My Funny, Hungry, Sleepy Baby

{9 months and gaining}

So yesterday at your 9 month checkup, the doctor said we could start giving you baby-sized pieces of our own food as long as you can hold and chew it without issue. When I mentioned this to daddy, he took it as a license to go crazy with the food-tasting, and tonight you tried green beans, your first french fry, and (!!) pork barbeque from Shane's Ribshack. Mommy was not happy with the fact that pork was your first meat, and promptly offered you a shred of my chicken. I fear we're creating a monster. But it's very cute to watch you grab the pieces with your thumb and forefinger and try to land them in your bird-mouth.

Dr. B said you were lookin good. 78th percentile in height; 15th in weight. They'd be concerned if you weren't so tall. Sounds like you take after your mommy.  :)  You're just starting the clingy stage and becoming wary of strangers, but you warmed up to the doc after a bit and even performed some of your tricks for him (the latest of which is flipping your paci sideways and gripping it with your two teeth). You also clapped and danced (I'm assuming the music was playing in your head), and stood on mommy's lap. 

You're presently not the most talkative of kids, but just the way you look at the world makes me think you're processing it all. And anytime you want to start actually calling me mama (instead of just throwing it out there sans meaning) is good with me. You give wonderful kisses—especially to daddy. You only bit me that one time... ;)

Your favorite snack for the moment is pretzels, which daddy has been giving to you for several weeks without my knowledge. You basically just suck all the salt from them and gnaw the bare stick. When I came home and caught this action going on one night, daddy said "she loves pretzels!" unapologetically. Yes, this was before we had clearance from the doctor to give you finger foods. But I guess no harm done if you don't get sick. Thank goodness you're a very tolerant baby, and can take pretty much anything we throw at you. Maybe I should thank God for that, too.

pretzel or teething tool? you decide

perhaps some lobster bisque for the lady??

yes, that is seriously what daddy is feeding you...

We're still doing the 'your bed most of the night; ours the rest' thing, but I'm moderately convinced it's only because daddy wakes from his temporary couchbed and grabs you on the way to ours (perchance sleepthinking you're restless even when you're not). Don't tell him I said that. I have to collect evidence first..

In the mornings, you stir around 6:30. And though we'd love just that half hour more, your waking process, again, is too cute for us to hate. First you tumble from side to side (mommy to daddy) and see if this gets our attention. You may still be half-sleeping, but it works. Then the paci dislodges and you turn onto your tummy and up to all fours. One of us generally attempts to coax you back to bed with a gentle check against the pillows at that point. But you are not to be discouraged and soon muster up to a stand, looming over one of our faces (employing the head for support). I'm not sure how you know, but the poking, prodding, pulling and smacking does it, and we are up to attend to your every beck and call once again. Periodically, mommy and daddy are more tired and therefore more resistant to your blows, and attempt to endure the abuse longer just to slightly extend the rest. 

Recently, you found that pulling daddy's armpit hair will shock him up swiftly. That was a fun morning.

Don't even get me started on the falling asleep process. It's more complicated by far, especially on days when your naps aren't regular, but always entails a paci and blankette (i.e. soft piece of fabric posing as a blanket, but smaller—often with a stuffed animal attachment). We call your favorite one Ellie, since it's essentially a flat pink elephant (no, not fat; flat. Seriously, these things sound absurd when you try to explain them). Anywho, you still perform the flailing exercise and rub your Ellie on your cheek to soothe you down. Daddy was watching you do this one day and wondered aloud "do you think she's still gonna have to do that when she, like, goes off to college? I mean her roommate will be lying there peacefully nodding off, and she'll start flapping a pillow about over her head trying to fall asleep." Then he demonstrated and I lost control. We get the biggest kick out of you, baby. It's probably not even funny to anyone else, but I love our inside jokes. You are terrifically hilarious.

The A Report

{7.5 months... ish}


currently, you are: 

• getting teeth!! i finally noticed the little white specks peeking through your gums on March 20th, your 7 month birthday, and when i went to check them out with my finger they were razor-sharp. hm perhaps that's why they call it "cutting".. we have a steady supply of orajel swabs and teething tabs on hand for the pain, which sometimes wakes you up at night. daddy figured out a trick to make the swabs work faster by blowing into the broken end. we also learned to rub it on your paci for maximum effectiveness, and i always put a drop of water on the tabs before giving them to you so they dissolve better. i suppose it's funny that these things are of utmost importance nowadays, but when you have a baby in pain you'll pretty much try anything.

(you can't see them, but i promise they're there!)

• going through bouts of speaking. a couple weeks ago it was "da-da." last week "mmma." and lately you've just starting emitting short (rather loud) shrieks and experimenting with consonants (i keep hearing "vuh" "fuh" and some strange clicking sounds that i think may mean something in another language). yesterday you were chattering on in the car and i was mimicking you in encouragement, and you literally hissed at me. i was a bit taken aback, and then found myself apologizing to you as if you meant something by it.. 

(you'd never hiss at daddy... ;)

i'm still claiming that your first word was God. even if it was by accident, you very clearly enunciated "gah-D." ;)

• omg to the tenth: CRAWLING. i have to admit that every day for at least 2 weeks i've thought you were literally on the verge and would crawl the following day. but you were holding out. clearly, you were capable. i know this because on several occasions, we would place a toy just out of your reach and you'd drop down on all fours, take a couple crawls (just close enough to fall down on your tummy and reach it), and then pick yourself right back up to a sitting position. but you didn't realize you'd already done it, so most of the time you still kept a "safety" leg underneath in order to return to your seat. i think the magic happened when we began encouraging this and clapping every time you'd go down and come back up. when i picked you up yesterday, they told me you'd crawled (and had announced it on the board outside the door). they also said that after doing so, you sat back, grinned and gave yourself a hand. 

• handling the sippycup like a seasoned vet (daddy is crushed that you're growing up so fast). but to be fair, you have been holding your own for some time now.. VK asked a couple months ago "did you know she holds her bottle by herself?" yup. this was at like 5 months. you do have a voracious appetite that probably motivated it early. clearly you get that from your daddy. ;) 

(chugging like a pro. right, dad?)

• enjoying banging items together and relishing in the sounds they produce. you have also discovered "the bounce," and do so while seated if you're super-excited (like when we come to pick you up from daycare and you can't quite remember that you know how to crawl now), and in your exersaucer. i especially enjoy this, because you look like you're having fun. and because i would totally get in one of those over-the-door bouncy-seat thingies if they made them big enough.

• still attached to the paci; though you don't seem to need it as often. olivia might disagree, however, since daddy shared with me a little incident that occurred the other day when you got to school and sat down next to her sans paci; noticed she had one in; and deftly plucked it from her mouth. whoops. evidently, it works both ways though because daddy went to help you out with some orajel the other night and you disengaged your own paci to expeditiously insert it into his mouth. also, you practice the "paci nunchucks" diligently, and won't hesitate to clock anyone who invades your personal space during practice sessions. 

• wiggling around in that crib like a clock. as in, i put you down facing 12, and when I check an hour later, it's 3. another hour and you've done a complete 180 and are pushing 6 on the opposite end. when you're trying to fall asleep you sometimes thrust back abruptly and half the time end up shoved into a corner banging your head against the bars. am seriously rethinking this "bumpers are bad" thing.

• having your first emotional fit. last night we introduced you to teething biscuits and may never be doing so again (jk). when daddy thought you were done and went to take one away, you balled up your fists, lowered your head and squinted ferociously. and the noise that exuded from your petite little frame was nothing short of sheer rage. it sounded like a rabid hamster. in short, you hulked-out. we would have been more sympathetic except that it was so funny daddy and i could not stop laughing. 

• trying to remember to call my mom by the correct grandma moniker. since the beginning of time (last august), it's been mimi sally [technically it started with the dogs even before then]. but after hearing a little boy repeatedly call his grandmother "mia," mimi was smitten and asked to be called this instead. forgive me if i use them interchangeably for a while and confuse the crap out of you.

(lovin on your mimi mia!)

• anxious to meet your "cousin" and future bff, Nora Kate! aunt marisa had teeny weeny cutie pie Nora on St. Patrick's Day, so as soon as she's old enough we'll make the introduction. though i may have to have a talk with you beforehand about proper paci etiquette..

(isn't she cute!?! it's ok if you're jealous of her hair... so are most men)

• so gosh darn beautiful. the saturday before easter, we had your "6 month" (oops! just a little late...) photo session with Lindsey. you were sadly not in the greatest of moods - hating the grass and outside in general, and keeping your stunning smile under wraps. but somehow she managed to get some great shots. i hope i'm not violating any copyrights by posting them here as long as i attribute them to Lindsey Turner Photography, but i think my absolute favorite picture of all time is the last one. :) 

i cannot even express how amazingly much i love you!!! i am so incredibly blessed to have you in my life and in my arms, little one.

and i have to say, i never saw it coming. i mean i knew i wanted to be a mom and i knew i'd like it, but i really had no idea. it is truly such a gift that i have God and daddy to thank for giving to me. i don't think i can ever thank them enough.

My Funny Valentine

{6 months in a week!}

(don't mommy and daddy just have the most beautiful valentine in the whole wide world??! we think so :)

For our first Valentines together, we decided to take it low-key and just follow what has become our weekend tradition of going out to breakfast. We sat in a booth at Tex & Shirley's where I unloaded every toy and plaything known to man and you proceeded to ignore them and flirt with every boy baby in sight. Little harlot. ;)  There must be something about boys, because you seem to stare a bit longer at them [I'm convinced this all started on your first "girls' lunch" with Heidi and I when a mom walked by with a little boy and you literally turned your head to follow them as they passed]. 

(your "flirtface")

Well this particular day there happened to be an extremely cute little dude at the table next to us with his family. His sister gave him a Valentine (which I just thought was super-specially-cute anyway) and out of the blue he lets out the most charming baby belly laugh! Daddy looked at you and said "What the heck?! Why don't you do that yet?" And come to find out, laughing baby was literally only 1 day older than you. "Well," daddy said, "that's fine. She'll be laughing tomorrow." Hehehe I wouldn't hold my breath. Now daddy and I both know that babies develop at different rates; and as far as talking goes, you really aren't unusually vocal. So it's totally ok that you're not laughing yet. You do at least giggle. But then we started thinking - should we be taking this personally? I mean, maybe we just aren't that funny..   

;)

Happy Valentines Day, my little lovebug.

(playing the bongos)

(way too happy about that coupon in your hands. that's mommy's little girl!!)

A Joyful Noise (Giggles & Pups)

{coming up on week 13}

your new fav activity has become sucking on your fists. i swear you're trying to get a whole one in there. it scares me. 

you're also much more opinionated these days, and will let us know that you do NOT enjoy sitting in the swing at certain times and require us to hold you instead. dangit you may be figuring us out.. 

you do like the bjorn, though. it's about the only way mommy & daddy can get anything accomplished. so we like it, too. 

(Erica and Grace, modeling the Bjorn)

sadly, mommy's venture back to work has become a bit problematic as your meal supply has decreased considerably. i've been doing all i can to get it back to normal, but it requires a 2-hour schedule and has not been a fun process. it has also caused you to return to a 3-hour feeding schedule at night (which last night prompted daddy to declare "we're giving her rice cereal tomorrow i don't care if she's not old enough"). grrrr... 

you're definitely getting more and more vocal. and last night (cue trumpets) you bestowed upon us a most magnificent giggle. it is now my favorite sound... ever. it only happened twice, but holy crap if i don't get that on tape at some point it will be a loss to humanity.  ;)  mimi sally brought it forth, so she may have to come over and work her magic again. you were just watching her make faces and noises at you, and all of a sudden emitted a little scream. so mimi imitated you and you screamed back at her. then came the laugh. it's so fabulous i feel like we could bottle up a bunch of baby giggles and transmit them around the world and it might bring peace to the nations. ok so maybe that's taking it a little far, but you get the picture.

this past weekend we took you and your furry brother and sister to country park and played at the "bark park." you watched the pups for a bit and then promptly fell asleep, but it was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed it. we got to meet nick's new lady - a chocolate lab named emmi. only had a couple minor incidents getting there (mommy forgot her phone and will NEVER do that again) and sitting on the bench when a tiny little dog jumped up to check you out. you should have seen how fast your daddy left nick hanging mid-sentence and sprinted to get to you. hehehe. fast johnny comes in kinda handy! he gets extra daddy points for that maneuver.

Let's Face It

{just about 2 months}

your many faces:

(excited. and doing the jersey shore fist pump)

(still excited. more fist pump action)

(and now she's disgusted. 

"mommy, i am sooo much cooler than that")

("I grow tired of your endless compliments. 

But keep them coming..")

("Alright now it's just annoying. 

Less paparazzi; more parent please.")

The Daily Ansley

{almost 12 weeks}

yikes 4 weeks. shameful. mommy needs to get on the ball and write in your journal more often! sorry babydoll. well a lot's been going down the past month, so you'll have to excuse my tardiness with this entry. you've logged a record number of hours with the grandparents lately, as daddy and i have taken on the task of painting the entire downstairs and upstairs hallway. they love it, though, and even request more time with their precious ansley. thank heaven for grandparents. seriously.

in other news, you've started producing more drool than your mouth can contain. this is alternated with spitup, and you are now soaking through at least 2 bibs a day. speaking of which, mommy made the big leap and started back to work 4 days a week when you were exactly 10 weeks old. it was sooo hard for me to leave you the first few times, but i was brave and only cried a little bit. miss darlene watches you from 8:30 to 5:30 tuesday through friday. she says you're good but "only take 30-minute naps." mwahahahaha we've totally spoiled you letting you sleep on us during the day. oopsie. i can't help it - it's the best feeling in the world. a baby sleeping on your chest is just the sweetest. someday you'll see. 

(gee what a lovely drool bib you have!..either that or you've been doing some serious working out)

the grandparents have gone a little crazy with the outfits, but you are moving into some seriously cute ones, which will require me to change and take a picture of you pretty much at 30-minute intervals throughout the day. oh well! unfortunately, you now have less hair than the day you were born so i especially love putting you in headbands (my little blair waldorf), as your hair is currently falling out faster than it's coming in. and man, oh, man, we cannot get enough of those smiles. how i love your beautiful smiles. especially when you get so excited that you squeeze your fists and wiggle around. it's literally the cutest thing. can you even imagine how in love with you we are? it boggles the mind. 

we had a breakthrough the other day when daddy held up an object and you reached out and grabbed it. you solely practice this trick with your left hand (woot! go lefties!!! secretly hoping you're left-handed), but we'll take what we can get. it's quite entertaining. still not so much loving the books, but you will sit and watch daddy play video games like a champ (yes, i'm sure call of duty: world at war is incredibly mind-enriching for our little one daddy...).

(You're trying to eat your Zaboomafoo. I think your eyes are the same size in this picture!)

you're also making some pretty awesome noises at the moment. little short screams and assorted coos. we have some great conversations with your incoherent babbling little self. 

halloween was our first big holiday, and we did it up right with no less than 3 costume changes. you were asleep most of the night, but woke up in good spirits and loving your hula costume!! pretty sure you preferred it to the lion that i made into a lioness with the use of a pink ribbon, but you were so cute in both. 

we just found out the other day that marisa and marc are having a girl AND that aunt jennifer is pregnant!! mommy came home and told daddy who proudly trumpeted that "he'd started it." jaclyn and chad had baby jake just a few weeks ago, and we are way too excited for you to have more little "cousins" to play with! and i'm calling it right now, somebody's kids are gonna get married to somebody else's from our group. it's like, inevitable. just do the math.   :)