9 Month Update

On Saturday, December 13, Eden turned 9-months old. After a well-deserved nap ...

... she played with George ...

... and showed off her new trick. No, she does not do splits (yet). She does go from stomach to sitting up with the greatest of ease!

And she is quite proud of her accomplishment.

Here are photos from Saturday night, Dec 6, the very first time she sat up from being on her stomach.

Over the following week, she mastered this skill, and now sits up all the time. She even woke herself up by sitting up in her sleep the other night ... screaming followed but she was fast asleep as soon as Ashley picked her up.

To celebrate her 9 month birthday, Eden decided to take her Mom and Dad out to McAlister's Deli (one of Ashley's favorites). She sat in her new travel highchair - a very smart purchse indeed!

At this point, she is quite the squirmer - can't sit still for very long. She especially enjoys reaching for things that are just a little out of her reach. The tongue signifies how hard she is working to get that sweet tea.

We also had fun playing "Where's Daddy?" As she stands on my lap, I whisper in her ear. After a few whispers, she turns sharply, tilts her head back, smiles very big, and giggles as Daddy gives her kisses.

On Tuesday, she had her official 9-month doctor's appointment. As soon as the nurse came in to do the measurements, Eden started smiling and laughing. Instant friends.

Eden weighed in at 17 pounds, 10 ounces, was 27.5 inches long, and had a head circumference of 17.5 inches. That makes her 25% weight, 50% height, and 75% head circumference. Dr. Fletches said that she is growing perfectly!

Oh, and she re-discovered her enjoyment of doctor's office paper - she likes to rustle it around, throw it in the air, and eat it.

Right after her appointment (and her last Hep B vaccine), she fell asleep for the 3 hour drive to Mobile to visit her Nona and Big Daddy.

She woke up after the I-12, I-10 split at which time Ashley tried again (unsuccessfully) to get pictures of her teeth.

Since she now waves hi and bye, plays patty-cake, and claps (sometimes on command when we say "Yay!"), we are starting to introduce Baby Signs. We are working on eat, milk, more, diaper change, dog, cat, cereal, mommy, and daddy. Actually, this afternoon while Eden was squeaking with excitement over my sister's dog, we said "Dog" followed by the sign for dog (tongue out, panting). After a few times, Eden started panting when she saw Lilly! Perhaps her 75 % head circumference is coming in handy already!

8 Month Update

Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Eden. Happy Birthday to you! Well, not quite, but 8 months IS a milestone, no?

When she heard she was 8 months old, Eden reflected on the first months of her life...

What she discovered was how much she has developed! She now likes to look out of windows ...



And smile for the camera ...

She also LOVES to take things out of her basket (pictures to come); however, she has yet to figure out how to clean this stuff up. Oh, and she really likes to flip the basket over, push it back and forth, and play the drums on top of it.

This morning, Eden weighed about 17 pounds (at least that's what it looked like when Ashley stood on the scale with and without her). To illustrate how much this means she has grown, here is a picture of her with a sweet bear that was a gift from Eden's great grandmother, Grandmama (a.k.a. Mary Joyce Jones).

Here she is with the same bear at one month of age ...

And today ...

WOW! Can you believe it? She is 8 months old. Looking back, it does not seem that long ... although we have gone through ALOT! In the coming days we'll post some "things Eden likes to do" so you can see what she's been up to lately. Until then, God Bless.

7 Month Update

Eden turned 7 months old on Monday (October 13). So you can get a perspective on just how big she has gotten, this is the same little lamb that was with her on her way home from the hospital.

Our little girl is all growed up! :)

"6 month" Update

On Friday, October 3, Ashley and I took Eden for her 6-month checkup and shots. We saw a few RNs in training who told us she was in the 50th percentile for weight (15 lbs. 10 oz.) and height (25") and 75th percentile for head curcumference (17") -- must be her big brains :).

Although we were scheduled for Dr. Sandy Reed, she called in sick so we saw Dr. Fletches. She was great! She listened, made lists (which Ashley adored), and was just down-to-earth.

When she asked if Eden could sit up with assistance, I proceeded to show off Eden's skills! She was surprised when I picked up Eden and put her on her rump ... and then she just sat there (and started eating the rolled out paper on the exam table). The doctor told us that we are about to have to put Eden's mattress on the lowest setting, take off the bumper pads, and that Eden should probably start crawling very soon since her back muscles are so strong from sitting so well.

Eden has also started enjoying lots of new foods since her actual 6 month birthday. Here's the list in order: sweet potato, avacado, butternut squash, squash, and just this week peas.

We've heard that if a baby eats the food, then she likes it. Well, Eden has liked everything so far. She does give the obligitory "Ew, I'm not sure" face with each first bite, but after that she eats like a champ. Ashley's favorite so far is Eden's "squash casserole" -- pureed squash with rice cereal. Yum!

Eden is also now solidly sleeping through the night. A "normal" day now consists of ...

• Ashley waking up with Eden around 7, give or take a 1/2 hour (though we think Eden is awake well before that, she just doesn't start making noise until later).
• Eden nursing then getting a bottle
• Hanging out with her Momma while they get ready for the day and then taking a nap before heading to PDO
• Then a mid-morning snack of that day's food of choice and playtime at First Pres.
• In the afternoon, I'll pick Eden up and on a good day we'll both take a nap in the afternoon.
• Then it's play time for all three of us
• Dinner (for Eden and us) around 6.
• Bathtime between 7 and 7:30 (whenever the little one shows signs of being tired)
• Ashley lulling Eden through the nighttime routine and bottle.
• And Eden falling asleep in Ashley's arms and then put to bed by 8.

Eden has been quicker to cry a few days in the past week. We can't quite figure out the cause -- teething, 6 month shots, growing. But overall she's a really happy baby. We just hope we're helping her through whatever is going on now.

Perhaps it was Friday's doctor visit or perhaps it is a combination of this and the new era in our lives, but I had a sort of epiphany on Monday. I was sitting on the couch with Eden. We were looking at each other, and she was responding to my attempts to get her to stick out her tongue and blow (spoodling as we call it). It was at that moment that I realized, "Eden is a real person." Not that she was not real before, but I really felt as if I was interacting with a person as opposed to a baby.

As we're closing in on the 7 month mark, it seems Eden is growing into her own personality more and more each day.

To Eden, For Your Half-Year Birthday

Dear Eden,

The past 6 months have been more special than your mother or I could have ever imagined. You've touched our hearts and changed our lives. We are so thankful for you and are so impressed with what you've already accomplished in 6 short months. You've learned to hold your head up and play on your tummy. You've learned to laugh and grab your toys. You've even learned Mom's and Dad's voice, and you bring smiles to our faces every time you look at us and smile with that big, all-face smile of yours.

Since you've been so good, we decided to make you special treats for your half-year birthday. Mom baked cupcakes (special "half" cupcakes),

which we taste-tested for you ...

while Dad baked sweet potatoes ... sorry you only got to eat the latter. Here's how you reacted to your very first bite of real food ...

You did, however, eventually enjoy the orange concoction. Indeed, you seem to make a funny face after the first spoonfool of food - you make the same face before deciding you really do like your rice cereal, too. We're looking forward to seeing if you make that face for other fun foods like avocados, squash, green beans, and apples.

About halfway through your first food experience, you decided that it was your turn with the spoon. You sure are a curious little monkey!

One of your favorite things to do now is grabbing your feet. You even try to put them in your mouth!

On a "normal" day (or at least what your day has looked like recently) you wake up around 6:30 a.m. and nurse. Then you sleep some more with Mom in bed until around eight or nine. Then, you wake up and eat some more and watch Mom get ready for work. You take another hour-long nap around lunchtime and stay awake until dinner ... playing with your favorite toys-George the Giraffe, Leo the Lion, and Daisy the Duck. After dinner, I give you a bath. Then, Mom puts your lotion on while singing you a good night song, gives you a good night bottle, and you go to bed. Finally, Momma gives you a little bit more to eat before she goes to bed, and you sleep through the night ... thanks for that, by the way.

People are always stopping me and your mom at stores just to have a chance to talk to you. They always comment on how pretty your eyes are and what a happy baby you seem to be. We couldn't agree more. We think you're the cutest baby we've ever seen!

We love you!

Oh, and one other thing ... your Mom is ALWAYS taking pictures of you (something that you may love to hate when you get a little older). So, it's no surprise that the other day, she did your 6-month photoshoot. It was your first time sitting in the grass. Here's how it turned out ...

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The 6 month photo shoot

For those of you out there in blogland, if you feel so inclined, help Ashley decide which one (or two) of these to frame for the house by posting a comment to let her know your favorites ...

Eden 1

Eden 2

Eden 3

Eden 4

Eden 5

Eden 5bw

Eden 6

Eden 7
Eden 8