Eight Months

After an amazing month 7, I can't wait to see what is in store for month 8! I think we are off to a good start because her first tooth has surfaced!! After four excruciating months of teething, I wasn't sure if it was going to happen!

Lady A is still sleeping great and totally full of life! She sits up, smiles so big, laughs a lot and talks non stop. She is saying "Ma-Ma" when she needs something or is sad and she babbles "Dada-Dada-Dada" all day long! Dada was basically her first word.

She lights up when you walk in the room and it melts my heart to no end. We are definitely in trouble with this one. I mean, look at those eyes!

Yes, you can have anything you want. 

And not to mention...a little ornery!! 

Seven Months

So I am writing this at the END of her 7 month (the picture was taken at the beginning though) but I can truly say that 7 months has been VERY good to us. It is by far my favorite. And I am sure I will have many more favorites but after an extremely difficult 6 months (her whole life) the past month has been so refreshing. Little lady has become the happiest, easiest baby around. 

Her smiles are infectious and being away from her for any amount of time is not easy. She has always had quite the personality but it is now larger than life. (Exhibit A below) Such a ham! 

We went "cold turkey" with the swaddle (sleeping). It sort of just happened.... it was time to go up a size and we were out of town and I just decided no more! It wasn't as terrible as I thought it was going to be. We also started our "baby bootcamp" or "sleep training" at the same time. Not sure why I did that to myself but in hindsight, it was the best thing I could have done! It only took a few not-so-fun nights but she adapted pretty well. 

Little lady now sleeps about 12 hours!!! *IF* we put her down by 6:30-7pm she will sleep 12 hours but if she goes to bed later, she still wakes up around 7. But I can handle that! No more 4-5am feedings! 

Still not too interested in food but has tried lots now! She's mostly obsessed with feeding herself puffs and yogurt melts. Already has a sense of independence. Shocking, I know! 

Her biggest achievement - sitting up all on her own! I can now sit her down and she will just play with toys. Such a big girl!

We did go on our first road trip. Lady A got to meet her Great-Great Grandmother. The drive there actually wasn't too bad...A did great! The trip home was a little bit of a different story. Needless to say, we won't be doing any road trips for a while. But I am so glad we went. Got some pictures that are priceless! 

Her her Great Gramps

Bertie and A

With her Great Great Grams

5 Generations

Presh

Six Months

This little lady is now 6 months old. Things are looking up. She is happier more often and sleeping a bit better. Little miss is babbling all the time and grabbing at everything. She has started eating some foods (avocados, bananas, sweet potatoes and carrots). So far loves them all except for carrots - she HATES them. Oh and she hates cereal and oatmeal too. Such a stinker! She is finally getting out of the "stranger danger" phase. 

Can't wait to see her grow like a little weed :) 

L-O-V-E

In honor of Lady A's first Valentine's Day, I thought I would write her a letter about l-o-v-e, to look back on one day. Oh and of course there will be a few photos. 

Dearest Daughter of Mine, 

I remember the very first time I heard your heart beat. Wow, what a moment that was. Time stopped. I didn't want that doctor's appointment to end. And then there was the next appointment where I got to SEE your heart beat. My eyes fixated on an ultrasound screen as I held my breath waiting. Be still my heart! I would then eagerly look forward to my next appointment for another chance to hear that precious heartbeat. I looked forward to every single appointment. I hope that for the 40 weeks you were in my belly and listened to the sound of my heart beating, that you found much comfort...just as I found comfort in hearing yours. 

From the moment I knew of your existence I couldn’t imagine life without you. I knew what an honor and a gift it would be....to be your mother. And so, it has been my heart’s desire to guard your heart, to protect it and to cherish it all the days of my life. But because I can’t be with you every moment of every day I have to rely on my faith and hope that the lessons your father and I teach you will prepare you for life — a life that we pray is always filled with love.

I hope you:

• Love God
  Your Dad and I hope to instill in you a strong faith in Jesus. And not just a "I-go-to-church-and-call-myself-a-Christian" but to be a true follower of Christ. Jesus is love and his word talks about love so perfectly in 1 Corinthians 13. Never forget what he says in his word and read it often.
• Love People
  Things are nice to have. Pretty, shiny things, perhaps even nicer. And some things are necessary. But things do not make life worth living. People do. Material possessions can be replaced; people cannot. Take away the people you love, and suddenly things no longer matter. All the more reason to put them first. Love them while they are here. Unfortunately there will always be people who will disappoint you, but please don't let that harden your heart. Never focus on those who try and hurt you but remember you have wonderful friends and family who love you so much and only want the best for you. Let the haters hate :) And always remember to always look for the best in people.
• Follow Your Heart
  I believe that our heart knows what is right, and what is best. Sometimes when we want something (or someone) that isn’t for us, we try to justify or rationalize it, but the heart knows.
• Love Yourself
  You see that face staring back at you when you look in the mirror? She is a chosen, daughter of the King. YOU are beautifully and fearfully and wonderfully made. While people will often first notice you for your looks, your looks are only a part of who you are — and beauty is fleeting. What your Milly always told me is,  "It is what's on the inside that counts." Your heart, your character, and the kindness you show have the ability to outshine bright eyes or pouty lips. Your intelligence and the things that you have to share and say will come to mean more than how much your outfit costs. Realize that one of the greatest gifts you can give to yourself is love. If you know your worth you will be mindful of how you allow others to treat you.
• Be the Best You Can at Loving
  When you grow up, you will realize that I wasn’t as perfect as you believed. (I know, shocking!) You will realize I wasn’t the best at keeping up on laundry (and that my best cleaning happened right after I learned we were having company). You will also realize there are better chefs than I. You will learn that I am very anal about some things, but not about others. But I hope you will see that I was really great at one thing: loving you. It’s one of the things people will remember most about you: the way you treated them, the way you valued them and the way you loved them.
• Don't Fear Failure
  As parents we always hope that our children will learn from our mistakes, but sometimes you have to make your own to truly “get it.” Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Some things will work out, and others won’t, but if you believe in your heart of hearts that something is worth it, have the courage to leap. Mistakes are inevitable, but the great thing about them is they have the ability to become life lessons.
• There is Life (and Love) After a Broken HeartWhen I was a teenager I pictured myself marrying every guy I ever dated (Thank goodness that didn't happen). Of course, when things ended, I thought it was the end of the world. I sobbed. I cried. I thought I would never meet anyone else. But eventually the tears will stop. You will see that life goes on — and most often love follows. While the idea of your heart breaking makes my eyes well up with tears, I hope you know that my arms will always be here to hold you. My arms will always be a safe place for you.
• Be Careful Who You Give Your Heart To
  Not every person is worthy of your heart. Not everyone will handle it with care. This is all the more reason for you to be cautious when it comes to giving your heart away. Give it to someone who will cherish it, who will treat it with respect. Someone who knows the gift they are being given. And when they give you theirs, handle it with care too.
• Marry Your Biggest Cheerleader and Lean on Him
  It is hard to think that someone could be an even bigger cheerleader than your daddy and me, but it is possible. The person you decide to spend your life with should think you rock. Because, well, you do. They should believe in your dreams. They should believe in you. And with that said, lean on him. As I told you before, my arms will always be here, ready to offer you a safe place. But one day another set of arms will provide you with comfort. And as much as I will want to hold on to you, I know that I will have to let go. When you get married, allow your husband to comfort you. Let his shoulder be the one you lean on. Give him a chance to become really great at loving you. If he is anything like the man your father is, he will put his heart and soul into loving you the best way he knows how. Allow him to become your person.
• Forgive...REALLY forgive
  No good comes from keeping a tally of people's flaws - especially your husbands!. If you make the decision to forgive, then do so and move forward. No one wants to be constantly reminded of their mistakes. Besides, by moving forward you can get back to the really important stuff, like loving.
• Always Be YOU
  If you ask your daddy for dating advice one day, he will most likely tell you to be you. And he is right. When someone falls for you, you want them to fall for the person you are, not the person you thought they wanted you to be. Besides, who wants to go through life as someone other than his or her true self? The right person will have the ability to love an imperfect you...perfectly.

Love always, 

Mom

Here is what happened on your first Valentine's Day:

Anxiously awaiting your gift!

You LOVE tissue paper

You are looking at Daddy
(who is trying to get you to smile)

    

You were actually way more interested
in Ellie the Elephant

You are just too much sometimes <3 

Five Months

Little Girlfriend is 5 months old and so full of life!! 

This post is definitely picture overload but can ya blame me?!
The cheesy faces and smiles are just too much!

A few updates:

• She is weighing in at 13.5 lbs.
• Lady A is rolling from her front to her back
• Laughs (and squeals) a lot
• "Talks" all the time!
• Has been sleeping a little better, still very inconsistently 
• Is VERY particular about who she will go to and let hold her - this is a little hard at times!
• Not crying as often - WOO-HOO!! 

Four Months

Well can you believe it....we have ourselves a big 4 month old!!

This month has probably gone the fastest. I'm guessing it is because it is December and we have had so much going on. We've also had to say "no" a lot more than normal. We have learned that Lady A does MUCH better on a routine and becomes VERY overstimulated, very quickly. 

There were lots of big moments this month. A few of them being:

• She is no longer sleeping in the swing - this is HUGE for us.
• She has found her voice big time. Like WHOA! She squeals when she is happy. And when she is not so happy. Less crying. More squealing. 
• She is a teething maniac. Wow. If I survive teething, it will be nothing short of a miracle. :-/

Here are some photos of the last month. Christmas included! 

Carriage ride on the Country Club Plaza

Christmas Eve with the Cleveland cousins

Grandpa Bob 

Christmas Eve service at church

Christmas morning...before the blew out of these jammies

After the blow out

Big girl in the bumbo

Dad surprised her (and me) with a big giraffe! 

Cool toy...

...but the paper is way better

With her great grandparents 

With her Pops and Milly 

With cousin Miles

Such a little muffin on her first Christmas!

Happy 4 months to our little full-of-life-expressive-as-can-be little girl! 

Aniston's Nursery

So here is the post I have been waiting to write for a while! Aniston's big nursery reveal!!

When having her newborn photos taken, the talented Aimee with Radiant Photography also took pictures of her room! I would call it 95% complete but if I wait until it is totally done, it could be a while. So here you go...

Oh and this little angel lasted about 10 whole minutes in her crib. 

But I know she will love it soon enough :)

The crib is from Restoration Hardware, as is the chandelier, the bedding, the personalized crown canvas, the tutu pillow, the rug, the bunny and the hamper (not pictured). 

I bought the rocker off Craigslist and had it recovered with fabric from Nell Hill's. This was the inspiration for the entire room. We also used the same fabric for the window seat. The pouf is from Z Gallerie and I use it as the ottoman when I use the chair. 

The lamp and ruffle pillow (inside the crib) are from Lauren Alexandra and the leopard one was made by my uncle from leftover fabric from the rocker. The other pillows on the window seat are from Etsy and Target.

The changing table was bought at a home store and the mirror was a garage sale find! 

And of course the monogram canvas was a fabulous gift from my good friend over at The Magic Brush. She also painted the pink side table which was originally black and purchased a few years ago at Target. 

This has to be my new favorite room and hope that Aniston loves it for many years to come!