Monday, December 14, 2009

Oh Christmas Tree...

On Saturday afternoon we took Kerriann Christmas tree hunting for the first time.  My dad takes us to the tree farm in Heaters, WV every year... and it was so great to have another helper with us this year.  Kerriann held up really well in the cold for most of the trip.  While my dad and Shannon were cutting the tree down she got hungry for lunch so we went back to the car so she could eat, but other than that she was a happy camper.  Below are a few pictures from the day... and also a picture of decorating the Christmas tree at my mom's house.  The only thing that would have made the day better was if Kevin would have been able to join us... hopefully next year :).





 
 

Memory Monday

From now on every Monday I am going to post pictures from the past and talk about a certain memory.  I got this idea from a friend's blog and thought it was such a good idea!

I'm at my parent's house and don't have a lot of pictures on their computer so I have to steal them from facebook this week... I hope the quality is OK!  This week's Memory Monday is dedicated to WVU football.  I know Kevin and I both have really missed being in Morgantown for the games this year.  Hopefully next year we will be able to attend one!  Here are a few pictures from the past years at WVU football games...


 
 

Friday, December 4, 2009

Happy 4 months Kerriann!

Kerriann celebrated her 4 month birthday on December 3!  It seems like I was just writing her 3 month update last week. 
Over the past month Kerriann has developed such a personality, as I'm sure you can see in her pictures.  With each day she acts more and more like a little person.  She smiles constantly... even in the middle of the night when she SHOULD be sleeping!  She also coos and 'screams' at her toys.  When I sing or she hears music, she tries to sing along and it's the cutest thing!  Hopefully I can figure out how to upload videos soon so you can see firsthand. 
It's been about a month now since we started the bath, snack, rocking, bedtime routine and I'm not sure if I can honestly say that it has helped.  It has helped us to get her to bed at the same time every night (7pm central time), but it has not helped her to stay asleep longer.  She is still very inconsistent and wakes anywhere between 1 and 5 times a night to eat or play.  I do enjoy knowing exactly when she will be going to bed each night and for that I am thankful for the routine.  She really loves bath time now too.  One of her favorites toys these days is her pink rubber ducky (pictures in a previous post). 
Kerriann's day time sleep habits are also inconsistent.  Most days she takes 2-3 30 min. naps and it takes me around 30 min. to get her settled down for one of these.  Sometimes I have to rock her, sometimes I have to nurse her, and every now and then I am able to just lay her down and she will fall asleep to the sounds of the music playing on her baby monitor.  You never know how it is going to turn out... she keeps it exciting every day.  I have noticed that if I lay her down in a quiet room at the first signs of sleepiness (a yawn or rub of the eyes) she does much better and will fall asleep pretty easily.  It's just hard to always catch those signs, especially if we have company or if we're out somewhere.  I'm sure that this will get easier with time. 
Overall the past month has been our best one yet.  It has been hard with Kevin being in class all day, then studying all night and during the days on the weekends... but I think that we are all learning to adjust and it is getting easier every day.  It was so fun having Kerriann around for Thanksgiving this year and I can't wait for the 3 of us to enjoy many more Thanksgiving holidays together.
Happy 4 months Kerriann!  We love you!

 
 
 
 

(she never holds still and she would not stop rolling over when I put her on her tummy...haha!  this is her mid-roll)

Kerriann's First Snow

Kerriann experienced her first snow on the day after Thanksgiving, better known as Black Friday!  Kevin was still in town so he was able to share it with us.  We didn't get much snow at all, but in my book it still counts as her first :).

Kerriann's First Thanksgiving

Most of Kerriann's first Thanksgiving Day was spent in the car, traveling from AL where we stopped for the night to my mom's house in Gassaway, WV.  We arrived around 5pm and had a late dinner with my immediate family.  It was so nice to be home, and to have Kevin there with me for the first time in ages.  The menu included a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, corn and cupcakes and sugar cookies (my two favorites!) for desert. 

On Saturday we celebrated Thanksgiving with my dad and his siblings in Somerset, Pa.  We left early in the morning and arrived just in time for lunch.  We had a delicious turkey and all of the usual Thanksgiving foods!  It was all delicious... and it was great to see my family!  A few members hadn't met Kerriann yet so that was great that they were finally able to see her.  Kerriann also met her younger cousin Deegan.  He was born exactly a month after her!  It was so cute to see them play on the floor together... they even tried to hold hands :).  It was Kerriann's first "play date."