God Bless America

Our July 4th holiday spread across 4 days. We started out by attending Vestavia's "We Love America Day" celebration where we went swimming at the Wald Park pool. Actually, Brantley and I were the only ones to get wet but it was fun none the less. Brantley loved the little pool so I'm hoping to take her back there soon. 

July 4th was actually pretty uneventful for us. Chase had brought home the green pool for Brantley to play in but we were having a bee problem that day so she only got to play for about 5 minutes. We're thinking they have a nest in the front yard somewhere because Chase killed at least 30 or more with wasp spray and then more kept coming out.

The night we went over to Chase's parents house for dinner. Beverly had cooked a killer brisket and some other stuff I don't even remember what it all was now but the brisket was AMAZING! We opted out of watching fireworks again this year because Chase had been up since about 3am so he was tired. Hopefully next year we will be in to see Thunder On The Mountain for sure. Or some other show somewhere. I'd love to be at the lake next year for the 4th.

On Thursday the 5th, I took the girls to the Birmingham Zoo all by myself. We didn't get there until almost 11:30 so it was blazin' hot and we were pretty miserable the whole time. No worries though, we still had a good time and made the most of our outing.

On Friday morning, we went down to meet my parents at Lake Jordan. My Aunt Brenda had rented a house for the holiday and we got to spend Friday night down there. It was great and I'm so glad we were able to go. Brantley got to swim in the lake for the first time and she went on her first boat ride (pictures below). Savannah slept under an umbrella in her moses basket for about 3 hours when we first got there. I was amazed that she slept that long out there but it felt great so I guess I don't blame her.

She loved the boat ride most of all I think!

All in all we had a great time celebrating America's birthday. We spent time with family and that is the perfect thing to do on holidays. Happy Birthday, America!!

Photo Dump

 Savannah - 5 weeks old playing on her activity mat

 (6/26/12)The same day Brantley decided to potty train, Savannah started napping on her tummy. I don't let her nap on her tummy every day but if she falls asleep in my arms unswaddled then I usually lay her on her tummy for a nap. So far so good and she seems to like it a lot.

June 30th - Savannah and I laying the in floor playing

 (7/2/12) Brantley watching TV and holding Savannah when we were at Chase's parents house for dinner.

 Wednesday, July 3rd

(July 4th holiday post coming up next.)

 Sunday, July 8th - Good morning from the Williamson Girls!

 Sunday, July 8th was also Savannah's first time to go to church. Brantley went to Sunday school and Savannah stayed with Chase and I while we watched the service from the atrium outside the auditorium. We have been visiting Mountaintop and so far we like it a lot. Brantley really likes going to church now. She was so excited and didn't cry at all when we dropped her off. That was a very nice change. She even told the teacher when she needed to go potty and they took her. Yay! Big girl! After Savannah's 2 month check up, I think we'll start leaving her in the nursery as well so that Chase and I can both pay attention more in the service.

So that's a little bit of what's been going on. I have a few other posts to do today so hopefully I'll finish them all and be caught up during nap time.

Brantley's a Big Girl Now!

 Back on June 26th, Brantley woke up and decided she wanted to start potty training. I was shocked and totally unprepared. I had a few gummies and M&M's to use as rewards but mentally I was not ready for my Brantley to become a big girl. BUT I put my fears aside and we went for it. I put panties on her and put her little pink potty in front of the TV and there she sat. I pumped her full of water and juice to increase the opportunities of her needing to use the potty. She didn't end up sitting there all morning but every time she thought she might need to go she would sit on the potty for a few minutes. She had a bunch of accidents that day but since then she has had very few. Pooped in the potty on the first day and every day since (with only 2 accidents). Pretty good if you ask me!

Now 3 weeks later, I consider Brantley potty trained. She hasn't worn a diaper in 3 weeks. Only Pull-Ups at nap and bedtime. A lot of those times she wakes up dry but we're still putting them on her for a while because I don't want to change sheets in the middle of the night.

Our little Brantley isn't a baby anymore, she's a big potty-going girl and we are so proud of her!!

Happy 4th of July!

 God Bless America! We hope everyone had a fun and safe day celebrating our freedom.

Savannah at 1 Month Old

Weight: 8lbs 6oz (6/14/12)

Length: 21 inches

Diapers: Newborn     Clothes: Newborn (some 0-3 months are starting to fit)

~She follows objects/faces as they pass in front of her.~
~She tolerates Tummy-Time for about 30-45 seconds at a time. She's very good at holding her head up already.~
~She sleeps most of the day but is starting to stay awake for longer periods of time.~
~Night time: The past 2 nights she has slept a 4-5 hour stretch (amazing!) and then another 3-4 hours.~
~She's still nursing really well and the colic episodes are occurring less often then they were a week or 2 ago. She eats every 2-3 hours during the daytime.~
~Smiles every now and then but not intentionally at us yet.~

Likes:

- Being held out in front of you while facing you and bouncing up and down slowly

- Her bouncy seat

- She's starting to get used to a pacifier but doesn't always keep it in her mouth 

- Being swaddled. We swaddle her with an Aden & Anais blanket and we recently bought a Woombie. Savannah likes them both. My only issue with the Woombie is that sometimes it isn't tight enough to calm her flailing arms. I wish I had bought the Houdini style because it's suppose to be made of a thicker fabric. Oh well, for now we use the Woombie when we can and the blankets when she needs a tighter swaddle.

- She loves to be outside in the morning or evenings before it gets too hot out.

- Sitting in her bouncy seat in the kitchen window. She will look out the window at the sky and trees. It's pretty cute!

- So far she likes her bath but hates being cold while a dress her afterwards, but I don't blame her. Being wet and cold is no fun.

- She likes watching Brantley run around and play

Dislikes:

- Sitting in a dirty diaper

- Getting in her car seat

- GAS! BURPING!! COLIC!!! (I think we all dislike these symptoms here at the Williamson house!)

     Savannah has been showing signs of Colic since she was 2 weeks old. I'm avoiding gluten, dairy and nuts (nut butters) as much as possible to hopefully eliminate some of the discomforts that cause her colicy times. So far this method seems to be helping a good bit. She also been adjusted by our chiropractor 3 times. We're hoping to continue taking her but I'm not sure how often yet.

In her first month of life, Savannah has...

- Met Mommy's cousin and her boys that live in Pennsylvania.

- Attended her first wedding and reception. One of my roommates from college got married last weekend. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Parker Gargis!! Meagan looked beautiful, as always! We sat in the balcony. Savannah slept through almost the whole ceremony and thankfully never made a peep.

- Started sleeping in her bedroom instead of the Moses basket in our bedroom. This is so much better for mommy to get good sleep. Down fall...our brand new video monitor broke after just 3 weeks of use (not even everyday use). I still need to take it back but I haven't found the time yet. The power button on the parent unit stopped working. I'm not sure why because I didn't drop it or anything like that. I just hope that Babies R Us will take it back and order us a new one otherwise, a lot of money was wasted on it. Thankfully, Savannah's bedroom is right across the hall and I have really good mommy radar/hearing so I get up as soon as I hear her squirming and squeaking.
- Gone to her first couple of playdates with Brantley's playgroup. Most of us Mommy's have 2 kiddos now so the babies will have friends to play with just like the big kids.

Last Friday the playgroup went to Oak Mountain beach. Savannah did really well despite the  heat.

This past Wednesday, we went to our friends parents house to swim in their pool. Savannah slept like this is the pack 'n play the whole time.

Savannah, 

You are 1 month old. We are loving watching you grow and change every day. We love you so very much!

-Mommy, Daddy and Brantley

Comparisons

 Here are a few comparison shots of the girls.

Top photo: Brantley at 6 days old - Bottom photo: Savannah at 6 days old

Brantley (2 weeks) and Savannah (3 weeks)

Family of Four - 3 Week Update

Wow! Things have changed quite a bit since bringing Savannah home. I'm exhausted most of the time and in desperate need of a nap. Sometimes I can get Savannah to nap while BR is down for her nap and when that happens, I actually do get a much needed cat nap. For the most part, Brantley has adjusted beautifully and is loving being a big sister. She enjoys helping me with diaper changes and holding Savannah. Sometimes she sings to her. Those moments melt my heart and make me smile so big!

 Savannah's 3 Week Update:

Weight: 7lb 14oz (6/5/12)           Head: 14inches            Length: 20 1/2inches

Diapers: Newborn             Clothes: Still mostly newborn but some 0-3 months things are starting to fit.

Eating: Savannah is still nursing exclusively. She eats about every 2 hours during the day and thankfully, stretches those out to every 3 hours at night. We're having some issues with her tummy so I'm having to change my diet to try and get her some relief from the pain she seems to be in. After a few of her feedings (it was every feeding a few days ago) \she gets very fussy and cries non stop because she is in so much pain. I'm changing to a gluten free & dairy free diet in hopes of giving her relief and to be able to continue nursing for as long as possible. I'm nursing her while she's sitting in my lap, strattling (sp?) my leg with her tummy against mine. This has helped tremendously with her feedings. She doesn't get choked as easily and doesn't take in as much air, which makes burping easier and less frequent. I've been having to give her Mylicon a few times a day when she's having trouble with gas. The main reason for her choking is that my milk supply is still regulating (my letdown is really forceful) and once it does, I'm pretty sure this problem will go away.

Sleep: Savannah is still sleeping the majority of the day and night. I have a really hard time getting her to go to sleep without nursing her to sleep. Hopefully in a few weeks I'll figure out how to change that without using a pacifier but I may have to give in at some point.

So for the most part we are doing really well and adjusting to life as a family of four. Things are busier, more  hectic and tiring but also a whole lot cuter than they were 3 weeks ago. We are truly blessed and loving our new addition to our family!