More Christmas pictures

Our Christmas mantle

Braxton taking a nap in the jumper

Sean and Anna playing with the new table

Braxton checks out the tree

Sean cruising the couch

Anna's first Christmas

What a fun time for everyone!! Helping Santa was great!! I really look forward to the years to come of Anna waiting for Santa and putting cookies and milk out for him!! We had a busy but fun holiday. My brothers and John's sister all came up for Christmas, so we split time between the two families. We had a full house with 6 adults and 3 babies!! On Christmas night we hosted dinner for both our families and really loved not having to go anywhere! :) It made it much easier for all 3 babies to be able to go to bed at their normal time and then we were able to eat, although Anna decided she liked the hostess role, so she refused to go to sleep until everyone left! We also loved catching up with Sean and Braxton's development! All 3 babies are crawling, and they all have top and bottom teeth! Braxton's trying to catch up by getting 4 top teeth all at once! Sean's cruising everywhere and is a speedy little crawler.

More pictures to follow!!

What's that you say, Rudolph? Santa's coming to town??

So today was our first experience with Portrait Innovations. What a neat place and geez- they make a KILLING. We were there for a total of an hour (not even 15 min of taking pictures). And after waiting only 30 min for the pictures to develop, we walked away with 71 proofs...it was SO hard to choose the poses I wanted, but luckily I have the cd of all of them...I'm not posting too many more because I don't want to spoil any Christmas presents, but they are too cute!

Anna gets some snuggle time with Great-Grandma

My favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Leftovers!!! I just threw away the last of them, but I could eat them forever! Anna loved having Great-Grandma over for the night of leftovers after Thanksgiving because she got her all to herself!

Bubbles!!!

I'm not sure why we hadn't brought these out before now, but we just found the bottle! John is very good at blowing BIG bubbles...

Anna's early Christmas present from her Mom and Dad

We decided to go ahead and get the next best thing to a tank-kinda-carseat. This thing feels so secure yet soft. It fits up to 65 pounds, so we figured that since it won't get used by another sibling, we could go ahead and get a girly pattern. I love it! My favorite feature is that you can velcro the straps on the side of the carseat so that you don't have to hold them at the same time you're trying to put the baby in! It is a little challenging getting Anna ready to go out the door with all her STUFF, and carrying her with everything to the car- it takes a little more organizing and baby wrangling, but I'll get used to it! It beats lugging this little chuncker in that carrier! It seems like over the past week Anna has seemed heavier every time I pick her up! Is there lead in her formula?? Haha.

On a different note, we've decided to switch pediatricians, due to the fact that ours is leaving Richmond, and based on others' recommendations. I'm excited but nervous to learn a different group of doctors, but I'm also happy to have done this before Anna gets any older. She has her 9 month check-up in 2 weeks with the new group.

Anna is "scooting" now, half crawling but using one elbow instead of her hands to move. She rolls/scoots wherever she wants to go, so she's not missing anything!! She also just started getting into a sitting position from her stomach. She seems very proud of herself when she does this, and gets quicker everyday. Her favorite toys right now are the remote control, phone, any sort of cable, and Madeira's bones/toys (yuck). Apparently, Madeira likes to share, because everytime I look around, a bone or toy is on Anna's playtime blanket!!

Our little prisoner

Anna shares her chicken with Rye

Due to Anna's recent pickiness with food, we've been trying different finger foods out. The cats like it when we feed her chicken because they get to sample some, too!

We have a new closet organizer!! Courtesy of John, the wonderful woodworker! Look at the fine detail- it looks great and I can't wait to get our clothes into it!

Anna can now pull up to her knees!

Time to lower the mattress again! When we put her in the crib seated, she can move over to the side and pull up on the rail to chew on it and look like a pitiful little prisoner.

Today was a very exciting day- I got to play dress up with Anna, and she made her first sign! When I was home this past weekend I found some old baby clothes of mine that I used to dress my cabbage patch doll in. This was a homemade cabbage patch doll, so she was a little bigger than the average one. Anyway, here are the overalls that my real babydoll fits into!

The next picture I thought turned out pretty amusing...it looks like Anna has just killed the cat. In reality, Whiskey was like that before Anna got there, and exited quickly after the murder attempt.

What does this face say to you?

Anna also got another hand-me-down, a puppet monkey I used on mission trips to Ecuador and Honduras. It's a fun toy for both parents and baby!

At dinner tonight, with 3 witnesses, Anna made the "milk" sign!! Earlier today I noticed her little fist opening and closing but she refused to nurse/take a bottle so I didn't think she understood what it meant, and then tonight she made the sign without prompting and she drank the bottle I made in a hurry!! Yay!! She also is attempting the "more" sign but has her own version where she puts her hands together instead of just her fingertips. I'm impressed that she's learning so quickly and can't wait to introduce some more signs!!

Look what we brought home from daycare!!!!

Joy- Anna's got hand foot mouth disease. Yuck. A virus that you can't do anything for and lasts for 7-10 days. She has a low grade fever that peaks at night and is irritable at mealtimes and when she's sleepy. She also has a heinous rash on her legs and bottom, with a few spots on her torso, arms, and hands. I called daycare today to ask if there had been any cases and the woman said, "Oh yeah, we had a case last week. We've got everything going on now- bronchitis, ear infections, runny noses, it's really bad." So does this mean the kids AT SCHOOL have all this crud or are they all at home (like Anna) since they're sick? And I never saw a sign about it, maybe due to the fact that Anna didn't go to school on Thursday or Friday, but still- I would've kept her home if I had known it was going around! SO now I can't take her to school until her temperature is less than 100 for 24 hours...Tonight it was 100.1...geez. I can't say I mind staying home with her, though. Let's just hope tonight she sleeps better than last night- up at 10:30 for an hour of screaming and then again at 6:30 for breakfast. We also think she might be teething so that doesn't help. Poor baby.

On a positive note, she looks like she'll be crawling any minute! Today she started moving backwards, which I heard they do first sometimes! So now we really need to babyproof the house!!! We need to get the house safe for when the nephews come up at Christmas, anyway! Sean is a moving machine! I can't wait to see the little guys!!

So we're home safe and sound from our 2 states in 2 days trip! We covered a lot of ground, Anna got to meet Emily and Ellis and their spitzi cat Mitzi (I know she's sweet to you, Em, seriously), and we were able to meet up with Kevin, Meighan, and Sean for dinner in Chapel Hill. We also got to spend some quality time with Mimi and little bit with Pops! It was a great weekend- long enough to visit with everyone but not too long to miss Daddy!
The road trips (we travelled 3-4 hours everyday) went well. Friday afternoon had some rough parts, as Anna freaked out at the gas station when I had to use the men's room *yes* men's room. The ladies' room was out of service...and there were no other options...so anyway, after a few minutes of sobbing uncontrollably, we were able to get back in the car and scoot. Luckily my car is just the right size so that I could reach back, grab a toy out of her bag, and give it to her while driving. Every time I opened her door, a couple of toys would fall out, but oh well! A little dirt never hurt anyone, right?

We are glad to be home now, and having a few adjustment issues with naptimes, but I honestly expected a lot more, so I can't complain...what I will complain about I have to post in the next entrance....

Anna says Mama! I didn't believe it the first time we heard her say it, but now she says it a lot!! I love it! We first heard her kinda whisper it this past weekend when Aunt Lori and Uncle Chris were visiting, and now she says it in the middle of babbling. It is adorable, but at the same time frustrating because she says it mostly when she's tired and fussy, or when she doesn't think she needs a nap and I put her in her crib. So when's she's crying "mamamamamma", do I go back and get her because she's calling my name?? Maybe I should have taught her "dada" first....Hahaha!! We're working on that now.
Both of us are feeling a lot better so I'm really looking forward to our road trip starting tomorrow!

Halloween pictures from Anna's cousinsSean the Frankenbaby (who also was a lobster)

Braxton the tiger (who also was a lobster!)

I just had to share these adorable pictures of these handsome little men!!

Before the game....Go Steelers!!



During the first 4 minutes, Denver scores 14 points...

After the 5th turnover...where's the channel changer???

Oh the poor Steelers...it's hard being a fan this season!! I can't say we've enjoyed watching many games so far, and with Ben almost always being questionable about playing, most of the time we think he should be pulled out to regroup. Geez. What a bummer.

On a positive note, Anna's cold seems to be getting better. The humidifier is helping, and her appetite is better. Her cough isn't as bad today, either. I'm still debating whether to take her to get her 2nd flu shot tomorrow. I think I'd like for her to be feeling better before she gets it. I've got the crud as well, and I hope we're both much better before next weekend!! Anna and I are headed to NC on the way to SC for Emily's baby shower. We're planning on staying over in Greensboro with Mimi and Pops on Friday evening and then heading to Columbia on Saturday morning for the shower. Emily's never met Anna, and I can't wait to see her beautiful baby bump!! I'm also looking forward to seeing her new house!! I'm a little nervous about traveling alone with Anna, as the last time we did so she was only 6 weeks old. I'll try to schedule the driving times during her nap times, so we'll see!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Anna awaits the Great Pumpkin...

We're looking forward to trick-or-treating at Grandma's and Great-Grandma's tomorrow!!

Go Hoos Go!!

Anna did AMAZINGLY well at her first tailgate- we were prepared to stay however long she let us- and we decided to leave at halftime only because we didn't want to spoil such a great day! Anna was a trooper- she met new people, hung out in the sun longer than she has her entire life, and tolerated the incredible noise in the stadium. She actually fell asleep with about 5 minutes left in the first half, but we didn't want to push her too far and pay for it later. UVA ended up losing (they were winning 20-0 when we left!) so maybe we took the goodluck charm with us??? Ooops.

I had a great birthday- couldn't have asked for better weather- cool and crisp but warmed by the sun!! Days like today remind me why I love the fall (and the fact that my birthday happens to be in this season). I got to spend it with my family, including Lola (it was great to see you twice in one day!) who is recovering well from having multiple cardiac stents placed earlier this week. I had 2 birthday cakes- one from Lola (my favorite kind-pound cake with buttercream frosting from Ukrop's) and another from Lee and Megan at the tailgate (my second favorite-chocolate with buttercream frosting from Ukrop's!) Anna gave me a book/dvd about using sign language with infants to encourage early communication. I can't wait to see her use some signs!!

John and the baby Wahoo

It's hard to appreciate it in this picture, but the bow in her hair is orange and blue...I know, why is she a Cavalier fan? Because it's IN-STATE! Think in-state tuition vs. out-of-state tuition! If we lived in NC, you know she would only be allowed to dress in Carolina blue! :) So we're priming her early...we'll hang onto these pictures for her college application!

What do we have here?

Another teething toy!

This past weekend we had a good time visiting Mimi and Pops for the golf tournament in Greensboro. The weather could have been better, but Anna wasn't planning on going to the golf course anyway, so it was ok. We were happy Davis Love won!! Go Carolina boy!

Here's a picture of Anna in her golf outfit

What you can't see are the little golf ball buttons- one on the top of her hat, others on the back of the neck- so cute!!

Thanks for all the snuggle time, Mimi and Pops!! Looking forward to Thanksgiving!

A fun weekend!

Anna's first hayride!!

We had a great weekend! On Saturday, we went to a barbecue held by one of John's cardiac surgeons. He has a gorgeous farm overlooking the James...there was a bluegrass band, barbecue, hayrides, and wonderful weather to enjoy it all! Anna did great considering her afternoon nap was in the car and lasted only 10 minutes.

On Sunday morning, Anna had a fun bath.

After her bath, we updated her room. Many thanks to Mimi for finishing the letters!! They look so cute in her room, and I know Anna will know how to spell her name in no time!

On Sundayafternoon, Anna's favorite surrogate aunt came to visit! Anna showed Aunt Lara her Halloween costume since she'll be in Madagascar for the big event. (Do they do Halloween in Madagascar??) We had a fun time playing with Aunt Lara. Mommy had a good time getting out to see Jonah Werner in concert!

Travel safe, Aunt Lara, we can't wait to see you again!

Hey! Do I look like a boy to you?

I guess this outfit makes people think boy?? Today we went to Ukrop's and had 3 people refer to her as a boy. Not only did she have pink socks on, but she also had 2 pink blankets in the cart with her, as well as a big pink butterfly attached to the handle. Next time she wears this outfit I'll add a pink bow! Today was the first day she sat in the cart by herself. She's such a big girl now- and I LOVE not having to carry that car seat around anymore!

Just for clarification...

Mommy's little helper

I'm getting Anna started early on chores...It just happened that we were in the basement and the laundry was finished, so instead of going upstairs to put her somewhere, I decided she fit just fine in the laundry basket and she agreed!

Today was our first sick visit to the doctor, and I'm so glad we went. She's had a cough for over a week now, and last night it started getting wheezy, plus she woke up a lot. She woke up when Grey's Anatomy came on (she's a GA junkie like her mom) and only calmed down when she saw Alex (her favorite). But after she fell asleep nursing, she woke back up screaming the minute I put her in the crib, which just isn't like her. So this morning she didn't eat well, and I thought we'd better get it checked out before the weekend- turns out she has her first ear infection! She also received a breathing treatment for her wheezing. So now she's on an antibiotic and albuterol for her wheezing. She doesn't act too sick- just a little more fussy around naptime. As you can see in her picture below, she looks just fine!

This is my favorite new outfit (courtesy of Old Navy's baby sale!) Even the socks have squirrels on them- you can't really tell in the picture, but the top is the short sleeve look with the long sleeves underneath...so cute. Did I mention before that Anna is sitting up? Well, she isn't 100% yet, but is getting better everyday! You still have to watch her closely or she'll do a quick dive-bomb for a cat or Madeira!

The 6th month old! I'm having a hard time believing this kid is half a year old already! We are having so much fun with her the time is just zipping by! If you look closely in this picture you can see her two front teeth! This might be my favorite picture so far!!

She got to stay at home yesterday for her "birthday" with John and Grandma, so she had a great day until the evening when she vomited in her crib (prunes and bananas!) and proceed to cry for 2 hours straight. I rushed home from work to find her red-eyed, full of mucus, and half-gagging and coughing. She was so upset it was hard to figure out what to do! We suctioned out her nose and mouth which helped, gave her a teething tablet, thinking that maybe her teeth were bothering her, then I nursed her, and she seemed to calm down after that. At that point when we put her in the crib and she tried to go to sleep there was the issue of whether to suction out her nose again, because she couldn't breathe well with her thumb in her mouth! So we did that once more, and she settled down. She was so exhausted, poor thing. Not a great way to end her "birthday"! It was the worst thing that's happened to her so far- John and I checked on her multiple times during the night and she slept well, thank goodness.

This morning she is back to the normal Anna! We even think she said "bye" to John as he left for work!!! It was as clear as day- we'll see if she says it to me when I drop her off at daycare! Haha.

Great-Grandma and the 3 monkeys!

(7 mo Sean, 5 mo Braxton, and 6 mo Anna)

We had a fun weekend with the cousins. Grandma had beautiful weather for her cookout and her whole family made it to wish her a happy 94th birthday. She looks wonderful!! Sean and Braxton faired really well considering their routines were messed up by being in a new place, but both of them are little travelers so they hung in there! We just wished they lived closer so we could spend more time with them! They've all changed so much since the last time we saw them and we won't be together again until Christmas, so they'll be totally different babies again! Sean is crawling and can do a mean exersaucer bounce, and Braxton is a giggling wiggler who loves to hear funny noises (or maybe it's the crazy way we look when we make those noises??)

Anna had fun watching the babies and occasionally grabbing one of them. For some reason, she was the party pooper in all of the pictures...maybe she needs more personal space??? Hahaha. We'll have to work on that!

Her new favorite food is applesauce! OH! And she's officially cut her two front teeth, with the bottom left front leading the way!

Sean's on the move!

Braxton the happy boy

Braxton, Anna, and Sean