Hannah Stats- 5 Months

Hannah is now 15 pounds 12 ounces and 26.5 inches long. It seems like she is learning new things really fast now. In just a couple of weeks she has gone from barely being able to sit in her activity center to playing with all the toys. Her new skills are sticking her toes in her mouth and sitting up (with some support). Her favorite toy is a barking dog puppet and her favorite song is Old McDonald...preferably with musical accompaniment by her activity center! She has replaced her ah-goo's with high pitched squealing and blowing raspberries. Here are more pictures because I couldn't choose just one.

New Class

Can you believe this is my fifth year teaching? My first class is now in 6th grade! Sigh. It goes by so fast. I have 20 in my class this year: 8 boys and 12 girls. I've taught older siblings of 2 of them. That's always fun. So far they are a really good class. Their kindergarten and first grade teachers loved them and I think I will, too.

Cousins

Weekend Highlights:

Friday we had dinner with some church friends. We did pretty well at Apples to Apples, then had a very embarrassing Spades loss (-30 to 520).

Saturday we took a walk around beautiful downtown Prairie Village and finished up cutting and laying all the tiles for the hall bathroom. Most importantly, we were visited by Steve's sister (Susan), her husband (Morgan), their one-year-old daughter (Ainslyn), and Grandma Marsha who was driving them to the airport. It was Hannah's first time meeting her aunt, uncle, and cousin. They live in DC. Ainslyn was really cute about giving Hannah hugs. She also enjoyed making a fort out of our couch, "organizing" photos, and flying around the house with Hannah.

Sunday after church Steve started grouting the tiles in the bathroom and worked on his dirtbike while Hannah and I took a nap. :)

Solids

The question I get asked most often now is "When is she starting solids?". I asked our pediatrician about it at her 4 month check-up and he said there is no nutritional reason to start solids before 6 months. From birth to 6 months babies only need breast milk (or formula). Starting solids before 6 months is really just to practice eating. So I haven't really been in any hurry to start her on solids. We've just been enjoying the simplicity of a purely liquid diet. But since she's going to be 5 months, we have started practicing a little with rice cereal. I think we are going to follow this schedule for introducing new foods.

Tonight when I was feeding her she laughed and opened her mouth each time I said, "Yummy, yummy cereal!" in a funny voice. Then she would immediately make this face once the spoon was actually in her mouth.

Octopus Attack!

First Week Update

By request....

It has been a looooong week! I'm exhausted from getting my classroom set up and going to teacher meetings... and not having any naps during the day! (I was in the habit of taking naps with Hannah over the summer.) Last night was the "supply drop off" night, so I got to meet my new students. They seem like a good bunch. Better yet, their PARENTS seem like a good group! Cute story: One mom told me her daughter was very happy to get me as a teacher because "Mrs. Kerr is really nice." Apparently when the girl was in kindergarten I waved to her once and she has remembered this for two years and wanted to be in my class!

Pat has given Hannah glowing reports every day this week. She said Hannah is a very good baby. She's had no problems with eating or naps or adjusting to the new schedule. Steve and I, on the other hand, have had to work out a few kinks. I think we finally have it down now. We both wake up at the same time. He feeds her while I eat breakfast and get myself ready. Then I change her clothes and take her to day care while he gets himself ready. So far we've all be able to get to our places on time.

I thought I would feel weird (or guilty) being at work when I've been staying home taking care of Hannah so long. But being at school feels very normal. Plus it helps that Hannah is too young to cry and complain about going to day care. This morning the two-year-old at day care was crying, "Daddy, don't go! Daddy, don't go!" as her father was dropping her off. Meanwhile Hannah was smiling and playing happily with her rings as I walked out the door. That helps minimize the I'm-a-bad-mother-because-I'm-not-a stay-at-home-mom guilty feeling that I think all working moms feel at one time or another.

Day Care

My baby is growing up! Today was her first day of day care and there were no tears (either from Hannah or me). My first day back is actually Wednesday, but I need a few days to get my room ready. I'm both excited and nervous about going back to work after 21 weeks off. It will be nice to be around adults for a change and to get a break from the feeding/diapering/wiping up spit up that fills my days now. But I'm nervous about how I'm going to be able to get everything done between work, Hannah, and the house.

Hannah is going to an in-home day care halfway between our house and my school (plus a little to the west). There are two other kids: a 1 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. Miss Pat has 3 kids of her own, but they are all older. The youngest one is in junior high and the other two are in college. She used to be a paraprofessional at a school in Shawnee Mission until a parent convinced her to start a day care. When I visited the day care I was impressed by how verbal and advanced the kids were. She really works hard to get them ready for pre-school. She even starts teaching them sign language at 8 months. I think she'll probably have to teach me, too!

Miss Pat said Hannah was a good baby and had a great day. She ate from her bottle, took her naps, and of course loved all the attention from Pat and the kids. As much as I'm going to miss being with her all the time, I think it is good for Hannah to be around other kids. But it is very hard to let go!

Here she is on her first day:

Tummy Time

Hannah hated tummy time with a passion. Whenever I flipped her over she immediately started screaming and refused to even try to lift her head. Grandma Dorlene even got her a surfboard mat to make tummy time more fun. Hannah was not convinced.

Now she FINALLY enjoys being on her tummy.

Johnny Jump Up

Hannah's next challenge after the activity center was the Johnny Jump Up. She can't really jump, but she thinks she is a big girl since she can stand.

Sarah & Matt's Wedding

If you know me at all, you know that I'm pretty sappy. So it should be no surprise that I love weddings. I love watching people so in love and happy to start their lives together. Plus weddings mean beautiful dresses, flowers, dancing, and being surrounded by friends and family...what's not to love?

Last weekend we went back to Chillicothe for Sarah & Matt's wedding. I think they are both great people and I'm so happy that they ended up together. I cried. :) Sarah went to Chula elementary school with Steve, and we became friends when she went to Chillicothe for high school. Matt also went to school with us. I made the DJ play Party Like Its 1999 in honor of our class.

Since we were in Chillicothe we made the usual rounds to see family. Hannah saw her aunt, uncle, grandparents, all 4 great-grandparents, and even some second cousins. Steve's cousin's family grilled burgers for us on Sunday. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures because we forgot the camera battery charger. We also had a flat tire on Sunday. It was one of those days.