Miss Hannah: 6 and 7 Month Updates

I have fallen majorly behind on the blog. We have been home and busy and also I have some technology issues.  I am using my tablet to do this so I apoligize  for formatting, etc being off.
Hannah is not impressed clearly.

Miss Hannah continues to be a happy easy going baby. She just had a well check and she weighs almost 21 pounds and is 27 inches long-- the top of the percentiles for her age.  She really has such a sweet personality.  I am loving every second we are spending together this summer.

Sleeping

Ugh, the one hangup that we cannot consistently get past.  Overall, the past two months her sleeping has really been poor.  We moved her into her own room again and suddenly she was waking up every 45 minutes to an hour.  The last few weeks of school were a real challenge for me teetering on the brink of exhaustion induced insanity.

I started off summer vacation by reading several sleep books and hundreds of article on baby sleep and I found some areas that needed improvement.  We ended up bringing the crib back in our room, and then after some time passed we  eventually put it back to her own room.  It was too much for me to walk back and forth 27 times a night but now that we have made some progress I really do like her in her own space.  When she is in the room I hear every noise and sound.  Ryan pointed out that she is not all the way awake when she is making noises and I am pouncing on her too quickly, when she might still be sleeping.

We also cut out night feedings which I had been dreading.  I realized Hannah was sometimes consuming 24 ounces of formula at night (which is way too much).  We put a stop to nightime feedings by swapping out formula for water which she is not very interested in.  I am trying to be more consistent with our nighttime expectations and I am trying to steel my nerves and trust that a *teeny* bit of nighttime crying is okay.  I have been bringing her back to our bed if she wakes early in the morning (which she has been doing more consistently now that I've cut out nighttime bottles) and so we still get a little bit of cosleeping and cuddle time thatI think she really needs.

I would still say she is a high maintanance sleeper with a long way to go, but I finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I hope I didn't just jinx myself.  So that was long and rambly and probably not of interest to anyone but me... Anyways...

Eating: 

Hannah is a fabulous eater.  She has liked every thing we have offered her.  She has tried fruits, vegetables, and even some chicken, pasta and beef meals.  Ryan let her taste hot sauce the other day and she even liked that.  When she is interested in something one of us is eating she will loudly say "mmmmmm!" So try to convince us to share.

We have been working on finger foods and self feeding, but it has been hit or miss.  She prefers for us to feed her or to put her mouth down to eat them directly off the tray.  She can get the puff or cheerio in her fist but can't seem to get the timing right to release it into her mouth, which frustrates her.  Also, still no teeth.   Just like her brother.

Milestones

• Hannah reminds me a lot of Isaac in that she is so physically strong.  She has totally mastered sitting and immediately she started working on standing.  She can stand without holding onto any thing for several seconds now.  It is so cute.

• We were thinking she may skip crawling all together but she decided to master crawling in a day.  It was so funny.  One day she couldn't crawl at all and the next day she was scooting all around.  

• Another milestone of sorts is the Hannah is officially signed on to the New York City based modeling agency Generation Models.  Ryan's siblings were all involved in modeling as children and his mother had felt like Hannah had a look people might be interested in.  Ryan sent her pictures out to a few places and we were thrilled to hear back from Generations. They encouraged us to come to the city so they could meet Hannah and go over paperwork.
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• They are very reputable and the lady we met with was great.  She was even really interested in Isaac but he told her he in't interested in modeling.  The agency felt like Hannah will be offered a lot of work but will see how often we can realistically make our way up to new york. 

Likes:

• Daddy!  She loves wrestling around with him and is always after whatever he is eating.  

• Isaac.  He might even be edging out Daddy.  She always wants to be near him and thinks everything he does or says is HILARIOUS.  
  
• Swimming.  It really tires her out though.  She has fallen asleep in the pool (in our arms obviously) more than once.  
• Her activity table.
• The cats.  I am modeling signs for her and I am sure cat will be the first sign she uses.  She and the cars love each other so I get to use it many times a day.
• Cuddles and being held.  I don't think it is as much of a like as it is a need.  She needs time in the moby wrap or cuddle time before naps.  When we do cosleep she always puts one hand on Ryan and one hand on me before she will close her eyes. 

Dislikes:

• Hats.  Good thing she is old enough for sunscreen now.

• Being alone for too long.  She needs to know someone is close by.
• When I wear sunglasses.  They must come off.  Immediately.  And then be stuffed in her mouth.

We love you so much Hannah Marie!