0 Eight months

Grace Mae you are EIGHT months old!

You weigh 16 lbs now!

We haven't measured you ,but I think you are 

about the same height, about 25 inches long.

You are in 6 month clothes and wear a size 3 diaper.

Oh and you finally fit into your shoes! 

You wore a pair of size 2 black patent leather tipped shoes!

They look so cute on you! I think you will have tiny feet like your momma. (I'm in a 5.5 or 6)

You love to wave! You and Daddy go to the door when I'm leaving for lunch 

and you are obviously waving at me!

Its more of a whole arm wave, but I know that you are intentionally 

doing it as you watch me pull out the driveway! Its the only good part about leaving.

You started saying MOM this month!

It was the sweetest thing I ever heard!

The first time I heard you say it was on January 18th, 2011. 

You were on daddy's lap and I was getting ready to nurse you at lunch.

You said "Mom Mom Mom".

I looked at your dad, and he said "She's talking to you".

I instantly got teary!

You also did your first sign that week! 

Just 3 days later on January 21st, you signed for "milk".

And now you do it all the time, mostly with your right hand.

Sometimes I think you actually want milk, 

other times you just like doing it andshowing me. 

I'm trying to teach you "more"  next, 

but you haven't picked upon that just yet. We'll keep trying!

You have had a rough few weeks with waking up 

multiple times during the night. 

Your normal 8 hour stretch is now broken into 2-3 hour chunks 

and you are even nursing a few times when you wake.

Of course I don't mind getting up with you, you are so stinkin cute, 

but its kinda waring on me in the mornings. 

So if you could push thru this little growth spurt, 

and go back to sleeping thru the night, we would appreciate it.

I know you would wake up happier too!

You are doing great with eating solids. 

You eat sweet potatoes, butternut squash, peas, and green beans, 

and love pears, peaches, apples and bananas!

You like banana Mum-Mums but don't love them. 

So we thought we would try the sweet potato puffs 

since you gobble down your sweet potatoes!

As you can tell from the above face, you weren't an instant fan! 

I think the sweetness and solid form took you by surprise!

Now you have done a complete 180...and love them! 

If I don't get them on your tray fast enough, you scream for more!

You are my little peanut. My ray of sunshine. My little boobah. My silly monkey. 

I have tons of nicknames for you.

The only common theme is that you are mine. 

And for that I thank God every night!

We love you Grace Mae!

0 Seven months

Grace Mae - you are SEVEN months old!!! 

You weigh 14lbs and 5oz and are about 25 inches long

You are wearing 6 month  clothes now for the most part. 

There are still a few 3 month onsies that fit you.

You wear a size 2 diaper....but I think this will be the last box of those!   

You had a very busy month! 
Oh...big news...you got your first tooth! 
It finally busted thru on the day after you turned  6 months! And I think it was just a few days later you slightly um, bit your mum.
Nursing moms will understand my pain. Youch!

Christmas was fun...but you will read all about that in another post.

You also had your first Ohio State Bowl game this month.

It wasn't a fun game to watch and you probably heard Mommy and Daddy 

yelling a lot at the television. Hopefully next season is better!

You started eating fruits and vegetables this month...and you love them!
You haven't spit anything out yet...I'm so proud of my non-picky eater!
You sometimes try to put the spoon in your mouth, 

but for the most part are happy with me feeding you. 

You eat your cereal for breakfast, normally some fruit for 

lunch and vegetables for dinner. 

You love sweet potatoes and pears the best!

You are doing much better at sitting up and like to sit and watch the dogs.

We still have to put pillows or the boppy around you since you like to slide down.

You are so nosey and want to see whats going on, so its been good

to see you showing interest in what we are doing!

You are trying to crawl a little, kinda army crawling I guess you would call it.

You kinda lean to one side and shimmy your way to where you want to go.

You don't stay there to often and before we know it you are rolled onto your back again. 

You still like to play in your bouncer too. You are touching the ground now and sometimes bounce but

most of the time you just play with your toys or try to turn yourself around.

We are going to start giving you a little extra formula along with the milk you get from Mommy. 

It's not going to taste as good, but you need some more liquids and act like you want more.

I'm okay with that, as long as you are getting filled up and 

still getting Mommy's antibodies first...all is good. 

You are such a happy girl, you sometimes have your moments of screaming or fussing. 

All babies do, and I 'm for certain that you are in the upper percentile of non-fussy babies.

We really are lucky you have such a good personality and are a happy baby.

We love you Gracie!

1 Six Months

Grace Mae - you are SIX months old!!! 

You weigh 13lbs and 8oz and are 25 inches long

You are wearing almost all 3 months clothes but started wearing your 6 month sleepers.

You wear a size 2 diaper.  

You started eating cereal last month and you love it! 
You eat it twice a day and haven't ever spit it out!
You even grabbed hold of your spoon a few times and managed to get it in your mouth. 

You can finally touch your tiptoes to the ground and love spending time in your jumper. 
You have started pulling yourself up when you are in your bouncer, 
so we have to keep an eye on you in there and make sure you don't tumble forward. 

You are a rolling machine! You go from front to back to front and repeat. 
You don't stay on your tummy enough to realize yet that crawling is possible.
But I'm sure you'll get it before too long. 
You do sometimes push your little butt up in the air. Its adorable!

We started to put up the Christmas decorations this week. And you loved watching me string all the lights up. 
I dressed you in your first Christmas attire to celebrate the occasion! 
I can't wait for your Christmas cards to come....you were outgrowing your Christmas dress, 
so we got your pictures taken in it. You are just ridiculously adorable!!!

You are such a happy girl. You really are. 

I would venture to say you smile about 90% of the time.

I know we are so lucky to have not only a healthy but a happy baby. 

You have started talking more and even better squelching. Yes its funny to us. (for now) 

I can't wait to hear what your voice sounds like when you start saying Mama and Dada! 

We love you Gracie!

4 Five Months

Grace Mae - you are FIVE months old!!! 

You weigh 12 lbs and are 24 1/2 inches long

You are wearing mostly 3 months clothes.

You wear a size 2 diaper.  

You had a few nights this last month when you woke up in the middle of the night, but I just changed and fed you and you were back to sleep in no time! You sometimes will wake up right before my alarm goes off but don't open your eyes just wiggle around and let out a few whimpers and then you are back to sleep. It amazes me how sound of a sleeper you are....you get that from Mommy and Daddy...we like our sleeptime!

You have been spending some time each day in your jumper...you are almost touching the ground! Your favorite part is the spinner ball and the yellow sunshine. You have pushed the music buttons a few times but don't do it often, maybe next month you'll start trying it more.

You love being on your back on the floormat! You tend to roll to one side more than actually rolling over. Its cute when Ellie is laying beside you and you look at her. You guys will be good friends one day. Doing better with tummytime, but often push yourself back over after a few minutes.

We waited until you reached 5 months old to offer you anything besides mommy's milk. On the 8th of November (5 months old to the day) we started feeding you cereal for dinner! You are so curious about the spoon and try to reach for it yourself already! You have been more interested in watching Mommy and Daddy eat and drink, so its time to expand your choices.  Next month we'll start vegetables and fruits...oh I can't wait to see your reaction to flavor!

I can't believe that you are almost six months old...its amazing that you have been growing up so fast! You are getting stronger and more interactive. You smile at everybody and rarely get upset around strangers. I hope that continues, I like you are more curious then a lot of babies. Always looking around and investigating sounds when you hear them behind you or in another room.

I am so excited to start decorating for the holidays this month...I hope you love all the twinkle lights and pretties that we will have all around the house. You aren't crawling yet so we don't have to worry about you getting into too much mischief! 

Daddy can get you to giggle now so thats adorable to see, Mommy doesn't get as many laughs but that's ok, I have to work on it! You brighten our days with your beautiful bright blue eyes and little nose that scrunches up when you smile.We love you Gracie!

5 Four Months

Grace Mae - you are FOUR months old!!! 

You weigh 11 lbs and are 23 3/4 inches long

You are wearing mostly 3 months clothes.

You wear a size 1 diaper. 
You got to experience your first Ohio State football party this month! You were the cutest one there! 

You are sleeping thru the night and normally finish your last feeding about 11 or 11:30 and sleep until about 6 o'clock when I feed you before I go to work. Most days you go back to sleep until about 9:30 when you and Daddy get up for the day. 
You have only woken Mommy up to eat in the middle of the night once or twice...guess you are stockpiling from your hour long nighttime feeding!

You have become quite efficient with the whole nursing thing. What used to take 40-50 minutes now only takes about 20, except in the evenings when you just want to spend a little more time with Mommy. I don't mind, its our special bonding time. Oh and you also have broke free from the shield! This is huge and now only use it at night and in the morning when you are kinda lazy and don't want to work as hard. You are doing great, I am so proud of you. What started out as a struggle has become a normal part of life for both of us!

You love bathtime, and have started kicking your legs and getting water on the counter. Its cute. You have turned into quite the little smiler too! You are seriously one of the happiest babies that I have ever seen, You wake up with a smile and are quick to give them to everyone who sees you. Its getting trickier to try and capture those smiles, 
but every now and then I manage to get one!

You just started rolling over this month....and you have done it a few times! You are going from back to belly and normally go towards your left side. Daddy saw you go from belly to back, but I haven't seen that one yet. You are doing so much better with tumytime and manage to stay there a little longer when you roll over to your tummy. You are doing great little girl!

You are sitting up much straighter and holding your head up good. You have given us a few giggles and love when daddy gives you raspberry kisses under your chin..you giggle and squeal! Its so cute! You are one of the best spit bubble blowers around. You end up soaking your onsies and your stuffed toys. I think its a sign that you will be busting out some teethers soon! You constantly have your hand in your mouth and are chewing on your fingers. Bet the next update will have a picture of some little white nubs in your mouth!
Oh you are growing up so quickly!

We love you slobber butt!

*It's Monday and I'm being "Miss Elaine-ous" over at The Miss Elaine-ous Life!
Go check out who else linked up!

9 Three Months

Grace Mae - you are THREE months old!!! 

You weigh 10 lbs and 6 oz lbs and are 23 inches long

You are wearing mostly 3 months clothes, some newborn outfits still fit, but not many.
(look at that adorable tutu Miss Natalie got you-wasn't that sweet of her!)

You wear a size 1 diaper. 

You have been doing so good at sleeping thru the night the last month! You go to bed between 10-11 at night and stir a little about 4am, but then put yourself back to sleep. I wake you at 6 to feed you before I leave for work. You have no problems falling right back asleep afterwards. Daddy says you normally sleep until about 9:30 on most days. Daddy says that you are starting to nap less than you did last month, on most days you will take maybe a half hour before lunch and another small one in late afternoon. I think you have been catnapping more after I get home from work and feed you your dinner. Maybe its just being nursed again, but you drift off pretty easy about 6ish. You are such a happy baby. You wake up with a smile and your face lights up when you see me or your daddy! It warms my heart!
 
You are eating about every 2 and a half hours. Some days you will want another ounce or two from your bottle. But you get plenty from me in the evenings. That is when you like to camp out on momma. I don't mind, I miss you tons during the day! You have started trying to pull yourself up when you are in your bouncer chair, when we have it elevated to have you sit up more we have to buckle you in! You are working those abs girl!  You have started to lean more towards the side sometimes when you play on your playmat, but haven't rolled over yet. I am thinking you might do that in the next month or so.

I thought that you mumbled a few words over the last few weeks, but it was probably me wanting to hear something then you actually saying it because I haven't heard it since then. First, it sounded like you said "EM" one day, which is what we call Emma sometimes. Then sometimes I think you say "HEY", which is funny because when you start to fuss I am always saying "Hey there little girl what's the fuss about?". Then another time I swore I heard you say "MOM" when I was doing dishes and you were watching from your bouncer. I freaked out and kinda started getting teary, then you looked at me like I was crazy. I hope you say it again soon!

Mommy went back to work this month, which was really hard to do. The first few days I cried when I left. The next few days, I cried when I went back after lunch. Then I cried when I was listening to some music that we listened to while I was home. I'm doing better now, I don't cry when I leave. You and Daddy greet me at the door when I come home for lunch. You have a big smile most days for me, unless you just woke up then you are kinda groggy but breakout the smile soon after.  You meet me when I come home too. It really makes me feel good to see the smile on your face, like you somehow know that I feel guilty about leaving you all day long. But I know that you are having a good time with daddy and slowly getting him wrapped tight around your little finger. He adores you and is amazed at how much you are changing these days.

You are starting to grow and your features are starting to change. 

You are not a newborn anymore, you are now officially an infant.

Hold me. That kinda makes me wanna cry. But keep on growing little one! 

You are beautiful and light up our lives!

We love you!

*It's Monday and I'm being "Miss Elaine-ous" over at The Miss Elaine-ous Life!
Go check out who else linked up!

5 Two Months

Grace Mae - you are TWO months old!!!

You weigh 9 lbs and 4 oz lbs and are 22 1/2 inches long

(You passed 9 lbs! Seems like we were in the 8's forever!) 

You are wearing mostly 0-3 months clothes.

(Some of your newborn stuff still fits, but you are getting so tall!)

You wear a size 1 diaper. 

(Currently in Pampers Swaddlers)

You have become such a good sleeper! You often sleep from about 12:30 until 6 or 7 in the morning! Occasionally you will wake up for a 3 am feeding, but more often the not you are konked out and sleep like a champ! They say you are growing when you sleep and I believe that this month...you feel bigger! You get your bath in the evening, then we give you your vitamins and that is your signal its time for bed. You quickly begin calming down and in a matter of less then 10 minutes you are almost asleep. Its amazing!

You take a long nap in the morning until around lunchtime, then a few smaller ones in the afternoon, but the evening dinnertime nap seems to have gone away and you are more interested in what's going on around you.

You eat about every 2 hours. Roughly 4 oz when we give you a bottle if we are out running errands. 

No more formula...you get everything you need from Mommy.  
It makes me feel good that I am giving you what you need to grow into a healthy little lady.  

  You spend a lot of time looking at your butterflies above your swing and playing on your activity mat.  It seems like you notice something daily, but the ceiling fan still seems to be your favorite! I just keep staring at you and can't believe how much you are changing. The last month has brought about so much more awareness and interaction! Its amazing to watch you learn!

You started smiling this month! It used to be rare to catch a random half grin...now we get big gummy smiles almost every morning and throughout the day. You also started cooing and talking to us. It seems like you are going to have a lot to say, so we've been listening! It often sounds like you are saying "Hey" and when I say "I love you", you often coo right back to me and smile. I think you are trying to say it back!

Mommy goes back to work next week and she is going to miss you sooo much! But I know that you are in very good hands being home with Daddy. You two are going to have so much fun! I will be home at lunchtime to feed you, so make sure you get your nap in the morning ok? I can't wait to see how much you grow in the next month...I know its going to fly by!

You are truly a blessing and I love you to pieces!

10 One Month

It's been a hectic first month, with Mommy and Daddy trying to get into this new routine with their beautiful daughter. Some things have fallen to the sidelines. It all takes a backseat, and she is in control. So whatever time is left, things are starting to get back to normal and caught up. 

Including my blog, which I wanted to use as a journal for 

our little girl's first year and all the milestones she is going to reach. 

So I'm going to try to start updating it once a week and keep track of what she is doing and what all is changing. The time is flying by and I don't want to miss documenting every little thing she does.

She has changed so much in the first month, I can't believe it!

So here is a summary of what you have been up to for the last four weeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grace Mae - you are ONE month old!!!

You weigh 8 lbs and are 21 inches tall.

(You lost a little when you got home, but passed up your birthweight at 3 wks) 

You are wearing newborn clothes.

(Some of those are too big still for you but you are getting close!)

You wear a newborn diaper. 

(Currently outgrowing Pampers and making your way into Huggies)

 

You have gotten to be a good sleeper. 

After that first night at home, (remember the one where none of us got any sleep?), 

you have settled into a routine of waking up to eat about midnight, three and six. 

You don't have any problems normally going back to sleep in about 15 minutes. 

Its been pretty good, I know how many first time moms would kill for a few hours of sleep at a time! 

So thank you for that my little bundle of joy! 

 

You nap alot, and if you aren't eating, you probably are sleeping. 

I'm guessing you sleep about 18-20 hours a day. 

I have followed the old theory of don't wake a sleeping baby, 

so if you nap extra long, then you'll eat more when you wake up. 

You are growing and need your rest!

 

Oh and you sometimes grin and giggle in your sleep. Its freakin adorable and makes us chuckle! 

You are starting to get a little better with controlling your neck. 

You had a strong neck from the first few days at the hospital. While you are not a fan of tummy time, we try to get some time in every now and then to help  you get better control. 

 

You are eating every 3-4 hours. Now that Mommy is getting this breastfeeding thing down a little better, it should be easier and less work for both of us. 

We did have to supplement formula for about a week or so, 

but you have been latching on better and seem to be filing yourself up from the tap, 

so we've stopped with the formula. It makes me feel good that 

I am giving you what you need to grow into a healthy little lady.  
  
We spent most of the first month holding you. Even if you were sleeping after a feeding or if you were just looking around. Its really hard to put you down. 

I just keep staring at you and can't believe how blessed we are. 

 

You probably have noticed Mommy cried alot the first month or so at home.

Its just all of these emotions that are going thru my body from carrying you for 10 months.

I sometimes cry because I am frustrated with my recovery from the surgery to get you here. 

It was hard not being able to do alot of stuff the first few weeks, Mommy isn't used to having to have help. 

 

Sometimes I tear up when you look in my eyes. How did I get so lucky? When I think about all of the scary things that could have happened, I cry some more. Not boohoo crying, but little happy wells of tears in my eyes. What a perfect little baby you are. And I appreciate every minute with you!

 

Daddy did an great job taking care of both of us when we got home. Between having to give Mommy spongebaths and taking care of her incision, and not being able to do anything when I had a random crying episode, he had his hands full with me....let alone with a brand new baby girl!

But he has been amazing! He was up with you for every diaper change and feeding. 

I am so lucky to have such a wonderful husband that is turning into a great father. 

You are lucky to get to call him Daddy!

 

You are truely a blessing and I love you to pieces!