Lucky Number Seven

Each month after Addie's monthly update, I have the intentions of sharing more about the house, family, and recent  memory-makers...only to find myself on the 7th of the following month, wondering where the last 30 days have gone.  So here we are again, happy 7 month birthday to our baby girl!

In the last 4 weeks Addie has mastered her crawling and moved onto attempts of standing, bear crawling, and climbing.  Just when you think you have the house baby-proof...she is able to reach that much higher and move that much faster! Needless to say, Addie is always on-the-go and keeps us on the move as well. 

She has now tried and enjoyed more foods than I care to list. We usually give her 2 cubes of fruit with cereal for breakfast and 2 cubes of veggies with cereal for supper. At any point in between, before or after, when we need Addie entertained or quiet - she gets snacks :)  It amazes me how long that girl can gnaw on an apple slice.  

We've lowered the crib to the next level, since occasionally Addie pulls herself up into standing position.  There is also a semi-permanent gate at the top of the stairs outlet plugs in most rooms in the house.  Though Addie isn't walking yet, she rolls around in her walker and can now squeeze her way into any corner of the house. Nothing below 4 feet high is safe anymore.  This past week I would leave a room to find a new "toy" on her walker tray: TV antennae, mom's scarf, Mia's bone..you name it!

Addie loved seeing all of her grandparents in her 6th month and she continues to enjoy daycare.We continue to feel incredibly blessed!

Baby(food) Making

If you're wondering about how to make a baby...go talk to your mom. But if you'd like to hear about making homemade baby food, you're in the right place!

I went back and forth with the idea of making food for Addie from scratch. Doing a cost-analysis, it appeared that it wouldn't save us any money since we don't have a garden.  Finding an afternoon to skin, steam, and puree didn't sound all that appealing, but once I started reading the back of food labels..I was sold. 

You would think that baby carrots are made of carrots & water, right?  So this is exactly what I wanted to see when looking at "natural" baby foods.  But each ingredient list read:  vegetable, water, and xxxxxxx acid.  Umm, no thanks.  Instead of grabbing a couple of baby foods to try, I came home with enough fruits and vegetables to feed a small army.  In fact, we've been eating cobbler up the whazoo this week trying to make sure every fruit finds a good home before it gets old.

After some online research, these are the guidelines I came up with for making some fresh & homemade goodies:

- Only introduce one new food at a time. Wait at least 4 days before trying something new.
- If refridgerated, eat within 48 hours
- If frozen, use within 30 days
- Steaming is a good way to keep all of the nutrients of the vegetable/fruit intact
- When portioning food out of a container of babyfood, only put a clean spoon into the container to scoop out what you plan to feed. If you have to go back for seconds, don't dip the baby's spoon in the container since it will have bacteria on it.

So with those guidelines in mind, I went to work!

 Keep the water that you use for steaming to add to the puree if needed.

 

Split the goods into ice trays and freeze. Then they are already portioned out for meals.

 

My first batch consisted of sweet potatoes & pears. Addie loves them both and mom loves knowing exactly what is going into those chubby little cheeks...and all over everything in a 5 foot radius at supper :)

What were the kiddlings doing during my food making adventure?

 This sweetheart got to hang out in her PJs and crawl around, then later she perfected ramming mom's toes in the walker.

And this one sun bathed...then managed to get herself stuck on a deck chair. 

Have you tried making home-made baby food?  Any tips?

Half a year!

This past week we celebrated Addie's 6 month birthday. There are so many fun things to share, but so little time to share them! Adjusting to life with a baby has been a lot of work.  In addition to the sleepless nights and bank account damage - every jog or trip to Target has turned into an adventure. It has been the most joyous 6 months of our lives.

We love you baby girl. We love the face that you make when trying a new food.  We can't help but smile at you in your walker, taking the wood floors by storm...even when you strike a pinky toe.  Every toy you grasp ends up first in your mouth, then behind you. It is awesome the way that Mia makes you giggle. She will let you get just close enough for you to touch her then she will move.  And how adorable is it when she follows us into your nursery at night to check if you are asleep?  Your bottom left tooth popped through, you handled it so well that we didn't even know it was coming. Your crawl at this point is more of a faceplant with leg movement but you've mastered it! Of course anything that you aren't supposed to get into is the first thing that you go after whenever we set you down.

Your squeaks, squeals, and giggles are the most beautiful music to our ears.  Though you do cry sometimes, in the past month your cry has turned more into a whine.  How in the world did we get so lucky?  Even as we watch you learn to roll, eat and crawl; we pray for your future. We pray that you'll have a heart that desires the Lord. We've already started praying for your first day of school through your high school years. We are praying for your future husband and the children that you may someday have of your own.  Though at the same time, at this very moment, it is hard to believe that you will someday grow out of your bouncer and that those chubby little legs will be making laps around the kitchen island. 

Now before the tears that are streaming down my cheeks get out of control, here are some pictures. Precious baby girl, we love you.

Sitting like a pro!

I helped her stand, but once I got her up she was on her own.

Munching on dad's toe :)

Fun at the lake. Chair made by great-grandpa Neubauer.

The sweetest little eyes in the world.

Supper time is a favorite :)

Taking the kitchen by storm in the walker.

Sisterly love

Taking pictures before bed to send to daddy at work.

So glad these two get Tuesdays & Wednesdays to themselves at home.

Boosting Outback sales

Trampoline time with Sam at daycare!

5 months and counting...

 

Another month has come and gone.  Our newborn baby girl continues to grow. She hit "'infant' and is well on her way to toddler.

In her 5th month, this little lady is mastering self transportation. Not crawling yet (though she's close) but nothing that a lot of rolling and army crawl turning can't handle.  You leave her in the middle of the room, go use the restroom quick, and come back to find her against a wall. 

The giggles are multiplying. Whether we are changing a diaper, shaking a rattle or yelling "peek" at Mia - we get belly laughs.

 Her 5th month marked Addie's first swim.  She loved splashing in the water. When on her tummy, she would lap it with her tongue. 

 Sleeping through the night like a champ!

 Good times with the grandparents.

 Loves mirrors.

May the adventures continue to come!

More 4 month pics

More 4 month pics - Because who doesn't like more pictures?

 Don't those eyes melt your heart?

 Sweet as pie.

 We love our walks.

 Visiting dad at work.

"Poor me another, bartender!"

"I'll take a milk, on the rocks..and none of that formula stuff"

(Credit to uncle Nate for the clever caption :) )

 Just making sure you are paying attention.

All smiles.

Arms behind the head, chillaxin'

Right to the mouth...

 Getting so strong!

 ...and the bouncy chair no longer entertains like it used to.

I love that you can see Mia's little paws, always part of the action!

 Happy Graduation Aunt Jessica. We are so proud of you!

Loving her new daycare. Thanks Mariel for doing such a good job!

4 Months

Time continues to fly by here at the Pearson household!  Addie's 4 month birthday has come and gone. Today at the doctor she weighed in at 14.5lbs and is 25 in long, 75%ile for both.

Here are a few highlights!

At 4 months, Addie is rolling, squawking, and eating galore. No more leaving her in a room alone, let alone on the bed!  For a baby that didn't like to lay on her tummy, she sure likes to roll over onto it.

She inherited those chunky, chipmunk cheeks from her mom :)  We are so grateful to have a good eater!

Occasionally Addie will grace us with a full nights sleep, though she sure puts up a fight at bedtime. She is super alert and hates to miss a thing.

We are starting to see some signs of teething...

 Everything goes...

 right to...

the mouth!

We love you baby girl!