Five Months

Well, Avery is five months old. Which means next month, she'll be half of a year. I just can't even process that. 

Health: This past month hasn't been the best. Avery has had a runny nose for about three weeks. She never got a fever and was acting fine so we didn't take her to the doctor. This past Monday she started getting green gunk in her eyes in the morning, so we took her in and got some eye drops. Other than that, everything was fine! Wednesday we noticed a little cough starting and Thursday she slept all evening and night, like 16-17 hours. Darrell was home with her Friday and said she slept most of the day and was barely eating. At one point she started vomiting so he took her to the doctor. Ear infection! We got an antibiotic, which is causing diarrhea. So, fun times, ya know? 

Overall, she's a healthy baby, but I'm ready for the sickness to be gone. She's weighing right about 13 pounds and is just now starting to wear 3-6 and some 6 month clothes. 

Personality: Avery's personality is really showing these days. She is such a happy, sweet, but very sassy baby. Her feelings are not well hidden on her face. She truly is the light of our loves. Her smile is contagious and illuminates any room.

Eating: She's still having formula only for now, about 5-6 ounces every 3-4 hours. That seriously declined when she wasn't feel well though. We've decided we're going to give her her first food on Thanksgiving. How perfect, right? 

Sleeping: Avery is such a good sleeper. We definitely lucked out with this one. She typically sleeps 7p-7a. She'll wake up to eat every once in a while, but it's rare. She is still a wild sleeper and is all over the crib. She sleeps on her stomach a lot now. Her naps at daycare are getting a little better. 

Her favorites: Right now, it's her daddy. If he's around, no one else matters. It's really precious and makes my heart melt, even though it makes me a teeeeny bit jealous. We got her a Sophie the giraffe. We thought she'd love it. She likes it ok, but it's no monkey.  We did get a new bathtub that she loves (and mommy too)!! She loves kicking her feet and having water poured on her. She tries to grab it and it's the most adorable thing I've ever seen. I broke out Britax SSC and she seems to really like being worn in it. I just ordered my first woven wrap so hopefully she loves it too!! Avery is constantly playing with her feet now that she has found them. We really have no need for toys.

 

Things she can do without: She still hates getting in and out of the car seat, but she's doing better while she's actually in it. She is not a fan of being left alone. The girl loves attention. Can you blame her?

Milestones: We have a roller! Now that she can roll, she is always on her belly. Avery is all over the place. She's been lifting her butt in the air and kind of twisting from side to side. It's funny but she can really go places that way! She's also doing really well with supported sitting and can go for about a minute doing the tripod sitting. Avery is also getting better and better at holding her bottle. She usually holds it for some of the time at each feeding. 

 

 

Big events: We had some exciting times this month. Avery stayed away from us over night for the first time. She stayed with my parents in Asheville while Darrell and I went to a wedding in Knoxville. She did really good, and I did ok too.

This month was also Avery's first Halloween. Now, I've always loved Halloween and holidays, but they're even more special with a little one. We took her to the pumpkin patch...I don't think she was too impressed. She also wasn't impressed with Halloween because she SLEPT THROUGH IT. We decided to forgive her when we found out she had an ear infection. 

 

 

 

We're really looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas!

They did school pictures at her daycare and included the infant room. I thought it was silly to do studio pictures for her since 1) she can't sit up and 2) we're having professional pictures done in a few weeks.  But she was going to be there so I signed the permission form and sent her in a dress. I figured we wouldn't order but hey, we might get a good chuckle...in my head I saw her all slumped over with her many chins front and center. Oh boy, was I wrong?! They turned out so good!! I even ordered some. Of course I did, I'm such a sucker.

Mommy: I'm doing pretty good. I started a new job which means I won't be home with her two days a week anymore. She will be going to day are full time now, but it was time for the change. I'm still not loving my body, but also still not doing anything about it. Maybe one day. 

Four Months

My little one is four months old. Crazy talk!

Health: We saw the doctor today for Avery's four month check-up and shots. She is a whopping 12lbs,6oz and 24". Still a little peanut!!

She's had a cold for about a week. She is pretty happy  most of the days, but you can tell she doesn't feel good.

Personality: Avery is still the happiest little baby. She loves to smile and is so social. She definitely notices if you're talking to her and doesn't love it if you walk away.

Eating: Avery is up to 5oz. about every 3 hours. She has taken 6oz. once or twice. We're still having to give her prune juice for the constipation. We've decreased it to about every other day. We tried going two days in between, but it eventually catches back up to her. Poor thing!

We talked to her pediatrician today and he suggested starting foods between 5-6 months. He said we could start with rice cereal, but we've talked about just skipping it, which he said was fine too!

Sleeping: Avery is sleeping 7p-7a most nights. Well, I should say we start bedtime around 7. She gets a bottle, takes a bath on days she goes to daycare, and we rock and snuggle. Sometimes I offer her another ounce or two if she stays in the bath for a while. She is still all over her crib.

Avery is on a nap strike at daycare. She's there for 5.5 hours and might take a 15-30 minute nap. At home, I've moved her PnP downstairs to help her get used to napping when it's bright and louder. She still naps in her swing sometimes, but we've been napping together a lot in my bed. It's my favorite!! 

Her favorites: Avery still loves the Kick n' Play and her O'ball. She seems to be enjoying tummy time a little more.  She has found her voice and loves showing us what she can do..very loudly. Avery also likes to hold hands, play airplane and puts everything in her mouth! We can't forget about her monkey, they're inseparable!

 

Things she could do without: I don't think she enjoys sleeping in the PnP. Whenever we've been out of town and she's had to sleep in it, she always wakes up at least once. She moves so much and I think she wakes herself up kicking the sides. 

Milestones: Avery is doing much better with rolling. She's rolling from her belly to her back pretty much every time she's done with tummy time. Occasionally she still uses the face plant and whine method until someone moves her. She rolls to her side from her back, but hasn't gone all the way over yet without help. Like I said earlier, she is so vocal these days...always talking! She's getting close to grabbing her feet. She'll do it if you touch her foot to her hand, but on her own she just holds her knees. Because ya know, knees are fun. She's also making it pretty clear that she would like to sit up. She pulls her chest up when she's in her chair or getting into the car seat and can sit pretty well with support.

(This one is a little blurry, but you can see how she is trying to sit up!)

Big Events: We didn't really do much this month. She's getting into a routine of going to daycare three days a week. They love her. Of course they do! I'm getting pretty excited for her first holidays coming up.

 

Mommy: I'm still hanging in there. Some days are more overwhelming than others. It's been a challenge to get into a routine of work, being a mom and wife, keeping up with thr house, keeping up with exercise, and finding time for me. We've made a daily cleaning list and that has helped. It's easier to clean a little every day than to let it pile up. 

Of all the things that can slip, I don't want being a mom to be one of them. There are nights when we eat dinner at 8 because I don't want to just put Avery in her swing after she's been at daycare all day. I'm ok with that. I'll cook a million more dinners in my life but I will never have time back with her. I don't want to ever say that I wish I had spent more time with her. 

Here is a comparison picture and just a few of my favorites from this month!

That smile. It get's me every time!

 

I forgot to leave socks when grandma & grandpa Gibbs were babysitting. They improvised. I guess when you have 13 kids, you're pretty clever.

One of my absolute favorite pictures of her!


I also DL this awesome app called PicCal. You just upload a picture for each day. Between my phone, IG, and FB I was able to go back until the day she was born! We're going to do it for her whole first year! 

Three months

Don't blink. That's what they all say. They're all right. My baby girl is three months old. It seems like such a short amount of time when you say it out loud...three.months. But when you're watching your newborn blossom into a fun little infant with so much personality, the days fly by all too quick.

 

Health: Avery doesn't have a check-up this month, but I assume she's doing great! I think she's probably about 12 pounds now. We've had some trouble with her digestion and bowel movements, specifically constipation. We're having to give her an ounce of prune juice mixed with an ounce of water once a day. I'm not sure how long we'll have to do that for but it seems if we try to skip a day or two we're right back to problems. Can I just say how thankful I am for Darrell? He really took charge of that situation when I was a panicking mess.

Personality: This little girl smiles more than any baby I've ever seen! She is so sweet and loving, funny and silly all at the same time. She keeps us laughing constantly!

 

Eating: Well, I'm sad to say our breast feeding journey has come to an end. She was exclusively breast fed for two weeks then supplemented with formula for the next nine weeks. I didn't plan on being totally on formula this soon, but I can honestly say that tried. She's fed, healthy and happy so I call that a win! 

She's up to 4oz at a time, every 2.5-4 hours, just depends on the day really. Around 10-11 weeks she was eating smaller amounts, more frequently. She seemed to get tired in the middle of a bottle and give up. Then it hit me, we were still using newborn, size 1 nipples! I think she was getting exhausted from working so hard. We went up a size...well, actually we went up two sizes to a 3. I accidentally got the ones for 3-6 months not 1-3 months (size 2). She drank the bottle so quick but it was spilling everywhere! So, size 2 it is for now. She's spilling some but I guess it will just take some getting used to it.

Sleeping: Oh sleep, I finally know what you are again. Avery has slept through the night for a whole week straight. She is usually asleep between 830-9 and up between 630-7. A few nights she went to bed early, around 7, and we just knew it would be bad. Nope, she did 12 hours those nights!! She is such a wiggle worm. She is never wakes up in the same position or spot we put her in.

Her favorites: Avery loves her Fisher Price Kick 'n Play piano play mat. Seriously, the best $50 spent on baby gear. After her morning bottle she plays on this thing for a while. Well, mostly she stares and smiles at herself in the mirror, but occasionally she acknowledges the toys. She also loves her Oball!! She is still very interested in lights and totally ignores everyone and everything if the TV is on. She also loves playing airplane and peek-a-boo with mommy! 

She has also found her thumb. I don't love it, but she does, so what can I do?

Things she could do without: The girl is starting to really hate the carseat. She gets so hot and sweaty in it so I don't blame her, but it's really miserable to drive listening to your baby scream. She did her first long road trip this month to Alabama. On the way we drove half way at night and she slept the whole time. During the day...not so much. After pulling over to change and feed her we realized she just wanted out. We had to just let her cry herself to sleep after a break. It was awful. 

And as much as she loves the bath, she hates getting out. I guess maybe because she's cold, but it clearly isn't fun for her.

Milestones: I was hoping to say that she had started rolling over, but not yet. She's so close though. She rolls to either side from her back (she sleeps like that now) but can't quite get all the way over. She's doing so much better at tummy time and has some awesome head control. When she's on her stomach, she can either get her legs or her arms ready to roll over, but not both at the same time. Her grip is getting pretty good. She's able to hold on to some things and has managed to bring some things other than her thumb to her mouth.

Big Events: I'm adding a new section. We're finally starting to do more and more with Avery. We were never ones to just sit home but it took some time to get comfortable and get into a routine when taking her with us. This month Avery went to the beach and to Alabama for the first time. She seemed to love the beach. She let us put her little toes in the sand and water and then promptly napped under the umbrella like a true beach bum. She got to meet and visit with a lot of family and friends in Alabama. She got so much lovin'!!

Mommy: I am doing pretty darn good. I'm pretty sure I made it through without any postpartum depression. Darrell might say differently because I cried a lot at first but I think that was just hormones. Sometimes I still get weepy just looking at her. The struggles with breast feeding didn't help either, but (I think) I'm at peace with that. My biggest struggle right now is finding the time to commit to getting back in shape and losing weight. 

Oh, wait, that's wrong. My biggest struggle is starting back to work and sending Avery to daycare. Unfortunately staying home isn't an option for one of us right now. We are still on a waiting list for our first choice center, but got a spot at our second choice. She's only gone two days so far. I don't really have any complaints. I'd like for her to sleep and eat on a more consistent schedule there, but I think that's more her getting adjusted than anything. We haven't decided if we'll move her when a spot opens up at the other center. I'm leaning toward yes, only because it's a little nicer and they follow more of a preschool curriculum in the older classrooms. We'll see.