52:25 Snuggle Time

I Want to Remember

Snuggle Time

 I want to remember snuggle time with you. These past few weeks I have been so spoiled because I have had work off. We have taken daily naps, read several books, worked on getting up off the ground off your tummy, and sitting independently. This nap was so special because daddy was working downstairs on the basement and he came up and found us like this. He got jealous and we all went to bed for a serious snuggle session! This was one of those moments that I want to remember forever. 

Caught Napping at the Cabin! Love this moment!

Sleep...Never!

Well, I am OFFICIALLY done bragging about Annie's awesome sleeping schedule! She now hates to sleep at night! We tried weaning her off the swaddle and then taking it away completely. We have tried feeding her food right before bed and just giving her the boob before bed. We have tried elevating her crib and letting her sleep in the bassinet. We've put her to bed earlier and tried putting her to bed later.  And NOTHING is seeming to help her sleepless nights. So as for now I am thankful that I can nap with her during the days, but when I go back to work this week I am hoping that she gets some sleep so I can actually function in my classroom! Here's to hoping that this growth spurt/teething/ear infection stage is almost over so we can all get some serious sleep again!


You are 6 Months Old!

52:24 Your First Christmas

I Want to Remember

Your First Christmas

  

I want to remember your first Christmas. Your Papa and I were so overjoyed this Christmas to have you to celebrate with. We spent time in Chaska for your first Christmas with Daddy's side of the family and you spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Mommy's side of the family. You did so well with all the traveling and all the family members. You got VERY spoiled, but you were more entertained with the wrapping paper and ribbons than the actual presents!  You got some fabulous new outfits and great new toys to that you will grow into! Cannot wait to try them all out. We truly just felt so lucky and blessed to have you this Christmas.

My thoughts on the Holidays:

This season is WaY more fun with a baby to buy for!

My favorite Christmas gift for you was Elijah the Elephant by Rockabye Baby 

There are LOTS of adorable holiday books and songs to read to baby! 

You can never have too many holiday dresses! 

Driving all over for the holidays, cannot happen every holiday! It's exhausting!

 

52:23 Sitting on Your Own

I Want to Remember

Sitting on Your Own

I want to remember you sitting on your own. The past few weeks you have been leaning, toppling, and wobbling while sitting, with the Bobby surrounding you.  But now you are officially able to sit on your own. Not for very long, and I know this amount of time will only increase, but it is so exciting to see how strong and brave you are! 

52:22 Your First Snowfall

I Want to Remember

Your First Snowfall

I want to remember your first snowfall. You were so intrigued by snow. As it came down I sat you in front of our sliding door and you just stared at it. Your eyes were memorized by it and I just loved watching you tap the window. We took you outside the next morning in your snowsuit and we laid you in the snow.We weren't sure how you'd react, but you just giggled and kept hitting at the snow with your legs and hands. I think you will be quite the snow bunny! 

Midwest Baby!
This crazy child definitely loves the cold! It is the strangest thing, I get her all bundled up to go from the parking lot to the Target entrance and she would throw such a fuss about getting so bundled, I would too, but regardless, the second she feels that chilling breeze from outside she just cheeses out! She got some adorable new snow suits, hats, booties, and mittens!  It has been so fun dressing her up for this ridiculous winter weather! More pictures to come on this! I promise!

52:21 Your First Christmas Tree

I Want to Remember

Your First Christmas Tree

I want to remember your first Christmas Tree. We had such a wonderful weekend as a family! We went to Sibley Park to see 1 million lights, live reindeer, have hot chocolate, see Santa, and listen to Christmas music. You loved looking up at all the colorful lights from the stroller and hearing all the commotion.

The next morning we went and cut down our own xmas tree. You were so giggling on this day. I am pretty sure you were more excited than I was! We spent the entire day decking out for the Holidays. Me and you worked inside the house putting up all the decorations and Papa was outside all day decorating the whole house with lights!

That night we made a great dinner - you eating some more avocados (I think these are your favorites so far), and then we all decorated the xmas tree! The last step was you putting on your first ornament.

We got you an adorable little shoe with your name on it. You loved grabbing it and throwing it into your mouth! I think you like the coolness of it. It was so fun to watch and you get as excited for the Holidays as much as we do! 

Here is to many more years of holiday traditions and memories!

You are 5 Months Old!

52:20 Your First Thanksgiving

I Want to Remember

Your First Thanksgiving

I want to remember your first Thanksgiving. We had so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Just last Thanks giving I told our family members that you were in my in tummy and this Thanksgiving I gave you your first meal. It was so fitting for the holidays because I gave you sweet potatoes. You didn’t know what to think at first, but before long you were opening your mouth for more. I hope I can keep making you food, so you eat healthier than your mommy!

Making Baby Food

Whew…this is quite the chore! Just looking into what to feed baby first is quite the decision, and making the food from scratch is a whole other ball game! I have two books, few websites, and some friends that I looked into and everyone’s beliefs are so different about what is best, what should be first and how much, how often. So I am just doing what I think is best for Anniston and going with that.

So as of now I am still mainly going to be breastfeeding, but starting off, once a day, I will feed her food – during our breakfast. And so far I am making and freezing her food. So far I've made sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, rice cereal and quinoa.  I am completely going to wing this and see how it goes! Any advice? I’ll gladly take it! 

52:19 Grabbing Your Toes

I Want to Remember

Grabbing Your Toes

I want to remember how much you giggled the first time you grabbed your toes. You were so proud of yourself and in aww of what was in your hands. You've tried so hard to put those little toes in your mouth, but you aren't quite there yet. Thanks for being mommy's little helper while changing you this week by holding up those strong legs of yours. I guess it's time to start singing a new nursery rhyme!

To Swaddle or Not to Swaddle
 I am currently struggling with this whole swaddle situation! I am in LOVE with our Halo Sleep Sacks - I tell everyone and anyone that it is THE key to getting your baby to sleep through the night! And so far, it's now worked for 4 of my good friends and their little newbies! BUT, according to some books and some sites I am supposed to stop swaddling Anniston at 4 months. Some reasons being potential to start rolling over, for additional movement when she sleeps, because she has been out of the womb long enough that she no longer needs that comfort, and because my mother calls it the straight jacket!
Well, unfortunately for me, Annie does NOT sleep at all through the night when she isn't swaddled! She literally wakes up about every two hours! And not just stirs. I am talking eyes open, arms flailing, legs kicking and ready to move. But with it, she sleeps 10+ hours! Our doctor said we will know when shes ready to stop being swaddled, because she will start fighting it when we put her in it. Well, she doesn't at all. It is quite the opposite! But regardless, I know the dreaded day/week/month of transitioning needs to come soon. So I just need advice in the transition part of stopping the sweet swaddling and moving her into freedom.

My baby girl all swaddled up with her papa for the night!

 

52:18 Your First Halloween

I Want to Remember

Your First Halloween

I want to remember dressing you up for your first Halloween. I debated for a long time about what to dress you as for Halloween. Your daddy and I LOVE Halloween,  so I knew we needed something unique and special!  I bought you material for a turtle costume (that fell through), a peacock costume (I thought you'd be uncomfortable), so THE day of Halloween, I pulled together these materials and made you an octopus costume! I.LOVED.IT! We took you trick-or-treating at a friends house, then we took you to the mall to show you off. You were so smiley this night and everyone just loved looking at you and all your legs! 
I also want to remember this day because last year on Halloween I told your Papa that you were in my tummy! Remember that story?! He was so surprised that he thought I was "tricking" him for Halloween - but you ended up being the best "treat" we could have ever asked for.

Fun in the Fall!

I seriously love fall! There are always so many fun things to do - pumpkin patch, scarecrow festival, drinking apple cider, carving pumpkins, and raking the leaves! But having a kid to do these things with makes it all SO much better! Unfortunately, along with the changing of the season, comes a lot of stuffy noses, congestion, and coughs! Half my students were sick this week and even our daycare was even closed half of the week because her kiddos got sick! Boo, to sickness, but snaps to having fun in the fall! 

 

Annie visiting me on Halloween day! Grandma was babysitting so she snuck her in! Lucky momma!

Trick or Treat, Painted Feet!
 Footprint candy corn project that Anniston created at daycare! First craft project is in the books!

52:17 Making Rasberries

I Want to Remember

Making Rasberries

You are just beginning to teeth and you are drooling so much. Whenever you just start drooling you make all these little spit bubbles – making raspberries. You haven’t been too fussy when teething so far, but there are times when I can tell your uncomfortable and I just want to take away your pain.

Sleep Needed
So Anniston's perfect sleep schedule is being destroyed! I think it is a mix between her in the early stages of teething, growing so she is getting hungry in the middle of night, and she is growing out of the whole being swaddled situation. I don't know how normal adults function with this little of sleep, so I am truly hoping this is just a short lived phase, because this momma needs some serious sleep!

Drooling Monster
Along with the early stages of teething some drooling. I mean A LOT of drooling! She is drooling through bibs, sucking on everything, and going through multiple outfits/day. Turns out there is a whole market for teething babies, so what did I do? I bought an assortment of EVERYTHING. Seriously, and turns out she doesn't like half of it! She loves when things are really cold and things that she can stick in her mouth and gnaw on. I am sure things will come more in handy as she begins to develop more teeth, but as for now, she is loving her cold Joshua giraffe and grapes teether.

52:16 Your First Week of Daycare

I Want to Remember

Your First Week of Daycare

I want to remember your first full week of daycare. You did it! I think you did better than mommy this week. Daddy went with me for the first day of drop off and he just hugged me as I cried in the driveway. I knew you were in wonderful hands, but I just felt like I was letting you down by leaving you for so long. I don't think daycare will ever get easier, but picking you up and seeing your smiling face is my favorite part of everyday. 

Daycare Blues
Okay, so if you're reading this and you're even thinking about getting pregnant, you should probably find a daycare...NOW. Seriously, daycare is really difficult to find! Well, great daycare that is!  Luckily I found a wonderful babysitter - after several interviews and house/center visits. She is even kind enough to take the time to text me and send me pictures of my Annie smiling or just to tell me how her days are going! She totally wins brownie points for that!
 But I will say that I did struggle with finding daycare, so I can't give much advice. Okay, but really, as we looked around, I quickly realized that some people should NOT be watching children! It is quite terrifying actually! But like I said, I definitely had my share of interviews to determine what was best for us, so we saw quite the range of personalities/schedules/houses/centers/payments/beliefs.  
We chose an in home center because there was few children (only 3) and I just felt like I would be able to know exactly who was with my child all day, rather than having different workers cycling in and out throughout the day. We are also able to have Nick drop off and me pick up after work, which really works out for our scheduling.  
In the end, there is nothing easy about daycare, but my advice is just to know your options and don't just settle with daycare, they will end up spending more time with your baby than you at times, so you want someone that you can trust, that works with your schedule, and your personality! And the fact that I found someone that does awesome theme daycare days - like PJ day - means I found the right one. Needless to say, I am in Heaven! 

Pajama Day at Daycare!

Annie with Hudson

Annie with Lily