A few hours spent at my former work...

Yesterday Anna and I went to my old work to attend a baby shower for one of the many pregnant people that worked near me (must have been something in the water). It is strange going back there for I know so much has changed yet it also felt like things weren't too different than 7 months ago. I was able to catch up with many of my former co-workers and introduce them to Anna. People asked when I was returning to work and with a big smile I was able to say that I was at home for good. I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with my Anna :).

Nap Time Challenges

For the past few days it has been difficult getting Anna to take a nap. She'll start out ok and then will start screaming 10 minutes later. When I walk to her room to take a peak, she is on her belly staring at me over the crib bumper. I think it is definitely time to remove the wedge from the crib.

Anna's New Pool

Memorial weekend seemed like the perfect weekend to get Anna a baby pool. I picked a small one up at the Dollar General for $5 and some beach toys for $1. Anna has enjoyed it so far.

Church Nursery

After 7 months we finally put Anna in the church nursery. We arrived at church and Anna was wide awake (usually her nap time) so we took her out of her car seat and walked over to the nursery area. In a church with several thousand attending on any given sunday, the nursery/child area was rather busy.... now what? Luckily we saw one of our friends taking his son in as well and so we were able to ask questions and figure out how to sign in. Then it was time to pass Anna over the counter to the lady inside the infant area and get our pager :(. The first-time mommy in me was wanting to know exactly what Anna would be doing, how many kids would be in there, what the lady's qualifications were, etc., but as I watched others hand over their kids I knew she would be in good hands. We made it through the entire service without being paged and then hurried over to the nursery area to pick Anna up. As we walked down the hallway I heard crying and knew one was Anna. She was laying on her back on a playmat and fussing- actually several of the babies were crying, it was sad. Despite the fussing, Anna will return to the nursery next Sunday and things will hopefully go a little better.

Swimming

Yesterday we were invited over to a friends house to play in their baby pool. I had been thinking about buying one so this was a great opportunity to see if Anna would like it. I put a swim diaper and bathing suit on her for the first time and slathered her up with sunscreen and off we went. The water was a little chilly and so Anna spent the first few minutes shivering but once she started splashing she seemed to warm up. The pool had pictures of fish and sea creatures on the bottom and Anna was entertained trying to "pick them off". I didn't have my camera with me but a friend is going to send pictures so I should have them soon. Anna will probably have a pool of her own by the weekend (especially since my friend got hers at Kmart for only $9.99).

2nd Foods

Since Anna has done so well eating, we have moved her onto the Gerber 2nd Foods. Now the varieties of foods are endless and I believe I even saw a peach cobbler dessert, crazy!

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

We've been home for 2 days now and are finally starting to get adjusted to life back at home. Anna has grown and changed so much since we left 2 1/2 weeks ago. Today I placed her on her play mat and within a minute she had gone from her bottom to her stomach and slid off the play mat. My next step... babyproofing.

Teething Biscuits

This picture about says it all. Anna loves the teething biscuits and makes quite a mess. After Anna is finished, we put her straight into the tub.

Back to Connecticut

We got back to Connecticut last night and the first thing we did was sneak over to where Anna was sleeping to take a peek at her (I missed her so much!). We resisted waking her up but a few hours later when she started stirring, we rushed in to pick her up :). Anna had so much fun and learned a few new things as well.

Crawling down on her belly


Getting ready to eat a teething biscuit


Playing in the big bath tub

Leaving my baby

This morning I went to pick Anna up out of the crib and she was on her belly with her head where her feet were the night before! She is going to be moving around before I know it. She is loving to watch her cousin run around and I think it is motivating her to get mobile :).

Tomorrow my husband and I will be leaving Anna here in Connecticut and heading to the west coast for 4 days. It will be my first time away from Anna overnight. I will miss her but I know she will have so much fun while I'm gone with her aunt, uncle, cousin and Oma.

Feeding Herself

Anna has started developing the "pincher" reflex which allows her to pick up objects with her thumb and pointer finger. Our first test, Gerber banana puffs. Anna has been able to pick them up and move them toward her mouth but she has trouble actually getting them in her mouth. They are suppose to be easy for infants to eat since they dissolve in their mouths but once they get a little wet they stick to Anna's hand and then she can't get them off. It is fun to watch her keep trying to eat them and I don't mind one bit that she doesn't get most of them in her mouth since one of the main ingredients is sugar!

Another Tooth

Anna's second tooth has popped up. It seems to be giving her a little more trouble than the first. Her Oma gave her a great teether, the Winkel by Manhattan Toys which seems to be helping.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail

Yesterday Anna took her first hike on the Appalachian trail. It was about 1.5 miles roundtrip and was an easy hike along the Ten Mile River. Anna sat in a baby backpack and peered out from beneath her floppy sun hat - I think she liked the cool breeze. We need to venture out around the Raleigh parks more when we return home.

A Night at the Hotel

We started our drive north on Friday night at Anna's bedtime so that she could sleep through the first leg of the trip. We stopped in Baltimore around 11:30 p.m. to get some sleep before finishing the drive. The hotel provided a crib for Anna to sleep in which was placed right beside the hotel bed. For the first time, I got to watch Anna as she settled down and went to sleep. She was wide awake after we took her out of her car seat and laid her in the crib. For about an hour I watched her wiggle around the crib and play with her pacifier and bunny until she got tired and then she turned her head to the side and fell asleep. It was so sweet. The next morning it was time to move on.

Heading North

Today we are loading up the car and driving north to stay with Erik's family for 2 weeks. After the long drive to Florida last month, we have decided to stop halfway into our 10 hour drive in hopes that it will be easier on Anna. I am looking forward to watching Anna with her cousin.

Cheeks

My darling Anna has adorable cheeks. They were rather plump when she was born and as she grows, they grow as well. EVERYwhere we go, fellow shoppers like to comment... Wow,look at those cheeks! Today I was coming down the grocery aisle and Anna was in her car seat in the cart facing me and the guy coming toward me said Do you have that baby with the big cheeks? I saw them from ACROSS the store!!! Yesterday I stopped at Starbucks for a quick pick-me-up and the guy serving my coffee commented You can't buy cheeks like those, you have to inherit them. I wasn't sure if I should smile or ask him to make my drink nonfat :).

Growing Big and Strong

Anna had her 6 month checkup today. The doctor said Anna looked strong and healthy and advised that another tooth will be popping up shortly. Anna also received her third DTap and Prevnar shots.

Weight: 19 pounds (92%)
Height: 25 1/2 inches (40%)
Head: 44 1/4 centimeters (90%)

Play Time