6 months!!

Time for the 6 month (!!!) check in. It truly is unbelievable how quickly time goes and how much the munchkin grows every day. At 6 months, she was at 16 lbs 11 oz and 26.75 inches. A true runt ;)

Over the past month or so, she's discovered her toes. After several weeks of futile attempts, I was finally able to document her partaking of her phalanges:

Tasty, tasty toes.

She's becoming more and more vocal, ranging from high pitched shrieks (always a joy) to low groaning as she falls asleep. Her zerberting skills have skyrocketed, particularly because she practices every day. And though she doesn't seem quite as interested in crawling, she wants to stand constantly (assisted, of course) and can almost sit on her own. I use my pregnancy pillow around the house so she can sit with a little help (and so I can put her down somewhere safe):

She's getting more hair, enough to style anyway - here's her tribute to punk rock with the fauxhawk:

Finally, she saw her first parade over Memorial Day, complete with Civil War reenactors who fired their guns right in front of us - scaring the bejeezus out of babe and parents alike! Other than that, she really seemed to enjoy herself watching all the people and new things:

And, yes, her hair is definitely red. Don't know where that came from but it is clear that it is more red than anything else at this point.

She remains a constant joy and happiness in our lives.  Coming soon, first swim lessons!!

A busy couple of weeks

Last week, I got to celebrate my first mother's day! Though Stephen was out of town and we didn't get to hang out with him, A and I definitely got the most out of the weekend. After a chill Friday night just enjoying the outdoors with the pooches, we hit the hay to prepare for Annika's first 5K! Saturday morning, we headed out to Shoreham to walk (I'm not quite ready to run a 5K yet) the Apple Blossom Derby 5K. It was such an incredible course. Though the day was a little overcast, it was a perfect day for the race. We wound through apple orchards and beautiful farms to end up on the small green in Shoreham. Annika slept the whole race (she was in her Chariot - the Land Rover of jogging strollers) and woke up almost immediately after we crossed the finish line. We schmoozed with the other racers and enjoyed the great post-race food. Annika especially enjoyed watching all of the kids as they danced to the music and played on the nearby playground. Then, as we were chatting with some other moms and their babies, I heard my name over the loud-speaker - we had won our age group for the 5K walk! Here's Annika proudly holding our medal:

After the race, we got ready for our next social event. We went to a bbq to say goodbye to our friends, Jess and Orion, before they headed to China for the summer. A had the chance to hang out with her friends (and so did I!).

Mother's day was calm - we went for a very long walk with the pooches and then just strolled around town. It was a beautiful day and we spent as much time outside as possible.

The following weekend was equally as busy. Friday was the 6-month appointment. A continues to grow - 16 lbs 11 oz and 26.75 inches. There's no question that this is one healthy baby :)

Saturday was Farmer's Market day - particularly because there was going to be a petting zoo! Annika said hello to George, the 6-week-old pig:

She was very curious though quickly realized that this was not one of her puppies! George definitely took an interest in her as well.











After a busy day at the market, Annika and I both needed a nap. We zonked out and Stephen decided to document the event :) All in all, life is good. We have the sweetest baby in the world, Stephen's defending his dissertation next week (can I get a what what!) and warmer weather is here! What more do you need for pure bliss (besides a little chocolate).

5 months - where is the time going?

In an effort to keep new pictures coming, I thought it was probably time for me to update. I know I have a few excuses for being remiss - mommydom, teaching a class at St. Michael's College, sleep - but I'm not going to use them (well, I guess I just did :)). Anyhow, we finally found an alternative to the exersaucer that we like - and Annika loves it:

She looks so small in this thing!

And clearly loves it!

The moment we put her in it she cracked a huge smile.

We're constantly amazed at the ways in which she changes day to day. She's started rolling on her own and belly laughing. She reaches out to be picked up and is clearly ready for solids as she reaches for everything we eat and drink and watches as we dine. That's coming up in a couple weeks - we'll keep you posted!

As the warm weather makes it way in, we spend more and more time outside, in the carrier or the stroller walking around Middlebury. Though we're not the best with taking pictures, we're working on being better and more camera-crazy parents.

4 months!

Annika's now 4 months old - and keeping up her rep as a heavy weight. Her last weigh in was 15 lbs 13 oz with a length of 26 inches. Our pediatrician (the amazing Dr. Kate!) is convinced that she's going to be outgrow both of us. I can't say I disagree. There are clothes in the drawer that she's either worn once or not at all because by the time we got to them she was already too long! Goodness!

Anyhow, the past couple months have been busy. A. had her first plane trip to Cincy at the beginning of March to meet PawPaw, Grandma Lisa, Aunt Tara, Uncle Matt and her cousins, Kirsta, Kincaid and Kaydance (and I can't forget Linda and Addy as well as Edna and Phil and a quick glimpse of Uncle Mike). She was a rock star!! She slept for the 2-hour trip from Burlington to Chicago and then was smiley and played with me for the nearly hour trip from Chicago to Cincy (and had a comparably easy trip on the way back). During the layovers, she chilled in the Beco and dozed off a couple times (though was much more interested in the hustle and bustle of the Chicago and Dulles airports).

Great times all around in Cincy:

Other new things this month: advances in belly time (including getting up on her knees - NOOOO!!!), stroller time (see pic below) and getting to know and appreciate toys (also, see below). We continue to have great fun with her and she remains the amazingly happy and loving baby that she has been from the start. I never thought I would be happy to wake up at 5 nearly every morning but how can I help it when I see her smiling face!? :)

Annika's first sitter

So, I've been teaching in Burlington Tuesdays and Thursdays. For a week and a half, Stephen and Annika came to the office with me, waiting for me while I taught. That was not going to work for anyone for the entire semester so we had to look for a babysitter to stay in the house with Annika while Stephen worked in the other room - more a "father's helper" than a babysitter. We interviewed a few Middlebury students and found one with whom we both felt comfortable. Today was the first day with her.

I, of course, was the nervous mom (though I'm sure much less because I knew Stephen would be in the other room). In the end, there was no reason to be nervous. Though A. had mini-meltdowns a couple times, she was sleeping soundly on CJ's (our father's helper) shoulder when I came home. We clearly chose the right girl :)

It had to happen sometime . . .

Every morning after Annika wakes up, she smiles. She's definitely a morning person. However, she also takes that time to work on some gas that, I'm assuming, she has collected overnight. This morning it also sounded like she was working on some poo so I gave her a little extra time to get it all out before I changed her diaper. When I opened it up, much to my surprise there was nothing there! I took off her diaper and started to clean her cute little tushie when she started grunting again and, before I knew it, projectile poo hit me in the arm. My daughter just pooed on me from 6 inches away (and then smiled about it)!!

At least she has good aim - it only got on me, nothing else!

Looking over the last couple weeks

So, my posts have been pretty picture light and, really, I know you're coming here to get a glimpse at the turklet. Well, here you go:

A little cold Vermont weather doesn't deter us! A has her own snowsuit and falls asleep almost before we get outside:

After a hard day sleeping and eating,

it's nice to have in-house entertainment:

Finally, when anything needs to get done, turklet becomes a kangaroo :)