Big Girl!

Hannah is growing up so fast!  I can hardly believe that in less than 2 months we will be celebrating her first birthday.  We have started planning her big bash and it has really started to take on a life of its own.  Less than a week ago we didn't even know if we would have a party, but now we are throwing a big bash! :-)  I am excited about it, but also getting a little nervous.  I don't plan on going crazy and doing an over-the-top soirée, just a gathering of our closest friends to celebrate this special milestone in Hannah's life.  I am determined to have fun planning it and on the day of....I will not get stressed out! (Now, you better remind of that in a month!!)

There have been a lot of fun milestones happening around here.  Hannah has been doing the cutest things lately.  She started giving high fives a couple weeks ago - I had never even thought to teach her that, but the day I started, she caught right on.  I hold up my hand and say, "Give me five" and she slaps my hand a couple times with the largest smile on her face!  She loves it!!  This past weekend she also started playing peek-a-boo.  When she is laying on her back, she will pull a blanket over her face and then we say, "Where's Hannah?" and she pulls the blanket down, smiling her enourmous grin!  PRECIOUS!  Another favorite that she learned this past wekeend is "So Big!"  We ask her, "How big is Hannah?" and she throws her arms over her head as we say, "SO BIG!"  Again, she smiles the entire time.  Then just today she started my ultimate favorite - kissing!  I ask her for a kiss and she will lean in with her mouth wide open and then I go in for the kiss.  She giggles and I melt!  Oh my sweet baby girl is growing up so fast and I am trying to soak in all those precious moments.  I just can't get enough of that sweet baby girl!

10 Months Old

Sweet Little Peanut,

Your tenth month was the fastest yet. I blame that on Christmas and our monumental snow storm in early January!

Speaking of Christmas, this month you celebrated your first one!  We spent it in Florida at Grandma and Grandpa Vaccaro's house.  It was wonderful to be with family (Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Julie, and Uncle Chris) and you loved all the attention!  But surprisingly you weren't very interested in the presents on Christmas morning.  You didn't even care about the wrapping paper or boxes.  I think you were a bit overwhelmed.  But you were a HUGE fan of the Little People Nativity Scene.....maybe you already understand the true meaning of Christmas! :-)

Here's what you are up to at 10 months old:

•You weigh 21lbs. 13oz. (71%) and are 30 inches long (93%).  One tall girl!!
•You wear mostly all 12 month clothes (9-12 months) and some 18 months (12-18 months). But you can still fit into some of your 9 month clothes (6-9 months).
•You are still wearing a size 4 diaper and size 3 or 4 shoes.
•You have your two bottom teeth now!
•You are cruising all over the furniture these days, but don't seem too interested in standing on your own or walking.  You have also mastered crawling up the stairs, but have no idea how to get back down...which resulted in a scary fall a few days ago.  Thankfully all is well! :-)
•You have been eating lots of new foods and love feeding yourself.  Sometimes your entire meal is finger foods!  Right now your favorite foods are pasta, bread, puffs, and blueberries.  Not surprising since those are some of my favorite foods! :-)  You are still nursing 4 times per day and doing great!
•You said your first word this month - "DaDa"  You had been saying it for a while now, but I hadn't counted it yet because it didn't really have any meaning.  Then the other day I asked you, "Where is Daddy?" and you pointed right to him and said, "DaDa"!!  Adorable!
•This month we realized just how much of a little person you have become.  You understand so much of what we are saying, which is so fun!  When you start to refuse to eat something we start a little trade off where I will give you a bite of the food you don't won't, followed by a bite of something you do.  I say, "One bite of this and then you get a blueberry (or pasta or whatever)" and you will suddenly open you mouth wide.  It's amazing! 
•This month, naps have been a nightmare.  I blame it on all the craziness of the holidays, but I'm ready for you to get back to taking better naps.  Right now you take 2 naps each day, but they are sometimes only 30 minutes each!  UGH!   Thankfully you have been sleeping 12 hours straight at night for the past couple weeks!  That is a huge improvement from last month.  It took a week or so of retraining for you to sleep through the night again, but it worked!
•You have started to get really whiny and clingy, which has been challenging for me.  You don't like to be too far away from me and would really like for me to hold you all day long.  It's hard to get anything done.  But I am trying to enjoy this clingy stage because I know it is fleeting and soon you will want nothing to do with me. :-(
•You still arent' waving or clapping, but you are pointing at everything.  You point and then grunt, which I interpret as you asking for something or an explanation of what something is. 
•You make the cutest sound that is too hard to explain, but it's when you click your tongue on your bottom teeth and say "dododo"...I think I got it on video....at least I hope so! :-)
•Your eczema is still flaring up, but I have continued the lotion regime and I think it's getting a little better.  I'm hopeful that it will disappear when the weather warms up! 
•Your hair has grown so much that it hardly sticks up anymore...that makes me sad!  My little girl is growing up!
•You still love to share everything with us - your pacifier, your toys, your food. 
•You have started giving high fives - ADORABLE!!!  I say, "Give me five" and you do!

It amazes me how much you change every single day.  I lay you down at night as my little peanut and when I pick you back up in the early morning, you have changed into my big girl!  It is the most amazing thing to watch, yet also a little heartbreaking.  But there is nothing else I would rather do!

I love you little girl!



2010 Summary

I saw this survey on a blog that I have been following since I found out I was pregnant - Baby Dickey - and thought it was a good way to sum up 2010.  Enjoy!


1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
- So much!!  Birthed a child (unmedicated, I might add!), nursed a child for 9.5 months (and still going), did everything required to keep a newborn alive and raise her to be a healthy and happy 9 month old, became a MOM!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
- I don't remember making any last year (not a big resolution fan), but this year I did feel a sense of renewal and have been determined to be more intentional with my time.  I'm not sure that doing a survey like this is very "intentional", but I figured it would be an insightful way to summarize the last year of my life.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
- ME!  And several of my close friends - Amy, Lindsay, Asheley, Heather, Lindsay (another one), and more...

4. Did anyone close to you die?
- Thankfully, no

5. What countries did you visit?
- Definitely didn't make it out of the country, but did make it to several different place - NYC, Flagler Beach (3 times), Panama City (3 times), Siesta Key, and probably other places I am forgetting.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
- More time to enjoy with family and friends - 2010 was ALL about the baby and I want 2011 to be more about the world outside of these four walls!

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
- March 11 - Hannah was born!!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- Delivering my first child without any medications (not even a tylenol people!)
- Succesfully nursing my child for 9.5 months (and counting)
- Keeping her alive for 9.5 months (and counting!!)

9. What was your biggest failure?
- I wouldn't call it a failure, but I do feel like I didn't get to enjoy Hannah's newborn stage like I thought I would because I was so concerned with her schedule and making sure she did 'xyz' every day.  I was definitely obsessed with that (and still am, if I let myself be).

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
- A cold here and there, but nothing serious.  Recovering from my labor was illness enough!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
- Our new camera (Nikon D3100) - just have to figure out how to use it in a mode other than auto now!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
- Brian's!  He has been the most amazing husband and father!  During my labor he was unbelievable!  He didn't even sit down for 8+ hours and was by my side the entire time.  He was the best father right from the beginning - so involved and just in love.  He would wake up with me in the middle of night when Hannah would cry and come into her room with me while I nursed her.  He was my rock!  He was understanding of my crazy hormones and listened to me cry over the silliest things.  I wouldn't have made it this past year without his amazing support!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
- No one I can think of

14. Where did most of your money go?
- Hannah!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
- All of Hannah's milestones: smiling, laughing, rolling over, sitting up, crawling, pulling up, sleeping through the night!

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
- "Goodnight Sweetheart" - I sing it to Hannah every time I put her down for a nap or at night

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? Thinner
c) richer or poorer? Probably about the same - nah, poorer because we are remodeling our kitchen soon! ;-)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
- Spent more time with friends, but babies make things so much more complicated!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
- Wasting time

20. How did you spend Christmas?
- In Panama City with Brian's family

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
- Absolutely!  Hannah has made me understand God's love for me in a whole new way.  I am madly in love with that baby!!

22. What was your favorite TV program?
- We became DVR junkies this year, so we watched a lot of shows (that's what happens when you have a baby that has to be in bed by 8pm) - Top faves were Modern Family and The Middle

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
- I don't hate anyone - I might not like their choices or actions, but I don't hate them.

24. What was the best book you read?
- I don't think I read any books in 2010 (besides children's and parenting books)...sad

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
- Hmmm....not sure.  I think I knew about him in 2009, but Mat Kearney became a BIG fave this year.  We went to the most amazing concert at Eddie's Attic in the summer and were blown away!

26. What did you want and get?
- Hannah!
- Our new camera
- Lots of baby things

27. What did you want and not get?
- Nothing...I mean there are things that I would like to have, but nothing that I need.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
- I don't even know if we went to the theater once in 2010.  I know I saw the new(er) movie with Katherine Heigel about raising a baby, but I can't even remember who I was with or where we were.  It was cute, but definitely not the best movie I saw.  We just watched Inception a few weeks ago and that was good.  But there really wasn't a stand out movie that I saw this year.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
- I turned 28!!  At first I wrote 27 because there is no way I am 28, but I am!!  Yikes!  Brian's parents were in town on my birthday and we went out to dinner at Maggiano's (technically I think we went out the night before my birthday). 

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
- It was overal a wonderful year!!  But if Hannah has been born a natural sleeper, that would have made my stress level a lot less! ;-)

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
- Whatever fits and is clean and comfy.  I spent the majority of 2010 on the floor with a drooly, reflux baby!  Fashion wasn't really in my vocabulary.

32. What kept you sane?
- Brian, my mom, my playgroup girls!!!

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
- No one I can think of

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
- Political issue??  I don't even watch the news, I hate politics!  I only want to know the stuff that impacts me directly and that I can do something about.  If something is going on that I have no control over, I want nothing to do with it.  What's the point??

35. Who did you miss?
- Family!  I hate that we live so far away from everyone.

36. Who was the best new person you met?
- My playgroup girls!  Heather, Asheley and Lindsay, I don't know what I would have done these past few months without you!!

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
- Take things one day at a time. 
- Life flies by, so enjoy every second. 
- Everything with a baby is a phase!

Top 5 Posts of 2010

Looking back on the past year, I am amazed at how much has changed.  2010 was filled with so many big changes and memories!  Our little peanut was born and changed our lives completely!  This year was really the first year of this blog - I technically started it in 2009, but only had 13 posts that year....so it barely counts. ;-) 

I thought it would be fun to look back at the top 5 posts of 2010, based on http://www.statcounter.com/

#5 - Our Little Peanut is Growing Up
#4 - New York, New York
#3 - Crying It Out
#2 - Milestone: Umbilical Cord Fell Off!
#1 - Happy Thanksgiving

Happy New Year!!

New York, New York

We survived...barely.  We made the big trip to NYC with Hannah last week and it was quite an adventure.  We flew out on Tuesday afternoon and came home on Sunday.  Hannah seemed to have a lot of fun (LOTS of smiles!) but I came home exhausted.  I need a vacation from my vacation! 

For the first 3 nights we stayed in a hotel in the city (The Hilton Manhattan East, which I highly recommend!)  The 3 of us were in one room (a small room!) and Hannah did not sleep well.  She woke several times each night (several nights it was every hour).  I couldn't let her cry it out because we were in a hotel with people all around us, and I swear she knew it!  So the only thing that would calm her down and put her back to sleep was to feed her.  UGH!  After spending weeks weaning her off the night feedings at home, we were back to square one.  There was even one night where I fed her 4 times...FOUR!  Needless to say, I was tired!  And don't even get me started on the napping situation.  We were lucky if she would even take one nap per day.  But despite the lack of sleep, she was surprisingly happy and loved the big city!  It was very cold and she wasn't a fan of getting all bundled up before heading out, but once we were moving, she loved it.  We were amazed at how much we didn't do while in the city.  We knew we wouldn't be able to do all the things we normally do, but we had no idea just how hard it would be to do anything.  Literally all we saw while we were there was Toys R Us, FAO, and Times Square....that's it!  We didn't see the window displays at Macy's or even the big tree at Rockefeller!  Awful, I know, but there really wasn't any time with Hannah.  By the time we got her ready to go out into the cold, took the train down to Rockefeller (the subway is definitely NOT baby friendly) and started heading toward all the sights, it was time to feed her and then head back to the hotel for a nap.  Yikes. 

For the last 2 nights of our trip we stayed in White Plains in a two bedroom suite with Brian's dad.  It was so much better!  Hannah still slept horribly, but at least we didn't have to hide out in the bathroom while she fell asleep.  We actually had a living room to watch tv in and didn't have to go to bed at 9pm.  However, I will say that one of the highlights of the trip was eating dessert in the hallway of the NYC hotel and playing cards while Hannah slept.  On the last day of vacation Hannah got to meet her Great Grandma Vaccaro, which was definitely the best part of the trip.  It was so wonderful to see Brian's family and made all the sleepless nights worth it.  But by this point in the trip you could tell that the lack of sleep was catching up with Hannah and she wasn't quite as happy as she normally is. 

We were all thrilled to head home on Sunday and sleep in our own beds!  Funny that when we arrived in Atlanta there were snow flurries, while that morning in NY they were having a warm front.  Go figure.

Traveling always makes me appreciate being home even more. 

Hannah: 9 Months

My Peanut,

9 months old...really?  You have been outside my belly for the same amount of time that you were inside my belly!  (Well technically I guess that's not true, since pregnancy is actually 10 months, but you get what I'm saying.) You are changing so much every day and I can hardly keep up.  It is hard to believe that you are the same baby that I held on my chest the moment you were born - covered in slime, but perfectly content to just lay there with me.  I wish I had known then that you would only let me cuddle you like that for a VERY short time.  After those 30 minutes of snuggling you were ready to conquer the world!  Oh how I miss that chubby little peanut.  But oh how I adore the pre-toddler you are becoming!

Here's what you are up to at 9 months old:

• You weigh 19 lbs. 15.5 oz. (75%) and are 29" tall (90%!!)  You are gonna be one tall girl!
• You wear mostly all 12 month clothes (9-12 months) and some 18 months (12-18 months).  But surprisingly you can still wear some 6 month stuff (3-6 months) and a lot of your 9 month clothes (6-9 months).  The sizing labels are so misleading sometimes.  We just put you in whatever fits! ;-)
• You are wearing a size 4 diaper and size 3 or 4 shoes.
• You have started to give kisses, but only Eskimo ones and usually only for daddy.  He says "Hannah, give daddy a kiss" and you lean forward with your mouth wide open and rub your nose on his.  It is precious!
• You are still attached to your pacifier at night and for all naps!  Some day you will give it up. ;-)
• You are pulling yourself up onto everything and even starting to cruise a little from one piece of furniture to the next.  You have mastered standing up and sitting back down and now I hardly worry about you falling or bumping your head at all.  I'm glad you learned that skill quickly!
• You aren't waving or clapping yet, but you are so close.  You love when I clap your hands for you and sometimes if I wave you will hold your arm out and flap it a little, but nothing consistent.
• You love to knock down block towers!  As soon as I start to build one, you abruptly knock it over and smile your huge smile in amazement! 
• You make all kinds of sounds now - "Uhh Uhh Uhh", "Da Da Da", "Ba Ba Ba" and occasionally an "M", but mostly just a lot of random noises.
• You have one tooth now, with one more on the way.  You got your bottom left tooth a few weeks ago and the bottom right one should be popping through any day now.  Thankfully you haven't started biting yet!!
• You are still eating all kinds of foods and have recently started eating more finger foods.  Your favorite right now is whole peas.  It is so fun to watch you pick them up with your tiny fingers and put them in your mouth.  You are becoming a pro!  You are also still LOVING the puffs and would eat them all day long if I let you.  They were our saving grace during our trip to NYC this past week!  We had a break through with homemade green beans and peas a few weeks ago too...you are finally eating them without a fight!  YEAH!  But now that you are are getting so good with your fingers, I think I will just give you pieces of green beans and whole peas now instead.
• You are still nursing wonderfully and still 4 times per day - 8am, 12pm, 4pm, and 7:30 pm.  I aim for 4-5 minutes per side and lately you have been doing great with that.  You still eat solids 3 times per day - 8am, 12pm, and 4pm and are slowly increasing the amount you eat at each meal.
• Your sleep is still very erratic and this past week while we were in NYC it got completely out of control.  With you sleeping in the same room as us and in the pack n' play instead of your bed, you were just completely out of sorts.  You were up at least 3-4 times every night (some nights it was every hour!) and ate 2-4 times in the night.  INSANE!  But last night you were back in your own bed and did a little better (only woke 3 times and only had to feed you 1 time).  Hopefully things will get back on track now that we are home.
• You take 2-3 naps per day, but lately it is more often just 2.  Each nap is 40 minutes - 1 hour and you usually go down perfectly for them.  Two 40 minute naps is not the ideal, but I take what I can get with you!
• You HATE having your diaper changed and being on your back.  The moment I lay you down your goal becomes to flip back over and get as far away from me as possible!  It has become quite the wrestling match to get a clean diaper on you.
• You have had a mysterious "rash" on your bottom and thighs for the past month or so.  We finally went to the doctor today and confirmed my "self-diagnosis" of eczema.  I hate that you have that, but hopefully if we keep you lotioned up it will clear up in no time.
• You still have crazy hair that sticks up like you just stuck your finger in a light socket....I LOVE it! 
• You now take a bath in the big tub and LOVE it.  You still slide around a bit, so I have to keep a hand on you at all times, but you just love to splash in the water!
• This month was filled with more firsts - first time riding in your big girl convertible car seat, first time meeting Santa, started standing up in your crib, first time eating cheerios, first tooth, first Thanksgiving, first time eating chopped up green beans, peaches and whole peas, first time eating broccoli and mango, first trip to NYC, first ride in a taxi, and met Great-Grandma Vaccaro for the first time. 
• You can climb up the stairs with limited assistance, but you haven't figured out how to get back down without a lot of help.
• You started "sharing" your pacifier and toys with us in the last week.  It is adorable!  You hold out your pacifier and when we take it you smile your HUGE smile and then a few moments later you reach out to get it back.  You like to do that game over and over!
• You love playing with people's noses and mouths and you LOVE when daddy pretends to bite your fingers.  Such a silly daddy!
• You are still the most social baby and smile at everyone!  You are incredibly happy as long as you are out and about and not going to sleep!  You have the most adorable smile and dimples.  We must get told how cute you are at least 10 times every day.  I am realizing just how important it is going to be to have another baby soon so you don't become a complete brat! ;-)  But mommy isn't in any rush!  I want to enjoy your babyhood before we bring another one into the family.

Happy Thanksgiving

A trip to the beach to watch the sunset

Playing ;-)

With Uncle Brent and Aunt Lauren

4 Generations!

We had a wonderful trip to FL for Thanksgiving. We left on Sunday night at 5pm and arrived at 11:30pm.  It was definitely a good idea to drive at night because Hannah ended up sleeping the majority of the trip.  She did such a good job on the way down and was in a fabulous mood the entire week!  She smiled the majority of the time and slept very well while we were there.  She hit a few exciting milestones during the week as well.  She started pulling herself up in her crib and she got her first tooth!  She handled the new tooth like a champ! :-)

It was great to spend time with my parents (MeMaw and PaPaw) and Hannah got to meet her Uncle Brent and Aunt Lauren for the first time.  It was so good to see all of them and made us realize just how much we wish we lived near our family. 

We came home yesterday and drove during the daytime, which was definitely not as easy as the night.  Hannah took two short naps during the drive, but was definitely ready to get out of the car during the last hour or two.  I ended up driving for the second half of the trip and Brian sat in the back with Hannah, to give me a break from the entertaining.  When we got home Hannah was in quite a mood - she obviously missed all the attention she had been getting.  She slept horribly last night and so far today has cried through both of her naps.  She is definitely paying us back for the car ride yesterday.  Maybe she's getting another tooth and this time isn't taking it so well?  Not sure what the problem is, but she is miserable. :-(

We have so much to be thankful for this year - a healthy baby, wonderful family and friends, a secure job for Brian that he loves, the provision Brian's job provides that allows me to stay home with Hannah, our health, our home, and most importantly our Savior who loves us unconditionally!