Baby B: 6 Months!

I had been waiting to post on Baby B's updates until I had a picture, but I keep forgetting to snap one.  A wordy post will have to do! We had a checkup last Thursday and everything is looking great. Her heartbeat was strong and steady.  I had my glucose test done, and have not heard back so I am assuming that everything checked out with that!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 24 weeks (6 months!!)

Size of baby: Slightly over 1 lb. and 12 inches long (Head to toe), about the length of an ear of corn

Weight gain: +8 (Appreciating the small gain, but trying to make sure and eat enough for our sweet girl!)

Maternity Clothes: Yes

Gender: Another sweet girl!

Movement: All over the place! With Ashlynn, kicks were always felt really hard in 1 place, but I can feel this sweet girl in multiple spots kicking away! She also moves a lot more throughout the day (and night!) than Ashlynn did.

Sleep: Sleep has been hit or miss.  I wake up multiple times in the night and have trouble going back to sleep.

Symptoms:  Tailbone pain, exhaustion and terrible heartburn

What I miss: Sleep

Cravings: Caffeine, fruit, veggies, bread

Best moment this week: Celebrating Ashlynn's 1st birthday and having a great checkup for Baby B!

What I am looking forward to: Getting closer to the 3rd trimester

Dad and Big Sister: Dad is starting to adjust to the idea of needing a double stroller :) and Ashlynn is now officially a 1 year old!

So Proud!

A few weeks before Christmas, Ashlynn and I headed with my family down to good 'ole College Station, where my brother was graduating from college! Mark had to work, so he stayed behind. 

Ashlynn did a little reading with Nonnie on the way down

We arrived on Thursday night and headed to bed pretty early. 

 On Friday, we enjoyed breakfast from my brother's favorite taco joint.  Then it was time to head to the school for graduation!

Ashlynn took a great nap until it was time for graduation to start.  She obviously has such a hard time sleeping in public :)

Funny story: Once graduation began, there was a lot of clapping.  Ashlynn seems to think she is the center of attention at all times, and she began waving and smiling at everyone who was clapping, as if she were Miss America! Silly girl...

So proud of her Uncle Shane! 

I can't believe my baby brother is a college graduate!

Shane and his girlfriend, Alicia

 That evening we enjoyed dinner at a home-cooking restaurant.

And gave Shane his graduation present (from all of our family)

It was such a great trip celebrating his hard work.  Today he starts work at his new job.  We are so proud of the man he has become and for all he has/will accomplish.

We love you Uncle Shane! Congratulations on graduation and becoming a "grown-up"!

Christmas: Part 3

Christmas Day we wrapped up our celebrations!  We started the morning being lazy at my mom's house with my little brother.  As we enjoyed a breakfast of warm muffins, the weather started to look wintery! We headed out to my dad's and the snow really started falling.  The day was spent eating munchies and staying warm with my dad, Lianna and my nanny, along with Lianna's daughter and her family.

Ashlynn and Nanny

Ashlynn was not feeling well, but we bundled her up and took her out in the snow for just a few minutes so that she could experience her first white Christmas!

Miss Priss did not eat much of a Christmas dinner, but the rest of us enjoyed bacon wrapped duck and jalepeno, and queso with elk sausage! 

When it came time for gifts, Ashlynn decided she would rather cuddle with her Uncle Shane and watch a video.  Poor thing was just under the weather all day :/

She did take a little break from the video to tear up some wrapping paper!

Once the gift opening festivities were over, Mark and Ashlynn took a nap while the rest of us vegged out and watched tv.  It was such a relaxing day!

Our day was not quite over yet.  We headed back to my mom's house that night for gifts with G-Ma and Gator!

After gifts, Ashlynn played while the rest of us packed up for our trip to Arkansas the next day!

Our Christmas celebrations were busy, but so relaxing and full of fellowship with family.  We were not able to attend a Christmas Eve service this year, but we hope to make that a tradition for our family in the coming years, along with sharing and focusing on the story of Christ's birth and the true reason for the season with our girls.

Happy 12 Months!

Ashlynn,

You are 1 year old! It still amazes us that you have only been here for such a short time, but that it feels like you have been here forever.  I can still remember the first time that we saw your sweet face.  You have grown so much since then, and it has been a joy to watch you learn and discover.

Today we went to the doctor for your 1 year checkup! Everything looked healthy and you are doing great developmentally.  Your stats are:

Weight: 23 lbs (79%)

Height: 30.3 inches (83%)

Head circumference: 45.7 cm (68%)

You have gotten on a great schedule.  You wake up each day around 7:30-8:30. You eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.  Bananas, yogurt and cheerios are a breakfast favorite.  You love meat and cheese for lunch, and whatever we are eating for dinner.  Lima beans are a favorite veggie.  For snack you love raisins. You take 3-9 oz bottles a day: mid morning, mid afternoon and before bedtime, although we will be stopping with bottles/formula next week.  And praise the Lord, as of this week you are sleeping though the night!! It is such a blessing that we are all getting good rest!

This months biggest development has been with language.  Here are the words you say:

Mama, Dada, dog, cat, duck (guck), cow, frog, banana, more (mo), all done, knock-knock, car, go, G-Ma (gaga), Bampa (Ba-pa), and book.

You can also sign "all-done" and "more". On your birthday, you made your first "sentence". We were walking to the car and you said "go, car, go".

You have also become even more mobile (if that is possible!).  You are so close to walking, but have not yet taken that first step!  You crawl everywhere.  If you know you have something that you shouldn't, you will run/crawl away from us, stop and giggle, and then keep going. The other day, I heard you laughing and found you sitting by the window flipping through a book and laughing to yourself about it!

A few of your favorite things this month are:

Instruments, music and banging on anything like it is a drum

Books

Songs: ABCs, Happy Birthday and Head and Shoulders

Puzzles

Chocolate (you got to try some over your birthday weekend!)

Anything having to do with farm animals (Baby Einstein, pictures, etc)

Cuddling on the couch with mom and dad

Roughhousing with dad

Your little personality continues to make us laugh! You have your daddy's sense of humor (and sarcasm!).  You are such a stubborn little thing, and independent too.  If we tell you no, or swat your hand you will look at us and laugh.  At the same time, you are the sweetest, kindest, most cuddliest girl!  Your smile can light up a room, and your laugh is contagious.

As you enter this 2nd year of life, we pray that the Lord will continue to mold and shape your little {BIG} personality!  We pray that you will embrace sisterhood, and that you will thrive and grow healthier each day.  We love you so much sweet Baby A!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Christmas 2012: Part 2

On Christmas Eve, Mark had to work.  Ashlynn and I spent the day getting ready for our post-Christmas vacation.  That afternoon we headed to have a relaxing evening with Mark's family. We had such a nice night sitting around talking, laughing and enjoying some yummy food! Ashlynn was a little cranky (the beginnings of a cold or allergies :/ ) so she slept a lot that night. 

Napping with Grandpa

Her uncles were crying with her!

New bears from Grandma and Grandpa Sangenito!

Dad is showing her how to work the xylophone

Loving her new instruments!