My Little Crawler is 7 Months Old!

I cannot believe my little munchkin is 7 months old today.  I don't remember my pregnancy flying by this fast and I can't handle it!  My baby has 7 teeth (4 on top, 3 on bottom) with her two canines coming through soon, is crawling, eating solids, and blabbing sounds that I know will soon turn into words.

Berlyn is SUCH a joy to be around.  She smiles at pretty much anything, is crawling all over the place, and makes me laugh all the time.  Whenever I look back at pictures of her when she was just born I can't help but wonder what the next 7 months will bring. 

She is about halfway trained on a sippy cup but she is doing good with it.  We feed her 6 oz. of formula before her breakfast and dinner meals and 8 oz. for every other feeding.  I make all her baby food with the Beaba Babycook (shown below).  I steam her food in the Babycook before I blend it up for her.  Since last month she has tried plums and squash.  Her pediatrician recommended we start feeding her dark meat from chicken because she is growing fast and her bones need the extra iron. 



I got the Beaba on sale at Target.com for $100 about two months ago



At her 6 month appointment, Berlyn's doctor told us she is off the charts with her weight and height and was the size of a 10 month old baby.  I feel like she outgrows all of her clothes sooo fast.  I have to keep packing away stuff every week that she no longer fits into.  It's so sad to see all the cute little clothes she used to wear, but it's bittersweet at the same time.  She is now wearing size 9 or 12 months in onesies and size 12 or 12-18 months in leggings/bottoms because of her LONG legs!  I was out shopping today and a lady thought Berlyn was a year old.  I couldn't believe it!  Next on the list is a new convertible car seat I have my eye on since she has outgrown the one she's in now.

Last weekend Berlyn and I went to spend time with family at my grandma's house.  She cooked us all yummy food for dinner and we had a good time visiting with them.  Here are a few pictures from that night!

Berlynny Boo playing with her stackable rings



My dad and Berlyn (look at those rolls!)



My grandma (I don't know what she's doing!), me, and Berlyn

Ginger, her daughter, and my Aunt Telly!

Once again, being a busy busy bee, I will have to update this post with Berlyn's 7 month chalkboard photo as soon as my husband is here to help me :)

Better Late Than Never!

Okay, I know it took me a while to get her 6 month photo taken, but it is hard to do by myself!  I had to wait until Justin was with me and we could do it together (I take the picture while he stands by her in case she topples over).  Luckily, this time she did not fall over!  Looks like my big girl can finally sit up on her own. *Proud Mama*

Here is a picture of the lighting situation we had to come up with since the natural light I usually take the picture with was not working out.

Then, we had a couple of outtakes with Berlyn until we get the perfect shot.  Here are a couple of them, and I laugh every time I look at them!

And then, after quite a few of these, we captured THE one.  It couldn't be any cuter!  You probably can't read her onesie from the picture, but it says "I eat my veggies."  This onesie from The Gap was perfect for this photo!  Baby girl loves her veggies!

P.s. I can't believe she is halfway on her way to being 1 year old... Well, technically, being a "Leap Year Baby," she won't be 1 for another 3 and a half years... Yeah, I'll go with that - she will be a baby forever.



6 Months Have Gone By Already?!

I swear that 6 months did not go by this fast during any other part of my life.  But I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.  Berlyn is now 6 months and 4 days old, and growing right before my very eyes.  She now has FOUR cute little baby teeth and is eating (and loving) all her fruits and veggies!  So far, she has had sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, carrots, pears, and apples!  Next on the list is squash and bananas!  I also want to try feeding her oatmeal instead of rice cereal; it seems like it is a little healthier for her.

When she got her first bottom teeth, she did not seem to have any symptoms at all.  But, now that I look back on it, she did seem a little cranky and her nap times were a little wacky.  As for her two top teeth, she had a fever between 99 and 101 degrees for about 4 1/2 days, didn't eat like she normally does, and didn't sleep too great.  I felt so bad for her the whole time; she woke up in the middle of the night when her teeth were first cutting through and all she wanted to do was cuddle.  It is so hard to watch your baby in pain.  All you want to do is comfort them and there is nothing you can do. 

Life has been so hectic lately that I have not had time to do Berlyn's monthly chalkboard photo.  I will update this post once I get it taken, but for now, here are some pictures that I have taken of her this past month!

5 Month Update!

I feel like things have been SO crazy lately. Being back at work and having a 5 month old baby makes for a very hectic lifestyle. I made a promise to myself that I would have all this baby weight lost by the time Berlyn was 6 months old and I am already there! Of course I still have another 15 pounds that I'd like to lose, so I'm going to keep on pushing.

Mine and Justin's schedule during the week is pretty crazy, too. I work all day, come home, and then we go on our evening walk. We try and walk for at least 45 minutes. I squeeze in leg and ab workouts whenever I can, and I have changed the way that I eat. All this has helped me lose the baby weight. I love that we have finally come up with a perfect nighttime routine that also gets Justin involved in exercising. Plus, I feel a lot safer walking with him beside me :)

As far as berlyn is concerned, she just continues to blow my mind. We started her on rice cereal about a week ago and she loves it. She loves sitting in her big girl high chair, and the second she sees me walking over to her with the bowl of cereal her eyes light up with excitement. We also got her a bouncer this month that she enjoys so much (it's also pretty entertaining watching her!). She will be bouncing in it for a while and tire herself out before we lay her down for a nap.

She now rolls from tummy to back, back to tummy, pushes herself up with her arms, and tries use her mouth to make all the sounds she can come up with. We are trying to get her to crawl, but right now all she does is scoot around in a circle. Last night I asked her "Where's Mama?" and she reached out for me. We did it quite a few times and I couldn't believe she knows that I'm 'Mama'!

I love this little girl so much and am so excited to see her little personality continue to grow!

My Favorite Moments

When you become someone's mommy, there are so many new things that just complete your day. Things that I never thought about before have now become the very things I look forward to everyday. I work full-time, so receiving a photo of my baby while I'm at work immediately puts a smile on my face. Coming home and holding Berlyn after a long day at work is the best feeling ever. Getting a smile from her for no reason is so heart melting, and having her fall asleep in my arms after her bedtime bottle is my absolute favorite.

Happy 4 Month Birthday My Beautiful Babe

I feel like these weeks with Berlyn are just flying by and I wish time would just STOP!  But, I have to say that 4 months is a very fun age.  She smiles ALL the time, plays with her feet, sucks on her toes, rolls over, and now has two baby bottom teeth. 

I started keeping a journal to write in when I was about 36 weeks pregnant but I haven't written in it for a long time (I guess I just think that blogging is easier).  I was looking at it a couple days ago and I wrote in there that I couldn't wait for her to be here and that she was hiccupping in my belly at that very moment.  Now she is here and spending time with her is amazing!  We sure have been blessed with a beautiful, smart, and loving little girl. 

Yesterday was Berlyn's first 4th of July and we had a blast!  We celebrated at a friend's house who had a pool and Berlyn loved it.  She does this thing with her legs where she will just kick them up and down against the water -something I definitely felt her doing a lot when she was inside my belly - and it's so funny to watch.  She fell asleep a couple times in mine and Justin's arms and it is the best feeling ever.  When we got home I bathed her, fed her, and put her right to bed.  She was so pooped from a long day in the sun.

I want her to stay this age forever but can't wait for all her other firsts!  Motherhood is fun!!! 

Milestone After Milestone!

Berlyn is now 14 1/2 weeks old and I feel like she has really advanced in her development these past couple of weeks! Not only has she started laughing, but she now plays with her feet, rolls from back to tummy and vice versa, makes all sorts of funny noises, and also blows spit bubbles ALL the time. I try to teach her little things that will hopefully expand her brain even more! I read to her all the time. Her favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss! We lay on the floor in her room and I put her on her tummy while I read to her. This way, she's building her muscles and learning at the same time :)

I have also come to terms that my little girl is no longer in size 0-3 months anymore. Her jammies have to be size 6 months or else they'll be too tight on her feet- she is so tall! She is now eating between 6-7 ounces a day, 5-6 times a day. Her 4 month appointment is in a few weeks and that's when her doctor will let us know if it's okay to start her on rice cereal. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she tries it for the first time!

On a more somber note, I return to work on June 25th. I cannot believe time has flown by this fast. I started my leave on February 11th and I never thought 4 1/2 months would go by so quickly. I just wish I could freeze time! I am just trying to enjoy every moment with her and capture as many moments as I can. It is pretty obvious from my Instagram and Facebook that I am obsessed with her!