Foto Friday

What a busy week we've had! Annabel has decided to choose the week that Daddy has to go out of town to start rolling over onto her tummy to sleep at night.

Here she is, at naptime. I would put her back on her back, only to have her flip herself back over on her tummy again!

Also this week, Annabel went to go visit her Great-Grandma. Annabel had just gotten her shots that day, though, so she was a little grumpy!

Annabel's chillin' with her Grandma and Great-Grandma. Just catchin' up on gossip with the ladies.

She also had to let everyone know that she was NOT happy about her shots!

And some more cute photos from the week, PLUS a couple of Mommy and Annabel pics!

Bellie is all smiles with Nanny Kristi (in a Baylor t-shirt!!) after her nap.

We got to see Auntie Kathryn too!

Some playtime with Annabel. She was really diggin' those wrist rattles. They were quite yummy.

Mommy loves giving kisses to Bellie!

As promised, I finally got a shot of Annabel enjoying her new favorite paci -- her toes!

As always, JP and Annabel are adorable together. They really are becoming the best of buds. They both are experimenting with their voices this week, as evidenced by the chorus of high pitched squealing that I could hear all the way from my office at the front of the house! Here are some cute pics of them hangin' out together.

JP tells Annabel a really good secret.

Annabel tells JP that that's probably the best secret she's ever heard. Ever.

Two of the cutest babies ever!

Today, JP and Annabel discuss John McCain's surprise nomination of a woman as his running mate. And not just any woman... a working mother of FIVE kids! Wow! And they thought their moms had it tough!

Have a great Labor Day weekend!
Cheers!

4 Month Check Up!

Annabel had her 4-month appointment this morning. It was another tough one, with pretty much the same immunizations as last time. Four shots!! And since she's a little older, more aware of her environment, she did NOT like the shots for sure this time.

Getting her height measurement: 24.8" (75th - 90th percentile)

Weighing in: 12 lbs 12 oz. (25th - 50th percentile) -- Like the flower? This is a G-Rated blog, remember? :-)

Head measurement: 16" (50th percentile)

A happy and unsuspecting Bellie awaits the next part of her visit.

Yucky shots! Daddy comforts Annabel after she receives her immunizations.

Our pedi said that we can start Annabel on cereal anytime in the next month. He said there's no need to hurry since she's gaining weight consistently. I'm in no hurry myself because I'm really enjoying nursing her. She's not going to be a baby for much longer! I've gotta enjoy this while I can. On a side note though, Target did have organic rice cereal on sale, so I went ahead and bought some. It was still more expensive than the regular rice cereal, but I'm going to try to get on the organic bandwagon and see how Annabel does on it. It's even called "HappyBellies" -- it's a sign, right?

Speaking of which, I've been thinking I'm going to TRY (see? I said TRY... I'm giving myself an out in case I give up) to make her food myself when she starts on fruits and veggies. So I don't want to go overboard on the organic produce-buying. One of my parenting/pregnancy magazines cites a resource that lists the fruits and veggies with the highest and lowest levels of pesticides so that you can prioritize which ones to buy organic.

The 15 fruits and veggies with the highest levels of pesticides (highest to lowest order): peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes (imported), pears, spinach, potatoes, carrots, green beans and hot peppers.

The 15 fruits and veggies with the lowest levels of pesticides (lowest to highest order): onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mango, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, papaya, blueberries and watermelon.

You can view the whole list here.

Again, we'll see how long I can stick to this before I throw in the towel and go for convenience. With the added costs of child care, we're cooking more often than we were before, so hopefully, this will just be another step in the cooking process! But, since I'm not starting Annabel on solids for another month or so, I guess I can procrastinate thinking about it for a little while.

What about you guys? Any stories or advice to share about cooking for your little one(s) or buying organic? As always, comments and feedback are appreciated!!

Cheers!

Rash Update

So we're back from the doctor's office and have had a relaxing evening since then. Our pedi did a pretty thorough examination, and it turns out that Annabel's rash is the result of a viral infection. She has a sore throat (he had to stick a tongue depresser in her mouth to see her throat, and Annabel did NOT like that!), so he said that's likely where the infection is. We had noticed that her voice was a little raspy earlier this week. But, she had been extra fussy Monday night, so we thought it might just be because she had cried so much. Still, other than a slight raspiness and Bellie being a little fussier than usual when we put her to bed at night, she's been her usual self. Once we noticed that the rash wasn't going away, we decided to call the doctor.

The doctor said that the rash is a manifestation of her immune system fighting the infection. And, because the infection is viral and not bacterial, there's nothing we can do but wait for it to resolve itself. He said that since the rash started on Wednesday, then it would likely be gone in about three or four days. Possibly even by the time the weekend is over. He called the rash "viral exantham." Here's what WebMD has to say about it:

"Generalized rashes over the whole body that are caused by viruses are more common in babies and young children than in adults. A rash may be caused by a viral illness if the child also has a cold, a cough, or diarrhea, or is in a day care setting where he or she is with other children with viral illnesses. Most rashes caused by viruses are not serious and usually go away over a few days to a week."

We're not sure where she caught the virus/sore throat, but at least she seems to be getting better. Daddy's doing her bedtime routine right now (she didn't nap very well today, so we're putting her to bed early), and I don't hear any complaining, so she must be tired!

In other news, while we were having tummy time this evening, Annabel rolled from her back to her front! She's only done it that one time (well, she did it again, but Daddy was helping), so I didn't get photos or video, but stay tuned! Looks like we have a little rolly polly on our hands!

So it'll be a quiet weekend at Annabel's house while she gets some rest and recovery time. Hope you have a good weekend, too.

Cheers!

Happy 4 Months + Foto Friday

Happy 4 months to Annabel today!

Unfortunately, the sweet birthday girl is not so happy today. She seems to have developed a rash that will not go away. It started Wednesday evening and has since slowly spread to cover her chest, belly and back. It's not really anywhere inside her diaper, nor is it on her arms and legs. And I've been checking her temperature practically hourly, and no fever has developed.

I went to my trusty WedMD.com resource (an excellent and easy-to-read healthcare resource -- I worked with them extensively back in my internet marketing days), and according to them, it seems like a heat rash. I called my pedi and have an appointment for Annabel this afternoon for him to look at it. The nurse said that if she develops fever to bring her in sooner, but for now it doesn't seem to be an emergency. Crankier than usual, and not sleeping or eating like she normally does, but the nurse said it's likely because the rash is making her uncomfortable. My poor baby! Hopefully, they'll give me the OK to put some mild hydrocortisone or something on it. I'll keep you updated on her condition. She's actually asleep now, so that's a good sign.

I guess since I was on photo overload last week, I actually didn't take as many pictures this week. But I've still got plenty to show you!

First off, BIG CONGRATS to our friends, Travis and Terri. They have been blessed with the adoption of a baby girl! She's technically not adopted yet (still some steps to go), but they do have her and she's pretty much theirs. She arrived on Monday, exactly two months old that day. She will be named Haley Rhea, and she's beautiful! Travis had never changed a little baby's diaper before, so Annabel came over to give him a lesson. Did she go easy on him and let him start with a peepee diaper? Oh no! She took him straight to the Show... big poops!

Annabel has doubts about how Uncle Travis is going to do this.

Hurry up, Uncle Travis! The clock is ticking! Get this poopy diaper off!

Daddy supervises the wiping of the booty. That's right, Uncle Travis... front to back...

Success! Uncle Travis changes his first poopy diaper, leaving a clean and satisfied Annabel!

A few days later, Haley arrives! Here she is, already settling in and getting comfy in her swing.

Mommy Terri gives Haley her first bottle at home!

For my birthday, Chris thew a small surprise birthday party for me! So much for dinner at home and the Olympics :-) He and our friend Renee were super sneaky and totally got me. It was still pretty low-key and relaxed... the perfect way to spend my birthday. Here's a pic of the group.

From left: Derek, Sara, Renee, Me, Annabel, Chris and Kathryn. These are also the Aunties that got us a tree for our backyard to commemorate Annabel's birth!

I didn't get any pictures of JP with Annabel this week, but I did get this cute one of JP as he was going down for his nap.

JP shows off his new naptime lovey while he pretends to go to sleep! (Nanny Kristi moved it away from his face after I took the picture... just had to get the picture first cuz he's such a cutie!)

And finally, we'll close with some pictures of Daddy and Daughter. You can see I went a little B/W crazy this week.

This is the picture I took before I grabbed the small camera to get the video of Annabel rolling over. Isn't that the cutest face ever?

Daddy loves it when Annabel holds his hand while she's eating. She does that with me too, but this is a G-rated blog so I can't show you that picture. (And that's a Baylor ring that he's wearing. Go Bears!)

Who can resist those chubby cheeks? Annabel studies her Daddy intently while he holds her.

Annabel and Daddy love the Baby Bjorn!

Cheers!

Happy Birthday 2 Me!

It's my birthday! Yep, I'm turning thirty-something today. This past weekend, Chris and I went on a date to Cru. It was also restaurant week, which usually falls around my birthday, so we had a big dinner. It was super yummy (chocolate lava cake for dessert!!) and the atmosphere was very nice. I couldn't drink since I'm still nursing, but Chris had a flight of sparkling wine which he enjoyed. Once I'm done nursing Annabel, though, we're definitely going back for a wine tasting.

I don't think we have any major plans for tonight. Chris is cooking me dinner, and we'll play with Annabel and then watch the Olympics. Exciting life I have, isn't it? I love it!

Reflecting on where I am in my life for these thirty-some-odd years, I want to say how blessed I am to have you all be a part of it. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband, beautiful child and loving friends and family (and of course, two fantabulous dogs) who are all a part of my daily joy. I couldn't ask for more. Thank you for your love and friendship!

Cheers!

Foto Friday -- on Monday

Hi friends and family! I apologize again for not getting Foto Friday up in time. I actually ended up taking quite a few pictures last week, and organizing them and editing them was quite a task. So I worked on it over the weekend and am finally able to post them today! Not to mention the fact that this weekend I was on a mission to get video of Annabel rolling over. That sneaky girl... she would make me think it would happen and then decide not to roll over. And just when I put the camera down, there she would go! Haha, it's like they know. In any case, I was hoping her three-month photos would be OK as a photo update until I could get these up.

We'll start with a few photos of Annabel in tummy time from the weekend before last.

Annabel grabs for the fishies in her surfboard tummy time mat.

She gives me that face as if she's just tolerating all the picture taking. Oh the bain of the papparazzi, right Annabel?

I love it when she discovers she can play with her hands.

More tummy time, only we get rid of that pillow. Look at that big girl holding her head up!

She says, "I know I'm a big girl, Mommy!"

On Wednesday, when JP came over, the babies continue to bond...

JP says, "This is my girl, Annabel." Meanwhile, Annabel seems to be interested in what Baylor's doing on the floor.

To which, JP says, "Don't worry, Annabel. I'll protect you from those big dogs!"

JP explains to Annabel the basics of the game, "Old Faithful," a game played while Nanny Kristi changes your diaper. Annabel says she's sorry that she only has pink towels for JP to dry off with after his bath to clean up from playing "Old Faithful!"

Last week, Annabel also went to visit her friend, Lila, to welcome her to the outside world!

Check out the cheeks on these girls! Adorable!

It's amazing how much things can change in just a matter of days. Annabel started grabbing her feet a couple of weeks ago, and of course, holding her head up for awhile now. But before, her feet grabbing seemed kind of random, as if her hands would just happen to find her toes. Now though, it's much more deliberate. And she's even starting to find that her toes can be just as yummy as her fingers! I haven't been fast enough to capture that picture yet, but here are a couple more photos of feet grabbing and tummy time.

Annabel shows off her latest yoga pose: baby toe hold.

All those fun toys hanging above her, and she chooses her toes to play with instead!

Cute Annabel on her tummy! Mommy was trying to get pictures of her rolling over.

She's thinking about it...

And she rolls!

As promised, here's the video that we caught of her rolling over last night. Yep, that's me with the high pitched voice. Are we programmed to talk like that to babies? It's like we can't help ourselves. It seems perfectly normal at the time, and then to see or hear video of yourself doing it, you're like, "why?"



And finally, we have a picture of Annabel in her bunny towel after bath time.

We have another Bunny in the family!

And as always, you can find these pictures and more in her online Photobucket album. I hope you enjoyed these pictures and that they were worth the wait!

Cheers!

She Rolls!

Annabel rolled over this morning! Nanny Kristi had her on her stomach for tummy time and has been putting her toys to the side juuuuust out of reach. So while I was in my office, dutifully working away, Kristi came running up and exclaimed excitedly, "Annabel just rolled over onto her back!"

So we went back to the living room to try to get her to do it again, and she did! Almost right away, too! Thinking that good things come in threes, I searched furiously around the house for the video camera. Well, I have yet to transfer the video to the computer, so the memory was full. Plan B! The small point-and-shoot camera shoots video! I ran to Annabel's room to get it.

Ready... action! I put on my Steven Soderbergh hat (yes, I'm referring to his shaky, documentary, hand-held camera style a la Traffic) and begin recording. And recording. And recording. I got lots of video of a very cute Annabel being her very cute self. On her tummy. Kristi and I provide the soundtrack with lots of encouraging in that high-pitched voice that you talk to babies in, accompanied with music from her Lamaze musical flowers toy.

I know it's Foto Friday, and I plan on uploading her pictures from the week this afternoon. I'll upload the video that I shot this morning then as well. And hopefully, I'll be able to capture her roll sometime today so that I can include it in Foto Friday!

Until then... cheers!