8 months

Opps.....so I forgot to post Kennedy's 8 month update. Shame on me! 

So here it is!

Weight: Didn't do
Height: Didn't do
Diaper: Size 2 towards the beginning, and then we needed a little more room so we ordered the size 3's.
Feedings: this month I transitioned Kennedy to formula.  I started mixing 1:1 with breast milk and formula and gradually worked the formula higher until I ran out of breast milk.  Luckily Kennedy handled it well.  She did get a little bit of a diaper rash at first, but that is to be expected when you transition.  I was pretty sad at first, but I also feel a little bit of relief.  Kennedy's nutrition is no longer entirely up to me.  It is kind of nice to have help with feedings.  I do miss that bonding time, but I am pretty proud of making it to 8 months! 
Talents:  This month Kennedy started waving hi and goodbye.  It is sooooooo cute!  She gets really excited when she waves! Kennedy can now sit fully without support.  She also likes to lean up to look around when you play peek-a-boo with her.  That is also another one of my favorite things!  :-)  She also has discovered the bouncy seat!  She is a fan!
Teeth:  This month the 2 top teeth have FINALLY come in!  She has been working on those for months! 
Crawling:  she is not a fan. :-(  Every time I put her on her tummy she almost immediately turns over.  :-)  When I get her to stay on her tummy she scoots backwards.  If that doesn't work she will roll over and move back and forth on her back until she gets to what she wants.  I am sure she will crawl when she is ready.  However, I don't think I am ready just yet! 

This is Giggles.  We made her at Build A Bear.  She picked her out believe it or not.  We showed her all the bears and when she looked at Giggles she started waving her arms around and smiling. 

7 months

Another month has gone by and once again I can't believe it!  How can I have a 7 month old already?

Stats:

Weight:15.5 pounds (approx due to the inaccuracy of my weighing method :-))
Height: Forgot to measure
Diapers: Size 2

Feedings:  We do 5 feedings a day.  She gets Oatmeal in the morning and then a bottle of 4-5 ounces of breast milk.  Throughout the rest of the day she gets 3 more bottles of 4-5 ounces of breast milk and then has a veggie at night and an 8 ounce bottle before bed. Yes, we are doing all bottles now.  It has now been 2 weeks since I have nursed her.:(  This is due to what I will call "the incident."  After "the incident" I decided it would be best if I just keep pumping as long as I can and give her bottles.  I must say I was pretty heart broken at first.  It happened right before we left for vacation and that threw off all of my plans on feeding her, but it ended up working so much better because my husband and family were able to help feed her instead of it being completely up to me.  We also started using a sippy cup and offering her a little bit of water in between her feedings.  Her face is still funny sometimes when she takes her first sip, but she doesn't seem to mind it.  She drinks a little and then plays with the rest.

Clothes: Still depends on the brand but mostly 3-6 months.  Some bottoms are still 3 months.

Sleep:  She is still a great sleeper.  She sleeps for 11-12 hours over night and then takes 2-3 naps during the day.  I now put her in her crib for naps which most of the time she seems to love.   

Teeth:  Still just the 2 on the bottom, but I imagine the top 2 will be coming sometime this month.

Activity: She sits up with a little bit of support.  She loves standing up now, with us holding on to her of course.  She also rolls from her stomach to back and I finally caught it on video! 

Talking: She says ma-ma a lot, but I am still not sure if she knows what that means, and she also likes to say ba-ba, and every now and again will throw in a few da-da's.  She is a very high pitched squealer as well.  :-)

Solid foods: So far she has loved sweet potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash.  She tried avocado on vacation and HATED it!  Next up on the list is going to be green beans or peas, and then we will try some fruits.

 

Bring on the first birthday party planning!  It's never too early! :-)

6 month photos

Here they are!  I have been waiting ever so patiently to see the results of our 6 month photo shoot.  I stressed out for weeks about these for some reason.  I wanted Kennedy to have the right outfits and of course I wanted myself and my husband to match too, but not too matchy.  :-)  All the stressing was for nothing because they turned out great!  A big thanks to J Design Studios for always capturing the good pics!  These are a few of our favorites!

 

Little Justin...

 

So girly! I love it!

 

She has no idea what is going on behind her! :)

 

She was not thrilled about this picture, and seconds later she was screaming! :-)

 

Love this!

 

Moments after this picture was taken she toppled over and hit her little head on the wood.  Opps!! 

 

I love her smile here!

 

She was also not loving this basket, but at least we got one cute one! :-)

Baby Food Making

It's baby food making time!  I am such an amateur when it comes to making baby food.  I have friends who have tried it and were successful so I thought I would give it a try.  I think it is a great idea!  When it comes to the first "real" food that your baby will eat it feels good knowing there are no chemicals or additives. 

 The first vegetable we tried with Kennedy was organic sweet potatoes/yams.  I definitely should have done my homework before hand, but instead decided to wing it.  How hard can it be right?  I chose to boil the sweet potatoes, then peel, then cut into cubes, then puree in my blender.  Once you get your consistency of puree you pour it into your ice cube trays and freeze them.  Each cube is 1 oz/1 serving of food for a baby. 

After I made my first food I decided to do a little more research to make sure I was doing everything right.  This website is a fantastic resource and answered all of my questions!  Even questions I didn't know I had until I started reading. 

www.wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com

After reading I realized I didn't necessarilly do anything wrong, but I could have done a few things differently.  For example, boiling is not the preferred method.  Steaming is the first choice, with baking coming in second, and boiling coming in only before microwaving.  This is due to the fact that certain methods retain more nutrients than others.  I also learned that you can add water and even breast milk to the mixture to get the desired consistency.  If you steam you can add some of the water that is left in the pot from the vegetables. (except carrots due to nitrates) If you add breast milk it needs to be fresh and not milk you have frozen and thawed.  As most moms know once breast milk is thawed it is not suppose to be re-frozen. 

Since we do not have an actual steamer I found this product from OXO that was only $17.00 from Bed Bath & Beyond and it will fit inside any pot.  Cheap fix.  My next attempt was organic carrots.  They turned out great and I even added a little breast milk so Kennedy would be sure to love it! :-)

This batch is organic butternut squash.  One squash made 22 servings!

Once the food is frozen in the ice cube trays you can pop them out and put them in freezer bags.  They are good frozen for 1 month.  We take out one at a time the night before and put it in the fridge to thaw. 

Serioulsy, this is SO EASY so far!  It took me less than an hour to make each of these and it is so much better for your baby.  It is also very cost effective, even purchasing organic vegetables.  With that being said, it is not for everyone.  Not everyone has my work schedule and has extra time to plan and prepare.  So I am not saying that everyone must do this.  However, if you do have the time, it is worth it! 

Kennedy enjoying her first night of carrots.  It may not look like she liked them, but we could not get it to her fast enough! 



Advice please...

My best friend is FINALLY getting married.  :-) After she decided it would be a destination wedding we were convinced flying would be the best way to get there.  Once we looked at ticket prices and considered just how much more we would have to pack/check when traveling with a 6 month old we decided to look into other options.  My husband and I are taking on the challenge of going on a very long road trip with our 6 1/2 month old in a few days.  I would love to here any advice or helpful hints from moms or dads that have traveled with anyone under the age of one.  Thank you!
 

6 months baby!

Stats:
Weight: 14 lb 12 ounces
Height: 26.25 inches
Clothes: 3 months, 3-6 months, and some brands of 6 months
Diapers: Size 2
Feedings: Oatmeal every night and she still nurses every 2.5 to as long as 5 hours in between. Still 100% breast fed and I met my goal of nursing for 6 months.  Yay!!!!  I am going to keep it up as long as I can with 1 year as my max.
Sleep: all through the night and usually a few small naps during the day.
Dislikes: getting shots!  She has a special scream she saves just for them!  She also dislikes being hot.  She is very hot natured and it does not take much to see sweat on her little nose:-) 
Favorite activity/toy: Loves bath night and splashing around!  She also likes her rubber ducky during bath time.  She likes going on walks/runs with mommy and daddy. 
Firsts: We went to a Springfield Cardinals game and she loved it!  She was very happy the whole time!
Teeth: We have 2!  The 2 bottom teeth are in and at our 6 month check up yesterday the Pediatrician said the top 2 look like they are not far behind.  I tried to get a picture of her teeth but she was not ok with that. :-)  We had one day that she bit me when I tried to nurse her, but I think it was just because her teeth were hurting her that day because she has not done it since. Thank God!  That hurt!  :-)
Mom is already starting to plan her 1 year birthday because it will be here before we know it! 
We are looking forward to her first beach and ocean experience at the end of May when we go to Florida for my best friend's wedding! 

Our 6 month baby cakes!

Miss serious

The many faces of baby K...

Hanging out outside for the first time! 

Sleepy baby

She loves her Wubbanub! 

First time riding in the Bob without the car seat.

First time in the big girl high chair! 

5 months....a few weeks late:)

Our little one is 5 months old (well almost 6 months as of today, but what can I say I have been busy.)

Stats:

Weight: We weighed her in at 12.2 pounds but last time our scale was a little off compared to the doctor's office so I am going to guess 12.5 pounds.

Clothes: Some 0-3 months still fit but are getting snug and all 3 month sizes fit great.  There are even some 3-6 month sizes that I am trying out.  They are a little big but they work! :-) It really depends on the brand.

Diaper: Size 2

Feedings: We started oatmeal last month after her 4 month check up.  We offer her about1-2 tbsp every other night before she gets an 8 oz bottle of milk that I have pumped.  She is starting to get the hang of the oatmeal and we actually end up with more in her mouth then on her bib and hands! Progress!  Oh and have I mentioned the drool?  Its everywhere!  All the time! 

Sleep:  She typically sleeps 12 hours or more over night.  Bedtime is between 9-10 and she usually wakes between 9-11.  I know.....this is not typical for babies.  We have just been blessed with a baby that loves to sleep!  Plus she only takes a few short naps during the day so I think she stores it up for night time.

Dislikes: The sun in her eyes.  We go for walks/runs on the nice days and she loves her sun hats and the stroller because I can cover her eyes with them.

Likes: Going for walks.  She likes the wind in her face.  She gets really excited and I think it relaxes her and she usually takes a good little nap. She also enjoys playing with her tongue and spitting on mommy and daddy. :-)  She also likes sucking on her fingers, my fingers, dad's fingers, and anyone else who is willing.

Bath time: every other night she gets a bath before her cereal and bottle for the night.  We removed the sling from her pink tub and she can now balance herself sitting up in the tub.  She seemed a little un easy with this change at first.  Her expressions give her away!  :-)

I can't believe how fast the time is passing!!  She is getting more and more fun as the weeks go by!  Big things are happening this month and there will be plenty of updates for her 6 month blog!  We also get another 6 month check up which means yucky shots! Boo!!!  We are also excited to have another photo session with J Designs! 

For now I have some more amateur photos taken by me. :-)