Swim Day!

Yesterday, Perri and I met up with some friends at the pool for a couple of hours. I was so excited to finally get to the pool and start working on my tan, but Perri, not so much. We got her a cute blow up thing to sit in that has a canopy to keep her out of the sun but she did not like being in the water.. at all. I was surprised because she loves her baths every night, but also know how particular she is about temperatures of things and hates anything cold, so I guess that goes for the pool too. It really wasn't cold, but it wasn't the warm water she's used to, so hopefully she'll warm up to it so we can swim! I ended up sitting on the edge with her and she would stand with her feet in the water and sat for a bit but that's as much as she would do.

All in all, though, it was a fun morning and I got to catch up with friends and get some sun. Afterwards we went to play group for a little bit. A pretty fun morning for us, and it wore Perri out. She took a 3 hour nap and was exhausted come bed time.

6 Months!!

Today our baby girl is 6 months old! I can hardly believe it! I know I say this every month but really, 6 months has flown by and you really do forget what life was like before your baby. Perri has turned into such a happy, delightful little girl and we are loving every minute with her! The first 4 or 5 months she was quite difficult and particular about everything but she is easing up so much and being much more go-with-the-flow. Thank goodness!

Here are some 6 month stats on our Perri Elizabeth:

*14 lbs 4 oz, 26 1/2 inches long
*Still wearing 0-3 clothes though some 3-6 fit
*Still in a size 0 shoe.. tiny little feet!
*Rolling both ways- rolled belly to back at 4 weeks, and back to belly at 3 months, so this has been going on for a long time. If she sees something she wants, she'll roll to it.
*Starting to "swim" and rock on her belly and get frustrated if things are in front of her and she can't get to them.
*Smiles most of the time but can turn on a dime, mid-smile and stick out her bottom lip and cry
*We're working on sitting up and she can do it for a few seconds, but doesn't mind when she falls over. She'll face plant the floor and crack up. Atleast she's a good sport about smashing her face haha.
*Loves her exersaucer and likes to jump up and then slam backwards, making it rock and make a loud noise. This really cracks her up.
*Likes to bang everything she can get her hands on and also enjoys throwing her toys, again making loud noises. She can toss them quite a distance across the floor!
* Has really taken interest in Emma, our dog, and Amos, our cat. Emma especially interests her and she will belly laugh every time Emma sneaks a lick or gets close enough that Perri can pet her.
*Used to absolutely HATE her carseat but has recently warmed up to it and will stay in there while I shop most of the time instead of having to put her in the Bjorn.
*Also used to hate the stroller but now that I take her running with me in the new jogging stroller, she enjoys it and usually falls asleep.
*LIkes to drink out of my cup and will grab at it and pull it right up to her mouth and take a drink. Loves my Crystal Light but not so keen on water. She seems to prefer a cup to her sippy.
*LOVES apple sauce but this constipates her so she isn't getting as much of that she she would prefer. The only food she's really shown distate for so far is bananas, but I don't blame her. Yuck! Other foods she's been eating and liked: peas, sweet potatoes, peaches, avocado, prune and squash.
*Also prefers to feed herself. Every bite she is snatching at the spoon and will often cry and bang her hands on the tray of her high chair if I don't let her feed herself. I usually let her and this results in a huge mess.
*Sleeps 12 hours at night: 7:30pm to 7:30 am, with an hour and a half long nap in the morning and usually a 2 to 2 1/2 hour long afternoon nap, sometimes 3 hours!
*LOVES being sung to and if she's wailing will immediately stop and suck her thumb as soon as I start singing. Her favorite by far? Jesus Loves Me.
*Loves her thumb and sucks it all the time. We tried a paci but she would never take it. This is convenient now but I know will not be fun to break her of once she's older.
*Also really likes music and loves her daddy playing guitar for her. This will also get her to stop crying.


How she's changed over the months:
2 days old

6 weeks

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

You have been such a joy to us Perri bear, we love you so much sweet girl!

Yum Yum!!

I totally forgot to post pictures of Perri eating solids since we've started that and I thought I would share a few. We really wanted to wait until she was at least 6 months old for solids, but Perri stopped sleeping through the night and was clearly not satisfied on just milk, so a few weeks ago we decided to give it a go. I have been making it all, and it is so easy to do and I feel better giving it to her knowing exactly what is in everything she's eating and not a bunch of additives like most baby foods have. Her favorites by far are sweet potatoes and apples, though the apples started constipating her because she was eating so much of them! We are talking serious grunting and red face haha. She doesn't love peas but tolerates them, peaches are pretty good to her and didn't care much for bananas. Today we introduced avocado and at first she hated it, but when I started letting her feed herself, she really warmed up to it.

The first time trying oatmeal





And now eating some real foods.

Jiggidy Jog

We recently bought a new jogging stroller (Bob Revolution for those that are interested- it's great!) and I am loving it!! It's so nice to get out of the gym every once in a while and it's been beautiful here so Perri and I have been going on some runs here lately.
She woke up yesterday not feeling well and after she had her morning nap it was clear she was really under the weather. I had pumped a bottle for her and after throwing up most of it and screaming at the top of her lungs every time I put her down, I took her temperature and it was 102.3! Yikes! I freaked out and called the doctor and they worked us in immediately. Turns out she just has a cold, but her doctor said that some babies develop high temperatures with colds, weird. He did want us to watch incase it was an infection and gave me a bag to attach to her to collect urine if her fever didn't break. Praise the Lord it did! Anyhow, I kept her out of the child watch at the gym yesterday and today, so we went for our evening runs instead. Here is a pic of her in her new stroller. She kept crying in it with it sitting up so I finally, tired of hearing her cry, laid it back and just like that, she quieted down, sucked her thumb, and fell asleep!! Yayy!!

Here are a couple pics after our run, hanging out with her daddy. Notice the belly. Little girl is finally putting on some weight and its going straight to her thighs and belly haha. I love how she's looking up at Craig in this picture.



A couple more from today. Perri and I went out and ran several errands and surprisingly, she did so well, AND I didn't have to put her in the Bjorn! Major shocker there. She always requires to be in that thing, as she hates being out and about in the car seat. Well, today she threw me a curve ball and stayed in it the whole time and was happy and played with her toys and sucked her thumb.



Last, but not least, eating her lunch. We introduced peas this week and while she doesnt love them, she is eating them. Lunch today was of course, mommy's milk and then some peas and apple sauce (not mixed.. gross)

Happy (Belated) Easter!!

Happy Belated Easter everyone! Easter morning here was disgusting and rainy. Craig and I got soaked going to church so that is why my hair is gross and flat in the pic and Craig's is out of control. The little smocked dress Perri wore for Easter was mine when I was a baby. I love it!! We didn't take pics of Perri in her dress before church because of the risk of getting spit up on her dress, so we took a few afterwards. We got a couple of pics of her in a decent mood, and then she was done. Needless to say, she was not having it and was ready to eat and take a nap haha. She did enjoy eating her dress though.





The other day I tried Perri in her tutu her Lu Lu made her and this go round was much better than when we tried her in it at Christmas.

6 weeks at Christmas


Now at 5 months (wow did I mention she's now 5 months?!?!)




Apparently Perri has really noticed Emma (our dog) and thinks she is just the funniest thing ever. Emma's always been around and trying to lick and play in the floor with Perri, and Perri's never really paid much attention to her. Well, the other night we were up in Perri's room playing in the floor and Emma came in and started licking Perri's feet and Perri thought she was hilarious. She kept squealing and laughing and grabbing at Emma. She even got some handfulls of fur and then shoved them in her mouth. Gross huh? Now when Emma walks by and Perri sees her she'll squeal and laugh at her. Emma is going to be a great friend to Perri and is so calm and protective over her.

Gotta run, screaming baby upstairs and she should be napping for atleast another hour...

My Little Strawberry

Not a lot going on around the Opitz household, just the usual. While Perri has proved herself not the easiest baby, she is getting better and better as she gets older. Her sleep (at night) is amazing, going from around 7:45pm to 7:30am (and I go in and wake her or she'd sleep later). Her naps were going good then she decided to throw me a curve ball and stop napping and just cry instead, but we're getting the kinks worked out and she's getting back on track there. She's also being better at the child watch at the gym. She's never 'bad' there, just requires them to hold her the whole time. And, she's super serious there and usually just watches everyone with a very serious look on her face. Lately they've told me she's finally starting to smile and 'talk' to them and today I went in to get her and she was in the swing!! Wow! They said today was her best day ever and she was so good and happy. Yea!! Though, of course, she totally fell apart once I put her in her car seat and in the car. Oh well, can't always have her peachy.

Lately I've been trying to clean out the closets and re-organize them and go through things we don't need, which we have a lot of. Around here you can't just have a garage sale any time you want. You can participate in our neighborhood-wide sale they have twice a year or you can participate in the community-wide sales they have at the high schools. We have so much stuff sitting around here unused and taking up space so I'm slowing going through all this junk and getting it ready for the sale. That is what I've been up to most afternoons while Perri naps. That and cleaning and laundry. Fun times huh?

Also, in two months we'll be flying to Reno for my brother and his fiancee' Lauren's wedding and will be traveling with a then 7-month old. Has anyone flown with a baby? If so, any tips? We're pretty nervous about this and really would like to not have a full day of Perri screaming on the planes. Yikes!! Any suggestions are welcome!!

I'll leave you with some pics of baby girl.








Poser

Her favorite thing in the world, her thumb. This sucker is a life saver for her. She has never taken a paci but LOVES her thumb.

Eating her dress. EVERYTHING goes in her mouth.
Hanging out in her slippers.

Dimples