11 weeks

We had a great time having Daddy home for the beginning of February!  We kind of felt like we were all on vacation and it was tons of fun!  Once we returned home from our trip to Rhode Island, Mommy & Daddy had their first night out!  Bruce threw Christine a surprise 30th birthday party and we got to get out and enjoy ourselves - baby free!  Anna spent a few hours with Gram & Pop, and proved us wrong with "She is easy to go to bed! Don't worry!" -- when we walked in the door at 11:15 and she was sitting in the living room with them with her eyes half open!  I squatted down and said "What are you doing missy?" And OUT she went.  Apparently she was waiting for us to get home.  We had a weird night that night due to the weird bedtime, but then a miracle happened..... Sunday night, Anna slept straight through from 9pm to 7am!!!  It was a well-rested day for Daddy's first day of work!! I was so surprised and of course woke up in a panic, and she was just laying there still snoozing.  Daddy got to spend a little snuggle time with her, change a diaper and chat with her before leaving for work - and she didn't even play the "OH MY GOD I haven't eaten in X hours.... how could you do this to me?!?" game!  She seemed very content.  Like I said at the time, even just sleeping once through the night was a gift, even if I know it won't be happening consistently for a while!  I know she's got it in her :)

Mommy & her friend Colleen enjoying ADULT TIME!

Daddy had a great first week of work, and he brought special treats home for his Valentines. (delicious red velvet cupcakes for mommy!)

Our happy Valentine in her special outfit!

This was waiting for me when I woke up on Tuesday! Romance... in toast form!

She got a special gift from Gram & Pop that has now become her obsession.

Gram, the kitty & Anna

This is how every morning is spent....grabbing kitty & attacking him

We had a relatively uneventful week otherwise.  I think Anna was a little "under the weather" (definitely congested) and so she had a bad night or two, along with a stuffy nose.  We did all we could to make it better for her and she didn't seem to "suffer" too bad.  On Friday night, Auntie Tiff came to visit!!  We have been looking forward to this visit for weeks and were so happy when she got here. Thankfully I put Anna down to bed before heading to the airport to pick Tiff up, and she stayed asleep for hours.  That was just the start of our sleep troubles....

Auntie Tiff!

Unfortunately (for us), Anna's behavior & sleep started going downhill after that.  More cranky, less napping, more wake-ups at night....which all came to a head on Monday night when she seemed to wake up every 2.5 to 3 hours and just whined and cried the entire day on Tuesday.  It was really rough, and I was exhausted and at the end of my rope (after so many weeks of her sleeping so well!) - and all I wanted was ONE good night where she didn't wake up at 1am.  Thankfully my parents invited me over for dinner for a little break in the day - as Doug had a work commitment and wouldn't be home until 10.  Of course, as soon as we got to Gram & Pop's - Anna became the happy little baby we all love.  She took a good nap, she smiled and cooed and had a great time.  We went home and I got my first set of baby laughs while changing her for the night.  It was a great end to a crappy 36 hours.  And last night she slept from 9:30 to 3:45!  It was just what I needed.  I determined once we were in the thick of it that this was most likely the 12-week growth spurt (since technically we are in her 12th week right now).  This is the same type of behavior that happened at 6 weeks when she had another spurt.  Either way, I hope it's over.  Today was MUCH better - she was happier, easier to please and took a few good naps (didn't fight me on every nap time like she's been doing this past week).

Anyway, that's about it for our corner of the world right now.  Looking forward to the weekend to spend some good quality time with Daddy before he is off to San Francisco for the week for work.  Thankfully this new job will not require the extensive amount of traveling as the last one did, but still - he gets to go to San Francisco for the first time....without me!  Trying not to pout about it, I know I'll get my chance soon!

Here are some more photos of our week!

what is this little seat?

Oh yeahhhh! I love this bumbo chair!!!!

Representin'

GRRR Everything goes in the mouth!

Tummy Time is getting to be more fun! (even with this large head)

a beautiful gift from my boss and his wife

sleepy baby (warm kitty, soft kitty...)

more tummy time on my lap!

sometimes this is the only way to get things done - strap the baby on and go!

What a Difference a Month Makes

Just for fun, I thought I'd take these every month to see how she grows.  I can't wait to see what 3 months brings!

What We've Been Up To!

Let's start things off with a quick update on our favorite chubby baby.  We went to the doctor last Monday for our 2 Month Appointment (actually at 9 weeks instead of 8, but hey).  Anna is currently weighing in at a whopping 12 pounds, 4 ounces and is 23.25 inches long!  She has grown 4 inches in 2 months, and has gained about 5 pounds.  Milk does a body goooood.

Happy babies are the best.

According to our doctor, everything is going great - she is meeting all her milestones like chatting/cooing (that seems to be all she does lately!), bringing her hands together (what we like to call "worry hands" around here), raising her head 45 degrees, smiling at us and starting to chuckle, sleeping longer stretches at night (sometimes 6 or 7 hours at a time! no jinx), following objects with her eyes (up, down and all around) and grabbing things if you give them to her.  It all sounds so silly, but its fun to watch her learn and grow - every day she seems to be getting smarter and smarter! It will be really fun to see where she is in just a few more weeks!

That visit was also a bummer as Anna got 2 shots and an oral med (which she seemed to enjoy).  Thankfully Daddy was there and could "hold her down" while she got the shots, cause Mommy is a big baby.  Anna cried a bit but seemed to quickly get over it to be quite honest. That night she did run a small fever (she just felt very warm and her cheeks were flushed) and she had an inconsolable crying spell - which is very unlike her - so we gave her some infant Tylenol (as per the doctors instructions), she took a good nap and woke up smiling, cooing and very happy.  Then went to bed that night and slept another 6 hours and then 4 hours!  Mommy and Daddy were so happy to have that behind us. We go back on the 25th for another shot, so I'm hoping for more good results.

Last week we had so much fun!  We went to see Pop for lunch (a weekly favorite activity), we went shopping at the outlets (and Anna slept the entire time) and then we went to see Christine, Bruce and baby Bruce and Sal.  Seemed like baby Bruce only had eyes for Anna and we may have a possible love match!  It was a fun afternoon, the boys are so adorable and full of energy! I give Christine SO much credit for taking care of 2 babies.... some days just having 1 immobile baby is hard enough!

Of course, as you know, we root for the Patriots in this house - and unfortunately, they had a bad go of it in the Super Bowl.  Doug went out to a friends house (I decided it was best to stay home), and I'm glad I did, most especially since the Pats lost. 

The Patriots stink.... but my thumb is AWESOME.

On Tuesday, we packed our things and headed on the road - Anna's first road trip to Rhode Island!! Since Doug was off of work between jobs, we decided to make the most of our time and head up to RI during the week - giving us more time for visiting and easier hours on the road (less traffic!)  We wanted to see so many people while we were in town - and thankfully I think we got to see almost every one! Anna met BOTH of her Great-Grandpa's this week, and just as we thought, they were both in love and wanted to snuggle and goo goo at her for hours.  It was so much fun and so special that she was able to spend time with them - I know it made our week and I'm sure theirs too!

Meeting Great Grandpa DePerry for the first time and loving it

Family Shot!

Great Grandpa D and his little sweetie

She also got to meet her cousin Chrissie!

BIIIIG stretch, just waking up after a good snuggle with Chrissie

the cousins and Anna

We also got together with our friends Marc & Jill and their son Jack, who is about 16 months old now - and was in love with saying "BABY" over and over again.  I think he and Anna will be fast friends soon (when she is more mobile of course!).  As you can tell by these photos, I think Doug has something to worry about ;)

Nice BABY

Going in for the KISS! Anna wasn't having it I guess.

We went to the library to meet Grandma's friends, we saw Auntie Cinda and Sharon, we also met neighbors from across the street!  We were busy, busy, busy.  Mommy & Daddy got to get out for a nice leisurely lunch in Stonington while Grandma and Grandpa babysat a sleeping (and happy) baby. Later on that evening Auntie De, Uncle Henry and Grandpa stopped by for a visit, and although Anna was starting to get fussy as it was very close to bedtime, everyone got some good snuggles in - and we were even able to FaceTime with cousin Katie & Joe so they weren't left out!

Finally, on Friday before we headed home, we stopped in CT to see Great Grandpa Siton.  It was a surprise and I sure hope we made his day!  Anna needed to eat and have a big dirty diaper before she felt like being nice, but she turned on the charm after that!

Getting acquainted

Hey there, I like these hands...may I put them in my mouth please?

Okay let's snuggle!

You are warm and cuddly!

3 Generations!

We had such a nice time and I'm so glad we were able to make all the visiting work.  I know 2 people who enjoyed it most of all!

Snuggling with Grandpa is the best

Anna's first visit to Rhode Island!

Playing on Anna's cushion ;)

Playing with Daddy's keys from when he was a baby!

 

3 happy amigos

Now this weekend Gram and Pop are babysitting for our first night out (for longer than a short lunch or dinner) for Christine's 30th birthday party tonight.  Mommy is very excited to have some wine and talk with ADULTS!  Wearing a real outfit and everything!  Now, just to get out the door without spit-up on that outfit..

As for next week, Daddy goes back to work at his new job on the 13th.  We are so excited and happy for him (although it sure will be lonely around here again!)  I hope he brings us something special home for Anna's first Valentine's Day! :)

Some other photos from the last couple weeks --

We bought this outfit in Denmark before "Kermie" was here.. SO cute!

Nightly pants-free time

Our A+ Gold-star traveler!

After we all had something to eat in the McDonald's parking lot

practicing our daily tummy time!

sitting up with Daddy

coy smiles ;)