Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Party, Americana-style

Nothing better to kick off summer than a good dose of Americana. Patrick and I decided to celebrate the freedoms that our fearless soldiers protect by having a water party. We love to entertain, but we NEVER do anymore. When we were newlyweds in Montgomery, we loved having dinner parties, pool parties, parties galore. We still get together with friends and family (our social life has not completely gone to pot... ;)), but with young children, our party planning endeavors have come few and far between aside from kid birthday parties and baby/wedding showers. What's worse, we couldn't remember the last time we'd had my family over. Truly sad. So we fixed it with a fun, memorable, cicada-serenaded, HOT afternoon and night.

First, we got out some red, white, and blue:
Next, we fired up our grill and marinated some kabobs:
(peppers, onion, squash, zucchini, grape tomatoes, chicken, and steak in a marinade of lime juice, olive oil, *soy-free, dairy free* butter, Montreal chicken seasoning, and Jane's Krazy Salt)

Finally, we got out our old and new water toys, turned on the hose, and let the good times roll:

And can't you tell by the look on her face that her good time was rolling!?! Love it!We actually managed to get a family shot before it was all over...
The big cousins, only posing for a picture because we told them if they smiled, they could get in the water... You gotta do what works.
Our best attempt with the four of them...
Ansley in her new suit with her Jaydee.
The fun begins!
And continues...
My beautiful sis watching the action...
Daddy getting in on some action...
"Wow, that was fun, huh!"
The Meek men
Bear and Anser (which is Addison's new nickname for her. She might be a little bit like me in her love of all things nicknamed... :))
The little besties playing away...
Happily exhausted after a fun adventure...

Happy Memorial Day, yall!

Monday, May 30, 2011

Is she or isn't she? Can she or can't she?

So, we've officially started trying cereal...
and the questionable diapers are back... TMI, right. Who wants to talk about poop? Well, poor Patrick, my mom and sis, and my closest friends have probably had more of these types of convos than they ever care to have again... Bless her. She loves eating, and her system could just be changing or her up-and-coming teeth could be playing a role (I mean, we don't ever deal with things in isolation... Who does, though?) OR her body could just be rejecting it as an allergen. The good news is there has been no rash, no breathing problems, no vomiting, so we will hope it is an immature digestive system.

Regardless, move over rice cereal, we are trying baby oatmeal next. On deck are sweet potatoes and squash. We are going to find some things this sweet little girl can eat, and I am determined to have fun and be hopeful trying. Thanks for your thoughts, prayers, and emailed tips regarding my last post! Happy Memorial Day!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Ansley at 6 months... barely before she is 7 months... oops!

I am getting worse and worse at this! Ansley will be 7 months on Saturday, and I am just now doing her 6 month post. What a fun month it has been for us. I remember calling 6-months with Addison the "glory baby days," and I feel the same so far with Ansley.Isn't she a doll? This picture I called "sunning" in my facebook album, and this was her at her big sister Addison's best buddy Jackson's Water Party for his 3rd birthday.
This was us on Mother's Day. People think we kinda look alike. In this picture I would agree. I think she looks a lot like her big sister, but she definitely looks like an individual self, Ansley-girl.
She started sitting up a little after 5 months, and this is the first picture I snagged of her.
She was tired out after our Easter lunch because she had to play HARD to keep up with her big sis and her big cousins.
She can hold her own though, don't worry. Look at this mischevous grin.
She was just excited to come to the party.
She also got to celebrate her cousin Hanna Claire's 3rd birthday this month, and her Sawyer-buddy turned 1. They are about 5.5 months apart, and they are going to continue to be big buds.

At Ansley's 6 month appointment, I was nervous about her weight. We had had those setbacks and weight losses through all of our allergy issues, but once we removed the allergens from her diet, she started packing the pounds. At her 6 month appointment, she had doubled her birthweight at 15lbs, 1.5 ounce putting her in the 30th percentile, and 2 weeks later when she had an ear infections, she was already up to 16 lbs. Yay Ansley! I can't remember her actual length and head, but she's in the 80th for height and 90th for head. Steady growth on all acounts.

She is still only eating breastmilk and she eats 5 or 6 times a day taking 6 or 7 ounces per feeding. This has been hard. I think that she wants real food, but with all of her issues, our pediatrician put the brakes on introducing solids. Tomorrow we are introducing cereal for the first time (2nd official time), and I had to hunt for a soyless cereal, but thank you beechnut! In addition, our doctor recommended making all of her baby food, so my friend Karen let us borrow her puree-er and cookbook. If anyone has any tips or trick in this department, I'd love them!

At 6 months, Ansley loves sitting by herself, reaching for things, getting on her tummy from sitting position, her sophie giraffe, her feet, her stacking toys, her Einstein turtle, and her sister. Addison can make her belly laugh better than any of us.

She babbles ALL the time. No docile second child here.

Her favorite books are Goodnight Moon, What Make's a Rainbow?, Peek a Whoo?, and Pat the Bunny.

She loves bathtime, and she has started hating bedtime. It started with her ear infection--she ended up back in the swing back in our room, and then her up and coming teeth have set her back, but usually she goes to bed at 8:30, and I wake her up at 6 to get her ready for school.

As I just mentioned, she is getting 2 teeth. This surprised me because Addison didn't get a tooth until she was almost 11 months old, but I know that 7 months is average. They are close to breaking the skin! Yay Ansley.

We are head over heels with this littlest blessing, and we appreciate any thoughts and prayers for her as she continues to battle these allergies.