annabelle rae: month five.

My darling Annabelle Rae,

You are FIVE months old! I feel like I blinked and you are suddenly another month older, cuter and sweeter. I wish you would slow down but since that doesn't seem to be happening, I will just keep enjoying every moment with you.

Your precious mind has been growing so much this month! I feel like I can see you getting smarter each day and discovering new things about the world around you.

Your favorite new discovery this month? Your toes. Oh, sweet baby girl, you love those toesies of yours. You have always loved to suck your thumb and put your fingers in your mouth so this discovery has opened up a whole new world of fun! Diaper changes now involve trying to pry them out of your fingers and taking your picture has gotten a lot more interesting!

We have been getting lots more smiles from you lately, when you can put your toes down, that is. As much as I love your big, big gummy grins, I also love your shy little smile. It's the one you flash when you're starting to feel sleepy or snuggly and it is pure preciousness. You smile when your daddy or I walk into the room and when we come to get you up from your nap. I'm not sure that I could ever get tired of seeing you smile.

You haven't rolled over yet but I know it is right around the corner! We have lots of videos of you almost rolling over so I know it is just a matter of time. I cannot wait for you to do it but I also know that it will come too soon and will be one more stepping stone on the way to becoming a big girl. 

You are on a great schedule this month! You wake up every day between 7 and 7:30, always with a big smile on your face! After you wake up and eat we play until 9:00 then it's time for another nap. From 9-11 you nap before more playtime from 11-1. That middle of the day stretch is when we usually run errands and get out of the house. Then it's back to bed from 1-3, awake from 3-5 and an evening catnap that lasts from half an hour to an hour. You go to bed between 7 and 7:30 depending on how everyone is feeling. You still love bath time and you always go to sleep easily. One of my favorite moments of the day is tucking you in and getting one last sweet smile after I kiss you goodnight. You are an angel. 

Our schedule works perfectly for us most days but we have had our fare share of rough ones this month as well! We think that you might be teething (although nothing is popping through) because you have had several days where all you want to do is cry and snuggle. Those days are rather unproductive. I don't usually get to shower on those days and Daddy ends up having to make dinner. As hard as those days are and as much as we hate to see you sad, we try to soak up those sweet snuggles and enjoy the moments when the only place you will nap is in our arms. 

You love to go outside! You always have fun when we take you and Tucker on walks. You usually fall asleep in your stroller while Tucker burns some energy. You also love sitting on the front porch in the rocking chair. We spend a lot of time there when you're fussy. I love to make a cup of coffee and rock you on the porch, it always makes me think of your MaMa. 

You are always observing what is going on around you. You pay attention to everything and I love to sit and watch your eyes take in everything you are seeing and experiencing. When you aren't in your serious, thoughtful mood, you make some of the silliest faces! Your daddy always makes silly faces so maybe you're gearing up to be like him. Or maybe you are going to be like me and show everything you are thinking right on your face. Only time can tell! For now we love watching you and wondering what is going on in your head!

This has been such a fun month with you, Annabelle! You are still the sweetest little baby and I cannot get enough of you. You are a charmer and are always making friends when we go to church and run errands. Your big blue eyes and chubby cheeks help you wiggle your way into the heart of everyone you meet!

You truly brighten each and every day. You are the best little thing we could have ever dreamed of. Happy five months ladybug!

Love, 

Mommy

Four month stats:

Height: no new measurements this month

Weight: no new measurements this month

Head: no new measurements this month

Diapers: size 2

Clothes: you are needing 3-6 month for length but most are still pretty big in the belly, sweet petite girl

annabelle rae: month four.

Annabelle Rae,

Sweet girl, you are four months old! I am completely in awe at how this has already happened! You are getting bigger, stronger and sweeter with each and every day. We are loving every minute!

This was a fun month for you! We had lots of fun visitors this month-your GiGi, Aunt Jenn, Grandma and Grandpa Krueger and Troy all came to spend some time with you. You and I even had our very first slumber party when Daddy had to go away for a night. I cannot wait until you are older and we can have real slumber parties together!

You have discovered the big, open mouth smile and your daddy and I cannot get enough! Your whole face lights up! We can usually get the biggest smiles from you when you 'fly' up above our heads or when we sing silly songs to you. 

Your favorite thing to do is put your little bitty fingers in your mouth. You could spend the whole day chewing on those things, it makes you so happy. You are also working on your motor skills and are learning to play with your Sophie giraffe and a fun teething toy from Pops. You are so good at holding onto them and bringing them to your mouth. Within the last few weeks you have learned to pick them up on your own and can move them from one hand to the other and back again. It thrills me to watch you learn to do this.

You are the happiest, easiest baby! You are still sleeping like an absolute pro and we are thankful for that. I can't remember the last time I woke up with you in the night. People may say that you look like your daddy, but you certainly seem to have my love for sleep. You wake up each morning around 7:30 and nap from 8:30-10:30, 12-2, 3-4:30 and 6-7. Bedtime is generally around 8:00 and then you are fast asleep until I see you again in the morning. You always wake up with a smile on your face, it warms your mommy's heart!

You haven't quite rolled over yet but you sure are close!  You rock from side to side when you're on your back and your tummy. You generally get distracted by chewing on your fingers, that is much more important to you than rolling over! I can't blame you, you're a girl who knows what she likes.

We can already see your personality starting to peek through. You are filled with smiles, giggles and coos when you are at home with us. When we go out to church or to a friend's house though, it takes you a while to warm up to the new surroundings. You aren't quite as open with the smiles and you stay pretty quiet. Your little eyes dart all over, looking at every new person and taking everything in. You seem just the tiniest bit shy around new people and new situations. We don't mind that you save all of your cutest smiles for us!

My sweet girl, you continue to be the greatest blessing to our family. You bring such joy, happiness and love into our home. I look forward to each and every day with you. You are learning new things every day and we are on the edge of our seats to see what new things this next month will bring. 

And just so I'll always remember what fun we had during these photo shoots, how about a little blooper? Sometimes a girl is just tired of having her picture taken!

We love you, our Annabelle Rae!

-Mommy

Four month stats:

Height: 24 1/2 inches (50th percentile)

Weight: 13 pounds 5 ounces (50th percentile)

Head circumference: 42 cm (85th percentile)

Diapers: size 2

Clothes:  0-3 months, moving into 3-6 months depending upon brand

one year ago.

One year ago today Kyle was getting ready to play in a basketball tournament. 

One year ago today it was an ordinary Friday in our house. 

One year ago today I took a test without telling Kyle what I was doing. 

One year ago today we found out that we would be having our very first baby. 

And one year later, she's here. Tiny and perfect and filling our home with so much love.

baby valentine.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We will be spending the day playing with our littlest Valentine and celebrating what a sweet blessing we have been given!

annabelle rae: month two.

Annabelle Rae,

You are two months old! What a joy to celebrate Christmas and two months with you on the same day! We have been able to introduce you to so many wonderful things this month, Christmas lights, Texas and lots of family and friends.

You are such a happy, easy baby and we are thankful for that every day! You eat every three hours during the day sleep in great, big stretches at night. We have had a few amazing nights where you have slept until 6 or almost 7 am! Usually, though, you wake up around 4 am, go back to bed for a few hours and I see you again around 6:30 to start the day. Your sleep schedule took a few setbacks when we traveled to Texas but you are still sleeping like a champ. You are happy and cheerful for your awake times and I think that is because you nap so well during the day and sleep so well at night. You are your momma's daughter, sleep is your best friend.

We took you to Texas for the first time this month and made a 13 hour drive to get there. You made us so proud on the drive! Those hours in the car proved to us how amazing you do with a schedule. You napped like clockwork and woke up to eat at the exact times you normally do at home. I love how predictable you are.

You have started giving us sweet little smiles this month! We have even heard the cutest giggles come out of your mouth! I will never forget the night your daddy first heard you giggle. He called me upstairs, after I grabbed the video camera, and we stood there watching you smile, coo and laugh for the longest time. Oh, Annabelle, you would have thought our little baby had just saved the world with how proud we were to hear those giggles. Thank you for saving them for a time when we could both be there to watch you experience something as fun as laughing!

You have started to enjoy playing on the floor. Sometimes the only thing that keeps you from fussing is when I put you down on your back and let you kick. I think you are trying to get out all the last bits of energy in your little body before taking a nap. 

Your favorite time of day is bathtime! You love being in the warm water and kick your legs like crazy the whole time. You also love when we wash your hair with your soft hairbrush, I think it tickles because it always makes you smile. We really love seeing you discover things that make you happy as we see little glimmers of your personality. 

The only time you were not a fan of your bath was on the day you had your two month vaccinations. You were so upset the whole day and silly Mommy thought a bath would cheer you up like always. I barely got you in that bathtub before I pulled you right back out. We skipped the bath that night in exchange for a little baby Tylenol and some extra cuddles before bedtime. 

We are excited for the next month with you, our sweet girl! Mommy and Daddy love you to bits!

-Mommy

Two month stats:

(the weight and height measurements were ten days before Annabelle turned 2 months old)

Height: 22 1/2 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 11 pounds 14 ounces (90th percentile)

Diapers: size 1

Clothes: NB (for about half of the month), 0-3 months

annabelle rae: month one.

Annabelle Rae, 

You are one month old! One whole month with you in our home, I can't believe it! What an amazing month this has been. This month has somehow been harder and easier than I ever imagined, all at the same time. You have brought so much joy into our lives already. We adore you, our sweet girl.

We started working on getting you on a schedule this month. I had never planned on doing that this early but you naturally put yourself on a daytime schedule so we went from there. We decided that we would try to put you on a more consistent schedule and if you didn't seem ready, we would hold off. It turned out to be a breeze and you seem so happy in our routine! You generally start getting ready for bed with a bath at 8:30, a feeding at 9:00 and finally bedtime at 9:30. Right now you generally wake up around 2:00 am to eat again and then go back to sleep until 6:00. After eating at 6:00 you take a morning catnap (Mommy does, too!) and our day really gets started around 9:00. 

You take most of your naps in your room and sleep there at night as well. This started when you were about 3 weeks old and was a great decision for you and for me. We both sleep so much better and I know your daddy sleeps better too. I was sad to move you to your room and not have you right beside me at night but am thrilled that you have adjusted well. You are so adaptable!

You had a horrible case of diaper rash this month. We tried some at-home remedies that just weren't working well enough for you so we made a trip to see the pediatrician. Sweet girl, my heart was breaking for how awful your little diaper area looked. The pediatrician gave us some great suggestions (including eliminating wipes and using a hair dryer during diaper changes) which helped clear you up at last. We think you have sensitive skin because you also had a bit of baby acne and dry skin. Mommy invested in some fancy baby skin care and took care of that situation as well. We were so happy when both of these issues cleared up and we you stopped being uncomfortable. 

You are the sweetest thing in the world to us, Annabelle. I thrills us to hear every coo, every hiccup, every precious baby sneeze. We can't get enough of your cute yawns and the way your little bitty mouth goes into the most perfect circle at the end of each one. We snuggle you every chance we can. This has been such an amazing month with you, our baby girl. We love you to the moon and back again. 

-Mommy

One month stats:

Height: 22 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 11 pounds 2 ounces (90th percentile)

Diapers: newborn and size 1 (we sized up when the diaper rash hit)

Clothes: Newborn

back in the swing of things.

I think it's safe to say I have turned into a horrible blogger. Not only have I been nonexistent in terms of posting, I also haven't found the time to sit down and catch up with many of my favorite internet friends. I am making it my goal to be better at doing both of those things, starting right now!

I have lots of catch-up posts to do (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Annabelle's sip and see, monthly baby updates... the list goes on!) so those will be mixed in with everything until I am all caught up. But for today, how about a little update on the life of our family this week? (Translation: How about some cute pictures of my baby?!)

Miss Annabelle has been the busiest of the whole family! She adores chewing on her yummy fingers...

flashing us some BIG smiles during floor time...

watching football with her favorite guy (and looking mighty cute while doing it!)...

learning about the alphabet (she already has a favorite letter)...

and enjoying her favorite time of day, bathtime!

We love her to bits! She is filled with smiles, giggles and snuggles lately. We cannot get enough of our sweet girl and love spending every day with her. 

When we aren't ooh-ing and aah-ing over our little one, Kyle and I have been keeping busy as well. Kyle has been working hard to get ready for another semester and prepare for a conference that he will be presenting at this spring. I've been going to yoga classes, trying to stay on top of the never-ending piles of baby laundry and spending some time with my sewing machine. 

I made these little things for Annabelle this week and have a few more projects planned for this week. I'm also hoping to find the time to make some presents for a few very special babies. 

That's about all that's been happening in our neck of the woods this week. Annabelle's one and two month updates are on up next, you know, since she'll be THREE months next week!