8 months!

I realize it's been months since the last "monthly update" and I apologize. Just when it seems there is time for an update and pictures another month sneaks up on me! And holy cow she is 8 months old!

Stats: Reese is about 21 pounds, and boy do my arms feel it! She's got the most delicious chunky thighs, belly, arms, cheeks (and even knees too!) Her feet are still very small, when she does wear shoes they are 3-6 month size, sometimes smaller! She is growing taller but it's hard to get her still enough to get an accurate height. I think she'll eventually be on the taller side!

Teeth: Last month her two top teeth popped through and they are still making their way down. This brings her total tooth count to 4! I think there are a few more top ones waiting to pop in the next couple weeks though!

Feeding: Reese is definitely a "foodie" and will eat just about anything put in front of her. She still loves a good "baba" and has between 5-7 oz of milk every 3 hours, but she can't get enough "real" food. She loves purees, (applesauce, apricots, pears, mangoes, squash, carrots), will always sit in the highchair for some fruit "puffs" and has even tried multiple things straight from our plates (noodles, avocado, turkey, raisins, toast, eggs, yogurt, etc). Her favorite still seems to be banana though. She will devour almost a whole banana in one sitting if you let her, and her favorite way to eat them is in the little food nets, where she can just suck them down, and make a very large mess! I've started bringing "snacks" with us on outings and she's getting better at behaving at restaurants.

Sleeping: Some days it seems we have made some progress in the sleep department and just when we get used to one thing it quickly changes! Such is life with children I suppose. Lately Reese has been napping twice a day for anywhere between 30 min to 2 hours. She still goes to bed between 7 and 7:30 but her new wake up time is about 6:30 (groan) with a feeding between 2am and 4am. Most nights she'll wake up around midnight but sometimes will put herself back to sleep! I think our bodies have adjusted to the lack of sleep, because it just feels normal now. I do love to sleep in any chance I get though! (Thanks, T!)

Talking: There haven't been too many new "words" added to Reese's vocabulary lately but she is very vocal! She has been experimenting with pitch and volume and you can definitely tell her emotions through her noises. We still hear "dada" the most with variations of ahhs, baahs, grunts, and giggles. Baby giggles are truly the best!

Activity: This category has probably seen the most change in the last few months! Reese is constantly moving! Although she is still not crawling she gets around a room pretty easily by scooting or rolling. I can just tell that crawling is right around the corner, she does the crawling position great, just hasn't moved her feet and hands together yet! Reese just learned clapping a few weeks ago and it has quickly become her favorite thing to do! She gets so proud of herself and giggles joyously when she claps! She is also just starting to wave, its adorable to see her little brain working and then her hand start moving! She's obviously a genius! (hehe) She has started a shy phase and will play coy with people when she first sees them, burying her head into mama or dada's shoulder, or cocking her head to the side in a shy manner. She still loves tickles, playing peek-a-boo and "mama's gonna get you" and will spend hours emptying her toy box. She is at a very fun stage and seems to get a little more confident with her actions daily. She loves crawling up on you and pulling up on things too!

I can't believe my little baby is already 8 months old! Time to start planning a first Birthday party soon! Here are some pictures of our little monster!

{At the park with Mom, Dad, and the dogs}

{Miss Personality}

{Family hike}

{Demonstrating clapping!}

{Enjoying the nice weather!}

{Attempting an official 8 month photo shoot...}

He is Risen!

We had a great day yesterday celebrating the true meaning of Easter and we hope you did too! Both sides of our family came over for a yummy dinner, egg dying, easter baskets, and hide and seek tag in the backyard! It was an amazing first easter for Reese who got completely spoiled! Here are some pictures from our day!

{Easter basket cupcakes!}

{Devin and Ethan}

{The egg artists hard at work!}

{Reese opening her basket}

{Our family at church}

Sick baby. And some new pictures.

Reese has been teething the last week and a half and with it came a nasty cold/cough/flu bug. Wednesday and Thursday of last week were the worst days by far, Reese just looked miserable. Her nose was constantly running, she threw up a couple times, she even had bags under her eyes. It was so hard to see my baby like that. Thankfully the rain has stopped, the sun has come out and Reese has started to feel a little better. We even got some outside time today, which is a nice change! Here are some pictures of the last couple weeks!

{The beginning of the cold...}

{Playing "beauty-shop" with Da-da}

{Not feeling so hot, but playing nonetheless}

{All clean after bath!}

{Intrigued by the Elephant}

{Waking up after nap...Bedhead!}

{Enjoying the outside and eating some banana!}

{Helping Mommy with the laundry}

2 years!

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the day we moved into our first house. I remember the weekend we moved in so well, I was working and Tyler was doing all the moving! It worked out pretty well for me, except I was left with all the unpacking. So far it's been a great experience owning our own home. We've had some minor disasters here and there {honeybee invasion, washing machine breaking, A/C breaking while pregnant in the middle of summer, etc} but overall its an awesome feeling knowing this is our home and the place we will raise our kids. We love our neighbors, our neighborhood and the proximity to the grocery store, schools, and walking trails. We are still working on customizing it to our liking, we still have hand-me-down furniture, same paint colors, etc. but it makes me excited for the possibilities for the future. Our latest project is some landscaping in the front yard. I'll have to update in a few weeks with before and after pictures. Here are a few from when we moved in 2 years ago!

{Our house}

{Boxes in the dining room}

{Dogs in the backyard}

Pure joy!

Our baby girl is growing right before our eyes. It seems like everyday she is more and more active and we are crossing milestones off the list left and right. Last week she added sitting up to her list of "can do's." She is so ridiculously adorable and I am so lucky to have such a sweet girl.

I just can't get enough of those rosy cheeks!

happy valentine's day

xoxo, reese

Reese Update... 5 months old!

Reese is now almost 5 and a half months old! It seems like the days and weeks are going by faster and faster and I find myself reminiscing about the days when she was just a "baby"... I realize she is still a baby but she is definitely growing a little personality and doesn't just eat, sleep, and stay still any more.

Stats: We haven't been to the pediatrician in a few months but on our scale at home Reese weighs between 15-16 pounds. She is pretty long and lean with the exception of delicious chunky thighs and cheeks! Gosh I love those cheeks.

Teeth: She still only has her two bottom teeth which she's had now for about 2 months. They are getting bigger and she sure knows how to use them! So far no signs of any others coming in but the girl does drool through multiple outfits and bibs per day.

Feeding: Reese was a wonderfully solely breast-fed babe up until my return to work in early December. She still gets the bulk of what she eats straight from the source, but we've begun supplementing with formula as my supply dropped shortly after going back to those long 12 hour shifts. She also enjoys the instant pleasure of a bottle oh so much more than the work it takes to breast feed. About a month ago we introduced rice cereal but its a little hit and miss. Some days she eats it, some days it comes right back out! Last weekend I whipped up a batch of homemade squash and she wasn't too impressed. Hopefully we'll try again in the next few days and get a better result.

Sleeping: Ever since the teething back at 3 months Reese and sleep have not gone hand in hand much to our dismay... Starting on January 1st I got brave and moved Reese down to her own room and in her crib. We've had a few difficult nights since then but overall I think she sleeps about average for babes her age. She's asleep by 8:30 every night and is up for a feeding at about 2 and 5 each morning then up for good about 7:30. She takes between 2-3 30 minute naps a day which is barely enough time for me to start some laundry, do the dishes, and get dressed, but we make it work.

Talking: Reese has always been a very vocal little girl. She loves to "squawk" and tell stories constantly. Her newest "words" are "da" "ba" "ah" and lots of high pitched shrieks. She's a sweet little laugher and gets herself all worked up when she's in a talking mood.

Activity: Back in December Reese began rolling from her tummy to her back and just in the last week and half she's started going from tummy to back. This has changed everything! She is now mobile enough to roll across the room and reach toys, dogs, or get closer to mama! The days of leaving her on the bed to run to the bathroom are over! She also has discovered her feet and just how good they taste. She loves rolling back and forth with her feet and toes in her mouth. She loves her jumperoo toy she got for Christmas and gets very into bouncing and playing with the little toys attached to it. She can sit up unassisted for a few seconds at a time but loses her balance and topples over easily. Reese has become very aware of her surroundings now. She watches every bite we eat and drink we drink and even reaches for our silverware if she is close enough. She loves blowing raspberries and mimicking our behavior. Recently she has started to shake her head back and forth like she's saying "no no" and she loves loves loves to be tickled!

Hair: What would a Reese update be without adding in the hair?! :) Reese's little trademark! Her hair has grown a lot in the past few months which has helped to calm it down a little. It still sticks up a lot especially the top and the back but we see less mohawk now and more peacock! It has definitely thinned out a lot keeping us guessing as to whether it really will all fall out like so many people have told us it would. It definitely adds to her personality though!

We can't believe our little girl is getting so big so fast!