7 Month Pictures

Lainey turned 7 months on Friday. Where has the time gone?

Here's a link to the pictures  from the past month(there are a few video clips in this batch). Enjoy!
Lainey's 7th Month

Who Needs Gerber?

Now that Lainey seems to be getting the hang of eating solids, I decided to give making her baby food myself this weekend. In less than an hour, I whipped up three batches--carrots, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash. Pretty easy and much cheaper than shelling out 75 cents a jar. I'm not saying I'll be going the homemade route all the time, but when I've got the time, why not?

To get all that great food, we had to take a trip to the grocery. Lainey rode in the cart for the first time and LOVED it! Look at that round face!!! So happy!

Elusive Laugh

Lainey loves to smile! We have no trouble getting a huge grin out of her. But, she is very, very, VERY stingy with her giggles. We work hard to get that rare full belly laugh and still haven't found gold for something that consistently amuses her. What makes her laugh one day is old news the next day (or even the next minute). It's frustrating, because her laugh is like crack for Mark and me. We get a little taste and we just want more, more, more!

I stumbled across some noises last night that caught her fancy and managed to catch a little bit of her joy on video. Perhaps you'll understand why Mark and I are so obsessed with getting a repeat performance...

Wonderful Weekend!

What a great weekend! Lainey's feeling all better, her antibiotics are done, her diaper rash gone and, dare I say it, she's been sleeping through the night again!

Mark and I took advantage of our daycare's Parent' Night Out and hit Blackbird for dinner on Friday. You can still call it dinner if you make a 5:30pm reservation, right?  When we walked up to the restaurant, only one lone woman was seated in the completely empty restaurant. Mark and I started cracking up, and Mark said "This is embarassing." But, by 6pm the restaurant was half full, so we weren't total losers. The food was still fabulous...baby octupus appetizer and sturgeon entree for me and mussel bisque and roasted lobster for Mark. We had coffee and dessert and were still out of there and off to get our girl by 7pm. Just as well we were early birds, because the snow was pretty thick and we wanted to pick Lainey up well before the 9:30pm cut off.

Mark had a less lovely Saturday, running around and doing errands, including taking the car in for an airbag recall. But, I had a full day with Laineybug, including an awesome afternoon nap together (we would repeat this on Sunday). I love me some cuddle time with my girl!

Sunday we ventured out to a restaurant with Lainey for the first time in a very long time! We grabbed brunch at Revolution Brewing. They've expanded their brunch menu with lots of tasty sounding dishes. I think I have a new favorite over their biscuits and gravy...the Red Flannel Hash. Super yummy!This was Lainey's first whirl at sitting in a restaurant high chair. She did pretty well, but got antsy the last 15 minutes we were there. Just as we were getting the check, we could see a meltdown coming, so I quickly suited her up for the cold and headed to the car, while Mark paid. (I refuse to be that parent who lets her child scream in the middle of a restaurant.) As soon, as I got her outside, she was completely chill. I think she was just bored and need a change of pace.

Now it's Sunday night, Lainey's in bed and it's time to prep for work tomorrow. Boooo! While I'm so happy we had an amazing family weekend, it makes going back to the office that much harder. Thank goodness Mark drops Lainey off at the daycare in the mornings. I have a feeling if I were in charge, we might play hooky everyday.

No more car seat! Lainey's ready to eat at the table!

Cozy

Dad says "No dating until you're 30!"

We finally made it out to see little Alex Carlson (although not so little...he's 11 weeks and almost as big as Lainey!). As you can see below, Lainey liked him...a lot!! Guess kisses aren't just for her mommy anymore.

Getting ready to make her move.

A little sweet talk...

Come here you!

6 Months Already!!!

Lainey turned six months old last week! Her latest stats, as of her 12/21/2011 doctor's appointment, are 17 pounds, 8 ounces (75%), 26 3/4 inches (90%) and her head is still sitting large in the 95th percentile. She can sit up on her own now, but is still wobbly enough that she needs supervision. (Mommy got distracted this morning and let her topple forward and smack her head on her new play kitchen. I cried more than she did.) She's very alert of her surroundings and gets distracted easily, so feedings have been a little difficult lately. My favorite new trick or hers is "kissing." She grabs my face in her little hands and plants her open mouth on my cheek. Who knows what she's really trying to accomplish, but I'll stick to my kissing theory.

It's been awesome being home with her for 11 days in a row! Not looking forward to returning to the office tomorrow. : (

Sitting tall!

Kisses for Mommy!

Christmas 2011

Lainey's first Christmas was full of travel, presents, and, sadly, illness. We hit Moline to celebrate Amelia and Oliver's birthdays and spend Christmas with the Brandi clan.  Lainey had her first introduction to bows and wrapping paper during the birthday festivities and was immediately hooked. I knew there was no need for actual presents this year! Of course she still got showered with books, toys and clothes from her Grandparents and Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. Everyone was kind this year giving toys that make minimal noise, but I don't think we'll get that consideration forever.

Discovering wrapping paper with Aunt Rebecca

Christmas morning with her cousin Amelia. Santa was good to both!

After Moline, we headed on to the "Heart of it All" for a visit with Grandpa Bob and Uncle Chris. Both went just a tad overboard on gifts for our little princess, but I guess I'll let it slide this year. I mean what six-month-old doesn't need a zoo of stuffed animals, multiple dolls, and a dancing Brutus Buckeye? (Not to mention all the other toys and books.)  And she has plenty of clothes now (although I did have to tell Dad it's okay to buy them in other colors than pink).

Grandpa and his little lady

Don't make me go upstairs! I want more presents!!!

As for the sickies...poor Lainey came down with a fever Christmas Eve afternoon. We knew right away the culprit--another ear infection. Luckily, an urgent care center was open Christmas morning. We got her started on some antibiotics, which seemed to do the trick until Wednesday afternoon when she woke her nap screaming and didn't stop for four hours. Off we went to another urgent care center. The doctor questioned the selection of anitbiotics she had been given, saying it doesn't always work well on ear infections. So, a new prescription was written. She seems to be doing well now, but we'll see how things look on Wednesday when we take her back to the doctor. Since this is her third ear infection in two months, Mark and I are going to ask about tubes. Everyone who has had babies with repeat infections says they work wonders and wish they had had them put in sooner than later. We'll see what the doc says!

All in all it was a pretty great first Christmas for our Lainey! We missed Grandma Pam a lot, but she was there in spirit and I know she is looking over our little girl.

Not enough pictures for you? Here's the full album of Lainey's Christmas fun: Christmas 2011



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