Happy 15 Months Annie!

Even though you still look little, every day you are showing us that there really is a 15 month old in that little body of yours.

 

You are a very engaging talkative girl. You don't have a ton of words that we recognize, but you chat all day long, and are very serious about some of the things you say. One day when I went to get you out of your crib, you babbled something very specific at me, and then immediately repeated it. I have no idea what you were saying, but you certainly knew!

Speaking of getting you out of your crib, you are so fun to get up! As long as you aren't crying, your happiness bubbles forth when we come to get you. You grin and wave your arms around, and sometimes clap. You love to throw your puppy and giraffe out of your bed while you wait for us.

You have a great laugh (and always have!). You laugh is infectious and precious at the same time. You laugh easily, and I love how genuine your laugh is. You think so many different things are funny, and it is fun to see what you will laugh at next.

 

For the most part during the day you are a happy baby, and you are generally content to play by yourself. However, as soon as I start trying to cook dinner you become whiney and fussy and usually come crying to me while I'm at the stove. I have no idea what it is about me cooking that you don't like, but you really, really don't like it when I cook dinner. It is both funny and annoying at the same time.

You have become such a quick walker. I look up and you've darted across the room (or into the playroom if someone forgot to shut the baby gate!). You have a little "prance" in the way you walk, and it is pretty cute. I think the prance is really a product of your little stature combined with good walking skills, but it is funny nonetheless.

I was able to teach your cradle roll class for a few weeks as a fill-in and the first week you taught, you reminded me so much of Luke! Luke has an amazing ability (thank you Trent!) to keep a straight face even if he is perfectly fine. (Ella, Troy, and myself do not have this ability, ha!). You kept a straight face the entire class period the first week I taught, no matter what I did. And, speaking of Bible class, you now "grow" when we sing "Read Your Bible and Pray Everyday." You also do a pretty good job putting your hands together (consistently) when we pray at meals. Other times of prayer aren't quite as consistent.

You still hang onto your bottle, but are doing a great job drinking regular milk. And, although you love your bottle, the reason we've really held onto it this long has more to do with us and less to do with you (lots of things on the schedule that kept us from completely breaking free of it!). You are a fairly picky eater, but you love chicken (and meat in general) which is so funny to me! Your brothers and sisters were not good meat eaters at this age.

Signs you do: more, finished

Words you say: hi, bye, "uck" (yuck), eh-ah (Ella, although you haven't said it lately), mama, daddy, ba-a (bottle), "ished" (finished), something that sounds like "Maddux" (one of our dogs)

Animal noises you make: duck

Favorite foods: chicken, cheese, peanut butter crackers

Favorite activities: walking everywhere exploring, trying to escape to the playroom, playing with the dogs, putting things in things, looking at books, singing songs

Happy 1st Birthday Annie!

I'm ashamed to say that I am just now writing this post . . . almost a month and a half after you turned one. I could blame it on a lot of things, but ultimately, it just got lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I'm sorry that its late. Because it is so late, I likely won't remember the details the way that I would like. My speculation about that you'll be walking soon won't hold much water, because the reality is that I know you started walking at 12 1/2 months old. But, I will write now and not delay any longer.

The difference a year can make! We are so blessed to have you as part of our lives and family. We are thankful that you've entered our lives and cannot wait to continue to love you and grow with you.


You are still tiny, although I'm unsure how much you weigh. In your cradle roll class, there are a few babies who are younger than you (some by several months) and you are even tiny compare to them. And, as you can see in the pictures, you still haven't seemed to figure out how to grow hair. ;) You will keep a bow or headband on your head though, so that helps out strangers who might mistake you for a boy because of your bald head.



People constantly comment that you are such a happy baby, and how you always seems to have a smile on your face. You are generally a happy baby, but I think sometimes people's perception of your happiness is false. You are usually happy if someone is holding you or giving you attention. However, if you aren't getting the attention you think you need, you can become quite sad. For the most part though, you are easy to calm down as long as someone gives you attention.



You still use the crazy one-legged, half-sitting up crawl. You are soooo fast using that method of crawling, and you crack us up when we watch you fly across the floor. You also like to crawl with the bottle in your mouth, which is equally entertaining. Your cruising skills have continued to improve, and you'll also cruise with the bottle i your mouth. You seem to be very steady, and we kept thinking that if you actually tried to walk you probably could. You never really attempted it though before you were one year old; you'd rather drop to the floor and scoot away.

You continue to be very attached to the bottle which is very ironic to me since getting you to take the bottle in the first place was such a battle the first six months of your life. You've been eating some table food, but you never seem to eat that much as once. You are pretty open to tying new foods, but if it goes in your mouth and you don't like you, you have no problem pulling it back out. You are also quite the sorter when it comes to food. If you don't like/want something that's on your tray you start dropping all of it on the floor. If it isn't something you want, it will not stay on your tray or spot! Sometimes if you don't want us to give you a bite you purse your lips together and close them tight. It is pretty funny! You weren't too sure about your cake on your birthday. You ended up eating some, and I think you liked it, but at the same time I don't think you were overly excited about it either. I've posted the video, but overall it is pretty uneventful. :)


You continue to be an extremely vocal baby. You make all sorts of funny noises, and yell at us in lots of different ways. Overall you don't seem very interested in signing, although you have signed more and finished. You'd rather yell at us than sign to us. You also find yourself quite funny at times, and we love to hear you laugh. In the video below I was telling you "no" and you thought it was hilarious that I told you no. I'm not sure what that means for the future! ;)


Signs you do: more, finished - you much prefer to yell at us though to communicate
Words you say: Mama, Daddy, Ella, Maddux (something that sounded like Maddux anyway), bye-bye, hi/hey, "uck" (for yuck)
Favorite foods: cheese, nutrigrain bars
Favorite activities: chasing the dogs around, chasing your siblings around, putting things in things

Happy 11 Months Annie!

I admit that 11 months snuck up on me. I feel like when people have asked how old you are I barely had time to tell them that you were 10 months old. But it doesn't matter if I feel like a month has passed or not, it has, and you are now only one month away from being a year old.

 

Although you are still tiny in stature, you show off all the time how big you really are. Just days after turning 10 months old (and not long at all after you'd started pulling up), you starting cruising around our furniture with ease. We've created a barricade in our living room for you and you can easily make it around the room without any issue whether you are crawling or cruising. You continue to crawl crookedly with one leg underneath you in almost a sitting up position, but despite your non-traditional crawling form, you are a fast crawler! I admit that when you started crawling I thought your crooked crawl was just a stepping stone to crawling in a regular manner, but now that you are SO fast crawling crooked, I doubt you'll ever crawl regularly. I will NOT predict when I think you will walk because I have been burned by all your siblings with my predictions. However, there have been a few times where you act like you might take a step . . . but once again, I don't know! You have no problem standing up only using one hand to hold onto something and you can even pull up against a wall. One day you started acting like you were going to climb onto our ottoman bench!

This month you learned how to high five! You can give a high five with each of your hands, and you love to play giving high-fives. You've been waving for a couple of months now, but I think you have progressed to doing it more unprompted by us and at the appropriate time. Just a few days ago we were walking around Target, and Troy yelled "bye-bye Annie" as he went with Trent to a different part of the store. You promptly waved and said "bye-bye" back. I loved it! It was the first time I'd heard you say "bye-bye."

You are definitely a vocal baby, not only saying a few words (mama, daddy, eh-a (Ella), bye-bye, and maybe a couple more), but also by the noises you make. Although you've signed "more" a few times, you much prefer to grunt or yell at us to tell us that you are ready for more. For many months now I've been able to hear you yelling happily in your Bible class when I'm in a different area of the church building. You also had us all laughing one night with not only the noise you were making in the video below, but also because you were so straight-faced the whole time!



I admit that I'm writing this post really late (like two months late. .  .) and it is possible that I will get some details wrong, BUT I think when you turned 11 months old your four front teeth on top had come in for a total of six teeth. Your two bottom teeth continue to be just SO cute though! I don't know exactly what it is about them, but your toothy grin is great! You also continue to do funny things with your tongue! I'm amazed at how you are able to twist it all over the place.



You were an elephant for your first Halloween, and you tolerated your costume well even though we had warm weather. I think you enjoyed the pumpkin patch as well.

Annie @ 10 months

Luke @ 11 months

Troy @ 11 months

(I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old)

Happy 10 Months Annie!

There's something about the ten month mark that makes you seem so big. Realizing how close you are turning a year old is almost hard to believe. And, every month it is harder and harder to take pictures of you in your monthly stickers because your coordination and grasp are so good! You are determined to take your sticker off . . . I had to stick it back on your countless times during your 3 minute photo session!

  

Your two front bottom teeth came in this month. They've been on the verge of coming through for a while, but they officially made their appearance. When your teeth came in you started doing all sorts of funny things with your tongue. The pictures below kinda show what I mean, but you do even more crazy things than the ones I caught on camera. You often completely twist your tongue sideways . . . it is pretty funny!

 

Although you only started crawling last month, your mobility has increased rapidly. You are a fast, funny, crooked crawler. You crawl with one leg under you in such a way that you are almost in a halfway sitting up position. It is easy for you to pop up and down from crawling to sitting up. You also started pulling up this month.

 

You are quite the talker and I think we can say that you officially added "Ella" and maybe "hi" to "mama" and "daddy" as words you can say. You have special relationships with your brothers and sisters, and I love to watch how you interact with all of them. Ella loves toting you around. Troy loves to kiss you on the head. You and Luke play a "chasing" game in the living room (that I haven't quite caught on video yet!).

You have a beautiful smile and everyone always comments on how happy you are. Generally you are a pretty happy baby, especially if someone is holding you or giving you attention. You enjoy playing by yourself though too. We've barricaded you in the living room, and you often contently crawl around the living room playing with different toys, looking at the window, or even getting Maddux. You love Maddux and he is SOOO good with you (see the video below). One of the reasons that we got the breed of dog we did was because that breed is supposed to be good with kids . . . well Maddux definitely is!

And another video of how crazy you are sometimes!

Annie @ 9 months 

Luke @ 10 months

Troy @ 10 months

I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old, but I do have this photo of Ella with her 10 month sign :)

Happy 9 Months Annie!

Once again, this month brings so many changes and milestones!

I always think it is so funny how babies like to prove you wrong. I don't know how many times I've predicted my babies will or won't do something only to be proven wrong. For instance, a week before you started crawling, I would have said there was no way you'd be crawling. You hated to be laid down on your belly (even though you sleep on your belly!), and almost always immediately popped up or flipped to your back when we laid you on your belly. However, about a week after you turned 8 months old, you started diligently trying to crawl, and within a few days of trying you were on the go! The video below is from the first day you were crawling. You have since gotten much faster, but you sill crawl with one leg underneath you - which allows you to easily pop into a sitting position.

You started sitting up unassisted last month, but this month you are officially stable enough to sit in a grocery cart - which makes shopping easier and more fun! You love looking around, smiling, and talking to me as we go throughout a store.

You continue to be a very vocal baby, yelling when you are happy or sad or when you just want our attention. I don't know how many times I've gone to check on you during Bible class because I can hear you, only to find out you are just talking loudly (not upset at all!). You can now say "Mama" and "Daddy" and sometimes I think you can say "Hi" but I"m not sure. You also finally signed "more" this month, although you much prefer yelling at us to ask for more instead of signing.

This month you started clapping and waving. In both cases, you just started doing them on your own - we weren't prompting you to wave or clap. Your wave is very funny: it reminds me of a pageant wave. It is very stiff and calculated, but also very precious!

You love Maddux, and often grab his fur when he passes by. Thankfully he is very tolerant of you! We haven't gotten a good video of it, but you and Luke have played a chasing game of sorts (usually around your walker in the living room) and you and Luke usually both end up laughing. It is great!

You have definitely been sleeping more consistently, and it has been amazing1 There are still nights it seems to take you a while to settle down (you'll be up several times in the first couple of hours we put you down, but eventually settle in for a full night's sleep).

Annie @ 8 months
Troy @ 9 months
Luke @ 9 months
(I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old)

Troy's 6th Birthday Interview

Troy just turned six, and so it is time for another birthday interview!

1. What is your favorite color? Yellow now
2. What is your favorite toy? That chompy thing
3. What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon
4. What is your favorite TV show? Captain Jake
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Lunchable
6. What is your favorite outfit? This one (spiderman) Its my newest outfit
7. What is your favorite game? The games at school
8. What is your favorite snack? Those goldfishes that are whitish grayish yellowish (parmesan)
9. What is your favorite animal? Tigers
10. What is your favorite song? Lucy Locket Lost Her Pocket (its a very funny song)
11. What is your favorite book? The ones at shcool
12. Who is your best friend? Nathan
13. What is your favorite cereal? Oh my favorite cereal . . . cinnamon toast crunch
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Run around with Maddux and let him eat leaves
15. What is your favorite drink? Gatorade. I haven't had that in a long time, but I like that.
16. What is your favorite holiday? I'm thinking . . . the one that's coming up. Halloween 
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Ranger and puppy and my white blanket
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Same thing. Cinnamon toast crunch and lucky charms
19. What is your favorite thing for dinner? Mac and cheese
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? A woker at Chick-fil-a
21. What is your favorite movie? Finding Dory
22. Where is your favorite place to go? Chick-fil-a
23. What is your favorite Bible story? The story when He calmed the disciples down and made the storm be still and said "Peace Be Still"
24. What is your favorite memory verse? Genesis 1:1
25. What is your favorite letter? T

Troy's Fifth Birthday Interview

More birthday interviews!

Luke's 3rd Birthday Interview

Luke turned three so he is officially old enough for a birthday interview!

 

1. What is your favorite color? Blue
2. What is your favorite toy? Maybe Thomas
3. What is your favorite fruit? Gum! Blueberries
4. What is your favorite TV show? Haunted Mickey
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Cake and cookies. Lunchable
6. What is your favorite outfit? Spiderman
7. What is your favorite game? Maybe its . . . squirrel game
8. What is your favorite snack? Gum! Cereal
9. What is your favorite animal? Lion
10. What is your favorite song? Bue (blue) Skies and Rainbows
11. What is your favorite book? Thomas
12. Who is your best friend? Ella and Troy and Mama
13. What is your favorite cereal? Lucky Charms
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Games
15. What is your favorite drink? Milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Easter 
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? I not know. Cheetah! Little blankets and big blankets
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Lucky Charms
19. What is your favorite thing for dinner? Hmmm . . . let me think. I know. Its fish and chicken and rice
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be a soldier (after we gave him a list of options)
21. What is your favorite movie? Thomas. Frozen
22. Where is your favorite place to go? Whataburger
23. What is your favorite Bible story? When God created the world
24. What is your favorite memory verse? Luke
25. What is your favorite letter? B

More birthday interviews!

Meal Database 2.0

Several years ago I created a meal database of our favorite meals. I refer to it often when I'm trying to figure out what to cook for dinner, but the list of meals I cook for dinner has grown over the years and the database was in bad need of an update.

Beef

• Brisket
• Taco salad {ground beef}*
• Beef enchilada casserole {ground beef}*
• Hamburgers (we usually go bunless and add awesome toppings like caramelized onions, bacon, and a fried egg) {ground beef}*
• Warm, toasted roast beef sandwiches
• Roast
• Beef fajitas
• Beef fajita quesadillas
• Pasta with meat sauce {ground beef}*
• Hobo dinners {ground beef}
• Grilled steak
• Stuffed bell peppers {ground beef}*
• Beef and broccoli 

*For recipes that use ground beef, sometimes I substitute part or all of the ground beef with ground turkey.

Chicken

• Chicken enchilada casserole
• Chicken spaghetti
• Chicken with a balsamic glaze
• Baked chicken breast
• Crispy yogurt chicken
• French fried onion chicken
• Chicken fried rice
• Chicken pot stickers
• Chicken pot pie (drop biscuit or regular pie crust)
• Chicken fajitas
• Chicken fajita quesadillas
• Chicken and sausage jambalaya
• Chicken, sausage, squash, and onion bake 
• BBQ chicken quarters

Pork

• Pulled pork
• We eat pulled pork a variety of ways, including on buns, in tortillas, or in bowls with jalopeno coleslaw!
• Grilled pork chops
• Pork tenderloin

Seafood (I've been trying more seafood, but haven't found a bunch of recipes that make the "regular" rotation yet)

• Salmon oven roasted in butter
• Balsamic salmon
• Shrimp sautéed in butter 

Other

• Traditional breakfast for dinner (usually includes bacon and eggs plus one of the following)
• Pancakes
• Biscuits
• French Toast
• Apple Fritters (Often without the apples, lol)
• Breakfast tacos (may be "regular" breakfast tacos or could include something like leftover brisket (brisket + eggs = great Texas breakfast taco!))
• Pizza
• Stuffed bell peppers {could be stuffed with ground beef and cheese OR breakfast sausage, cream cheese, and shredded cheese}
• Lasanga
• Chicken spaghetti
• Pasta with meat sauce
• Creamy pasta with chicken and bacon

Soups and such

• Taco soup (ground beef)
• Chicken enchilada soup
• Chicken and dumplings
• Creamy chicken, bacon, and rice (sounds weird, but it is yummy!!)
• Potato soup

Favorite sides

• Grilled corn
• Corn hash (corn roasted with bacon, bell peppers, and onions)
• Grilled asparagus
• Grilled squash
• Roasted broccoli or roasted broccoli and carrots
• Roasted asparagus
• Sautéed green beans
• Sautéed broccoli or sautéed broccoli and carrots
• Sautéed squash
• Sautéed cabbage
• Black-eyed peas
• Mashed potatoes
• German potatoes (still trying to master these!)
• Crash hot potatoes
• Oven roasted potatoes
• Coleslaw
• Jalapeno coleslaw
• Asian coleslaw salad
• Rice
• Couscous
• Cornbread stuffing (if I’m feeling ambitious)
• Fried squash

Breads

• Cornbread
• Parker house rolls
• Garlic bread

Make Ahead Meals (or meals that require little prep AT dinner time)

• Chicken enchilada casserole
• Beef enchilada casserole
• Roast
• Country style steak
• Chicken spaghetti
• Lasagna
• BBQ chicken quarters
• Pulled pork
• Beef and broccoli (if cooked in crockpot - I like it better NOT in the crock pot)

The First Day of School

Ella's first day of school interview:

1. What do you want to be when you grow up? Any kind of doctor
2. What was your favorite thing you did during the summer? Play in the pool with the cousins
3. What is your favorite thing to learn about in school? Math
4. What is your favorite color? Purple
5. What is your favorite thing to play? Little legos

Troy's first day of school interview:

1. What do you want to be when you grow up? I'm thinking something with a ninja
2. What was your favorite thing you did during the summer? Go to Disney World
3. What is your favorite thing to learn about in school? Reading
4. What is your favorite color? Red
5. What is your favorite thing to play? Little legos

I don't know how many posts I write where I feel like starting it out, "I can't believe it is already time for . . ." This summer flew by, and it is hard for me to believe that it is already time for the kids to go back to school. Ella and Troy have both been anxiously waiting for the first day of school, and I love their enthusiasm.

Troy, who has been an early-riser for some time now, asked Trent if he could "sleep a little longer" when Trent went to get him up, which we thought was hilarious and ironic. I think he had a great first day, although in some ways I think he was disappointed because it wasn't exactly what he thought it would be. The first thing he said to us was "I didn't get to use any of my school supplies!" He was pretty excited about getting to go to the library and touring the school.

I think Ella was a bit nervous about being in a new classroom with a new teacher because she had formed such a great bond with her first grade teacher. However, when we dropped her off, she seemed like an old pro who knew exactly what do. And, when she came home she was excited about her day especially that she got to make "Jitter juice" (I think something like punch), and that she already had homework. Last night Ella's teacher even called to tell us how she enjoyed having Ella in class, and wanted us to tell Ella that she was looking forward to seeing her again tomorrow. I appreciate that her teacher took the time to call us (as I'm sure she did with all the students).

We are looking forward to a great year, and cannot wait to see and hear about what they learn and experience!

Happy 8 Months Annie!

I feel like so many things have changed this month! With every passing month you grow and change, but some months record more changes than others and this was definitely one of those months.

At the beginning of the month the entire family went to the Peach Valley AIM camp. The camp was a great experience, and you did SO well while we were at camp (with the exception of sleeping well at night, but that was nothing new!). You were good-natured and happy, and did much better than we could have asked! You loved being held by different members of the staff, and often fell asleep in their arms. One of the most exciting things about camp was the fact that it provided another opportunity for us to try the bottle, and you finally (kinda!) actually ate from it without acting like it was the worst thing we could stick in your mouth.


And, after camp, we continued to try the bottle, and I can happily say that you now easily take the bottle! You can even hold it if you want to, although you generally prefer for someone to hold it for you. You continue to be a great eater, and are doing a great job letting us know when you want more food (you've figured out how to yell at us to tell us you want more). You can be quite vocal when you want more food! You are also very coordinated; more coordinated than I remember your siblings being at this age, but then again it all blends together. You do really well grabbing your bites of food and putting them in your mouth. There are usually very few puffs on the floor or in your highchair when you finish eating. You have two little teeth trying SO hard to poke through, but they haven't quite come through yet!

For a couple of months now you have been fairly stable when you sit, but this month you officially graduated to full-on unsupported sitting. It provides you great freedom, and I think you really enjoy being able to sit up on your own. You still are not crawling, and generally hate being put on your tummy (which is ironic since you sleep on your belly!).

Your personality continues to blossom, and while you have been charming us with your smile and laugh for a few months now, you really began interacting and reacting to us in a whole new way this month. Your facial expressions have multiplied, and our favorite is when you scrunch your nose in happiness (just like your brothers and sisters).

Over the past couple of weeks you've been generally sleeping better: longer stretches and more consistently. You still have the occasional night where you are up frequently, but those nights are becoming fewer and fewer (thankfully!).


Annie @ 7 months
Luke @ 8 months
Troy @ 8 months
(I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old)

Happy 7 Months Annie!

Once again, I'm behind writing this post. . . we've been slightly busy, and I've barely even opened my computer this summer. And, once again, I wasn't able to take a photo with your monthly sticker. :( I painted the living room, and in the process managed to misplace your monthly stickers. Good news, though, I found them, so I'll be able to take your 8 month photo! And . . . I'm way behind editing personal photos, but hopefully I'll come back and fill photos into this post later.

But, enough about me, and onto you!

Seven months! Wow, more than halfway to one year old (your siblings like to remind us often how close you are getting to one year old). You even said your first word this month (mama!) as I either walked into or out of the room. Sadly, I missed it, but daddy heard it! I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you'd say "mama" first because you truly are a mama's girl.

Although I haven't weighed you lately, I know you are still tiny. People still often guess you are younger than you are based on your size. However, if someone really observes you, it is easy to see that you are closer to one than a newborn! From your strength and stability to your interactions and smile, you show us everyday how big you really are getting!

Ella has been loving holding you and carrying you around lately. I though as you got bigger, she might shy away more because you weighed more, but it has been quite the opposite. She asks to hold you many times a day, and she does a great job toting
you around. The boys also ask at times to hold you, and when they do, they love it! I wish I had been able to capture to huge grin Luke gets on his face when you get in his lap.

You still haven't been sleeping very well at night, although the few days right before you turned 7 months old you slept well (so maybe you are starting to turn the corner). I know the amount of traveling we've been doing probably isn't good for helping you get into a good sleep pattern. Not only are you not in your bed (and I think you pretty much hate the pack n' play), but your schedule has been completely out of sorts. You have generally been doing better napping, but if you have to sleep in your pack n' play for naptime, you usually don't sleep as well.

You continue to love solid food, and have become an expert "puff" eater. It has been really nice that you can enjoy your puffs during a meal because it makes things easier on us (you stay distracted while we eat!). And, despite the fact that I've thought your teeth would pop through at any moment over the past couple of months, they still haven't broken through!

You finally really figured out your jumperoo this month, and your jumping is pretty great. You like to jump as long as we don't leave you alone . . . it seems the moment we walk out of the room to do something while you are in your jumperoo you immediately start fussing and won't be happy until we get you out. Since you have figured out your jumperoo, your legs have been kicking it into overdrive! You often kick/bounce when we hold you, and are quite the wiggle worm!

Your giggles have brought us (and many others) much joy this past month. It is easy to make you smile and laugh, and baby giggles are the best! Ella loves to try to get you to laugh (and she's good at it!). I'm amazed at all the things that you find so funny that you giggle. I've included just a few videos of your giggles this past month.



Annie @ 6 months
Luke @ 7 months
Troy @ 7 months
(I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old)

"Meet My Dad" by Ella and Troy

Happy Father's Day! We are so blessed by Trent in our family. I am also blessed by my father, and the love and guidance he has shown me throughout the years.



I've been completing this interview about Dad from Ella and Troy for a few years now. Their answers are always telling and entertaining! I originally found this interview on Pinterest. 

• What is Daddy’s name? 
• Ella: Trent
• Troy: Trenton
• What does Daddy do for fun?
• Ella: I think he likes to play with us
• Troy: Play with us
• What does Daddy do at work?
• Ella: He. . .  let me think. He studies with students; he helps people learn about the Bible.
• Troy: Works on his computer
• What are his favorite things to eat?
• Ella: Brisket, jalapeño, a lot of things with onions
• Troy: Jalapeños, onions
• What does he like to drink?
• Ella: Diet Dr. Pepper and sometimes coke, and sometimes regular Dr. Pepper
• Troy: Dr. Pepper
• How old is Daddy?
• Ella: Hmm . .  let me think. 33
• Troy: 33
• Where did you and Daddy meet?
• Ella: Whenever you borned me
• Troy: That's hard to tell
• How long have you know Daddy?
• Ella: For 7 and about half years
• Troy: 1000 days
• How tall is Daddy?
• Ella: About 10 ft.
• Troy: Taller than that, a little bit taller than that (reaching his arms way up high), 6 ft. tall. Wait is he that tall? Is he 2 ft. tall?
• What is Daddy’s hair like?
• Ella: Bald, pretty much and then he has little dots on his hair area.
• Troy: No hair
• How much does Daddy weigh?
• Ella: Hmm . .that's hard. Let me think for a minute. Much more than me.
• Troy: Huh, 10 lbs. Does he really weigh 10 lbs. pounds? How much does he weigh?
• What makes Daddy the best?
• Ella: Having fun and playing with us.
• Troy: Letting us watch a movie.
• What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy?
• Ella: Have a day together and have fun.
• Troy: Play with him

Happy 6 Months Annie!

The kids keep asking how many more months until you are one year old, and it is crazy to think you are already halfway there!

This month included lots of firsts, and many milestones showing how much you've really grown since you were born.

At the beginning of the month, you took your first flight and made your first trip to Disney. You did great on both flights! You also did well at Disney - generally only fussy when it was meal time for us (I think Murphy's law was in effect here!). You hung out in my Ergo carrier most of the time, and every now and then the stroller (though you weren't a huge fan of the stroller).  At Disney we got you a Minnie Mouse pillow pet . . . although you are still too little to have Minnie in your bed, you really liked it and were pretty cute playing with it.

During our time at Disney, you sucked on your thumb a few times, and I was sure it meant you would become a thumb-sucker. However, since then you've maybe only gotten your thumb once or twice and you seem MUCH more interested in sucking on your toes! You also continue to love to chew on your Aden and Anais swaddle blankets, and you've also enjoyed a new Aden and Anais lovie we recently got you.

 

You've become an expert roller in both directions, and can roll on any type of surface (including my lap!). We recently got a video monitor, and we watch you flip all around in your crib as you try to settle down to sleep. Amazingly, you often end up sleeping in the same end of the crib no matter where I put you down. We've officially transitioned you out of your rock n' play sleeper and into your crib this month. It wasn't easy at first, but I'm SO glad we've made the transition. You fall asleep fairly easily most times when I put you in your crib. Although you still don't sleep very well through the night, you have started taking MUCH better naps now that you are in your crib. I think it really helps to be removed from all the distractions (also known as your siblings)!

You've really started loving solid foods this month as well. You've liked pretty much anything we've given you including green beans! You didn't love carrots the first time I gave them to you, but I haven't tried them again. You've also gotten pretty good at picking up puffs, and are fairly content to sit in your high chair and attempt to get them in your mouth. :) As is evidenced by the fact that you can pick up puffs, you've gotten really great at grabbing things, including my phone!



Your core strength continues to amaze me! You are doing well at sitting up - I'd say your skills are somewhere between tripod sitting and full-on unassisted sitting. We had Vacation Bible School this month, so you got lots of practice in your chair for Bible class, and you do a really good job sitting in the chair. The hardest part is when you got excited or sad because you start throwing yourself around and you don't have good stability then. You started playing in your jumperoo this month, and you like it pretty well although you aren't interested in hanging out in it for long periods of time.

You continue to love to be talked to, and have really been enjoying lots of daddy tickles this month. It is easy to make you laugh, and we love the bright smile you show. You have two cute dimples that peek out when you grin big, and you even have a dimple up by your temple on one side. You are too cute!

 

You are still small  - in fact at your 6 month appointment, you'd only gained 4 oz. from your 4 month appointment coming in at a whopping 13 lbs. 10 oz. (10 %). I was concerned, but your pediatrician reassured us that you were dong a good job growing because both your head and length had grown showing that your bones were growing well. Your bottom two teeth have yet to poke through, but I think they could pop through any day now.

Playing with Ella


Phantom "sucking"


Annie @ 5 (and 4) months
Luke @ 6 months
Troy @ 6 months
(I didn’t start writing these monthly posts for Ella until she was 17 months old)