52: 8 Your Personality Appearing

I Want to Remember 

Your Personality Appearing

I cannot believe you are two months old already! In the last two weeks alone I feel like you have changed so much. You are starting to develop your own little personality! Here are some of my favorite moments or lessons learned from this month!

8 Week Check Up:

Dr. Cox

Height: 22.5 Inches (56%)

Weight: 11.6 lbs (63%)

Head Circumference: 15 inches (57%)

I am Superwoman! 

I know everyone oohhs and ahhs over their baby all the time. Who wouldn't. But I seriously think Annie Banannie is the strongest baby. EVER. She holds her head up like a champ and locks her legs out to stand all the time. It is amazing to feel and I show it off to everyone. Yes, even strangers that stop to meet her. Apologies to my friends and family who I show EVERY TIME I see them how strong she is. I also let Anniston know how impressed I am all the time. I consider myself her cheerleader, because everyone needs a cheerleader pushing them on...right?!

Naked Annie showing off her strong legs and giving us a little extra surprise!

Anniston Has her Very Own Pair of Sassy Pants

Although my sweet little girl cannot talk yet, she definitely knows how to express her love for being held! Now I am not complaining, because I know there are plenty of babies out there that just cry to cry. No, not Annie. She just cries when you set her down. It is especially bad after she has been babysat by grandma for a few days. But as long as your body is moving and grooving she is one happy camper. There are times where she is literally in a dead, snoring sleep in my arms (yes, she snores) and I carefully lay her down and BAA!!! You would think that I just did something horrible by her shrieks! Nope...just set her down is all. Sa-ssy!

 Entertaining Anniston with songs and dances!

Even her sassy face is way too sweet!

Sleep Still Rocks

Oh yes, she is still a champ at sleeping through the night! Dare I say we have even developed a schedule?! After her last feeding (usually around 8:00), we take her bath, lotion her up, put on her jammies and swaddle her up. Then we just sing her a few lullabies and lay her in the crib. She usually falls asleep on her own by 9:30. Amazeballs.  

Thrush Sucks

Okay, we have been battling this thrush business for about a month. And I will say that we got thrush and mastitis on the SAME week. My poor boobs. But after giving her medicine for the thrush 10 days and nothing happening, I took extreme measures and got her gentian violet. I have heard from several people that is the only remedy that truly works. Unfortunately it is ridiculously messy - it stained her clothes, her skin, my nipples, her blankets. Lily probably even had stains on her somewhere. It was ridiculous. But I will admit we got a pretty good laugh out of Anniston turning into a purple princess for a few days straight. We tried to hoard ourselves in the house as much as possible while we were purple so people didn't assume I was trying to goth out my baby already. We will wait until she is one for that.

Annie's stained lips and my stained fingers.

Home is a Baby Sanctuary

Music, Vibration, and Soft Fabrics fill our home daily and it is such a calming and peaceful aura. Whenever Nick comes home from work he comments on the calmness of the house. My television watching, has been replaced by soft music. The laundry is done daily and filled with fleece and minky material. And my 50 shades has been stowed away and replaced with sweet picture books. No siree, you can't have a bad day with this baby.

Annie laying in her bouncer.

Girl Clothes Rule

I am obsessed with Anniston's clothes. And her clothes to come. There are WAY too many adorable options to dress her up with. Thank God I had a girl first, because I don't think my boy would be nearly as into headbands as Anniston is. There are days where we don't even leave the house and I just change her outfit because it is so fun and I think she likes to add variety to her day. 

Some of my favorites from top left to right: Child of Mine by Carters Layette, Gymboree shorts, Just One You ensemble.
Bottom from left to right: Gap Romper, Janie & Jack Romper & Onesie, Kicky Pants PJs

Daddy's Voice Makes Me Oh So Happy

There is something about daddy's voice that just makes Anniston show off her gummy smiles. As soon as he comes home from work everyday it is the sweetest thing to see her light up. She can be sleeping, eating, or playing and the second he says, "Hello, it's your papa!" She just lights up. It is the sweetest thing in the World. Love him. Love her. 

Running or Walking? 

So about two weeks ago I decided to start running again. I was super pumped because we got out the jogging stroller and I have been feeling pretty good.  Unfortunately, I am fairly certain that I can walk faster than these attempted runs, but hey...it is better than nothing right? In no time I hope I can work my way up to a hobbling speed, one stride at a time right? 

Going for a morning run/walk.

52:7 Your Baptism

I Want to Remember

Your Baptism

You were so sweet this morning. Mommy was such an emotional mess, but you slept through all of mass. You stretched just a little as father poured the water over your head and you fell right back asleep.

Anniston was baptized on August 19th, 2012. Talk about an emotional morning. Not sure why, but this Momma could not put herself together. But we had so many friends and family that came up to support Anniston on her baptism. 

Annie with her godparents: Uncle Jake & Auntie A

52:6 Your First "Real" Smiles

You are already six weeks Annie Bananie! We cannot believe how time has passed already and all the changes you've made. In the past few days we have definitely noticed that you're starting to recognize that there is a lot to take in around her - tracking objects that are further away, following our faces and fingers, and you even smile for us now! Sometimes I still think its just because you're gassy, but other times I am certain that you are giggling at our ridiculous baby voices, made up stories, songs, or faces that we are making at you.

Her are a few snapshots of her taking it all in!

Playing with her new activity play mat! So much to take in!

All smiles at home, with grandma and for snuggle time!

52:5 Giving You Your First Bath

 I want to Remember

Giving You Your First "Real" Bath

I remember your first bath in the hospital. I didn't even give you this bath and I just felt like grabbing you from that nurses arms and holding you close to me. I knew it was something I had to do, but knowing you hated it, made me hate it.

Sponge Baths are Incredibly Stressful.  

Oh my, no one prepared me for how awful sponge baths are! They were filled with tears, goosebumps, and shivers from both Mom and Anniston! We had to give sponge baths at the beginning because her umbilical cord was still attached, but Anniston was NOT a fan. The first time Nick and I got ready to give her one I had the camera ready to capture the moment. As soon as the water touched her she was not impressed. It was the first time I saw her cry tears, real tears. So then I cried tears, real tears. Luckily, dad was there to jump in and rescue both of us. 

Baths in her Bath Tub are Incredibly Sweet. 

I must emphasize, the “in her bath tub” statement! Needless to say, after exactly one week she lost part of her umbilical cord (which was a story within itself) and then by 2 weeks and 2 days she lost all of it. So, now that her belly button is cord free we are onto her little bath tub, and she loves the warm water and her eyes just light up whenever I set her in it. It is one of my favorite things to do with her now! Here’s to happy suds and soap! 

Bath time has turned into my favorite part of the day. You love the water! Watching you kick and splash in the water is bliss. We've even taken a few baths together and daddy just sits with us and watches us play in the tub. You like to push off of me and feel the water run over you.

52:4 Strange Symptoms are Normal Symptoms

I want to Remember 

Strange Symptoms are Normal Symptoms

Everything that you do is new to me. I am not sure what is normal, good, bad, scary, or common - but I am learning quickly. Thank you for being patient with us as we try to tackle this parenting thing, one strange symptom at a time.

It’s official. I am a mother.  

So far I've been peed on, pooped on, spit up on, cried on and sucked on and I still love her to pieces. In the past four weeks Nickolas and I have definitely learned a lot, but we couldn’t be more in awe of our little Annie. She does something new every day that amazes us and makes us fall more in love. I feel like we have grown and learned so much already, but most importantly we have learned that strange symptoms are normal symptoms.  I feel like I should just have a nurse move in with me to reassure me that she is just fine! So far I have talked to the doctor about her blue feet, twitching while sleeping, baby acne, projectile spit up, and thrush. The only thing that was a slight cause of concern was the thrush. Not painful for her (for me, yes), but regardless we both got some medicine and are doing better! Other than that, all those other symptoms are completely normal. Who would of thought?! 

52:3 The Way You Sleep

 I want to remember

The Way You Sleep  

I want to remember the different ways that you sleep. Our daily naps are heavenly. I'm pretty sure any mother would agree her favorite thing is to stare at her newborns face. I am no exception to this, but I find myself staring at your face for so many different reasons. It's crazy how much you have changed in a weeks time. I will never have the way you looked those first few days in the hospital back. You are changed forever and I will only have that little look through pictures I have taken or the memories I have stored. I'm very lucky to have experienced those looks and moments at all. I want you to know that our daily snuggle sessions make my heart melt and whenever I look down at you Anniston, I know that I was meant to be a mommy. 


Shhh...She is Sleeping

Literally on her three-week birthday, Anniston slept in her crib through the night! I repeat, she slept through the night and she was in her crib! Trust me, we were as shocked as you are, but she is that fabulous! Around week 2 ½ I started putting her in her crib in between feedings and for some daily naps, just to get her adjusted to both the bassinet and her crib. Then on her three-week birthday, I put her in her crib at 10:40pm and I finally woke her up 6:00am because I was in dire need to feed her! Just awesome. We have had a few nights where she won’t go to sleep until 12:00am, but then she still sleeps well into the morning! More reason to be completely in love with her! I will give all the credit to her swaddle blankets and her daddy’s amazing lullaby skills every night! 

I love the way your body shifts during your naps and nightly sleeps. Whenever you take a nap I catch myself just staring at you and thinking about how perfect you are. You are so sweet.

Newborn Pictures

These are Anniston's newborn pic's shot by Anniston's Grandma Parr and her co-worker Shannon. I love their simplicity and how they captured every little detail. 

Thank you grandma for such a beautiful experience! 

2 Week Check Up 

Doctor: Dr. Chaun Cox 

Height: 22.16 inches 

Weight: 8lbs 3 ounces 

Head Circumference: 36.3cm

52:2 The Way You Eat

I Want to Remember 

The Way You Eat

I want to forever capture your sweet coos and soft cries. I love that when I hold you, I can feel your body relax. I love that when I feed you, you seem at ease. I can honestly say that feeding you is my favorite part of every day. It is a bond we share that is truly unexplainable.

Boobs are for Food, Not Fun. 

Well, lets face it. The first time Nick saw me use the breast pump I knew our relationship was on a whole new level. Annie is literally an eating machine and I am her favorite vending machine. If she isn’t eating, she still just likes to lay next to them as if she is letting dad know, they are all hers now. And no one prepared me for the constant milk flow either. When I shower they leak. When I am cold, they leak. When I give hugs, they leak. When I take a bath, they leak. When Annie cries, they leak. When I go one minute over three hours of feeding, they leak. It is ridiculous, but at least I know I have quite the supply for the time being.

52:1 The Way You Took in the World

I want to remember 

the way you took in the world those first few days

I want to remember the way you took the World in so quickly. Even in the hospital room you seemed so alert. The nurses kept commenting on your eyes and how they were really taking everything in. I love staring at you, while you take in everything for the first time. I wish I knew what you were thinking. I hope we show you a beautiful world. 

We have been overwhelmed with all of the well wishes, family and friends visiting, and the constant support following Anniston's birth! The last few days have been so much more amazing than I ever could have imagined. I still haven't really slept and I still can't believe she is here. And there are moments where I look down at her and think. She is still here. She is still perfect. And she she is ours. Forever. 

It is really a feeling I can't describe to anyone else and it's quite overwhelming. Each day she is changing and I find myself just holding her tighter just to stop her from growing. She makes my heart melt and daddy's extra sweet side come out. I cannot wait to start making memories as a family.

Here are a few (of the hundreds) of photos that grandma, Auntie A, and I have already snapped from this week. She is definitely a heartbreaker and has stole daddy's heart and melted mine.

All set to go home.

Welcome Home Anniston Jean!

She was so exhausted she wanted to test out her crib right away!

She still has to grow into it quite a bit!

Annitston Jean - Day Four

Oh Please Mom, Stop with all the Photos!

Happy Fourth of July from our Little Firecracker!

My Little Firecrackers were all Burned Out!

52:0 The Way You Felt Against My Skin

I want to remember 

the way you first felt against my skin

 No books, no class, no conversation could have prepared me for how my life would change once you were placed against me. I know at the time I was completely exhausted, but it was the first time I felt like I knew what my purpose was in life. To love, hold, and care for you.

Meet Our Annie

Anniston Jean Rehder arrived at 6:17pm on June 30th, 2012. She weighed 7lbs & 12 oz and was 22 inches long. She has a full head of beautiful dark hair, sweet sounds, and is already nuzzling us during skin to skin time. We are so in love and couldn't feel more blessed!!

First family photo after 40 hours of no sleep!

Daddy doing skin to skin time

So sweet. So in love.