Audrey's Eight Month Update

I am sorry that I haven't posted in such a long time! I know I will say this every month for the rest of Audrey's first year and then I will probably say it every year but I can't believe Audrey is eight months old! This month has been so much fun! She is doing so much and her personality is really starting to come out. I am sorry that I did not post a seven month update or that I haven't update my blog in a while. It has been a really busy couple of months for us. Here is Audrey's eight month update! 

Nicknames: Nugget, Nuggets, Princess, Audrey-kins and Daddy calls her Audrey Grace a lot

Teething: She has two bottom teeth in front now. You can see them in all of her pictures and it's so darn cute! She is still teething but this month it hasn't been that bad. I think she enjoys putting things in her mouth now more as a means to explore and get to know the way things feel. She seems to like to grab anything she is not supposed to have! Cell phones, remote controls, kitchen utensils, clothing hangers, etc and she tries to put everything in her mouth. I can feel the top two teeth coming through and I can see the corner of one of her front top teeth breaking through. I have a feeling those will come out this month. 

Clothing: She is mostly wearing size 9mth but she still fits into some 6mth clothing and she can also fit into some 12mth clothing. Alot of her 6 mth onesies still fit because she has a small neck and shoulders but length-wise, she has almost grown completely out of them.

Diapers: Still in size 3 and I am still using Honest Co diapers and loving them.

Eating (Solids): Audrey eats solids 3 times a day. For breakfast, she usually eats a banana with oatmeal, for lunch and dinner she eats a variety of fruits and vegetables, grains and she also eats greek yogurt or regular yogurt. She is not a picky eater and enjoys most foods. She has started picking her food up herself this month which has been really fun to watch. It is really nice to be able to let her try some of our food too now that she can chew. We spoiled her a little this month and let her try some deserts too. She loves vanilla icecream and she also had some blueberry cheesecake that she could not get enough of! 

Eating (Breastmilk): She is still breastfeeding and it is still going very smoothly. She nurses about 3 times a day and at night before bed. She  wakes up at least once in the early morning to nurse and then she will go back to sleep for a couple of hours. It is nice to be able to feed her solids when we are out now as opposed to breastfeeding. She is so curious about her surroundings now that breastfeeding her in public has become impossible. I am hoping to continue breastfeeding her until she is a year or until she self-weans. 

Sleeping (night): She is sleeping through the night and is still sleeping in our bed with us. As I mentioned in her previous updates, this works for us for now. We need to lower her crib now that she can pull herself up in it. At some point in the next two months I do plan to transition her into her crib. 

Sleeping (naps): Audrey usually takes two naps a day. She wakes up in the morning around 8am and will go back to down for a nap from 10-11 and again from about 3-4.

Milestones : Audrey has started really trying to crawl this month. She has almost mastered it. She can also pull herself up to standing position and wave hello and goodbye. She says Mama, Dada, and will say Hi sometimes, she will even say Hi Dada once in a while. She will also give hugs and kisses! 

Social: She is very social and loves meeting new people! She is not always very quick to smile back but she loves looking at people's faces. She loves to play peek-a-boo and peering at you in the mirror when you are behind her and then turning around to see you (Daddy plays this game with her a lot). She does have separation anxiety when she is away from me or from Sam. As a result, it has been difficult leaving her with sitters but she loves her Aunt Chris and we have been able to get some time out alone this month. We really enjoy taking her out with us. She loves restaurants and is such a good baby when we go that it's really enjoyable to have her with us. It is nice to have alone time with my husband though so we try to have a date night at least every two weeks, even if it is just to have dinner alone at home. 

Likes: Peek-a-boo, looking in mirrors, having her feet tickled, holding on to my hands and pulling herself up to stand, bath time, swimming in the pool, jumping in her bouncer, swinging at the park. 

Dislikes: Being away from Mommy and Daddy for long periods of time and she also dislikes having her diaper changed during play time. She will cry and try to sit up until I am done. 

Fun things we did this month: We went to Naples with Grandma while Daddy was in Connecticut for a business trip, we went to the beach club with Uncle Eric, Aunt Jen and her cousins, we bought a kiddie pool and Audrey played in it for the first time and absolutely loved it! We also took Audrey to the zoo for the first time in June. 

Mama: I feel great! I just started working out again and doing a little cardio during the day. I feel so good when I get a workout in! I am officially a "Stay-At-Home" Mommy now and I could not be more happy and blessed to be able to spend this time with Audrey. Sam and I debated whether I would go back when she was a year old and thankfully, there is no need for me to work now. At some point when Audrey is ready for pre-school I will definitely go back to work but for now I get to stay at home with her and I am so lucky and blessed to have a husband who can provide enough for our family that I am able to do this. It is the best gift Sam has ever given me.

Daddy: Sam is doing great! He loves his job! It is so adorable to see how cute he and Audrey are together. I fall in love with him all over again when I see how much they love each other.

Siblings: Felicia and Jackson are so good with Audrey! Felicia is like her second Mommy and if Sam or I aren't near her, she is usually happy as long as Felicia is. She is such a big help to me. I am so lucky to have her! Jackson makes Audrey laugh on a daily basis. Just looking at him makes her laugh! 

 Looking forward to: We are looking forward to Daddy's birthday next month and going up to Georgia and Tennessee for the annual Lay/Mason family vacation in October to visit extended family! 

Now that she is more mobile taking her monthly pictures is getting difficult! She had a lot of fun pretending that she was going to climb off of her bean bag! 

This big girl can already pull herself up to a standing position!

The Honest Company used this photo on their instagram page which I thought was really cool! 

Audrey loves sleeping on her Daddy!

We went to zoo one Saturday afternoon and Audrey fell asleep after about an hour

Seventh Month Pics

Seventh Month Pics

Seventh Month Pics

Seventh Month Pics

Audrey loves rocking on her owl that Aunt Cathie gave her! 

"Six Months and Sitting Up Like a Big Girl" Photo Session

We take a lot of pictures of Audrey but I like to have professional photos taken once she reaches certain milestones. Sitting up is definitely one of those milestones! Luckily, my best friend Julie Binger is a very talented photographer and she is willing to take Audrey's photos at no charge. She took Audrey's Easter photos and they turned out so cute! For her six months photos,  I decided to dress her in her 4th of July dress. I figured it was close enough to the 4th at this point and the dress is just too darn cute to only wear once. Audrey's Aunt Jen bought the dress for her from Baby Gap. She also bought her the sunglasses that she's wearing in some of the photos and they are from Carters. I hope that you all enjoy the pictures just as much as we do! I can't wait to frame some of these!

I hope you all enjoyed them! Thanks for checking in!

Nicole

Jack's First Catch

Sam has been teaching Jack how to fish for over a year now. We have a canal behind our home and Sam enjoys going outside on weekends or after work some evenings to toss a line and see what he can catch. It is pretty fun to watch and he always throws the fish back. Jack started going out with him to watch shortly after we moved in and sometimes Sam would let him use his pole. For Christmas, Sam bought Jack his own fishing pole and tacklebox so that they could fish together. It was one of Jack's favorite presents and he wanted to fish immediately after he opened it. Once Jack learned how to hook his own bait on the line, he started fishing after he finished his homework each afternoon. He wouldn't catch anything all day and then Sam would get home, cast a line and catch a fish within 15 minutes. This went on for months but Jack did not give up. He kept trying and even got stung by a bee one day while he was fishing but that didn't stop him. He was really determined to catch a fish!

A month ago, Jack was out back and Sam had just come home from work. We were in our living room and all of a sudden we heard the loudest screams coming from our backyard. My first thought was that Jack had been stung by another bee but I heard him screaming words. We finally registered what Jackson was screaming as we were headed out back, "I CAUGHT A FISH, I CAUGHT A FISH!" with an extreme emphasis on the "i" in fish. Jack was so excited! Sure enough, a little fish was dangling on his pole! The look of pride on his face was one of the most adorable things I have ever seen. Even cuter, I could tell he was searching for that look of approval on Sam's face. When Sam congratulated him, Jack looked even more proud of himself. Then Jack asked for help getting the fish off the hook. Sam helped him of course.

This story means so much to me. Being a step parent is hard and being a stepchild can be even harder. It is not easy to create a bond with a child who already has parents or for a child to essentially adopt a parent. It can be very hard for both to accept one another. Sam's relationship with both Felicia and Jackson has not happened over night. It has taken time and effort from all of us. Seeing Sam outside fishing with Jack everyday was only a small portion of that effort. Jack had never fished and Sam taught him. One day when Jackson is all grown up and he takes his children fishing, he will remember his stepfather teaching him how to fish and that's pretty special. They created a bond and it melted my heart to know that.

Jackson and his first catch!

Audrey's Six Month Update

I am so excited to post Audrey's 6 month update! When I had Audrey I knew I wanted to document as much as possible and I have been sending my family an update via email every two months. This is so much easier and such a great point of reference! I will be doing an update every month until Audrey is a year old and then every few months after that.

Weight: 16 pounds 0 ounces
Height: 25.5 inches

Head Circumference: 16.2 inches

Well Check/ Dr. Appointment: Audrey had her 6 month check up today and the doctor said she is growing perfectly! She had her first "cold" this month. She spiked a fever about two weeks ago and it ranged from 101-103 for about 3 days. We had our first trip to urgent care since it happened over the weekend (of course) and it turned out to be a slight cold with nasal congestion only. We gave her tylenol a couple of times when her fever got above 102 and used saline and a bulb syringe to clear her nose. It cleared on it's own within a few days and she was perfectly fine. I am really happy that we didn't have to give her any antibiotics!

Nicknames: Cheekies, Audrey-kins, Nugget, Snuggies, Baby (how original, huh?) Felicia also calls her "Nakie baby" before and after her bath when she is undressed.

Teething: She finally has a tooth coming in! You can see the very top of it poking through her gums. It is her bottom right tooth.

Clothing: Still in some 6 month sizes and all 9 month sizes too.

Diapers: She is wearing size 3 diapers for the past month and I think she will be in this size for a while. We switched from Up & Up (Target Brand) to Honest Co. diapers when she grew into size 3 (around 5 months) because I started having leaks with Up & Up. I really liked Target diapers but she would still have an occasional leak when she was in Size 1 and 2. I am happy to write that we have had no leaks with the Honest Co diapers! Also, the designs are so cute! I've posted some pics below.

Eating (Breastmilk): I am still breastfeeding and it's going great! I pretty much let her nurse whenever she wants. Generally, she nurses for about an hour in the morning, afternoon, and evening. She also wakes up to nurse around 4 every morning and then she will fall right back asleep until about 7:30.

Eating (Solids): We gave her solids for the first time when she was 4.5 months old. She was definitely ready! She was starting to reach for food and drinks whenever they were anywhere near her. The first food we gave her was organic brown rice cereal (Happy Bellies brand) mixed with breastmilk. Slowly we gave her more foods. Now she eats a large variety of foods- peas, sweet potato, butternut squash, banana, mango, spinach, apples, pear, peach, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, prunes, carrot, and avocado. Her favorites are bananas, mango, sweet potato and peas but she really likes everything. I try to puree most of her food myself. I puree the bananas, mangoes, avocado, and blueberries myself. The other foods are mostly a combination of either Ella's Kitchen, Plum, Peter Rabbit, or Sprout brand baby food. She really loves eating and it makes me really happy to feed her good food and to know that she is breastfed. It makes me feel very proud!

Sleeping (Night): She sleeps anywhere from 9-10 hours a night. She wakes up around 4am and I nurse her and she falls right back asleep within 15 minutes. She is still sleeping in our room and it really works for us, for now. I will probably transition her to her room when she is around 8 months old - just in time to make the next baby! Just kidding haha!

Sleeping (Naps): She generally naps twice a day for about 1.5 - 2 hours. We are on the go a lot some days so she will cat nap here and there on those days.

Social: Audrey is a very social baby! She loves meeting new people and will warm up very easily to most. She loves to smile and enjoys attention. She does make it really clear when she feels like she is not getting enough attention or when she just wants to be with me. This baby can scream! She sounds a lot like a pterodactyl, no joke.

Likes: Eating real food and playing airplane with the spoon, bathtime and lotion massages before bed every night, tummy time with big sister and brother, playing "super baby" with Mom, looking at herself in the mirror, playing peek-a-boo with Daddy and swimming in the pool.

Dislikes: She still really does not care for car rides and being in her carseat, especially around 6-7pm which makes going out in the evenings stressful for us. I am hoping Audrey grows out of the "witching hour" soon. 

New this Month: She sat up for the first time two weeks ago and also rolled over from back to tummy and tummy to back earlier this month. She can also move her body 90 degrees during tummy time. She is already trying to pull her knees up so I think she will be crawling soon.

Fun things we did: Audrey stayed with Aunt Chris and Uncle Frank while Sam and I had our first post Audrey date (and she did great)! We visited the beach club with Aunt Jen, Uncle Eric and cousins Matt, Jake, and Andrew and also went swimming in the pool for the first time at Grandma's house!

Mama: I feel great! Audrey already has separation anxiety so she does not like to be away from me and while I am happy and proud that we have bonded so closely, it can be frustrating at times. I know it won't last long so I try to enjoy it as much as I can!

Daddy: Sam was recovering from back surgery this month. While it was difficult for him and for me since he was unable to bend over or lift anything over 10 pounds, including Audrey, it has been nice having him home from work for the past couple of weeks. He will go back to work next monday and we will most certainly miss him. He has bonded with Audrey even more! When it comes to playtime, it is pretty easy to see who Audrey prefers now.

Siblings: Jack and Felicia are amazing with Audrey! They are so sweet to her and she loves them so much. If it weren't for them I wouldn't be able to get even half as much done and Audrey wouldn't be nearly as happy. Felicia loves to get Audrey undressed while I run her bath every night and she helps me bathe her. It's really a huge help!

Looking forward to: Big cousin Andrew's 4th Birthday party, big sister Felicia's 11th birthday, having Jack and Felicia home all day to play during the summer and Aunt Chris and Uncle Frank coming home from their New York trip! 

Ready for the beach!

Audrey sitting up by herself for the first time

She loves mangoes...

..and smiling!

Felicia is such a good big sister!

This adorable outfit was from Aunt Cathie. It is one of my favorites!

She loves sticking her tongue out now

Big smiles for the camera

This is another favorite outfit of mine. I love rompers on babies!

This picture shows the true color of her hair. It is a strawberry blondish color in the sun. Her ends are still dark like they were when she was born and her eyes are a blend of colors, blue, green and grey. 

Playtime with Felicia

Audrey loves her big brother Jack!

Audrey loves her Daddy so much! 

Tummy time

Audrey loves playing with her toes!

Baby rolls are so cute!

Six Month Photo Collage

Months 1 - 6

I hope that you enjoyed the update! Thanks for checking in!


Nicole