6 month appointment

We went to the pediatrician today,  Dr. Moylan with St. Luke pediatrics on the Plaza.  I love this doctor.  He is so calm, laid back, and reassuring.  I went in with a typed page full of questions and worries and walked out feeling good about the world.  You were wonderful the whole appointment.  You just rolled around on the table.  You got your 6 months shots and you took them like a champ.  I could barley sleep last night because I was dreading you having to get shots and hearing you cry so hard.  But you only cried for a few seconds and then I distracted you with your favorite toy: your musical bee.  Dr. Moylan says you are perfect and healthy and growing just like you should.  You are 13 lbs, 12 oz and 25 inches.  You are in the 25%tile for weight and the 50%tile for height.  You are 6 months and 5 days old and have not been sick at all!!  Yay for healthy breast milk!

Avocado- First food!

Oh the joys of being a mommy :)

Love is expressing breast milk straight into the mini food processor to make the avocado puree taste more sweet, familiar, and delicious.

Hopefully tonight we will get less of these faces:

And the gag . .

Quinn, even though you seemed dissatisfied with the initial taste of avocado (it is much more bland than Mommy's sweet milk) I think that you will grow to like this creamy and nutritious fruit.  Perhaps in guacamole.  :) 

Look at those teeth!

Next up is sweet potato . . .

Milestone- rolling from back to front

Dear Quinn,
About an hour ago you rolled all the way over from back to front for the first time!!  Yesterday you were getting close but your arm kept getting stuck under you and you couldn't get all the way on your belly.  Today after much reaching and practicing you did it!!  Good girl.  It was so hard for me not to help you over, but I wanted to see you do it for yourself. 

If Daddy is home tonight we are going to reach another milestone- your first food!!  Avocado!  I was going to wait until tomorrow when you are officially 6 months old but the avocado is nice and ripe today.  I've read a little about "baby lead weaning", where you give the baby long pieces of soft food and they feed themselves from the very beginning.  I am not completely sold on it, but I will let you learn about food in this way and also feed you purees that I make.  We will see how you do with it.  I am so excited because I think you are ready and you've been very interested in food for weeks now!  But it's also a little sad because you are growing up so fast and this means soon you will be eating food for nourishment instead of just depending on me.  BUT of course I plan on nursing you for at least another 6 months and probably past that. 

You just woke up from your nap so I have to go :)

Giggles

Give me a calm and thankful heart

http://www.newoldhymns.com/in-feast-or-fallow/

We sing this song at church and I love the lyrics so I looked it up. 

Petition

Gratitude is a shield against fear and self-absorption. It makes the heart quiet and poised to listen. This album, as a faith statement, opens with a prayer for thankfulness. Anne Steele wrote these words in 1738, at the age of 21, after her fiancée drowned in the river the day before their wedding. Her life had much sorrow, and her hymns display beauty that triumphs over grief. (She also wrote “Dear Refuge” and others from the Indelible Grace projects.) Her hymns read like Psalms, timeless and resonant, as the poet preaches truth to her soul and mine.

Father, whate’er of earthly bliss
Thy sovereign will denies
Accepted at thy throne of grace
Let this petition rise

Let the sweet hope that thou art mine
My life and death attend
Thy presence through my journey shine
And crown my journey’s end

Give me a calm, a thankful heart
From every murmur free
The blessings of thy grace impart
And make me live to thee

You raise your hand to still the storms
that rage inside my head
revive my heart with gratitude
Love, quell my doubt and dread

Give me a sure and rested soul
From every fear relieved
Thy spirit’s pow’r and presence mine
To ever comfort me

Kairos Moments

Today has been a really good day.  You are napping now and you've been in a really good mood all day.  This morning we went to Crown Center and Union Station with Ms. Stephanie and Caleb.  We saw the trains at the Railroad Exhibit and walked through the walkways between Crown Center and Union Station.  You loved watching the trains and followed them with your eyes and head as they went by.  Then Ms. Stephanie and I got coffee, well I got a chi latte which was delicious.  You took a little nap in the stroller while we drank our coffee which was wonderful because then Ms. Stephanie and I got to talk.  When we got home you ate and then you pooped all over the place so you got a bath.  :)  You LOVED your bath today and sat up in the tub and splashed in the water.  Then I lotioned you up and you played with some fun stacking stars that Aunt Chrissy got you.  Now you are napping like a sweet angel.

It's been a rough week because you have not been sleeping very well at night, but I thank God for you every day and want to remember the wonderful moments and days like today, even when I am so so tired.  This is my Kairos.

I read this wonderful blog post about Kairos earlier this week:
http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/

Here is a quote from it:

"There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in. It’s regular time, it’s one minute at a time, it’s staring down the clock till bedtime time, it’s ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it’s four screaming minutes in time out time, it’s two hours till daddy gets home time. Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in.

Then there’s Kairos time. Kairos is God’s time. It’s time outside of time. It’s metaphysical time. It’s those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day. And I cherish them."

Sleeping in the stroller with your teether that looks like a dog toy.

You loved the trains!

Clean and naked baby!!

5.5 month photo shoot :)

I got these great prints from Etsy and framed them for your nursery.  So I thought we'd have some fun and take pictures with them since you had your adorable new outfit on.  I love all your facial expressions!

 

I look at you all day, and still, seeing your face takes my breath away and make me wonder how a girl like me could be so blessed.  Grace.

A Christmas Reflection

I don't want to forget to write about your first Christmas!!  You had so much fun and already love opening presents.  I have pictures to prove it!  We got your picture taken with Santa.  You got an awesome wagon from Grandma and Grandpa Smith.  You took your first trip to Silver Dollar City.
You loved playing with all the family and loved all the attention.  Everyone gets a kick out of you and loves you so much.  We are so blessed to have such incredible family.

Hear are some pictures:

 Quinn loved playing with Liz

 Great Grandma

 Look at that determination!

 Christmas!

 Gimme presents!

 First trip to Silver Dollar City in my wagon!

 My favorite :)

 

I love the creepy Mommy and Daddy portraits in the background. :p