2 Month Appointment

Well Annabelle went to the dreaded 2 month appointment today... I say dreaded because she had to have 3 shots!! Poor, poor baby. Poor, poor Mommy and Daddy as well. Seeing our little pumpkin cry like that was the worst experience thus far, for both of us! Let's just try to forget about it and focus on the fun parts of the appointment, like how much we've grown! Annabelle is now 22 3/4 inches long and she weighed in at 9lbs! Daddy got to meet our pediatrician for the first time and gave his stamp of approval. It was quite a day. Besides the doctor Annabelle had some other exciting visitors this week. She got to see her Grandpa Newman who was here on business but wasn't too busy for a visit with his newest granddaughter! Annabelle also went on road trip to Daddy's office. On Wednesday, we got all dress up and went to see where Daddy spends his days. Everyone was very sweet and of course thought that Annabelle was the prettiest little baby. Here is a picture of Annabelle and Daddy. It was a bit embarrassing for Dad but we had to note the occasion. That marks her longest trip in the car and her first time at Dad's office. The only other big news is that Mommy has to go back to work on Monday. We won't discuss that one right now though...not the easiest of topics at this point. But the bit of great news about Mommy going back to work is the care Annabelle be getting while she's gone. Mimzey will be having fun with her all next week and our next door neighbor Ericka is going to babysit for the duration of the school year and she is absolutely wonderful! Wish me luck! I will probably be blogging over the weekend due to the whole teaching 2nd graders thing...so our Monday updates will probably come a few days sooner!

Mommy's Last Week at Home

Many more updates to come... but for this week I'm going to spend all my time with Miss Annabelle. ;) Love to all!

Six Weeks Old!

Six weeks old, already... Annabelle Marie has had so many special guests but this weekend she may have had one of her most special. Mommy's Katie Sue came all the way from California to see her! Kate is my dearest friend. We've know one another for over 20 years and I can't begin to explain how special she is to me. The day Annabelle was born Kate had to fly back to California after visiting for the holidays. When I was induced the night before her 8am flight we both had high hopes that she'd get to meet Annabelle before leaving, but after laboring all night long it became very apparent that Annabelle had a different schedule in mind. Sue popped in to say good-bye at 6:30am on that Friday. It wasn't easy because I wanted her to be there as she too was looking forward to the occasion. The amazing thing about Katie Sue is she doesn't take no for an answer and within a few weeks of Annabelle's birth she had already made arrangements to fly back home to meet her! It was a wonderful weekend. I have included a few pictures of Katie feeding Annabelle and playing with her. We can't wait for Annabelle to be old enough to make the trip out to California to visit her Aunty Kate. Above is a slide show including pictures from week 1 to week 6. It's amazing how much she's grown... This past week Annabelle started sleeping in her crib. She seems to have adjusted very well to the change. She also got to talk to her Yaya and Grandpa Newman on the webcam, Valentine's Day. We laughed saying how much fun it was...knowing that it will become more fun as she grows. I had an image of a 4 year old Annabelle logging onto the computer all by herself to call one of her family members to chat face to face. :)

5 Weeks Old!

What a big fifth week Annabelle Montgomery had! As many of you know Anne Marie has suffered from some acid reflux these past weeks. It has made it very difficult for her to calm down enough to catch some really good zz's. However that all changed when we were introduced to Dr. Karp (aka the baby whisper.) Our doctor recommended his DVD "The Happiest Baby on the Block." Dr. Karp believes that the first three months of a baby's life are their "fourth trimester" and that everything they do is a reflex. Within this "reflex" ideal Dr. Karp has created the "calming reflex." These are things we can do to help baby calm down. They consist of the 5 S's and they work miracles! The first day we tried these techniques Anne Marie calmed in less than a minute! She was able to sleep longer and deeper than she ever had before! It was (and continues) to be amazing to me. After the first 24 hours I was such a believer that I vowed that this DVD would be my staple shower gift for every expecting mommy and daddy...so if your prego (Frisch) sorry to ruin the surprise. Besides being able to sleep better (5 1/2 hours one night) Annabelle did some other pretty amazing things. She slept in her own room from Tuesday night on and she rolled from her belly to her back!!! I have another video above for you to check out...it's much shorter but it does show Annabelle's talents! Sleeping in her own room has provided the entire family better sleep. It was very hard the first night...I felt like I was so far away from her but it did get easier once I realized that she was truly OK and that it was best for everyone (especially daddy who has to get up very early for work.) Here are a few snoozy pictures from Annabelle's fifth week of life. I just don't know how I am going to cope going back to work with this adorable baby in our lives. Thank goodness for summer vacation!

One Month Old!!!

Today Annabelle Marie is one month old! We went to her one month appointment with Dr. Stevens on Friday. We found out that Annabelle weighs 7lbs 14oz! This is a whole pound bigger than her previous visit 10 day prior. We were amazed. I knew she was getting bigger but to be a whole pound heavier! WOW! She measured 21 inches long and her little noggin was one inch bigger. Some fun things we are seeing Annabelle do this week are lifting and turning her head when she is on her belly, staying very alert after she eats, noticing herself in mirrors, smiling (due to gas or just because she loves us so much) and her first visit to Babies R Us. I have uploaded a movie that showcases her many talents. Please ignore the goofball/cheerleader you hear in the background. I have no idea who that is (a dorky mother perhaps...) This week and weekend Annabelle had some special guests. Cathy Franklin came on Tuesday with Mimzey for a visit and over the weekend Aunty Heather and Uncle Scotty stayed with us. Great Grams, Aunt Patti, Maria, Mimzey and Dano came throughout the weekend as well. On Sunday, we were invited to our first party! We went to watch the Super Bowl at Frisch and Moe's. It was so fun being out and visiting friends. Thank you again Moe and Frisch for the yummy food and inviting us. Hope everyone has had a great week.