Rua - 6 months

April 5, 2015

Dearest Rua,

Six months old today. Wow. My beautiful little baby girl is 6 months old. This weekend was general conference for church, as was the weekend you were born. So this whole weekend has brought back so many beautiful memories and thoughts from that weekend. 

                            

You just keep growing and growing and stealing our hearts more and more each day. When we were last at story time, Abby just stood by me the whole time, hugging and kissing you telling you she loved you, hardly paying attention to the stories or songs. Exactly how we all feel!

 

Some things about you from this month:

• Biggest accomplishment: You can sit up by yourself! You are still a bit wobbly and will fall over easily after a few minutes but every day you are getting better. It's so nice to be able to set you down with a few toys. You are much happier being able to sit up and see things!

• You are so happy and love to let everyone know it! You squeal and make all sorts of cute noises.
• You are very attentive and enjoy watching other people, especially other kids. Even more so if those other kids happen to include big sister Abby. You laugh and laugh at her crazy antics, which of course makes her do even more to keep making you laugh.

• You want to hold everything in your reach. This makes Abby a bit upset multiple times a day as these things often are her toys or books. She is very willing to share if the things you want are your toys and is very sweet about it, but it is a completely different story if it is hers. Will work on this!
• You can push yourself up really high with those arms while on your tummy. Once you pushed yourself up on your knees.
• You suck your thumb and want to hold onto things while you do. Sometimes this is just holding your hands together while you suck or my hair if I'm holding you, or my shirt, your shirt, or a blanket or toy. 

• You can reach those little toes of yours

• You love to watch the ceiling fan
• You still don't like the jogging stroller very much. 
• Your sleep has really gone downhill. You've gone from sleeping 6-8 hours straight to waking up multiple times at night. Naps are hard too. 

• You celebrated your first Easter (today!). 
• You got your first little sunburn. (sorry!)
• You swung in the swing at the playground for the first couple of times this month. You thought it was just great. You look so tiny in there compared to Abby!  She keeps telling me to make you go really high, I have to keep explaining to her that you aren't quite ready for that. 

• We tried putting you in Abby's booster chair with tray last week to see how that would work (looking forward to when we start solids). You thought it was fun, throwing your toys off the tray onto the floor. Abby decided that this wasn't a good idea yet and has banned you from her chair. So you are back in your bumbo during meals, chewing on a spoon while we eat. 
• Speaking of eating, you aren't yet. But Abby sure loves to feed you the food she 'makes' in her little kitchen. She comes over to you on the floor and feeds you with her spatula the pretend food and you both laugh and have fun with it. 

You are just so much fun! This is going to be an awesome month. I love the time I have with you, little one. 

Love, 

Your Mamma

The sound of Abby

These are too adorable not to share. This type of quality singing typically only happens during potty time, so when she started belting out songs after dinner, we had to capture it on camera. Abby really has a knack for picking up songs. Last week she came home after nursery and surprised us by knowing all of the words to "I Am Like a Star Shining Brightly," which was learned completely from nursery singing time. (And, according to her nursery leaders today, she never actually sings during nursery--just sits there and listens attentively. We'll have to work on her stage presence.)

Rua - 5 Months

Dearest Rua,

Five months old! This past month has been so fun. You have been a ton more active and interactive and so so happy.

                                                   

Some things from this month:

• You have finally started using your rolling skills more. Especially at diaper changes. When that diaper comes off, off you go. You seem to be having more fun with moving around now too, like you are playing more than just practicing moving. 

• Bubbles, bubbles, all the time. You have really perfected blowing raspberries and sometimes get so into it that spit comes flying off, covering your little face in drops. 
• Speaking of being wet, all your drooling has indeed been teething, you got your first tooth two weeks ago. Along with that came the first signs of biting when nursing. Not ok, little one. Hopefully we can curb that quickly. 
• You have sure found your voice, and it is a loud one. You like to make all sorts of noises, and when you are the happiest, it escalates into a loud happy screech. Yikes, you really know how to be heard. 

• You have finally started to grab and hold onto things more. Your toys (favorite is definitely Sophie the giraffe), blankets, fingers, shirts, bibs, whatever comes in your path. And of course, all of these head straight into your mouth.
• You still love your thumb. I have given up trying to convince you to take a pacifier and have accepted that both my girls just prefer their fingers. Honestly though, it is so nice at nights especially for you to be able to soothe yourself with your thumb. 

• This love of your thumb though has made it hard wearing the splint that you got this month. We visited the occupational therapist for the first time this month and she made a splint for your left hand, which is to help straighten out your middle finger which is bent. She tried to make it so you can still get your thumb in but it doesn't seem to be working too well, and you sure don't like having that thumb out of your reach. Thankfully you only have to wear it at nights. 

• Still love baths

• You love watching Abby. You start cracking up laughing so easily, she doesn't even have to been doing anything funny. 
• And your sister sure loves you. She is always asking if you are awake yet when you are sleeping and always wants to be right there playing with you.  

We love you too! Happy five months, little Rua.

Love, 

Your Mamma

Abby's baby carrier - sewing project

Probably one of my favorite sewing projects in a while. Loved how this turned out!! Now Abby has her very own 'ergo' as she calls it, though it is actually a mei-tai carrier. Here is a link to the tutorial I used. 

Rua - 4 months

Dearest Rua,

Happy four months darling girl!

Some firsts and fun things from this month:

• You have officially learned to roll over, both directions. You did back to tummy first then just last week did tummy to back. It's funny, the days you figured these out, you did it over and over. And now, its hardly ever. It's as though you had to practice, practice and now you can say, 'check, can do that. Don't need to do it any more!'

• Along with all your rolling, you are becoming more mobile in your own, four month way. While lying on your back you can scootch yourself around, so that you rotate yourself in a circle. 
• All this moving most often happens when you are diaperless. I guess it's easier to move around without a huge cloth diaper bum.

• Full of smile and laughs. Just yesterday, Abby and I discovered that you think the noise of my phone taking a picture, and even more a video, is absolutely hilarious. You were cracking up so hard each time I pushed that button. 
• You make all sorts of cute sounds

• Still drooling all over yourself and whichever unsuspecting person happens to be holding you.
• Abby finally succeeded in getting you to take a pacifier, a least a little bit. She has been awfully persistent. However, you have also discovered your thumb, and seem to much prefer that.
• Speaking of Abby, you just adore her. You love to watch her play and she loves to play with you and read you books. She often also tries to offer you her fingers to suck on. 

• You had your first beach trip
• Another first - you were baby-sat for the first time yesterday by someone other than Dad. And it went terribly. I was only gone less than an hour for a job interview and you would not calm down and you were soooo mad when I came home. All that stress and crying must have worn you out because you proceeded to take a five hour nap. 
• Another sad first - you had your first cold and it was heartbreaking to see you sick. 

I love you little girl!

Love, 

Your Mamma

Rua - first beach trip

 We realized a couple Saturdays ago that we hadn't yet taken Rua to the beach. So we fixed that. The girl has now seen the ocean.

Catching up - Christmas 2014

Yes, it is a month after Christmas. And yes, I know probably no one else cares at this point. So this is really just for us, but here is our Christmas. :)

Christmas was so fun this year. Abby was so excited for it all, which made everything that much more fun. We stayed in SD for Christmas this year, so it was just our little family.

Christmas baking - Abby loved helping us make Christmas cookies. Good thing Eric talked me into make the sugar cookies (I'm not a fan and wouldn't miss them).

                         

                                                

                                                

                        

Santa - Abby, for the second year in a row, was terrified of Santa and sitting on his lap. We visited two Santas, at the church party and at story time. She did not want to go near him, I asked her if it would be okay if I held her and we stood next to him and she was ok (barely) with that. Definitely didn't want to push her to sit on some strange guy's lap. And we hadn't talked up Santa, if we had, maybe she'd be more excited. We just haven't decided how big a role Santa is going to play in our family, so we just kind of ignored him this year. 

                       

                                              

Isn't this one great? And he played the part extremely well. (story time Santa)

Christmas lights - Eric did his research and found us some of the best Christmas lights in SD. This street was amazing. We will definitely be back.

                         

                         

Abby had to introduce her Rudolph stuffed animal to all the Ruldolphs we met. So cute!

                             

Christmas Eve we kept really simple. Homemade mac and cheese with pigs in blankets for dinner (per Eric's request). We saved the traditional Anderson family 'walk around dinner' for New Years Eve. Abby loved the walk around dinner and has more than once since then talked out the 'snack party' as she called it. 

And of course we had to act out the Nativity story. We all played part while Eric found a recording of someone famous reading the Christmas story. 

Going to bed that night, Abby was all wired up and kept coming out. So she of course got a glimpse that we were up to something out there which did not help things and we had to do some pretty impressive ninja moves to cover things up before she saw. :) Rua seemed to know something was up too, she woke up right a midnight ready to start the day. 

Christmas day was also simple and fun. Stockings and gifts intermingled with a yummy Christmas breakfast. Then we spent time together as we prepared our little Christmas ham dinner. 

Our little Christmas tree. Can you guess what Abby got?

Rua's first Christmas!! 

Abby loved showing Rua the gift she gave her.