Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Annabeth :: 2 Months

Annabeth, you are two months old!
April 3, 2014




What were you up to this month?

Oh, my girl. You are such a joy! I swear you wake up happier every single morning. Never have I met a more content baby! I'm not kidding when I say that you wake up happy. It's part of the reason I still have you in our room. You never make noise when you make up besides a few quiet coos. I'm not sure I'd hear you if you weren't right beside me! Most mornings, I can even get up and around while you're awake and you won't even fuss for food. This helps me so much as your brother wakes up ready to go! You greet me with this tiny little half smile and you'll just lie there in your swaddle until it's time to eat. You are the sweetest!

You still have your wild, long blonde hair. It has fallen out a bit in the back where your head rests on your mattress, but you have so much of it that it's really not noticeable! Still no cradle cap! I've recently started clipping tiny bows in your hair. Sometimes they stay in, but your hair is so silky that they often fall right out. Your eyes are still a gorgeous blue color. I think it's safe to say that they're here to stay! 



You're out of newborn clothes and squarely in 3 month clothing. It fits you very well; there's no room to grow in length, but everything is a little loose still. I have a feeling we'll have to move you into 6 month clothing soon because of how tall you are! 

I took you and Griffin to Michigan for a few days and you were an absolute angel in the car both ways. You actually turned 2 months while we were in Michigan! Sadly, while we were there, I must've eaten something that really upset your belly. On the day you turned 2 months, you were inconsolable most of the day and had a bunch of tummy problems. It was far and away your worst day in 8 weeks of life. For a baby who rarely cries, you couldn't stop. I still haven't figured out what I ate; I'm hopeful it doesn't happen again because it hurt me to see you in so much pain.



Speaking of eating, you're still an incredible eater. You usually eat 7-8 times a day. Sometimes you take your sweet time nursing and other times, you're very fast. I'm in awe of what a different experience it's been with you. You do have a tongue tie, but after I healed from some damage during your first month, we've had zero problems. You're gaining weight beautifully and I love our special time together every day! You've taken several more bottles and you don't have a problem with them. We've started using a Como Tomo bottle and the Playtex Nurser and they've both worked well for us. You also like your WubbaNub pacifier, but you typically don't need it to sleep. 

Like I mentioned above, you're still sleeping in our room. You are the quietest little sleeper, so I think you'll be in our room until you outgrow the bassinet. I love having you close to me at night. It's been about 3 weeks since you've woken up in the middle of the night, so I think it's safe to say you're sleeping through the night! Atta girl! You eat your last full feeding around 8:00-8:30, then you take a dream feed around 10:30. Then you typically sleep until 7:00ish. It's a beautiful thing, my dear. You take after your daddy in the sleep department! You nap off and on during the day, nothing super consistent yet. You don't like getting into your carseat, but it still puts you to sleep almost instantly when the car starts moving. 


You're still loving your bouncer and the swing has grown on you a bit! You're also very content to just lie on a blanket and look at everything going on around you. You've gotten better with tummy time; it doesn't seem to upset you as much as it once did. You still love your bath; I think it's one of your favorite things. It's one of my favorite things, too! You smell incredible after you've been scrubbed clean! You also went to church for the first time this month! We started with attending Sunday School, but since then, we've gone to the service twice. 

You had your first cold this month, courtesy of your mama who passed it on to your big brother who passed it on to you. You were such a trooper and I would've never known if I hadn't been needing to suction your nose several times a day. Thanks to the Nasa Kleen, we were able to keep your nose pretty clear. 


Your brother still loves you so very much! He can love you rather aggressively, but it's almost as if he can't get enough of you. He asks to hold you multiple times a day, talks about you, only calls you Sis or Sissy, and tends to you when you cry. He also loves to give you your Wubbie if it's fallen out. He tells you you're pretty a lot. It brings tears to my eyes every time! I love seeing your little relationship grow day by day. You're pretty enamored with him and you'll focus on what he's doing when he's close to you.


You truly are the happiest, happiest baby I've ever met! You rarely cry and I'm not just saying that. Days can go by without you shedding a tear. When you do cry, you are a fierce little thing! I love that about you. You started smiling when you were 5 weeks old and you haven't stopped. It doesn't take much to make you break out in a huge grin. Basically, if anyone starts talking to you, you'll just light up! You smile with your whole face and every time, I just can't help but laugh with delight! You are full of joy, my angel girl. 

Annabeth Noel, I'm not sure how two months have already flown by. You are my perfect peach of a girl. I could kiss your little lips all day long. I'm so glad you're ours! 


2 Month Stats
Weight: 11 lbs, 4 oz (70th percentile)
Height: 25 inches (98th percentile)
Head circumference: 15.2 inches
Diaper size: Size 1
Nicknames: Sis, Sissy, Sissy Bear, Bethy Girl, AB

Happy two month birthday, angel! We love you!


Friday, March 21, 2014

Five on Friday!

It's time for Five on Friday with the ladies! I love this linkup; it's perfect for a sporadic blogger like me!


1. Belated Anniversary Date Night
Our anniversary is in August, but instead of celebrating then, we decided to buy tickets for Wicked when it came to town wait to have our date. My parents came into town and kept the kids while we went to dinner and the show. We had a fantastic meal at Sotto, one of my favorite restaurants in Cincinnati. We had goat cheese & honey bruschetta, polenta with fried egg, brown butter, and parmigiano, pennette with vodka sauce, and braised beef with tomato, red wine, and polenta. The food was incredible and we finished our meal with the ricotta donuts and dipping sauces. I was kind enough to share them with my husband, but I could have bathed in the salted caramel sauce. 

After our dinner, we headed to the theater to see Wicked. In February of 2007, we went to dinner at the Signature Room in Chicago and afterwards, Tyler asked me to marry him. Spoiler alert: I said yes. After we got engaged, we went to see Wicked, but I was practically giddy so I honestly don't remember much of the musical! The company that put on the show here in Cincinnati did a phenomenal job. I enjoyed every minute; Wicked is such a clever story and the music is wonderful. It was one of my very favorite theatre experiences. Tyler and I had a wonderful night out and it was great to spend some time together without our little people. 




2. Burrito Love
I'm pretty sure that I've talked about food in every Five on Friday. Oh well, it's just who I am. I've been eating these Amy's Bean and Cheese burritos for lunch and I love them SO much. I craved Taco Bell bean burritos with extra cheese throughout my pregnancy with AB. These are a much healthier option and they really are delicious! I haven't made them in the microwave yet; I just wrap them in foil and baked them for about 50 minutes. They're a fool-proof, easy lunch! 


3. Toys Galore
Griffin was an only child for nearly three years and he was also the only grandchild on both sides of our families until his sister came along. Naturally, this position comes with lots of spoiling and toys. His room was getting so cluttered and he was just going from one toy to another. He really didn't even know all that he had because there was just so much stuff. While he was at school on Thursday, my mom and I organized his toys into four groups. I put three groups in the attic and kept one group in his room. It's my plan to rotate groups of toys every Sunday. This weekend, I will take the laundry basket in his closet that's full of toys and replace it with the next group that we have in our attic (our attic has very easy accessibility). Some of my friends do this with large Rubbermaid bins and just bring down a bin a week, but I didn't really want to spend the money on bins and a laundry basket worked just fine for us. It's also easy for me to carry up and down the stairs depending on where we're hanging out that day. We'll see how it goes; my parents just left today, so Griffin's been occupied with playing with them and hasn't realized that a lot of his toys are "missing". 



4. Potty Training
Well, last Friday I decided that it was time for Griffin to say goodbye to his diapers. This was after I'd spent $70 in diapers for two the week before. No way, man. Plus he was totally ready. I used an abbreviated version of the "three day method" and he did so well! He had a few accidents on Friday, one on Saturday, and since then has only had 2-3 more! I am so proud of him! We decided to wait to night train him since I'm a little more tired than usual these days, but we're planning on working on that next week since he's done well. I'm not as worried about that. My little guy sure is growing up fast. Time really does fly! And how darn precious are those little boy underwear?? I thought my heart was just going to melt. I love being that boy's mama.


5. My Babies
And for my grand finale, here are two gratuitous pictures of my sweet babies. I just can't help myself. Griffin loves sleeping with his hammer that he borrowed from his buddy next door and Miss Annabeth started smiling last week. I couldn't love them more if I tried!



Happy weekend, friends!


Monday, March 17, 2014

Five on Monday

I didn't get a chance to link up with Five on Friday, so I'm doing Five on… Monday? Let's all say it together… better late than never!

1. Pixie Pants
Right now I'm in that really awkward stage of post-pregnancy where nothing fits quite right. Shirts, pants, you name it-- it doesn't fit well. I headed to Old Navy last week to check out their new pixie pants because I thought they might be a good transition pant for these last weeks of winter and spring, and I was right! I was able to go up one size and feel very comfortable. They're a good streamlined pant and I'm able to pair them with lots of different types of tops. They're also a great price point! I'm glad to be wearing pants that aren't of the yoga variety, but let's be honest, I'm still wearing a lot of those too.


2. Sandwiches
This is a weird one, but I thought I'd add it anyway. Before I was pregnant with Annabeth, I can probably count on one hand the number of deli meat sandwiches I'd ever made for myself. They just didn't really appeal to me much. Then when I was pregnant with AB, I craved them hardcore. I would make myself subs and bake them in the oven to make them "pregnancy approved". Now that she's here, I literally have a ham and salami sandwich with colby jack cheese, light mayo, dijon mustard, and Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle every. single. day. I look forward to lunch so that I can have my sandwich. It's the strangest thing, but it sure is a delicious and easy lunch! Griffin usually joins me and has a "ham ham sandwich", as he calls it. It makes me laugh every time he says it! Also, this Sandwich Sprinkle is one of my favorite things; if you have a local Penzey's Spices, go grab some. It's delicious!



3. Mrs. Meyers Honeysuckle Hand Soap
I have to be honest… I'm not a huge fan of Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products. Eek! I know that's not a popular opinion, but I much prefer the candles and the hand soap. I honestly don't love a lot of their scents. Iowa Pine is a favorite around Christmas time and I love the Bluebell scent, but it can be hard to find. I recently grabbed a bottle of the Honeysuckle hand soap and I am obsessed. I have it in my kitchen and it is the perfect spring scent. Now, if only spring would show up and stick around. 


4. Pens
I'm sure I've written about my love of office supplies here before, but I'm about to wax poetic again. I love, love, love them. Highlighters, notebooks, Sharpies, spiral notecards, etc. Staples is my happy place! About a year ago, I fell in love with a new set of pens. I'd been faithful to Sharpie pens for a long time (and still love their pastel colored pack), but I grabbed a new brand on a whim during a trip to Target. The Staedtler Triplus Fineliner pens have made me a changed woman. They come in this handy little case that becomes a stand and it's so easy to throw them in your purse (or diaper bag) along with your planner. Most importantly, they write well! I love the super fine tip. I've used these to color code my planner and our family calendar that hangs on the fridge. If you're an office supply freak like me, get you some. 


5. St. Patrick's Day
Happy St. Paddy's Day! We have corned beef every year, but we always have it in the form of reubens with lots of sauerkraut, swiss cheese, and thousand island dressing. I cook mine in the crockpot using this recipe (no coleslaw for us). It's easy and always yields a really delicious corned beef! The smell has been taunting me all day long. I'm eager for 5:30 to get here! Annabeth O'Haney says, "Happy St. Patrick's Day and have a great week!" 



Wednesday, March 12, 2014

February #haney365

I'm still planning on trying to do these weekly once I catch up, but for now, here's our February in pictures!

February 1
My mom makes the best lasagna in the world. I'm serious. I've never had a better lasagna in a restaurant or homemade. I desperately need to blog the recipe! She was kind enough to make it while we waited for Bubbles to make her arrival.
February 2
Tyler introduced Griffin to his shadow. It was a huge hit! I love this picture so much!
February 3
Griffin is always the head smoothie maker in our house! He whipped up a few before we left for the hospital to have the baby.


February 4
After getting to know our girl for a night, we announced that our sweet Annabeth had joined our family! It was such a joyous first full day with our baby girl!


February 5
Headed home from the hospital! We couldn't wait for AB to meet her big brother!


February 6
She really is her daddy's mini-- she'd much rather sleep than eat!


February 7
Tyler got some great snuggles at Annabeth's weight check. She was gaining like a champ!


February 8
Griffin had a great morning-- breakfast with Daddy & Papa and then a trip to the library with Mimi & Mama. I love that he loves going to the library as much as I do!


February 9
Handy Manny gave Griffin lots to think about.


February 10
Tyler worked from home and kept AB while I went to the store. When I got home, I offered to take her, but he wanted to keep her with him while he was on a call. So, so sweet!


February 11
Our first girls baking day!


February 12
This baby girl is proving to be quite a problem! ;)


February 13
My parents took Griffin to get his hair cut by my dad's barber, Mr. Joe, who has cut his hair for over 20 years. Mr. Joe gave my brother his first hair cut and his wife used to cut my hair when I was a little girl. Griffin loved Mr. Joe! It made me so very happy when my mom texted me this picture.


February 14
Happy Valentine's Day from a hungry Haney baby and another very concerned one!


February 15
Tyler and I took Griffy to coney island for lunch. We had a really sweet time together! We ordered him his first Jello, but he ended up not liking it. Oh well… sorry, Bill Cosby.


February 16
Heading home from Michigan as a family of four! We had to listen to Griffin's favorite song over and over and over and over. 


February 17
It was my first day alone with both kids, so naturally we ordered pizza and had a picnic on the family room floor! Three cheers for Pizza Hut delivery!


February 18
Griffin loves this drill and just wanted to share it with AB. I believe his exact words were, "I'm just showing Sissy my drill! We're a construction team!" Sweet boy.
February 19
Two kids? Piece. Of. Cake.


February 20
A year ago on this day, I was being wheeled into an OR for what we didn't know would be life-altering surgery. A year later, I'm holding a tangible reminder of the fact that God ALWAYS has the final word. I'm still so grateful for all He taught me this past year. He is good and He is sovereign. GREAT is Thy faithfulness!!!!


February 21
We were getting ready to leave and Annabeth started to fuss. Griffin grabbed his guitar and started to play her a song and sing to her. She quieted down almost immediately. It was such a precious moment for me as their mama.


February 22
Our first family walk! It was a gorgeous day and left us longing for spring.


February 23
I'm convinced that there's nothing better than your newborn burying her face in your neck and falling asleep. Best feeling ever.


February 24
I was so thankful that sis slept through Griffin's doctor appointment so I could focus on him. He just had a fever virus, but he was pretty miserable. After his appointment, we snuggled on the couch and I introduced him to one of my old favorites, The Land Before Time. 


February 25
Griffin's hair is dark, coarse, and curly. Annabeth's is blondish red, silky, and straight. I love that they have such different heads of hair!


February 26
Super Griffin (wearing his gloves, no less) thought Sissy's cradle was broken. He was determined to fix it!
February 27
My sweet boy couldn't love his sister more, but he's having a hard time sharing his mama. I love looking at his precious face while he sleeps. I know the transition will get easier as time goes on!


February 28
I can't get enough of seeing these two together! Love them so, so much!