6 Months Old

I can't believe it has already been 6 months.  One one hand it's hard to imagine life without Hannah, and on the other hand it feels like just yesterday we were heading to the hospital wondering who our baby would be!  It has been a wonderful 6 months and she continues to bring such joy to our home!  At 6 months, Hannah weighs 18 lbs 3 oz and is 27 3/8 inches long.  She is in the 95% percentile for height and 90% for weight.  She is wearing 6-9 month clothes, but can now also wear 9-12 month things as well.  She can sit up on her own, but still falls over if she reaches a certain way.  She rolls over and has finally figured out that rolling can get her wear she wants to go!  She has also started trying to scoot on her tummy to get places....sometimes she is successful, sometimes she goes backwards, and sometimes she gives up and just rolls there!  She continues to be a great sleeper!!  We are so thankful for our awesome sleeper.  Hannah sleeps about 12 hours (sometimes 12.5) at night and takes 2-3 naps during the day.  Her naps tend to be anywhere from 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.  We've continued to add more foods to her diet.  And although she generally makes funny faces, the only thing she really doesn't like so far is black eyed peas and green beans.  I am really enjoying making her babyfood.  It is so easy and really inexpensive!!  She has also begun eating cheerios to help Matt and I get through meals.  She knew to eat them right away and has done great feeding herself.  Most of them end up in the highchair or on the floor, but it definitely keeps her occupied for a while!  She smiles and laughs a lot.  Matt usually gets her ready for bed (diaper/pajamas) and it is my favorite thing to stand outside the door and listen to her belly laugh at her daddy.  She talks all the time...sometimes it's more like screams, but they are definitely delightful!  She has also just started sticking her tongue out and blowing raspberries.  She does this mostly when she is mad, or doesn't want anymore baby food, but sometimes it is a happy thing.  It's pretty cute, but gets messy with the babyfood!  When we were at the doctor, she (the doctor) was looking inside Hannah's mouth and discovered a tooth!  I know it wasn't there the day before so it must have popped up in the middle of the night!  She doesn't show it off very much, but it is there and it is sharp!!!  No more gumming mommy's finger!!!

Baptism

Hannah was baptized today!  She wore the same dress that my sister, Catherine, and I wore when we were babies, and Catherine's little girl Molly Ryan wore!  What fun to be able to pass down the same baptismal gown.  Matt's parents were able to come in town for the baptism, and we were so glad they were there!  Although we have a church family and people we have come to cherish here in Indianapolis, having actual family there to celebrate special events is so wonderful!  We are so thankful that they drove to spend the weekend with us and to celebrate!  Grandma Margie gave Hannah a beautiful cross necklace that she wore for the day.  Luckily, Hannah never "discovered" it!!  She was such a good girl up in front of the church.  She smiled and cooed and kicked her legs in joy.  There were no cries at all, even with the water!  It was a very special day, and we pray that Hannah grows to know Jesus and that He gives us wisdom in raising her up in a home that knows Him and loves Him.

Thanksgiving

We returned from Atlanta and had a nice quiet 5 days at home before hitting the road again for Thanksgiving.  We went to St. Louis this year.  It was actually the first Thanksgiving Matt and I have spent with family since getting married!!  It was wonderful to be a part of a family Thanksgiving.  Hannah did great during the meal.  She had just woken up from a nap and happily sat in her highchair while everyone ate all of the yummy food!!  Hannah enjoyed seeing her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandma and grandpa!  While in St. Louis, we went to the zoo!  Hannah didn't seem to notice the animals much, but she sure had fun walking around while it was 65 and sunny!  I didn't get very many pictures, but here are a few!

Our little family on Thanksgiving Day

Hannah hanging out with Aunt Julie

Daddy and Hannah at the Zoo

Hannah with Grandma Margie at the Zoo

5 months

With each month, it is more and more unbelievable how fast time goes!  Baby development is absolutely amazing, and I am so thankful that God gave this little girl to me to watch her grow!  She is officially mobile....not crawling, but rolling everywhere!  Gone are the days that I can leave her for a minute or two on our bed while I dust or put clothes away!  Hannah is such a joy.  Watching her figure out how to really roll was so fun!  She kept trying to go from her tummy to her back, but one arm would keep her from getting all the way over.  Finally she figured out that she needs to tuck that arm under her before she tries to roll.  It is amazing to watch her little brain work, trying different things until something works!!  She squeals all the time!!  It is fun to hear her try different sounds.  So far the only babbling she does is mamama.  Other than that, she squeals and makes other noises.  We are working on dada!  She still sucks on her thumb, but loves all of her fingers, sometimes having most fingers of BOTH hands in her mouth at one time.  Hannah has the cutest little laugh.  Matt and I LOVE to make her laugh!  She likes peek-a-boo and loves to be tickled.  Sometimes she watches my hand coming in for a tickle with anticipation, laughing before I even touch her!  She has gotten much more comfortable on her tummy.  We had a few weeks where she would roll over at night, but could not get comfortable on her tummy so would wake up!  Now, we lay her down and she flips right over and sleeps all night.  This week she really got the hang of baby food!  She LOVES peas and avocados, and will eat sweet potato, squash. bananas, apples and pears.  She tries to grab the spoon and we all get really messy while she eats!  It is fun and pretty cute to see her open her mouth for the next bite!!  Nap time is going much better!!  Hannah really seems to have gotten the hang of it!  She still takes 3-4 naps a day, maybe one of them will be long, and then other just short catnaps, but she takes them all in her crib!  She sometimes doesn't fuss at all, but if she does fuss it's only for a minute or two.  I am so thankful that the process is easier and there isn't quite as much effort going into nap time.  Being a mommy is the best job in the world.  I am so proud of my daughter and so thankful that she is mine!  I didn't take a "5 Month" picture this time, not that I've been really good at that anyway, but she has definitely grown!!  Her 6-9 month clothes are fitting perfectly, but the length is starting to get a little snug!

Having fun with daddy before bedtime

Still having fun

Mommy I'm ready to go to sleep!!!

This was from a different night, but thought it fit well with the timeline.  Hannah had had a bit of a cold and fell asleep on Matt before bedtime, this NEVER happens anymore, so Matt was enjoying the sweetness.

Atlanta

It is so nice to be close enough to drive to Atlanta!!!  We hit the road early (3:30!) one Thursday morning and headed south!  It was Hannah's first trip to my parents house and she was able to add 2 more states to her list (making it 9!).  We left super early so that Hannah would hopefully sleep until we were past Nashville, and it worked!  She snoozed until Nashville and woke up just on the other side.  We stopped for breakfast for us, to feed and change Hannah, and fill up on gas.  Amazingly, this was our ONLY stop!!!  I had brought a bottle and fed Hannah in the carseat as we got onto 285 just about 30 minutes from my parent's house.  The trip could not have gone any better, and we were at my parents house by noon!

On Friday we went to see our good friends' Beth and Sy.  They were so sweet to have us in their home, and we got to try out their yummy red beans and rice that they had been cooking all day for their tailgate Saturday.  We also went to lunch with Chris, Jen and baby Phoebe.  Phoebe is about 6 weeks younger than Hannah, and just a hair bigger than Hannah was at birth!  She is a sweet, petite, and very happy baby!

On Saturday, Hannah got to spend the whole day with Grandma!  Matt and I headed to Athens, GA to watch the Bulldogs pounce on the Auburn Tigers.  It was so fun to be back in my college town after 3 years of being away!!!  We stopped by Beth's tailgate and that was a blast!!!  We also met up with Matt's boss for his tailgate and then went the game with him and his family.

Sunday was a VERY busy and fun day!  We started the day off with brunch with the Pratts!  They had not seen Hannah since she was 5 weeks old, so it was fun to show them all of her new skills!  She had a great time seeing her Aunt Lauri, Uncle Ron and many cousins again!!  Then, we headed back to my parents house where Hannah finally got meet Uncle Eric and Aunt Melissa!!!  Eric got married 1 day shy of 2 weeks before Hannah was born, and being a 9 hour drive away, we were not able to attend the wedding.  It was so fun to see them!!!  Also, the Goforth girls came into town and Hannah had a blast with Aunt Catherine, Abby, Caroline, and Molly Ryan.

We got to spend all day Monday with the Goforths and it was so fun!  The girls are so sweet with Hannah and just love her so much!  Caroline and I hung out in the car a little while Hannah was sleeping before going into a restaurant for lunch, and she told me that she thought I would like some company.  She also told me that she wanted to do what I used to do when she grows up, "tell kids about their surgeries."  I just love being an aunt!!!  I had no idea she even knew what I used to do!

On Tuesday, I got together with Amy and Ellery.  Amy was a good friend from Boston who moved to Atlanta back in August and I used to watch Ellery when she was about Hannah's age.  It was so fun to see them in my hometown!!!  Ellery is super cute and sweet, I can't believe she's 2!!!

On Wednesday morning, Hannah and i went to see my childhood friend Beth and her sweet little boy Rylan.  When Rylan was born, he couldn't breath on his own, and the doctors have been unable to find the cause.  He is about 6 weeks older than Hannah, and had to have a tracheotomy and is on a ventilator.  He is just the sweetest little thing!!  Beth and her family are so strong.  I can't imagine what they have gone through and will continue to deal with.  It was so wonderful to see her and have the privilege of meeting such a sweet, strong little boy!  Since seeing him, he learned to sit up!!!  This is a huge accomplishment for him to hit this developmental milestone on time!!!  We are so thankful for the ways he continues to grow and learn new things!!  Then on Wednesday afternoon, we went to see my one of my best friend's from college, Kristen!  I hadn't seen her since her wedding back in March, and I loved to be able to catch up face to face and have her meet Hannah!

On Thursday my mom and I drove up to my parent's lake house that they are renovating.  It was my Grandmother's house and it was so neat to see all of the changes they have made.  It is not finished, but it looks awesome so far!  I'm excited that Hannah will get to build memories in the same house I built such great memories as a child!!  Then we went to the RUM (Reformed University Ministries) office to pick up one of my other good friend's Emily to take her lunch.  I also hadn't seen Emily since March when she through me a shower at her house.  I love introducing Hannah to my friends and seeing them love on my daughter!  We had a lovely time at lunch and went into the office to see a few more people (another Emily, and just happened to see a lady who goes to my parent's church!).

It was a busy week, but we had some good downtime in the evenings with my mom and dad.  While there, Hannah really figured out how to roll around!  She had been rolling over for a while, but wouldn't really move much.  She had such fun in the evenings rolling around my parent's floor!  And we had fun watching her!!  She was really funny!! Hannah and I drove back Friday, leaving at 4am.  We made a few stops and got home about 2pm just in time for Daddy to get home at 3!  It was such a wonderful week with family and friends!!

Enjoy all the pictures!!

Hannah with Beth

Phoebe not so sure about Hannah's interest in her

This is the best "family" picture we have atleast of Matt and I :)

My dad and I before the game

Uncle Eric!!

Hannah with Caroline

Hannah with Abby

Molly Ryan and Hannah

We didn't get one of Aunt Melissa with Hannah, so here she is reading to Abby and Caroline

Hannah with Amy and Ellery

Kristen and Hannah

Emily and Hannah

4 months!

Hannah is now about 4.5 months old and she's still the light of our lives!  She is so social and active.  She seems to have a very inquisitive nature and is busy looking around all the time!  Because of this, we definitely do NOT have a snuggler!  The rare moment that she is laying into my shoulder if she's a little sleepy is so precious.  She has the most precious laugh!  She loves it when I make new sounds and clap or snap my fingers.  She also seems to really get a kick out of the Itsy Bitsy Spider.  This month, she has really gotten interested in toys.  Hannah's two favorites are both elephants!  One is a small, silky blanket with an elephant head and the other is an elephant holding a teething ring.  She especially likes to suck on their noses if she can find them!  She is rolling over back to front like a champ.  It's easier for her to go to her right, but I've seen her roll left a few times.  She still doesn't like to go from her front to back very much, though she is capable!  A few weeks ago Hannah started trying out baby food!  She is not so sure about it and spits everything out, but we've been told that you just keep letting them taste it and one day they like it!  We decided to start this because she holds her head up very well (which is one sign of readiness) and she has been much hungrier throughout the day and has begun to wake again at night to eat.  Our doctor said that all of this is very common for 4 month old breastfed babies, and especially for a baby of Hannah's size, it might be time for her to learn to eat!  I'm trying not to stress about the fact that she doesn't actually eat any of the food offered, but it's hard when I think about the potential for her to sleep all night again!  Hannah has gotten better at being in the car, but I also have started timing trips when I know she's a little bit sleepy.  That makes things much more pleasant for the both of us!  She really gets up on her knees, and looks like she wants to go!  Fortunately she hasn't figured out how yet, but I'm afraid it won't be long before I need baby gates!  She is in size 3 diapers and is officially in 6-9 month clothes.  At her 4 month check up she weighed 16 lbs 7 oz and was 26.25 inches long.  I've been keeping track of her percentile chart at home, and until now she has been slightly above the 95% on weight and just at or slightly under the 95% for height.  This month, she is sitting right on the 95% for weight and has shot up above for height!  It's interesting to look at her growth chart form, but we definitely don't have to worry about her health!!

Since I last wrote we went for a weekend trip to St. Louis so Matt could go to the Mizzou football game, and of course so we could see family.  We had a wonderful time!  I had the opportunity to spend the day with Matt's mom.  We had a nice lunch and walked around a really cute consignment store.  It was a bit overwhelming but I did find a few good buys!  Hannah and I also had another visit to the pumpkin patch earlier in the week.  I am involved in a MOPS (Mother of Pre- Schoolers) group through our church, and we went on an outing the pumpkin patch.  I rode with my friend Rachel and her son Jay.

Hannah was a tiger for Halloween.  It's the same outfit that all of my nieces have worn on their first Halloween's, so that was fun to keep up that tradition!   The costume was VERY hot, so Hannah really only wore it so we could snap a few pictures!  We seem to do that a lot!!

Enjoy the pictures!!!

I'm 4 months old!!

Not so sure about this rice cereal stuff!

Hanging out with my friend Jay

Cute little bloomers!

Scarecrow Hannah 

I'm 2 feet tall!!

Chillin at the pumpkin patch with Jay

BOOOO, scary tiger!!

Grandma and Grandaddy come to visit!

We had an awesome visit with the Branen grandparents this past weekend.  They flew in on Saturday and left Tuesday evening.  Hannah loved hanging out with her grandparents.  That first day, she just stared and stared at them!  I always love having my mom and dad around, and it was so wonderful for me to spend time with my parents!  We spent most of the day Saturday watching sports and just hanging out.  Hannah showed off her skills of rolling over!  On Sunday we went to church and then up to a Pumpkin Patch!  It was the first time I had ever seen actual pumpkins growing, and Grandaddy found the PERFECT pumpkin!!  It was a pretty sunny day and we never really could get Hannah to smile at the camera, but atleast she wasn't crying!!  We picked some apples too!

Daddy helping Hannah reach some apples!

Not sure what I think about the pumpkin patch

Just chewing on my fingers

Our awesome pumpkin!!

Monday was Grandaddy's birthday, so we took him to dinner at the Weber Grill.  It is an awesome restaurant that cooks your food on actual weber charcoal grills!!  We all enjoyed awesome steaks!!  During the day we explored Indy a little bit by eating lunch at City Market and strolling along the canal.  Hannah was a bit fussy on Tuesday before they left, but we still had a good time out to lunch!

Hannah with Grandma and Grandaddy!

A cute one of Hannah and Grandaddy.  We actually got a smile!

Just hanging out on the trunk of a Wooly Mammoth

Hannah up on the tusks!

Feet

Look who found her feet!!!

I love using my cousin's play mat!  Thanks Goforths!

I also LOVE chewing on my hands! 

Here I am around my 3 month birthday, the shirt is a little big, but I'm close to being able to wear 6-9 month clothes!

Here I am with a BIG smile on my face.  It must be the awesome sweatsuit from Josh and Jenny and the super cool sneakers from John, Ali, and Mackenzie!

Each new development is so fun to watch!!!  Anytime Hannah is laying down, she grabs her feet.  It is super cute....as you can see!  She still doesn't regularly roll over, and still doesn't nap very well.....but there have been some better days of napping than last time I wrote.  Also, I never wrote about her 3 month stats!  At 3 months Hannah was 25" long and weighed 15lbs 12oz.  She has gained exactly 6 lbs since birth!!  Her 4 month check is coming in just a couple weeks so stay tuned!!