Solids...here we go!

We officially started solids with Collins about two weeks ago. After her 6 mo apt, the pediatrician gave us the go ahead. 

We "set" the table for C so that she can learn to recognize and associate with the tools we use for eating. She loved the spoon, but didn't have the slightest bit of interest in the sippy cup. C has a specific bottle preference (literally, she refuses to eat from all but one brand) so this isn't very surprising. Hannah lunged for hers immediately, so we may have our work cut out for us. 

We started solids with whole grain cereal. It didn't go over great, but we managed to get in a few spoonfuls before she clamped down. W did the honors 😃

We did two rounds of solids the first day, both being whole grain cereal. We are following the new every 2-3 day rule for introduction. So far, so good! No adverse reactions. To date, we've introduced: whole grain cereal, oatmeal cereal, banana, apple, green beans, green peas, butternut squash, and sweet potato. I tried a teething biscuit yesterday as well. She loved it!

She's really doing well and generally finishes the entire portion. After the first few days, I started messing around with texture. She will definitely eat thicker and creamier textures (as opposed to the thinner, runnier ones), so that's exciting! I tried to leave a few small chunks in the banana mixture, but she had a little trouble with it at first. The same thing happened with apples. I puréed the apples with the skin on so she'd have some texture to it. She wasn't a fan the first time. Now, she's really getting the hang of it. 

We had great success using sign language with Hannah, particularly when it came to meal time. We felt like it really saved all of us a lot of frustration. We began exposing Collins to it this month and hope that she'll have the success her sister did.

C is also beginning to grab our hands in an effort to bring the spoon to her mouth. We're encouraging that, but also handing her her spoon and encouraging her to dip. She definitely doesn't understand that concept. It's really just exposure at this point. 

So exciting times!!!

Happy 6 months!

It's officially been a half year since Collins came into the world! In some ways it seems like a life time ago, but mostly time is flying by too quickly.

Stats:

Weight: 13lbs 15oz (13th percentile)

Height: 25.25 inches (32nd percentile)

We are finally wearing size 2 diapers and moved fully into 3-6 month clothing. 

Collins' little personality is beginning to come out. It is so fun to watch! She loves to participate in "conversation" and mostly sounds like a baby bird or a flock of baby birds 😉. One of my favorite moments this month was at H's preschool. I took her in to pay tuition and the ladies were commenting on her cute little ruffle bum. They were all doting on her and she would laugh and then bury her head into me and then babble and bury her head into me. It was seriously the cutest thing! Another favorite development this month: when I pick C up from her crib, she buries her head into my shoulder and snuggles into me. I love it! She is very into faces this month and loves to grab, clasp, pat, and pull at anything on your face. 

This month has brought some fun milestones:

 We have an official sitter! The month started off shaky, but daily practice finally turned into a new milestone. Collins is loving the new view! She still topples if she stops paying attention or gets tired. We  put a triangle of pillows or soft blankets behind her, just in case. 

She can pass objects back and forth between hands and definitely searches for dropped objects.

I can't remember if I've recorded these, but she's definitely doing the following:

*Making razzing noises

*stringing sounds together e.g. "ah goo"

*turns head in the direction of a noise sounded

*notices even small objects

Collins loves:

*Hannah

*Daisy

*Bath time

*Putting her hands behind her head to signify she's sleepy.

*Paci

*Pulling her lovey to her face

*exersaucer/jumparoo 

*putting everything into her mouth!

We did have a few firsts this month including a trip to the beach and to meet great, great Aunt Vivian (94)

Stay tuned... We will be starting solids this month. So fun!

5 months old

 Collins is 5 months old! It is so crazy how fast time is flying. I try to savor every second with this baby. Since this will likely be our last, it's been harder with each passing milestone and each passing stage. Of course I'm so proud and overjoyed that she's growing and accomplishing what she's supposed to, but the ache that I may never get to experience this again is real. Case in point, the bassinet has been sitting in the master bedroom, empty, for two months. My sweet husband never once asked me during that time why we hadn't put it away (he hates clutter, so this is big). He knows I'm holding on and that I need the space to do things in my own timing. I finally broke it down last week. Hannah was playing in the room while I was working on it, so of course we were listening to the iPod. Ironically, "The Circle of Life" shuffled on while I was loosening the bolts. Well played, iPod, well played. I digress...

This was a big month for Collins and included her meeting more milestones, meeting more family, her first Christmas, first trip to Alabama and the University of Alabama, and first New Years. 

We'll start with the milestones. 

Sitting! This is big folks! C can rock the sitting position for 15-20 seconds with no assistance before toppling to the side or falling backwards. It's best achieved when putting objects or flashing toys in front of her. I'm confident she'll be sitting full time by 6 mo.

Collins is tolerating tummy time more these days and can generally hang out for as long as 20 minutes if she's really got a toy (or watching sister) she's interested in. During tummy time, she no longer stays put. She's in the same general area, but definitely spins around and inches along. 

Grasping with two hands and passing back and forth between hands is new this month.

Exploring with the mouth is also a big thing this month. Everything goes in the mouth!

Hair is really sprouting these days. She's had peach fuzz from birth, but it's really beginning to grow. We definitely have a blondie.

Her favorite things still include her paci (which she's getting really good at putting in her mouth by herself these days) and bath time (this kid loves the water!!). She also loves watching Hannah, being held above your head, and being talked to. She loves grabbing anything that makes a crunching noise.

First Christmas and first snow also took place this month!

And by first snow, I mean flurries that didn't stick... I'm sure if you blow this picture up, you can spot a few flakes. It was really coming down, I promise!

We took C to Alabama for the first time this month. We were there for over a week and she got to meet more cousins and family. She was loved on and enjoyed the attention, even from the doggies :) 

We were able to get out and experience a lot of fun things, including a trip to Tuscaloosa and a basketball game (which she slept through). 

So far, no stranger danger. Our biggest hurdle this month came during our trip to AL. We discovered that C doesn't sleep well at night away from her house. She was up multiple times every night, with some of those occasions begin up to two hours some nights. She wasn't hungry, sick, or needing a change, but rather looking for comfort and familiarity. When I'd pick her up, she'd immediately bury her head into me and relax. The hardest part was getting her back into the pack and play without starting the comfort process over again. H was always so adaptable, so we weren't expecting this glitch. C is such a cuddly little baby and loves to be held. I was thankful for the advice of a well-seasoned SIL who explained that C may just have a hard time with new sights and smells. I was worried that this trip would start a trend of waking during the night again... even at home. Thankfully, that was not the case and she went right back to sleeping through the night when we returned home. 

Collins' first time in a baby swing happened this month! Hannah was itching to put C in a swing and push her. Of course, I had to run with this. I was so excited H expressed the interest! C enjoyed it (although, the picture shows two lackadaisical looking kids. Ha!) 

 The jury is still out on who this kid looks like. We all agree she's got more Vance in her, but she may surprise us as she grows :)

Merry and bright...

I love the month between thanksgiving and Christmas. It's so full of joy, activities, family and friends. We pack a lot into this month from decorating to baking and special events. It's so much fun!

H hosts a gingerbread  house decorating party each year. This year, we only invited folks from her preschool and ended up with 14 kids, 3 infants and 9 adults.  It was so fun! The kids did a great job on their houses and we finished the night eating pizza before they left.

Making the gingerbread dough....

Decorating the houses...

H's buddy hosted a cookie decorating party. H had so much fun filling every square inch of cookie with icing and decorations! After decorating, the girls had fun playing and running some of their sugar energy off :) 

As a special treat, we went to Disney on Ice. H loves everything Ana and Elsa! It was a no brainer to take her to see this magical show. She enjoyed dressing up as Elsa and toting her Ana/Elsa doll along. She was mesmerized by the show and loved seeing each character come out. Her buddies from school were there and they had a great time dancing and singing along to the music. 

This was a special mommy/daughter date. We left sister home with Daddy. I soaked up the time with my big girl! What a treat!

We did have to leave a bit early. My sweet girl got a bit scared. It wasn't when the big snow monster made an appearance, like you'd expect. She did great with that! Instead, it was when Hans was being mean to Ana. She was visibly shaking and began to cry. There was no amount of sweet talking or lap holding that was going to help. 

And finally, we of course went to Polar Express night. This is quickly becoming a favorite tradition of ours! We met our friends and their little boy. 

This is a great event because Santa is there! Even though it is a popular event, the line to see Santa is always short and Santa really takes his time with the kids. We were SO proud of Hannah this year! She hopped right up into Santa's lap and told him everything she wanted. She was such a brave girl. This was her first year without tears :) It was precious! 

We love this season of joy, celebration, and waiting. It certainly was merry and bright!