During the last month Hannah started rolling back to front and tried cereal for the first time…both pretty big milestones! She still loves her hands and almost always has them in her mouth. She get both in if she can! Nathan is doing better a playing with her, which is slightly more interesting as she’s getting older and interacting a little more.

Seriously loves those hands!

You can see Hannah is also going through an awkward hair phase right now. Cute, definitely cute, but slightly awkward

Heart melting

More pictures from April here

This month we gave Hannah a taste of rice cereal for the first time (April 10 to be exact). As expected, she wasn’t exactly sure what to do with it, but she got better with more tries.

It’s a messy process!

All clean now!

Note to self…when feeding cereal to a baby, do not put bowl in a place within reach of that baby…odds are she will try to grab it and end up knocking the entire thing all over you and the floor. Not that this happened to me or anything

We also tried out the Jumperoo for the first time this month. She’s been a big fan and Nathan helped show her how to use it.

And we tried Hannah out in the outside swing for the first time. I don’t think she was quite sure what to do with it, but hey, at least it’s somewhere to put her down outside!

Hannah rolled for the first time from back to front on April 8th.

I put her on a blanket on the floor while I was getting dressed for work and noticed she was working hard on trying to get over, which I’d seen her do on and off for a week or so. Gary came into the room and we both just watched for a second as she finally got herself all the way over! Lots of cheering at that point Then I ran for the video camera and she continued to roll over a few more times for the camera. Yay Hannah!

Even Nathan was excited. He was sad at first because she lay on her back without doing anything at first, but finally she did it for all of us again, with Gary and Nathan on the floor cheering her on the whole way. Very cute.

Then on April 21, just shy of 5 months, Hannah rolled front to back, but I think she’s still working on that one because shes not doing a lot yet.

Nathan never really rolled except for a couple flukes, so it was cool to get to see the progress in action. There were so many times, with Nathan too, that it looks like the roll is going to happen and you’re just breathlessly waiting, and then, plop!, she’s back on her back…so seeing her actually do it for the first time was pretty awesome.

These photos are not from the first time she rolled, but I thought it was fun to see a back to front roll in progress. She sees the toy and then goes for it!

We started swim lessons for Nathan in late March and he loves it.

He hasn’t expressed any fear about being in the water or doing the things that the teachers asks…things like putting his face in the water, jumping in and floating on his back.

I did Mommy & Me lessons with Hannah at the same time…figured it couldn’t hurt. She didn’t really care much about being in the pool until the last couple sessions, but it was still fun to do.

We had one good scare when Nathan’s class (only 4 kids) was at the deep end of the pool taking turns jumping in with the teacher right there. One of the kids thought it was their turn and jumped in, and for some reason Nathan thought he was supposed to go too. Since the teacher wasn’t ready for him, Nathan sunk to the bottom and my heart jumped out of my chest for a second as I stood helplessly on the other end of the pool. But all was fine…the teacher pulled him right up and he wasn’t the least bit phased. I had anxiety about it the rest of the night of course!

As we’ve progressed through lessons Nathan has gotten better and better. He can float on his back without trying to pull his head up like he used to do. He jumps in to the shallow end all by himself, without anyone catching him. And he puts his face under for several seconds. All this, and he still loves it too. Can’t wait to get to the pool this summer!

At four months old Hannah is chewing on her hands like crazy, drooling a ton, and starting to bat at things with that jerky movement babies have. She’s been “goo-ing” a lot and seems to be starting to laugh, especially when we bounce her or make her dance around. She’s still a good sleeper, even going to sleep by herself if I put her down awake. This is SO different from our early experience getting Nathan to sleep and I’m very grateful for how much easier that is this time. Hannah is still pretty happy and laid back too, and with the chaos of having two kids now, that’s a very good thing!

Hannah is enjoying the bumbo and getting better at sitting in it. She also likes to sit up while we hold her and is standing a bit too. She’s started lifting one leg up when we hold her in a standing position, and rolling to her side when we put her on her back. She’s even starting to flip her top leg forward when she’s on her side, so I’m guessing rolling isn’t too far away. Hannah also seems to enjoy tummy-time and will happily lay on her back staring at the toys or mirror on her activity mat. She’s also just started to find her feet, which I’m sure will find their way to her mouth soon enough

Hannah will stare intently at you and smile when you sing to her. Ive been singing “Hush Little Baby” to her before bed each night and she loves that. Around the same verse toward the end, about buying her a goat, she’ll usually give me a big slow blink, then nuzzle her head into my arm. It’s adorable!

Her hair is a hilarious mess. She has a little bald spot in the back and on one side, but its also really thin on both sides in general with a lot on top. The top stuff is starting to get a little curly.

I think maybe she’s having a little nipple confusion because she’s started fussing when I breastfeed her sometimes. I think she’s getting used to the quick and fast flow from the bottle at school and getting a little impatient when she’s nursing.

She still loves her brother and smiles so hard at him, especially when she sees him and hears him at the same time. Nathan seems mostly uninterested in Hannah at this point…unless she’s in my lap and then he wants to sit there too. I get lots of time with both kids in my lap, and I really can’t complain about that! Still working on that two kid balancing act though, that’s for sure!

Hannah didn’t have a regular pediatric appointment for her third month, but we ended up at the doctor for a sick visit on the day she turned 3 months…she was 12 lbs 10 oz.

She had taken a bath right before this pictures, so her hair is very fuzzy

This is the first time Hannah noticed there was something next to her.

Can not go long without those fingers!

At two months, Hannah is still a laid back baby and sleeps pretty well. She doesnt mind being on her tummy for short periods, especially if it’s on the mini-boppy pillow. The big “excitement” is that at her last pediatrician appointment the doctor her a heart murmur, so we had an Echocardiogram done to make sure everything is okay. Thankfully it is! She has a small hole, which is common and does not seem to be of any concern, and also something called Mild Pulmonary Valve Stenosis, which means the valve from the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery is obstructed or thickened. It’s something we’ll get checked annually, but both Cardiologists we met with assured us that it will not impact anything that Hannah wants to do as she grows up, and it’s possible it will get better or even go away. The biggest indication that she’s just fine is that she’s eating well and gaining weight well, and is overall a very content and happy little baby.

At her two month appointment, Hannah was 11 lbs 6 oz and 22 3/4 inches in length.

Here are her two month photos.

Hannah started smiling about mid-way through January…around 6-7 weeks. It’s such a moment of absolute joy for me to see her smiles.

It was hard to capture the smile in the beginning, but here are the first few I was able to get on film.

The biggest! (with camera phone)

Hannah got her first bottle on New Years Day and took it like a champ. It was a very different experience than we had with Nathan, who we had to give a bottle to early on to make sure he was eating enough.

Gary gave her the bottle to make sure there was no confusion since I was breastfeeding.

And of course Nathan joined in the fun!

Not much to report on Hannah other than at one month she was sleeping well and seemed to be a pretty content and “easy” baby. Oh, and she has crazy hair and a lot of it!

At her one month appointment, Hannah was 9 lbs 13.4 oz and 21 1/2 inches in length.

(I think she looks a little like Nathan here)