Six Month Well Check Visit

Today was Anne's six month well check visit. I'm happy to report that our baby girl is healthy as can be. Dr. Owens was very pleased with all of developmental skills and how much she has grown in the past 2 months. Anne got her next round of vaccines and the first of two flu shots. Our next appointment is on December 7, for her 9 month check up. That is hard to believe.

Until then, here are her stats:
Weight 16.7lbs (50th percentile)
Height 26 3/8 (50-75th percentile)
Head circumference 40.25 (95th percentile)

To sum it up, she is still able to wear 3 month clothes, but this explains why it's sometimes hard to squeeze that 3 month dress over her 6-month head.

Ready for Game Day!

This Saturday kicks off the 2012 College Football Season. With the addition of Texas A&M and Missouri to the SEC it's going to be a season for the record books. Now that Alabama and A&M are in the same conference, Matt and I are working hard to gain Anne's allegiance to our alma mater's.

Since I am the primary author of this blog, I get to be a bit biased about which team she seems to prefer and it's no surprise that she is a little Crimson Tide fan so far. Her favorite bedtime pal is a Big Al lovie and she does look pretty cute in Crimson. Sadly, she quickly outgrew her Aggie gear and subsequently this has left Matt pretty sad and trying to decide what she will wear during the inaugural A&M SEC game next week. With Hurricane Issac delaying their game, this means it's Alabama gear all day, every day. Except tomorrow, we will be wearing yellow to show our support of Lance Armstrong.

And thanks to Aunt Shea for the adorable shirt

Roll Tide!

A week of many firsts

In addition to Anne's first time for sitting in the high chair at a restaurant, she also sat in the from of the grocery cart yesterday. Surprisingly, this went really well and she had a great time looking around at everything. I did realize that having her with me does prevent me from walking away from the cart, which is frustrating in the produce section.

She has gotten so good at sitting up unassisted and we decided to try her first big girl bath. She loved it. Lots of time splashing around and playing with her two tub toys, which has made me realize we need tub toys ASAP.

Here are a couple of photos from bath time tonight.

Six Months

Anne is six months old today.  It's hard to type that.  When she was born everyone kept telling me to enjoy my time with her because they grow up way too fast.  At the time of multiple night time feedings, the days seemed so long; however, that is quickly changing.  She's growing up and it's incredible to see how quickly she is changing. 

At 6 months she is:

• Sitting up on her own.  Granted her little body gives out after a while and she falls over, but hey, she's doing it.
• Grabbing for things and falling over in the process of reaching for just about anything and everything she sees.
• Loving bouncing and swinging.  
• Giggling at us.
• Eating new foods like oatmeal, peas, carrots, pears, bananas, squash, applesauce, turkey and chicken.
•  Rolling on her side.
• Sleeping on her side.
• Still drooling, but no teeth as of now.
• Cooing.

I love this baby girl and look forward to seeing what she learns to do over the next month.

Shots from our 6 month photo shoot...

Traveling

Since I started working at the Lance Armstrong Foundation, I've had some pretty incredible opportunities to travel to places I probably would have never been otherwise.  My travels have taken me to Spain, Turkey, Guam, Hawaii and many other glamorous and not so glamorous places.  I'm lucky to work at such a great place for many reasons, not just related to travel.

However, time on the road/plane can wear a girl down and I have come to enjoy my time in Austin more and more.  After returning to work, I've been able to cut back on travel some, but there are times when I have to hit the road.  This week, I'm in DC for a couple of days attending the CDC Cancer Conference.  I am usually in DC a few times a year and hardly ever make the time to visit a museum; however, this trip I made a point to visit the American History Museum.  My main reason for making a visit this time was to help celebrate Julia Child's 100th birthday and while I'm no master of french cooking, I do appreciate good food. 

The featured exhibits ranged from Julia Child's kitchen to the history of the Star Spangled Banner.  I love stuff like this and enjoyed seeing pieces from different eras of our country's history.  However, it should be no surprise that my favorite part was the First Lady exhibit.  It featured inaugural gowns from many of the First Ladies, including Jacqueline Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama's dress that was made by Jason Wu.  Each was beautifully made. 

After seeing everything, we checked out the gift shop where I bought a little something for my little person.  I remember playing with paper dolls as a child and have to admit that if Anne doesn't enjoy these, I'm pretty certain that my Aunt Anne and I will. 

Swim Time!

On Sunday, Matt and I took Anne to our neighborhood pool in hopes of distracting her from whatever was causing her to be fussy.  We recently moved into a neighborhood and have been looking forward to having access to a nearby pool. 

After putting on Anne's swim diaper, swimsuit and covering her from head to toe in sunscreen, we were pool ready.  Anne has always enjoyed playing in water and we recently bought her a float that has a canopy to keep the sun off of her as best as we can.

She enjoyed her time in the water and it was so cute to watch her kick her little legs around as Matt and I pushed her in the water.  After 30 minutes or so, she had reached her limit in the pool and we headed back to the house so that she could rest.

We recently signed her up for swim classes at the Y and I have to admit I'm pretty excited about it.  The classes start in September and parents are in the water with the children.  I can't wait to see how she does and hopefully she will love the water as much as Matt and I do.  I grew up with a pool in my backyard and really didn't know anything other than life in the water and know that my dad would be proud of Anne as she becomes a tiny fish or "shrimp" as her class is called.

The woes of teething

We are officially in the throes of teething and definitely have good and bad days. After an great day of long naps and a happy baby, I thought we had turned the corner and then today came along.

It does help that she's so cute while chomping down on teething toys.

I know that this will pass, but until it does, we'll be hoping our sweet girl can get some relief and rest.

Feeling Sentimental

As I fought back tears in Buy Buy Baby yesterday, I was forced to realize that my baby girl is getting bigger and it's happening faster than I would like.

All of this made me stop and think about how very special our evenings with her are and how much I want to remember every precious moment.

To help with that, I am going to use this blog update to share what our evening routine consists of each day.

Around 6:30 we feed Anne some delicious puréed baby delights. Right now she is eating sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, peas, prunes, pears or bananas.

After hosing her off, it is bath time. She loves when we pour water on her and tries to help. She then puts the cup in her mouth and kicks and splashes around. 

 

Then we head to her changing pad to get her ready for bed. Where we have to ongoing battle to put her diaper on as she tries to put her foot in her mouth. 

Afterwards, we give her the final bottle for the day.  I will read her two books and play her a song.  Right now, we are listening to Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison, Flower by Amos Lee or Wonderful by My Morning Jacket.  Of course, I need to introduce her to MMJ.  

Finally, it's time for bed.  We put her in her sleep sack and say good night, which usually results in one final smile from this sweet girl, a few minutes of cooing and then she rolls onto her side. 

Each of these moments mean so much to me and I want to cherish every single one of them. 

Channeling Her Inner Jane Fonda

Yesterday, Matt's parents stopped by to help with a few projects. A week off from babysitting gave Mrs. Gladys time to put together new activities for Anne. All of which Anne has enjoyed putting in her mouth.

Mrs. Gladys also brought over baby leg warmers she bought Anne before she was born. After seeing Anne's best friend, Caroline, wearing hers, Mrs. Gladys remembered the ones she got. Anne looks pretty sporty and is ready for her Jane Fonda workout.

A Princess Wears Tulle, Right?

Anne was invited to a princess party and she had to dress the part in her hot pink tulle bubble. My Aunt Anne's friend, Susan, sent this to her after she was born and it is absolutely adorable. I'm going to be pretty sad when she outgrows it so a princess party seemed like a great opportunity to squeeze in another chance to wear it.

We had a great time at the party but couldn't leave without a photo of Anne wearing a crown.

Enjoy!

H

She Rolled Over

Anne has become a pro at rolling from her stomach to her back and loves to roll onto her side.  I had just about given up on her ever rolling from her back to her stomach, until Matt started screaming, "She did it." 

I'm so proud of our budding gymnast. 

It's Quiet Here

This past week, Shea, Teresa, Mackenize and Davis were here to visit us.  Truthfully, I think they were here for Anne, but regardless, we were glad to have them.  I worked all week, but got to spend some time with them during the evenings.

On Monday, Anne spent the day with them while I worked.  She was on her best behavior and was exhausted by the end of the day.

She adores her cousin, Mackenzie.  Mackenzie is going to be a great babysitter one day.  She carried Anne all around the house and entertained her while I wasn't feeling well.

Sadly, they had to head back to Alabama today.  After they drove away, Matt and I remarked about how quiet the house was without kiddos running around. 

Matt was in Houston the majority of the week for work, but when he got home, he was glad to see his baby girl. 

My uncle Sam also stopped by today to take us to lunch.  It was such a nice surprise and addition to our Friday and I always enjoy time with him.  We are so lucky to have them just a few hours away. 

Now that things are back to normal, I'll continue to bug Matt about house stuff.  Next up, installing the new door knobs I bought.

Cheers!

H

Because She Made Me

Shea made me start a blog because she needs minute-by-minute updates on baby Anne.  I'm certain that I will disappoint her as I forget all about this, but I'll try my best to live up to her expectations. 

Until then, here's Anne. 

Photo disclaimer: I tried multiple times to get a good photo of her.  She didn't smile like this until her sweet dad walked into the room.  I have to admit, she adores him.