Surviving Savannah

Time for some fun!

2010-02-28T10:07:00.000-08:00

With all the snow we have been getting, it was time to get out and have some fun so we took Savannah to one of our favorite indoor playgrounds and the Please Touch Museum.

If you listen closely you can hear her saying, "set, set, gooo!"

Here she is doing a little shopping and definately says peanut butter.

18 Months

2010-02-22T17:29:00.000-08:00

These 18 months have gone by too fast but we are so thankful for all the time we get to spend with you. I'm so lucky to be able to stay home with you, watching you grow each and every day and Daddy can't get home fast enough to see your smiling face peeking through the curtains on the door. I get to wake up every day hearing your sweet voice on the monitor as you talk to your teddy and other friends in your crib, patiently waiting to get up for the day. You love when we sing and read to you but lately just doing so once or twice is not enough, you will say "sit, sit, sit" and give us another book to read. You just love when we pretend play with you and your babies and we catch you cooking for them all the time (and giving your baby baths in your kitchen sink). When you want us to play with you we hear "play, play, play?" in the cutest voice that you absolutely can not say no to. We got a ton of snow this year for you to play in, you decided you would much rather take a walk and enjoy the scenery than play in it. You could walk around outside for hours if we let you and Mommy had to try very hard not to laugh at the meltdown you had when it was time to go in :)

...Loving these pigtails...

..."Shhhh," baby is sleeping...

..."Ta da," I made my first card...

...and painted my first picture...

...This is my sneaky, I know I shouldn't be doing this look...

...Watch, I can count, and every number is "tuuu, tuuu, tuu!"...

...This is my very serious storytelling face...

...And this is how I usually end my stories, so proud of myself...

...When I'm really tired, I follow Mommy with a pillow and blanket and do this...

17 Months

2010-01-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

What is Savannah up to at 17 months?

- You are talking all the time, not much of what you say actually makes sense yet but you love to have conversations with us that only you understand! We go back and forth and you just think it is so funny when we respond to your "conversations."

- Your favorite things to play with right now are your dolls for sure. You love feeding them, taking them shopping in your grocery cart, they always sit at the table with you when you eat, and a day does not go by that you don't dance with your babies.

- Your newest word is please but it sounds more like "peeeeeeze". This has to be one of the cutest words you have said so far, especially when you combine it with cheese. We can't help but laugh that you say "bak bees" (black beans) everytime we get them out for you to eat. Black beans are without a doubt your favorite food!

- You are the perfect little helper these days, your favorite thing to help with is putting the groceries away. We can't help but smile when we see how proud you are of yourself for completing this task.

- You now have 12 teeth (including your first year molars) now we are just waiting on your four eye teeth to come in and your two year molars. Hopefully you get a break before the rest of the molars come in because those eye teeth have not been fun for you.

Mommy's Little Helper

2010-01-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

What a good little helper I have! When I thought about letting Savannah help me make cupcakes I prepared for a mess to be made, had everything ready in case things got messy but she knew just what to do!

Christmas Part II

2010-01-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

A few days after Christmas we headed to the cottage to see Pete's family before heading back home. Savannah had a great time visiting with everyone and even learned a few of her numbers (does saying "tuu, freeeee" count?) Savannah played a game with Grandpa S. and now walks around with her babies saying "tuu, freeee" as she throws them in the air on three, so adorable!

...Giving her famous smile pose...

...Trying to get in on the Rock Band fun by dancing...

...One, two, threeeee!...

Savannah had a few more presents to open after we returned home and this was a favorite! Can you see how big her smile is?

A visit to Frankenmuth

2010-01-01T20:24:00.000-08:00

We try to make it to Frankenmuth each year when we return to Michigan, this year it was a must since last year didn't work. We went the day after Christmas for dinner at the Bavarian Inn and did some shopping at the castle shops and Bronner's! Savannah's favorite part of the trip was Bronner's for sure, she loved looking up and pointing at all the christmas displays (and even spotted Elmo and Mickey Mouse).

...Getting ready to go and trying to distract Savannah long enough to get the bow in her hair without her noticing...

..."Melmo, aww Melmo", she can spot Elmo from a mile away...

...For some reason it took alot of convincing to get Savannah to leave this spot...

Christmas Part I

2009-12-31T18:40:00.000-08:00

We started off the holidays with a Christmas Eve party on my side of the family. We drove the entire day before the party and Savannah stayed up way past her bedtime in the car because she was so excited to see everyone (and because she knew we were going to see Blondie, my parents dog). It's so neat to see Savannah beginning to remember family, especially since we don't see them often.

...Visiting with Grandma and Great Grandma...

...Savannah with her 11 cousins...

...Where do I begin?...

...What started out as a pretend campfire turned into a snowstorm?...

...Savannah shows her excitement by showing her cousin Arianna her belly...

...Savannah was more interested in the train than her stocking and started saying "choo choo" for the first time...

...Yes! I always wanted a Michigan State jacket...

...Santa was long gone by the time we woke up on Christmas day, but I think he left behind one of his reindeer...

Snow Day

2009-12-22T15:10:00.000-08:00

Savannah experienced her first snowstorm last weekend, so we bundled up and headed outside! We thought for sure she would love the snow since she got a kick out of watching Pete shovel the snow all day long! Poor girl couldn't move with all those clothes on and tipped over face first whenever she walked. We thought it was pretty funny, Savannah did not! She did happen to love sledding though.

Next Stop: South Carolina

2009-12-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

Because a trip to Florida wasn't enough traveling for Savannah and myself, we decided to make the trip to South Carolina a day or two after returning (Pete's family went to South Carolina for Thanksgiving and to meet Aunt Vicky's future in-laws). Savannah was a good little traveler despite an entire day of driving in the car (apparently driving through the DC area the day before Thanksgiving = bad idea) and was so excited for every little opportunity to run around and stretch her legs, but getting back into the car is another story! Savannah had the best time playing with all the kids but she just loves the older kids probably because they can keep up with her! The highlight of this trip for Savannah had to be the dogs, she just couldn't give them enough hugs and gentle eye pokes as she pointed out parts of their face for us to name.

...A little unsure of all the new faces, but when she did warm up-lookout...

...Finding ways to entertain herself at Aunt Vicky's...

...No more pictures please...

...Having lots of fun playing outside with Grandpa...

...Practicing for the Gap casting call...

...Look, I found Theo's eye!...

Fun in the sun

2009-11-30T09:59:00.000-08:00

Savannah and I made a trip a few weeks ago to visit with my parents at their condo in Florida. We wished Pete could have made it but we're thinking about returning next November for a trip to Disney! I know a little someone who would LOVE to meet the Little Einsteins!

Savannah amazed me on the plane and was such a big girl. I thought for sure she would want to run around the entire flight but she was so pleasant.

...Walking with Grandma and Grandpa on the beach...

...Hold on, I need a snack...

...Savannah just loved putting the sea shells on her toes...

...So happy just to be running around at the botanical garden...

...Having a blast chasing the water...

Busy Little Bee

2009-11-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

Our little bumble bee has been busy lately, last weekend we went to Boo at the Zoo where Savannah went on her first carousel ride (almost having a meltdown at first but as soon as the carousel started she was loving it). Savannah is really starting to enjoy the animals at the zoo now, but what she loves most is just running around. Busy little bee that she is...

...My first carousel ride...

...I could watch these ducks swim all day long...

...I tried helping with the pumpkins, Mommy and Daddy forgot to tell me they don't taste so good...

...Let me finish my banana and I'll be ready for some trick-or-treating...

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks we've made several visits to the pumpkin patch since we only live a few minutes away. As the pictures show, it's becoming difficult to get Savannah to sit still or look anywhere near the camera. So we ended up putting her in the pumpkin bin...

Yelling at us for sending her to the pumpkin bin again

Quick, help me get this in the cart before they realize we don't need anymore pumpkins!

Fall Fun

2009-10-16T07:22:00.000-07:00

We took Savannah to Longwood Gardens last weekend where she had a blast running around and playing in the children's garden. Did I mention how much she loved running around? Savannah prefers to walk everywhere rather than ride in the stroller so Daddy and I were exhausted afterwards.

...Perfect, these flowers match my outfit...

...These pumpkins are ALL mine...

...Enjoying the fountain show...

...Here's a clue for what I will be for Halloween...

...I got a little too excited chasing the water and ended up soaked, good thing I have another outfit...

...Enjoying one last view before heading home...

Fun at the park?

2009-10-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

...No, I will not be having fun at the park today...

...Well, maybe just a little...

It's the small things in life...

2009-10-04T07:20:00.000-07:00

The other day I caught Savannah flipping through one of her favorite books and making the animal noises as she saw each picture. I just love being able to watch her learn and see the world through her eyes. She's such a little sponge lately, picking up new words and signing (her favorite words to sign are "my turn" and "book" right now). The minute I taught her the sign for book was when she actually said book for the first time!

Who knew...

2009-10-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

That "gardening" could be so fun?!

I think I'll just pick a flower or two...

Somebody stop me, this is too much fun!

13 Months

2009-09-21T19:21:00.000-07:00

You are looking more and more like a toddler everyday, it almost seems like it happened overnight. Now that you are 13 months old you are walking, trying to run (and becoming more clumsy!), using many words(mama, dada, all done, shoesssss, cat, quack, up, ball, bubbles, apple), one of your favorite things to do right now is bouncing/jumping (you do the cutest little bouncing thing where you bounce on your bottom on the bed or couch, and of course there are sound effects to go with it), you have learned to assert your independence..., when you get excited you say "ooooooooooh" first very seriously with a huge smile at the end, you give hugs and pat us on the back and come up to us and give kisses, learned to go down the slide all by yourself, love love love to dance, clap whenever we sing for you, there's so much more but these are some of our favorite things that you are doing right now!

Ocean City

2009-09-21T18:46:00.000-07:00

We took Savannah on her first (mini) vacation over Labor Day weekend with friends and their three kids. She played in the ocean for the first time, enjoyed playing in the sand (finally) and loved knocking over the sand castles, her favorite part had to be playing in the ocean with daddy though. Savannah suprised us and did something we never thought she would ever be able to do, given her history as a very picky sleeper. She fell asleep on the beach in my arms (it did take a LONG time as she wanted to keep those eyes open to see everything but eventually she passed out and I was able to lay her down on a towel, very impressive for Savannah). We went out for dinner in the evenings and to the boardwalk the first night, we must have left the boardwalk at about 10pm but Savannah let us know the whole way back to the hotel that she was not ready to go just yet :)

...Savannah and Jess, giving hugs...

...First ride on the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland....

Crawling to standing (Savannah style)

2009-09-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

This was a few weeks ago before Savannah preferred walking to crawling and I guess she wanted a dramatic ending to the crawling phase. Watching this, makes me smile everytime...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We have a walker!

2009-08-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

Savannah started taking her first steps about a week ago but now she is really starting to get the hang of it, well she can make it almost all the way across the room before collapsing! Even better news, she is no longer frightened by her ability to stand up and take steps (aww, no more hysterical crying) and now Savannah does it just for fun!

First Birthday and more!

2009-08-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Savannah's first birthday in Michigan with family, it was great to be able to have her party there but no more out of state birthday parties for us! We had less than 24 hours (after traveling 14 hours) to get things ready and do way too much baking and preparing but everything turned out great. On her actual birthday, Savannah started to show signs of walking by standing unassisted and taking one step before falling. She started taking more than one step at a time today and believe it or not her reaction to walking was to cry! We cheered her on of course, but what did she do? Cried. Lip quivering, scared to death of what she just accomplished, crying!

Can you tell she loves her new chair?!

Savannah passed on the cake and went for the goldfish instead

At Chuck E Cheeses' on my birthday, this is the same CEC where Mommy had her first job!

I always wash my hands before dinner

I'm ONE!!

Playing at the Children's Garden-Michigan State University

First trip to the beach, Grand Haven

Asleep in the swing for 1.5 hours after playing in the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's house!

We're expecting 2 more...

2009-08-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

Teeth, of course! This is the reason for Savannah's lack of appetite for the past TWO WEEKS! I know the teething has to end soon but it's hard to watch her not eat well for weeks when she was slim to begin with. Although, I can't wait to see her toothy grin!

How Big is Savannah?

2009-07-28T17:47:00.000-07:00

Sooo Big! This was Savannah's favorite game to play today. It got to the point where she would raise her arms and look at us, asking to play How Big is Savannah! This game also doubles as our trick of the week to get Savannah to sit still long enough for a picture.

Savannah is really trying to communicate lately, she is saying many words and trying like crazy to say new ones each day! We love hearing her say "all done" she becomes so proud of herself but has a shy look all at the same time. She loves to point at anything round and call it a ball.

She just started feeding herself with a spoon this week! (usually needs our help to get the food on the spoon, but the rest is up to her).

First Words

2009-07-15T05:49:00.000-07:00

Savannah is definately saying ball lately. She gets so excited at Gymboree and the only thing on her mind is finding the balls, "booaal" is what it sounds like! She might have said mama in the past month or two but nothing as obvious as ball, she just started making some sounds with d in it when she sees Daddy but not quite dada yet. She is making her booaal sound when she sees bubbles as well and when she sees the bubble bottle she starts blowing, how cute is that?! Apple is another word she is definately trying to say. Hmm, so far the things she gets the most excited for and tries to say the words for are all things round!

On another note, I think we might be in trouble. Savannah crawled over to a boy at Gymboree yesterday and kissed him right on the lips. She has been kissing on babies for a while now but usually just on the top of their head or face!

4th of July Weekend

2009-07-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

A little late posting this but we have been so busy lately, there's barely enough time to take pictures. We made it back to Michigan to visit our families for the 4th of July. Just a quick visit with my parents and then off to the cottage to see Pete's parents and family. Savannah had a hard time with the drive to my parents house and could not get used to her new carseat, I think she finally fell asleep and stayed asleep without her little head bobbing around at about 3am and slept till 6am. She ended up taking looong naps the next day to make up for it though! We took the boat out on the lake and watched some of the best fireworks we had ever seen, unfortunately Savannah was out by 6:30pm that night from playing so hard so no fireworks for her. There's always next year!

What could possibly make bathtime more fun? A spoon, of course!

Savannah enjoying the view at the cottage as she made sure to check everything out!

First boat ride. Savannah loved it, the jacket, not so much!

Savannah was exhausted and ready for some sleep as we got ready to head home

But as soon as we got in the car, guess who was wide awake?

Randomness

2009-06-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

...Waving to the neighbors, cute right?......When Savannah's not snorting, she's making this face, clearly we have some habits to break...

...Who needs baby books, Savannah spent at least 30-40 minutes pulling our books of the shelf and "reading" them...

...My two favorite toys that I will never let go of...

...Waving to her shadow...

...Savannah has graduated from the push toy and is now pushing chairs, ottomans and boxes around the house...

Grandparents and Father's Day

2009-06-26T16:32:00.000-07:00

My parents made the long drive to come see us last weekend, it was a short visit since they are so busy with work and everything but we were all thrilled they could make it (especially Savannah)! I'm not quite sure what Grandma did to Savannah but ever since we caught them cuddling, Savannah loves to give quick cuddles. This is coming from a baby that has never liked to cuddle even when crying or in pain.

...Quick, get the camera, she's cuddling!...

Savannah gave Daddy a book by Karen Katz called Daddy Hugs for Father's Day. She LOVES looking at books by herself and will sit for the longest time when we read to her. The sweetest thing is when she reaches up and gives Daddy a kiss while reading her bedtime story.

Moving Along

2009-06-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

Savannah all of a sudden realized what this push toy is for that has been sitting around for a few weeks. She made it all the way across the room the other day!

2009-06-16T17:53:00.000-07:00

It's Hard Work...

2009-06-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

Being a baby is hard work. You have to play and sleep all day. Savannah now loves to stand pretty much all day and just yesterday she started to stand all by herself! (for a few seconds that is...) She has been pulling up on everything in sight and is a pro at holding her favorite toy of the hour while pulling up with one hand.

Savannah is really starting to communicate with gestures and started pointing yesterday to show us what she wants. And for the first time ever she crawled over to the gate and made sure that we knew she was ready for dinner, we were all in the family room and she desperately wanted into the kitchen (it was 20 minutes past her normal time for dinner).

She LOVES to make us laugh which is the cutest thing ever. Now maybe we shouldn't be encouraging her habit of coming up to us and blowing raspberries on our legs or arms, but oh how funny it is! Yesterday she snorted while laughing at me whip my ponytail around (hey, we do what we have to to get a smile out of her) and now she loves to snort to make us laugh.

...Watch me put the ball in the purple flower...

...Become soo proud of myself...
...And yell ahhhhhhhhhh because it was that exciting...

...Apparently Savannah loves close-ups because she crawls at lightning speed towards the camera...

...I think she wanted to say hands off Mommy, as she continuously pushed my hands off to get the ottoman rocking...

...Let me out of here...

...Welcome to my crib...

...Look, no hands...

Just relaxing...

2009-05-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

9 Months

2009-05-24T17:13:00.001-07:00

Nine months! I know I say this every month but why can't she just slow down? Nine months is too close to 1 year which I refuse to even use in the same sentence as her name. We have seen the most changes this last month or so and each new skill is just as exciting to watch as the first.

Savannah and I have been going to Gymboree once a week and she absolutely loves it, her face lights up when we walk through the door and she shrieks. Savannah is so interested in all the babies especially during the circle-time part of the class and now that she is moving she crawls over and tries to touch/kiss just about every baby there. We have been working on teaching her to be more gentle and she is getting better but I still have to stay very close. Just about every week she takes down another baby (mostly when under the parachute), but now she will settle for a kiss rather than pulling them towards her!

Here are a few of the things Savannah has been working on lately:

Crawling or crab-walking I guess you could call it and getting faster
Learned to climb up and go down the step from our kitchen to the back room (all by herself)
Giving kisses, Savannah will give us kisses when we ask and when we don't and even imitates the cute kissing noise we make
Mastered her wave a while back and will wave when you say hi or bye-bye
Figured out her sippy cup
Learned how to get from back to stomach to sitting to standing (yikes) and pulls herself up in the crib non-stop
Responds to simple phrases or requests

Chase the baby

2009-05-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

Savannah was ALL over the place today! Girl can't sit still these days. We didn't anticipate the crawling to come so fast, so no gates yet (which means Mommy can't even blink without chasing after a certain baby). Seriously, every single item or area of the house that you would not want a baby to be is exactly where Savannah HAD to be. Set her down on the floor in her bedroom for two seconds while I put a shirt away and she darted for the outlet. There was absolutely no time left over for playing with toys because we had to explore the parts of the house that should be baby-proofed (oops). The nice part about how active Savannah is these days is that she is FINALLY (yes, all caps) taking naps that are longer than 30-45 minutes, we're talking 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

...Catch me if you can...

...Just stopping to kiss the wall...

...No? What does that mean?...

...And looking so innocent seconds before yanking the bib off...

Mother's Day

2009-05-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

We spent some time at Linvilla Orchards and Tyler Arboretum over the weekend. We thought Savannah would like to see the animals at Linvilla, boy were we wrong. First we tried the ducks, then the horses, lambs, chickens, goats, etc. Savannah was not impressed and as you will see, she has learned how to pout to get her point across!

...Look at that face (ok, maybe the sun was in her face but still looks like a pout)...

What Do You Call This?

2009-05-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

So, Savannah appears to be crawling (if that's what you call this strange way of moving). She has been doing this for the past few days, today she really started to move around though. I have been around many babies at the crawling stage but I honestly can't say I have ever seen a baby crawl quite like this. It almost looks like she's moving like a chimp! Notice the right leg is where it should be (her knee on the floor) but she always drags that leg and the left she walks on her foot. Is this strange or what? Every once in a while she stops to do a yoga pose with both arms and legs straight!

Cupcake Obsession...

2009-04-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

How cute are these?! I'm obsessed with cupcakes to begin with, but here's a link if you are interested in the recipe for these cupcake bites. I made them yesterday and while it was a little tricky working out the timing of everything, they really were not that difficult to make. (I did have to order a candy mold to make the bottom part, but if you look around on the blog there are similar recipes that don't call for the mold).

Seriously?!

2009-04-29T17:26:00.000-07:00

I turn my head for a few minutes while Pete was feeding Savannah and this is what happens? Notice the lovely new do?! Nice way to end a difficult day.

Can You See Them Now?

2009-04-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

...See, I really do have two teeth..

8 Months

2009-04-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

It might be time to start baby proofing, all that is on Savannah's mind these days is trying to stand and crawl. She is forever trying to pull herself up on us or her toys (she made it once the other day) and today she got on all fours and started to rock. She definately is strong enough, it's more about patience with her.

When teething, put an ice cube in a mesh feeder and turn on Little Einsteins, you get one quiet baby!

Or just let her take her socks off and eat her toes, that works too!
...Look out here I come...

Easter Cuteness

2009-04-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

Since we were just back in Michigan it just wasn't practical to return for Easter and it was looking like we would spend another holiday without family. Somehow we were able to persuade my parents the week before to come visit, I guess sending several text messages with pictures of Savannah looking her cutest (several times a day) payed off!

When we finally get Savannah in one spot long enough to take a picture, then I realize the background or the lighting is not the best. Still a cutie though :)

First Tooth

2009-04-03T17:35:00.000-07:00

I accidentally took a picture of Savannah's first tooth, she is forever refusing to let me get a look at her mouth. I just happened to be looking at the pictures and noticed it! You can get a better look if you click on the photo to enlarge it. It's her lower right tooth and the one next to it is on it's way too.

Exactly One Year Ago...

2009-04-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Today (4.03.08) we found out we were having a GIRL! A year has passed already since the day we found out we were expecting our baby girl (yes I still call her this and probably will until she asks me not to!). This was the day that made the whole thing seem a bit more real for us, since I wasn't really showing much at that point. I was only 20 weeks pregnant on this day, while it's only been a year the memories of those days are slowly fading. Lately I worry that we will forget all the emotions and little things about being pregnant and Savannah's 1st year, I plan to start scrapbooking again and Pete and I try to write in a journal as often as we can to help us remember all those special moments.

...And here she is today, it's amazing what a difference a year can make...

...I had to get some pictures with my favorite hat, it won't fit her much longer...

...Loving playtime with Daddy, nothing is more fun than pulling Daddy's hair...

7 Months

2009-03-26T17:17:00.001-07:00

It's so hard to believe you are 7 months now, where did the time go? You are changing right before our eyes, just when we think we have you figured out you move on to bigger things. Just in the last week you started to clap and will imitate when others clap too, started to show a preference for Mommy or Daddy by reaching out for us, your first tooth has broke through, you have the cutest little floppy arm thing going on right now that most people are certain you are waving to them, you discovered how to splash water in the tub, and you are getting stronger and louder by the day. Not so sure when you will start to crawl because you love to roll over the minute you are put on your tummy, seems to be a game to you as you find it so funny! You were able to see all of your grandparents and most of your aunts and uncles this past week. Unfortunately Great Grandma wasn't feeling well and we went back to Michigan to say goodbye. It took you a few days to get used to all the faces and warm up to everyone but by the end of the trip you were loving all the attention. You were able to stay a little longer with Mommy to visit while Daddy had to get back to work and took your first plan ride! You were happy as could be at the airport, smiling at everyone in sight despite the fact that your first tooth broke through the day before. The take-off was a little difficult for you but after being nursed for a few minutes you passed out in my arms. All the smiles and flirting you did with all the passengers after your nap certainly made up for the crying during take-off. ...Relaxing at the airport...

...Your first plane ride...

...Bathtime is so much more fun now that I can splash and get Daddy soaked...

...Still loving swim classes and so comfortable in the water...

Swim Class

2009-03-07T16:35:00.001-08:00

Savannah started her first swim class today! The hospital where I delivered offers exercise classes during pregnancy and for new moms (babies can come too), swimming was one of the classes. At the last minute we decided Pete should come along too and take some pictures, turned out to be a great idea since changing yourself and a wet/tired/hungry baby in a crowded family changing room is not an easy task. Savannah really seemed to enjoy herself

6 Month Photos

2009-03-01T11:14:00.001-08:00

We had Savannah's 6 month photos taken last week. Savannah was really not feeling well (teething) but was still a trooper and we got some pretty good shots. Here are a few...

What's For Dinner?

2009-02-23T17:21:00.001-08:00

We finally got around to introducing another solid other than cereal and went with sweet potatoes. I'm loving my babycook machine and making Savannah's food myself, very easy! I thought she would love the sweet potatoes, but not so much. Savannah took one bite and refused to take another.

... yuck, that is NOT cereal...
...if you think I'm opening up, you're crazy...

What's New?

2009-02-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

What's not new with Savannah these days? She is changing so fast... Just in the last week or two she grew out of nowhere, her legs finally seem to be catching up with the rest of her body (pants that were seriously too big a few weeks ago are too short and actually hard to get up over her little bottom, crazy since all pants have always been baggy around her belly)! Savannah was showing signs of crawling the other day, moving slightly forward and backwards a few times, yikes. I'm sure we have some time before she becomes mobile, but honestly slow down girl. She has never been one to sit still (unless she's in a new situation of course, then she sits completely still and stares at whoever or whatever pretending to be an angel) and is constantly grabbing/pulling/scratching/moving, etc. at any and everything. I put Savannah on her activity mat today and she busted out of it by scooching backwards on her back and she seriously looks like a giant in it. Also, looks like it's time to pack up the swing (she occassionally went in it while we were on the computer but not often) Savannah has discovered she can reach the mobile on it and in her crib, determined to take it down. The Bumbo chair days are long gone as we were throwing ourselves backwards out of it about a month ago and could never leave her unattended even if just to look away for a second, same thing is happening with the bouncy seat (gone are the days of putting her in it on the table while we get stuff done in the kitchen).

...Oh so sweet, but wait...

...as soon as they look away, I'm gettin out of this seat...
...Swinging with Daddy for the first time...

...still a little small, but she had fun...

The First Meal

2009-02-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

Savannah had her first meal tonight and she LOVED it! I have to say we were pretty surprised at how she took to it so fast, we knew she would either love it or hate it. We started with a little cereal and soon I will start making her food myself, maybe avocados will be next. Can't wait to see her reaction to foods that actually have flavor if she enjoys rice cereal so much.

Jumperoo

2009-02-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

Savannah loves her new jumperoo, we decided to get one after seeing how much she enjoyed it at a friend's house. After spending a little time in her jumperoo for the last week she is able to stand a little longer with help (and of course she is trying to jump all the time, with or without her jumperoo).

Just Because...

2009-02-06T17:23:00.000-08:00

...I think we all know who was responsible for this look...

Peek-A-Boo

2009-02-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Pete was playing with Savannah and when I started talking to Pete from across the room, the lil cutie peeked around the pillow on the couch trying to find me. So today, when I put Savannah in the same spot she immediately began peeking around the pillow!

Savannah Look-alike Meter

2009-02-06T16:00:00.001-08:00

Just to be fair, I tried again with different pictures and we were down to 4%. Hmm...

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

5 Months

2009-01-29T17:57:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since we last posted and Savannah has been working hard. She's doing so many new things (rolling got old real fast) and she has since moved on to sitting up and scooting on her back! She loves talking with Nala and gets a huge smile whenever she sees her. Savannah has yet to understand that holding Nala is just not an option, but settles for help with "petting" her. Our next exciting adventure will be starting solids in the next few weeks, stay tuned...

Here's what Savannah has been up to lately

...Relaxing, but only for a minute...

...and plotting how to keep us awake more at night...

...then back to looking cute so noone catches on...

...oh yeah, did I tell ya I'm sitting up all by myself now?...

...I love to get my bouncing going so fast that Mommy swears it will tip over...

...playing on my belly, I think I like it now...

...breaking in my highchair...

...hey, there's nothing on this spoon...

...now if I could only find the remote, they keep hiding it from me...

...whose that baby in the mirror?...

...and making silly faces for the camera...

(Actually, this photo was with my dad's x-mas present from Uncle Jason, a 50mm portrait lens. One month late but who is counting)

Roly Poly

2009-01-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

She did it! Savannah finally rolled over today, seems like she's been working on this for a while now. I set our little Roly Poly down on the couch for a second to ger her ready for a nap and I guess she spotted her pacifier and guitar (two of her most favorite things) and then started to reach for them. So I pushed them just a little further away to see if she would make an attempt and it worked! The funny thing is I thought to myself earlier this morning that I should have a camera close by in case she were to do something like this... Later when Pete got home he was able to see Savannah do a few double rolls, oh the excitement! (Pete thinks this first roll doesn't count since it was on the couch, I disagree...)

...hmm, the pacifier or the guitar, decisions decisions...

...what just happened?...

...ahh, the pacifier...

Exersaucer Fun

2009-01-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

Savannah's still a little small for the exersaucer but with a little extra padding and propping her up, she was fine. She's so excited for the "big kid toys"...

So Big, So Fast...

2009-01-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

She's growing so fast right before our eyes. So, today I finally went through Savannah's clothes and took out what no longer fits and we can't believe how much she has grown. Looking at some of her first outfits from the hospital, it almost seems impossible that just a few months ago she was in them. I swear we put her down for a nap today and when she woke up she had mastered her laugh, giggling like crazy (video to come soon). Savannah will be 5 months soon and we're already looking back in amazement of what she can do (and getting a little teary-eyed, looking at her newborn clothes and first photos doesn't help!).

Christmas in MI Part II

2009-01-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

First Christmas as a family
Santa brought Savannah her very own Taggy Blanket, but Daddy seems to thinks it's a hat.

Grandma spending some time with Savannah. While Savannah and I were visiting early, my mom got up just about every morning with Savannah and let me sleep an extra hour or two. She got to enjoy Savannah when she is happiest, bright and early.

So sweet. Getting ready for one of several parties and more traveling!

Savannah got to spend time with Grandma (Pete's mom). Savannah met both sides of Pete's family in one day, lots of new faces.

Aunt Vicky and Aunt Danielle get smiles from Savannah.

Savannah loved flying with Grandma!

Savannah showing Aunt Vicky how she can laugh, too cute.

Savannah got to see her cousin Tori for the second time.

Savannah with some of her gifts, we had to get the pictures fast because she's learning how to squirm her way out of the bumbo seat!

Gotta love babylegs, they're like legwarmers for babies...

Savannah was fascinated with the vegetable tray, I think carrots will be a favorite!

A White Christmas

2009-01-02T13:53:00.000-08:00

We experienced the strangest weather back in MI, snowing the first week or so, ice, rain, wind, fog, and 50 degree weather. I think there was thunder or lightening somewhere in there too! We had a white Christmas though, so no complaints!

Pete had a great time playing in the snow, he was constantly helping my parents with removing the snow. We don't get this kind of snow in Pennsylvania, makes you miss it...

Savannah made it out to check out the snowmen, it was in the 50's that day.

Savannah in her new hat, we couldn't get enough of it!

Christmas in Michigan

2009-01-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Savannah and I headed back to MI to visit with family a week before Christmas to spend some extra time. The two of us were there for about 2 weeks and Pete came after about 5 days or so. It was great to get extra time to visit since we are always rushing from one family to the other. Savannah was so good for the 11+ hour car ride, although she was not thrilled when we decided to stop for lunch and she made sure we got back on the road fast so she could catch a nap. Savannah has become quite the traveling baby, we now have most feedings and diaper changes down to less than 20 minutes and can do all this in the comfort of our own car (passenger seat folds down to a diaper changing table, worked so much better than taking her into the rest stops)!

More Random Pics

2008-12-09T14:07:00.000-08:00

We visited Savannah's cousins, Claudia and Leah over the weekend. They were both so good with Savannah, singing to her and everything!

Just doing a little reading...

All bundled up for a walk in the park...

Bumbo Time!

2008-12-09T13:57:00.000-08:00

Savannah's first time in the Bumbo! She did not know what to think of it at first as you can see, but after a minute she found her hand and all was well.

Lots of smiles

2008-12-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Who does Savannah look like?

2008-12-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

Sleep?! Do babies really do this?

2008-12-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky that early on Savannah would sleep through the night (5-8 hours), going down at about 6pm. The pediatrician made sure to remind us of this each time, but looking back we took it for granted. Savannah has never put herself on much of a schedule and trying to help her get some consistency is just about impossible. Lately she has been treating us to wake-up calls ranging anywhere from every 1-3 hours at night and sometimes waking after 30 minutes. (Your first thought might be a growth spurt, nah, she is wide awake and ready to play, food is not the first thing on her mind). Naps are barely long enough to be considered a nap lately too. I've heard of the 4 month wakeful period, maybe she is just getting it out of her system early! Wishful thinking? Maybe...

Sometimes we are so exhausted that Nala helps out. Is it bad to have your cat look after the baby every once in a while? Don't judge!
Thought I would post some pictures of Savannah sleeping, but we don't have many.

Get In My Belly!!

2008-12-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Random pictures...

2008-11-29T07:22:00.000-08:00

Savannah practicing different poses for her upcoming photo shoot! There were so many more, each picture we took she made another face. Too funny!

Yes, Savannah, this is what we'll have to deal with for the rest of your life (a crazy Daddy)!

3.5 Months Old Already...

2008-11-28T14:48:00.001-08:00

Well almost, but it's definately time to start a blog to keep track of our new world with Savannah and share with all of our family that is so far away. Looking back, we can't believe how fast she is changing. Seems like every week there are so many new things she's trying to do. She's starting to show her personality more and more each day and we can tell she will live life to the fullest! Whether cracking up laughing at us or letting us know when she's not so happy, she does not hold back...

Savannah is smiling a ton, starting to laugh more and more, just recently realized she has two hands that she can shove in her mouth, and is determined to sit up when in a reclined position or even when lying down (this is what she spends most of her waking time trying to conquer). Can't wait to see what's next!