30 weeks

This was Mothers Day!  We went to church and then to lunch with the family.  Of course, Mothers Day this year had a whole new meaning for me.  There was a time in my life that I thought I might never celebrate Mothers day this way, but God is truly faithful, and He gives us the desires of our heart.  This gift has already brought so much joy to my life, and she has stolen my heart.  I have only been a mother for a short time but have learned so much.  Nothing can prepare you for what you experience when you become a parent...the feeling of extreme love and fear all at the same time.  No one tells you how becoming a parent will completely rip your heart out and how vulnerable you will become, fearing anything bad that could happen to this precious person.  In the short time that I have been a mother, the biggest thing I have learned is how little control I have over this amazing gift I have been given.  I have to trust God to care and watch over her.  I cannot be there every minute to protect her, but He can.  This Mothers Day for me was a day of gratitude for the gift of motherhood from the giver.   

Hannah's newest trick this week is she is learning to sit up.   She looked so proud herself sitting there.   At first she was relunctant to lift her hands from the ground, but once she did, she laughed and played.  It is so fun watching her learn. 

The most adorable thing ever and a sign she was getting sleepy.   I have a feeling this habit is going to be harder to break than I thought. 

We took Hannah to the swings in our neighborhood.   She is still a little small for them, but she seemed to enjoy it. 

I have started jogging a few times a week with Hannah around our neighborhood. This time I decided to bring Lucy with me, and boy did I have my fastest time!  Lucy was so excited to be outside.  She did very well with the stroller, but she wanted to go a little faster than I wanted.  We were both worn out by the time we got home. 

Lucy knows she is not suppose to get on Hannah's blanket.   Here she is testing the limits.   She gets as close as she can and lays there watching Hannah. Hannah is mesmerised by Lucy.  If Lucy is the room, forget getting Hannah's attention.  She will follow her around the room with her eyes.  I have even began putting Lucy outside when Hannah is eating because Lucy is too distracting.  I hope this is the beginning of a sweet friendship :)

Hannah's cousins Austin and Micah adore Hannah.  Everything to do with Hannah is fun, including playing with her little shoes.

We do sink baths these days.  It is a lot quicker and takes less water.   Hannah doesn't seem to mind :)

Randomness of Hannah

Brian put together a fun video of some random clips we have of Hannah to show his grandparents in Alabama. Most of the clips are from videos we send to each other at work...Its fun to see her sweet face. Enjoy! :)

29 weeks

My what personality you have! She is becoming more and more animated and I love it!  I think she is realizing she has the ability to refuse or vocalize if she does not want to do something. Lately, I will lay her in her pack n play to play for a few minutes and if she does not want to be there, she has no problem letting me know. She wont cry, but she lets out a loud scream and then after a minute or two, when she realizes I am not going to pick her up, she starts her usual happy babbling and plays. Its comical to watch and see her personality start to emerge. I love that she is starting to develop a little will power. I am already realizing little girls have quite a powerful effect not only on Daddy, but Mommy too. And so it begins, even at almost 7 months old, we start this tug of war with whose will power is strongest. Well, at least its still two against one and I keep telling myself that it cannot be that hard to raise little girls who obviously have a mind of their own into a compassionate, caring, non bratty, disciplined, grateful, humble, and selfless person. This is possible, right? I know its probably too early to contemplate such things. She is only a baby, but I do believe that what we do now shapes who she will be even in the next month. I don't want to spend time correcting bad behavior if its possible to teach good behavior starting now.  Thats my rant today. All to say I love who she is and who she is becoming. 

Austin turned 6! I can hardly believe this sweet boy is already 6. When we first met he was a few months old and I have loved watching him grow into the smartest, kindest and funniest 6 year old that I know. He is truly a blessing and I love being his aunt. 

Hannah loves Papa

Cute little butt in her tight leggings :)

Alabama football birthday party. I forgot to wear my shirt, but at least Hannah's does have a elephant on it, even if its pink :)

Micah loves Hannah. It is so sweet to watch how gentle he is with her. I love watching their little relationship. 

Austin took this picture and I just love it! I think I have very few photos with my wonderful mother-in-law. I could not ask for a better one. She has always been so sweet and kind to me and is always there when I need her. I love her and am so grateful for her! I think Hannah may have her eyes too :)

Sweet little legs crossed with her butt in the air...

Happy to see you too! 

One photo that didn't make the 29 weeks cut. I love her little grin :)

28 weeks

We went for a short hike on one of the beautiful days in Nashville. Hannah likes the Ergo carrier. She is content to look around and when she gets bored, she snuggles into my chest and falls asleep. She usually falls asleep after only 20 minutes. This is the only carrier that does not hurt my back. I use it a lot to go grocery shopping and walks that the stroller cannot handle. Her eyes are still so blue. I really cannot wait to see if they stay this color. I wanted them to be brown for so long, but I have fallen in love with my blue eyed baby that I will be sad if they change. Daddy still says they will change and is hoping they turn brown. Only time will tell. For now, I am captivated by this blue eyed wonder. 

After I came home one night from a long day at work, I must have watched her sleep for 10 minutes fighting the urge to wake her up and give her a million kisses. 

One morning I decided to add a little banana to her oatmeal. This is the face I got when I brought her the bowl.   Bananas are her favorite and its a good thing since her nickname will probably end up being Hannah banana. 

Cool shades in the backyard playing with Lucy.

She does not need a book to stand on anymore!  She can now bounce and turn around to play with all the toys. 

All ready to go to the Franklin main street festival. 

Cool coffee shop we found in Franklin. In the back they have a record player with tons of records to chose from.  Brian picked out some music and we enjoyed relaxing while Hannah slept in the stroller. 

27 weeks

Daddy feeding Hannah and Lucy really wanting to try Hannah's sweet potatoes.

The left is the face of a child before we feed her and on the right is the face of a child with a full belly.

This kid! The bib says it all! One of a kind :)

2nd batch of Hannah's yummy food. I thought I would have given up by now and stopped making her food, but I actually enjoy doing it and its so fun to see the end result.  This batch will last a couple weeks. 

Hannah and I doing our exercises. She thinks its fun, I think its fun watching her laugh at me.  

Big girl getting closer to sitting up on her own. She can do it for a few seconds before falling over. I do not think it will be long now. 

Beautiful snow ball trees at Cheekwood. One of the only pictures we took that day. We walked around and enjoyed the amazing gardens. We will be going back for sure one day!

Hannah crashed at lifegroup. Our life group added 4 babies last year so these days it can get pretty loud. It makes it all so much more fun. 

26 weeks

Her 6 month check up went great. She weighed 12 lbs 15 oz and was almost 25 inches.  She is mostly still wearing 3 month old clothing but starting to try a few 6 month sizes that are still a little big.   She still wears size 1 diapers.  She is the easiest baby ever. I know I say this probably because she is mine, but really this kid is amazing! She sleeps 12-13 hours at night and take 2 naps during the day, both at least 2 hours long. She goes down to sleep without needing to be rocked and does not cry.  She has the sweet demeanor and is always happy and content unless its time to eat or time to sleep. She is so easy going and laid back. We can spend the whole day running errands in the car, in and out of stores and messing her whole day up and she just rolls with it. She catches a few minutes of sleep in the car and she is back to her happy little self. She is quick to give smiles with any attention we give her and loves when Daddy blows bubbles.  She giggles when you tickle her tummy or kiss her neck.  I look at her and I seriously think that God gave me the best.  He could not have given a better gift.  

One of the many attempts at a 6 month photo

I cant help but love this little face even when she has had enough of picture time

Finally! A smile and her looking at the camera :)

Family photo time at Centennial park. This is the result of me setting the timer on the camera, running, and throwing sofie the giraffe in the air in the hope that she will look in the direction of the camera, but no such luck. We take what we get these days. 

Seriously mom! Another photo?

On one of our morning jogs. Must have lots of toys to keep her occupied.