Rich, Heather and Alana’s Blog

I wanted to give a quick update on Alana’s weight….we had her 9 month pediatrician visit last week and sadly, she went from the 7th percentile in weight (which was obviously already very low) to being off the chart (on the low end) altogether. This poor little girl just doesn’t gain very much, or very fast. At 9 months, she is only 14 pounds 2 ounces, which doesn’t even reside on the curve of average infant statistics.

I just keep telling myself that as long as she looks and acts normal and healthy then she probably is. The Dr. gave me formula to supplement, but I am already giving her solids and I’m still nursing, so she is always full after that and won’t take the formula (nor do I really want to give it to her, as I feel nursing and solids should be sufficient). 

Anyway, if I have any blog readers who want to give me their 2 cents about Alana’s age and weight, please feel free to share your experiences! Is the scale of average/healthy weight on the high end in America because we have lots of fat babies, or is truly a legitimate indicator of healthy ranges for babies? Either way, I know that all babies are different and I am not too concerned. It’s just that this is my first time dealing with these issues and it’s all so intriguing! 

Okay, moving on! I have pictures to post! 

Did you all know that Cheerios are very serious business??? Check out the unwavering focus here! 

 

I really think Alana is a much happier baby now that she’s mobile. She laughs and smiles about ten times more than she did when she was confined by her developmental level! Now, with strength, balance, and honed motor skills, she’s just basking in the possibilities!  

(Notice the cheerio chillin’ on her bum)

 

Mouthful of cheerios! 

 

A couple photos of Kellie time from this past week! 

 

(hats are so fun)

 

This was taken at Kellie’s house in a pile of fabric. We were crafting, and since Alana was so interested in all of our fabric, we let her sit right in the middle of a pile that had just been washed. 

 

The next thing I knew, she had the tape measure in her mouth and was making a hilarious face. Ah, so cute. 

 

A few days ago, Alana attempted to crawl underneath her Exersaucer to retrieve a Gerber Puff (that I didn’t even know was there, and it was probably completely stale). As soon as she reached it, she put it in her mouth and then realized her plight…

 

…she was stuck! She started crying immediately, and I could tell she was scared. So I quickly snapped a photo and then carefully extracted her. I think I am her hero now. Now, if I can just figure out a way to maintain this status throughout her childhood and into her teen years…

 

Just some mommy-’Lana time from a couple of days ago…

 

Then on Wednesday we had a lunch date with Steve, Shannon, and Baby Foy. We enjoyed good food and even better company! Foy is just two months younger than Alana, and the two of them were so cute. Foy even tried Cheerios for the first time! Now that is monumental! 

Here is Shannon with Alana…

 

And Rich with Foy…

 

And the hideous parking lot self-portrait! But hey, we document regardless!!!

 

Okay! Tomorrow we are off to a Labor Day pool party with friends and then off to his parents house for a cookout, so I am sure we will have more fun photos to post soon!

Until then, everybody have a great Labor Day tomorrow, and we will see you soon! 

Today Alana and I spent a fun, relaxing day with Kellie (I will be blogging about it later tonight on my craft blog!) It was a nice change to the busy week we had…and we even bought Alana’s first pair of shoes ever! 

Kellie took this photo when we got back to her house…she’s been taking lessons from Rich and she’s getting SO good! 

 

Then Rich took some photos when he got home from work this afternoon, and well, she was just TOO cute!

We sat and played with some grass because Alana didn’t want to stand up…I think she will need to get used to the feel of shoes on her feet…all she’s ever known is barefooted freedom or warm cozy socks! But since I know she’ll be walking VERY soon, I thought it logical to go ahead and introduce some soft pliable shoes, letting her get accustomed to them before they are a necessity!   

 

Target came through for us once again!

 

She really started to seem more open to the whole idea before too long…

 

Grass is very enthralling! 

 

Looking at her daddy with her big blue eyes! 

 

 

Hooray for weekends in Atlanta! 

Rich had a wedding in Atlanta this weekend, and since last week was our anniversary, Alana and I happily accompanied him to be able to spend some time together! 

The bride and groom were Monique and Jeremiah, a beautiful, super fun couple that we have had the pleasure to get to know this year. Rich will post a wedding blog soon, but you can see their engagement photos here if you would like! 

We drove down on Saturday morning and spent a leisurely day together, checking in to our hotel, catching some Olympic coverage, scouting out the wedding location, and then grabbing dinner at a nearby restaurant! 

 

Alana cracks me up…she sees the camera and immediately looks at me to see what I am doing ;) 

 

Sweet Pea…

 

Sleepy Sweet Pea

 

Alana found this mirror in the hotel room and, after smiling at herself, decided to give a slimy, wet kiss to her new friend. So cute. 

 

 

Since Rich was shooting all day on Sunday and Alana and I didn’t need to be at the wedding until 4, we stopped at a local Target (one of our favorite places!) to grab some baby things we needed.

We also had a chance to sit and enjoy Starbucks together. Okay, Alana had Gerber Puffs while I savored a Decaf Soy Latte. It was fun girl time. I truly love spending time with little Alana. She is so sweet, and incessantly makes me laugh out loud! 

 

 

The wedding was beautiful and I can’t wait to see the photos. We flopped into bed late Sunday night, exhausted and ready to sleep!

On our way home this morning, we stopped at a Chick-Fil-A for some quick breakfast, and it turned out to be the original location, called the “Dwarf House.” So, being the self-portrait-obsessed people that we are, we knew it was time to snap a few photos I love Alana’s face in this photo! 

 

I don’t know the story behind the name of this Chick-Fil-A or why this dwarf door exists, but I am sure it has an interesting tale. We were in a hurry to get back so we didn’t spend any time reading all the literature inside about the history and origin of the restaurant, but it was a fun stop nonetheless. 

 

 

And so, that was a recap of our weekend, and I would like to give a shout out to Monique and Jeremiah! Congratulations on your wedding! We are so happy for you two and were so honored to be part of your day!

If I was being graded on frequency of blog posts lately, I think I’d deserve a “C.”

Thankfully, blogging is on a post-when-you-have-the-time basis, and that’s just one of the things that I love about it.

Things have been crazy around here with a highly mobile baby, out of town visitors, loads of bookkeeping catch-up, and just the general day-to-day tasks that vie for one’s attention. Forgive me, mom! I know you want bi-weekly blog postings of your little ‘Lana!

I feel tired just thinking about the havoc that Alana has imposed on the house! Ha! But I’ll start with a photo of her sweet little innocent face! She is becoming very social, and now smiles waves at everyone she sees in public! 

This is how I am able to cook dinner. This ExerSaucer has been so good to me…it maintains her attention just long enough to allow me to get a meal on the table, and then she’s done. It is serving us well

 

This wonderful little contraption has also elicited it’s fair share of entertainment. Alana seems to laugh more readily when she’s in this swing for some reason. I put her in, get down on my hands and knees, and it doesn’t take much to get her cracking up. 

 

We’ve had loads of “firsts” lately also. This is Alana a couple of weeks ago with her first teething biscuit and sippy cup. She’s come to love both, and I rely on them often when I need an occupied baby.

 

 

About two days after she started crawling, she began pulling herself up on any and all furniture and balancing incredibly well. I think she’ll be walking…um, soon

 

Another first: Cheerios! It was love at first taste. Now they’re indispensable to the diaper bag. 

 

 

…And she LOVES lemon! No funny faces, no reaction except to squeal for more. It was anticlimactic the first time we gave her one, as we had the video running, waiting for a hilarious reaction. It never came!

 

She’s also been getting into our trash can whenever she can…why, oh why is this appealing? Empty bottles and used tissues and toilet paper rolls…

 

And here she is in the kitchen, so proud of herself for traversing the house. 

 

And she’s found the DVD collection! So now my daily chores consist of picking up dozens of DVD’s from all over the living room floor. 

 ]

Moving on for more destruction! 

 

She’s trying to master the steps in our home but so far seems to think she can’t maneuver them. 

 

My loves…

 

Hanging out at home… 

 

Friday night was Ben and Shanika’s wedding. It was fun and beautiful, and we are so excited for them. Shanika was a beautiful bride, and Ben such a loving groom. For those of you who know Ben and Shanika, you must check out their wedding blog that Rich just posted!

And a special thank you to Jason and Kellie for staying with Alana so that I could fullly enjoy the wedding. It was wonderful!!!

And thank you so much to my honey for these shots of Shanika and I :) 

 

 

I was happy to get quick self-portrait with the busy photographer ;) 

 

Then on Sunday, Jeff and Jackie had baby Adeline dedicated and we were happy to join them at their church for the special occasion. Thank you to my wonderful mother in law for these photos!