18 Months

Time has really flown by, Q is now 18 months old.  She's healthy and happy, has 12 teeth, and can repeat almost anything that she hears (and she does repeat almost everything she hears).  I won't bother listing all of her words here because she's really moved on to phrases.  Her most recent phrases/questions are:  why not? (which she always asks after I tell her no), what happened?, are you okay?, and of course, mine.

She weights 23 lbs. 7 oz. and is 32 inches tall which makes her almost exactly 2 lbs less and 1 inch shorter than Y at the same age.

She is a complete joy and fills our home with such joy and laughter and she has such a sweet and loving personality.  We are so very grateful to have her in our family.

15 Months

Note:  This post has been dated for the actual date of Q's 15 month well baby but as I'm writing this she is actually 17 months, because of my delay this will likely be a brief post and will include information concerning the 2 appointments with the specialists she was referred to.  My apologies, I'm behind!

At 15 month's Q weighs 21½ pounds and is 31 inches long and she is still not walking.  Because of this her pediatrician wanted us to take her to see a pediatric neurologist.  During the course of her checkup he (the pediatrician) heard a heart murmur that he wanted to have checked out further so he also referred her to a pediatric cardiologist.  Other than these 2 things, she checked out perfectly.

We were able to get her in to see the Neurologist the following day, he said everything seemed normal but he wanted to have some blood work done just to double check and make sure there were no neurological defects going on...all turned out fine but she goes back for another checkup in January.

In early December she went in to see the Cardiologist and while she does have what is referred to as an Innocent Murmur, it's not something that we should be concerned about.  If it remains at the age of 5 she would like us to return and have her checked again but for now, we were told not to worry, it will not have any affect on her day-to-day activities.

11 Months Old

I realize that this is a couple of weeks late but Q turned 11 months on July 1st, the day after we left for vacation and while it was my intention to write a post about it while on vacation, I forgot our USB cable for our camera.  And so, here goes...

Q is crawling!!!  She wasn't on the first but she started while we were vacationing in NC.  She's a funny little crawler, kind of scooting along on both knees, it's adorable!  She has a bright smile and whenever someone smiles or waves at her she buries her head in my shoulder to hide her face - pretending to be shy.  She is still a pretty great sleeper though we will shortly begin sleep training, baby boot camp as I like to call it.  She no longer likes to be rocked or cuddled to sleep, now that she's mobile she likes to be on the move...even when she's exhausted.  She is quite the eater, except when we're away from home apparently, while in NC she ate fried chicken, corn bread, macaroni and nearly everything else that was put in front of her.

I can't believe that in a few short weeks my sweet baby will be 1, time has flown by and we've enjoyed (mostly) every minute of it!

10 Months

It's hard to believe that in 2 more months Q will be turning 1!!!  She is truly such a joy to be around and we are constantly getting comments on how mellow and easy going she is.  She is so loving and playful, it's hard to find her without a smile on her face.

Over the past month she has began to move so much more, I dare say that there's no safe place on the floor anymore.  If she wants it she will find some way to work her self over to it!  She rolls all over the place, she can sit herself up and she's just beginning to attempt to pull herself up from sitting.  I'm sure she'll have to work on it more but she's made so much progress over the past few weeks.

She's at the point where she mimics things, especially hand movements!  She will wave to herself in the mirror and to almost anyone else she sees waving.  Just this week I decided to add clapping to the list of hand gestures and sure enough this morning when I was picking her up to take her to her high chair, I clapped and she started doing it to.  I've now moved on to blowing kisses, hopefully she'll be mimicking that in no time too!

She still loves to play peek-a-boo with herself or anyone else.  When people smile at her or speak to her she likes to bury her head in my shoulder (assuming I'm holding her) and then she'll peek at them, wait for them to smile or speak again, and then bury her head again.  She gets very excited when B comes home from work and still gets upset if either of us walk into and out of a room without acknowledging her. 

We have attempted to add some table food to her diet by grinding it up with a mini prep processor and then adding it to her baby food.  She immediately noticed the difference and wasn't having it, after a few bites she refused to open her mouth again until I made her more baby food without adding our table food in with it.  I'm not sure if it has to do with her not having any teeth yet but so far she's not willing to eat table food.  She will eat crackers and bread so long as she can suck on them to make them soft and more easily edible.  I'm not too concerned, I know she'll get there when she's ready so for now I just stick to making my homemade baby food a bit thicker and chunkier.

Time Flies...9 Months Old

I know I say it every month but I'm going to say it again, I can't believe Q is 9 months old already!  Time is flying and in 3 short months my baby will no longer be an infant.  One thing for certain is that I'm enjoying every second of it and, unlike when Y was the same age, I don't find myself rushing anything.  I'm enjoying each day and I don't find myself consumed with wondering when she's going to crawl or walk, etc.  I'm definitely a much more relaxed mommy this time around, but from what I've heard with each child you supposedly become more and more relaxed.

Over the last month Q has decided that she'll roll around much more, if there's something that she wants she doesn't mind flipping over to her stomach in an effort to reach it.  She has also started sitting up on her own much more often.  Most of the time she wakes up in the morning with a bright smile on her face, she enjoys laughing and when people laugh at her, she's very ticklish, and she loves to take other's food if it's within her reach (though I rarely actually let her eat it).

For the most part she sleeps through the night, she generally wakes up and cries for about 10 minutes sometime between 1-2:30am.  I no longer respond to her cries which is why she just goes back to sleep, if for whatever reason she cries for longer and it's a distressed cry then I will respond but that very rarely happens.  Needless to say she's a very well-rested and content baby and still extremely mellow!

Q at 8 Months

Q is still one of the sweetest, most mellow babies I have encountered!  She smiles at pretty much everyone, especially when they comment on how beautiful she is, and when I have meetings or other church related stuff you hardly hear a peep out of her.  But don't be fooled, this girl is a talker!  If there's a toy in her hand more than likely she is babbling to it.

She can also prove to be quite demanding, most of the time that involves food and any item that she wants but I won't let her have, namely my cellphone and iPod.  She's a really good eater so far she has eaten everything I've given her with the exception of those little Gerber puffs, she's not a fan of that.  Also, the days of being able to hold her while I eat are long gone!  In fact if she even sees me chewing while I'm holding her she opens her mouth and starts to move it towards my face as if she's going to eat me, it makes me laugh every time but for some reason she never does this with B.  Maybe because she associates me with food.  She throws fits if she wants something that someone else has, as mentioned above.  Mostly with me it's my phone or iPod but she's also done it with Y a few times over a toy that Y happens to be playing with.

As far as gross motor skills go, she has continued to roll over.  Many people told me about how when their child started rolling they'd use it to get from one place to another until they learned to crawl.  Yeah, that's definitely not Q!  If you put her on her stomach she will almost immediately roll over to her back, grab the closest toy and be content with it.  When she tires of that toy she will roll over onto her side and reach for a new toy, once she has the toy in hand...back to the back she goes!  haha, I'm pretty sure she's going to skip crawling all together or she'll crawl like Y did initially, scooting on her back like an upside down inchworm!  She is pretty steady at sitting by herself now though we always have to stay close of have a pillow behind her because she likes to throw herself backwards at random.

She's happy and healthy and so much fun.  She loves to laugh at her big sister and her big sister loves to make her laugh.  I really love watching them together in moments like that.  B and I sure are lucky!

7 Months

Wow, time is flying by!!  Q is 7 months old, I can't believe it, but I am loving every minute of it!  She has really started to gain a lot of personality now, i've probably said it before but I'll mention it again.  I can see such a difference in her and Y's personalities already.  They both were/are very laid back and content babies but Y was far more serious and not extremely friendly towards other people, in fact I frequently get comments about how "unfriendly" she can be - I've learned to accept that it's just part of who she is.  Y on the other hand seems to smile at everyone, doesn't mind allowing others to hold her, loves to make us laugh and loves to have the attention of those around her.

If I, or even B now, walk into a room and do not immediately recognize her she can throw quite the fit, but most of the time she's pretty happy.  The reflux is really nonexistent now, she eats solids like a champ, sleeps great most of the time and yesterday she rolled over for the first time all on her own.  She wants to grab anything and everything, if it's in your hand she wants it.  I always get comments on how good of a baby she is because she really just "goes with the program."

We consider ourselves to be the luckiest parents on the earth to be blessed with our two girls whom we love beyond measure.  Our lives are infinately better because of all the joy they bring us and the love they have for us.

Here are a few pictures of our youngest princess taken today.  I still can't believe it's been 7 months already!!!

 

6 Months

The past 6 months have flown by, I really can't believe it!  At 6 months Q is still such a joy, we love her so much.  There is no doubt that she adds so much to our family.  She loves to watch her big sister, chances are if Y is in the room then Q's eyes are following her (yes, this worries me sometimes.  I fear she is taking notes).  She has a quiet and calm demeanor but there is one sure fire way for me to make her cry.  If I have left her alone for a while, regardless of who else she is with, if I fail to acknowledge or play with her immediately upon re-entering the room she will cry.  It doesn't matter where I've gone, whether it was for a short time or a long time, she always cries!  She does it when I return from the gym but she has also done it when I had just finished having a shower.  On that instance she was playing on the floor and I had noticed she had spit up a little and so I passed by her on the way to get a burp cloth and you would have thought someone had pinched her.

We have taken her off of the Baby Zantac, she finished her last bottle about 2½ weeks ago.  She still spits up but she's not miserable when it happens and it doesn't happen nearly as much so we don't think there's a need to continue it.  She is eating solids twice per day, cereal at lunch and veggies for dinner.  Thus far she's had banana, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green beans.  Next we will be trying avocado, peas, squash and then we'll move on to some yummy fruit!  She's a great eater though when we first introduce a new food she always gives the funniest faces!

She's still a pretty good sleeper though some days she could do better.  But even on a bad day she's a better sleeper than her big sister ever was at this age so I try not to complain much.  All-in-all she's just an awesome baby and she (and Y) help me to remember the important things in life and to stay focused on what really matters.

Here are some 6 month photos:



Y wanted in on the photos.

It looks like a sweet sisterly moment but in reality it's just Q falling over onto Y, haha.



5 Months Old

Yep, I'm behind on this one too!

Q turned 5 months old on New Year's Day and I had every intention of taking pictures of her that day.  But likely because we were out of town and otherwise busy, it completely slipped my mind until Wednesday and even though that's the day I remembered it, it still took me until Friday to take the pictures.  Needless to say the past week was a bit of a whirlwind after being out of town for the previous 2 weekends.

At 5 months Q is still an angel of a baby, she rarely cries and we seem to get lots of comments from people who acknowledge just how little she cries.  If she's crying it likely means she's sleepy and someone didn't get her down for her nap on time!  She's been doing great with her reflux and when she finishes this last bottle of Zantac (in the next week or so) I plan to do an experiment and see how she does without the medication.  I am fairly certain that while she still spits up, she will do okay without any medication.  And in the event that I'm wrong, I'll just call the doctor and ask for a new prescription!

As for physically, she still loves to spend lots of time on the floor but she's still not completely rolling over yet.  She gets close many times but so far, no cigar.  She just needs to learn to tuck her arm in and she'd be rolling all over the place in no time.  I do find myself hoping that once she figures out how to roll onto her belly that she will simultaneously figure out how to roll herself back onto her back.  Because, honestly, it'd drive me nuts having to constantly roll her back over (unless of course I was playing on the floor with her).

She really enjoys watching Y while she plays and she always has a smile waiting whenever B walks into the room. I feel like she's beginning to enter the phase where she wants mommy much of the time. Sometimes I'll come home from the gym and she'll just cry out until I go over and hold her for a bit. She has really caught on quickly to eating solids and this week I'll start to add bananas to her cereal and after that we'll start her on sweet potatoes. I've already made sweet potatoes and carrots which are waiting in the freezer for her to start in the coming weeks.

She's already gaining quite the personality and is becoming a bit of a flirt!  She loves to look at herself in the mirror, as did her big sister and most other babies.  But whenever someone comments on how beautiful she is, which happens a lot, she gets the biggest grin on her face as if she knows exactly what they're saying and she's in complete agreement.  We always received lots of similar comments with Y but I don't remember her receiving the comment with such a huge grin on her face, haha.

P.S. Yes, her eyes are still quite stunning though I'm not sure what color I'd say they are now.  Pictures still don't quite to them justice!

4 Months

I've said before that the first couple months of Q's life dragged by but the last couple months have really flown by!  I can't believe she is already 4 months old.  When Y was an infant I found myself rushing time, mostly because I wanted to see her at the next stage or milestone.  This time around I'm much more relaxed and just patiently taking things as they come.

I've been extremely fortunate to have had two really "good" babies for the most part.  Q, much like Y was, is happy the majority of the time.  She loves to laugh and play, she is just a good-natured baby.  She has started blowing little spit bubbles and making all sorts of noises.  She smiles and interacts a little more with her big sister. 

I've been waiting to write this post until she goes in for her 4 month well baby visit but it's not until Wednesday and so I just caved and decided to go ahead and post it (I'll post another with her stats later in the week).  I've already taken her in to have her shots - which we have done at the health department because our insurance doesn't cover any preventative care (weird, I know) and the health dept. is always cheaper than having her pediatrician's office do it.  She took those 2 needles like a champ, only crying for a short moment at the end of the second shot.  So far, with both girls, they've never been fussy after having their shots - they sleep it off instead!

She may be starting solids this month, but it's something I intend to discuss with her doctor first.  She still has reflux and so I'm wondering if maybe we should hold off on solids until she is 6 months.  I'm not sure how she'll take to it anyway, she doesn't seem to want much in her mouth that isn't human skin - either mine or hers.  When I have her seated on my lap she will use her hand to pull my hand up to her mouth so that she can suck on my hand.  It can be quite funny to watch since 4 month olds still have fairly limited motor skills.  I've started to notice that when there is something she wants she will attempt to move towards it, I don't mean she's crawling or anything of the sort, rather that she will lean towards it or try to sit up or straighten her body to get closer to the object.  I am truly fascinated by all of the changes that she going through, every baby does it but I really feel like this time around I'm noticing so much more.  But maybe that has everything to do with what I said earlier about not rushing through each stage.

Here are some pictures which I took on Thursday, when she actually turned 4 months old.

3 Months Old!

On Tuesday, Q turned 3 months old and so, as has become tradition, I had to take some photos to upload to the blog and write a post about her.

At some point during the last month I was really able to begin to relax and fall into a more settled routine with all the chaos around here.  Q truly seems to be a completely different baby these days - the fussy baby of old seems to be a thing of the past!  She is sleeping great, she's slept through the night for the past 2 days waking at 7:40am and 8:40am respectively.  And even prior to that she would only wake up once per night between 4-5am and then go back to sleep until somewhere between 8-9am.  She loves to coo and babble what seems to be constantly at times. 

She is also a great nurser, so much so that she had started refusing the bottle.  I say "had" because while visiting with friends on Tuesday one offered to attempt to give her a bottle and she drank it all with little or no fussing...little stinker!  So today I tried it before heading out to the gym but it didn't work, she screamed her head off until she finally gave up and fell asleep (then I woke her and nursed her before leaving).  Then while I was cooking dinner she wanted to eat and so I told B to give her a bottle.  He tried to give it to her while standing close to me and she wasn't having it.  He moved a little farther away and guess what?  Yep, she drank the bottle!

She loves to be talked to and 99% of the time when you talk to her she will "talk" back and she always has a smile waiting when we talk to her.  She's never been a girl to take a pacifier but she has managed to discover her fingers and unless she's eating or sleeping (we still swaddle her) the chances are good that you'll find those hands in or near her mouth.  For those who are wondering:  yes, she does still have those blue eyes though there's still time for them to change.  And honestly, sometimes they appear to be more gray depending on the lighting.  We're still battling reflux though with the medication she's much, much better.

I am often asked about the differences in temperament between Y and Q now that things are a bit more settled.  And while both were/are relatively happy babies, Q seems to be a bit more high maintenance than Y was.  Q is very particular as to how she likes to be held and even when she likes to be held.  It always amazes people that majority of the time she'd rather you laid her on a blanket on the floor than to have anyone hold her.  She can literally be in a super fussy mood but the moment you lay her on the floor, all is well with the world!  But even given their differences we love them just the same and can't wait until they start to grow and play together.

I know all of the pictures included here are pretty much the same but they're all so cute and I love all the different facial expressions that I had a hard time narrowing it down and just choosing a couple.  So you get a collage instead.  And I can finally say, by viewing these and other photos that we've taken, Q looks like my mom.  It took us a while to figure out exactly who she favored but after seeing these pictures it's pretty undeniable! Needless to say this makes my mom very, very happy!