1st Half of July

I didn't blog much about everyday life in July.  Here's some pics from the first half of July.  It was super hot again this year so if we were outside it was most likely to be in the pool or in the evening when it was a smidge cooler.  

 July 3: Cooling off in the pool

 July 4: We had a chill morning and then Grandpa, Grandma, Kristi and Wesley came over for dinner and fireworks.  Hannah enjoyed a nap with Grandpa while the rest of us did some fireworks in the backyard.

 July 6: Cooling off in the pool with Dad and Grandpa J.

 July 7: The super cute outfit Hannah got in from my cousin

 July 8: Hanging out as a family after a crazy birthday weekend

 July 12: Matching girls watching Luke play in the pool 

 July 13: Enjoying all the new birthday Legos

July 14: Wearing 12 month pj's

July 15: Horsey ride

8 Months Old

Hannah is 8 months old today!  This has been a very busy month.  Just as predicted, she is into everything!  Her personality continues to reveal itself which is great fun.  New traits or maybe ones I haven't mentioned before include determination, a very strong mind of her own, and a silly quirkiness.

*Schedule: Again not much change from last month.  It goes something like this: up between 8 and 9 with a very short feeding shortly after; about 10:30 eat again and take about an hour nap although this nap is sometimes her long nap of the day now and can be 2+ hours; eat lunch when that nap is over; nurse again sometime between 2 and 3 depending on the morning nap and then another nap--this nap varies greatly in length again depending on the morning--sometimes it's very short, 30 minutes, and sometimes quite long, over 2 hours; she will nurse once before dinner ususally around 5-5:30; we all eat dinner together between 6-6:30; she nurses again around 8 and takes about a 30 minute nap (I've tried so hard to cut this nap out but it just doesn't work.); then she's ready for her final feeding somewhere between 10 and 11 and then it's off to bed.  This past month she has been waking up around 1 am about 2-3 nights a week.  Sometimes she cries herself back to sleep and sometimes I get up and feed her again.

*Stats: She was 18 lb 3 oz and 27 inches long at her 6 month check-up.  This put her in the 75-90% for height and 90-95% for weight.  I just weighed and measured her this morning.  According to my scale she weighs right at 20 pounds and is between 28-29 inches long.  She is now wearing all 9 month size clothes.  All of the 6 month stuff is put away.  Pajamas are now 12 month size and the brands that run small are starting to get tight.  Her hair is continuing to get longer although we still get many comments about her lack of hair.  It is still very light in color and sometimes there is a hint of red.  Her eyes are still blue.  

*Food: Hannah is still really enjoying solid food and she has solid meals twice a day--stage 2 foods.  About 3 weeks ago she started eating puffs and about 1 week ago she started eating yogurt melts; she LOVES both of them.  Last Sunday I tried giving her very soft pieces of banana expecting her to really like it--not so much.  I don't think she liked the texture much.  I am still predicting that Hannah will be a much more adventurous eater than Luke.  I don't think it will be too long before she's eating real foods.

*Activities: Hannah's favorite activity is still exploring.  Crawling has definitely opened a new world for her and she is not afraid to try anything.  Hannah is way more inquisitive/adventurous than Luke ever was--she knows where all the cords are in the family room--sigh; she loves, and I mean loves, crawling on the bottom shelf of the coffee table; she loves to escape and see how far she can go before we reign her back.  Thankfully independent play has become more dominant although at night she still likes to have Troy or I on the floor with her.  A new funny development--fake coughing--it's really so cute and I think Hannah knows she gets attention when she does it.  Another very fun new activity is giving kisses, open-mouthed, slobbery kisses--it's the sweetest!  Hannah is now reaching to be held and responding immediately to her name.  The exersaucer has become more of a containment device if I need to be out of the room for an extended time period rather than a place to play.  Hannah is also having great fun interacting more with Luke.  A recent favorite is Luke building towers for her to knock over.  

*Mobility:  So not only is Hannah crawling everywhere she is now pulling up to standing.  Troy and I were talking the other night and decided she will be walking within two months--right around the time Luke started crawling.  Their differences amaze me!  One similarity they share is the speed they both have/had when crawling.  Hannah is pretty much comfortable with all the new stuff she's learned but she has yet to figure out how to sit down once she's pulled up.  It makes her so frustrated.  She screams at the top of her lungs until someone helps her sit back down.

*Favorites: I continue to be Hannah's favorite person but she has a smile for anyone that says hello or interacts with her.  Her seperation anxiety has improved a bit but she is still wary in front of people she doesn't know.  Other favorites:  a new shape sorting toy that sings songs; cups; any sort of tag (this has always been a favorite); banging toys together; blowing bubbles and sticking her tongue out (she recently found it); and pretty much any toy that makes some sort of noise.  Maggie is also a new fascination since Hannah can crawl to her--poor Maggie though because Hannah likes to pull her hair.  Luke is also a huge favorite and she likes to play peek-a-boo especially with Troy as they crawl around the couch.  One other favorite I've noticed since she's no longer sleeping in her bouncer is her sleeping position--on her tummy with her knees tucked under her so her butt is straight up in the air.  It's SO cute. 

*Noises/Talking:  Of course Hannah still isn't saying any words although more people have heard her say "momma" and are pretty convinced she knows what she's saying.  Hannah's range of noises is super impressive.  She is still constantly jabbering and in general just making different noises.  My favorite would have to be, "Ahh, ba."  She repeats that over and over and over.

*Events: This last month we enjoyed a few more days of just mom and Hannah time--we did some shopping, figured out pulling up to her knees and then standing, learned how to give kisses, rode in a swing for the first time and started eating some more solid foods.  Hannah enjoyed our trip to Uncle Todd's and Aunt Georgia's--especially the swimming pool.  The next month we have our family vacation scheduled and Luke will start preschool so more time with just mom.

Another quick note for this month--Hannah's nicknames:  Hannahbean, Hannah banana, Miss Hannah, Beautiful, Squeak

I know it's blurry but I love the tongue :)

Sweet

For whatever reason I'm having a hard time finding any free time to blog.  It couldn't be that I have an almost 8 month old that is into everything and constantly wants attention or that my now 4 year old has given up his nap and thinks I should play with him all afternoon or even that I have laundry to do, meals to cook and clean up after, errands to run, or making sure those children are for the most part happy and content on a daily basis--couldn't be any of that, really it couldn't.  I would love to have more time to blog but this phase of life just doesn't seem to afford that much time for it.  It's definitely a catch twenty-two because these are the days that I know I want to remember because they are so sweet.  So, this is a random list of sweet tidbits that I can still remember from the last few weeks.

• Luke had his 4 year check-up at the doctor this morning.  He weighs 35 pounds, 2 ounces which is the 25-50% and he is 40 1/4 inches tall which is the 50%.  I was pleased with both of these numbers because he's finally had a growth spurt.  The doctor reported that Luke was doing great with a recommendation that we visit the eye doctor.  His vision was 20/40 when they tested it today.
• A couple of funny moments at the check-up: Luke had to give a urine sample.  This was a total surprise to me and Luke was quite confused as to why I was collecting his urine in a cup rather than letting it go in the toilet.  The other moment is priceless and one I'll probably recount numerous times throughout Luke's life.  The doctor was asking Luke different questions--what colors were the beads he was playing with; what was his full name; what do you do when it's cold and then what do you do when you're hungry?  Luke's response was to hold up both of his hands and wiggle all his fingers!  I absolutely died laughing!!!  If you know Troy and you've seen him right before he eats a really good meal you know that this is his subconscious response to the anticipation of the yummy-ness he is about to experience.  (He has always done this--even as a child.)  Well, Luke now occasssionally does the same thing.   The doctor of course thought this was an odd response to her question but decided after my explanation this was a perfectly logical and appropriate answer.  I had a hard time containing my laughter.  Sweet,  I tell you, sweet!
• Luke has been so kind and for lack of a better word sweet with Hannah lately.  We've been getting some of his old toys out for her lately and he very patiently explains to her how to play with them and what they do.  He also shows a lot of compassion when she is upset and he tries to sooth her.  He is especially good with her in the car--playing peek-a-boo or holding her hand and talking or singing to her.  One of my favorites though is when he tells me he's been giving her butterfly kisses.  Again, sweet!
• Hannah is everywhere or at least everywhere she can get to.  She is an expert crawler now and has started pulling up to her knees.  She is constantly keeping us on our toes and even though we have gates for both family room doorways, I can't leave her for more than a minute or two at a time because she is finding more and more ways to be mischievous.  She is into stuff way more than Luke ever thought about being.  We are in big trouble for when she figures out how strong she really is and learns about opening drawers, doors, etc.  
• Seeing the bond between Luke and Hannah strengthen as Hannah is able to interact more is again so sweet!  They are constantly laughing at each other or with each other.  After a week with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson and again last week with Grammy and PawPaw, Luke was probably the most excited to see Hannah when we all arrived to pick him up.  I love that!  I truly hope and pray that they can experience the special bond only siblings can share throughout their lives like my sister and I have.
• Luke still has his house.  It's moved again.  It's currently up on a mountain and the mountain is blocking the road and no one can get through.  I hear about his house on a daily basis.  Sometimes when things aren't going the way he wants or sometimes when something is really exciting--either way I love hearing what his imagination has come up with for the day.  I equate his house to an imaginary friend only I think it's so much cooler because how often do you hear about a kid with his own house!  Sweet!!!

There are so many moments throughout the day where I think, "Oh, I need to write that down so I don't forget it."  Some are just the everyday moments and some are like at the doctor this morning.  Either way, they are all so special and so very, very sweet!

June Catch Up

I am way behind on posting pics on here.  We have been super busy this summer it seems.  It will probably take a few posts to get all the pics on here but this is a start.  So enjoy the last half of June.

June 18: It's amazing to me that Luke loves all of his old toys once again.  We often play in Hannah's room on the floor like this.

 June 18: Hannah's first bath in the big tub

 June 18-28: LJ had swim lessons.  I'm not too sure how much he learned other than getting more comfortable with the water but he had fun.  The last lesson they get to play on the slides.

 June 22: At Myriad Gardens while Hannah was having her 6 month pics taken.  Wesley and Luke had a ton of fun playing in the splash pad together.  Luke LOVES to hang out and play with Wesley in any setting.

 June 22: Celebrating Hannah being 6 months and Troy's raise by going to dinner at Pop's.

June 23: Luke had never jumped off a diving board before.  We went to a birthday party for a neighbor and I asked Luke if he wanted to try it.  I was in the water to catch him for the first few jumps and after that it was all him.  

June 25: This is my 3rd summer trying to grow some tomatoes.  I am so excited that this summer has finally worked out.  We've enjoyed lots of yummy home grown tomatoes this year.

Flipping

This weekend we went to Dallas to visit Troy's brother and sister-in-law.  We had a great weekend.  Much of our time was spent in their pool.  Luke has really liked watching the diving on the Olympics and he had Troy and Todd jumping in with him in an effort to do some "synchronized diving."  Troy and Luke also had fun figuring out how to get Luke to do a flip.  The first few attempts and methods made me cringe just a bit but then they figured it out.  Luke LOVED it!  He kept asking Troy to do this over and over and over again--definitely a 10.0 on the fun scale!

LJ's Birthday

Luke's actual birthday was another day of celebration.  Grammy was here with us and we had another fun-filled day.  It started out with a trip to the Lego store so Luke could fill a container with Legos he choose--that was Hannah's birthday gift to him.  He had a lot of fun picking out all kinds of different Lego pieces.  He also made 3 Lego men or rather two Lego men and one Lego woman--it was me Luke said.  After the Lego store, Troy met us at the mall so we could all have lunch together.  We then came home for a little down time before we headed to the pool.  Ashley, Benjamin and Andrew met us at the pool as well.  Unfortunately, the weather decided not to cooperate and after only an hour it started to rain which wasn't a big deal but the lightning and thunder was.  Luke was more than a little disappointed that we had to head home so early.  His day was brightened though when he saw the pirate cookie Benjamin had got him for his birthday.  We ordered Pei Wei for dinner because we all know how much Luke likes rice food.  After dinner we opened presents and then had some ice cream cake.  Luke had fun playing with his new castle and Legos the rest of the night.  

7 Months Old

Hannah was 7 months old on Sunday!  It's hard to believe in only 5 short months she will be 1.  I can't imagine our lives without this beautiful baby girl.  Her personality is really developing right now--she's persistant, impatient, vocal and very inquisitive.

*Schedule: This hasn't changed too much from last month other than it is more firmly set now.  It goes something like this: up between 8 and 9 with a very short feeding shortly after; about 10:30 eat again and take about an hour nap; after this nap is her happiest time of the day; eat solid food for lunch about 12:30; nurse again about 2 and then another nap--this nap varies greatly in length--sometimes it's very short, 30 minutes, and sometimes quite long, over 2 hours; depending on the nap length she will eat 1-2 more times before we have dinner; one of the most fussy times of the day is when I'm fixing dinner but this is slowly getting better and she is usually content to play now; she will eat 2-3 more times before going to bed for the night between 10:30 and 11:30; she also will take a catnap or two during the evening hours although I don't let her sleep for very long after 7.  

*Stats: She was 18 lb 3 oz and 27 inches long at her 6 month check-up.  This put her in the 75-90% for height and 90-95% for weight.  I weighed her last week and depending on the rounding of the scale she is between 19-20 pounds.  She is now wearing almost all 9 month size clothes--the only 6 month stuff she still wears are those things that I really like and don't want to put away yet.  Pajamas are now 12 month size.  Hannah is a big girl!  Her hair is continuing to get longer although we still get many comments about her lack of hair.  It is still very light in color and sometimes there is a hint of red. Her eyes are still blue.  

*Food: Hannah is still really enjoying solid food and she has solid meals twice a day now.  At this point Hannah has added too many things to her diet to remember.  Because she shows so much interest in our food I tried giving her some puffs about 10 days ago.  She tried to swallow them whole rather than gumming them so we put them away and I'll try again probably next week.  Hannah is still nursing between 7-10 times a day as well.

*Activities: Hannah's favorite activity is exploring.  Now that she is crawling she wants to see what everything is; she was doing this before but obviously not as easily.  Hannah seems way more inquisitive than Luke ever was--she's trying to open drawers already and pulling anything she can get ahold of into her mouth.  She still loves to move and has gradually become happier being more on her own.  She spends most of her awake time on the floor,  in her exersaucer or in the bouncing horse.  Hannah's other favorite activity is still watching Luke play.  More often than not Luke can make her laugh or smile if she's fussy.  

*Mobility: Hannah is now CRAWLING!!!  She has been working on it very diligently for the past 3-4 weeks.  She finally figured it out Sunday night.  We had to immediately baby proof the family completely.  Troy put the gates up and Hannah has already tried pulling on them to get out.  She isn't super fast at crawling yet but give her a couple of weeks and we will definitely have our hands full.  Hannah has pretty much mastered sitting up on her own and has managed to get back to a sitting position from laying on the floor a few times.  Hannah continues to amaze me with her strength.  You must be ready for her spontaneous attempts to launch herself out of your arms at any moment while holding her.  She has even managed to pull herself up to her knees a few times.  

*Favorites: I am still Hannah's favorite person but she has a smile for anyone that says hello or interacts with her.  Her seperation anxiety has definitely increased the last few weeks and she wants no one but me esepecially at night.  Luke never went through this to this extint so another learning period for us.  Other favorites:  a telephone rattle; balls; squeaky toys; and she still really likes being outside, playing with my necklace while in the Moby wrap and actually just being in the Moby wrap, chewing on anything she can get in her mouth, and playing with Luke.  Hannah also really loves bath time and just hanging out in water in general :)

*Noises/Talking:  A new category this month.  Of course Hannah isn't saying any words yet although Troy is convinced she can say momma when she's very tired and wants me.  It certainly sounds like she is saying it but I don't think she knows that's who I am yet.  Hannah has some very intense noises.  She squeals the highest pitch squeal I've ever heard from a baby--it truly can hurt your ears.  She also has a very deep-throaty growl/grunt.  Hannah is also constantly jabbering and in general just making different noises

*Events: This last month we celebrated Luke's birthday, had 3 days of just mom and Hannah time, figured out crawling and established a more consistant schedule.  The next month we have a trip to visit Uncle Todd and Aunt Georgia planned and another few days alone with mom as Luke spends time with Grammy and PawPaw.