lovely weekend

Yesterday was warm and sunny and my dad and stepmom visited from SC. We hiked around Jordan Lake with Annabel and Conan, where I got the most exercise I've had since I was pregnant. Then Gabe and I had a date night!  We went to Tyler's where I had this yummy beer. And a burger - also my first since pregnant.

This morning Annabel had big poops in her diaper and then pooped all over the changing table. It was a big mess so we decided to just give her a bath. First she spit up.

Then she pooped:

It was so much fun!




Then we realized it was ridiculously beautiful outside so we flung open the windows and took a trip to the backyard. Gabe had on shorts and a t-shirt and concocted his own little stove, not sure why. That's just how he is.

Annabel and I swung on the hammock-chair that was a souvenir from our honeymoon. It was very peaceful:

Then we took a family stroll around the grounds of the community college. It was so sunny and beautiful (70 degrees in January!!) and I got to see the brand new library that I am super excited about. It's big and open and bright and has infant storytime!

We weren't ready to go home so we toured a nearby doggie daycare. We'd like to take him a couple days a week so that we no longer wake up to this:

One of those days that you didn't want to end.

Sleep, a Memoir

Once upon a time there were vast hours of sleep. Waking was the work of whim, or sometimes a gentle alarm. It's becoming hard to remember that time.  

Sometimes she does sleep. And she's darn cute doing it. See? She even is able to go for six hours at a time, I've seen it happen. But lately I'm happy if she sleeps a two hour stretch. It's a double-edged sword though, because even though it's minimal time she is now in her co-sleeper!! That means she doesn't demand to fall asleep curled up next to me on her side, which is so sweet but makes me nervous. She is suddenly okay with not breastfeeding in order to drift off at night. She used to fuss the second you laid her down on her back, but I suppose she's developed the self-soothing necessary to occupy herself until she dozes. I think she's just not used to it yet, because she startles herself awake, and wakes at the very slightest movement or sound. 

Something else also happened the past couple days. She grew up! She woke up a few mornings ago and I remarked to Gabe that she looked bigger. And then she spent the whole day proving she was older. She looked around purposely, studied my lips when I spoke to her, babbled on her own and started grasping the very beginnings of cause and effect with her toys. And little miss is bursting with personality. I can't put all the pictures on this blog, but check this out here. 

She is super amazing, says her sleep-deprived zombie mama :)

2 month check up

Annabel went to the doctor for her 2 month check up. Everything looks great!  Four weeks ago she weighed 7 lbs, 2 oz. and now she is 9 lbs, 6 oz. Growing like a weed. She hopped from the 6th percentile in weight to the 17th. The doctor also told me that a baby's fussiest period is usually 6-8 weeks so that explains a lot recently.

She got 3 shots and handled it like a champ. But then we got home and she took a really long nap and woke up quite cranky. Soon enough she was back to her happy self. Here's what her happy self looks like:

In other news she learned to talk! Ok, not really, but doesn't it sound like it?

cloth diapering

We have begun our cloth diapering adventure. We have a big box of disposable diapers from Gabe's co-workers and we're slowly weaning ourselves of their convenience. My prefold folding is getting better and better. And a big THANK YOU to my friend Amy who sent me a big box of her cloth diaper supplies.

The diaper covers Amy sent were big, so I thought I'd try out one of the Thirsties DuoWrap covers, since they were for babies 6-18 lbs. As you can see from the pictures they still look pretty big on her. But cute! You can also see from the pictures that she hardly ever is still. She's a squirmy little bug.

She is seven weeks old today. She already looks different than these pictures, which were taken less than a week ago. Her hair is longer and blonder and she's chubbier. And last night she slept a good 6 hours in a row. Both she and her mama woke up happy campers!

bath time

Much like her mama, if Annabel is cranky with no obvious cause then warm water will do wonders. Add chocolate, wine and bubbles and all is well again. Ok, that last part just goes for me.

On the recommendation of my sister I got the spa baby tub, which basically is a blue bucket. It's supposed to give babies the feeling of being in the womb and get them on a path to liking water. (Apparently water on lying-flat babies can elicit a startle response.) In any case, Annabel loves bath time. She instantly calms. Then she screams like a banshee when we take her out. She's also been practicing standing up while in there and I think it's a matter of little time until she realizes all the big splashes her little hands can make.

Speaking of her hands, I think I've stunted her motor skills in this area. I've been paranoid about cutting her tiny nails so she almost always wears mittens. I finally got the courage yesterday and yes, god forbid, I cut her finger. Well, I didn't, but you'd think from her purple screaming face that the whole finger fell off. I felt HORRIBLE. The past day she's been trying to get her hands in her mouth and it's pretty funny to watch. She smacks herself in the head, pause, and then her mouth opens. Sometimes she gets lucky and her eyes get big, like how did that get in there?

Annabel has also decided her 5-6 hour stretch of sleep at night is no fun. The past few days she's just slept a couple 2 1/2 hour naps, and tonight - well, it's nearly 2:30 a.m. and no shut eye for either of us. So hopefully it's good-night soon, and I'll leave you with some cute pics of her in the bath. She's looking a bit wary of the camera, but usually she's all smiles in there.

the many faces of annabel

I love watching her. In any random minute of the day she makes so many different faces. Babies are so in the moment. A big grin will instantly dissolve into pouty lip. Or a screeching cry becomes a giggle. Today, mainly because I've slacked on the photos for the past week, I put her on the changing table and snapped lots of photos for a couple minutes. Then I put them together into a little movie you can see here. (If the audio isn't working, try viewing it in full screen or in better quality - there's a quirk.)

The smiles and the laughs are the best. I especially love the smiles when she first wakes up in the morning, or when I put a blanket around her, or when she stops eating and gives me a contented smile. You can see some big grins in this video. You also see some chubby thighs. I'm proud to say our skinny little peanut has been packing on the pounds!  She got weighed on Tuesday and was 8 pounds, 10 ounces!  That is a gain of a pound and a half in just two weeks, which is remarkable. 

Keep growing and laughing baby girl :)