9 months!

Oh boy... here we go again with the mushy Mama writing about how fast you are growing. I know I say it every month, but seriously... you have grown and changed so much this last month! There are so many exciting things to report! Here's all the info...

• Weight: 20lbs exactly (65th percentile)
• Diapers: Size 3
• Clothes: mostly 6-9 months
• Shoes: Size 2 (still got a chubby foot though!)
• Eating: 6-7oz bottles 4 times daily, plus 3 "solid" meals
• You're up to Stage 3 foods now and eat about 1/2 of these BIG jars.
• You've really grown up so much as an eater and can now pick up even the smallest little puffs and put them in your mouth. You also LOVE animal crackers! In fact, we have to give you something you can feed yourself or you get frustrated waiting for us to get the spoon to your mouth. Puffs, crunchies, and animal crackers are Mama and Daddy's go-to snacks!
• You have REALLY started to crawl now and can get up on your knees if you choose to. Sometimes, you still default back to the army crawl.
• Mama loves it when you do your yoga moves and get into plank and down dog positions. You're going to have abs of steel!
• We've had to lower the mattress in your bed because your teachers at school say you can pull up on things, but Mama and Daddy haven't seen it yet. We've only seen you pull up to sit in our laps... which you do any time we sit down with you.
• We got some new things this month - a baby gate to close off your playroom and a big girl bathtub. The bathtub is a hit, but we're not so sure about the baby gate. You don't like being "trapped" in there.

You just really are the greatest joy! You're the happiest, most pleasant baby and Mama and Daddy are so blessed to have a sweet little girl like you! The next few months are going to be so exciting as we watch you continue to grow and reach fun milestones. We love you SO MUCH!

Happy Easter!

From our family to yours, we wish you a very happy Easter and a blessed day. Isn't it so wonderful to know that Christ willingly gave his life on the cross to wash away our sins? What an amazing, undeserved gift for all of us. Let us take the time to remember what this day is about and thank Him for his selfless sacrifice and amazing grace. THANK YOU, JESUS!

Easter Egg Hunt Part II

Well... with one successful egg hunt under our belt, we were off to another the very next day! Our good friends, the Borgs, hosted an event at a park by the zoo. Jenn asked if I would bring the bunny costume since we didn't have to return it until Monday and I was happy to do it! Actually, if I'm totally honest, I was really excited to do it since we weren't able to get a family picture with the bunny at our house on Saturday. It was a win-win! Jenn always does a beautiful job hosting kid-friendly parties and this egg hunt was no exception. All in all, we had an egg-cellent weekend! (Sorry... couldn't help it.)



Family Photo with the Easter Bunny!




Mama and Charlotte ready to hunt some eggs




Dada is such a good helper :)




One egg is enough for me this year, Mama! I'm entertained!

 

Mama's favorite people!

Our First Easter Egg Hunt!

Charlotte got her DOC band off on Friday, April 15th - just in time for her very first Easter Egg Hunt! We hosted the event on Saturday afternoon and packed the house full of children of all ages. We even had a special visit from Brady the Easter Bunny!

Family photo!

(**Note: Remember when I said Charlotte got her headband off the day before? Well... I kind of misjudged how big her head was without the big apparatus. Her bow was gigantic! The bigger the bow, the better the mom, right?)



Helping Mama and Lovie get snacks ready for the guests! She is definitely her father's daughter...



With the Easter Bunny! She wasn't scard AT ALL!
(Many, many thanks to Brady for being such a good sport and wearing this costume!)



Charlotte and all of her ECDC friends with the Easter Bunny.
Hopefully, Joey will forgive us for this trauma



Mama had to get a picture too!
(Daddy was busy hiding eggs and Charlotte was over the photo shoot.)

Egg hog!!

We had so much fun and can't wait to continue this tradition as all the babies grow older! It was a busy day full of family, friends, food, and laughter - can't ask for anything better!

Buh Bye DOC band!

Charlotte is officially D.O.N.E. with her headband! I had to share the photos from her last appointment. The band was a pain (not to mention all the adjustment appointments) but it really did work!

8 months

My big girl! You are growing so fast and are developing into the sweetest little girl on the planet (not that you weren't already - you're just proving it more and more now)! Let's check out this month's stats.

• Weight: 19lbs 4oz (another growth spurt!)
• Diapers: Size 3
• Clothes: Still some 3-6 month, but mostly 6-9 month
• Shoes: Size 2 (If they are "tall" enough for your thick feet!)
• Eating: 4 6-7oz bottles daily, plus 3 "solid" meals (You eat about 1/2 to 3/4 of a stage 2 jar at each meal)
• You still wear your DOC band 23 hours a day, but you will be getting it off soon. Your head looks GREAT!
• You are becoming much more mobile these days! You practically run down the hallway in your walker!
• You can't really tell from the picture, but I promise you're getting more hair!
• Mama and Dada still don't hear much babble from you, but you have started to grunt when you're frustrated. That's not very ladylike...
• Mama taught you a trick this month - you can clap! :)
• We still have your crib up in the highest position because you can't pull up yet and sometimes you will throw your arm over the side while you wait for Mama or Dada to come get you. It doesn't look very comfortable!
• You got a new cousin this month! Prescott was born on March 10th and you were one of her first visitors in the hospital! Mama and Dada know you two are going to have so much fun together!
• Dada is your very best friend and you love, love, love to play with him. We visited the park and you went down the slide with him and he pushed you in the swing for the first time. He says he can't wait until he comes home from work and you ask to go play on the playground. He promises he will take you whenever you ask - hold him to that! ;)
• Probably the most exciting news of the month... YOU STARTED CRAWLING!! Okay, scootching. Okay fine, it's more dragging. Dada says you look like the Terminator after he was hurt in a fight. You'll probably never get that reference to such an "old" movie! You crawled first at your Mimi's house in Oklahoma, so it was very special that she got to experience this with you.

I love you so, so much my baby girl! You bring such joy to our family each and every day with your sweet smile. We really can't wait to see what your future holds and to cheer you on each step of the way. Our hearts are already overflowing with love for you!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

7 Months

Oh my sweet, sweet Baby Girl! You are growing up WAY too fast! I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when you're 7 YEARS old! :)

• Weight: 17.2 lbs
• Diapers: Size 3
• Shoes: Size 2
• Clothing: Mostly 3-6 month clothing, but moving into your 6-9 month stuff as well.
• Eating: 4 6-7oz bottles per day + "solids" 2x daily (You've also started eating puffed rice cereal/"nums" and like to chew gum them, and although you CAN pick them up, you haven't quite figured out how to get them to your mouth on your own!)
• Mommy has been teaching you to drink from a sippy cup, but you still prefer water straight out of Mommy's big girl glass.
• You're now completely comfortable sitting up on your own.
• It's so adorable to watch you play with your Daddy! He'll crawl up to you and you just laugh and laugh because you know he's about to tickle you. :)
• You've started sleeping on your side. As SOON as we lay you in your bed, you immediately roll over to your side and snuggle up with your blankie. Sometimes, you end up rolling completely onto your tummy to sleep and wake up mad because you can't remember that you know how to roll back over.
• Mama and Daddy love to take you on walks through the park, and you've now started to stay awake and enjoy them with us! One older man passed us once, admired your "headband", and said "That's a nice hat!" :)
• The saddest thing is listening to you cry out at night in your sleep. The first time this happened, Daddy jumped up and ran to your room, only to find you sound asleep. I guess it's bad dreams :(
• The little blue pot is probably your favorite toy. There are other pots in the set, but the blue one has a bell inside that I think you like to hear when you shake the pot and bang it on your high chair.
• This month you had your first cold, complete with snotty nose and cruddy cough. Nothing ever seems to make you too upset though, Mama was just more concerned with keeping your nose clean! She doesn't like seeing her beautiful girl with a dirty face :)

Wordless Wednesday

6 months!

My beautiful baby girl,

Your half birthday really snuck up on us! I feel like you have grown up SO much in just this past month (and when you see how much you weigh, you might agree). We've reached some important milestones too...

• Weight: 16lb 8oz (Wowzers!! What a chunker!) 80th percentile
• Height: 26in (79th percentile)
• You're still in 3-6 month sized clothes, but they are getting a little tight!
• You still wear a size 1 shoe, but even your foot is really chunky, so we have to search for wider styles.
• You are in size 2 diapers, but we are going to be moving you up to size 3 as soon as we finish this box.
• You're a great eater (maybe that explains the almost 2 lb. weight gain this last month!) and still take a 6-7oz bottle every 4.5 hours.
• In addition to your bottles, you now eat solids twice a day (morning and evening). You've tried a few fruits and veggies and so far have seemed to like it all except bananas. You do, however, have an issue with textures so we have to add rice or oatmeal to thicken up most of the 1st foods. (You're a little Carb Monster, just like Mama!)
• You can sit up now! This happened really quickly and you were really able to master this skill while staying at home with Mama during those ice/snow days. This alone makes you seem so much more grown up!
• We learned how to drink from a cup during our ice days too. You're so adorable with it because now if we get anywhere near you with our cup of water you will try to snag it!
• You also really love to stand up and play in your walker and exersaucer.
• Mama and Dada have made you your very own playroom now so you can really spread out toss your toys every which way. Dada is planning to build shelves for your toys and Mama is working on letting it be messy and not constantly tiding up :)
• You are now officially sleeping in your own bed every night... finally!
• Your new skills include blowing "raspberries" LOUDLY (this is not fun at dinner time because you make a huge mess) and "waving" your hand (it's more of a repetitive opening and closing of your hand).
• Bathtime is a favorite at this house and you're starting to get more active in the tub. Mama and Dada love to watch you "kick and play".
• As we mentioned in a previous post, you are wearing your DOC band 23 hours a day. Aunt Missy did such a good job painting it and you definitely gets lots of attention with such a "beautiful hat" ;)
• You've also moved into the "Older Infant Classroom" at school. Mama is having a harder time with this than you are (typical) because we really loved your old teachers.

You're such a beautiful blessing to our family, Charlotte. We love you so much and are having the best time watching you grow and learn.

Snowpocalypse 2011

Ok, so this has officially been the craziest start to a Texas February! We only had school ONE day this week and were off the rest due to bad weather and driving conditions. Tuesday through Thursday we were covered in a thick layer of ice and then last night it SNOWED! A lot of snow! I really enjoyed this surprise time at home with Charlotte (Ryan was out of town all week in sunny California) but I have to say that I started to get a little cabin fever! The snow did make for some beautiful scenery and we were able to snap a couple of photos. :)

Our house :)

Mama and Charlotte

Mama and Charlotte (Take 2)

What's up, DOC?

So, when we took Charlotte in to see the doctor just after Christmas I asked Dr. Hunt to look again at the shape of Charlotte's head. When she was brand new, she had a tendency to spend most of her time looking to the left. Luckily, I noticed this right away and immediately started stretching her neck out so her muscles would develop evenly. Even so, she spent some extra time on that side of her head and I had been concerned for several months about some asymmetry in her face and the back of her head. Dr. Hunt wasn't terribly concerned, but referred us to Cranial Technologies to ease my mind. Well... they didn't ease my mind exactly - instead they validated my concerns. Charlotte was diagnosed with plagiocephaly and mild brachycephaly. To correct this, she was prescribed a DOC band for 2-3 months. The band will basically apply mild pressure in her prominent areas while encouraging growth in the flatter parts of her head. Essentially, we are working on rounding out that noggin!

Here is a shot of Baby Girl as they were fitting her band. It's a little scarier looking when it's all white and "medical", but we quickly remedied that!

Ryan's sister, Melissa, is a wonderful artist and was sweet enough to paint Charlotte's band for her. (Thanks, Missy!) This was no small task because the band needs to be worn 23 hours a day, so we needed to get it back on her head ASAP. Melissa created THIS masterpiece in less than a day! (Doesn't it seem so much less scary now?)

(Of course I added a bow!)

Here are some additional shots from every angle...

Baby's First Food

Guess who started eating solids?! As you can tell, she's a little piglet (with barky doggy sisters!)

5 months!

Well pretty girl, you are now FIVE months old! Mama and Dada can't believe how big you are getting - and how quickly time is passing! Here's what we know about you so far...

• Weight: 14 lb. 10 oz.
• You're wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes, but growing like a weed so I see a move to the next size happening soon.
• You're wearing size 1 shoes now, which is very exciting for Mama. Now we have SO many more cute shoe options!
• You started daycare this month. Your first day wasn't great - Mommy couldn't stop crying and you pooped on your new teacher, but we got it together the next day! No tears and no poo on your 2nd day!
• You have also started eating rice cereal this month and you're doing great! Mama was very impressed with your skills!
• And speaking of skills, you can now roll over onto your tummy. There's no stopping you now when you roll across the floor!
• Your motor skills are getting really good now and you like to reach out and grab things - including Mama's hair and earrings!
• You also really like to stand up. All the time. This makes sitting and holding you a little more complicated now, because you are not content unless you're standing in our lap. So grown up!
• Your finger nails grow like crazy! Daddy has to clip them because Mama is scared she will cut your little fingers. It's a trade off though, because Mama always has to suck out your boogers :)
• Mama and Dada love to listen to you laugh. You have the cutest little giggle in the world!
• Mama really feels like you need to be sleeping in your bed in your room, so we tried it for a couple of nights but Dada got tired of walking all the way to your room in the middle of the night to give your pacifier back. Sooo... you're still in Mama and Dada's room (for now) but that will be changing very soon!

First day of "school"

Little Miss started "school" today at the district's Early Childhood Development Center. I was able to have Ryan snap this picture before we headed out the door (bright and early!)...

I will update with how things go later this week. Don't worry though - I couldn't make it past noon before I called to check on her! I'm THAT mom...

I Got Skills, They're Multiplyin...

You totally sang that title, didn't you? Didn't you? Ha! There's a little girl in this house who learned a new trick...

2010... Year in Review

1. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before?
Hmmm... let's see... GAVE BIRTH? ;)

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't usually make resolutions, but this year I definitely have a goal to work out more and lose the last few pregnancy pounds that are hanging on for dear life!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yes - Jenn (The Borg Brood) had Miss Ella Reese and my close friend Laura had sweet Mitchell one week after Charlotte was born. Lots of other teacher friends had babes this year and there are lots of pregnancies too! Babies, babies, and more babies!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully, no but I did lose a former student to cancer recently. He was a wonderfully positive and genuine young man. So many were sad to see him pass. :(

5. What countries did you visit?
For the first time in a few years... none! I did go to LA one weekend with Ryan, but that was all of my travels this year. Lame!! We will fix that in 2011, FOR SURE!

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
A positive and loving relationship with my entire extended family. I'm so happy that we are on the right track with that now! God is good!

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 5, 2010: The date Miss Charlotte was born :)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I'm sure this is probably pretty redundant right about now, but really isn't having a baby a pretty big achievment?

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nope - nothing crazy. Praise God!

10. What was the best thing you bought?
We replaced all the carpet in our house this summer. Eventually, we want all hardwoods, but that's just not in the budget yet. For now, we are loving our nice, new, cushiony carpet! :)

11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My wonderful, amazing, loving husband. He was so supportive of me throughout my pregnancy and is growing into an outstanding father. I love you, Ryan!

12. Where did most of your money go?
Oh boy... what a question! We had a nursery to furnish, baby items to buy, and Charlotte's medical bills to take care of so basically BABY, BABY, BABY. It only gets worse from here, right? Good thing she's worth it!

13. What song will always remind you of 2010?
"Hide yo kids, hide yo wife..." Ha!

14. Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? Happier, MUCH happier :)
ii. thinner or fatter? Well... fatter, but see #2 for more thoughts on this!
iii. richer or poorer? Probably a little poorer. Sigh.

15. What do you wish you'd done more of?
I truly wish I had appreciated my pregnancy more and taken more photos to document the process. I never thought I would be the woman that MISSED being pregnant, but I sure am!

16. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Tying back to the last question... I wish I'd obsessed less about all the pregnancy weight gain and been more proud of my beautiful belly :)

17. How did you spend Christmas?
You may need to read previous blog posts for details on this one! Christmas Eve we hosted a cookie decorating breakfast and the Ledbetter family lunch. Christmas day was spent with Ryan's family. All in all, a great Christmas, but I can't wait for next year when Charlotte doesn't sleep through all the presents :)

18. Did you fall in love in 2010?
Sure did. I fell in love with my beautiful daughter and fell in love all over again watching my husband become a father.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
I L.O.V.E. Glee!! It's a dance party every week around here!

20. What was the best book you read?
I got really into the Sookie Stackhouse series this year. Don't judge me.

21. What did you want and get?
I wanted a beautiful and healthy baby and my wish most definitely came true :)

22. What did you want and not get?
Let's see... we have lived in our house for 2.5 years now and I'm STILL waiting for those granite countertops. Someday.

23. What was your favorite film of this year?
This is hard for me because rarely do I NOT enjoy a movie, but I remember really liking Easy A.

24. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On my last birthday I turned 27 and spent it with good friends at Babe's. Ryan brought a massive cookie cake (my favorite) with a pony on it. Yes, that's right, I said pony. He said it was the girliest option, haha!

25. Who was the best new person you met?
I wouldn't say "met" but I became much closer to the Normans this year. I just love them and love having a good Christian couple to spend time with. Plus, Chris can COOK, y'all! ;)

26. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
Ryan and I spent so much time and energy trying to "fix" the issues that troubled us. When we finally decided to let it go and allow God to handle things with His purpose and intention, things improved almost immediately. Some things are just too big for us, and I God WANTS to help - if we would just let go and stop fighting Him. We definitely learned our lesson!