Abigail @ 7 Months

At her recent doctor visit, Abigail weighed 15 lbs., 15 oz. (36th%) and was 27 in. tall (76th%). She is in her 6-9 month clothes. I already can’t remember when this girl was small! I also found out she has thrush at her doctor’s visit—it’s a yeast infection in the mouth. I noticed a yeast infection in her diaper area a few days earlier, so I don’t know which came first, but apparently they’re pretty persistent and can stick around on toys & anything she puts in her mouth. So she’s taking an anti-fungal by mouth for the next 10 days and I’m sanitizing anything & everything she’s come in contact with—which is everything! We also took her to the dr. a few weeks ago where she was declared to have eczema so she also has a steroid cream for that, plus Zyrtec for allergies, which may be the cause of the eczema. Everything’s already clearing up nicely, but boy is she a high-maintenance baby!
She is still a great sleeper, sleeping from about 7:30 at night till around 7 in the morning or later. She usually naps from about 9:30 to 11:30 or so in the morning and then about 2 to 3:30 or 4 in the afternoon, although lately she’s not really into the afternoon nap and will sometimes not go down until after 3 or closer to 4. She nurses probably every 2 1/2 hours when she’s awake, or right before she goes to sleep & right after she wakes up. She doesn’t really like to be rocked at night. Most of the time she just wants me to put her in bed.
She’s getting better at solid foods, and we’re doing 3 meals a day now, but she still only takes maybe 1 or 2 Tablespoons of food at each meal. She really has no preference for flavor, although she did NOT like the textured kind I gave her the other day—she is not ready for finger foods. A few weeks ago, she already figured out how to drink from a cup! I still have to hold it up to her mouth for the most part, but she can get juice or water out (and she’s not picky about what cup she uses).

This is a very curious little girl. If she sees something she is interested in, she will do whatever she can to get it! And she doesn’t like to sit still anymore! She has already started “crawling”. I first saw it on May 17th. It was more like “inching” on her belly, but that’s the same type of “army” crawl Leah & Andrew started with (although they started much later). She doesn’t even sit up on her own yet, but she can crawl and get wherever she wants to go! She loves to play in the playroom with Leah & Andrew where she can explore all the toys and get into things. She’s not content with her boring old baby toys anymore.

 
Video proof of her crawling:

She loves to be outside, but only if she can eat the grass.

I anticipated the wiggly stage when taking these monthly photos, but thought I’d eliminate the problem by leaving out the paper sign like I did with Leah and Andrew. Turns out it doesn’t matter what prop you use, a wiggly baby will not lay still to be photographed!
 
She’s finally getting some hair, but still no teeth.

Abigail @ 6 Months

 

Can’t believe how much fun this little girl is now! We haven’t been to the dr. yet so I don’t know her measurements, but I’m guessing she’s at least 16 lbs. She’s in her 3-6 month clothes & size 3 diapers.

 

She’s still nursing on demand, usually every 4 hours or so during the day, just after she wakes up & just before she goes to bed. She’s slept about 12 hours through the night pretty consistently the past 3 weeks or so, from 7:30pm to 7:30 or 8 in the morning. She loves her sleep! She’s also got a pretty good nap schedule, usually from about 9:30 or 10 in the morning until 11:30 or so, then again in the afternoon from about 1-4 or so. If she wakes up much earlier than 4 she gets really fussy by about 6:30 but as long as someone’s there to entertain her, she can make it to bedtime.

Since she started eating solids, she’s tried a little of everything. She’s still not really too good at keeping it in her mouth & doesn’t eat much, but she’s getting better. While she seems to prefer green vegetables over the sweeter fruits, this is the face I get most of the time:

She first rolled over April 1st and hasn’t stopped moving since! She’s all over the place now—I never know where I’m going to find her. She loves being on the floor more than anywhere else. She doesn’t really like her bouncer much anymore and she likes the Exersaucer but she’s happiest rolling around on the floor with her toys.

Those fingers (or a toy or something!) are constantly in her mouth. I can feel a little tooth popping in on top but I can’t see it yet.

She’s going to be a little princess just like her sister.

She has definitely discovered her feet. She is determined to fit them into her mouth.

 

  

I would describe her as fiesty but easygoing. She definitely stands her own against her brother & sister when they get all up in her face, pulling their hair or whacking them as best as she can. It takes a lot for her to get upset and if she’s crying its usually only because she’s tired and even then she stops crying pretty quickly. She likes to be cuddled, but only held upright—not laying down. When she’s ready for bed, she just wants to be in her bed, not laying down in someone’s arms.

 

Abigail’s First Food

 

What better way to celebrate my growing baby’s first Easter and her five-month birthday than by giving her her first taste of solid foods?

Her first bite… She held the first few in her mouth for a little while & didn’t swallow, but she didn’t really spit it out either. She didn’t have much of a reaction at all, in fact. Just sat there with the cereal in her mouth.

And then ate her table…

And then spit it out…

And then we had an audience…

She would rather give it a try herself. (She grabs everything these days!)

Then Daddy gave it a try…

And Big Sister…

And Big Brother…

“I don’t understand what all the fuss is about. This spoon is good, though…”

“But much more fun to bang on the table…”

She’s happy now, but she had a big tummy ache later that night and screamed a little while. She didn’t really ingest much, I think she just had an “off” schedule of eating because of Easter and all our other activities.

Abigail @ 5 Months

 

At her doctor appointment on the 23rd, Abigail weighed 14 lbs., 9 oz. (the same Leah weighed when she was 6 months) & was almost 26 inches long (the 85th%)! She is flying through her 3-6 month clothes since she is so tall.

As much as I try to get her on a schedule, with 2 older kids, the baby sometimes ends up getting the short end of the stick. When we’re home, she’s usually up at 7:30 or 8, then sleeps again from about 9:30 until lunch, then again from around 2 or 3 until 5. Then she’s up until bedtime around 7:30. So usually she’s only awake 1 1/2 to 2 hours at a time. She’ll usually nurse when she first wakes up, and then sometimes a little more before she goes to sleep, so every 2 hours when she’s awake. She’ll take about 20 minutes to eat in the morning & evening, but usually only about 10 minutes or so the rest of the day.

She’s finally getting better at the bottle (although she won’t take one from me) but still won’t take a paci. She’s pretty stuck on those middle two fingers. The doctor said it didn’t seem like she had teeth popping in, even though they must be at the early stages with as much as things are put into her mouth!

She’s giggling and smiling and interacting a lot more now and she brings us so much laughter! She can really play with toys now, and rotates from her tummy on the floor (where she chows down on anything you hand her to play with), the Exersaucer, the bouncer seat, or on her back on the playmat. She’s usually perfectly content as long as someone’s around to talk to her or pay attention to her. If I put her in Leah & Andrew’s room she’s content a lot longer than by herself. She’s social just like her sister & brother! She still prefers to be standing on her feet more than anything else. And hasn’t officially rolled over, although she’s flipped over in her crib several times now, in the middle of the night. I have yet to see it during the day, but she tries so hard to move around.

We had a little 5-month/ Easter photo shoot & I couldn’t pick my favorite! She looks cute in bows.

 

 

Abigail @ 2 months

 

In just a few short weeks, “baby” Abigail has won the hearts of everyone in our family! She started smiling December 2nd & although it was rare at first, it’s becoming more common now, and I can’t help but smile when I see her smile. She loves to have people talk to her, especially in a high-pitched voice, and especially likes to hear her name. She seems to just tolerate her brother & sister this point, rather than really enjoy their company, but then again, they always smother her with hugs and kisses, and she’s probably not sure what to do with that! She has a pretty easygoing temperament, but she’s starting to not be quite as content to just sit around in her carseat when we’re out—she’d rather be held & be a part of the action.

She loves to sit or be held straight upright. We figured out she tolerates her swing longer now that we pulled it up so it sits up straighter rather than leans back. (I’m looking forward to using our Bumbo once she gets a little more head control.) I can hold her laying in my arms all day long, but she won’t go to sleep until I hold her upright against my chest. Then she nestles her little head and snuggles in and eventually settles down.

1st Slept Through the Night: December 21, 2012

Abigail is my best sleeper yet, although she still doesn’t really have a predictable schedule. For 3 nights in a row, starting December 21st at my mom & dad’s house, she slept 8 hours straight. I was so excited! That didn’t continue, although now she’ll usually still sleep 6 hours, wake up to eat, and then sleep another 6 hours. During the day her usual schedule is to eat every three hours, staying alert & awake about an hour each time, and then falling asleep (or being rocked to sleep, since she’s spoiled). That’s not always the case and right now I usually feed her on-demand—she’s so efficient & quick at eating, anyway!

She’s a great traveler, and though sometimes she’ll scream at having to be in her carseat (because she’d rather be held or maybe because she has gas or something?), she usually does well in the car and in public places. She’ll take a pacifier, but only for a minute or two, and even then I have to hold it in her mouth—she really just doesn’t want things in her mouth if she’s not hungry, I guess. We’ve tried a bottle a couple times, and she does okay, but usually gets really fussy afterward, and is still hungry within an hour or two.

Two Months Old

We haven’t been to the doctor yet, but I weighed her at home the other day and she was about 11 lbs., which is right between where Leah & Andrew were at her age. She fits solidly in 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers. She no longer looks exactly like her sister did and is developing a look all her own, although she seems to be keeping her pretty blue eyes.