Summertime with Annabelle!

So much has happened since the last time I wrote I can not fit it all into one blog entry. I will let the pictures do a lot of speaking this time to catch us up. Annabelle is now over 4 months (18 weeks old) and is changing every day. We can not believe how big she is. She weighed in at 14lbs 2 oz and is 26 inches long. That puts her in the 90% for height, (not surprising coming form the tall May family) and is mid range for weight. Her cheeks continue to be her most noted trait as the rest of her face catches up to them. Within the last week, her ability to try to sit up from a recline position has drastically changed, her ability to grab a toy and send it directly into her mouth has drastically changed and each day a new sound is coming out of her. When Annabelle is tired, she starts talking to herself with her mouth closed using her nasal passages. For a good 5 minutes she is very expressively unwinding and telling us all that she has to say through sound.
We traveled to New Jersey for a week where she got to meet many of her east coast relatives and friends, and we spent a large part of the time in Ocean Grove, NJ enjoying some summer beach time. It was so nice to go to the beach where you can swim comfortably in the ocean! Although this past week, Jack and I both swam in the Oregon coast waters without a wet suit with George, Megan, John and Kellie! So refreshing to say the least. My throat was sore from all the screaming!
Annabelle went on her first camping trip to Saddle Mountain. Jack and I had been waiting for the opportunity to take her and it felt so good to be out there with just our family, enjoying what Jack, Biyou, Annabelle and I love most, the outdoors.
Last week we had a great time at the May's beach house time share in Rockaway Beach. Although the sun never came out, we had a very relaxing time enjoying what it feels like to raise our baby in a group setting...how relieving! i felt like a teenager when Grandma and Grandpa watched Annabelle for a few hours while Jack and I got to be on the beach alone, playing bocce ball, drinking beer and swimming in the ocean with George and Megan. I felt so free and as I write this I realized that was our first date time where both of us were together without our little miss enjoying some fun! It felt soo good..we really do need more of that.
Life has been really busy and challenging in so many ways. This month I have felt more of the struggle begin of finding time for myself, time with Jack and time with all of us together enjoying life amidst working, cleaning, eating and sleeping...basic needs now with a special twist! Finding our way within his new realm of parenting has proven itself to be hard, but I am sure all the ways we are growing are making us more flexible, open people to whatever life throws our way!

Annabelle is 3 months old!

Our little She has reached the 3 months which is a significant milestone marker where babies come out of the 4th trimester stage and become different creatures. Over the last month Annabelle has become a different creature. She is super smiley, very talkative, she cries with more personality, she's curious about her surroundings, looking at the world around her very intently, and overall has become way more fun. We have a game we play with her now where she coos a girly coo while lifting her shoulders up and smiling. If we mimic it back to her, she mimics us and we all think it's really funny. When she smiles, her eyes become crescent moons shaped to where it seems she can't even see out of them which is probably due to her big cheeks
(Her most famous body part). She gets lots of compliments on them as the hang over the car seat straps and gravity has its way with them. It supposedly is a May baby family trait.
This month we have enjoyed a few hikes in the Gorge. Now when we walk behind the waterfall she looks at it, hears it, and seems to be amazed along with of us. She conitnues to love being outside and walks in the woods provide her with a kaleidoscope of leaves and light. Another favorite past time is enjoying our front porch with our two new Adirondack rocking chairs. You often find us sitting and rocking in these chairs enjoying the summer air and the beautiful hanging flowers in front of our charming old house. Somehow I feel timelesssitting there rocking my baby like they often did back in the day.
Father's Day and the Forth of July were spent taking our first trips with Annabelle to grandma and grandpa's house in the country. She enjoyed looking at the beautiful gardens, artwork, and the beautiful view, as well as charming her family with all her new sounds and smiles. We took a fun hike on the trails behind their house and Annabelle stayed awake for the first half looking at the forest and smelling the sweet air. Another highlight of our month was when grandma Judy watched Annabelle for a few hours one Monday to get geared up for when I go back to work in August. They had a great time together and we feel so lucky to have grandparents so close and willing to help us out.

Jack and I think this is the perfect age to keep Annabelle at. She's mostly just a bundle of joy who can't wreck too much havoc on our lives just yet and is so darn cute, she has truly won our hearts.
Lastly, just to add for record keeping sake are her measurements at 12 weeks: weighing in at 11lbs 7 oz, 23.5 inches long and has a head circumference of 15.3 inches as well. Oh and I can't forget that Annabelle has given us some great nights of sleep by waking up only once just to need the pacifier and other times to have some milk then go back to sleep until its light out again We now know better to than to expect this to stay the same but we are happy she seems to enjoy sleep as much as we do!
In two days we leave for New Jersey to meet her family and friends back there and to enjoy some time at one of mom's favorite hang outs: the Jersey Shore! Wish us luck!

Annabelle is 2 Months Old

It has been quite some time since I have written on this blog and mostly this is because we were blessed with a month long visit from Nana Roseanna and PopPop Morty. So whenever I had down time, I was soaking up being with them and not being on the computer. Believe it or not, I am writing this blog entry from Missoula, Montana. I couldn't get enough time with my parents, pass up the opportunity to visit my new baby nephew Solomon, introduce Annabelle to the rest of the fam and all be together at such a precious tiny stage of these little ones lives. I am so glad I came! The road trip was way better than I imagined. I was sure I was crazy to try to drive with 7 week old Annabelle. It was really hard to make the decision but once we were off, it actually turned out to be a fun road trip! It was a beautiful day, Mort was my copilot and I felt like we were together in an airplane shooting down the bad drivers and the Clark Fork River signs that just kept coming! Rosie was the master shussher for the baby, kept her happy and helped out driving. Annabelle slept great along the way, took the bottle when we needed to use it and showed us her adventurous spirit as she looked around at all the new sights when took her out of her seat for some fresh air. She loves fresh air and being outside in general.
Annabelle is 2 months old today. Whoo hoo! At 7 weeks, she began to really look at you and smile. Now this skill has become so much richer and fuller. She smiles at you and coos with her many sounds, talking to you. Its really cute! She has a new favorite position to hold her, the airplane, where she can look out and fly with her great neck strength. When in doubt, take Annabelle outside and swing her like that and she's usually good to go! Plus you get a super arm workout. One other fun new thing she has done twice now is her middle and ring finger land in her mouth and starts sucking hard on them Her pinkie and pointer finger sit on either side of her mouth. Its pretty cute and I wonder if she will continue with this later. Jack misses Annabelle and I a lot but he has been able to tear out our kitchen floor and by Monday we will finally have our new floor put in. He is one of the most productive, motivated people I know. He has helped me also learn to not get so worked up when Annabelle is crying. He stays calm and assures her it will pass whatever it is. I am learning slowly but surely.
We had such a good time with my parents. My mom helped me clean out all my kitchen cupboards and my linen closet and we got my picture frames up on the wall. (They have been sitting there for two years I think). She is trying to also help instill some system for me to control Biyou's hair in the house and keep thing tidy with our new baby around. We'll see how it works. Mort and Jack watched a lot of WWII documentaries, ran errands together and flew the remote control helicopter a bunch. Pop Pop passed on some of his favorite baby games to us that we find ourselves using a lot. It is great to see baby Annabelle recognize Nana's voice and face and smiles and coos at her. I guess 5 weeks together paid off. We thank you both for sharing that precious time together. We will cherish it always.

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-Kelli