6 Month Checkup

Here's Farley and her dad last Monday at her 6 month checkup. She was 16 lbs 4 oz and the 55th percentile. My growing girl! She got all her shots, including swine flu vaccine. Also, I think our doc cursed us!!! He asked how she was sleeping and we bragged about her 10 hour nights
and she hasn't slept worth a toot since then!!! Why oh why didn't I knock on some wood???

Smorgasbord

Is that even how you spell that? Who knows! Okay, here's a smorgasbord (there it is again... hmmm) of stuff. Here's some pics of Farley at her first Thanksgiving. Did I take a lot of pictures? No, like three. Great job of documenting the occasion, amiright? Farley loved meeting her big extended family for the first time, but you'll have to just take my word on that since I didn't capture that. Oh well, here's what I did get...

Farley with her Aunt Delia

Farley with her cousin, Kelsey and Aunt Laura telling a story!

Up next are cute pictures I just can't resist posting. I did a photo session with my silly pussycat for our Christmas cards and I have to say I was pleased with what I got. If you didn't get one, please don't be mad!!! I bought the cards on clearance a few years ago (yes, I've been hoarding them until I had a baby) and I had very few, so it was mostly just family that got them. But, if you didn't get one, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas, too!!! I just ran out of cards! Haha. That sounds so lame! Next year, I'll buy more, I promise! I did print out extra copies, so if you want one, just let me know. Here's a couple pics that didn't make the cut:

Six Months!

I know, I know!!! I should be flogged for my lack of blog! I have been terrible for a whole month and I should be ashamed. I know the busy-ness of the holidays shouldn't be an excuse, but I'm gonna use it anyway- between shopping, wrapping, and decorating on top of all my regular mom and work duties, this really is one of the first times I've sat down and had some time to dedicate to my faithful (four) readers!

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I do have a six-month post to make. "What about Thanksgiving, other family gatherings and big news like how Farley has moved up to the infant 2 room at daycare?" you ask. Well, I'm going to see how much I can get done tonight-- no promises, but I'll cover what I can.

Here goes: Farley turned six months old yesterday. Happy half a year, sweet baby! I can't believe she's been here that long already, but it's been the best six months of my life. Things I want to remember about her at this age:

• Sitting pretty- My supported sitter has moved to completely independent sitting now. I'm not saying she doesn't take a tumble every now and then, but for the most part, she loves to sit on the floor and just play with her toys and look around (to make sure you're watching, of course).
• Knaw, knaw- As I write this, I think in my heart of hearts that surely, SURELY we will have a tooth tomorrow morning when we wake up. But, I've been thinking that for like a week now! Farley has been sorta teething for about more than a month now, but for the past couple of weeks, we have been what I call "hard core teething." Cranky, chewy, a little fussy (strange for her), slight fever, boom boom diapers (you don't want to know)... all the signs. Where's my stinkin' tooth? Yeesh!
• She has the funniest smile! Her daycare teachers, her photographer yesterday, everyone thinks she has the best smile. That's because instead of a little grin, she smiles with her mouth wide open. It's hysterical... I wondered why she was smiling like that, but then after some careful observation, I noticed that Jason and I both open our mouths huge like that (Jason's is HUGE). It's just a lot cuter when Farley does it!
• Her laugh. I'm gonna say that's she's pretty stingy with her laughs, but when you do get them and she gets really tickled, it's like the sweetest sound on Earth.
• Fuzz head- About two weeks ago, Farley pretty much went completely bald! I was bemoaning the fact and then, all of a sudden, all this fuzzy hair started growing in-- and it's growing so fast! I think it's going to be light brown this time around.
• Feeding time! Farley should get the go-ahead from the doctor tomorrow to start real food (not just cereal) so I know she's excited. She never really liked the rice too much, but I started her on mixed a week ago and that is something she can get behind.
• Separation issues- Farley has really started getting upset when you leave her, put her down, think you're going to do something other than hold her... I know this is a phase we're going through, and some days are better than others. Sometimes, if she's occupied with a really interesting toy, you can walk into the laundry room to start a load of clothes. Other days, she thinks you have lost your stinkin' mind if you think you're going to put her down even long enough to run to the potty! I try not to think this is a bad thing, especially considering one day when she's older she'll probably be mad if I walk into her room!!!

As always, she continues to amaze us every day. She is growing like a weed (bye bye cute 3-6 month clothes... hello 6-9! Don't worry, she's not hurting for anything precious to wear in her two closets full!!!) She loves any and all attention and between Jason and me and the rest of her family and being the teacher's pet at daycare, she's pretty much covered!!! Here's some previews from her six-month session yesterday.

Solids

Yay, Farley is old enough to start cereal! She had her first bites on Saturday and although it took her a few days, she's finally warmed up to this "food not from the bottle" stuff. Seriously, at first, she was so disgusted with the rice cereal. She gagged and clamped down and wasn't having it. But, then, after some patient persistence from her mom, she figured out that she could chew on that spoon thing I had and it was on like a chicken bone! I think the cereal actually getting in her mouth and swallowed is just a by-product of the spoon chewing, but I'll take it! Here she is on her first try:

Farley's next favorite thing to eat is her feet! I get so tickled... as soon as her pants come off when we get home (I guess she can't get all contorted in her clothes), that foot goes straight into her mouth. I've always thought it was so cute when babies did that, so I was thrilled when she learned that trick. When she does it, I start quoting my version of Pink Floyd... "how can you have any pudding if you don't eat your feet?" I'm such a nerd.

5 Months

I am a posting maniac tonight. While I'm on a roll...

Today is Farley's 5-month birthday and I guess it's time for my monthly "what I want to remember about this age" post:

• Grabby grabby touchy touchy- Farley wants to grab and touch everything. I mean everything! It's so fun to walk around and watch her feel things for the first time.
• Sleeping- Barring anything crazy (I'm looking at you, time change), Farley is doing a great job sleeping now. She typically sleeps anywhere from 9 to 10 hours a night and really doesn't wake up in the night very often. Mainly, she'll wake up and might fuss for a minute, but generally falls right back to sleep. I know that this sweet sweet much-needed rest (for me and Jason) won't last forever (hello six month growth spurt, teething, etc), so I am enjoying while I can.
• Creeping- Well, I don't really know if it's creeping, really, but Farley can move a teeny amount when she's on her belly now. I think it is mainly through sheer will to reach the toy in front of her, cause goodness knows the only thing touching the floor is her belly. Her arms and legs are both extended and waving wildly. She looks like she's swimming through air and it's hysterical.
• Easygoing- Farley is really (I hate to say this again because it sounds so braggy) an easy baby. She is content to hang out or play with you as long as you want (until naptime) as long as you pay her attention (which she doesn't find too hard to come by). Everyday when I pick her up from daycare they tell me how good she is.
• Pushups- She (in preparation for this crawling mess that I fear will come too soon for my taste) does pushups. The funniest thing is that she'll do them over and over and then just lay her head down for a second and then pop right back up. You know, a girl's gotta take a break every now and then!
  

Here she is today practicing her pushups.

Mumbo Jumbo

So, what do you do when you have a few random pictures to post that are all unrelated? You just throw 'em out there all mumbo jumbo style! These aren't really individual-post worthy, so here we go...

Farley loves to ride on Jason's shoulders. She thinks it is so fun despite the fact he's got a gorilla grip on her. But, she also has quite a grip on his hair, too. (It's okay, he's got plenty)

I told Farley we really needed her to help pull Alabama through the big LSU game, so she got all suited up in her Bama gear. It worked! Seriously, though... that face! How could I not be totally in love?

Here we are getting ready to root for the Tide. Yes, I have broken down and bought a headsquisher. I thought I was anti-headsquisher, but it is so cute and she doesn't have any hair to put bows in!

Celebrating Jason's birthday. Happy 31st! Sorry you didn't rate a whole post to yourself, but we all know who the superstar is now in the house!

Jason's cake. See how magnanimous his wife can be? Yep, it's Auburn colors and I have to admit it still tasted AUsome (see, I can totally go there)! It is from Who Doesn't Like Cake and it was absolutely wonderful. I would definitely recommend them. Everything they do is custom designed (no pre-done cakes there) and it was sooooo yummy and surprisingly affordable.

Halloween

Yes, I realize it's almost been two weeks since Halloween and I am loathe to admit that I have, indeed been a blog slacker. But, it's never too late to celebrate! Whee! I have to say that I really struggled with buying Farley a Halloween costume, especially since this first one would only be enjoyed by her parents. But, Jason talked me into it (and I found one on sale), and I'm so glad! We went to the trunk or treat at our church briefly and then a quick trip up the street to visit a neighbor, and Farley was done for the night. Seriously, though.... cutest. kittycat. ever. That is all I have to say about that-- see for yourself:

This costume was way too big... I think she'll be able to be a cat again next year!

Kitty on the prowl

With Daddy and his awesome "Goodnight Moon"-inspired pumpkin

In her "seasonally-appropriate" outfit headed to daycare the day before Halloween. Can you tell her grandmom is a retired teacher? (thanks Cooie for the onsie!)

A Physical Specimen

I hate to brag (ha-- obviously, right?), but I think we may have a child prodigy on our hands here. Farley, at 4 1/2 months, is already sitting with the assistance of the Boppy. I mean, we're not just Bumbo-ing here! Boppy only! And reaching for things while she's sitting. Now, don't anyone ruin it for me and tell me all babies are doing this by this age...just let me bask in the glow! Proof:

Booyah, talk to the hand, she says!

On another note, I've figured out something new to be stressed about... the time change this weekend. I just remembered this is going to happen (just like every year- shocker!) and now I'm worried about what this is going to do with our schedule. Farley is going to want to go to bed an hour earlier (not bad) and wake up an hour earlier (do I even need to specify this is bad?). As if her wanting to get up at 5-6 isn't bad enough, let's kick it up a notch with some 4-5 a.m. waking. Ugh. Do. Not. Want. Not that we're getting restful nights anyway right now. We had two glorious weeks of sleeping all through the night until our latest illness, (daycare, I shake my fist at you!) croup. Or is it "the croup"? Is that like saying "the WalMart"? Not sure. Either way, I can count on everytime we get sick, reverting back to multiple night wakings. Whee. Anywho... I have got to start working on slowly working her back into the hours we're used to. I remember when the time change was easy... an extra hour to sleep in the fall. Now, as with all things, it's a tad more complicated with a little one. All worth it, though... all totally worth it!

Pumpkin Patch

It's taken me almost two weeks, but here's the pictures from our visit to the Pumpkin Patch in Hayden. It was the coldest day when we went (much colder than I expected) and we gave it a try, but it was not a successful trip to say the least. Farley, being a June baby, had never felt cold like that before and she let us know with a quickness that she was not pleased with the situation. So, our visit was brief. Brief may be an understatement! We got a few pictures and hung out in the barn for a few minutes to warm up, but we didn't take the hay ride out to get a pumpkin. Yes, we are seriously the people who left the Pumpkin Patch without a pumpkin. I highly doubt Farley is going to be disappointed with the Publix pumpkin I picked up later that weekend...

What a cute, albeit freezing, family!

Farley finally got settled after some rocking with Cooie, but we got out while the getting was good.

Gratuitous Picture Post

Nope, nothing to say, really, since I just posted. I just downloaded some pics from my camera and thought everyone needed to see them, so here's the good stuff (the only reason that anyone with any sense would navigate to this page)... Farley!!!

Super Baby! Farley loves to "fly"

The first cool day and we bundled Farley up for daycare. Do you think we may have gone a bit overboard?

What a sweet face.

Since she has Alabama Gameday gear, this proves I can do equal opportunity dressing! So, I got her an Auburn outfit, too, to keep Daddy happy!

Just hanging out with Daddy on Saturday morning.

Catching a nap earlier tonight. I realized I never take pictures of her sleeping, so I got one to prove that she does that too (and it's awesome when she does!).

Four Months!

Well, yesterday Farley was four months old. What an exciting time for everyone... when did she get so stinkin' fun? So, we went for her four-month checkup this morning (that's where she is in the picture above - wrapped up in Daddy's lap and waiting for the Dr.). Needless to say, the shots are her least favorite part, but otherwise she looks great. Perfect, actually, is what the Dr. said! She's 13 lbs 4 oz and 24 1/2 inches long and is around the 40th percentile. I guess her growth is slowing a bit-- she was up higher in those percentiles for her two-month visit!!

I was going to wait until her six month to write the things I wanted to remember, but I think I'll try to do it every month-- mainly because she changes so much in just one month! So, here we go...

Things I want to remember about Farley at age four months:

• Well, she figured out that rolling over thing. It's not that she loves to be on her belly, it's like she just can't stop! There were a few nights we wished we could wedge her into the crib because she would roll over and wake herself up at least every hour! Finally, she figured out she could just go on sleeping that way. Now, most mornings (on those glorious ones when she's slept through the night) she's sleeping on her belly when I go to get her up.
• When she does get on her belly (and is usually fussing about it), she has started getting her legs bending and working so that she starts to creep forward. Yikes-- too early too early-- do not be learning to get mobile Farley! We haven't baby proofed yet!
• She can get those hands of hers to do what she wants a little better. Now, we have started the golden age of everything that she grabs going straight into her mouth.
• Slobber monster! Either you had better put a bib on her (that will have to be changed after a while) or you will be changing a wet onesie multiple times a day!
• She loves to figure out how to make new noises. First, it was the raspberry-blowing, then grunting. Yesterday she started sticking her tongue way out and going "aaagghhhh" like someone is checking her throat. It's a little strange, but definitely better than the grunting!

Baptism

This last Sunday the fourth we had Farley's Baptism. It was a wonderful day for everyone and she did great! I was very nervous... I always get nervous when I have to get in front of people and then I was also worried about what Farley would do. Would she screech when she got sprinked? Well, I should have known Hollywood would love her moment in the spotlight. Not only did she not fuss when she got that cool water on her head and oil rubbed on her, she totally hammed it up!!! She smiled at the minister and then at the whole church when she got walked around. He kept saying how happy she was. I was relieved, needless to say. Afterwards, Mom and I took her to the cry room where she fell asleep. I just couldn't believe how good she was! I need to remember this fondly next time we go somewhere and she comes unglued-- we can't be this lucky all the time!

Afterwards, we went to lunch with the whole family and also celebrated Alan, Kelsey, and Ally's birthdays.

The whole fam

Four generations

All the Dads!

Farley with Ally

With Aunt Laura

Some random pics and stuff...

I know it's been a little while since I posted, so I wanted to catch up a bit. Not much big stuff going on in our world, other than Jason starting a new job (Go Jason!). Farley is just growing and learning by leaps and bounds. Between turning 3 months and now (like 3 months and almost 3 weeks), she has:

• rolled over- Yep, only a couple of times because, as predicted, she ended up on her belly and hated it. So, once she figured out what happened, she hasn't done it again since. But she did do it, four times... I saw it myself!
• laughed- It must be that Daddy magic. She will only smile at me, but she'll laugh at Jason. It usually takes him bouncing her on his belly and singing "Henry the Eighth" in a terrible English accent.
• started playing in Exersaucer and Bumbo- She would sit in there for a couple of minutes before, but now she'll get in there and have some serious play time because of her next skill...
• developing motor skills- She can actually get those hands of hers to start doing what she wants. I'm not saying that it's not a little spastic, but they're starting to cooperate a bit more.

Cute little grin

Super Daddy and Super Baby

Playing in the Bumbo

Farley loves flying!

Playing with her pal Mia

With Mom in her Game Day gear from Aunt Laura

Better than a paci

Farley is getting some control over those crazy hands of hers and she's discovered that she can do something AWESOME with them!!! I know she's thinking "awwww yeah."

3 Month Old

Well, well... I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm a Mom of a three-month old! (A quarter-year old?) Farley had her quarter birthday Saturday and we had her pictures made. Now, I'll get to the part where I talk about how I can't believe it, but first I want to talk pictures.

Let me tell you what... I'm going to start calling Farley "Hollywood." We rolled up in JC Penney (yeah, that's where we had them done and they were great) like she was a child star and we were her entourage. Jason was her entertainment during the photo shoot, I was hair and makeup (well, just hair, really) and Mom was wardrobe! She did such a good job, though, and we really did get some good ones. It was much more relaxing than the newborn "scream fest" shoot-- for everyone except Jason. He was working up a sweat dancing and making goofy faces. Yes, the portrait studio is glass on one side and yes, the nice shoppers of JC Penney thought he needed to be committed. Here's a preview:

Now, on to the "I can't believe it" part. I never believed or anticipated how wonderful, tiring, special, hard, and did I mention wonderful it would be having Farley in our lives. It really is one of those things you can never understand until you do it yourself. I know billions upon billions of people have had babies, but it's like one of my favorite quotes:

"Every child begins the world again." - Henry David Thoreau

Farley has really gotten quite a personality. As Jason reminded me today when I was wondering why she had slept the whole night before last, but had gotten up at 4 this morning and stayed up... "she's her own person." And she really is! She has and continues to amaze me with every small thing she does or masters. Things about her at three months that I want to remember...

• At first I thought she was going to be very serious with her furrowed brow all the time- now she's a pretty easy smiler and is trying really hard to laugh.
• Farley's a morning person! This did not come from either of her parents, but if you spend a little time with her in the morning, you'll get enough smiles to last you the whole day.
• It was cute when she learned to blow raspberries. The new trick, grunting... not so precious. Naturally, Jason encourages it every chance he gets!
• She really, really, really wants to roll over. But, I don't know what going to happen once she gets there, since being on her tummy is like baby torture to Farley!
• She really is an easy baby. When I was pregnant, I was worried I would get a crier or colicky baby, but she really cries very little. Any fusses can usually be remedied by being held and cuddled.
• Holy smokes, baby girl clothes are cute and addictive. Granted, this child does probably have more than she can wear before she grows out of them, but I maintain that she is and will continue to be the cutest and best-dressed baby in daycare!
• Last thing I'd want to remember... I guess that right now at this moment, all prejudice aside, she is the most beautiful and wonderful baby ever. I'm just sayin'...
  

Trip the Light Fantastic

Well, we got to bust out one of Farley's most anticipated onesies this morning. We got this great tie-dyed onesie from my parents' friends the Heimbachs. It was one of our earliest gifts and we have been waiting for her to grow into it!!! It's her "hippie baby" outfit and she was rocking it hard core this morning. Coolest baby in daycare, no doubt!

She is getting really fun here lately. What a personality! She'll have her three-month birthday this Saturday and will be having her pictures made to commemorate the occasion. Maybe she'll enjoy it this time... more than her newborn picture session!

Check these shoes!

Last post today- I promise! I just had to send the pic I took of her feet this morning... Her third week of daycare. These sandals-- they're too much! They were mine when I was a baby and Mom brought them over for Farley and, boy, did she rock them today!

Farley's First Lake Trip

This was a weekend of firsts for Farley... she sat in the Bumbo, her first football weekend (needless to say she was thrilled about that), and her first trip to the lake. I don't know how she felt about all the action, but she stayed awake more on Saturday and Sunday than she has her entire life. I wish I knew what she was thinking about. Probably wondering why we were hollering at the box with the colorful pictures and then why we all went and sat in front of that huge bathtub all day.

In her little sun hat. That thing looks tiny until you actually put it on her head! Oh well, maybe next year!

Hanging out with MeMaw at the lake.

Bumbo!

Farley sat in her Bumbo for the first time on Saturday. She doesn't
last too long in there- she kinda starts wilting when she gets tired.
I just can't believe what a big girl she is! I want time to slow down!!!

First Sick Day!

Wouldn't you know it? Last week was Farley's first week of daycare and she was sick by the weekend! Her first cold, and it was stressing me out... it's so pitiful to see her stopped up and coughing and not feeling well. So, luckily Mom was able to come to the rescue and keep her Monday. These are pics from their Cooie/Farley sick day party.

Other than that, she's adapting pretty well to daycare (and so is her Mommy!) after a rough start.