Wednesday, December 22, 2010

One Year Ago

So, I can't help but think about this time last year, as we celebrate Haven's 1st birthday. She is now using her hands and abbreviated words to communicate, walking, climbing, problem solving, and even learning how to follow a few directions. Her vocabulary currently consists of Dada, Mama, appies (apples), baba (banana), jussss (juice). She can sign "please," "all done/ up." Whenever she sees a picture of my brother's dog, she says "AT!!!" for Atlas. She knows that a dog says "woof woof" and a monkey says "oo oo ah ah."
She is currently eating just about anything I put in front of her. Last night she enjoyed some red bell peppers from our stir fry. She still loves bath time and I am excited to see if her love of the water continues. She's also really into sitting on things. I think it makes her feel like a big girl.

As I reminisce all these things, it's so hard to believe that one year ago she had finally decided it was time to come greet the world. A year ago today, I was walking up and down my neighborhood, hoping to get things moving, as I was 9 days overdue. A year ago tonight my water broke and we headed over to the hospital; so excited. 26 hours after that, at 6:46pm on Dec 23, little Baby Girl Barry was delivered and on Christmas Eve, named Haven Rae.

This past year has been a transformation for our family in many more ways than one. But as I look back, I feel like a year ago was like yesterday and at the same time, so far away that I can hardly remember life without Haven. (what did I do with all my time!?)

Thanks to our family and friends for all your love and support in the past year. And thanks to little Haven, who makes all of our lives brighter.

Merry Christmas all and Happy (almost) Birthday Haven!!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Haven's First Word!!!

Last night (10/18/10 - Haven 10 months), Haven said her first word.
Drum roll please:
She was sitting at the dinner table with her sippy cup on her high chair. She looked at me and the pushed her cup right off the tray and onto the floor. She looked down at it, then back at me, and said "UH! ohhhh."
It was so purposeful. I put it back onto her tray to see if she'd do it again. Of course she pushed it off again immediately. Then she just looked at me.
I said, "Uh oh?"
She said "UH! ooooh."
First steps at 8.5 mo, first words at 10 mo.
Will wonders never cease? I LOVE being a mommy!!

Video of First Word

Friday, October 15, 2010

Strong Willed

What did I say just yesterday about Haven being strong willed? She knows what she wants and figures out how to get it. Here is a picture in which she has moved her walker to the table and stood in the bin of the walker to be taller. This is so she can reach the fun things Mommy tries to keep out of her reach.


At least she's resourceful. Smart girl.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Communication

Haven has realized what it means to communicate. She is constantly pointing at things and say "Da!" Everything is da. "Da!" That's Charlie! "Da!" That's Daddy! "Da!" That's the fan!
She is also using inflection in her babble. It's the cutest! "daDAbabadada"
We went to an apple farm in Ellijay two weeks ago. This Saturday we're going to pick pumpkins!
Fall is so fun. She is at a great age. Yesterday we sat on the porch for twenty minute while she picked up leaves and crumpled them in her fingers. Blessedly, not EVERYTHING goes into her mouth anymore. She did try to eat a leaf, but when I told her it was "No Mouth," she seemed content to crinkle with her fingers instead.
Her personality is coming through more and more. She seems to be very strong willed and passionate. She is easy to please and easy to upset. And she lets you know when you've made her mad! This mostly occurs when you take away whatever she was playing with (and not supposed to have). On the other hand, a hug from mommy will make her stop crying.
Another incredibly cute advancement is her new pat. I picked her up and patted her on the back. Wonder of wonders, she patted my back.
Excuse me while I melt.
:)
Pictures from the pumpkin patch soon!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Haven - 9 Months

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8KQqN-B-dE

Haven at 9 Months. Enjoy!

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Haven's First Steps

Well, tonight was momentous. Haven took her first wobbly steps toward her Daddy. She then took three of four steps each time toward Chris or me. Wow, 8-1/2 months. I'm sure now that she knows walking is something she can do, she will be experimenting with it more and more. In other news (since end of June -whoops), she is crawling up the stairs, pulling up everywhere, broke a tooth and is working on more, played in the ocean, and ate sand. It's been a great summer.
More soon!
(She's walking!!!!)
!!!

Friday, June 25, 2010

6 Months Checkup

In classic Haven style, as soon as the words come from my mouth, she proves me wrong. We haven't seen any teeth yet!
On Tuesday we went to the pediatrician for her 6 month appointment. She got 4 vaccinations; one by mouth and three by shots :(. I'm thinking, if you can put one vaccination into a syrup for her to drink, why can't you make all of them like that? Oh well, she did an amazing job and didn't even start to cry until the end of the second shot. Then as soon as I picked her up, she even looked at the nurse and grinned ("Don't worry, lady, I forgive you").
She's 17lbs, 2oz and 26" long. This is still about the 75% for her age group. We're green light for solids, sippy cups and all the mess that comes with. We've already started solids, but Haven had apple juice for the first time and it seems to be a big hit. It also seemed to attribute to two (count them, two) blow-outs and new outfits yesterday. Whoops. I'm still getting used to how much she should have, etc.
She's so close to crawling. She can easily move herself across the floor with an army crawl, so everything in the den is now baby-proofed and she can roam free. Usually, while she's inching around, she'll get onto hands and knees and move one "step." Then, it's back to her tummy and she continues to inch.
She's so much fun with her grins and giggles. I will try to get some good videos this weekend.
We love you!!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Teeth!!!!

Our little baby girl is definitely teething! This morning (during our "hang out with Mommy and Daddy in bed" time) I was feeling Haven's gums to see if she was teething. She has been drooling more and everything is going to her mouth. Also, yesterday, she was super fussy and didn't take good naps. Anyway, there is was! The ghost outline of a tooth just under the gum line still. So I'm sure that will pop through any day. We are prepared with baby orajel and a frozen wash cloth to make her feel better.

We will let you know when we see that pretty pearly white!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

5 Months Old!

Haven is so active! She can not get enough of this world around her. She is constantly leaning and lunging, streching and inching toward anything that looks interesting to her. One of her favorite things is "her" dog Charlie. She loves to reach out and touch her. Haven is also sitting up. She is a little bit wobbly when she sits but she is doing it. Much to our den's dismay, she is army crawling to any cord in sight. Mostly, we are all just having so much fun. She is sleeping through the night and starting to take fewer, longer naps. This makes for a very happy girl when she is awake. She loves her solid foods and so far has tried apples, bananas, yams, green beans, acorn squash, and rice cereal. We posted a video on youtube of her eating the green beans; very funny.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

BREAKING NEWS!!!

I have just had an update from the daycare where Haven spends her days (God's Little Garden at Peachtree Presbyterian). Haven was having tummy time and she rolled over all the way! Go Baby Girl!!!! The only thing that is sad about this is that I wasn't there to see her first roll.
She's growing so fast!!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

We Love Spring!!!

Hi Everyone!!

So, today Haven is 13 weeks, and officially 3 months old. Hooray! She is just getting over a nasty cold, but it's her first cold, so we're hoping she built up some awesome anti-bodies. She is in daycare now, 3-4 days a week. She is also sleeping more through the night, 6-8 hours at a stretch! This is a blessing because going back to work has been very tiring for me. BUT!, this is about sweet Haven, so here are some spring-time pics.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Back to Work!

So this is the end of the first full week back to work! I really miss Haven like crazy, but it's also nice to be at work and feel productive.
Along with my going back to work, this means that Haven is now in daycare at Peachtree Presbyterian. The great thing about that is that Chris is right upstairs. We are so blessed to have that option.
Haven still doesn't really have a schedule for naps and bedtime, but the doctor says don't expect that until month 4-6. So, we're still on track.
Haven is loving to reach out and grabs things now. She's even started bringing things up to her mouth to suck on! Her favorite is Red Dog.
She gives big goofy grins now when you say hello and smile at her. However, she seems more intent at staring at the camera than smiling at me, so I still don't have a great video of smiles yet.
Hopefully I'll get one soon! :)

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Our First Noted Consonant!!

Today, as I was changing Haven's diaper (her favorite thing), she gave this big sigh like "ahhhhhhh" and landed on a definite M! Like this "ahhhhhmmmmm"
This is the first time I've heard her make a definite consonant when she's "talking."
Hooray!!!!
Although it looks like she might say mama first. I was hoping it's be dada so she could ask for him instead of me. Oh well, we'll see.
9 weeks old today!

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Trying to get a Schedule- HA!


California was wonderful. Haven was incredible on the plane both out to CA and back to GA. For the second time, Chris and I missed snow in GA because we were in CA visiting Dave and Tera. Oh well!
I am going back to work on March 1, so I am trying to work more on a schedule with baby Haven. I don't really know about that yet. Doc says not until 4 months. I'm inclined to believe him!
After being in a hotel with her for a few days. we've both also gotten addicted to bed-sharing. She starts out in her bassinet and ends up in bed with me. So, hopefully that will naturally change? For now, I love snuggling up with my little bug!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

New Videos

Check out Youtube for a bunch of new videos!
Videos of Haven

Big Trip West!

This week we are preparing to fly out to California to watch Haven's Uncle Dave tie the knot! So we sent to the doctor yesterday to get her immunizations. Our doctor recommended we get the shots before the trip so she was covered as opposed to waiting until she was 2 months (which would be next week). More measuring and more shots, but we both survived and she seems to be taking it pretty well. Here are her stats: 11lbs 5.5oz and 22-1/4" long! Since she's not even 2 months yet, this plots her on the same curve she was on her last visit. She's pretty much in the 75th percentile for everything.
She's starting to be more interactive. She doesn't mind being on the floor by herself just to play on her activity mat. She's also responding with facial expressions and cooing. She still loves to move. If she's fussy, usually a good bouncing period will quiet her down. I can tell that she is focusing in on things that are farther away too. She'll look at me from the floor or from her swing instead of just staring at something a few inches away from her face. I think she also recognizes voices. On Sunday, Dad was holding her and every time Andrew said something she turned her head to look at him. After all, he is a pretty interesting guy!
And finally... She slept in her crib last night. It was a lot of work to get her to fall asleep and stay asleep in there but eventually it worked out. Hooray!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Mom's First Shot

Is there anything worse than watching your infant scream in pain after getting a shot? I know there actually are worse things, but seriously, I almost cried myself! Haven really did an amazing job. She didn't even start to cry until after the shot. I thought it was sad to listen to her cry when she was uncomfortable or hungry. However, the pain cry is a whole other thing and I hate it.
Oh well. It's over. Until two weeks from now when she has to get more shots. Maybe I will send Chris to that appointment...
Here are her one-month stats: 10 lbs, 3.5oz and 21-3/4" long! This puts her in the 75th percentile for both. The nurse said she growing like a a pretty little weed!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Little things that are big things

So, last night Haven went 5 hours between nursing and slept 4 straight hours! You think 4 hours is not much sleep, but it IS! Haven is awesome and I have no complaints about her night-time habits, but I'll take all the sleep I can get.
This morning Chris and I read some "What to expect in the first year" for the second month, as we are now entering into that territory. That inspired us to have some learning interactive time with Haven. I will post some videos on youtube of that time.

Here is a picture of her hair loss that I mentioned before.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Videos

Ok, so I gave up on this site to upload videos. You can see Haven on our brand new Youtube account!!! Our account name is TheBarryFam
Enjoy!

Smiles!!!

So guess who saved her pretty little first smile for this morning at 3:00 am? That's right, Haven Rae. It was very sweet and perfect because we woke up to nurse, and then Chris changed her diaper. When he brought her back to me to finish nursing he sat down on the bed and she gave us this big, both sided smile. Of course, I was afraid it was just that something felt nice, but I said to her "Are you smiling for real at us?" She stopped smiling for a second, looked over to me and then smiled again. "That's real! It IS real!" is what I kept saying and she kept smiling and then all three of us fell asleep. Awwww.
Yesterday, we caught the sun out and went on a short walk; just Haven, the Bjorn, and I. We also celebrated her being 4 weeks old by clipping her nails for the second time in her life. I guess I should start referring to these as manicures. She is grabbing on to so many things, I hate to put her hands in the mitts. So, I have wait until she's asleep and I'm feeling brave AND I have the clippers available. Yesterday the stars aligned.
Here are some other things that are happening: she's getting baby acne :(, she's losing her hair :(, she's spending more time awake and happy (as opposed to either being asleep, being awake and nursing, or being awake and crying). This happens mostly in the morning. It's convenient because it gives me a chance to get dressed and put in contact lenses. She just lies on the bed and stares at the fan and coos.
I've started keeping better track of her sleeping times. Hopefully, this will help me see a pattern and allow me to more confidently put her down for a nap. As of now, she spends most of the day in my arms and falls asleep there. Then, I'm afraid she'll wake up if I transfer her to the crib. So, obviously, we're still working things out. It's ok for now. Usually, I'd rather hold her anyway.
Tuesday we had a mothers' morning out of sorts. Haven and I went to a LLL meeting to get some tips and meet up with two other moms and babies from our Bradley birth class. From that class, three of four babies have arrived; Jen with baby Alexa and Maria with baby Soren! We all went out to lunch after the meeting and had some really awesome catch-up time. It is great to have friends that are in the same "Brand New Mom" boat as I am.
As a side note; I did TRY to put up the videos. For some reason this blog site did not like them. I will try again and if I can't post them here, I will start a Youtube account. Now I have week 2, 3, and 4!
Also I am on a mission to catch Haven in the act of smiling. My camera will be on me at all times. So, look for that picture. :) xoxo from Haven and me!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Hello/Goodbye 3 weeks!

So yesterday was the three week anniversary AND the 25 year anniversary of Haven's and my births! As my mom points out, this means that our birthdays will always be on the same day of the week. Thanks for all the calls, emails, texts, and facebook posts. I had a wonderful time hearing from so many people. I feel so loved :) I had a great day. Mom and Dad came over to make breakfast and Mom held Haven while I took a long shower (glorious). Chris came home during his lunch hour to be with me and then Haven and I went out for a pedicure and coffee with Jen and baby Alexa. Chris brought home our favorite chinese food for dinner and we ended the evening watching LOST and eating cake. All the while, sweet Haven was keeping my lap warm. Does life get better?
Haven continues to astound us with her movement; she is so strong and loves to kick, move her head, swing her arms and generally do anything to break out of a swaddle. We still attempt to swaddle her at night for her own comfort, but during short naps in the daytime, we just tuck a blanket around her legs (hospital style, so no SIDS issue).
She makes a lot of noise. She sighs and squeaks and when she's asleep, she breathes out on a pitch. It is so cute. We tell her she'll be a soprano in Daddy's choir.
She's also taken to grabbing things; my hair, pearls, shirts, her clothes, etc. It's sweet when she falls asleep with her hands clasped together. I've even seen a few fingers intertwined!
Today we went to church to visit Chris, have lunch together and take church directory pictures. Haven slept through the entire photo shoot, but at least she wasn't crying. She looks very peaceful with her eyes closed :). Of course, this short trip to church turned into show and tell the new baby. It was fun introducing her to everyone and showing her off. Hopefully it was tiring for her and she will sleep well tonight. She is a pretty good sleeper at night, for which I am very thankful! She wakes up every 3-4 hours to nurse, but usually falls asleep again after she's done.
So that's our update for now. I'm going to post two videos; one of her at two weeks and one at three weeks. I might wait until Chris gets home to help me though...

Monday, January 4, 2010

Follow-up Dr's Appointment

This morning Chris and Haven and I bundled up and went back to the pediatrician's office. Because of her jaundice when she was born, they wanted to recheck her weight gain and bilirubin levels. No problems there! Haven weighted in at 8lbs, 3oz and her color is so good, they didn't even bother with checking for jaundice.
Go Haven!
Also, we met our doctor for the first time and loved him. He is very helpful and willing to answer any questions. He has young kids and he used to be a pediatrician on a military base.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Our First Week Home


This afternoon marks one whole week we've been at home since Haven was born. Here are her birth stats: She was born at Northside Hopsital Wednesday, Dec 23 at 6:46pm. She was 7lbs, 11oz and 20-1/4" long, Haven Rae Barry. Even though it wasn't what we planned, after 25 hours of labor, Haven was delivered via c-section.
So, one week ago Haven was weighing in at 7lbs, 3oz and nursing like a champ. We've had lots of family visits as it was the Christmas holiday. We were so happy to have Sam and Sarah in town, as well as Dave and Tera. It was really a great way to start Haven's life, to have so much family and love surrounding her.
On Monday, we went to the pediatrician. Haven weighed in at 7lbs, 10 oz; almost back up to her birth weight - hooray! We forgot to bring a diaper bag, and of course Haven needed a change while we were there. It was a pretty good place to forget it though, as of course, they had plenty of diapers.
Here are some fun things we've noticed about Haven. She has really good hand coordination. She's not one to constantly scratch her own face with her nails, and when she wants to grab onto something, she gets it on the first try. She's also doing well at looking at things; close faces, movement of the fan, and light sources. At her one week "birthday," we noticed her sucking her thumb and lifting her head by herself! She can also squirm her way along the crib mattress, out of a swaddle and out of a diaper! We learned the "squirm her way out of a diaper" the hard way...
This week, we've had a wonderful time learning how life feels with three of us in the house. Chris goes back to work tomorrow. Haven and I will have to learn how to get along without him during the day. :)

(In the above shot, Haven is one week old. Thanks to Christina Warden for this AWESOME pic!!)