2011 - A Great Year!

Ok, I'm almost caught up on blogging!  Just to get behind again next week I'm sure.  If you think I'm behind on blogging you should see the stack of birth announcements I have YET to send out!  Well, I've sent out about half so far but still have the rest to address.  Seriously, my child is five months old and I'm just getting around to it and I've had the announcements for three months....  Oh well, I've been busy!  ;)  Anyways, this is my last post about 2011 (three weeks into 2012). 

2011 was hands down the best year of our lives for obvious reasons.  We spent the entire first seven months of the year preparing for our baby girl to arrive and then the rest of the year enjoying every moment with her!  I figured I'd do a recap of how 2011 went for us.

January

January was a very eventful month for us!

We rang in the new year with some of our closest friends

Aggies go to the Cotton Bowl

Brody hurt his back

I announced our big news on the blog and started my weekly updates! 

I entered the 2nd trimester and was released from seeing my fertility specialist and ended my acupuncture sessions

February

Austin got a kidney stone

I attempted to burn our house down by trying to enjoy one of my pregnancy cravings

We enjoyed the Rodeo Cookoff weekend

March

We found out we were having a GIRL!!

We celebrated our four year wedding anniversary!

At 21 weeks I developed a heart condition

April

We watched our friends Megan and Wade get married

I experienced my first Braxton Hicks contractions in full force

May
I entered the 3rd trimester!
We had two baby showers, one a couples shower and one all girls shower!

We started taking a few baby classes
We had maternity pictures taken

June
We went to the Townsend family reunion

I had two more baby showers!  One at work and one girl one in Dallas

July
I was put on rest, no more work for me until November!
At 36 weeks I went into false labor

Best part of July by far, sweet Haley was born!

Last baby shower for Miss Hannah!


August
Hannah's due date came...and went.
Hannah was born!!

Leah turns two
Newborn pics taken of our sweet girl

September
I turn 31
Hannah has her first hospital stay

October
Hannah goes on her first road trip

First Aggie game!

I return to work
I cut 11 inches of hair off for Locks of Love
First Halloween

November
Hannah started solids

One year anniversary of finding out Miss Hannah was going to arrive!
First Thanksgiving

December
Hannah met Santa!

Hannah had her first plane ride and met the Townsend family
First Christmas

Big girl starts sleeping in her own room
Celebrated NYE with the cousins!

It's crazy to think that this is just a short recap because SO MUCH happened!!  We had a GREAT and busy year and I just know 2012 is going to be even better!

Five Months Old!

This month has been so much fun!  I can't get over how quickly our little baby is growing.  Month five was a big one for Miss Hannah!

Hannah, here is what you've been up to in your fifth month!

Sleep: You are still the BEST sleeper at night!  Thank you SOOOO much for that!!  You go to sleep every night around 7pm now that you are in daycare (you get worn out because of all the playing you do every day!).  During the week I wake you up to feed you around 5am and then you hang out in your swing and usually doze off until we leave for the day around 6:20 and on the weekends you wake up on your own between 6-8am and go back to sleep for an hour or two after I nurse you.  You still aren't consistant with your napping but you usually get at least two or three hours of naps throughout the day.

Daily Routine:   Your daily routine has changed now that you're in daycare.  You are still getting the hang of things there and are getting back to your normal napping it seems but for the first few days you weren't napping much.  Now all you seem to do is play with your teachers and toys and apparently you are very popular and all the boys like to touch your face or try to push you over since some of them can crawl.  Hmmm.... Daddy is already going to have to talk with the boys about how they treat you I guess. ;)  Your teachers say you are the happiest baby and don't mind anything that is going on around you, you just take it all in.  I'm not surprised one bit by that either, you are such an easy going little girl.  You are usually the first one to your class at 6:30am and I pick you up before 5pm.  The other day your teacher Miss D told Daddy they love you so much and thanked him for us bringing you to their class everyday.  It was so nice and I'm pretty certain that everyone who knows you loves you because you are just so sweet!  I can tell you love it at daycare just as much as they love you because when we drop you off in the mornings you've never cried and you always smile at Miss Ava when you see her.  We are really happy with the daycare we chose for you, you seem to be in great hands.  (Your Daddy wants me to make a note on here that we expected you to get sick after starting daycare and a week and a half into it, Daddy and I got super sick, not you (hence the delay in posting your monthly update).  We are very grateful that this virus passed you up!)  At the end of the day we head home, you eat and then have a fruit or veggie that I made for you and then Daddy gets home and it's bath time (your favorite!) and then you eat again and you're out for the night.  On the weekends we just spend as much time as possible playing with you and enjoying our time with you because you are growing SOOO fast!!

Feed: You still love nursing and love to eat pretty much at anytime.  You get bottles during the day while I'm at work and you take those great.  You get one bottle of formula each day in addition to your breast milk bottles(6oz each).  You are just the happiest little baby when you're eating.  You've been getting easily distracted while eating lately so sometimes I have to mute the TV or tell your Daddy to finish telling me a story until you're done otherwise we could be sitting there forever while you "snack" rather than eat a full meal.  Right now each night you are eating one fruit or veggie and trying new things every week.  You seem more like a veggie girl than fruit girl so far.  

Weight: I weighed you on our scale and you seem to be about 15.5 lbs.  I'll know you're exact weight at your six month appointment.

Length: You're long, that's all I know!

Diaper Size: Size 2 Pampers

Clothes Size: You're in some size 3-6 months but mainly 6 months.  You are so long that you need the extra room!  You are still wearing 3 month pants mostly, but some are starting to look more like capris.

Hair Color: We're still not really sure what your hair color is.  It will look light brown/blondish but then in the sun it looks reddish.  You're eyebrows are still light and have a red tint to them so who knows!   Your hair is growing so much every month.

Eye color: Your eye color is still the same as at birth, it's a dark gray color but they look green in the light.

Funniest moment:  You crack us up everyday but one day last week you really had Mommy laughing.  You were sitting in your seat helping me cook dinner and I started dancing for you and clapped loud and raised my arms up in the air and it startled you and you threw your arms up in the air too.  I laughed so hard and kept doing it until it got old to you.  It was so cute.

Milestone: You have grown the most this month than any other month.  You went on your first plane ride and did great!  You sat up on your own on New Years day!  You got not one but TWO teeth in!  You eat fruits and veggies now.  I've been making all of your food for you so I know it's good and healthy and I like that I can make it myself for you.  So far you've tried green beans, sweet potatoes (your fav so far), pears (not a big fan surprisingly), bananas and sweet peas.  You began sleeping in your own room and started day care this month.You also have really been enjoying Brody, you think he is just SO funny!  You also think blowing bubbles is super fun because you do it constantly.  Just so I remember when all of this happened, you got your first teeth, slept in your own bed, sat up, started eating foods and started daycare all within one week.  We hadn't planned on everything to happen that quickly but you adjusted so well that we just kept trying new things and it was a success!  It's been a BIG month for you!!  You also seem like you want to talk but just don't know how to put words together yet, I'm guessing we have another few months until words start coming.  I've noticed that when I'm talking to you you're watching my mouth most of the time instead of my face, which you didn't use to do.  You've been making different sounds lately too so who knows, maybe you're going to say something soon.  You already say "mama" and "dada" but you just repeat it over and over very loudly and have no idea what it means, we're pretty sure it's just baby babble.  You sure are chatty!


Sweetness

Loves her Daddy 

All bundled up, ready to go!

Sitting up playing with the toy Gabou gave you

Sweet girl always drooling!

Must.  Eat.  Everything.

Face off

 Your favorite toy: You REALLY love the jumperoo!  You have so much fun while you're bouncing and just squeal and laugh.  Your laugh is the cutest sound I've ever heard!  You also love your Sophie giraffe and ball with holes all over it that you can hold easily.  Your crinkly book is still a must in the car.

Some of your firsts this month were:

First Christmas
First plane ride (you did GREAT!!)
First time to eat food (you started with green beans)
First time to sleep in your own room
First time to sit up on your own

First New Years
First tooth!  Followed a few days later by your SECOND tooth!!
First time at daycare
First time to sit in a high chair

Here are some outtakes from your five month photo shoot, we had the curtains closed in your room because it was almost nap time and it sure made your pictures pink!
Checking out your lamb...

Happy girl

Sweet face

Laughing at Daddy

Sweet Hannah, your Daddy and I love you SOOOO much and we both just light up when we talk about you or see you.  You are the happiest and sweetest baby I've ever known and you bring so much joy to so many people's lives. 

NYE 2012

This New Years Eve we knew was going to be a different one now that Miss Hannah is in our lives.  We planned to spend the evening with Tracy, Ryan and the girls at their house having a low key NYE and it ended up being a little get together with a few of their old neighbors and their kids.  We had a blast and stayed up WAAAAY too late (like, went to bed an hour before I usually wake up for work late) considering we had three girls who wake up early no matter if it's New Years Day or not!

Sweet baby girl dressed in her cute NYE day outfit.  Seriously, how cute is she?!

This picture is proof that we still have a dog!  Ha!  Austin making some yummy food while B waits for food to drop.

Me with my sweet chubby cheeks little girl

Tracy and her girls.  It's the best pic I could get, a two year old and a five month old baby don't always cooperate.  They always look cute though.  :)

Ryan wearing his daughters hat.  This was early in the night...

Family of three, our last pic together of 2011! 

Leah wanted to wear all of her hairbows!

Tara and Tracy

Sisters :)

This makes me laugh.  Sometimes with Leah you have to, how should I say this...."persuade" her that you need a hug.  If you tell her you're sad about something, she will always come give you a hug because she is sweet and doesn't want you to be sad.  We may or may not take advantage of that sweetness....  Here I am "possibly" telling her that I'm sad.  Don't judge.  ;) 

I must have been giving an Academy Award winning performance because B came to give me some loving too.  Ha! 

I picked her up to give her a big hug for being such a sweet girl and she wanted to pretend she was asleep.  Silly Leah. 

After all the little ones went to sleep we brought out the fireworks.  Here's Matt and Ryan getting excited about what was, according to Ryan, the "best $50 he's ever spent".

These boys crack me up.  Austin looks like a pyro with the lighter and Ryan just keeps yelling stuff at us in excitement.

Ryan finally got Tracy to go out there to light up one of the fireworks and I told her to smile.  She posed.  :) 

I'll agree with Ryan, it was a great fireworks show!

And that's about where the pictures end for that evening....  There were several other people there and lots of other activities and laughs being had but I forgot to take pics of all that.  Oops!

The next day Hannah decided to sit up on her own!!  She's such a big girl.

The guys "watching" football. 

We had lots of great food and just hung out eating pretty much all day ringing in the new year.  2011 was the best year of my life and I can't wait to see what 2012 brings!  Happy New Year!