Abigail is THREE!!

This little monkey has grown up so much this year.  She tries so hard to keep up with Hannah, that Nathan and I constantly have to remind ourselves that she is two years younger. She is full of energy, has STRONG opinions, and is always singing a song.  Love how her birthday photos turned out!!

Abigail had her 3 year check up on Monday, super fun way to celebrate.  LOL!  The doctor said she's perfect, long and lean.  Almost 75th percentile for height and almost 50th percentile for weight: 28.6 pounds and 34 1/2 inches tall. No shots this time either. =)


We had a small family celebration on Friday.  Abigail loves Frozen as well and when Hannah was picking her birthday cake Abigail said she wanted Marshmallow on her cake.  Really funny because both girls are actually kind of scared of Marshmallow.  We wanted to do something different, so my mom and I went looking for other ideas.  Abigail likes cats too so we showed her some pictures of kitty cakes and she got all excited.    Yes, I shamelessly influenced her to change her mind.  =)

Happy Fifth Birthday Hannah

I can't believe Hannah is 5 already!  She acts grown up, but it still seems like she shouldn't be that big yet.  She had her check up on Monday and everything looks great. 50th percentile for both height and weight:
38.6 pounds
43 inches tall

This is Hannah's last monkey photo.  We decided once she starts school it will be too hard to take them.  So he's officially graduated.  A little sad, but it will be one less thing to try and plan each year.

We had a small family birthday celebration for Hannah and my mom (since her b-day is 4 days later). My sister's friend made the cake/cupcakes again this year.  We went with a Frozen theme, since it's both girls favorite movie.  Lots of fun!

Two Years Old

I just cannot believe it's been two years.  Of course Nathan and I have had to remind ourselves for the last several months that Abigail wasn't two yet.  She acts so grown up trying to copy Hannah and talks really well too.  Still I swear I brought her home from the hospital yesterday.  =}

Abigail doesn't totally understand the concept of birthdays yet.  But if you ask how old she is, she says "I two! and Hannah be 4."  We haven't actually celebrated yet.  That's coming on Saturday.  We're going with a Minnie Mouse theme, just like Hannah.  Hannah got a cake, but we're doing cupcakes for Miss A.  She saw me looking at pictures on-line and excitedly yelled "Minnie!"  Think she'll love them!

Went to the doctor this morning.  She looks great.  She is 25.6 pounds and 34 1/2 inches tall.  Long and lean just like big sister.  She was very good sitting still while being examined and didn't need any shots.    She surprised me by actually talking.  We were looking at pictures in a magazine and I think she forgot she was supposed to be shy.   =)  Glad she could show off her verbal skills.

Abigail has learned yet another letter, M.  She finds them everywhere and loves to point them out.  She can recognize a few numbers as well, but right now I can't remember which one.

Must include the photo with monkey.  Abigail was actually pretty cooperative, much better than last year.  She enjoyed feeding cake to monkey.

My little girl is growing up!!

Four Years Old

I still can't quite believe that my sweet little girl is four.  She has grown up so much in the last year.  She is much better about following directions and can do LOTS of things on her own.  She's also gotten taller and lost some baby fat so she looks like a big girl too.

Hannah is really good about playing independently.  She has such an active imagination it's fun to listen in.  She cooks in her kitchen, puts on her purse to go to Chick-fil-a, the store, the park, etc.  She takes good care of her babies and stuffed animals.  They get feed, wrapped in blankets, rocked, and read to.  Sometimes she takes them to the doctor for a check up or to get shots too.  Sweet girl!

Most of the time Hannah is sweet and cooperative, but she certainly has her defiant moments.  She still takes a nap most days, but is good to play quietly in her room if she doesn't sleep.  Very thankful she's good about staying in her room so mommy still gets a break.  =)  She is SUPER grumpy if she doesn't nap so I'm not quite ready to take it away from her yet. On days she does nap she is up later at night.  She still goes to bed at the same time, just talks to herself for a while before actually going to sleep.  I will probably stop making her sleep sometime this summer if she hasn't already given up the nap on her own.  She will still have quiet time in her room to look at books.  That time will be good for her and for me!

Hannah had her 4 year check up this morning.  She is 36.4 pounds and 42 1/2 inches tall.  The doctor said everything looks great and they were impressed with all the things she knows.  Hannah got 2 shots and didn't cry at all.  She will get the other two in a few weeks when we go back in for Abigail's check up.


In addition to taking a photo with monkey we also took some other photos to commemorate her birthday.  FUN!



We are celebrating with my family on Saturday so stay tuned for cake photos.  =)

18 Month Check Up

Abigail had her check up this morning.  She is doing great:  22 lbs and 32 1/2 inches.  She moved up to almost the 20th percentile in weight and has slowed down a bit to the 75th percentile in height.  Only one shot today and she calmed right down.

I'll leave you with one cute story.  When Abigail gets to the end of a book or I finish reading, she says "amen" instead of "the end."  :-)

And a photo just because...

Fifteen Months

I wish I could understand everything Abigail says because she is ALWAYS talking.  These are the words I can recognize:  bib, milk, car, yump (jump), anna (Hannah), shoe, ahh rii (all right), dank oo (thank you).  She loves to say this when she brings things to you or if you give her something.  She also says "wock"  when she wants to rock in the rocking chair.  Hannah never requested this, but Abigail LOVED to rock as a baby so I'm not surprised.

 She is officially walking!!  She will crawl up or down a step, but then get right back up and walk.  She is getting faster and stumbles less. The biggest hindrance to her balance is that she tries to carry a toy in each hand while walking.  She did the same with crawling too, and managed to get very speedy.  She is so funny to watch. This picture was taken before Abigail took off walking, but it's still cute.  She LOVES this car...and by the way Hannah was afraid of it until she was two.

I posted a couple months ago about Abigail not wanting to share.  She has TOTALLY mastered saying please if she wants something.  Most of the time that's great.  However, she thinks it's a magic word and because she said it she should immediately get what she wants.  Sorry Abigail you can't play with the phone or the humidifier, etc, just because you said please.  =)  And we're still working on waiting her turn if Hannah is playing with something.

Abigail seems to have a love for books just like Hannah.  YEAH!!  She actually turns the pages and looks at the pictures now instead of just trying to eat the book.  =)  Still not interested in hearing the words read yet, but I know it will come.  And check out the adorable monkey hats my cousin got the girls for their birthdays!

 




Went to the doctor this morning so here's the latest stats:  20 lbs and 31 1/2 inches long. 

Long and lean as expected.  The doctor said she looks great! Abigail got 3 shots today, but calmed down fairly quickly.  Poor child still has only 2 teeth.  Her top gums are slightly swollen and she had a runny nose and cough for a week, but nothing broke through.

1/12/2013

I typed this post early and was waiting to send it out until the 12th.  I totally forgot to send it out.  OOPS!

Hannah had her 3 year checkup a few days after her birthday.  Here's her stats -33 lbs and 37 1/2 inches.  The doctor said she looks great and was impressed with how well Hannah cooperated during the exam.  No shots this time, but I think there are several at the 4 year check up.

Just realized I never wrote about Hannah's birthday celebration.  We had pizza and cake with my family.  My mom didn't have time to make a cake this year so she had a friend of my sister's make one.   Super cute!

Before Abigail was born, we would let Hannah watch a DVD or TV show about once a week.  And she didn't watch anything until she was almost one.  The TV was a great distraction when Abigail was little and I had to rock her to sleep.  Now Hannah gets to watch one 25-30 minute show 4 or 5 days a week.  She knows it is a reward though and will not happen if she doesn't make good choices.  For the longest time all Hannah wanted to watch was Baby Einstein (great baby DVD's by the way).  She would occasionally watch Curious George or Veggie Tales.  Her favorite show right now is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I like that is geared towards toddlers, semi educational, and not annoying to watch. =0  In case you're wondering Abigail watches TV with us, but she usually gets bored and crawls off to play.  Certain shows make her laugh and anything that has music will make her dance.

We've been talking a lot about choices with Hannah.  If she makes sad choices we have her pray and tell God sorry and ask him to help her make better choices.  A few weeks ago after she prayed she told me "Mommy, Jesus is here to help me make good choices.  He rode all the way to my house on a camel.  And Mary rode on the donkey and Joseph walked beside her."  I'm glad she's listening and trying to figure out the Christmas story...even if she's still a little confused!  =)

Hannah has always been a great sleeper...until recently.  Once we moved her to the toddler bed we've struggled off and on with keeping her in bed.  She'll usually come out several times before falling asleep.  We've tried various rewards and some days are great and some days not so much.  That was annoying, but not too bad.  Then about a month ago Hannah also started waking up in the middle of the night.  She is usually only up once, but sometimes it's two or three times in one night.  We have no idea what is waking her up.  I take her potty and put her back to bed and she almost always goes back to sleep. She isn't drinking more and had been sleeping through the night and waking up dry.   Really hoping this is just a phase because I would like a night of uninterrupted sleep ZZZZZ!  =(

As I mentioned in my Christmas post, Hannah got a play kitchen.  Since we had Christmas at my mom's the kitchen was still in the box that she hunted to find.  There were so many other things going on that day, that she wasn't really all that excited about her kitchen.  After the girls went to sleep that night, Nathan and I stayed up late putting it together.  She woke up the next morning and said "Mommy when Daddy gets home he'll put together my kitchen."  I told her to go look in the play room and she was VERY excited.  Nathan and I gave her pretend food and dishes so we helped her unbox those and put them away.  She is having fun cooking for us and her toys.  Of course Abigail loves to carry the food around the house too.  And her favorite thing to chew on is the butcher knife (not at all disturbing right)!  =O

 
 

Twelve Months

Where oh where did the time go?  My sweet baby girl is one!  She is still my long and lean girl.   She is 17 lbs 4 oz and 30 1/2 inches long.  At Hannah's appointment last month, my doctor said I could let Abigail have a little bit of whole milk even though she wasn't quite one yet.  She likes it and is enjoying drinking more now that she is officially one.  Speaking of drinking, Abigail really likes her sippy cup.  She can hold it and put it in her mouth, but she needs help tipping back to actually get anything to drink.  She seemed to catch on faster than Hannah did though. 

Abigail FINALLY has a tooth.  It's on the bottom left side, but the other side is still swollen.  Hopefully it won't take as long to break through as the first one did.  Now that Abigail is doing better at chewing food (teeth help), I've let her try a few more things off my plate.  She's tried chicken, turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, bbq pork, cornbread, and ice cream.

 Abigail is pulling up on anything and everything.  She will also cruise, although we don't have much furniture that allows for that.  And if you hold her hands she will take several steps across the room.  Thankfully she is still happy to crawl on her own to get around.  I predict she will be walking earlier than Hannah who waited until 18 months.


Our house is never quiet unless the girls are sleeping.  Hannah is constantly talking either to us or her toys.  Abigail babbles all the time too.  Her newest word is "uh oh" and she loves to drop things so she can say it.  The other day Abigail was playing and babbling to herself.  I heard mostly her own language and then "qua qua."  Abigail must have been talking about the duck Hannah was playing with.  =) Abigail understands a lot too.  If she's feeling cooperative she will go get a toy you ask her for.  She loves sing with me and play Pat-a-Cake.  She will clap her hands and try to roll them, all with a big smile on her face.

This final monkey photo was QUITE the challenge.  We've had lots of cold, cloudy weather so the light was not ideal for taking pictures.  And then Abigail did not want to sit still and give us any sweet smiles.  We tried 2 different times and took TONS of shots.  My mom decided to make a composite of several shots so you can see her personality.  These make me laugh!!


Last weekend was busy so we will celebrate Abigail's (and my) birthday this Saturday.  Just a small family affair.  We are planning to do a smash cake soon as well.  We never did one with Hannah because she only touched things with one finger and didn't want to be dirty.  Abigail is in to everything so hopefully we'll get some cute photos.  Stay tuned!

9 Month Doctor Visit

Abigail went to the doctor this morning.  She has slowed down a little in her growth, just like Hannah did at her age.  She weighs 15 lbs 15 oz and is 29 inches long.  The doctor wasn't overly concerned since Hannah did the same thing and her weight was back up to the 75th percentile by age two. Abigail also got 2 shots...one if which was the flu shot.  Thankfully she calmed down quickly as soon as I picked her up.

Last week we let Abigail chase some cheerios around her tray.  She seems to like them and if I only give her one at a time they almost all end up in her mouth.  =)  She still doesn't have any teeth, but sadly her nose is runny and her gums are swollen again.  I wish those teeth would just break through.

We took Abigail's monkey photo today.  She was not interested in sitting still.....crawling was much more fun!

Six Months

My baby isn't a little baby anymore!  She smiles, laughs, rolls over, "talks," and grabs things.  She still LOVES to cuddle though.  She has recently started playing for 10-15 minutes independently on her tummy.  She also likes to sit in her Bumbo chair and we just tried the exersaucer the other day.



Abigail is starting to make more and more sounds.  She can say: ah, oh, ee, ya, ga, da da da, and ba, ba, ba.  I've heard the occasional "ma," but it's not consistent yet.  =)  She does love to talk and be talked to.  She flashes you BIG grins when you talk to her.  She really enjoys watching Hannah too.  They are going to have so much fun playing together as they get bigger.

Abigail is in the grabby stage.  If she can see it, she will try and reach it.  Of course anything she gets immediately goes into her mouth.  Hannah is learning not to put her toys right next to Abigail if she doesn't want her to touch them. Abigail still can't quite sit up independently, but has made lots of progress in the last month.



Abigail has made lots of progress in her sleeping as well.  It was a gradual process that involved crying, but now we lay her in her bed and she goes to sleep all by herself.  She also no longer sleeps fully swaddled.  She still likes having her legs wrapped, but loves being able to use her arms and more importantly suck her thumb.  She sleeps just like Hannah, on her tummy with her thumb in her mouth.  Cuteness!

We tried cereal for the first time yesterday and she was too cute.  Once she stopped flapping her arms, she grabbed onto the spoon and "helped" put it in her mouth.  She was very excited about chewing on the spoon and seemed to like the cereal as well.  =)  No funny "what is this?" faces like Hannah gave.  Pictures coming soon.

Abigail went to the doctor this morning and she is growing.  She is 14 lbs 9 oz and 28 1/4 inches long.  She slowed down a little on her weight, but is off the charts on her height (97th percentile).  In fact, she is only about and inch away from outgrowing her infant car seat.  We like Hannah' convertible car seat, so we will get another one for Abigail.  It will face backwards up to 40 lbs and forward up to 65 lbs.  So it should last us for several years!

No monkey photo yet either.  My parents are remodeling their house this summer and have spent the few weeks furiously packing their stuff to send to storage.  Demo starts tomorrow and things should slow down.  I'll post this month's photo soon.

Four Months

Can't believe my sweet little girl is already four months old!  We went to the doctor this morning and she is growing like a weed!  =)

Weight:  13 pounds 2 ounces

Height:  26 1/2 inches

At SIX months Hannah was an inch shorter and only 10 ounces heavier.  Think she may out grow big sister!  Glad Abigail is doing so well though.  She got two shots today and will get the other two next month.  Thankful my doctor lets me break them up.

Abigail continues to be more and more interactive. She gives LOTS of smiles and is starting to laugh (if we can amuse her).  She has been sleeping 10 hours at night for the last 6 weeks.  She will take 3 good naps during the day and usually a short nap around our dinner time. 



Her newest trick is rolling from her tummy to her back. She is a pretty happy baby, but definitely LOVES to snuggle and be held.  She enjoys watching Hannah play and is starting to reach for objects.  Abigail has also discovered her feet.  She can't get them in her mouth yet, but she enjoys watching them.  =)
 
 This month's photo was much harder to get.  Abigail kept falling over, or eating her fingers, or eating her dress.  We weren't intending to get Hannah in the photo too, but she climbed up, sat still, and said "Take my picture with monkey and Abigail."  She is not usually that cooperative...guess it has to be HER idea.  =)

Two Months

This post is a few days late, but Abigail had her doctor's appointment this morning. She is GROWING. The latest stats are: 11 pounds 5 oz and 24 1/2 inches long. She's already wearing size one diapers and has officially outgrown newborn size clothes. They just don't stay tiny for long!!

She is not the greatest napper. She will sleep, but not for more than 45 mins or an hour. When she wakes up I usually try to keep her quiet so she can at least rest. She just gets grumpy if she stays awake for too long. She is doing well at night though. For the last 2 or 3 weeks she has only been waking up once at night between 2:00 and 2:30. Then she goes back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:00. I've had an alarm set for 2:30, but have only needed to use it the last few days. The doctor said today that since she is over 10 pounds she may be ready to sleep all night. So I will be turning that alarm off!

Abigail is smiling and cooing much to our delight! She is also tracking objects and responding to sounds. We do small amounts of tummy time throughout the day. A lot of the time she is content to just lay on her tummy and rest. But eventually she gets mad and lifts her head up. =)

She got 3 of her 5 shots today. We decided to break them up so she'll get the other 2 next month. Poor baby is having a rough afternoon. I can tell she doesn't feel good. I've given her Tylenol and I'm letting her sleep on me. Once we started sleep training, she's been doing much better about sleeping in her bed, but I don't mind bending the "rules" when she doesn't feel good.

I'll leave you with a few photos.
7 weeks old in this shot.


The outtake: I think Hannah is pouting because she wanted to get down. =)

Three Weeks

I've had several people ask how sweet Abigail is doing so I thought I'd update. Her jaundice is almost totally gone. They checked her bilirubin again last Friday and it was down to 9.3. It's low enough now that they won't need to check it again. We went to full time nursing last week as well. Yeah for no more pumping! =) As of last week Abigail still hadn't quite gained back her birth weight so we went in this morning for a weight check. Happy to report that she is now 8 lbs 14 oz. They doctor is very pleased with how she is doing. We don't go back for another check up until early March.

Abigail really seems to like bath time. I remember Hannah crying for many of her early baths. Abigail just sits there and looks around or sucks on her fingers. This photo isn't from her first bath, but one of early ones.

Abigail is still happiest when held and snuggled. That is sometimes difficult now that Nathan is back and work and I have to take care of Hannah too. =) She has spent more time in my wrap than Hannah ever did. We are slowly figuring out a new routine. I keep telling myself that this is just a stage and it will pass soon. Until then I try to enjoy snuggling, even if it is at 2 am.

I think that's about it for now. Time to get both girls up from their naps. My mom and I are still working on newborn photos. It's much harder than you would think. We are getting some cute shots though and I will post soon!

Two Years Old

I swear I was in the hospital giving birth just yesterday and now I have a sweet little girl! I really cannot believe she is already 2! She doesn't really get the whole birthday thing yet, but will say "happy birthday to you." And she if you ask "how old are you?" she can reply two and hold up 2 fingers. We are doing a small family celebration this weekend for Hannah (and my mom) since their birthdays are only 4 days apart. I'm sure baby girl and I will celebrate birthdays together too since they will also be close together. What can I say we crammed 4 birthdays and Christmas into a one month span. =)

Hannah had her two year check up this morning and the doctor said she looks great. She weighs 28.6 pounds (65th percentile) and is 34 inches tall (50th percentile). She has never been that high on the weight chart before! Hannah is getting better about trying what Nathan and I are eating. She still get her own meal, but we're glad she's trying new things. She still hasn't mastered feeding herself with a spoon, but she's getting better. She says "Hannah have turn." Hannah only got one shot this morning and she didn't even cry. She whimpered and I thought she was going to, but she was distracted by the band-aid or "circle sticker" as she called it. Such a big girl!

Hannah is really such a sweet girl. She gives lots of hugs, kisses, and snuggles. She knows most of her colors and we're working on numbers. She can count to three, but then wants to skip to 8 and 9. She also knows the letter "x." She's usually really good about picking up her toys before bed or nap. She hardly ever cries when we put her to sleep and she LOVES to help carry things or throw things away. She's going to be a big help when baby sister comes.

Speaking of baby sister...Hannah totes her baby doll all over the house. She hugs her and feeds her a bottle. So sweet! And if you are whispering she says "Shh be quiet, baby sleeping." She's going to be a great big sister!

As promised we took a picture with Hannah's monkey friend for her birthday. I wasn't sure how cooperative she would be, but she did surprisingly well. Of course the toy teapot was a great distraction. =) I bought party hats knowing that monkey would wear one, but not too sure about Hannah. We put monkey's hat on and asked if she wanted to wear one too. She said yes, but when we tried to put it on she said " no, all done hat." She did keep pointing to monkey and asking to wear a hat, but REFUSED to let us put one on her. So I finally asked if she wanted to wear monkey's hat and she excitedly said yes. So I took off monkey's hat and put it on her head and she was happy as a clam. Then I took her hat (which was EXACTLY the same) and put it on monkey. Too funny!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET HANNAH!

Eighteen Months

We officially have a walker! She finally gained the confidence about 3 weeks ago to walk unassisted for more than a few steps. She likes to be close to mommy and daddy though so she won't go into another room unless we follow her. She will follow us where ever we go. =)


Hannah is saying lots of new words: ha ha (donkey), haow (hello), grr (bear), yeah, Bob (the tomato from Veggie Tales) and she tried to say "up" today. She will also make a "k k k" sound for my sister Kara, and "t t t" for Tommy (Nathan's mom's husband). Hannah has even learned a few new signs: walrus, keys, yes, blanket, swimming, help, window, and medicine. She tries to help brush her hair and her teeth. She knows what Kleenex is and will help blow her nose.

Hannah asks to listen to music all day long. She can do motions to "Wheels on the Bus, Happy and you Know it, Itsy Bitsy Spider, This Little Light of Mine, Shake your Sillies Out, and a few others I can't remember. She also knows that a piano can play music and likes to play at Grammy's house.

We went to the doctor this morning and they were very pleased with how she is doing. She is 22 pounds 10 oz (20th percentile) and 32 inches (60th percentile). She jumped up on the weight chart which made everyone happy. She got 2 shots, but calmed down very quickly. Hannah has 8 teeth now and is working on a molar.

It's been super HOT here lately. Thankfully Grammy and G-Pa have a pool and the water is warm enough to swim. Hannah cried a little the first time we went swimming this year, but not for long. We taught her the sign for swimming and she can tell you what it is and that she swims with duck and fish. We've gotten in the pool two other times and she's had lots of fun splashing and playing with her toys. =)

That's all I can think of right now. One more cute photo before I go. =)

Fifteen Months

This post is a few days late, but Hannah had her check up this morning so I decided to wait. The doctor was pleased with her weight gain, although she's still on the small side. Also got 3 shots today. Poor baby! =(

Weight: 19 pounds 12 ounces (5th percentile)
Height: 30 inches (50th percentile)

Hannah is finally cruising around the furniture and will take steps if you hold her hands. We have one of those cars that converts into a walker, but she isn't interested in doing anything but play with the toys on the front.

She crawls all over the house and loves to play "find mommy or daddy." She brings her toys to us and LOVES to give them hugs. =) A 5th tooth finally popped through and I think she's working on another one.

Still not really saying more words thought, but the doctor says it's still early. She'll tell you a monkey says "ah ah" and the doggy says "oof." She continues to learn more signs every week and will continue pointing at something until you tell her what it is. Here's the new signs she's learned since last month: book, pretty, toothbrush, duck, swing, music, giraffe, bread, penguin, dog, mommy, baby, chair, whale, diaper, car, tray, pancake, flower, and sandwich. During meal times she will put two signs together and ask for "more please", or "please milk."

Since the weather is beginning to warm up we've had a few fun outings. We went to the Dallas Arboretum with Grammy. We drove to Arkansas for the weekend to visit Nathan's family, and we went to the park with Grammy and Aunt Kara to see ducks.

Thirteen Months

December was such a busy month and I was behind so readers get to enjoy two posts this week. That said, I can't believe another month has gone by. =)

My grandma turned 95 at the end of December. I had not seen her since college and she'd never met Nathan or Hannah. So we decided to take a trip to Tucson, AZ. The original plan was to fly, but airfare was expensive. So, my parents (and sister) rented a car and we all piled in for the two day drive. We were supposed to rent a suburban but there was a miscommunication with the rental company and we ended up with a Tahoe. That means 5 adults, a baby, and all our stuff had to fit in the car. Needless to say it was crowded. =}

My grandma on her birthday

It was a fun trip and Hannah did really well. The only thing she had trouble with was napping in the car. She is used to sleeping on her tummy in a quiet dark room so I'm guessing that was the problem. It was really great to see a lot of my family and to introduce them all the Nathan and Hannah. We were even able to meet Nathan's aunt for lunch in New Mexico on the way there.

Lots of my mom's family

Nathan's aunt and her husband
We saw lots of my dad's family too, but no group photos. Not sure when I'll subject Hannah to such a long drive (thankfully AR is only 4 hours away), but I'm glad we were able to take this trip.

We went back to the doctor for Hannah's weight check yesterday and everyone was pleased with her weight gain. She's now just over 18lbs and 29 3/4 inches. That means she gained 2 1/2 pounds and grew 1 1/2 inches in the last month. Go Hannah! She loves milk and peanut butter and doesn't seem to be allergic to either. YEAH!

It is so fun watching Hannah learn new things! She still doesn't say actually words (though she babbles all day), but she does know a few words in sign language. We started signing "more" at 6 months when we introduced food. It took a while for her to pick it up, but now she knows "more", "all done", "milk" and we're working on "water". It's nice that she can tell us what she wants instead of crying. Hannah can also point to her head and belly if you ask her where they are. We're working on foot and ear but don't have it just yet. She is also beginning to do motions to songs ie: clap your hands, wash the spider out, etc. She waves bye bye to people and even to her toys (some of the electronic ones say bye when you turn them off). Too cute!

That's all I can think of to write now. I'll update again in February unless something big happens before then.

Twelve Months

We went to the doctor this morning so I'll start with the latest stats.

Weight - 15 lb 9 oz
Height - 28 1/4 inches

If you look back at the nine month blog post you'll notice Hannah has actually lost 2 oz. The doctors weren't overly concerned. Once babies start crawling they burn more calories. So they said to try and get Hannah to eat more at each meal, introduce whole milk, and we go back for a weight check in January. Hannah does enjoy eating so hopefully we can quickly and easily gain what she needs to. The doctor was pleased to see that Hannah is hitting all her developmental milestones (crawling and babbling).

We put up our Christmas tree after Thanksgiving and I was a little worried Hannah would try to pull up on it or yank ornaments off. So I only put soft nonbreakable things within her reach. I am happy to say that she's been a very good girl. She just sat and looked at the tree for almost a week before she did anything. Now she will very gently touch the branches or the ornaments. We have a dancing musical Santa and Rudolph that we put out every year. Hannah absolutely LOVES them. She dances and waves her arms. She knows they play music and will touch and pull on them, but hasn't figured out the on button yet.

Here's the 12 month monkey photo. Monkey is going into retirement, but will return every year for a birthday photo. We are stopping just in time...this month was quite an adventure. Hannah was NOT interesting in sitting next to monkey. As you can see, she clearly had other places to go. =)





This last week was SUPER busy so we haven't actually celebrated Hannah's birthday yet. Grammy, G-Pa, and Auntie Kara are coming over Saturday for a small party. We'll do cupcakes and presents. A friend of mine made her the cutest outfit to wear. We'll take lots of pictures and I'll do a special birthday post next week.

Nine Months

Sorry this is a little late. We had issues taking our monkey photo this month. Hannah suddenly developed a fear of the monkey. She would take one look at him and CRY!
We spent all of last week playing with the monkey and reminding Hannah that he wasn't scary. Not sure where her fear came from, but glad she's likes her "friend" again. Note to self...spend time each week with the monkey so as not to repeat this experience. =)

Hannah also had her nine month check up last week. She is still on the small side (only 5th percentile for weight) but overall healthy. She is 15 pounds 11 ounces and 27 inches long. We just recently grew into size 6 month clothes. =) I was a small baby so I'm not worried and if she weighs less then she's lighter to carry!

We've added a few new pureed food this month: apples and peaches. Hannah is also enjoying finger food: cheerios, cheese, bread, puffs(gerber puffed rice cereal), blueberries (don't seem to like them), and grapes (still not sure about these either). We just recently finished off our frozen pureed carrots and peas so I plan to steam more and cut them small for her to feed herself.

Last but not least....the successful monkey photo:

Six Months

This has been a busy month for us. Last week we drove to Arkansas for a weekend trip. We wanted to introduce Hannah to Nathan's family and friends. She did a great job riding in the car and napping in strange places. Of course, she charmed everyone she met and even shared a few smiles. =)

We also started rice cereal last week. As you can see from the picture below she wasn't sure what to make it the first day. Since then she's done really well. We're still in the exploring stage where more cereal ends up on her face and hands than in her tummy. But she's getting the hang of it.

We've had a few play dates with friends and we went to Grammy and G-Pa's for a cookout. It's been hot for several weeks now and we've been dreaming of swimming. The pool is finally warm enough so we're going to Grammy's this week to try out the water. Hopefully Hannah will enjoy splashing and floating in her chair.

We saw the doctor this morning and everything still looks great. Here's the latest stats:
Weight: 13 pounds 14 ounces
Length: 25 1/2 inches
Head: 16 1/2 inches

She's slowed down a little, but the doctor isn't concerned. Once she's really eating her cereal and starts veggies she'll catch up. She also got 3 shots today, but calmed down as soon as I picked her up. I'll post swimming pictures and her six month monkey photo soon!