ma H's house

Christmas Day at G-ma A's house sporting my tutu

I have been eating solid food for awhile, but now I have gotten pretty good at feeding myself.  I love food.  In fact as long as Momma and Daddy keep putting it on my tray I keep shoveling it in.  My favorites right now are chicken, peas, grapes, mangoes, carrots, and homemade jello.  I really appreciate all the time Momma spends making my food, that way I don't get exposed to all the additives and preservatives that are in the store bought stuff.

After Christmas we started the drive south and stopped in Nashville to visit with our friends Sam, Steph, and Everett.  On New Year's Eve Momma, Daddy, Cassie, Sam, and Steph all went to dinner and Everett and I stayed with Miss Meredith and Mr Don.  We had a good time, they were all surprised about the amount of food I can put away.  I had fun playing with Everett although Momma and Daddy say I am too rough because I like to slap his head and pull on his ears.

Playing with Everett

I had my 9 month check-up back in January.  I hate going to the Dr because they always want to stick me with needles.  Fortunately Momma and Daddy have decided to put me through an alternate immunization schedule so I don't get stuck as many times at one time as other kids do.  My weight was 18.7 lbs which is in the 30th percentile, while my length was 29" which is in the 85th percentile for my age.  The Dr told my Momma that I need to quit using the bottle and start drinking exclusively from a sippy cup.  I'm proud to say that I gave up the bottle over a month ago and haven't looked back since.

This is what I think of all them shots :)

In addition to feeding myself, I also started waving at people and pointing at things.  I especially enjoy pointing at pictures of myself and mumbling something that sounds like 'bee bee'.  Daddy has been trying to get me on video showing off these new skills, but I like to stare at the camera and wish I could get a hold of that crazy thing.

In mid-January Great Grandma and Great Grandpa H came to visit me again.  While they were Great Grandma gave me my first haircut while I was getting a bath.  I didn't like her cutting my hair so I kept moving around and fussing.  .  I have learned that next time I will hold still a little better.

During my haircut

Watching some TV showing off my new 'do 

Well folks qualifying for the Daytona 500 just started so Daddy and I are going to cheer on our boy #24!  I'll leave you with some more videos of me doing various things.

Months 7-8

Hey Y'all-


Sorry I haven't been able to update my blog in awhile.  I have been busy with a number of activities.  


Great Grandma and Grandpa H came to visit me again.  We did all kinds of things while they were here.  My favorite was going to the Georgia Aquarium.  I got see all kinds of fish and water creatures.  My favorite part was seeing the beluga whales.  Those things are huge!

At the aquarium

In early October I started going to daycare.  This was quite a departure from what I was accustomed to having Grandma M and Miss Ellen take care of me (I miss those days).  I'm now going to a home daycare which is run by Miss Suzanne and she watches me along with 4 other kids.  The other kids are older than me so I have been learning a lot being around them.  I have picked up a few phrases:  baa baa baa; da da da; ma ma ma; and gee gee gee.  I have also learned to stand up on my own.

As I mentioned to you last time I have been eating solid foods for several months.  Momma (and Grandma M too) goes to great lengths to make all of my baby food.  Every few weeks we go to the DeKalb County Farmers Market and buy all kinds of organic fruits and vegetables.  My favorites right now are apples, mangoes, and carrots.  I also like oatmeal and millet.  I'm not too fond of peas although they smell great when Momma is preparing them.  Momma also makes popsicles for me which are a nice treat in between meals.

Yummy blueberries & oatmeal

Momma took her first business trip since I was born.  She went to Winston-Salem, NC for 3 days so Daddy and I spent a lot of time together.  The first day Momma was gone I hung out with Miss Ellen and Mr. Richard while Daddy finished up a game of golf.  Then the rest of the time Daddy took care of me.  I'm glad Daddy is very hands on and knows the daily routine.  Every morning he would get me up early, feed me, get me dressed, prepare my food and bottles, and then take me to daycare.  Then in the evening he would pick me up from daycare, we would play for a while, he would give me a bath, feed me, and I would be ready for bed.  


Grandma and Grandpa M came to visit me again.  They came down to watch me while Momma, Daddy, Aunt Cassie went to Miami for the NASCAR race.  They stayed with Jennifer, Dan, and Abbey while I had fun with my grandparents.  Grandpa M taught me a new skill; how to headbutt:  

The weather has started to get cool here.  Grandma A bought me a nice winter coat to keep me warm.  I'm not a big fan of that big, bulky coat because when I'm in my car seat I can't move very well.  Daddy says I look like the kid off The Christmas Story :)

Grandma M & I with my coat & hat

Now that I'm mobile I spend my time searching for things that I know I shouldn't play with like electrical cords, cell phones, the dog's water bowl, and the TV remote.  One time I ventured into Sienna's cage and found one of her treats to chew on.  It didn't taste too bad, but Daddy took it away from me.  One of my favorite activities is to crawl into the kitchen and ransack the pantry.

Here's me helping Momma reorganize the pantry

Well folks it's time for me to get going.  I've got to look at the ads and make up my Christmas list.  Talk to y'all soon!

My new car seat for Daddy's car

Grandma M likes giving me mohawks

Checking out my new Santa...Thanks Miss Elisa! :)

5-6 Months

Howdy Folks!

It has been a crazy couple of months.  I've been doing all kinds of things and learning some new skills.

In August Momma, Daddy, and I took a trip to Illinois.  This was my second trip back to the Midwest and it was a lot easier this time around since I didn't need to eat every few hours and slept a good bit of the way.  The main reason we went back was because of the family reunion.  I really enjoyed meeting all my Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Great Uncles, and Great Aunts.  

AK & Aunt Mimi

AK with Uncle Joel & Aunt Sarah

AK & Cousin Ryan

While we were in Illinois I started eating solid food for the first time.  I tried some rice cereal and it was pretty good.  I tried helping Momma feed me, but that didn't work too well as I kept trying pull the spoon away from my mouth.  I was also getting a little upset because Momma couldn't feed me fast enough.  As you can see below I made quite a mess!

I have also learned how to sit up and crawl in the last few months.  I really like being mobile.  I get to explore the house and get into things that I'm not supposed to.  I particularly like playing with cords and plastic bottles.  So Momma and Daddy have had to move some things out of my reach.

In addition to going to Illinois Momma, Daddy, and I took another road trip to Tennessee to see Sam, Steph, and Everett.  Everett is 3 months younger than me so he can't get around as good as I can at this point.  When we go see him at New Year's I'm sure he will be crawling too.  While in Tennessee we went to a jazz festival at a former Shaker establishment.  The Shakers were a form of Quakers, but men and women were restricted from interacting so without reproducing they basically disappeared.

 

Well that's all for now folks.  We'll talk to you later!

4 months!

Hey all!  It's been quite awhile since I've been on here.  A lot has been going on since then.

Probably the biggest change for us was Momma going back to work.  While typically this the can be quite an ordeal for most moms where they leave their babies in someone else's care I have been VERY lucky.  Why?  Because Grandma M came to stay with us for the first three weeks :).  While Grandma was here Momma works 4 days a week so that gives her an extra day to relax and keep the house situated.

While Grandma was here I discovered my first allergy...baby formula.  Crazy huh?  Grandma gave me some formula.  It tasted horrible so I spit it out and it ran down my face and onto my chest.  Then those areas that touched the formula turned red and I broke out into hives.  I tried one other brand and it didn't taste all too good either so I spit it out and my face also turned red but no hives that time.  Momma and Daddy are trying to find a brand that is compatible for me, but I think I'll just stick with Momma's milk.

After Grandma left Momma started working three days a week and those days I get to stay with Miss Ellen.  I have fun there and she takes good care of me :)

I got to experience my first 4th of July.  It was really fun.  Brandon and Payton brought their kids Lucas and Kaitlyn so it was nice to have some other little ones to play with.  Brent and Roxanne came to visit us from Jacksonville and they brought a cute little Chihuahua named Bella.  Rob and Jennifer also came over for awhile and brought some South Carolina style bbq sauce to put on the pulled pork Daddy made.  Once it got dark Daddy and his friends started lighting off fireworks.  It was kinda of scary all the noise they were making.  In fact Sienna was so scared she hid under the bed and wouldn't hardly go outside for the next few days.  They also caught the woods on fire a few times.  Fortunately Daddy had a garden hose handy ;)

I've picked up some new skills since last time I talked to y'all.  I am now very aware of my surroundings and am constantly looking around to see what's going on.  I've also learned how to rollover from my back to my belly.  When I'm playing on the floor I can go back and forth between my belly and my back.  The only problem I'm having is when I'm in bed I rollover to my belly and it wakes me up so I make all kinds of noise until Mommy or Daddy come and flip me to my back.

Well it's been nice visiting with y'all!  Hope to see you soon!

Weeks 7-12

Hey all!  I've had a lot going lately so it has been a little challenging to give you all an update.  

First up, Momma and I have been venturing out of the house more.  We have been going to play group at the local library where we can meet other kids and their mommas.  I have also been going with Momma to La Leche meetings.  These are great as well because I get to watch more kids and the moms can discuss the ins and outs of breast feeding.

We also went to the Bradley class reunion.  This was the class Momma and Daddy took to get prepared for my arrival and have a natural childbirth.  We got to see all the folks that went to the class with my parents and their children.  Needless to say I wasn't too happy during this trip and fussed most of the time.  I let everyone know that I was in the house :)

I've been doing quite a bit of road tripping here lately.  The first trip we took was to Crossplains, TN to visit Sam and Steph.  They are expecting a son at the end of June so we went to the baby shower.  I can't wait to meet "Jr"!

The big road trip was back to IL to meet all of my family.  It takes about 11 hours to drive from GA to IL so Momma and Daddy thought it was best to leave at 9 PM and drive through the night, that way they could capitalize on me sleeping a good majority of the drive.  I did quite well and we only had to stop twice to eat.

Once we arrived in IL it was crazy.  We first had an open house at G-ma A's house.  There I got to meet Sara, Kailee, Evan, Conner, Cole, Juanita, Beth, Lisa, Glenn, Great G-ma D, Cheryl, Tom, Theresa, Jenni, Liz, Jason, Aunt Kathy, Cassie, and of course G-ma and G-pa A.

The next day was an open house at G-ma and G-pa M's house.  I got to meet Uncle Nick, Aunt Sarah, Uncle Joel, Ryan, Lydia, Brenna, Uncle Pat, Aunt Marsha, Jessica, Kyle, Jenn, Tawnya, Jon, Uncle Ed, Aunt Brenda, Brittney, Lauren, Kalley, Kendra, Maddison, Jackson, Aunt Michelle, G-ma M, and G-pa M.

After all the excitement in IL we headed back home to GA.  When we returned I went to the my 6 week checkup.  Every went well and the Dr. was happy with my progress.  I now weigh 11 lbs 4 oz and am 24 in length.

Lately I have been sleeping very well and I started taking a bottle.  The bottle is a good supplement to feeding with my Momma and I stay a lot happier during the day.  I'm also starting to find my hands and fingers and also making all kinds of noises.

Anyway I hope you all are doing well and we'll talk at you soon :)

Weeks 5 & 6

Wow how time flies.  It has been crazy the last few weeks. 

First off, my Great Grandparents came down from IL to spend a week with me in GA.  We had a good time while they were here.  My Great G-ma H held me a lot and helped calm me down when I was fussing.  She also gave my Momma some good tips and tricks that only a Grandma can provide.

 

My Great G-pa H took care of things around the house while my Momma and Great G-ma tended to me and my Daddy was traveling.  He helped keep the dishes done up and even helped Momma with the laundry.  He also helped my Daddy out in the garage do some work on his car and change the brakes on his motorcycle.

I visited Dr. H again for my 6 week check up.  He looked me over and thought everything was good.  He was rotating my arms and legs in their joints and Momma thought he was going to twist them off.  I also got my first shot which I did not like at all.  In 6 weeks time I have grown 2 inches and gained about a pound.

In addition to a few growth spurts over the last few weeks, I am getting stronger.  I can hold my head up for a little while.  I can also use my legs to scoot myself backwards on the changing table.  All this added strength makes it challenge for Momma and Daddy to hold me when I'm wiggling around like a worm.  I can also escape from my burrito wrap no matter how tightly my Daddy bundles me up :)

This last weekend was Momma's first Mother's Day.  Daddy and I got on the Internet and ordered her some flowers.  We picked some purple roses because this is Momma's favorite color.  Daddy also took Momma out to eat while the Great G-parents were here so they could watch me and my parents could enjoy their first night out since I was born. 

I've got an exciting few weeks coming up.  First I will be going to Nashville to visit some of my parents' friends as they are preparing to have their own little one.  Then at the end of the month we will be making my first trip to IL so I can meet all the rest of the family.  I guess I'm gonna have to get used to spending a lot of time in my car seat although I hate that thing.

That's all for now.  Talk to you soon!