Visitors!

We have had tons of visitors in the past month.  We took family pictures while my Grandma Jennings was here.  How amazing to have 4 generations all together!  There will more info later but here are some pictures. (Enjoy Aunt Michelle!) 

7 months

A 7 Month Update:

Weight: ~14lbs
Hair: light reddish brown, long on top, short in the back, wavy

Nicknames:
Julia Boulia
Ju Ju
Julia Pulia Oh So Trulia

Likes to eat:
Mama milk
Formula
Steamed broccoli
'Puffs'
(tried to chew on anything she sees Mama or Dada eating)

Favorite hobbies:
Standing at the couch
Listening to mama sing silly songs
Drinking her bottles

Most proud of:
Her amazing standing skills
Two bottom teeth
Funny growling noise

Moving and Shaking

A few tid bits from the past weeks...

Valentine's Day was fun this year. Chad and I always have Indian for Valentine's dinner and this year was no different. I suggested eating at home would be just as special but he wanted to take BOTH his Valentine's out. We had fun but it was a bit different than years past :) 

Chad's territory covers all of south Florida and he travels to each client a few times a month. Last week Julia and I went with him to Pompano Beach and Delray. We have a blast exploring the town while Chad is in meeting all day. We went to the beach, ate at sidewalk cafes, and scanned local consignment stores.  When she is older I think we will have fun at all the cool children's museums.

Julia's physical adventures haven't slowed. For those of you following along she started rocking on hand and knees at 4 months and crawling at 5 mo which is freaky early. Now at 6 months she is pulling herself to stand on anything she can get ahold of! She can't quite 'cruise' because her feet aren't coordinated yet but it is so cute to see this TINY baby standing.

She is way more focused on moving rather than talking and she mostly still grunts and growls to communicate. Mostly she just wants milk and to be picked up!  I met a mom at the store who has a baby exactly the same age who says 'mama', 'dada', and 'baba' but doesn't even roll over much yet! (And he had 3 teeth)  Babies all develop so differently it's amazing!

Visit with Grandma Edie

We had a lovely (but too short) visit with Grandma Edie and Skip this weekend. They drove 4+ hours to see our new house and love up little Julia.

We pushed Julia's afternoon nap time  trying to have her awake when they arrived. Unfortunately, she was a tired/cranky mess when they arrived and was in no mood for a family reunion. We put her down for her much needed nap. Well instead of sleeping 2 hours like she usual does she slept 30 minutes. Now she was doubly tired!

Poor Grandma Edie drove half way across the state and Julia wouldn't even look at her! She clung to me like a baby sloth and dissolved into tears over and over when Grandma even looked at her.

She was overtired and over-simulated and we had dinner reservations looming. We knew this could be disastrous... Thankfully she rallied and ended up being an angel for a very long (and delicious) dinner.

After a good night's sleep she and Grandma spent the morning playing and showing off her crawling, sitting, and drooling skills. All was right in the world as far as Grandma Edie was concerned :)

We loved having Edie and Skip visit and can't wait to see them again soon. We are so lucky to have such wonderful families.

5m 2w

This weeks highlights:

Julia can sit up with minimal support. If you get her balanced she can sit alone for a minute or two before slumping or tipping.

Her favorite toys this week are her fabric book (in German) and her v-tech sit and stand play station.

This week Julia tried out her tricycle. She is still way too small of course but we can tell she is going to be a hammerhead like her Daddy!

Solid food- we are beginning solids slowly. We are doing it a little differently than most people... The trendy name is 'baby led weaning' but really it just means self-feeding. Instead of spooning pureed food into her mouth we let her 'eat' any food she can get to her own mouth. The developmental theory is that babies should learn to eat by learning to chew first and swallow second. Either way, at this point anything she chews on is mostly for fun and her nourishment still comes from mommy milk. So far she has tried avacado, banana, and pancakes. Julia mostly likes sitting with mommy and daddy at the table like a big girl :)  The days of dinner and straight into the bath have begun! 

Those are the highlights from this week. We hope our friends and family across the country are staying warm.  It's odd watching news coverage of the 'polar vortex' impacting the country while we are in shirts and t- shirts.  We love having guests so let us know if you want to escape the cold and come visit!

5 months!

So I need to do a catch up post (but this isn't it) because so much has happened in the last 3 weeks. But for now I will just tell you that our previous girl is 5 months old.

5! Five!! FIVE!!!

How is this possible? I'm sure I just held her for the first time a month ago. I've only been snuggling her tiny cute head for a few weeks. No way I've been kissing her itsy bitsy feet for FIVE MONTHS!

A few quick facts-

She still eats 95% mommy milk (pumped) in 4-5 feedings a day. (Formula comes in handy if we are caught out longer than we expected.)

She weighs approx 13 lbs which all keeps her in the 'tiny' end of the curve.

She started crawling/scooting at 4.5 months and can get to anywhere she wants. It's not a pretty crawl yet, more of a shuffle/crawl/lunge combo but is crazy since she is so small.

She still sleeps 12 hours a night and takes 2-3 naps each day. She usually wakes up happy and 'talks' to herself in her crib until I come get her.

She does not like to wait for her bottle. When it's time to eat, it's time! She gets MAD if she sees me filling the bottle but then put it into the hot water to warm up. She wants it NOW! She doesn't however want it too cold... That contradiction seems pointless to explain.

She still looks just like her Daddy...

Overall she is a very happy, very active, little girl who seems to love life. We are so over-the-moon happy that she is our daughter!

(The last two pictures show how much Julia looks like Chad as a baby.)

Christmas Eve

We are spending this Christmas Eve camping in our own house! The movers packed all our stuff yesterday and just left us with a pack n play for Julia and a mattress for Chad and I. They come back on the 26th to load everything on to the truck.

It might seem strange, but Chad and I are really having fun.  Being together and enjoying our tiny girl is all we really care about anyway.  Our Christmas Eve feast of frozen pizza and ice cream (eaten from the container with plastic forks) was delish.

We hope that all our family and friends are together with those they love most tonight.  We are counting our blessings and giving thanks from our box-fort!

We did fit in a bit of traditional Christmas stuff.  Julia met Santa!  She seemed unimpressed but didn't cry...