7 Months Old!

I'm a little late, but Collins turned 7 months old on the 25th. Crazy! And, boy is she changing and growing. This month has been so fun... lots of firsts. Collins was still trying some new foods, and her faces are crazy sometimes :)She loves some strawberries, cheerios and mum-mum's! We are working more on some "big girl foods" that she can luck up with her fingers rather than being fed with the spoon. We celebrated a Valentine's Day and a Super Bowl (Broncos vs Seahawks- Seahawks won!) We had a "real" snow (that actually covered the ground-- not much though, ha!) But, we got a super cute pic of our sweet girl in the snow! We had a few play dates, dinner dates and another birthday party with our sweet friend, Cooper. He is exactly 6 months older than Collins. My good friend, Kelly, had her little baby boy, Reece and we got to all go visit and meet him! Collins started sitting up in the grocery cart and high chair more this month. She is finally sitting up on her own... she finally figured that out right at the end of this month. She is making movements like she wants to crawl- she gets on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth, but then just kind of falls on her tummy :) We know it won't be long, so we are soaking up this time now! She also sat up in her big girl stroller as we got to stroll around some with a few nice days of weather. We are eagerly awaiting spring! For more reason than one... We had a battle this past month with a nasty ear infection :( First real sickness. We were thankful that she made it this far without getting sick so far. It took us 3 doctor visits to finally diagnose the infection. We started out with high fevers, snotty nose and a bad, yucky cough. The first 2 times we went, we were told upper respiratory infection and viral infection. Poor baby had to get a finger prick and a flu swab in her nose. Luckily, those were all good... hence, the viral part. Finally, on the third visit, we had full ears. Thankfully! Not happy to have had an infection, but glad to finally get some treatment. We started her quickly on an antibiotic, which she had a reaction to and we had to start her on something new, which worked! After a couple of weeks, I was cleared and finally doing better! We are excited about this next month... it's getting more fun as time goes by. But boy, is it going fast....! :(

Collins and Greer man playing together

Collins and Clarke at the cafe eating dinner 

Happy Birthday Coop! 

 

First time sitting up in the grocery cart

First Snow! 

Super Bowl

Happy Valentine's Day! 

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First time riding in the stroller like a big gitl :) 

Visiting Baby Reece 

Trying some peaches... not a huge fan! :) 

Figured out how to sit up! 

Bows are beginning to become kind of a lost cause... 

Silly girl! Happy 7 Months! 

Happy half birthday!!!

It's hard to believe that as each month passes I say the same thing... I can't believe another month has passed! This month, I'm saying- wow, my baby is half a year old already! It's crazy to think 6 months ago that my life would change the way it has! But I do know, I wouldn't trade any of it! Collins has been the best thing to happen to us! As each month passes, I fall more and more in love with my angel child everyday. 

We have celebrated her first New Years this month. Of course her nor mommy made it to midnight (mommy had to work though). She had her first birthday party this month with her sweet friend, Maggie Scott. We celebrated with pancakes and PJ's ;) We also celebrated Eric's new position at the PD. He got promoted to detective this month and we got to be a part of his promotion ceremony. Our church had a special day of baby dedication that Collins was a part of. We had some close friends dedicate their baby the same day. It was a special time for us all. 

She's learning and doing so much these days. She's so alert at what is going on. She is trying her darnedest to get to crawling! She actually inches backward some but nothing in the forward motion except some reaching... She tries getting her knees up under her so hard! She just hasn't quite figured the whole thing out; but that's ok with this mama ;) I don't want to rush things too fast. It's already going by so quickly! She now has 2 little teeth on her bottom half of her mouth. Boy, those were a booger coming in! That happened so quick too! We weren't really expecting it so soon! We started solid foods this month! Yay, big girl! I am making her food, as best and as much as I can right now. So far she's had green peas, green beans, carrots, bananas and apples. It took a while to get her to like some of these but sometimes mixing helps! It's always fun watching her face as she tries something new. She sat up in a restaurant highchair for the first time and ate some mum-mums, which she loves! She is sleeping better these days (at night), which is a plus for mommy and daddy. ;) 

We went for her 6 month check-up on the 28th. She is doing great! Dr. N. was impressed. He weighed 17 pounds (50-60%) and was 26 inches long (50-60%). She got another round of shots, which is never fun! Including the flu shot this time. She ran some high fevers with this set which was hard on us all (99-103!) After about 2 days, she was back to her normal, happy self! At the doctor office, Collins really enjoyed flirting with Dr. N and the fact that she found herself in the mirror. It was quite entertaining! 

Here's some pics from 5-6 months! 

My New Years date! 

Her first try at some solid foods! ;) 

Eric's promotion ceremony 

Collins baby dedication 

Sitting up in the resturaunt highchair eating a mum-mum ;) 

6 month dr appt 

She doesn't look anything like her daddy, does she?! ;) 

Happy HALF birthday sweet Collins! 

6 month photo shoot with mommy! 

Santa Baby

5 months old on Christmas Day! Our little girl brings so much joy to our lives! She is constantly changing and growing that little personality of hers. We absolutely love it and are having the time of our life watching her grow! 

We have celebrated her first Thanksgiving and Christmas. What sweet memories we have. And new traditions to begin as a family of 3! Collins got some good goodies for Christmas from Santa, Mommy and Daddy, her grands and KK. She got an anywhere chair from pottery barn that she will be able to use for years to come, a red wagon, some fun toys, clothes to grow into and a few other goodies. 

This past month she has found her feet and not letting them go. She takes off her socks as quick as we put them on. And if she can grab a hold of a pant leg, you best believe it's going in her mouth! We introduced rice cereal this month (at 19 weeks old). We wanted to try and wait til 5 months but missy began waking up some in the middle of the night so we thought we would give it a go. Boy, that was so funny! She did rice for a couple weeks and then on Christmas Day we progressed to some oatmeal. She seems to be doing ok with it. So I guess next step is veggies! Ahhh! ;) It's fun though! This month we went from size 1 to size 2 diapers. (Which we should've done probably sooner than we did.) ha! 

Collins began really sitting in the bumbo seat and bouncing in her bouncy seat too. She really likes bouncing while Mommy is working in the kitchen. She also has started grabbing ahold of her bottle with both hands. Not quite to holding it alone just yet, but I'm sure that will be next. Collins still LOVES bath time and is starting to splash around some while being in the tub ;) She isn't sleeping through the nights as well as she was-- not really sure why... Growth spurt, more movement, hungry... We don't know why. Still trying to work with her. 

We also had our first "ice storm" of the year/season. The weathermen really hyped it up! But just to be safe we were prepared! ;) 

We are excited about the new coming year... It's going to be fun with little priss by our side! Can't believe she will be half a year old next month! 

Happy 4 Months from our Little Turkey

4 months, really?! Oh goodness!! When they say time really flies by with little ones-- they are so right!! I can't believe it's November and we now have a 4 month old! It was this time/season last year that we had done our infertility procedure, IUI, to try and become pregnant. Little did we know, the first try would work! It was November 28 that we found out we were pregnant. That day happened to be Thanksgiving this year. Coincidence? I think not-- just a huge blessing from God is how we see it! 

Collins turned 4 months on 11/25. The same day we went for her 4mo check-up and shots. :( Always a sad day. She didn't do as well this time as she did with her 2mo shots. Initially, it wasn't too bad. But for about the 2 days following, she ran fever and was so fussy. Mommy and Daddy felt helpless at times. She eventually got over it and was back to her normal, happy little self! She weighed in at 15lbs 2oz. (75th%) and was 25" long. (75th%) head circumference was 40". (50th%). Dr. N said Collins is growing perfect! He said we could begin to introduce some rice cereal and solid foods if we wanted. Mommy thinks we are going to wait another month, til about 5 months. What a fun and perfect time-- Christmas Day! ;) hehe 

Collins is still sleeping mostly about 8 hours a night. Sometimes she will surprise us and do a little longer, which always makes us happy! She is still loving bath time too! Always loves being naked! ;) 

Collins has made a few milestones this month. I guess the biggest would be her rolling over from her back to her tummy at 15 weeks old. And boy, does she have it down pat! Anytime you place her on her back, instantly she's rolled over to her tummy! It's kind of funny! Collins is drooling more and more as the days go on and continuously has something in her mouth. She's really noticing figures and people more, smiling all the time! Boy, does that smile get me! We celebrated her first Halloween this month. We went to the scare on the square and to our church's fall festival too. Of course, we had the cutest little pumpkin ever! ;) 

Next month, Collins will be 5 months old and it will be Christmas! We can't wait to begin some new traditions as a family with our little sweet pea! 

Enjoy a few pics! (These are a few from 3-4months) 

Happy Halloween from the cutest pumpkin in the patch! 

LOVE bath time!! 

Daddy's little turkey

Daddy's biggest fan! 

Doctor visit for 4 month check up/shots 

Thanksgiving was a few days after Collins turning 4 months but with the title of this post I had to post this one! 

Happy 4 months little girl!!! 

Quarter of a year old

Well, 3 months has come so quickly! Friday, when Collins woke up for her morning feeding, around 5:30, I sat there looking into her precious face, thinking how am I so lucky to be her Mommy?! And thinking about what we were doing 3 months ago at that time... Waiting on the doctor to arrive, so I could start pushing! Crazy, how time flies! 

Collins is truly the biggest joy I have ever experienced in life! She makes my heart smile bigger than I could've ever imagined. She is now talking so much more... She's very vocal and happy right after eating. She's smiling more and more these days, which makes Mommy and Daddy smile! She is now drooling, really chewing on her fingers and hands. (She tries to fit her entire fist in her mouth sometimes) Ha! She likes to suck her thumb, once she finds it. But Mommy always tries to replace it with something else. She began sucking and playing with Sophie the Giraffe and really seems to like her. She still enjoys laying on her play mat and kicking away, while looking up at the mobile animals. She still loves her swing and just began really figuring out the TV. (Definitely her Daddy's girl!) ;) She's been watching a lot of baseball, considering our Cardinal team has made it to the World Series! She's going to know all about it! She's now sleeping about 8 hours a night (she really started getting the hang of it around 10-11 weeks old). Sometimes she will go longer, sometimes she won't make it but about 6 hours. It just depends. Collins LOVES bath time and being naked! She loves laying on her changing table. It brings a smile to her face just about every time she is on it. She has gone on 2 short road trips this past month. We went to Nashville for a mini weekend getaway with her boyfriend Cooper and his parents. We also made a day trip up to MO to visit with Eric's parents for the day one Saturday.  Mommy went back to work right before she turned 3 months old (the week before). Boy, was that hard! Luckily, Ive gone back PRN and we are working hard to make a flexible schedule where she is home with us most of the time. It's starting to get a little easier, but I'm sure it will never be easy saying goodbye to my baby. Ready to see what month 3 holds! ;)

So behind, yet again...

I guess this is my norm for blogging- to never be on time with my posts. But, maybe I'll try and do more of a monthly post these days. A lot has happened since my last post! ;) I now have a 2 month old baby! Yep, that's right. I went into labor at 37.5 weeks. My water broke at 9pm on July 24 and my precious little miracle girl was born the following morning of July 25 at 6:32. It was an amazing experience! Being on the opposite side of things was different too. The past 2 months have been some of the most difficult times in Eric and my lives; yet, some of the most rewarding. The night my water broke, I had gotten off working an 8 hour shift and Eric came to meet me at the hospital to go and visit my grandmother at another hospital. While we were visiting, all of a sudden, I knew the time had come! Talk about a nervous wreck! And, I'm a L&D nurse--- why was I so nervous?! Ha! I said good-bye to my Granny, not knowing it would be my last chance to tell her how much I loved her. I love knowing the last time I saw her, she was as excited as me about her new great-grand baby on the way. She got very sick, very quick and quickly fell downhill. I did have the opportunity to see her before the final measures were taken to end her life, but I chose not go because I wanted my last memory with her to be a sweet and happy one. 5 days after Collins arrived, Granny passed away. Talk about a God-thing! He allowed life into the world as he took one life away. She never got to meet my sweet little girl, but she did see her picture and I did talk to her the morning after delivery. At just 1 week old, Collins had already been to her first funeral celebration. Because that's what it was- a celebration of her life. Then, at 1.6 weeks old, Eric's dad was on business working about 9 hours from here and had to be rushed to the hospital with a massive heart attack. He had to leave us late that night to drive up and see him. Thank God, he made it! He had 2 major blockages that stents helped fix. We are so grateful that all went well and he is now recovered and feeling so much better. Then around 3.5 weeks old, my dad was admitted back into the hospital with different complications. This whole time was very difficult for me as a brand new mommy. I didn't know what I was doing, I wasn't sleeping and I didn't really have much help since Eric had gone back to work during the day. All I wanted was for life to be "normal" again, to enjoy my new baby and family of 3 and it just seemed like I wasn't able to do so. I'm so thankful for my Heavenly Father and his unending love, mercy and grace. Without him, I wouldn't have made it through that first tough month. Not only was my dad in the hospital for about a week or so, he then went on to an alcoholic rehabilitation center to seek help and treatment. This was a long awaited answered prayer. He is currently still there, but thankfully coming home this weekend. It was a 30 day program. He seems to be doing really well. We are just praying that he continues to do so. Now, an update on my little toot! She changes every single day. I just can't get enough of her! I could hold her and kiss her all day long! Currently, Collins loves her play may and swing. She does tummy time quite well, while holding her head up and really strengthening those neck muscles. She has rolled from her tummy to her back a couple different time; the first time at about 7-8 weeks. She is beginning to be quite "vocal," talking to Mommy and Daddy. She is smiling more and more, seeming to recognize objects and faces more. She loves bath time and being naked! Ha! She went to her own room and big girl bed all by herself at exactly 8 weeks old. Talk about difficulty for Mommy and Daddy! Since then though, she has been sleeping about 5-6 hours at night, making day time naps shorter. We have been to the doctor for a 2 month check-up and shots. That was not easy on Mommy at all! Overall, she's doing great! I go back to work in about a month... SOOO not looking forward to that. I am going back part-time though, which will hopefully make things a little easier. Crossing fingers that I can update in about another month! :)

33.6 week check-up on 6/27

I hate I didn't around to posting last week, but I had a dr. appt. last Thursday...just a regular check-up. Daddy got to go, again, so I was thankful. Everything is still looking good! We checked my weight, urine and BP... all is good. I hate seeing that number constantly rising on the scale, but I know it's for the best for my growing little girl! There hasn't been another "official" ultrasound done (although Mommy looks frequently at work), so I am not too sure what her estimated weight is at this point. Around 4-5 pounds probably at this point. We listened to hearttones... I sure LOVE hearing that fast, strong heartbeat! Although, this visit it seemed a little slower, maybe around 140's. Collins normally is about 150's. No major complaints from Mommy other than work getting more difficult, uncomfortable with contractions. Dr. M says we can cut my work hours back if needed, but I want to try and save my time for when little Miss arrives, so I am trying to deal with it as much as I can. Next appt is in 2 weeks, then we will begin weekly appointments! I scheduled all my appointments up to 39.0 weeks! Crazy to think this time has come... Bring it! :)