Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Time Flies...

If there are any consistent blog checkers out there....my sincere apologies. I cannot believe that I've not updated this since May 17th. It's unbelieveable to think about the time that has passed. I am not very good at the blog, but am proud to say that I have kept up with the newsletters! :o) One small victory for Mom!

I decided I need to start taking a bit of time every once in a while to document a few stories here and there. Tonight, we have Hannah's first cold...

It started as a runny nose last night and continued through today. She was in good spirits tonight, despite the faucet attached to her face - formerly known as her nose....

She was pretty patient with the aspirator and only fussed a bit when trying to clear her nose. I feel bad for her though because she of course has no idea how to blow her nose and rid herself of the icky snot. We're doing our best to help her out and hope it passes quickly. There are definitely more fun things to do than develop our aspirating skills!

Sunday, May 17, 2009

WOW...time passes so quickly!


It's been a long while since I've been on the blog...and so much has happened...here's a mini recap...


Hannah got baptized - 3/28/09.

Hannah went for her 4 month doctor's check up - 4/9/09.

Hannah went to Chattanooga for her first trip - 4/25-4/29/09.

Mom turned 29 - 4/25/09

Uncle Douglas graduated from Law School - 5/15/09.

Hannah rolled over - 5/16/09.

Hannah slept in her crib for the first time - 5/16/09.


Whew! Being a baby is hard work! So much going on!


Things in the Westerson house are great. Hannah is such a fun baby. She keeps us on our toes. She's really gotten big, weighing in at 13 pounds, 4 ounces at the doctor's office. She continues to have lots of hair but she is getting a bit of a bald spot from rubbing her head on the bed!


She's a very talkative, wonderful joy. She is learning to say and do new things every day...we are so blessed!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Hannah's TV Debut

http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=171200&catid=12

This is a link to Hannah's very first appearance on TV. Hannah was lucky enough to be selected to be a child model for Chesterfield Mall...hmmm...I wonder how she got that gig!?!?!?

Anyway, taking her to the station for her debut was a bit nerve wracking...and more than once I thought...Is this a good idea? I kept running through the possible scenarios in my mind...will she cry? Will she smile? Will she spit up on the $148 dress that she is wearing?

As our adventure began, she fell asleep in the car and I thought, "This is great! Sleep is good." because she is normally very happy after naps. Then of course, when we got to the station, she woke up...and she was a bit cranky because of how she was woken up...apparently a lot of jostling to get her out of the car and cold wind is not the ideal way to wake a baby. But, I figured it was nothing that a bottle couldn't cure so off we went to feed Miss Hannah. Even after eating she was still a bit fussy...and a bit fussier after pulling the dress over her head. As I put on her satin shoes and adjusted the bow in her hair I held my breath as we entered the live studio for her big debut...

And she did GREAT! Granted, she lost her shoe during the segment and kept pulling at the dress with her little hands (which I thought was very cute...), but she didn't cry, drool or do anything else overly distracting...SHE WAS FABULOUS!

I took a huge, deep breath after it was all done and despite all of the nerves and trepidation thought, "When can we put her on TV again???"

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Formula Stinks!

I am very proud to say that Hannah has been a solely breastfed baby...until recently. Hannah decided to get super hungry in the afternoons and evenings and, I just couldn't keep up. So to keep me sane and her fed, we began to supplement with a small amount of formula in the evening. (This was slightly traumatic for me as I developed some sort of complex that I was failing as a mother because I wasn't producing enough food for my child...I've since recovered and realized I am still doing great things by breastfeeding at all of the other feedings...no need to call a shrink. But I digress.)

Hannah's first formula experience was not pretty. First off, it smells and if it smells to us, it's even more pungent to babies who have noses so good they can tell their mom from other moms! So immediately when Jamie gave her the bottle, her nose wrinkled. Then he put it in her mouth and she tasted it. Apparently it's not as sweet and tasty as the breast milk she was used to...She immediately starting gaging and spitting it out. She refused to drink the formula until she realized that was all she was getting. Begrudgingly, she finally ate it.

That was Hannah's reaction. For us, it was a little easier to swallow (ha ha) However, after eating it, she didn't have sweet Hannah breath, but smelled like nasty formula...and the smell stuck...for what seemed like hours! EWWW!!! And it caused her to spit up...unlike breast milk. Double EWWW!!!

Conclusion: We don't like the smell and Hannah doesn't like the taste...So long story short...formula stinks...

Mommy and Me


Bonk

Everyone has nicknames for their precious babies. Hannah is no exception. Obviously she was "Lil Monkey" before she was born. She's been dubbed "Grandma's Little Doll" by my Grandmother (her Great Grandmother). Great Grandpa Guthrie calls her his "Little Punkin" and her daddy calls her "Baby Bear."

Recently though, we've had to dub a new nickname for Hannah - Bonk. She's learning to use her neck muscles and loves to be held upright against your chest. She's pretty good about holding her head up but every once in a while she starts to wobble and then...BONK...her head careens towards you with enough force to bust your lip. (She doesn't cry, but it made me blink back a tear!) Now...keep in mind that we are cautious to watch her neck and work to prevent this from happening but inevitably she'll be rolling along with great skill at holding her head up and then...BONK...Her little head does a dance!

So add it to the list of nicknames that no doubt will grow longer as she grows bigger! Our little Bonk is getting so big...Her next nickname no doubt will memorialize her next milestone!

Hannah's Hair

Hannah has a lot of hair.

Bald can be beautiful, but Jamie and I have had lots of fun with Hannah's hair...see "Style Watch 2009." Hannah's hair is the first thing that EVERYONE notices about her. Babies are automatically a magnet to every stranger in the world and when people see Hannah, they can't help but say, "Look at all that hair!" or "That baby has a lot of hair!" This question is automatically followed by "How old is she?" When I tell them that she is 11 weeks - they simply cannot believe all the hair she has for being that young.

I bring this up because Hannah's hair seems to be her "defining" feature. I recently took her to visit with my friend Stephanie and her children (my Godchildren). As we were sitting on the couch Rachael, who is 5 years old, says, "Her hair is like wild grass!" Stephanie and I were laughing hysterically and Rachael of course couldn't understand what was so funny...because to her, Hannah's hair being like grass was a statement of fact...no joke!

Wild grass or not, Hannah's hair is certainly a conversation piece one couldn't anticpate but is fun none the less. Let's just hope it doesn't fall out!