Julianne is 6 months old!

Dear Julianne-

You are now 6 months old! I can't get over it and am LOVING this age! You are coming into your personality and you make us laugh and cry for joy daily. Your Daddy and I are simply in awe of the way God made you and are beginning to forget what life was like without you. You are so precious to us!

Here are your 6 month stats:

Height: 25.5 (50%)
Weight: 14 lbs. 9 oz. (25%...dropped here but the doctor said you have enough fat rolls to ease any cause for concern)
Head Circumference: 16 in. (10%)

Some of the highlights of this month:

1. Your first 4th of July! We took you to Daddy's hometown to visit Gran and Gramps and for some good old fashioned 4th of July fun.

There was the annual Canyon Parade and "Fair on the Square" we took part in. As you can see you slept through most of the morning festivities while Daddy ran into a lot of people he went to High School with.  

Maybe next year you will be more into it.....

Later in the day we attempted to get a picture of you in your 4th outfit.....

This one was my favorite....you looked so cute!

2. I think we already knew this, but you like to be moving constantly. This is achieved by lots of time playing on the floor, in your exersaucer, and in the jump door chair thing. It is great because Mommy can get things done in the kitchen while you play.

3. We jumped the gun and went ahead and started you on solids a couple of weeks ago. My plan was to wait until 6 months but you stopped sleeping through the night and wanted to nurse constantly so something had to give. You didn't exactly eat the sweat potatoes I made you but now you have learned to swallow and love them. You have also tried acorn and butternut squash and we are continuing to expand your pallet. Your poops are another story all together though. I have to say miss that breast milk poo you used to have that didn't stink but I know you had to grow up sometime...tear. 

4. Wesson is your BEST friend. You have known he exists for some time now but somewhere in the last few weeks he has become your entertainer, friend, and companion. Sometimes you would rather watch Wesson than Mommy or Daddy. It is really funny and sweet. The thing is he returns the sentiment exactly and is constantly by your side. Y'all have a special bond. 

That's all I got this month baby girl. I am anxious to see what happens next. 

Love, 

Mommy

Colorado or Bust!

**all photos in this post courtesy of Maria Sims (aunt Maria)

Last month my sister and I took Julianne to Colorado for a visit. Andrew stayed home since he has still not accumulated enough time off to join us on any kind of vacation. Stink...we missed him dearly and I realized how much I need that man! Not only is he a huge help with the baby, but he grounds me and helps me see when things are not a big deal. I tend to overreact and this tendency is something I constantly take to the Lord.

For example, during our stay we were parted with our dear friend Wubbs at the wedding we attended there. You may recall that Wubbs is the pacifier thing Julianne loves to bits and helps her get the best sleep, calms fussiness, and keeps her company in the car seat, therefore critical to our operation. We don't have Wubbs, we don't have sleep, and if we don't have sleep everyone is cranky and the world basically ends. At least that was how I felt in my state of panic. It is a long story but basically he was MIA and even after retracing my steps I could not locate that darn giraffe. So there I was in Denver without our beloved Wubbs who took 3 weeks to arrive when we ordered him 2 months ago. It is not like you can get these things at Walmart or something. They are a specialty item. During the crisis I texted Andrew, "there has been a loss in our family....Wubbs is gone!". He called me laughing and suggested we order a new one. This was an unacceptable solution since I knew it would be 3 weeks until a new one arrived. How could he think this was funny? I hung up shortly after he said, "it will be OK babe" because I just knew there was no way that statement could be true.

Well it turned out he was right after all. Someone picked it up and took it to the reception where my mom was asking everyone she encountered if they had seen the missing giraffe. About an hour into the party she finally asked the right person who saw it at the church and had planned to reunite it with its rightful owner at the reception. I can honestly say I have never been so happy to see a stuffed animal in my life! After we got Wubbs back I felt silly for how worked up I got over the whole thing. I mean it was tragic but Andrew was right to laugh about it. How I wish I could be more like that!

the reunion...

All this to say when Andrew is around I am more like that because he rubs off on me somehow in a beautiful married way that God probably intended by making Andrew my husband. Thank you Lord! However, when he is not around my ugliness in this area shines out a lot more and everyone misses him a lot. I plan on working on this and avoid leaving town without him as much as possible.

Overall it was a ver nice time though and wonderful to be in the cooler climate! Here are some highlights:

 J's first plane ride. She was a champ...just a little fussy on the way up and down and slight meltdown when she was ready for her nap. Most people were really nice and patient with us.

traveling through the airport in the Moby. She loves this thing and I do too! Was the perfect way to tote her and we used the stroller to tote all of our gear. Worked great!

We saw lots of family and friends:

 Uncle Matt Dillon 

 Opa

 Aunt Suzanne and cousin Esther

(Aunt) Rene. We aren't technically related but close enough

We also got to wear our hats and long pants. What a treat in June!

Because of this we spent lots of time outside enjoying the weather!

Nathalie

Julianne is 5 Months Old!

Dear Julianne-

I feel like I am being redundant because I say the same thing at the beginning of each of these posts, but this month has been such a joy with you! You are becoming Julianne with distinctive traits, expressions, and preferences that make up your sweet personality. It is so fun to watch you discover new things all the time and we rejoice with you at every milestone. Here are some of the highlights of this month:

 1. We took you swimming for the first time. Well I say swimming, it was more like splashing about in the water for a few minutes before you got too cold and ready for a nap, but it was a start! You loved it and I see lots of pool time in your future. Your Mommy loves to swim and I am delighted you seem to take to water so well. Plus you look adorable in your swimming suit and sunhat!

 2. Your cousins came to visit you this month! You are quite a bit younger than Macy and Mason, but I can tell y'all will be great friends. You adored them and loved the company while they were here. Macy was such a helper and it was very sweet to watch her with you.

 3. Uncle Marty came too and he was quite smitten with you. You loved hanging out with him too and even fell asleep on his chest! You aren't so much into cuddling these days so we were surprised you made an exception for your Uncle Marty. Very sweet....

4. You are sitting up assisted now and it is very fun! Not only do we have a lot more photo opportunities, you have a whole new perspective from the upright view. We put you in your highchair for the first time and you seemed to like it. We aren't feeding you there quite yet but when we start you will be ready. Mommy is trying to wait until 6 months to start solids since you are doing so well on breast milk. Plus it is a little easier for Mommy to have all of your meals on hand whenever you need them:)

 5. You started reaching for us! You reached for Daddy first and it totally made his day. He came home from work and went over to you to say hi. You reached for him and of course he scooped you right up. He asked me if you had done that to me and I said no which made him even more proud. You reach for me now too but I sense you are a Daddy's girl. You light up when you see Daddy and smile the most when he is around. I love watching you two together and am excited to see how your relationship continues to grow. He loves you so much baby girl.

6. You rolled from your back to your front! You haven't done it again since, but I am marking it down just the same.

6. You got your first TWO teeth! I suppose I should have guessed since you have been chewing on things constantly, but I was shocked to see two little tooth buds the other day. You were unconsolable and I tried everything to calm you down. It was a terrible afternoon but we got through it and only have 18 more to go! I am sort of dreading the next ones that come but I have lots of cold chewies and Tylenol on hand to get us through.

7. We also flew to Colorado this month to visit your Cita, Opa, and Uncle Matt Dillon, but I need to make that a whole new post. There are just too many pictures and events to mention here. So stay tuned and I will get that on the blog soon.

Can't wait to see what happens this month!

Love, Mommy