6 Months

At 6 months old Aubree can sit up like a champ. She still scares me though because when she wants to lay down she will throw herself back half of the time and so far she hasn't cried but it just seems like that would cause a killer headache since she hits her head on the floor every time.
She is getting to where she will actually swallow food that is put in her mouth which is great. I am happy to see we are moving in the right direction! Ha
He is super active and doesn't sit still for a second! He doctor thinks she will walk early.  I hope that is the case!  I love when babies become mobile.
The poor girl has had a stuffy nose since labor day weekend. If she is anything like Briggs then it is a sign that she should be getting some teeth soon. I guess we will see. Both kids have well checks on Wesnesday so if it is something else I will find out then.

Aubree's Stats:

Weight: 17lbs 4oz

Height: 24.5 inches

Head Circumference: 42.5cm

Today Mark came home from work sick. As soon as he walked in the door he ran to the kitchen. I thought he was hiding from Brigham but nope, he was trying to get to the sink in time to barf. Luckily he did make it. Brigham was so worried about his daddy. He followed Mark to our room and when I came in a few minutes later they were both lying on the floor and Briggs was holding Mark's hand. It was just too sweet. Poor Mark spent the rest of the day in bed with a killer headache. Briggs would come check on him and lay beside him. What a sweet boy. Mark thinks he is just dehydrated. I just hope it isn't contagious, whatever it is.

Carolina Beach

We spent Labor Day weekend on our first family vacation with just the 4 of us.  I found a 1 bedroom condo that was across the street from the beach for just $75 a night.  We had so much fun.  I was not ready to come home.  I could sit on the beach all day and I would be in heaven.  Carolina Beach is my favorite beach.  There are only 1 or 2 hotels so the beaches are not crowded at all.  We were at the north end where the beach is short during low tide and non-existent during high tide.  I love this because there is no one between you and the ocean.   It is especially great with kids because whether you are on the beach or in the ocean, they are still close to you.  There are also lots of rocks/boulders that are a barrier between the beach and homes which make for a great place for Brigham to climb.  We spent a few hours on the beach Saturday morning and a couple of hours late Sunday afternoon.  Brigham wanted nothing to do with the ocean when he and I first went down Saturday.  He would run every time the water would come near him and he was very worried about the water touching me.  He pleaded with me to please come back to our chair and umbrella.   I obliged and we built some more sand castles and knocked them over and climbed on the rocks.  Once I got bored with this I told Brigham we should go play in the ocean and he ran down to the water.  We started small by just sitting at the water's edge but worked our way in to where the water was to Brigham's belly while sitting down.  He then began jumping over the waves and when Mark came down with Aubree he went out with Mark.  Aubree did not like the beach at all this first day and after only an hour of being out there Mark took her and Brigham back to the condo and I packed up our gear and went back.
Our condo had a pool that was practically at our door step and we played in it while Aubree napped.
Friday night we went to the carnival they have all summer and had so much fun!  We bought some tickets for the rides and Brigham rode every ride he could.  I could not believe he loved them so much considering he hated Carowinds last year and cried on everything (even the carousel).  We later wished we had gotten the unlimited riding band for him.
We ate out for every meal which was great because we got to try lots of local places and it also meant no cooking or cleaning for us!  Our favorite places were Ida Thai, Surf Shop Cafe, Hang Ten, and of course Britt's Donuts.  We ate a lot of donuts. One time I had to wait in line for 20 or so minutes just to get some.
On Sunday we went to the NC Aquarium and then to the beach that afternoon.  All day it looked like it was going to rain and there was even a little thunder.  Mark and Brigham played on the beach and once Aubree woke up from her nap she and I went down to play.  Mark and I took turns riding the boogie board.  It was a great afternoon.

                                                                             
Monday morning I got up at 6:15 and was able to sneek down to the beach to catch the sunrise. It was so nice being on the beach.  I was hoping to catch some people surfing but there was one sufer and one guy paddle boarding and they weren't very entertaining to watch.  The sunrise was beautiful though even if it was cloudy.  

Mark and Brigham played in the pool most of the morning as Aubree slept and I packed up and cleaned the condo.  Marked packed up the car in the perfect way that he always seems to do that and we headed home.  On our way we stopped at the USS North Carolina for a tour.  That is one huge battleship.  Mark saw every inch of it I think.  Brigham and I were tired of it long before he was.  We were there for over 2 hours and we didn't even read the stories and descriptions of that are posted all through the ship.  I can't imagine how long it would have taken if we would have stopped to read everything. Afterwards we stopped for some ice cream at Kilwins.  The ice cream was okay.  If I ever go back, I will skip the ice cream and get some fudge.  Our first official family vacay was a blast and I can't wait until we get to go back!  I am even more excited for our trip to Disney next year now that Brigham LOVES roller coasters (as he calls them).

The Fair

Mark had the brilliant idea of going to the Cabarrus County Fair.  It is no state fair but it is much closer.  Mark left work early and we got to the fair at 5.  Brigham was knocked out because earlier in the day I gave him some Benadryl for his runny nose and he slept for hours at home and for the entire 45 minutes we were driving.  This worried me a little.  I was hoping he would be able to snap out of it once we got to the fair.  He definitely snapped out of it. We bought 2 unlimited riding bands and Mark and I shared one of them so that we both got to ride the rides with him.  At 9 I left the two of them to go feed Aubree and put her pj's on her and I waited for them to finish and come get us.  They didn't come get us until 10 and Brigham still wasn't ready to leave.  He had so much fun.  Aubree fell asleep almost immediately in the car.  I ended up not having her pajamas with me and I didn't want to wake her when we got home so she slept in her leggings, shoes, t-shirt, and jacket. ha ha.  Brigham didn't want to go to sleep.  The fair was nothing compared to a 3 hour nap.  He ended up finally falling asleep around 11:30 or so.
 Here are some pictures from our fun family night:

4 Months

I can't believe our sweet baby girl is already 4 months old and I also can't believe she is ONLY 4 months old. Ha ha. She is a sweet happy girl unless her acid reflux is bothering her and when that is happening she just cries and cries.
Last week she finally darted rolling over from her belly to her back more often. He hadn't done it at all since the one time she did it at the end of June. On August 1st she was finally able to roll from her back to her belly. I tried giving her rice cereal but she hates it so we will wait a month and try again. She is still a great sleeper t night and a not so good afternoon napper but we are a-ok with that!
Brigham really loves her and is very sweet to her. He loves playing peekaboo with her and he is great at getting her to stop crying. Aubree loves him and can spend hours just staring at him.
Brigham LOVES drawing, painting, television, dinosaurs, trains, cars, garbage trucks, fire trucks, slides, swimming, fresh peaches, strawberries, bananas, milk, Cheerios, frosted mini wheats, Crispix, chocolate, dried mango, chicken legs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and spaghetti. He talks all the time and the phrases I hear about 1,000 times a day are " watch this" and "mommy watch." He is starting preschool on August 28th and we are so excited for him to have the opportunity to be around other kids 3 days a week. Hopefully he will love it.
Mark started his career at TIAA-CREF in July. He is enjoying it so far and we are adjusting to him being away 40+ hours a week.
We have started to look at houses in Belmont and Mount Holly and we have found one on 1.7 acres in Mount Holly. It is a short sale so it will most likely take a while for us to get it but we will most likely put in an offer next week and then just wait and hope it is accepted. It was built in 1942 and needs a lot of updating and remodeling to meet our needs and although it isn't an open floor plan at all I just love it and we really love all the land it is on. I know it will all work out how it is supposed to but the waiting will be torture!

This is from a wedding reception/open house where I was in charge of the food. A week before, I had the brilliant idea to make cake stands to display all the food.  I also made almost all the food so it was a very hectic week!  

Month 5

Aubree-Rose is now almost 6 months old but I do have a picture from a day or two after she was officially 5 months old.  At 5 months she could't sit up on her own for more than just a couple of seconds.  As of today, she sits up great until she sees something she wants and she will face plant to get it.  These face plants don't seem to hurt at all but they keep me from leaving her sitting without at least a pillow or two around her.
Aubree is a happy girl that smiles all the time.  She is an easy baby but she is also a girl that knows what she wants, when she wants it.  She does not like to be left alone in a room, even if she can still see me.  I often have to pull her high chair into the kitchen while I am cooking or cleaning so that she is appeased.  She is still a wonderful sleeper at night but day time naps are hit or miss.  Sometimes she will sleep 5 hours a day and I will have to wake her up from each nap and sometimes she will sleep maybe 3 hours a day.  Luckily she is happy no matter how much or little she is napping.  She is not a fan or eating from a spoon yet but we have started pureeing food and putting it in her bottle along with some rice cereal so that she at least can get used to all the new flavors and when she finally learns to swallow food it will hopefully be an easy adjustment since it will taste like food she has already had.  She gets 4 bottles a day.  Three of them are 8 ounces of formula, 1 ounce of food, and some cereal.  Her afternoon bottle is just 9 ounces of formula.  Aubree is our little marshmallow.  She is so soft and squishy and her fat little thighs and arms are just so cute!  
She really loves Brigham to pieces and he is by far her favorite person.  She gets so excited when she sees him and whenever he can find the time to give her a little attention she just laughs at everything he does.  Seeing them interact is my favorite thing.  Last night she wanted his attention so badly and he was not interested in giving it to her.  We had to bribe him with peanut butter chips.  Each time he got her to laugh, he got a chip.  It was a total win-win for everyone! ha ha
Yesterday on the way to church she was just laughing away in her car seat.  We aren't sure what she was laughing it but we loved hearing it.  I hope she is always able to laugh so easily through her life.  

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day this year we went hiking and swimming at Mortimer Mountain. I really did not want to go. It just didn't seem like a good idea especially with a baby that hates all baby carriers. This meant she would have to be held the whole time and I knew that most likely that would end up being my job. I almost didn't go but I didn't really want to spend the day alone while everyone was having fun and I convinced myself that it wouldn't be that bad.
Hiking while carrying a 2 month old isn't fun and it can be a little scary. We stopped for some play time and to cook lunch and some s'mores. Then we hiked the rest of the way to the tip of the mountain where you had to kind of repel down to get to the foot of the waterfall for more swimming. Well Aubree and I couldn't do that so we watched from the top of the mountain. Everyone played for a little over 3 hours. I was able to get video of Daniel jumping from the top of the waterfall and of he and Scarlett sliding down the waterfall. Scarlett ended up further to the left than she should have and she hit her foot which resulted in a broken heel. There was no swelling so no one thought it was broken but Scarlett could not put any weight on it at all and she couldn't even move it without it hurting. Mark and Daniel helped her get up to where I was. I gave her my tennis shoe to wear so her foot could have some protection and then Mark and Daniel carried her the 2 miles down the mountain. Nate walked with Carolina. Katelyn walked with and at the end carried Brigham down the mountain. I carried Aubree and hiked down wearing my Rainbows. We all ended up getting separated along the trail and I ended up just sitting down to slide down one part that was too steep to walk down while holding Aubree but we all made it in 1.5-2 hours and we were all exhausted. We got there at 12:30 that afternoon and didn't leave until 9:30 that night. Brigham and Aubree did awesome. Brigham walked the entire way up the moutain and t of the way down. Aubree stayed on schedule all day and did really well sleeping in my arms which usually isn't the case. A couple times she slept on a blanket for 5-10 minutes and I gave up on that since she couldn't stay asleep.

3 Months

Three months has been so good to us!  Aubree has really turned into such an easy baby.  She began sleeping through the night completely on her own on July 13th.  She has only woken up 2 times during the night since then.  One time I just let her fuss and after a few minutes she went back to sleep.  The second time she was screaming so I got up and gave her a 3 ounces to drink and she was back asleep in no time. Some mornings she wakes up on her own between 7:45 and 8 and then some mornings I have to wake her up at 8.  She has been drinking 5 ounce bottles when she wakes up from each nap and she is happy as long as she is full.  She isn't a great sleeper if she is not in her bed but she will take little cat naps while we are out and about and she stays happy.  She also won't sleep more than an hour or so if she is just in a diaper.  She needs to have on at least a onesie to sleep.  She will not take a pacifer at all anymore.  If I try to give her one it will just make her scream.  She soothes herself in her bed by sucking on her fist or her middle and ring fingers.  Yesterday she finally found her thumb and started sucking on it.  I didn't see that until tonight when she just couldn't seem to get enough of it! Now I am just hoping she ends up just sucking it at night like Brigham does.  I need to get her something similar to Brigham's lion so maybe she will associate thumb sucking with it and we can limit it to the bed like we have with Briggs. Aubree is really starting to get cute.  Mark says she is looking less like a grumpy old man and more like a beautiful girl. She seems to already be daddy's girl.  She smiles and squeals when she sees him and does so much better when he puts her to sleep. It is just so adorable.
Today we moved Aubree-Rose to a 4 hour schedule.  She got 3 naps, 3 six ounce bottles, and 1 seven ounce bottle.  She did pretty good for the first day.  Each 4 hour block consists of 2 hours of awake time and 2 hours of sleep time.  I had only recently realized that she doesn't like to sleep without clothes on and I hadn't shared this information with Mark yet so her 2nd nap was a short one since she was "naked."  I had to wake her up after a long 3rd nap though so it all worked out.  I still need to figure out how to work the 3rd nap so she isn't napping from 6-8.  I am thinking I may just have to get her up at 7:30 but we will see.
Brigham is just so sweet and protective of his little sister.  A week and a half ago at church he saw this lady holding a baby that looked similar to Aubree.  He kept pointing and saying someone was holding Aubree and I needed to go get her (in a very worried voice).  I told him that wasn't Aubree and then I pulled the blanket back on the car seat and showed him she was sleeping.  He was so relived. ha ha.  He hugs and kisses her all the time and if I just want to take him to the store he always says that Aubree needs to come with us too.If she is crying he will go pat her belly or her back and say "shhh" or "it's ok sweetheart."  If she is in the car seat, he will rock her.  He gets her to stop crying pretty much every time.
Now, as much as that boy loves his baby sister, he also gets a little jealous sometimes.  He will tell me that Daddy needs to hold her or to go put her in her swing.  He has become even more of a cuddler and wants to be held so much more than ever before.  I love it though.  He is such a sweet boy and a good cuddle buddy.
Brigham is still an unpredictable eater.  He has days where all he wants is cereal or milk and then there are days where he will eat almost anything I suggest.  Sometimes he even really likes eating the lettuce from salads.  Right now he is watching The Lion King for the first time and I am pretty sure this will be his new obsession.  He has been hooked from the very beginning.
Mark and I just love these kids to pieces.  Mark is such a great dad and he just keeps getting better.  They both love him to pieces.  We are so grateful that we have been blessed with such cute, sweet little spirits.
This week I have been working everyday while Crystie is on her honeymoon.  I really do love my job and I am so glad I was able to work all week.  Mark starts his new job on July 9th and after that I won't be able to work very much.  Luckily I love being with Aubree and Brigham all day more than any job.  What I love about my job is the people I work with and being able to talk with clients about their studies and whatever else.  I really just like being able to have a different kind of conversation with people and learning about other people's lives.  On top of working all week, I am also preparing for an open house on Saturday.  I am in charge of all the food for it.  I have made 11 cake pedestals and I have painted and polyurethaned them all.  I finally finished them last night after starting on them Friday or Saturday.  Tomorrow, Friday, and Saturday morning will be spent preparing all the desserts and a fruit.  Saturday afternoon Mark has tickets for us to see Beauty and the Beast at Blumenthal.  After the show I will head straight to the open house to set up the food.  Hopefully I can finish it all with plenty of time to spare and be able to enjoy the show.  We'll see what happens.  I love having these opportunities as a creative outlet.  I can't seem to motivate myself to just make things for me, the kids, or our home when there is cleaning to do or my favorite almost 3 year old to play with.  I am so grateful when I get these little opportunities even though it much drive Mark crazy sometimes since right now our kitchen table is covered in some really cute turquoise cake pedestals and our house is a mess.  Luckily I am a procrastinator and it will only be crazy around here for a week. ha ha