Six Months!!

Baby Girl is 6 months old!

Getting this one in right under the wire, as Molly girl will be 7 months in just over an hour :)  I cannot believe how big she is getting so quickly.  All of the pictures below are from my iphone - I will download from our camera and video camera soon :)

Here is what Molly has been up to during her 6th month of life:

Eating!  Molly is the best eater - she is so cute in her highchair and kicks her legs in excitement between each bite.  She is eating 3 solid meals per day now and we are adding more and more new foods every week.  Ben has been making her baby food and she currently enjoys oatmeal cereal with breastmilk, rice cereal with breastmilk, sweet potatoes, apples, blueberries mixed with apples, bananas, peaches, peas, green beans and squash.  We have tried puffs, but they are, at this time, just about the only item Molly will NOT put in her mouth lol.  We also try to give a little diluted apple juice in a sippy cup with variable success - she loves juice but sometimes struggles with the sippy cup.  The first time we gave her juice was on a the plane ride on our way home from Californina earlier last month - she LOVED it!!  We have video recorded each new item hoping to get a good facial expression from her, but so far she seems to love just about everything.

When we first started feeding her (on new year's eve), she grabbed the spoon and insisted on holding the spoon herself.  She would fuss or even yell if we tried to take the spoon away.  Now she doesn't even try to grab the spoon.  She just continues playing or exlporing her world and passively opens her mouth and waits for a bite.  When she gets one she kicks her legs and waves her arms in glee.  I love love love meal time. 

Um...Molly...You got a little something on your face!

Aunt Nell feeding a delicious blueberries/apples/oatmeal/breastmilk combo.  This day Anthony had a fundraiser for his school at Chili's and Molly and I met her for breakfast.  She looked tiny in the highchair!!

Happy girl!

Lunchtime with Josie - Smith had the nerve to be using his own booster seat so Molly got the Bumbo Seat on the kitchen floor - she didn't seem to mind one bit.    

Homemade green beans

Homemade peaches and peas (I kinda of managed to burned the peas a little...maybe I should leave the baby food making to Ben!)

Dinner time - Rice, Milk, Beans and "Mommy's Juice" :)  This was a lovely Friday evening with Molly after a week of nights in which Ben was working overnight and Molly and I had a girls night.  She enjoyed dinner and we cuddled for a long time before bed time.  I then enjoyed Indian takeout and some wine.  Such a good night (even if it was without dada)

Blueberry face

Mesmorized by the food

For a time she insisted on having her own spoon. 

I love how tiny she looks in her high chair - happy, sweet girl.

SLEEP
She is still a champ when it comes to sleeping, but is starting to sleep less and less during the day.  She usually sleeps from 7:30pm until 6 or 7am (yes, we are spoiled).  She takes 2 naps a day (sometimes a short 3rd cat nap in early evening). 

We used to have a guarentee that she'd pass out in the car no matter what, but she now often stays awake on the drive to or from Josie's and plays in the back seat. 

I have to say that working nights has made me appreciate bedtime SO much.  Ben will "face time" me each evening so I can say goodnight, which helps, but it's hard to beat bedtime with Molly.  She is so snuggly at night and it is some of our best bonding times.  I will admit that she does always cry when we put her down in her crib, but usually for only a few minutes.  She is no longer solely a back sleeper - we find her in all sorts of different positions throughout the night.  She will frequently roll from back to front and back again.  Ben and I do sneak in her room most nights just to peak in on her - the first time Ben found her on her stomach I think it scared him (you know all the "back to sleep" montra) - he immediately flipped her to her back.  I laughed so hard I almost woke her up, she didn't seem to mind one bit.  We also found her laying on her stomach with her butt in the air the other night.  So funny!  She also does her fair share of snorning (takes after her dad!)

This night she was especially exhausted from a day with her cousins and passed out during her bottle.  It was a Friday evening after a week of night-float so I took advantage of the extra cuddle time and just held her for almost an hour!  So refreshing after missing her all week long!

Shop till you drop!

TALK!
Molly has found her voice.  She loves to talk all the time - she says 'mama' and 'dada' (though more as sounds than acutal words).  Also La and Ba and spits and screams and even sweetly tried to sing back to me when I was singing to her the other night before bed.  She also does her fair share of laughing.  She has the sweetest laugh.

PLAY
Her favorite toys are currently the classics (Trudy the mouse and Sophie the giraffe), a play-school Dog from her Grandma Rita who dances and sings, her exersaucer from her Grandma Jodi, and pretty much anything she can bang around and make noise with.  She is starting to find it entertaining to drop toys on the ground and watch mama pick them up.  She loves to play with her hands.  Most of all, she loves tags.  She eats the tags on her toys and her play gym all the time.  She puts just about anything in her mouth - the other day she was playing with dada and totally just bit his nose and laughed.  She loves music and will flail her arms and legs in dance when a good toon comes on.  She is so interactive and will smile and laugh with you.  She also loves the cell phone and remote control.  Love play time with Molly.

The rest are just random pictures from my phone from her 6th month of life. 


This day we were hanging out with Janelle and Anthony and decided to go to the part on a cool sunny day.  I love the random outfit!  (More park pics to come)


Ready to go to the park!

This was a very cold Sunday morning in which dada slept in and I took Molly to brunch at Snooze with some girls from work.   She is so cute all bundled up and did a great job at bfast.

Snot face

Bath time with Dada

These next pictures were taken by Ben on a morning in which I met him at a Starbucks on the way to Josie and Zack's house on my way home from work so he didn't have to drive all the way there.  He fed Molly a bottle and took these pictures while waiting for me...

I love her big brown eyes!

This was a fun day at home as a family.  I love the Providence College t-shirt from our friends, Brian and Stephanie, who are both professors there.  I think she looks so cute in it!

I think this is her philosophing face



Play time with Emmy





The monkey on her exersaucer was so almost out of reach just a few weeks ago - this morning she was so proud of her self for finally reaching him that she would not let go.  She's grown so much in just a few weeks that now he basically sits on her head.  Oh my.



Drool everywhere - one of the many times this month Ben or I  have said "I'm sure she's getting a tooth!" - not yet!

Stretch

Bath time with her cousin, Smith

 

Everything goes in the mouth

I love these last few pictures.  We got this "Baby MD" outfit from Grandma Rita long before we even thought about having a baby!  Ben was looking all over for clean pjs that actually fit the other night and ran across this.  I love it. 

Trade you a burrito for a baby

For the past five weeks (only one more to go!), I have been on a night float rotation at Denver health (Sunday to Thursday nights from 6pm to 7:30am). It has left Ben doing all the bedtimes, baths, mornings getting out the door and middle of the night wake ups (yes even our wonderful sleeper has these from time to time). It's also forced us to find creative ways to make sure I still get to see her. This has involved a lot of help from our support system. Revae has come over a few times to watch Molly at home and my mom has spent the night many times as well to help Ben not have to commute and give him support in the evenings. We have also coordinated a pretty good system many days of the week in which Ben will meet me at work in the morning. I'll have Bfast (always coffee and often a Bfast burrito) for him in exchange for baby girl and her bag for the day. We often exchange cars too so she doesn't have to get out in the cold. I'll bring her back to work at 6 and meet Ben, who usually has dinner (often a chipotle burrito) for me. We trade cars again. He takes Molly home for dinner and bedtime, and I go to work. Hence, the "burrito for a baby" exchange :)

While the extra drive cuts into sleep time, it's been so nice to get to see baby girl some during the day. Not only so, but I get to see Josie too which is so refreshing always. Even though its not a lot of time, it's fun to get to catch up with her some. It's also so so nice to see how loved and happy Molly is every day at the Weingartners. I usually feed her bfast and put her down for her AM nap.  I then wake up once or twice during the day to pump. I have found her dancing with her cousins in one room, enjoying lunch in the kitchen, hanging out with her uncle, or playing outside with Josie and the kids. I love it!! She is so lucky to have such a great family to be part of during the day.  I also get to see a little bit of my wonderful niece and nephews, which is so enjoyable.  I sleep in Smith's room and he totally said "Jord" and "love you" to me for the first time last week.  I've been there when Zane lost his first tooth and have gotten to see Emmy love on Molly all the time.  Thank goodness for family!! 

Molly's first Christmas

Molly's first Christmas was a success for sure!  We had such a wonderful couple of days with family and friends. 

Our first Christmas celebration was on the 23rd at my dad's house  - we watched the Bronco's game and then enjoyed pizza and presents.  Molly is a big Bronco fan for sure, and as you can tell from the pictures, Ben is a big Molly fan.  I love these pictures of her with her dad. 

Opening presents from Grandpa Jack and Grandma Kris

Emerson helped open gifts

I love these next pictures of her with Emerson so much!   Emerson is so sweet and gentle and loving with Molly. 

Making Vanilla pies

We then stayed at my mom's house that night.  Grandma Jodi is always willing to feed Molly her bottles.  I absolutely love these next pictures of my mom feeding her and reading to her before bed by the Christmas tree.  I can also totally remember that Santa book from when I was a kid.

Ben making Green Chili for Christmas Eve the next day

On Christmas Eve, Ben had to work a half day of clinic that morning.  Phil and Heather came over to visit.  Molly loves them!!

Playing with Grandma Jodi and Grandpa Dave

Not a very convincing Grinch face, sweet girl!

Smith curling up with Anthony on Christmas Eve

On the evening of Christmas Eve, we went to Pueblo to visit Rita and Nick.  We had a huge mexican feast with Nick's family.  It was a really great night.  As you can see, Molly loves Grandma Rita!!

She was just starting to sit up on her own - she looks so big in these pictures

Unwrapping Christmas Presents from Grandma Rita and Nick

Sticking out our tongues together

She loves Nick!

Molly loved her Clarice doll from Grandma Fran

We came back to my mom's house on Christmas Eve and Ben put together her hair chair - Ed was very helpful in assisting.  It was very commical watching them go through the instruction manual after a beer or two.  Ben gave me such a hard time for insisting that we travel with this huge old high chair, but I couldn't make myself not have it set up on Christmas morning with a big bow.  (I suppose it was more for me than her! :))

Chirstmas Morning!!

I love how happy she wakes up - my sweet, sweet baby girl on her first Christmas Morning.  I am so in love with her. 

Zane opening his stocking

Molly opening her stocking

Molly opening her stocking

Trying out her new high chair from Santa

Zane got a spider man web sprayer thing - the web ended up all over the wall :)

She was as interested in the bow as she was any of her toys

Tiny as a peanut

Can you tell it's Christmas and I don't have to work? Catching up on some long overdue blogging.

So, baby girl is still just a tiny little thing! She was 6lb 7oz at birth, got down to 5lb 8oz and has been growing steadily since. The only thing is that she's not gaining weight as fast as we'd expect. She was 11lb 4oz when she had her 4 month well baby visit. That's the 2percentile for weight! At first it made us pretty worried because she'd fallen at little from her growth curve (previously 10th), but once our pediatric provider examined her and saw how strong she is, she was a lot less worried. She's still on her curve for height (10th) and head (50th!!), so that's a good thing. She's doing all the things a healthy happy 4 month old should do: rolling over both ways, starting to sit on her own with little support, sleeps great all night and is alert awake an happy during the day. It's odd because she's such a good eater! At her visit the pediatric provider commented that she eat as much as a six month old. She doesn't spit up or have reflux. I think she's just gonna be one of those girls with a great metabolism that makes all the other girls jealous when she's bigger but makes mom and dad a tiny bit anxious today :)
Fortunately, we have a trusted pediatrician in the family who helped us come up with a plan to fortify breast milk with calories to give her more calories. By her sweet kissable cheeks and shrinking pjs, I think it's working. We will weigh her again in a few weeks and see how we are doing.

In the meantime, I think Zane said it best the very first time he met her. She is, indeed, "little as a peanut!"

Mornings with Molly

Today is Christmas Eve and I'm sitting in a comfy chair in my moms room feeding my sweet girl and feeling blessed.

I absolutely love my morning time with sweet girl! She wakes up so happy (almost) everyday around 6 and will just sweetly curl up to me and eat. We hold hands or she sweetly plays with my pajama top and it just feels so wonderful. It's the absolute best way to start my day! It's especially nice because she is so distracted and wiggly for all the rest of her feeds throughout the day. Ben was feeding her a bottle at the mall 2 days ago while we shopped and waited to see Santa. She had to watch every single person walk by and it took like 40 minutes to eat one six ounce bottle and milk was all over her face and chest. She's so attentive and curious and wants to be exploring and moving all the time, making it hard to keep her focused on eating sometimes. That being said, she is such a good eater!! She has been eating five six ounce bottles per day since a little before 4 months of age. I have no idea how she stays so tiny. All I know for sure is I absolutely adore this sweet little girl and treasure these mornings together!