Celebrating

Adisyn turned 6 months old and this is a huge milestone. I remember thinking that 6 months seemed so far off. Now, I look back and realize how much she's learned and accomplished. If you can think of how much that goes on in just a 6 month time period it's nothing more than amazing. We are so blessed to be able to watch her grow and we are so proud of her!

At her 6 month doctors appointment she is still right on track. She now weighs 13.1 pounds and is 2 feet long! She's wearing size 2 diapers, can wear size 6 months clothes most of the time, depending on the clothing and is still in size 1 shoes. She is sitting independently now and the doctor was really impressed with as well. He mentioned that a lot will be happening over the next couple of months to be excited about such as her being more mobile and trying new foods. She's been really trying to crawl for a while now, so we're thinking any day it will happen. She has started eating rice and be starting her on solids this week so we're excited about her experiencing new things.

For the 4th of July we all went as a family (mommy, daddy, Adi, grandma and grandpa) to Orlando. Mark and I were celebrating a early anniversary (it'll be 10 years in August) and we really wanted to take a nice family trip. Grandpa has never been to Orlando before and neither of them have been to Disney World, so I was excited for them to experience it for the first time. At the same time, Mark and I wanted to enjoy our family time as well. So, with the help of my aunt Judy, who works for Disney, we were able to get some park-hopper tickets. Mark and I spent most of the day at Epcot. When we were getting a little tired, we went back to the hotel, rested up, then headed out to Animal Kingdom. We went on a Segway tour of Epcot before it opened. Mark was most excited about this and even though I really enjoyed the tour of Epcot and was excited about learning how to maneuver this mode of transportation, I felt like a dork on the thing. But, I do admit, it really a fun experience. For lunch we ate at a French Restaurant in Epcot. Later that day, in Animal Kingdom, we were ready to get on some water rides to cool us off. It was a perfect end to the day.

Epcot Center 7/2/12

We went back and forth on whether we should bring Adisyn to the park with us and if Mark's parents should go the same day as us, or we should just go alone. We decided to go alone so Adisyn wouldn't get too hot at the park all day (it was in the mid-90's) and that way Mark's parents (as well as us) could enjoy the parks at our own pace. We were happy with our decision. Mark's parents really enjoyed themselves at the park as well at at our hotel. Mark and his father were like little kids on the water slide at the hotel. His father had never been on a water slide before and neither him nor his mother are much for pools. Now, though, they are addicted and they are so glad they came! Adisyn is really getting more and more comfortable in the pool. She even kicks her feet when we're pulling her along. She also doesn't mind getting splashed from time to time, because with all the kids in there, it's bound to happen.

Tampa Aquarium 7/1/12

Since we felt like we were leaving Adisyn out during our day at Disney we decided that the 3 of us would go to the Tampa Aquarium one day. Adisyn was really interested in the aquarium and enjoys watching any thing that's moving. She really liked watching the river otters and the fish. It's such a good learning experience for her and with it being inside we didn't have to worry about her overheating.

While we were on vacation we took her sippy cup with us so she could use it for the first time. She seems to catch right on and knows what to do! She loves watching Mommy and Daddy eat and really wants to join us. She is now at the point where, if you don't watch, she'll pull the food off the plate.  She is also able to sit up in a "big girl" high chair. Since she's still a little small, sometimes I have to put some cushion behind her when we go out, but she does so well! She is also giving us "kisses" on our cheeks which is more like a wet slobber, but it's so cute! There's been a couple of times when she wants Marks attention that she calls him "bla". It's so funny that she's learning things to get our attention when she wants it. Since she's been able to sit on her own, she really likes sitting on the floor so she can watch the dogs. When they come over to see her, she starts kicking her feet and she gets so excited!

Using her sippy cup

We weren't sure how she would do on the trip since it was a long drive down there (about 8 hours) and being in a new environment. I was really worried that she'd sleep too much because she likes to sleep in her car seat so much. But, she did great. We tried to take frequent rest stops so she could stretch and play outside of the car. She seemed to get bored easily sitting in the car so she really liked it when we took her out. She didn't do too bad in the pack-n-play at the hotel either. Overall we had a great, memorable family trip.

4th of July ~ 6 months old

Walking on the sand with Daddy ~ 7/4/12

1st time in the grass

Mommy, Adi & Daddy's footprints

Walking with Daddy

Grandma, Grandpa & Adi ~ 7/4/12

Family picture ~ 7/4/12

Sitting in the grass for the 1st time!

I really like this stuff!

Adisyn's 1st time in her bouncer in the hotel:

Stop to Smell the Roses

Adisyn is now 5 months old and weights about 12 pounds 5 oz. It's amazing how quickly she learns something new. It makes me realize how much we take for granted the little things in life. I always liked to "stop and smell the roses" but now realizing that I am witnessing Adisyn seeing, smelling, touching and doing things for the first time makes me realize that every little moment is special. I remember the first time she felt the rain - we were leaving a store and it started drizzling and she squinted her eyes like "what is that?" Mark and I had a picnic about a month ago and Adisyn was laying on her back on the blanket touched the grass for the 1st time. She's exploring her toys and bringing everything to her mouth. She's even learning how to get the pacifier into her mouth. I love that we are able to see her learn and grow before our eyes and it's so exciting!

Now that I figured out this rolling over thing I like to sleep on my tummy!
6/3/12

This past month, on May 30th, Mark and I woke up like we normally do before work at 6am. Mark looked at the monitor and he tapped me and said "look Adisyn has turned over for the 1st time!" Mark went to go get her out of the crib and she was on her elbows as happy as could be, just playing by herself. Ever since then she thinks it's a game to roll onto her stomach as soon as we put her to bed. She is able to get on her knees and sometimes on her hands and knees, but she hasn't really put the whole thing together yet.

Sitting up! 5 months - 6/4/12

Adisyn is also able to sit now and is learning to fall. Around June 4th she was able to sit on her own for a second or two, then leans forward. She has starting stopping herself from the fall, but she has some to work on still.

Eating has began to be a lot more interesting. When mommy and daddy eat, she watches us closely, and sticks her tongue to the back of her bottom lip, making a chewing movement. Now, when she's hungry she'll do that tongue thing when she knows it's time to eat. The Pediatrician said that we can start her on rice anytime after 4 months and especially when she takes an interest in it. I think now's the time!

Bath time really cheers her up. If she's over tired, after a long, hard day, she loves to splash in the water. Since she really likes the bath, we were hoping she'd like the pool as well. It was about 90 degrees one Saturday, so we were hoping the cold water wouldn't bother her too much. When we were sitting out at the pool she feel asleep and lounged for a little while until she got hot. Then, I took her on the side of the pool, while Mark was in it, and we splashed her legs a little. She didn't seem to mind this so we pulled her in up to her waist. She wasn't sure of it at first, but then she really liked it! She loved to watch everything going on and seemed excited to be trying something new! We're loving the summer and we can't wait to see what she'll do next!

In the pool for the 1st time 5/25/12

Lounging by the pool

Just got out of the bath! 6/3/12

Laughing with Grandma

Grandpa makes me sleepy 6/8/12

Zoo Time!

Adisyn has reached the 4 month mark so she's no longer a newborn, but now an infant! I love that she's doing more and more each day! At the end of last month, she all of the sudden started to really giggle and scream when she laughs. It's so cute and it makes me laugh so much. She really thinks we're funny!

5/12/12

Since April 2nd (3 months) she has slept all night from 9pm to 5am. Now, we put her in bed at about 8 and she sleeps until it's time to get up at 6. Of course we have our days when she's over-tired and harder to get to sleep or she might wake up a little earlier, but she's learning to entertain herself for a little bit and we get her out of bed at 6 to eat. I think she likes this routine!

We had a great Mother's Day together. We did everything on Saturday, because it was so nice. First, we all went out for breakfast with the Rouseys. Jefferson and Adisyn are just a couple of weeks apart, so we like to get together. We were all eating and Jefferson was sitting on mommy's lap, so I decided I'd get Adisyn out too. When I did, I didn't realize she had an explosive diaper, and it got all over me! To make it even more memorable, Mark took Adisyn to the car to change her diaper and we forgot the diaper bag at home! Good thing Paige and Trey had a diaper for us to use! Later, Mark and I went to Falls Park and walked around with Adisyn in the stroller. We went on the hiking trails and it was a little more rough than expected...she didn't mind though! We then planted some trees and flowers at home. It couldn't have been any better (and more memorable)! It was perfect and I couldn't have been happier!

Mother's Day 5/13/12 @ 4 months and 1 week

Adisyn had her 1st trip to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC on April 30th. Originally, Mark and I planned on going just to have something to do because he was on vacation and I decided to take a day vacation day off of work. We had no idea that Adisyn would really enjoy it! We brought her stroller, and used that most of the time, but we carried her a lot as well so she could see everything. She loved the penguins! She was actually watching them swim from one side of the tank to the other! I was amazed on how well she did and how interested she was!

She is so much more aware of her environment. She really loves to watch the dogs and when the cat is on the bed with us she will watch him and act like she wants to crawl over towards him. So, I get her on her stomach, let her push, and we "crawl" over to him, and she reaches out for him. When she hears mommy and daddy's voice she looks for us. She's even starting to hold her arms out some, like she wants us to pick her up! She also loves it when daddy reads to her!

Reading with Daddy

Adisyn is now in her 3 month clothes and even though she still fits into 0-3 months, they're getting a little small. Her hair is getting thicker and more noticeable on the top of her head. I'm not quite sure what color it will be, because it's still so light on top and darker in the back. Her eyes are still a beautiful bright blue with long eyelashes! She likes her baths and her favorite toy is a beach ball we have that we do "tummy time" on. She's starting to put things in her mouth now and her favorite thing this far is her hand! You can hear her sucking away! We're trying to introduce her to teething toys so she'll get the hang of it when she needs them.

"Crawling" to my toys 5/13/12

Looking at my books

I love to hug my toys!

At Adisyn's 4 month check-up on May 4th, she weighed 11 pounds, 6 oz and was 22 3/4 inches. She is right on track for her height, weight and head circumference. This is a huge confidence booster because I feel like she's eating like she should! Her pediatrician was amazed on her head control. He's a laid back guy, and makes us feel at ease, but you could really tell that he thought she was doing great!

Here's some pictures from the Riverbanks Zoo on 4/30/12:

A whole lot of firsts!

We have been quite busy! It's funny how a normal holiday like St. Patricks can be so exciting, because it was her first! So, for each holiday, I take her picture and it'll be great to look back on it.

St. Patrick's Day ~ 10 weeks

As you can tell in the picture, her personality is really starting to show! She is really goofy and smiling more and more each day!

We also had a great Easter. Mark had to work this year, so we didn't have much of an Easter dinner, but we went to see him at work so that we could all go out as a family. We are really hoping to find a church, when Mark has a day off, that we can go regularly.

Easter! 13 weeks

Smiling on Easter! 4/8/12

I love this one!

Also, this past month, Mimi came to visit. Mimi is my mother, from Massachusetts and she was down for the first time to see Adisyn. She stayed for 2 weeks and got to spend Easter with us. I know my mom really enjoyed being able to spend time with Adisyn! She got to watch her during the day when we were at work.

Mimi & Adisyn on Easter

Walking at Falls Park 3/31/12

3 months old! 4/4/12

Adisyn also turned 3 months old! I know I mentioned this earlier, but I think each day she smiles more and more. She is trying so hard to communicate with us with her baby talk! She is noticing the dogs and the cat, and even tries to "crawl" towards the cat when he is on the bed with us. She is sitting up in her stroller more so when we go for a walk, she likes to look around at everything.  Also, as of 4/2/12, she officially sleeps through the night. When I say "sleep through the night" I mean that we put her to be between 8 and 9pm and she wakes up at about 5:30 to 6! I got Adisyn a beach ball to play on and it seems like it's now her favorite toy! She gets on there like an airplane and really has fun! She's starting to put more things in her mouth and is getting better at grasping objects. I'm amazed by her everyday!

Adisyn's hair designs

For some time now, I've been designing Adisyn's hair bows, even before she was born. It all started when I found a cute headband, which we bought, but it was very over priced. I wanted to use it for inspiration because I thought "I can do that!". So, I experimented with different headbands, clips, bows and flowers. I'm my worse critic because I find something I don't like about them and I decide to do them a different way. But, that's why I experimented, to see what I like!

When we had Adisyn's 3d/4d ultrasound, the technician told us that it looked like Adisyn had a lot of hair. I was really excited and couldn't wait to make some barrettes for that cute hair of hers! I knew baby hair was fine, so I made my own Velcro barrettes, because they're hard to find in the stores.

I then decided that I wanted something that she could use when she's little, when her hair is fine, but then also use as she gets to toddler size. That's when I decided to make some flowers that we're too big looking, even on a newborn size head, and make them out of a hair clip so I could use them now on a headband and later as a stand alone hair clip. I also like the idea of her wearing any color and making it look girly.

Here are some of my creations:

The smallest 2 on the left are Velcro, just dainty enough for even the smallest amount of hair. The rest of the flowers are ones I made with clips on the back. The headbands have loops so I can fit any of my clips through them and walla! fully transferable hair designs!

The Story Behind the Picture - 2 months old!

There's a lot behind this picture. For the past 2 weekends I've been trying to do her 2 month picture (she tured 2 months on March 4th). I really like the idea of doing every month and I love to see how she's changing. Last weekend when Adisyn was officially 2 months old, she wasn't feeling good from getting her 1st shots at the doctor. I tried to take her picture, but she wasn't having it!

This weekend I tried to do the same. I had her in a few different onsys but she has been spitting up so much that she kept getting them all wet! On top of that she just seemed like she had a stomach ache, so needless to say she didn't want to pose for any pictures. After being fussy for most of the day, I decided to put another onsy on to get a quick picture, ready to give up for the weekend and wouldn't you know - she just kept smiling picture after picture! It was perfect! It was a great way to see her personality and I know as the weeks to come we'll get to see it more and more! She's so sweet and I hate to see her not feeling well :(. But, as you'll see in the pictures, she's a cutie!

You Are My Sunshine

My only sunshine.

You make me happy

When skies are grey.

You'll never know, dear,

How much I love you.

Please don't take my sunshine away

Beach Time!

As the weather is becoming warmer, I hope that Adisyn will have more time outside! It's hard for winter babies because they're so use to being bundled up and indoors when they're first born that they don't get a chance to experience the outdoors!

At the beach! 2/24/12

Adisyn had her 1st trip and we went to Myrtle Beach, SC for the weekend and we brought along Grandma and Grandpa. On the way down there, it was beautiful weather, about 70 degrees. But, Saturday and Sunday were cooler, in the 50 or 60, but very breezy. We walked on the beach and went to Barefoot Landing, which is a outdoor shopping center where you can feed the ducks and fish. I carried Adisyn in a Bjorn carrier and it kept her nice and warm. She really liked being in the carrier and it allowed her to stretch out more than in her car seat in the stroller. Grandma had fun picking up shells for Adisyn, so she'd have them for her 1st trip. I was hoping to take her into the indoor pool, or at least dip her feet in, but we decided the in-room jacuzzi was much better. She loved being in the water! I hope by this summer she'll be ready for the pool!

The view from our room at Myrtle Beach

 

At the beach - I love this picture!

Jacuzzi time with Daddy!

I'm so excited because I'm seeing more smiles and coos everyday! I love that she's becoming more interactive! She has really started reaching more for objects and is liking her play time. She's starting to roll over so with a little more practice, she'll be there! I'm proud of my little girl, I think she's doing great!

Reaching for toys!

Jefferson making the moves on Adisyn 3/2/12

Adisyn also officially met Jefferson. On our first outing with them, we all just went for a walk. This time, though, we took some pictures of the two of them together. I think these pictures will come in handy in about 20 years! She was fussy during our visit which I figured it was because we just left her pediatrician's office, Dr. Jack and she was tired and sore from her 2 month wellness check-up and 1st shots. She is now 8 pounds, 13 oz! He was happy to see her growing good and she's on track. He mentioned that he would like us to see her transition into her own room now, but take it a little at a time. She was fussy the rest of the weekend with diarrhea, she wasn't a happy girl :( She was feeling much better at the beginning of the week. We're so proud of our little girl - she's growing good and learning more each day!

Trey and Jefferson, Mark and Adisyn

Not feeling so good after her doctor's visit :(