ALV-7 months old!

Andi Leigh is 7 months old! I simply can't believe it!

Even though she is still tiny, she is quite the growing girl! At her last appointment at 6.5 months, she was 14lbs 13ozs and into the 10th percentile! The pediatrician attributes the sudden jump in percentile to the introduction of solid foods...which she seems to LOVE! There isn't anything that she won't eat, but there are definitely things that she prefers! She absolutely loves any fruit, of course! And, she seems to love any veggie except peas, although she will eat them! Andi is still wearing 3-6 month clothes, but I did move her up to size 3 diapers last week!

We have officially made the switch to all formula, except she still gets some of the breastmilk that is left over each day. This was a hard decision for me to make, but I was getting really low on my supply and it was a constant stresser on me and it really wasn't worth the daily heartache/crying. I just hate what hormones can do to your body...sad :-( So, at about 6.5 months, I finally stopped all together. I am getting to a better place about it, but I really wasn't ready to stop, even though my body apparently was. The good news is that Andi doesn't seem to notice a difference and seems just as happy. It helps that she started sleeping through the night right before I stopped nursing. That way, she isn't looking to nurse in the middle of the night anymore. Yep, that's right, she started sleeping through the night right after she turned 6 months! So wonderful! There are still moments when she wakes up for various reasons, but generally goes right back to sleep!

Andi also started sitting up unassisted...FINALLY...at 6.5 months old! She was late on that one for sure, but I am perfectly fine with it...the slower she does all of the milestones, the longer she might stay a baby ;-)

Her 2 bottom teeth are starting to come in, which is almost 2 months later than her big brother! I really keep thinking they are going to pop through any day now! They don't seem to be bothering her too much, which is awesome and very much like Owen was! With him, we never knew he was getting teeth, they just all of a sudden popped through. They never seemed to be an issue for him at all! Let's hope Andi will be the same way!

Our sweet girl continues to be such a happy, sweet, precious blessing for us! She is always so smily and is such a great baby!

ALV-6 months old

Andi Leigh is 6 months old today!! It is so hard to believe she is already half of a year old! And, on her 6 month birthday, she is experiencing her first snow! Yes, I said it, SNOW on October 29th! Yikes! Also, her G-Ma is here to visit, which she has thoroughly enjoyed!

At Andi's last appointment, 2 weeks ago, she was 12 lbs 8 ozs and 24.25 inches long! She is back in the 5th percentile for weight (after dropping to around the 4th at 4.5 months) and around the 12th percentile for length! She is completely in her crib now, naps and bedtime. It took a few days of Mommy just biting the bullet and putting her in the crib for naptime for her to get the hang of it! She was already taking her morning nap there, but I had been very reluctant to take her out of the swing for her afternoon nap because she did so well there! Let's face it, that 2-3 hour break is nice each day and I was really nervous to give that up, especially since that is my only real time to work! But, now, she is consistently napping 2-2.5 hours in the afternoon in her crib, just like she did in the swing, so the transition was a success! She is sleeping pretty good at night, most nights! She has learned to find her paci on her own, which has been really nice. Although, I will say there are still some times when I have to go give it to her. She usually goes down around 8:30-9pm...sometimes she needs her paci once or twice through the night, but that isn't every night...and wakes up sometime between 5:30-6:30am to nurse and then sleeps until 8-8:30am. She has had some random "off" nights where I feel like she is up every hour needing the paci, or a snuggle, or to be rocked/held. I can't say I know what those nights are all about, but luckily it is not often.

Andi is now getting mostly formula in her bottles, with a little bit of breastmilk mixed in. She is still nursing once a day, when she wakes up in the early morning. I don't know how much longer I will continue to pump because honestly, I can't stand that thing. But, for now, the process seems to be working and I want to keep being able to nurse her, so I need to keep up the pumping as long as I can take it!

"A" has finally started rolling back to belly! She did that for the first time on October 16th! She is going to be sitting by herself really soon! She is really close, but she just needs to figure out how to get balanced and she will get it!!

Anderson got cereal for the first time this morning and she did great! She actually seemed to take it in and there really wasn't a mess at all! I couldn't believe how well she did with the spoon for the first time ever! I will upload a video soon! I think she likes it, so we will see over the next few days how it effects her system and then soon, we will introduce veggies and fruits! I don't think we are going to have an issue with food for her...she seems to be quite the little piggy!!

As you can see, I have started kind of calling her "Andi". I still have a hard time with it, but I can write it/type it now, so it is a step! Randy calls her "Andi" on a consistent basis and most of the time, I still call her/refer to her as "Anderson", but I am starting to put "Andi" or "Andi Leigh" in writing! It is just hard for me because it is my brother's name, but I do think it is cute and I do love when other people call her that!

We are still enjoying every minute with our sweet girl! She is seriously such a happy baby and such a joy to have in our lives! If only I could slow down time just a bit...

Best sound in the world...

ALV-5 months old

Anderson is now 5 months old! She is such a happy and pleasant baby. We can always figure out what she needs when she cries...she is very easy to read and pretty much follows a good schedule, which makes it easy to know why she may be crying.

She was 11 lbs 15 ozs at her last doctor's appointment which was for a sick visit. We returned from our trip to NC with 2 sick babies (more on that in another post), so we made a trip to the doctor just in time to have her weighed right at the time she turned 5 months. She is wearing size 2 diapers and is still in 0-3 months clothes.

We have started supplementing Anderson a little bit of formula with each daytime feeding. She began to show signs of disinterest in nursing and my supply also took a dip for hormonal reasons. So, after her 4 month check up, which we did at 4.5 months, I made the decision to make a change. The doctor wasn't concerned at all about her weight, but when I saw that she hadn't gained as much as I thought she should, I started to worry. So, supplementing seemed to be the right answer. I got a little sad about it after trying it for a few days and tried to go back to only nursing, but I was still really stressed out and nervous about her intake, so we made the final decision over vacation to start supplementing. She is getting bottles of mostly breast milk with a little formula mixed in during the day and I nurse her in the middle of the night and in the morning when she wakes up. It seems to be working well, so we will stick with it for now!

Anderson is still not back to sleeping through the night (which she did most nights from about 5-12 weeks old), but her nights have gotten better and better. She is not waking up randomly anymore, only to eat, and then goes back to sleep. She is also now in her crib versus her rock n play, which she slept in since birth and when we finished her room, we left her in it to try to make the transition smoother. She has done really well in her crib, much to the surprise of me. I was sure it was going to be rough moving her there. But, she has been so good!

She is smiling, cooing, and talking all the time now and she is even giggling from time to time. She hasn't started full out belly laughing yet, but she sure is a happy little one! She has almost started rolling from back to belly, but isn't quite there yet. She rolls over from belly to back almost instantly when we place her on her belly...i.e. she never really gets much tummy time!

Anderson continues to bring so much joy to our lives and we grow so much more in love with her with each passing day!

A few more done

I have done a few more posts...one of random July pictures at the end of July and one of A rolling over in August...

Our little talker

This is a video from back in July at the lake. It is kind of long, but I love all of the talking that A is doing and I didn't want to cut any of it out. Enjoy!

Still getting caught up...

I have finished 2.5 more posts! I added one at the end of June (just pictures), added some pictures to the post on Owen's birthday, and also did the 4th of July post! I am slowly but surely getting all caught up...its about time, right?!

Still missing him...

Just found this picture and had to share. This was just a week before our Buddy passed...

Another one done...

I am on a roll! I have finished another post that is long overdue! The post for Randy's birthday party has been added! Again, you will have to go back to June to see it so that I keep things in sequential order ;)

1st Day of Preschool

Today, my baby boy started preschool! I am sad because he is growing up so quickly and I am going to miss him every day when he is at school, but I am so very excited for him and his new adventure! For today, the parents stayed to get to know the classroom and the teachers, but tomorrow is his official first day all by himself! Owen is very excited and so ready for what is to come! We are very proud of you sweet boy! We hope you have an amazing first year of preschool! We love you!





Passed out on Mommy during the students' snack time! She was pooped from all of the preschool excitement!

One down...

a bunch to go!!!

I finally got around to doing the post from our trip in June to NC! Way late, but better late than never! I have lots of posts to go to get caught up, but for now, go to June 15th and check out the post of our trip!

Rolling over

This is the day that I first saw Anderson roll over (the first time she actually did it was with Grammy the day before). Sorry about the spit up in the video...I guess that is just part of it, right?

Random August pictures

A few random pictures from August...

Anderson in an old fashioned Pram at the Lake...this was purchased in an antique store for the neighbor's grandbabies that were soon to arrive

The hottest day of the whole summer at the Lake...and it was the day before Labor Day, which is usually one of the coolest days of the summer there! It was crazy hot! But, the kids found a way to nap regardless of the heat!!

Look who found her thumb...thank goodness this hasn't turned into a habit!

He sure does love his baby sister!

My sleepy boy

Mr. Joe Cool

Me with my baby girl

Owen found a grass hopper that quickly became his friend and he was devastated that he had to leave it at the Lake when we left! He named him "Hopper" ;-)

Singing with Nana

Happy 5th Birthday Drew!!

Hanging out with Auntie Mar and Uncle D

In Daddy's arms

ALV-4 months old!

Anderson is 4 months old today! I keep saying that I can't believe the summer is almost over and it is crazy to me that our sweet baby girl has been with us the entire summer. How is that possible? An entire season (and part of another-Spring) with her here! Time is sure flying!

Even though she is growing and changing so much, our little one is still quite a peanut! She was 10lbs 11ozs at her weight check right before she turned 4 months old, which meant she was only in the 5th percentile! I was just curious how much she weighed right at the 4 month mark, since her well visit isn't until the 15th. There is no concern since she is growing right on the same curve she has been. She is just really tiny! She is still wearing 0-3 month clothes and I just moved her to size 2 diapers last week.

Anderson is all smiles and coos lately! All we really have to do is look at her and she starts smiling! Of course, Owen still gets the most smiles, but a close second is her Daddy! She has him wrapped right around her little finger and he LOVES it!

She has started rolling over, belly to back, now! I thought that Owen and I had witnessed the first time on August 16th and I got so excited! I was sitting on the floor in our bedroom and laid her on her belly beside me and over she went! Owen ran to get my camera and I video taped it (to be posted soon). She kept doing it over and over! Come to find out, she had actually done it for Grammy the day before!

I keep waiting for the belly laugh to happen, but she doesn't really seem close to that yet. She just does a lot of cooing and "talking", but not really any laughing and certainly not belly laughing! I can't wait for that to come...baby laughs are the BEST!!

Sleeping isn't the best trait of A's right now! She was a great sleeper from the time she came home, usually only waking once a night. And, at around 5 weeks old, she slept through the night and did so most nights until around 12 weeks old. That is when her sleep pattern seemed to change and she started waking up every night, sometimes several times each night, but still only wanting to nurse once. When we moved her to her room, she kept the same pattern and was still sleeping in the rock-n-play (sort of a sloped bassinet). When I moved her to the crib, things got really bad and she was up what seemed to be all night. So, now, depending on the night, I try to start her in the crib and if needed, I move her to the rock-n-play, but there are some nights when I don't even try the crib because I just want to sleep! We will get there! I told Randy last night that she can't sleep in that thing until she is 18, so she will eventually figure it out!

We are definitely enjoying every moment with Anderson and trying to take it all in because we know just how quickly time flies and we know we will soon turn around and she will be 4 years old just like her big brother!

Waaaaay behind!!!!!

So, as it turns out, having 2 kids can get kind of crazy! Especially when working from home. It was muuuuuuch easier to go back to work after Owen...I think because I was able to actually leave work at work. Now, my work is at home. Finding the time to accomplish my work has been quite tricky lately and the juggling act of taking care of the kids and managing everything is slightly different than I had anticipated.

Needless to say, blogging has not been a high priority of mine. I have to admit, that makes me sad. Blogging and documenting all of the fun moments in our lives was something I really enjoyed doing, but I just can't find the time to fit it in here recently.

Some things I still need to catch up on: our trip to NC in June, Randy's birthday party, the 4th of July, Owen's birthday party, and perhaps some other odds and ends scattered in between! But, all of those will have to wait until a later date! I may end up back dating them for whenever I decide to have a blog book printed, so that everything is in sequential order. I'll get to it one day...

A's 3 month pictures

As usual, Aunt Steph (Stephanie's Creative Photography) has outdone herself! While Anderson and I were visiting in NC, we made a trip to Steph's studio to have her 3 month pictures made! Of course, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them!!! Click HERE, the password is 'voelp11'

Anderson's Nursery

Well, we finally got Anderson's room all finished! We moved all of the guest furniture out 2 weeks ago and got the paint touched up, light changed, and furniture where we wanted it. We waited to do all of that until after Owen's birthday party so that my parents would still have a room to sleep in. From now on, we will have to get creative with our guests when they come to visit ;) The last piece we were waiting on to have the room all done was her wall quote, which arrived on Monday and we absolutely love!! The bedding and window valance, and Anderson's gown, were all hand crafted by Aunt Amy (Miamy Clothing and Accessories) and the pictures in the room were taken by Aunt Steph (Stephanie's Creative Photography). Also, the chocolate bear with the pink bow and wall hanging with A's name were made by Randy's Aunt Judy! Anderson has so many special touches in her room that we will always cherish. We are so happy with the way the room turned out...it was definitely worth the (3 month) wait!!

The first picture is of the entry into her room and the rest are self-explanatory...

ALV-3 months old

Our baby girl is already 3 months old! I can't believe it. I feel like I should still be pregnant with her and already 3 months have gone by. I am sure I will always feel this way...I think that is just the nature of having children!

Anderson is probably weighing around 10 pounds now and is wearing 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers. Her size seems to surprise just about everyone she meets. She is only in the 5th percentile, but the doctors are not concerned at all about her weight gain because it has been steady. I seem to get asked on a daily basis, "How old is she?" And, when I tell them, the response is typically the same, "Oh my, she is so tiny!" or "Wow, was she a premie?" Well, yes, I know she is tiny...she was tiny when she was born and it is expected...and no, she was not a premie ;) The reactions we get from other people crack me up sometimes!

We are getting the cutest smiles and coos out of Anderson these days! She seems to be happiest in the morning and in the late evening, after a period of slight fussiness. I am loving all of the precious sounds and "talking" she is doing. I expect that she will be letting out belly laughs any day now!! She has been sleeping great lately, sometimes all the way through the night for close to 10 hours! That doesn't always happen, but it certainly is a wonderful treat when it does. We finally got her nursery done (pics coming soon) and we will be moving her in there this week! I can't decide exactly how I feel about that!

She went on her 1st airplane ride this past weekend when she and I flew to NC for Aunt Mindy's baby shower! She did great and was such a good baby for me on our entire trip! She even got to go to the hospital with me and hang out with Uncle Will for a little while so that I could go back and meet her TWO boyfriends, Kip and Cole Cooper!

These 3 months have been wonderful and we are loving having our sweet girl around! She is such a joy!

July randoms

These are just some random pictures from July worth sharing. The first one is of Anderson in her papoose from G-Ma...but, she just really didn't want her arms down in it. I thought it was so funny, so I snapped a picture! The one of Owen in the pool is actually just to show his masterpiece. He took our ladder ball game apart and put them together attached to the water hose so that the water came out in all different directions. We thought it was pretty innovative and he had the BEST time doing it! The lasr ones are from a Pittsburgh Pirates game that we went to in early July with a group from our church.

COUSINS

Over the 4th, we were able to get all of the kids to sit together and get a group photo...this was totally unstaged and spur of the moment, but we were able to get a pretty good shot of all 7 Voelp grandkids!! Love this crew!