Five Months...

Annabelle, You are 5 months old today!

You laugh all the time now - especially when we kiss your neck and tickle your tummy.

You have just moved into your 9 month clothes - your 6 month clothes have just gotten too short for you.

You are wearing size 2-3 diapers (which we can only find at Target).

You love, love, love to stand up...either on our laps or in your exersaucer. It displeases you greatly to be left laying down somewhere for very long...you want to be where the action is!

You are delighted by your baby food! When I put you in your seat, you just stare at the food and get so excited when I put your bib on you! You have tried carrots, green beans, sweet peas, sweet potatoes, banana, peaches, applesauce and pears.

You crack up at your daddy all of the time. He swings you around and spins with you - you LOVE it! You laugh and smile when he walks into the room!

You are still nursing about 6 times a day and get up in the night once (sometimes twice to eat).

You have started to be very interested in Lucy and Gabbie - you reach for their faces when they are near by you.

The other night you were not quite ready to sleep so your daddy rocked you and you had a 30 minute long conversation with him - you just babbled and cooed like you had something very pressing to talk to him about...I hope you two always talk like that!

You have started to get pretty upset when people you aren't around often try to hold you. Loud noises and loud voices also startle you badly!

We have gotten very proficient at sensing your moods and interpreting your different cries.

Everything within your reach (toys, our fingers, blankets) goes straight into your mouth. We expect to see a tooth any day now!

We absolutely love you to pieces... It is all your daddy and I can talk about these days!

I think that Annabelle is looking more like her daddy everyday (and a tiny bit like my dad)! Who do you think she looks like? Leave us a comment with your thoughts - we would love to know who is reading our little blog!

It's Fall!!!

In celebration of the absolutely beautiful weather today, I bought 5 mini pumpkins for the dining room table! I can't wait to get out our fall decorations tomorrow. I told Jesse tonight that my favorite thing about decorating for fall is that it means Christmas decorations are soon to follow! The only things that I will miss once the weather gets cooler are my flip flops! I am a little scared to try on all of my work shoes (and clothes, for that matter)... I think my feet have grown after having a baby so it might be new shoe time for me!

Our girl chewing on everything in sight!!!

We had a wonderful family weekend here...a great long walk with Annabelle and the dogs, some yardwork, a great dinner and dessert (compliments of Jesse) Saturday night, lots of playing, some teething for Annabelle, and a haircut for me. It is the shortest (and blondest) that I have had it in a long time, but I think it will be a fun change for fall!

Poached pears - absolutely delicious! Jesse doesn't cook often, but when he does it is amazing! We have been inspired watching Top Chef!

Beach Vacation!

We braved the long drive to the gulf and took our first family of three vacation to the beach last week. It was completely worth it - we had the best time! I wish we had taken a picture of our loaded car...I tried so hard to pack light, but babies and the beach both require a lot of equipment! Annabelle was not a fan of the drive there, but she was a champ on the drive home! This girl dislikes being strapped down in her car seat so much that she has started holding onto the sides and propping herself up with her little elbows so she can't be buckled down.

It rained our first day there - so Jesse and Annabelle are checking some email.

Our condo was fantastic - beautifully decorated with an amazing beach view.

Lunch at Sharky's on the beach...

It was a perfect moment - eating outside (which I love to do), a cool ocean breeze, the sounds of waves and seagulls and my sweet husband and a happy baby.

Giving the pool a try - she was very serious during her swim!

A good beach nap on her mama's shoulder! It is so rare for her to nap on me now that I just treasure the few moments that she does!

Nana and Grandad joined us for a couple of days of beach fun!

Annabelle's newest fascination is with cups - she is so interested in what we are drinking and wants to hold it herself. I gave her this empty cup and she immediately put it up to her mouth...it might be time for a sippy cup soon!

Before dinner at Captain Anderson's with my parents. Annabelle was just absolutely exhausted from the day at the beach and was ready to be in her bed during dinner. It was the first time (and I am sure not the last) I have had to get my dinner in a to-go box while I walked around outside with her. She was completely content being held while walking around. I didn't mind at all - it felt like a rite of passage into motherhood.

A little beach nap in her baby beach tent.

We tried to get some good family beach photos on our last evening there. I think they turned out pretty well - we even had to stop for a wardrobe change for our girl!

On the way home yesterday, we stopped in Montgomery to see our friends Jonathan and Angela and meet their sweet baby, Julianne. They are just there for a month while Jonathan does some Air Force training, so we were glad that we could spend some time together!

It was hard to come home after such a great vacation!!!

Jesse's girl...

I have to admit that everytime that song cycles through my ipod it makes me smile. I am so lucky to be "Jesse's girl" and here are a few reasons why...

last night we made dinner together and before I even realized it was done, the kitchen was cleaned up...this is a regular occurance.

right now he is at auto zone looking for parts to change the temperature gauge in my car...really, how many people know how to do that!


he won't let annabelle go to bed at night without both of us taking her to the nursery together and giving her kisses...

He changes the oil and brakes on my car everytime it needs it...he mows the lawn and picks up the doggie gifts...he pays the bills and keeps our finances going...he always seeks me out for a good long hug...he empties the diaper pail...he keeps my car filled up with gas...he calls on his way home to see if we need anything from the grocery store...when I am trying to decided between two outfits at the store, he says "get both"...

he just wants to be with me no matter what we are doing...he tells me i am beautiful when i am at my least cute... he says "i love you" countless times each day.

we laugh together all of the time...he has the most witty sense of humor that i totally get...and he thinks i am funny too.

when annabelle was born, he took to upmost care of both of his girls...changing every diaper... holding her for hours...making sure i had everything i needed ..

he constantly reminds me that being a good parent is about doing the very best you can but not about doing it all... he is always wanting to learn everything he can to be an amazing father (which he already is!).

we have owned two {old} homes together and I can count on one hand the number of times we have had to call someone to fix something...he does it all - plumbing, roofing, drywall, running water lines, electric work...a jack of all trades. i am constantly in awe of his ability to fix any of our home problems.

when we first started spending time together in college i knew that there was something extremely special about him...as time went on I knew that it was more than that...he charms people of all kinds...he waited until i had made my decision about grad school to pursue me, not wanting to keep me from a dream.

while i lived in boston, he came to visit me 32 times...we spent hours each weekend just walking around the city making it the place that we fell in love...he proposed in the boston public garden where we used to sit for hours to talk and people watch...he checked the weather about 10 times the day before...he asked my parents for their permission to marry me.

he loves to travel and experience new places and things...he also loves to be home with his 4 girls (me, Annabelle and the dogs)..he is a kid at heart and loves to play, bike, snorkle, be outside...

he is the most natural father...before annabelle was born, he would sometimes express worry about not knowing how to handle a newborn...he takes care of her like he has been doing it for years...

he wants to do everything right with our daughter...from the perfect bath temperature to making sure she knows how much we love each other...he doesn't realize how lucky annabelle and i are to have him as a father & husband.

Just an update...

Annabelle and I spent all of last week in Georgia visiting with Jimmy. He leaves in just a few days for an amazing new job, and it might be a while before we get to see him again. So, I decided was would bring baby-land to him for the week...and we had such a great time! This picture of him is from the day Annabelle came home from the hospital.

My mom's sister, Carolyn, came for a visit from Texas over Labor Day weekend. We had a wonderful time with her, and it was so special that she got to see Annabelle while she is still so young! Mom, Dad and Carolyn came to our house on Tuesday - we showed Carolyn around and lavished attention on Annabelle!
Annabelle had her 4 month check-up on Wednesday. Her doctor said she was looking great, and was happy that we had started her on cereal and veggies. He had us add in some fruit this week, and she has really loved that! Weight - 16 lbs, 4 ounces; Height - 26 inches.

We have enjoyed having a Saturday at home to just run errands, watch football and have some family time!

A beautiful mess!

We have had so much fun introducing Annabelle to {real} food. We started with some tasty rice cereal and have worked our way up to carrots, green beans and sweet potatoes. She is in love...except with the green beans (which are actually one of my favorite foods - the adult version, not the baby food)!

The essentials.

First bites...trying to decide what she thinks!

Baby approved - she loves it!

When the spoon isn't in her mouth fast enough, she lunges upward like a baby bird...precious!

Meet the Godparents...

When thinking about Annabelle's future, Jesse and I both agree that we want her to grow up surrounded by a support system that extends us that allows her to see God's love for her through the special people in her life. We want her to have adults in her life that are sources of love, consistency, fun, prayer, and support. We are blessed with amazing families and wonderful friends that already love our daughter dearly.

Our amazing friends, Joy and Jordan, have accepted our request that they serve as Annabelle's Godparents. We could not be happier! When looking for more information about the history and true meaning of a Godparent, I found this definition that fit perfectly. "A godparent should be a person of deep faith, prayer, and spirituality. Their qualities should include a sincere interest in the child, nonjudgmental acceptance, stability, high moral character, and a capacity for being a role model." Joy and Jordan are all of these things and much, much more. Joy has been like a sister to me since the beginning of college. She is truly beautiful inside and out. As a couple, they have been such an example of what God intended a marriage to be. We are incredibly honored that they are willing to have such an important role in the life of our daughter.

Mountain Getaway...

We made a trip to the North Georgia mountains this weekend to help celebrate our friend Jordan's birthday. The cabin was perfect, the views were gorgeous, the food was delicious, and the company was the best! I can't find the cord to my camera so I had to borrow some pictures from two other friends there that are both beautiful photographers!

The birthday boy turns the big 3-0!

I love this picture of Jesse & Jordan with Annabelle.

Our sweet girl.