Eight is Great!

Some fun things about Afton at eight months:

-Afton pretty much weaned herself off binkies. Here's how it went: she was pretty uninterested in sucking on binkies for a week or two. Each time I gave it to her to quiet her or put her to bed she would grab it out and chew on it. Once I noticed this I decided I would take the opportunity to wean her off it. However, I still carried it with me and often used it as a last resort. One Sunday while up at Boofie and Grandpa's house, it fell out of her car seat and got left behind. We called Jessica who put it in her purse, and then at one point she gave it to Michelle, I think, and we just kept forgetting to get it back. Meanwhile, the other binky she was willing to take fell behind her crib. This was a frequent occurrence and I just kept forgetting to get it out and each time I reached for a binky in the diaper bag there wasn't one. Therefore, we stopped using them. Sometimes I wonder if it would help her sleep better at times when she struggles to fall asleep but then I figure we have gotten along just fine without it and I would rather be done with it now before a serious attachment forms and it is harder to break later. She is a pretty good baby so we just try to carry Cheerios around now to use when times call for desperate measures, which is rare.

-Has started cuddling with me when I am putting her to bed! She used to NEVER lay her head on my shoulder or chest. But now she will when I am putting her to bed. She only does it with me (I think). She will not do it to Pete and I haven't asked if she does it to grandmas, grandpas, aunts, or uncles when they are babysitting...so I think it is only me.

-Has a wonderful point! She likes to stick her leg straight in the air with a perfectly pointed toe when I am feeding her. It sure makes momma proud!

 -Loves touch and feel books and books that have flaps to lift. She loves to be able to touch the books when we are reading them and gets especially excited when there is more than just a smooth surface to feel.

-She has started this weird sniff/huff thing with her nose. She makes a little angry face and breaths through her nose rapidly. We love it.

Her little angry huffing face

 

 

-She also makes this "Velociraptor noise" as Pete likes to call it. She does it as a happy noise when she sees something she likes but it sounds a lot like a dinosaur. She also makes funny gurgling noises in her throat all the time. I think she likes to hear herself.

-Has started to wave Hi/Bye sometimes. It is fun to see her start imitating things we do.

-Is still not crawling. She rolls around and maneuvers quite well to get what she wants. She has started to get angry and flail her limbs when she sees something right in front of her that she wants. But she just can't seem to figure out that she needs to get her tummy off the floor. Although, we have caught her sleeping in a crawling position with her bum in the air. Silly girl.

-Is a champ at feeding herself. It is so nice to be able to set her in her highchair with bits of food and be able to make dinner while she eats. Bliss!

Pete and I think she is just at the funnest stage right now. We love how interactive she is and also love that she isn't in to too much just yet. We love our little Goose!

And Everywhere that Mary Went the Lamb was Sure to Go

These pics are from our pre Halloween photo shoot.

Aunt Bessie gave us this costume she used years ago for her kids. It was a little big on Afty Lou but she still rocked it. Maybe we can use it next year again!

 

We had a wonderful Halloween! We attended a ward party and a family party that Boofie threw. On actual Halloween we got flu shots, visited family, put Afton to bed, and then watched Harry Potter.

At Boofie's party. Peter had to work so he couldn't be there. Here we are with Pete's siblings; a Southern Belle, Lois Lane, and Superman.

Mary and her little lamb and the black sheep too

The young men and young women were in charge of the ward party so Pete and I each had to run a booth. Afton was up waaay past her bedtime, but luckily she sat and played with a box of milk duds the whole time without so much as a peep.

 

We love our little lamb!

Biting the Bullet

It had to be done...

Before

After

We didn't want to cut Afton's curly locks but they started to look more straggly than we would have liked.

My mom suggested taking her to Cookie Cutters (a hair salon that specializes in kids' cuts) in fear that I would ruin her hair in trying to cut it. But I am just too cheap to pay for a 2-snip haircut. Plus, I was feeling brave one morning and I am quite happy with the results!

And so is she apparently!

Seventh Heaven

There are so many small, sweet things that Afton does that I don't want to forget. So without further adieu, here is a list of the things that stand out to me about Afton at 7 months:

-During her seventh month, Afton cut her first tooth! One day she was eating and I kept seeing a flash of white on her bottom gums but every time I tried to get a better look she would just stick her tongue out and try to lick my fingers. So finally I just stuck my finger in her mouth to chew on and sure enough I felt a jagged little tooth that came out of no where! I really can't say I noticed any difference in her behavior. She was a little grumpier that week but I attributed it to her typical lack of napping. The next day I thought I felt a tooth on her upper gums as well but I haven't felt it again so, false alarm! I think that was last week that I found it and it just slowly keeps coming up and we can see it better and better each day.

-Right around the time Afton was cutting her tooth she took to biting me while I nursed her. She has gotten better and doesn't do it as often anymore but for a few days there I thought I was going to have to stop nursing her because I didn't know how to discipline her after it happened and help her realized that it was not ok. I tried to just stop feeding her but then 30 minutes later she would want to finish eating and I really didn't want to create that habit. Luckily, she has stopped and only does it every couple of days.

-Has definitely found her lungs. She can scream -- loud! She grunts a lot, especially when we are feeding her solids. Sometimes she is trying to indicate she wants more and other times I swear she is just enjoying listening to herself. Crazy girl.

-Pats my back nearly every time I hold her! It is so fun to feel that little tiny hand. I pat her back when I burp her and I rub her back when I put her to sleep. I think she is just trying to reciprocate the love :)

-Has a new found love for tags. SHE LOVES TAGS! She will find them on blankets, changing pads, clothes, etc. She is fascinated by them and could play with them for quite a long time. Most of the time she chooses to play with the tag on the blanket she is sitting or laying on over any toys in front of her.

-When Afton nurses she tends to put her foot up and rests it on my shoulder. It makes me laugh every time.

-Loves to be thrown in the air (which her dad has been dying to do with her for a while) but she never really enjoyed it until recently. She also loves to dance with me while I hold her and she likes to watch me dance as well. It makes choreographing for my dance classes easier!

-Is wearing 6-month clothing now. She has so many cute outfits I have been wanting to bust out for a while and it is fun to have her finally fit into them!

-Has a case of cradle cap but you really can't see it because of her hair. Everything I have read says this should clear up on babies by the time they are 6 months. However, I didn't really realize it until lately. I can't help but pick at it! The doc said it's no big deal and that some head n shoulder shampoo should clear it up. But if I just rub her scalp a little better when washing her hair it helps.

-Has had quite the repertoire of food (although not compared to some kids, I have gone a bit slow with feeding her because I have been making all her food and it takes a bit of work to buy and prepare so many things!). The most exciting things she has eaten lately include graham crackers (from Graham Cracker Grandpa Pete) and a french fry courtesy of cousin Jennsen. Both of which I believe she enjoyed immensely ;) Other than that her diet consists of mashed foods and the occasional Cheerios or Gerber puffs

-During her seventh month Afton fell asleep on my lap at church! She has not fallen asleep in my arms since she was maybe 4 months old! It was rare and so sweet.

-Afton is happiest when both dad and mom are around. She loves it! She also loves having visitors come over at times when she is used to being at home with just mom (like weeknight evenings). I think she can sense that it is out of the ordinary and she thinks that is so fun. So feel free to stop by and make her day!

Here are a few pictures of Afton at 7 months:

In love with these knees. And when she straightens her legs to accentuate them.

Afton's favorite activity--Looking at herself in the mirror. And Pete of course enjoying his favorite activity too--playing dead...?

Playing with the tags as always. And looking fine in her cute outfit from Great Boofie!

This picture kills me. Doesn't she look like a Tae Kwon Do master who is about to kill you?

The big cheese. She is into this squinty-eyed cheesy smile lately

Looking so old!

Our Little Beaut

My sister-in-law, Marianne, was so kind to take these six-month pictures of Afton.

 

Bumps, Bruises, and Other News

I just wanted to give an update on our family's happenings since we have been quite busy around here:

First off, a month or so ago I had an abscessed tooth that ended in a painful root canal. It was no fun! The dentist said he could not see any explainable reason why that particular tooth would have died. Apparently it just makes no sense. Except to me--who knows that tooth problems are just my lot in life :) So the day of the root canal I thought perhaps my pain and swelling would be relieved only to find out it had to get much worse before getting better. Luckily, Afton was very sweet to me that day and I was able to take care of her despite my pain.

I guess the only bruises we have had as of late are those to our bank account since Peter has been hearing back from medical schools! He had 4 interviews scheduled (but he did his first this last week) so now he has 3 more scheduled for the next couple of months. He interviewed in Minnesota at the Mayo Clinic last week and then he has an interview with University of Kentucky next week and one in November at the Cooper School of Medicine in New Jersey and Virginia Commonwealth in December. I couldn't be more proud of his hard work. And while it is hard to fork out the dough for all these interviews, we know it's an investment for our future!

Fancy headshot huh? And handsome too!

I started back at dance a week ago and so far I love my schedule and my girls! I teach a lot of little kid classes (ages 3-8) and one class of jr. high girls. It is helping to keep my creativity flowing and breaks up the middle of my week. Thankfully, I have such awesome family who are more than willing to keep Afton when needed. Teaching dance wouldn't be possible without them! I am thankful for them!

Afton has been getting better sleep for a couple of weeks (although I am sure we will be back to fighting her soon) and she is so much more interactive! I have transitioned from feeling like I am home alone taking care of a baby to doing things with my little buddy. She is lots of fun and we love getting to know her little personality.

It is starting to feel fall-ish around here! I like it, but am sad. I don't want summer to end. And for some reason I am really mourning the idea of all the fresh produce being gone. I know it's available throughout the winter but it is so darn expensive for produce that just isn't real great! .... Apparently my life revolves around produce these days. Hmm....

Sing a Song of SIXpence

I can hardly believe Afton has been with us for half a year! She just keeps getting more fun every day. She is smiley and happy and hilarious. We love watching her personality come to life and getting to see her become her own person.

I was talking to another first-time mother in the mother's room at church last week and we were commenting how easy it is to believe that the way your child does things is the way babies are. However, watching other babies around her age makes me realize that she has her own particular way of doing things. I love that!

At six months Afton....

-Weighs 13lbs 11oz (at her doctor's appointment) and was nearly 25 inches long. She is a petite little thing but is healthy and developing great!

-Eats oatmeal, rice cereal, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, peaches, apples, and bananas. She has tried all of those but she prefers oatmeal and vegetables by far! When she likes something she will come at you with her mouth wide open indicating she wants more. If she doesn't like it she will fake cough and pretend to be gagging. (It isn't a real gag though because I have seen her do that to herself plenty of times while chewing on her fingers).

-Sleeps...less than she used to. We went through a phase of her waking up between 3:30 and 5:30 every morning in which she would scream and want to be fed. I began feeding her thinking that perhaps she needed more nutrients since she wasn't quite getting enough from solids yet and I thought maybe she was ready for them but we were easing slowly into eating more. So I fed her each time she woke up for about two weeks. Then I decided it didn't make sense because even if I fed her later than usual (like 8 pm instead of 6 or 7 pm) she still woke up at the same time. So we had to go through the crying it out all over again and I swear this time was harder because she has stronger lungs or something. She cried hard for over an hour two nights in a row! I just laid on the floor by her door both nights and nearly cried myself. I would comfort her but that would just make her more mad since I wasn't feeding her. So after two nights she slept through the night again. But she still wakes up occasionally but goes back to sleep pretty quick. However, she still does wake up around 6 am every morning and I feed her before she goes back to bed for a couple hours. As long as it is after 6 I can handle it. I am just a way happier mom if I don't have to get up in the middle of the night every single night!
-Is pretty much sitting up on her own although she still tumbles pretty hard when she falls over and so we don't really have her sit unless we are right by her. She also is getting better at standing and supporting her own weight when we hold her hands (before we started working on it with her, she never really wanted to stand. Usually when we stood her feet up she would just buckle them and sit down--I know a lot of children aren't like that, they like to stand and move around.)
-Is mostly content and chill. Right after she wakes up she is smiley and playful but once she has been up for 45 min. or so she is content to just hang out (unless you try to put her down for a nap!)
-Likes to be with crowds and loves being outside. She is fascinated by new places and likes to observe her surroundings.

Enjoying a rainstorm outside!

-Gives kisses! Afton gives the sweetest open-mouth kisses. She has to be in the right mood, but when she does it she pulls back and looks at you like "aren't I so sweet?" And once she gets going it is hard to stop her. She just wants to keep giving kisses over and over. It is so fun until your cheek gets covered in slobber :)
-Is starting to figure out how to get her knees up underneath her. I found her sleeping like that once with her bum in the air. But she moved before I could get a picture.
-Lights up when dad is around. She is still a flirt and will wait for him to look at her and then flash a HUGE smile. She sure loves her dad!
-Sometimes I think she believes she is an adult. When I am with her at Young Womens or when we are with our families she sits and looks around like she is part of the conversation. And if it gets quiet she will usually start to put her two cents in. However, when she sees other babies she really has no interest. I think she really believes her peers are adults :)
-Loves seeing herself in the mirror. She never fails to smile at herself.

Talking to herself (with the phone camera facing her)

Surprised by seeing herself

-Is mesmerized by screens. Whether it is the TV, computer, or cell phone, she loves them all. We don't have a TV in our house so she can't help but stare if she ever sees one.

Watching the BYU football game on TV with Mom

-Gnaws on EVERYTHING! Rather than suck on her binky she often takes it out and holds it while chewing on it. Everyone asks me if she is teething but other than her wanting to chew on everything I haven't seen any other signs. Plus, she has been doing this chewing thing for at least a month or more--which seems like a long time to be teething! But what do I know? This is my first time after all.

Going at Dad's hand

High FIVE!

At five months Afton is pure joy. She is so fun to be around and really happy most of the time. Even when she has not napped for more than 20 minutes the entire day she is still smiley and people think I am just a crazy mom saying "She needs a nap!" (I probably am) but I just know that she is happier and healthier when she takes her naps and gets to bed at a decent hour so I work hard to make that happen.

Afton does not laugh easily. She really makes you work for it. There have only been a couple times when we have really got her going. Most of the time it is just a quick courtesy laugh and then she moves on to something else.

Afton's personality is really coming out. I see it most when she eats while Pete is around. She will stop eating and stare at Pete until he notices her and then she will give a big smile and go quickly back to eating. Upon which Peter laughs and she stops eating and turns back to him looking at him like "What's so funny?"  She is also very social and has a hard time eating and sleeping when people are around. It isn't just the noise, because if no one is paying attention to her she CAN eat and sleep, but if she thinks she can be part of things she won't.

She is pretty serious about her eating/chewing/sucking on things

She isn't really particular about people yet, she will smile at almost anyone that gives her attention unless she is tired.

She really doesn't cuddle or snuggle much. She will lean her head against my chest for a few minutes when she is trying to go to sleep but then she will get interested in something and pick her head up to look around or arch her back. Then I just have to set her in her crib and let her settle down.

She loves music but not when she is settling down to sleep. I think maybe it's because I sang to her every time she was going down for about two weeks straight and now she associates it with sleep. Although it is probably only my voice because Michelle has told me she sings her to sleep sometimes. Any routine I have ever had for putting her to sleep no longer works so we have to get creative. She won't let me rock her or hold her laterally or sing to her. Right now I hold her up right and sway from side to side. I used to hold her binky in her mouth but now she gets mad at that. So I just let her move around while I sway. Oh but music--she loves to be sung to or listen to music.

She also loves books! She will sit still while we read MULTIPLE books or the same book 4 times in row if you want! As long as they are colorful, she really likes them.

She is really close to sitting up on her own!

Afton's sleeping positions have gotten wild. For about three days she slept like this (pictured below) and it seriously worried me because she has always just slept on her back. I worried about her cranked neck (not as bad in this picture as it sometimes gets) until I realized that is exactly my favorite sleeping position! But then for a few days she got into this phase of rolling too far onto her stomach and not being able to roll back (I don't know why because she first rolled from her back to her stomach but she hasn't done it in months--maybe she forgot how?). Well I got tired of turning her over so she just had to cry it out and eventually gave up and slept on her stomach. She has slept on her stomach about three nights in a row as well. So who knows what is next!

Afton had a couple firsts during her 5th month:

RICE CEREAL! She didn't really think it was a big deal the first time but she is slowly hating it more and more. She turns her head and won't open her mouth. Although if she starts talking I will stick in the spoon and get some in and she won't complain. So I really think it's the spoon thing. Maybe I should try different spoons? I just bought 4-month plastic spoons at Babies R Us.

PONY TAIL! While it is really fun to put a pony in for a few minutes and admire her crazy hair, I feel like she is too young to be wearing a pony! I can't even imagine how I will feel when she wants to start wearing make-up! Pete has also expressed that he likes her naturally crazy hair and not ponies. So we just do it when we feel like playing dress up.