7 Months

7 months 10-30-10

Now this was a month of firsts
First Teeth
First Halloween
First Night Away from Mommy & Daddy

Let's start with the teeth. She didn't have them at her 6 month on 9/29 but the bottom two broke through a day later. The teething process was not too bad for these first two. She definintely drooled ALL over the place but didn't seem to be in too much pain. She started to wake up a little bit during the night but it was because of the teeth. She still sleeps like a champ. I don't like to talk about it because I know this is not how most babies are and I don't want to come off like I'm bragging - but hey, it is what it is right? The teeth are really cute and she's making funny faces now too.

We've started a new "tradition" with our neighbors next door. They have a son a few weeks older than Landry and on Friday's we pull out the exersaucers/jumpers into the driveway and open a bottle or two of wine. The weather has been so nice and Landry really loves to be outside. Doug has missed a few because he's been out of town but we have had fun anyway. Doug missed one Friday because he was at Game 6 of the ALCS when the Rangers beat the Yankees and clinched their trip to the World Series. Doug was nice enough to set up the TV in the garage for us to continue our Friday nights but not miss out on the game. Like I mentioned before, Ranger Fever has been brewing...

We have been talking about spending a night away from the baby and while I know we need to, it was hard to make the decision. We started small. Doug booked a hotel in Fort Worth for Saturday during the World Series. Everyone pitched in. We dropped the baby off in Mansfield with his sister. They kept her for the day and then both of our Moms came to the house and kept her there overnight. I was still a little nervous but knowing she was at home made it so much easier. We had a great night. We walked around Sundance and had a nice lunch. After that, we took a fabulous nap. No monitor, no feeding schedules and black out curtains in the room. Romantic, right? It was without a doubt the best nap I have had in my life. We woke up refreshed and headed to the bar to watch game 3 of the World Series.

After a wonderful night we headed home to see our baby girl. Turns out, she had been a little under the weather while we were gone. It was Halloween and I didn't want her to feel bad. We didn't plan to trick or treat, but the neighbors were going to come over and take some pictures. She seemed to feel better so we put on her costume and had some fun. Speaking of fun, we left her at home again the next night and went with Uncle Rob to Game 5 of the World Series. Although we lost, we had a great time. What a once in a lifetime experience.

Still working through some technical issues on the pictures. More to come...

Go Rangers!!

Pumpkins



More Pumpkins!



I love my Daddy

Even More Pumpkins!

Visiting with Papa Joe

Sitting with MeMe

6 Months

6 Months 9-30-10

Another month flies by. We are really settling into our routine now. Work is going well for me and Doug is doing awesome in his job.

As I mentioned last month, she looooves to eat. Don't let the pictures fool you. This month we started on solids. Haven't quite figured out the spoon in the mouth thing but we're getting there. She's beginning to really move now. Not crawling yet but the rolling is really coming along. School is fantastic. They take such good care of her and I love it. She had her first school picture this month. I think it turned out pretty well.

This month Landry attended her first Ranger game. We had so much fun and she was so good. Doug's friend Andy and Gigi went with us. Ranger fever is really beginning to build around here.

We had our 6 month checkup this week and she is doing awesome.
6 Month Stats
Weight 17.7 lbs 87%
Height 26.5 in 84%
Head 16.3 in 23%
She still has a tiny little head but definitely ahead of the curve in height and weight.

Uncle Rob came to visit this month. Landry adores him and he's really good with her. Not bad for a guy that hasn't been around babies too much.

One of the many things I love about where we live is the proximity to the Dallas Arboretum. We have a membership and it's so easy to run up there for an evening. We went up there one afternoon to the pumpkin patch and shot some 6 month pics. She's growing so quickly....

1st School Picture

1st Ranger Game

I love my Uncle Rob

He makes me laugh

So sweet...

Pumpkins! Pumpkins! Everywhere!

5 Months

5 Months  8-30-10
Well, this was definitely the month of change. I started work on August 9 and we finally got into a routine. I have never thought of myself as much of a morning person - until I had a baby. Your body just seems to reset itself and I'm much better about mornings than I used to be. One of the great things about my job is that I have a flexible schedule. As long as you are there between 9-4 for meetings, they don't care when you come or go. Just have to put in your 8 hours. I have found that I can maximize my day if I get up and get to the office early. So, I've put myself on the 7-4 schedule. This means getting up around 5:30 everyday but that's not so bad.

School doesn't open until 7am so her Dad takes her to school every morning when he is not traveling. He is so wonderful and such an amazing father. Still can't believe how lucky I am to have them both. His help in the morning allows me to get up, get to work and leave in time to pick her up by 4:30 every day. That means 3-4 hours quality time with her every evening. I miss seeing her in the mornings. She's always the sweetest when she first wakes up. Thankfully I get to experience it on the weekends.

This month she continues to amaze us. She's beginning to gain mobility. My second week of work Doug sent me a video of her rolling over by herself. She can only do it every once in a while but she's getting there. We also started rice cereal this month. She loves it!! One thing this girl doesn't lack is an appetite.

Our next doctor appointment isn't until 6 months. We'll have a status update then.

Here are some 5 month pics

Hello? Anybody There?

Have you ever fallen in a hole and each time you try to dig yourself out something else comes up? Next thing you know, you are so far into the hole that you can't even see the surface. That's how I feel about this blog. I fell one month behind, then two, then three.... Has it really been five now? Each time I sat down to update it, something came up and I never seemed to have enough uninterruped time. So, I'm going to try and catch up on each of the lost months within the next week. Then, once caught up, I will do my best to stay that way. No promises, but I'll try.

4 Months

I can't believe she is 4 months old already. Where to begin...We went for our doctor's appointment today and she is doing great. Stats:

Weight 14lbs - 66%
Height 25 1/2 in - 93%
Head 15 3/4 cm - 28%

Her head is a little small but the doctor is not worried about it. As long as it continues to grow, she's fine. I have a really small head so she may be following in my footsteps.

Since my last post, so many things have changed. The biggest is daycare. She started on July 6th and absolutely loves it. I had a hard time for the first few minutes but I did great. I love the school and they just adore her. I have never once worried if she is being cared for or if she is happy. I was just sad not to be with her all day during the week.

That same week we moved her to her room to sleep. She did great. I was a bit of a mess there too but I managed. She is still swaddled and sleeps really, really well. I tried not swaddling her last night. That lasted about an hour. Once she was wrapped up, she was fast asleep.

She's becoming more and more alert each day. She loves to play with her toys and is beginning to notice Hunter. They still pretty much ignore each other but every once in a while he'll walk up and give her kisses (aka lick her face). I should probably be more concerned about germs, etc. but I'm not. I think it's precious.

She's already outgrown so many of her clothes. I have such a hard time packing them away. I don't know when she got so big!! We're moving into 6-9 month sizes in a lot of the brands. The sizing is really a joke. Each brand fits so differently. Our biggest issue is the length (see stats above). If it's a onesie, it's too tight from top to bottom and if it's a pant/top outfit it looks like a midriff shirt. The dresses are still ok - for the most part.

We've been lucky to hang out with many of our friends over the last month. Some with the baby and some without. Adult time is definitely needed and appreciated. Thank you GiGi, MaMaw and PaPaw for your babysitting services. Don't know what we would do without you.

Finally, the biggest change for us as a family is that I am going back to work in the corporate world next week. I really haven't told anyone about this so please don't be upset if you're just hearing this. I have taken a job with a company in Richardson called Argo Data. I'll be working in the office and will travel a little. I have mixed emotions. I am really excited about this new position and can't wait to get back into the corporate office. At the same time, I am really going to miss the real estate job and working so closely with my mother. We have grown accustomed to seeing each other several times a week. The decision was made to do what was best for my family. In real estate, it is definitely not a 9-5 job. It's a lot of evening and weekend work if you want to be successful. Those of you who know me know that I don't accept anything less than success. So, that means I would miss out on precious time with my baby girl. Day care from 7-6 and then back to bed at 8pm means I will only see her a couple of hours a day and on weekends. Take 2-3 evenings and at least one weekend day away and I'll hardly see her at all. It just isn't worth it to miss this amazing time. So, next week it's back to the grind. It's ok though, because it's all for her...


Below are some pictures from the last month. A trip to Lake Granbury for the 4th, Dinner with the Downey Twins, a drive to Longview to meet Great Grandma Howard, Dinner with Neighbors, and Lauren's visit to Dallas. It begins with 3 month pictures and ends with a 4 month photo. Enjoy.

3 Months

3 Months

4th of July with Uncle Jason & Aunt Adria

(She had on an adorable 1st Fourth of July outfit but pooped all over it on the drive to Granbury - that's what I get for not taking pictures before we left the house)

Pool time with Cousins Taylor and Bobby

Great Grandma Betty

3 Generations of Howard Women

My Aunt Ann with a happy Landry

GiGi making her laugh

Finally got to meet Miss Lauren

My two babies

The Downey Girls and Landry - she was tired and hungry when we tried to take these pictures. Probably not the best timing...

Getting 3 babies to sit still for a picture is harder than it looks

Dinner with my next door neighbor Samuel

Go Rangers!!!!!

12 Weeks but not 3 Months....

This whole age thing can be tricky in the beginning. As of yesterday, Landry is 12 weeks old but won't be three months for another week. It can be so confusing. I am told that you deal in weeks until they hit the 3 month mark. Good news because this is getting to be too hard to explain.

Sunday was Doug's 1st Father's Day. We celebrated by going to church. We haven't been since she was born. That's basically my fault. I wouldn't go because I didn't have any clothes that fit. More on that later. I also felt she was still too young for the nursery and I didn't know if we could take her to service. We finally did it. Our friends Kelly and Devin went with us to the Cornerstone service at HPUMC. They have twin girls that are almost 9 months old. They took the girls to the nursery and I think they enjoyed it. HPUMC does a great job with their infant care and I would have no problem leaving Landry there. Luckily, we don't have to if we don't want to. She was perfect. Her Dad held her for most of the service. In the beginning, she was enthralled with the screens and the colors. Then she fell asleep. She laid out in her Daddy's arms and then later, cuddled up on his chest. I can't imagine a better way to start Father's Day than to watch that. We are definitely going to try and get back into a rountine that includes Sunday church.

Happy 1st Father's Day!!!

So precious....

She loves her Daddy!!

So much has changed with her since my last post. She is growing up so quickly. The biggest change is that she has finally "found" her hands. She no longer clenches her fists and she started grabbing things and playing with her toys. She is sitting up really well and has such a strong neck. She can sit in her exersaucer and walker for more than a few minutes and loves the toys in front of her. Anything with lights and sound just amazes her. Also, she smiles all the time. One of the best is when you pick her up from the bouncer or swing. She just looks up and beams when you reach down to grab her. She is still sleeping really well. We're up to about 12 hours a night. She's still in our room but I am working on that. It won't be long before she moves out.

Daycare starts in July. I am so sad. I can't believe it's time already. It is going to be really hard but I'll do my best to be strong. You'll hear more about this later...

Finally, we have started weight watchers. I believed those that told me the weight would fall off after the baby was born. They probably didn't eat their way through pregnancy. Anyway, WW is working really well. 5 pounds in two weeks. If I can keep up this pace, I'll be back to my pre-pregnancy weight soon and then I can work off the other 10 pounds that I wanted to get rid of even before I got prego. For those of you looking to eat healthy (or healthier) check out http://www.skinnytaste.com/. It's a blog I was introduced to from Kelly. Great food with healthy twists and for those on WW, she gives you the points. I highly recommend the bolognese, chicken picatta, pork carnitas, and the sante fe chicken. We haven't had a bad meal yet.

Here are some new pictures:

A couple more from Father's Day. She's so cute in her dress.

Look at the adorable outfit from Kelly

Our two babies. So sweet.

She loves to smile!!

I don't know why, but I just love this one.

2 Months

Wow. So, you would think that since I'm not really working, I would have time to do all sorts of things. Turns out, I'm a lot busier than I thought I would be. When I was pregnant, a friend told me to be grateful if I accomplished one non-baby thing a day once she arrived. I thought she was just lazy - kidding. Seriously, how can feeding, burping and changing diapers take up so much time? Anyway, I promise to try and be better. I'm going to update a bunch of info below and then I'll add a bunch of pics. Since the last post we have hit some serious milestones. Sorry for the delay.

4 Weeks

She is sleeping through the night and has been since about 4 weeks. We started at 6 hours but she is up to 7,8,9 and sometimes 10 hours straight. It is WONDERFUL!! She is still in our room but I expect to move her to the crib this week sometime.

5 Weeks
She's starting to respond to our voices and trying to follow them with her eyes. She has also discovered her fists with her mouth. Doug left town again for another business trip. This time I did it solo. Gigi did come over for one night but I did the others all by myself. Much easier than the first long trip he took.

6 Weeks
Mother's Day!!! My first and favorite so far. We had a wonderful day. Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins came over for a relaxing afternoon of burgers and dogs. Sadly, we forgot to take pictures until late in the day so forgive the tired look.

7 Weeks
Doug had to leave town again. This time for 5 days. We had a wonderful, successful week. On Tuesday we went back to Scottish Rite for our checkup. We got the all clear. So happy and thankful that our prayers were answered. They don't see a need for further followup but I agreed to enter her in a study. They basically chart their progress at various years throughout her adolescence. It's the least we could do. They were sooooo wonderful. For those of you who haven't been there, be grateful that you didn't need to go. For those of you who may someday need their services, be confident that you are in the best hands. So impressed with the facility, staff and volunteers. I will probably try to add this to my junior league placement next year. Landry is really starting to get control of her head. She is so strong already. She's been lifting her head for several weeks but she's finally almost able to hold it upright for more than a minute or so.

8 Weeks
Landry is still sleeping like a champ. She's definitely a Howard girl. She has really started to respond to voices and reciprocates smiles. It's so amazing. As a birthday gift, we gave Doug and the family passes to the Dallas Zoo. One of the neatest perks was the ability to go see the new exhibit Giants of the Savannah before it opened to the general public. We went out there last weekend for a little while before it got too hot.

2 Months
Finally, the blog is up to date. Memorial Day Weekend was a blast. We went to the Reilly's and she went in the pool for the first time. So cute.

We went to the doctor for her 2 month appointment today. Everything is great. Her stats are:
Height 23 1/4" - 88%
Weight 10lbs 15oz - 63%
She also received her first round of shots - there were 3. She didn't care for it but has really been great today. Thankfully she slept most of the day which was great. She didn't have to feel any pain while sleeping.

She is really responding to sights and sounds. She loves the music and lights on her bouncer. She just laughs and smiles. She also will smile when you talk and laugh with her. It's so, so, so amazing. We love her so much. I want to go hug and kiss her now just typing all of this. I think I will. Good night.