26 Weeks

Hi, there! I'm 26 weeks old today and I'll be six months old on Friday. Can you believe it?! I like getting big b/c big kids do fun things. So do little babies, don't get me wrong. Speaking of fun...a lot has changed since last time I posted.

• After some fussing, rosy cheeks, sleepless nights, and constant nose wiping, I cut my first tooth! I love feeling it with my tongue and am always looking for new things I can put in my mouth. Cutting teeth is definitely not one of the fun things babies do, but it seems everyone gets so excited when I tell them my big news. 

• Speaking of cutting teeth, my special necklace appears to be helping with my symptoms. If you're a skeptic, that's ok. So is my daddy. But let me just tell you that ever since I started wearing it last Saturday, I've been a much happier girl!

• Two of my new favorite chew toys are mommy's cell phone and the giant remote control.

• I reach for things and change things from hand to hand all of the time. It's hard to keep things from me b/c I really like to get my way.

• I can sit up for a few seconds at a time all by myself. Like, maybe 5 seconds. But ya gotta start somewhere.

• I wear size 3 diapers now - I finally caught up to my baby cousins Wyatt and Nathan!

• Mommy shed a few tears this past weekend when she folded and packed away my 3-6 month summer clothes and transferred in my warmer 6-9 stuff. Sometimes she tears up just when I smile at her, so trust me - it doesn't take much. Family and friends have been so generous to us - almost my entire fall/winter wardrobe has been donated!

Except for the black skinny pants that my daddy bought me. I am especially excited to wear those.

• I have slept through the night THREE nights in the last two weeks. Well, kind of. One night it was for real - 9:00 pm to 5:30 am and the other two nights I have awaken around 2:00 am, cried for a little while and fallen back asleep when I realized that crying is too much work and wasn't gettin' me anywhere. I even slept until 7:30 am, nursed, and then went back to sleep for another 2 hours on mom's day off just to be sweet.
Dad says, "Hallelujah!"
Mom says, "Now we can have another baby!"

JK

** UPDATE **
Make that FOUR nights!
• I am a rolling machine! You turn your back for only a few seconds and I'll be in a new direction - or under the ottoman - by the time you turn around. No more leaving me in the middle of my play mat.

Mommy and daddy love me like crazy. They're always talking about how adorable and silly I am. I bet I get kissed 1,000 time a day. I think they're really silly too, but I must admit that I do love their singing and dancing. I like my life and am a very happy 26 week old girl. Sleep tight!

Love,
Gwendolyn

Catching up on August...

It's September and there are pictures from August I have yet to post. What kind of blogger am I?! A working/nursing/photographing/traveling/soaking up my five month old who is getting big way too fast and still getting up two or three times a night kind of blogger, that's who. I sincerely appreciate you stickin' with me as I navigate a whole new world of juggling a lot and feeling like I'll never catch up. Thank goodness for a hubby who calms me, a daughter who brings me more joy than I could ever imagine, and a God who provides the strength we need at the perfect moment.
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Tom and I took Gwendolyn to the Irish Fair Festival in St. Paul a couple weekends back. It was a free event and we bought food/drink tickets off Groupon at a decent rate so we were looking forward to it. I love (most) dogs of all shapes and sizes, but the bigger the better so of course we I made a bee-line for these Irish Wolfhounds. After getting through a crowd of small children, I was able to get my pic. They look small in this picture, but they easily came up to my waste.

Gwen did so well. I swear that little girl just loves being outside. She was most entertained by the Irish dancers, which both Tom and me are already dreaming about seeing her do on stage. If she so chooses, of course *smile.

We met Aunt Nikki and cousins Jake and Nate at Just Jump in town. There was lots of jumping!

And to celebrate Erin's birthday, the three of us girls went out for dinner and to a Twins game. I can't tell you who we played (Orioles?) or what the ending score was, but we had FUN and I miss me some girl time with those two.

 I love mascots.

Gwen's not the youngest at daycare anymore! Three month old, Serena, joined the ranks in August. Here they are hanging out at the daycare family BBQ.

Finally a picture of Miss Kathy with Gwen! (Sorry your eyes are closed Kathy! I usually always double check my images and I didn't this day. Grrrr. Bad me!) 

Helper Emma on the right. Love this photo b/c it shows so much of our life right now. (Those sweet kids just adore Gwendolyn!)

 Waking up from a nap in our favorite position...

Daddy is silly.

"We need new Facebook profile pics. Let's go take them out on the patio."

"Ok!"

My turn!

Like mother, like daughter.

First meal - "megg"

So excited to try megg!

(Her bib says "Star of Mommy's blog" - is that not the CUTEST?!)

Not a huge fan. Yet.

Reading time with dad before night nights.

I wish I was that flexible.

It's always the right foot. Never the left.

Celebrating cousin Grant's 6th birthday!

Playing the Wii.

As you can see, it was one busy, busy month! We are blessed with one happy, healthy, almost 6 month old {eeeeek!} baby girl! 

5 Month Comparison

What do you think...does Gwendolyn look like me when I was 5 months old?

I see similarities in the nose, lips, and eyes. And beard. Although Tom needs to grow his in a bit more. I clearly had red hair and oddly enough, I do believe my head is larger.

It's unfortunate we couldn't find a plaid shirt and pink overalls *smile.

We still have quite a few people tell us they aren't sure who Gwendolyn looks like. It's so exciting to see her changing and growing each day. The verdict is still out about the color of hair and eyes she'll have; however, we're pretty sure she has Tom's build. Fine by me! Her 3-6 month warmer clothes are definitely getting too short in the sleeves and pants. Right as we're entering cooler temps - how convenient. 

So what do you think...is my daughter my twin?

24 Weeks

Sorry - two days late again. I wish I had a good excuse like I was traveling on a train across the country or I've been writing a new book, but really it's just because mommy and daddy have been quite busy. At least they get my picture taken on the right day! You gotta give 'em that.  Life just keeps getting better and better as I explore and see new things. 

• I went to my first wedding reception - one of mommy's best friends got married. She looked like a princess. The music was much louder than what I am used to. And I couldn't believe all the dancers! I can't wait until I'm big enough to dance. I had a lot of fun and even fell asleep on my grandpa's shoulder. He didn't mind. Guess the loud music didn't bother me that much. It was fun snuggling with mommy's friends too.

• I also spent the night in a hotel for the first time and did so great. My favorite part was the continental breakfast. All the milk I wanted! Mommy always says she loves staying in hotels and now I know why - big, comfy beds, extended cable channels, and someone picks up after you. I was so easy that mom and dad started dreaming about taking me on a fall vacation. Then they remembered that they cost money. I even slept pretty much the entire way from Des Moines back home - didn't stop once!

• My Great-Aunt Valerie came to visit allllllllllll the way from California. She's my Papa's sister. It was really fun to meet her and I hope she comes back very soon. So does mommy b/c Aunt Val is a massage therapist and gave mommy some pampering. She was so sweet and even bought me a pretty new dress and some boots. Every girl needs some brown suede boots.

• My 10 year old friend, Emma, was helping Miss Kathy this summer, but she had to go back to school this past week. I didn't have such a great report card that first day. Miss Kathy wrote: "Very unhappy without Emma here to hold her while I was tending to others. :( More content after her last bottle." 

What can I say? I like to be held. 

Thankfully the next day (Wednesday) went much better: "Much happier girl today - very content all day!!"

• It's hard to see in pictures - you'll just have to trust me on this one - but I'm getting quite a bit more hair! It even sticks up in the back now.

• I saw my first rainbow, and a DOUBLE rainbow at that!

• Avocado went over much better than egg yolk.

Thanks for stopping by everybody! I'm off to my Grandma and Grandpa Sinclair's this weekend to celebrate my Grandpa's retirement and meet mom's extended family at a family reunion. I can't wait!

p.s. Go Cyclones!

Rabbit Olympics & Up All Night

This absolutely cracks me up. If only Leo was in shape! I'm sure he'd knock them all out of the ball park...er...the bunny hop arena.

http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/bunnies-take-flight#image-rotator-2

Cotton Candy is my favorite. After Leo, of course.

Speaking of things that crack me up, can we talk about the new show "Up All Night"? My favorite is the discussion about who was up more the night before, the wipe dilemma, and the conversation about how adorable the baby socks are in a tiny pile around minute 4:00. There are several situations we can totally relate to (and some that are obviously "made for TV"), but I can't wait until it starts on September 14th.


And a picture of the little girl whose pile of small clothes I also find adorable...

Happy Friday!