Annie at 3 Months!

I was actually going to be ON TIME with this post, but now...11 days later, I'm not so much on time anymore. Regardless, Annie, here's what you've been doing the last month:

- You started sucking on your hand (you prefer your left one!) around 10 weeks
- You started cooing and making noises around 9 weeks
- You "giggled" for the first time while bouncing on the exercise ball!
- You've been consistently sleeping around 7-8 hours, but every once in a while will throw in a 10 hour or a 4 hour. You're kind of unpredictable like that!
- You wiggle all around your crib now, so we had to take out your little wedge. You can wriggle all the way from one end of the crib to the other.
- You smile all the time now!
- You put weight on your legs when we hold you up.
- You're wearing 3-6 month clothes and have almost outgrown your swaddlers we wrap you up in at night.
- You don't stay still. Ever.
- If we prop you up on your tummy, you love it and can hold your head straight up. If we just put you on your tummy on the ground, you face plant and scream.
- You have your dad wrapped around your little fingers and your mom's a big fan as well!

Her Monogram is ATM Because She is MONEY!

As expected, Annie is quite the sports fan. You can occasionally hear her getting rowdy during a game or cheering with her eyes wide assessing the competition. At three weeks, she went to a Nashville Sounds game to see her friend Brooks' dad pitch and at nearly three months she made it to a Cincinnati Reds/LA Dodgers game with the Toy clan sporting her "First Dodgers Tee" from Mrs. Gayle. She also sported a Miami rattle while she watched the first half of the Miami game and then a donned a homemade UGA onesie for Georgia's opener (both via TV). Lastly, she loves a good walk or jog. She was spotted wearing a Baby Armour hat, fleece outfit and socks on a recent jog.

Annie's Nicknames

After much anticipation, I (Matt) figured I would reveal to you the many nicknames of little Annie. The most used nickname is panda or sleepy panda from the VeggieTales movie, "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything," where the quote reads, "I'm like a sleepy little panda." Other variations include little panda and baby panda.

Other names include:
Bobblehead - due to her bobbing head
Snake - due to her constant tounge going in and out of her mouth
Horseeee - due to her grunts that sound similar to "neeeah"
Baby Bear and Baby Bear Cub - due to the fact that she has a bear cub coat
Charles Barkley - due to her round mound of rebound head
Smokey Bear - Not sure the reason for this one
Raggedy Annie - Due to my parents being Raggedy Ann and Andy for Halloween one year and the fact that Mrs. Blankenship made her a very cute doll... and because her name is Annie.

Annie's First Date

Alternatively titled: My husband thinks our baby looks like Charles Barkley.

On the way back from Cincy this past weekend, we stopped in at Fort Knox to see our friends Catie and Aaron and their 10-day-old baby boy, Jack. It was officially Annie's first date and she doesn't look like she was really enjoying herself; she called me from the bathroom on her cell phone about midway through the date and mentioned that she was really looking for someone who can hold his head up. I think she's also looking for someone who can sleep through the night. But she was digging his full head of hair and striped outfit, so I wouldn't count him out just yet!


(A special shout out [Is that term still relevant, or am I stuck in 1998?] to Catie and Aaron who catch up on their blog reading during the late night feedings! We loved seeing you guys!)

I should also mention that the word that comes to mind when looking at this picture of Annie is "round." Round face, round eyes, round nose. A couple weekends ago, Matt said she was looking "less like a baby and more like Charles Barkley." Baby girl just likes to eat...nothing wrong with that!

It's Official

I have quit my job that I had for four years and have started a new one...

... with much longer hours.

... with much less pay.

... with a more demanding schedule.

... with messier job responsibilities.

But it has...

... much better benefits.

... a short term and long term reward structure.

... a pretty cute co-worker.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I've gone country...

Look at my boots!

Annie at 2 Months!

I'm a little late with the 2 month update since she's 11 weeks now, but here are the stats!

Congrats, Annie! You've put on almost 5 lbs since you were born at 6 lb., 4 oz.!

Weight: 11 lb., 3 oz. (55%)
Height: 23.38 in. (80%)
Head Circ: 15.08 in. (35%)

Here are some things you're doing right now: (I'm writing these more for my benefit than for anyone else's...I haven't been so good at logging milestones!)

- You're smiling and started doing so consistently around 7 weeks. Before that, you smiled just a few times.
- It's like you woke up at 7 weeks and realized that there were things to look at...a mobile above your crib and blocks above your changing table! And you can now focus on faces and objects pretty well.
- You've only pushed yourself up on your elbows a couple times, but you're pretty good at holding your head at about 45 degrees when you're on your tummy.
- You seem to have pretty strong legs and will stand on them for a few seconds at a time when we hold you in our laps.
- You don't mind the activity mat, you like the swing and the stroller, but you LOVE bouncing on the exercise ball with anyone that will hold you.
- Your baby acne cleared up around 6 weeks. Thank goodness!
- You started sleeping about 6 hours a night around 6 weeks of age, and you've gone as much as 7 or 8 just a few times. (But thank you for those few times!)
- You're a great eater and a great sleeper, but you're a little fussy in between...especially around 7 every night.
- You take about 3 naps everyday...a short one in the morning while we're walking with the stroller, a nice 2-3 hour nap mid-day/early afternoon, and a short one in the late afternoon...you usually miss Oprah.
- You love to be held so you can look over our shoulders or sitting up leaning against our chests or stomachs, but you do not like to be cradled.
- You have about a hundred nicknames, but the most common one is "baby panda." (Long story...perhaps I'll have Matt do a guest post on all his nicknames for Annie.)

We love you little Annie! I stole this idea from some friends, but here is Annie's progression with her little Raggedy Ann(ie) doll. More posts coming soon..I've been slacking!

I Love Bathtime!

Here's a couple photos to enjoy while each and every one of you anxiously await a post about Annie at two months! (And I'm not positive, but I think Annie is practicing to do the UGA ADPi walk song in these pictures....right arm's up...nice fist! The 90 degree arm angle needs a little work, but we've still got 18 years to perfect it.)

Smiling's my favorite!

Bounce Bounce Bounce

Occasionally Annie tends to have a hard time being happy during the day and always has a hard time being happy every night between 7 and 9. We've spent hours underneath the loud vent hood over the stove, walking around the neighborhood with Matt bouncing her in his arms, dancing along to "So You Think You Can Dance" with her in the Baby Bjorn (just to clarify...that's my tactic...not Matt's!) and pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the den. But a couple people have suggested that we try bouncing on an exercise ball with her, so Leslie was kind enough to let us borrow her exercise ball for a bit. And Annie loves it! We can get a great ab/thigh workout and calm her down at the same time!