7 Months

The 7 month post comes about 2 weeks late, so this post will be a bit longer than most. What's new with us? Katie is trying to go mobile. She's standing, kind-of pulling up, and definitely trying to crawl. Matt, mom, and I have all caught her "sleep-crawling" at different times over the last week. In case you are wondering what "sleep-crawling" looks like.....picture a baby in her crib with knees tucked under her bottom, face planted into the mattress, eyes closed, body rocking back and forth.

What else is new? Matt, Katie, me, Grandma and Grandpa Brammer all went to the ACC tournament a little over a week ago. It was a great trip...and we all learned alot on our first official family vacation. Some fun facts from our trip:

1. NC BBQ is YUMMY!


2. Greensboro, NC did an EXCELLENT job on hosting the tournament. We had a great stay!


3. Infants can sleep almost anywhere when they are sufficiently exhausted. "Anywhere" includes a basketball arena with 14,000 screaming fans.


4. Paramedics offices at basketball arenas function as nursing mother facilities when no one is injured or in need of medical attention. (That's right....I was one of 4 nursing moms making use of the paramedics office.)


5. Having Grandma and Grandpa along on the trip truly is a LIFESAVER! Thanks again mom and dad!!! :-)
   
6. Katie still hates her carseat.


7. I'm a much bigger VT football fan than basketball fan.
   
8. One thing Matt and I can agree....we both hate Duke Basketball.


9. No matter whether they are 7 months old, 7 years old, or 27 years old....all girls love their ice cream (see a picture of Katie enjoying her first few bites below)

A few pictures below from our trip.

Starting Solids...

At Katie's 6 month check-up the pediatrician gave us the green light to begin solid foods. Its been an interesting couple of weeks in which Katie has started to explore all sorts of new foods.

Here are a few pictures and a list of things we've learned so far:

1. What they call "solid" foods, aren't really solid.
2. Making your own baby food is time consuming....and this company called Gerber seems to have plenty of experience in this arena.
3. More food ends up on our face, clothes, and hands that what gets swallowed.
4. Katie is more interested in mommy and daddy's food than her own.
5. The cleanup process is much easier when Katie is wearing only a diaper....and bathtime/bedtime follows the meal.
6. Meal time is more successful if Katie gets to hold her own spoon.
7. Washable bibs are a MUST!
8. Katie likes sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, and bananas. Katie is not a big fan of rice cereal, green peas, or peaches.
9. Sweet poatoes look the same going out as the do going in. Eww!

6 Months Old

Last week Katie had her 6 month checkup. She got a clean bill of health and 4 vaccinations as a parting gift! She weighed 15 lbs. 4 oz. (40%), measured 26 3/4 inches long (88%), with a head circumference of 16.5 inches (25%).

On Katie's actual half birthday, we got our 3rd significant snow storm of the season. Matt and I joke that Katie is our little snow queen as her first winter has brought more snow to Richmond than the past 5 years combined! With the cold temperatures and repeated snow storms, its been difficult to keep Katie entertained. Grandma and Grandpa Brammer have found several ways to get her out of the house including trips to Byrd Park, Maymont, and Lewis Ginter. Here are Katie and Grandma at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens...

Who doesn't get bored stuck inside the house for days at a time? To kill the boredom, Katie has found a new hobby. She loves "reading" the newspaper and newspaper adds - okay maybe not reading....more like destroying.

A few other pictures....just for fun.

She is SOOO Daddy's little girl.

Sitting Up!

Over the past week Katie started sitting up - YAY! I thought I'd share a couple pictures of the big milestone. You may notice she is flanked by pillows....just a precautionary measure against the occasional crash landing.

I look forward to each of the milestones that Katie crosses, but I know it is all flying by. She will be 6 months old soon...her first year is almost half over. :(

Checking Email Already!

Katie....aren't you a little young to be playing on the computer?

Uh oh! I'm busted! Maybe if I smile and look cute mom won't get mad....
Enough of this computer stuff....can I get back in my jumperoo?!?!

5 Months Old!

What's changed from month 4 to month 5? Our little girl is getting more curious and active, not to mention talkative. What's unchanged from Month 4 to 5? Katie still has virtually zero hair, her cheeks are still HUGE, and she still hates tummy time! I'll let the pictures and videos show you some of her activities over the last month.

The other morning, while I was making my breakfast, I put Katie in her Bumbo seat. While my back was turned I heard her toy fall. I turned around to find this....

Apparently she decided to trade in her toy for a more festive model!

Look mom - I found my feet! These things are quite convenient when no other toys are around! :-)

Ending on a good note, here is a video of the best sound in the world....Katie laughing. She absolutely loves it when Matt tickles her tummy!

Helmet Fitting

Some kids have shoe fittings, dress fittings...our little one has helmet fittings! This week Katie was fitted for helmet #2. Since many of you have asked questions about the helmeting process I thought I'd blog and post some pics about it. Plus, its pretty cool from a technology standpoint (I guess that's the computer geek in me).

Below is a picture of Katie before we left for the Orthotics office. Its not informative or explanatory in any way, but I thought she looked cute! :-)

Getting down to business...

The process starts with Katie taking off her current helmet and placing a white cap with receptors on her head. Her face has to be covered in little "sticker" receptors, strategically placed to get the best image. Does this receptor cap make my cheeks look fat?? Now comes the fun part...the large scanner. For lack of a better description, it looks like the one at the grocery store...just alot larger. The scanner has a cord attached to a laptop. As the scanner is scanning her head and face, it simultaneously loads the image into software which generates a 3-D replica of Katie from the neck up.
The image is then sent to OrthoAmerica - the firm which makes the helmet. The helmet should arrive within a week....and so we start all over again. One helmet down - 2 more to go!!