Sarah { seven months }

I've said it many times and I'll continue saying it - the time has just flown by! I'm so blown away by how much Sarah has changed and become her own little person.

Month seven:
Her 7 month birthday happened right before Easter, so we thought it would be fun to take pictures with her Easter basket. (Also, we needed props to keep her occupied!)

During month seven, Sarah was really into exploring everything. We couldn't just leave her to play on her playmat anymore. In fact, this is the month we put the playmat away because she just wasn't interested in it anymore.She would rather play with everything else around her (mostly things like the TV remote and our phones).

No work on crawling yet, but we worked on spending more time on her tummy without getting upset. From there, she would kick kick kick and try to scoot around. Most of the time, though, she would end up getting fussy and want to be picked up.

This month was a little difficult, mainly due to teething. Toward the beginning of the month, I got a call from the daycare saying Sarah had a 101 fever and needed to go home. Sarah had never had a fever, so I was pretty sure it was either the 6 month shots she just had or teeth. Two days later, her bottom left tooth came through, and by the end of the week her bottom right tooth popped up. Talk about worlds different in her fussiness! She was much more pleasant and happy once those teeth came through.

Later in the month, Sarah figured out how to barrel roll like a champ. This new found mobility kept her entertained and very happy. Our little roly poly could now move across any room, from toy to toy, even on the changing pad - definitely had to keep an eye (and one hand) on her at all times! 

There is pretty much a given understanding that if something is in Sarah's hands, it is fair game to go in her mouth. Doesn't matter what it is - TV remote = in the mouth. Leaf on the ground = in the mouth. Piece of food she stole from our plate = in the mouth. But her favorite thing to chew on is our phones. I guess the rubbery feel of the case is like candy.

New foods this month include sweet peas (tried again and liked them), carrots, and juice and water out of a sippy cup. She wasn't very good at using the sippy cup, though. Probably something about the way the spout was shaped and the amount of suction required. 



She was definitely a Momma's girl this month (and pretty much every month)! Her favorite thing to say was "mamamamamama" all. day. long. One of my favorite new accomplishments happened when she started holding her hands up anytime I was around.

Likes:
     * playing with the lotion bottle
     * rolling and getting away from us
     * her toes
     * Sasha
     * Momma

My love,

You are growing up right before our eyes. I can't believe that you are big enough to have not one, but TWO teeth! Your personality amazes me, and we can already see little quirks and distinct parts of your personality. You are so much fun to be around. I know I will keep finding new things every month that I love about you, but right now, I just want to focus on who you are this very moment. But if you could do me a favor and stop growing so fast, I'd really appreciate it!

I love you more than you know.

Always, Momma

Sarah { six months }

I wrote most of this post when Sarah was 6 months and 5 days old and forgot to finish it, then got busy and didn't post it...Now she just turned 9 months...AGH! Well all I can say is, here's month 6! (you're welcome Mom, Renee, Dana, and Kelci!)

We ventured outside for our 6 month pictures because the weather was so beautiful. Sarah absolutely loves being outside. It really calms her down when she is upset. She just looks around, feels the wind, and takes everything in. She's not a big smiler outside, though. I guess she's too busy soaking in her surroundings.

At Sarah's six month check up, she weighed 15 pounds 5 ounces and was 25 3/4 inches long. She's in the 50-75th percentile for all her measurements. Our little growing girl! Her doctor said she is very healthy and looks great. No ear infections, fevers, or sicknesses over here!

Our adventures in homemade baby food have continued and I'm really enjoying making her food. Up to month six, Sarah's food included sweet potatoes, avocados, and peas. I have adjusted how I make the avocados and she likes it much better. However, the first time Sarah tried peas, she really didn't like them and gagged. I guess the food processor didn't blend the skins well enough for her!

Sarah ate at her first restaurant during month six. One Sunday, we went out to eat and I could tell she was getting hungry. I had already given her her bottle during church, so I didn't have anything to feed her. Thankfully, we were at a Mexican restaurant, so i just mashed up the avocado slices on my plate and finger-fed her. Big hit! The waitresses gave us looks like we were crazy, but she was happy. 

At daycare, we upped the milk intake to 13-14 ounces total from a bottle and one nursing session every day. I am so grateful that her daycare is right next door to my school. I get to see and feed her at least once and sometimes twice a day. This gives me a much needed break from the craziness of school! She has several friends at school and really seems to be doing well.

Sarah's personality is developing and changing every day. She is getting so inquisitive, wanting to hold, touch, or taste everything. And believe me - she tastes everything! If it is within her reach, she will do anything she can to get it in her mouth! 

She also discovered that she can make several different sounds and laughs. Sometimes she "talks" with a high-pitched voice, and other times she sounds like such a big girl. She also laughs many different ways - high pitched screeches, loud cackles, rapid-fire panting, and even a big girl laugh too. I love that she is discovering her many talents! 

Another thing she discovered this month was her tongue. She loves to stick it out and rub it on her lips. My guess is she was just getting ready for teeth. But I'm getting ahead of myself :)

We definitely have a blondie on our hands. She has almost lost all of her dark, newborn hair, and now has beautiful soft blonde hair growing in. I can't wait to comb it to the side and put clips in it! Oh, she is growing up so much. I just can't believe how much of a big girl she is.

Month 6 likes:

• Tags. On anything and everything. Clothes, toys, her playmat. Anything that has a tag instantly becomes her favorite thing to chew on. 
• Her toes
• Her door frame jumper (like a Johnny Jump-Up)

Hey blue eyes!

Month 6 dislikes:

• Having her nose wiped
• Sweet pea skins
• Getting dressed or undressed

My Sweet Sarah, 

Baby girl, you are growing so big. Every time I turn around, you are doing something new and exciting. I can't believe you have been in our little family for half a year already! You are such a blessing in our lives and we can't imagine it any other way. We love you, sweetheart. We always will.

To the moon and back, 

Momma

{ Time }

Right now, and for the past several months, I have struggled with sitting down and actually writing anything on this blog. I've toyed with the idea of stopping the blog all together and moving on, just living life as it comes. But then I remember why I started the blog in the first place: to have a place to record life and the way it is happening right now, little notes here and there about our days so we can look back and remember it just the way it was. It seems that since Sarah was born, all I have really posted about is her monthly updates (or lack thereof these past few months...). I'm sure I could come up with all kinds of excuses for why I haven't written like I'm too busy with Sarah, or life is hectic and I am tired, or even blogging is too time consuming. And while those may be appropriate sometimes, really it's just that I am caught up in the middle of living it all right now. I'd rather spend time being a good mommy to Sarah and wife to Eli. This time is precious to me and is going by so very fast.

Thanks for bearing with me as my posts are few and far between these days. I'll hop back on the blogging horse soon enough. But for now, I'm enjoying my sweet girl who is learning to stand on her own, trying new foods every day, chatting up a storm in her sweet little voice, and looking at her Daddy and I like we hung the moon. We are so undeserving of her little heart so full of love for us.

I am so afraid of these days going by too fast. So instead of operating on the fear of how fast time is flying, I'm going to enjoy the present.


Be back soon with a recap of things that have happened and Sarah's past few months.

Sarah { five months }

Month five was the biggest month for change so far. We have such an active, growing girl, and we can't get enough of her!   (Month five was Dec 29 - Jan 29... Month six coming this week!)

At the very beginning of month five, we had Sarah's 4-month checkup. She weighed 13.9 pounds and was 25 inches long. Growing so big! She has gained many new rolls all over and is looking cuter than ever! I just love her chunky thighs.



Her doctor gave us the go-ahead to start cereal or solids at night if we wanted. I have been so excited about starting baby food because I really wanted to make my own purees. I know she doesn't really need anything other than breastmilk, nutritionally, but we went ahead with cereal because she had been very interested in our food and seemed hungry even after nursing at night. We started with rice cereal to get her used to the texture and eating off of a spoon. About two weeks after starting rice (and switching to oatmeal because rice caused tummy troubles), we started with veggies. Let me just say, this girl LOVES her sweet potatoes! We also tried avocado toward the end of the month, which she really didn't care for at first. She's a texture eater like her Momma. Once we added oatmeal, she gobbled it all up! 

Another suggestion from the doctor was to put Sarah in her own room. Up until Christmas, Sarah was still in her cradle in our room, but we (actually just me...) would wake up with every little noise and she expected us to tend to her any time she woke up. Now that she's in her own room, she can soothe herself and fall back asleep easier if she wakes up. We also sleep better. Win, win!Also, she is now sleeping 10-11 hours at night. Woohoo!!



Guess who is sitting up?? And loving it!

Sarah has been trying to sit up for a while now, but never quite had the strength. Now she is sitting really well and really enjoys the new found freedom. She can reach all her toys, see what is going on, and be more independent. Momma and Daddy love the freedom too!

At the beginning of January, Sarah switched from staying with Ms. Linda during the day to going to daycare at my school. We really loved Ms. Linda, but I cannot say how happy I am that I get to see her every single day and even feed her during the day! I am so grateful that my school has a daycare for teacher's kids right next door. The ladies there are great and I know Sarah is well-taken care of.

Someone has become quite the Momma's-girl lately. She's been very clingy and cuddly. I find this so sweet and flattering, but it's so difficult to get anything done! Thank goodness for the Baby Bjorn and naptimes! Although, I won't have these times forever, so I'm soaking them in while she still wants to be around me all the time!

Teething is now in full swing. All the tell-tale signs are there: fussing, gnawing on her fingers, rosy cheeks, and slobbering on everything her chubby little fingers can get a hold of!

Some other new things we noticed in month five are:

Sarah has fallen in love with her feet! She likes to grab them and stick them in her mouth any chance she gets. She also likes to "help" when we're changing her diaper by holding her feet. Silly girl!

She has become very ticklish and it is over-the-top adorable! Her most ticklish spots are under her chin, on the back of her neck, where her bottom and thighs join, and the bottom of her feet. It's so fun to see her squirm and giggle. This is one of those times when we realize how big she's getting!

As you can tell from the pictures, Sarah's dark newborn hair is just about gone. She still has her old man ring around the back of her head, but the rest has fallen out and has been replaced with beautiful, fine blonde hair, just like Momma and Daddy had when we were little.

My Sweet Baby, 

I can't believe how much you changed this month. You are becoming a little person right before our eyes. Your Daddy and I are so blessed to get to be your parents. We thank God every day for allowing us to be a part of your life. You are such a precious gift to us, sweet girl. We love you more than you know.

To the moon and back, Momma

Sarah { four months }

One of these days I'll get a post out when Sarah is actually the age I'm posting about. But until then, I'll enjoy snuggling with and soaking in the real thing!

During month four, Sarah continued talking and being very social, babbling on about anything and everything. Her biggest accomplishment, however, was learning to screech. Loudly! And very high pitched! We first heard her while she was laying in the living room playing with a toy and we were both in the kitchen. Out of nowhere, we heard this crazy screech and ran to see if Sarah was okay. Not only was she okay, she seemed very pleased with herself and the noise that just came out of her mouth. Since then, it has become one of her favorite things to do!

Sarah started wearing size two diapers shortly after leaking out of a couple size ones. She also graduated to  3-6 month clothes. Our little girl is growing so big! At her 4-month doctor appointment, she weighed 13.9 pounds and was 25 inches long. I can't believe that she has almost doubled her birth weight!

She was sleeping in a SwaddleMe wrap at nights, but she grew out of that and even ripped one of the velcro tabs off when she squirmed at night! I was hoping she would get a new swaddle wrap for Christmas, and she did! Once we figured out she liked to be wrapped up with her arms free, she has loved her swaddle and settles down immediately when we wrap her. 

One thing we did notice quite a bit was an irritable, fussy attitude during month four. She just wasn't her usual smiling, talkative self all the time. This fussiness coupled with chewing on everything and drooling buckets really made us think she was starting to teethe.

We also dealt with a little bit of sleep regression during month four. Sarah went from sleeping eight or nine hours in a row to waking up every three to four hours during the night. This made for some difficult nights. In the end, I would get Sarah out of her cradle, which was still in our room, lay her in bed with us and nurse her back to sleep. I loved her being in our bed, but at the same time, I wanted her to be able to sleep through the night. This got pretty draining after a while, and I am so grateful for a sweet husband who got up with me (and instead of me some nights) to help with Sarah.

Sarah has started holding things in her hands and putting them in her mouth.Everything has gone in her mouth from day one, but now she is doing it intentionally. She mastered the task of guiding whatever is in her hand into her mouth. This includes her paci, her toys, our hands, my hair... you name it! If she can hold it in her hands, it will go in her mouth!

Month four was a very busy month in our family. So much going on, it's hard to remember it all! Sarah got to attend her first wedding. We went to a high school state championship game at the Dallas Cowboys stadium. She even had her diaper changed in the stands at the stadium (she's a bit of a diva when it comes to diaper changes - if she's wet, it needs to be changed now!). She also got to play baby Jesus in the Christmas musical at church! Other than spitting up on both of us, she did great!

Looking back, I am blown away by all that God has done in our little family. Last year we found out we were pregnant the week before Christmas. This year we got to share a very special first Christmas with our little girl here with us. Even though she fell asleep every time we started opening presents, it was okay because that's not what it was about. We want to raise Sarah to know the true reason we celebrate Christmas - to glorify and honor God who showed his incredible love for us.

We love our sweet girl more and more every day. I've said it before and I'll say it again - she keeps growing and changing and we are so in love with her.

Sweet Pea, 

You are so beautiful, baby girl. Inside and out. I can't believe how you've grown and changed in just these few short months. Keep growing big and strong, and know that we are praying for you every day. We love you more than you know.

Always, Momma