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

Good Girl Friends

Every girl needs great girl friends in her life. Julianne is blessed to have these gals in her inner circle all born within the same 4 weeks. What a treat it is to watch them grow together!

Nathalie

Dating Again

I never quite appreciated a night out with Andrew before we had a baby. Now it is such a treat to eat a meal together and not have to worry if our daughter is going to awaken or disrupt other diners at any given moment.

Currently our typical eating out experience consists of constant rocking of the car seat or taking turns bouncing her on our laps while the other one scarfs a few bites. Conversation is completely out of the question as we have no time to chat between chews and are completely distracted with keeping Julianne happy. As soon as the food has been consumed we are eager to leave the eating establishment before our girl has a total meltdown or is ready to eat herself. Even if we get through the meal without incident, we have spent the whole time waiting for the other shoe to drop. All that to say, it is an undertaking going out as a family. The gear required to leave the house is in itself a load that takes significant energy to haul.

So you can understand how delightful it was when Andrew and I got to go out to dinner alone last week for his birthday. It was our first real date since Julianne was born and although it was hard to leave her, we very much enjoyed ourselves! I got dressed up and made it out of the house without spit up on my shoulder. I was also able to take a purse with me rather than the diaper bag....glorious! We held hands, lingered over our food, and utterly enjoyed an appetizer, entree, and dessert without interruption.

We are truly blessed to have many good friends and family around who love Julianne and are happy to watch her for a few hours. We miss her any time we are away, but also realize that going on dates now and then is important. It is nice to be dating again!

p.s. the above pic was taken at a wedding I was in last weekend. I didn't have a picture of us on our date night but the wedding was another time we took advantage of child care. Just felt I needed to clarify...

Julianne is 4 months old!

Dear Julianne-

You have already completed 4 months of life! It seems like I was just sitting here writing about month 3. I think I said this last month too, but you are truly getting more and more fun everyday! You increasingly become more alert and aware of your surroundings and it is fun to watch you develop your personality. Your Daddy and I continue to be amazed that you are our daughter and feel humbled that the Lord has called us to be your parents. Below are some observations I have made this month, time will tell if you continue to hold these traits as you get older.

4 Month Stats (still a little petite thing):

Height 24.5 inches (50%)
Weight: 12 lbs. 11 oz. (40%)
Head Circumference: 15.5 inches (10%)

1. You love to build relationships:

Of course to seem to adore your Daddy and me, but you have another love around here and his name is Wubbs. He is a giraffe "Wubba Nub" you can hug and suck on and you are quite smitten with him. We take him just about everywhere.

You love people too and are very social. You smile the biggest when you see a new face and love when people come to the house. You also love the "baby" in the mirror. This month your "Cita" (my mom) came to visit and it was fun for both of you. She hadn't seen you since you were 3 weeks old so it was fun to watch you get reacquainted.

2. You are very curious:

You are constantly trying to figure things out......

3. You have determination seen in how much you hate Tummy Time:

Along with many babies you HATE Tummy Time. I wasn't making you do it that often since it makes you so mad, but realized I was holding you back. Once I got you to do it regularly though you were so determined to end it you rolled over! I am sorry you are not a fan of it, but I make you do it anyway because I love you. I am sure this is just the first of many things that will fall in this category. 

we start out ok....

Sometimes you just roll over to get out of it....

More often you make the "mad face"and drool/spit up a lot......

Then you make the "really mad" face.....at this point I usually help you roll over

4. You love to put fingers in your mouth. This is relatively new for you and not uncommon, but will note it just the same. 

We are excited to see what next month brings! We love you baby girl!

Mommy and Daddy

Julianne is 3 months old!

Dear Julianne-

You are 3 months old! So much has changed in this last month it is hard to know where to begin. Life with you is getting more and more fun each day. You are constantly discovering things and it is a joy to watch! You are awake a lot more during the day and interact with us constantly. I would call this the month of firsts and I would like to highlight a few for you.

1. Your First Wedding

Your Daddy and I regretted it later, but we took you to a wedding this month. It isn't that we didn't enjoy your company there, it was just a bit difficult to keep you happy during the event. We spent the ceremony in the cry room at the church and your Daddy and I took turns rocking you in your car seat during the reception. I think we will wait to take you to another wedding when you can actually enjoy yourself.

2. Your First Giggle

You giggled first for Daddy one day when we met him for lunch at Chich Fil A. I was a little disappointed I missed it since I was getting straws for us, but glad your Daddy got to experience a "first" with you and can't wait to hear it myself. I hear you are a sweet giggler.

3. Your First Easter

Last Sunday we celebrated your first Easter! On the way to church we had a long talk about why we celebrate Christ's resurrection. You looked beautiful in your pink Easter dress Gran got you and ivory sweater. During our talk in the car you seemed to be very focused on what I was saying but it turned out you were working on a nasty diaper. Unfortunately it was a total blow out mess all over the pretty pink bloomers you had on. Oh well......a quick diaper change in the car trunk and we were back in business.

4. Your First Full night of sleep!

This month you began sleeping 8-10 hours at night and seem to have made it a habit! I cannot tell you how wonderful it has been to get all of those consecutive hours of sleep. You will not understand this until you have a baby one day but I will voice my delight just the same.

5. Your first love of outdoors

Before this month it seemed you were indifferent to your environment. Now you certainly have a preference to the outdoors. There have been times when you have been fussy and as soon as I step outside you instantly calm down. I think all of the sights and sounds fascinate and sooth you. It is great for me too since I love being outside this time of year as well.

6. Your first realization we own a dog

You have become aware of Wesson and seem to like him fine. He likes you too and loves to sit near you while you play. I have also noticed when you go down for your naps he heads to his bed for a snooze as well. I think y'all may be best friends one day.

Looking back on this month I am again reminded how quickly it has past. You are growing and changing so fast baby girl! I love seeing you discover new things everyday and am trying to cherish this time when you are small. It won't last long!

Love,
Mommy