Giggling Gremlina

We have many nicknames for Vanessa (which I may or may not have already posted--I forget). One of the names that we used from early on is Gremlina, which also has variations including Grem and Gremmy. Nickname origins are generally pretty simple. Case in point: John's nickname in high school was Hans; Hans is the German form of John. Gremlina's origins are equally simple. Basically, at times, she looked like the cute Gizmo. Other times, when she incessantly cried, she resembled the evil Gremlins from the film.

Recently, Vanessa has shown us her silly side. In addition to her smiles, she is now giggling too. If you tickle her just the right way under her neck, she goes spastic and starts laughing.

Below are two recent videos of Miss Gremlina and her giggles.

For the win........ carrots!

Feeding Vanessa has not been as "fun" as I originally thought. Most of the time, the food goes into her mouth and then she spits it out. Plastic, wipe-off bibs are a must, as as baby wipes. Recently, she has learned how to blow raspberries and thinks it is hilarious. She thinks it is even more hilarious when she has food in her mouth and blows raspberries. I've been impatient.

Yesterday, I decided to give her carrots. I tried the carrot baby food and thought it tasted kind of gross. I'm used to that crunchy texture of carrots and the texture of mushed carrots isn't too appealing. I didn't have high expectations for how the carrot experience would end.

Surprise! Vanessa LOVED the carrots. She ate the entire serving of them and even grabbed the spoon out of my hand. I find it funny that she chose the messiest, most vibrant food to enjoy.

Sounds and more sounds

At this point, Vanessa is making tons of sounds. My brain is still in summer mode, so if I attempted to describe these sounds, I would probably not do them justice. Besides, the sounds are much cuter when you can see her making them. Below are two videos. She's been blowing raspberries too. It's very cute and all, but can be annoying when it is feeding time.

Video 1, August 5, 2106

Video 2, July 15, 2016

4 month checkup

Vanessa is 15 pounds now. Somewhere in the boxes of baby clothing is the Beast Mode onesie that she got at my baby shower. That onesie is definitely appropriate at this current time. Dr. C (I'm generally excellent with pronouncing names, but can't pronounce our pediatrician's name for the life of me) has given us the go to begin cereals (rice, barley, oats) and stage 1 fruits like apples, pears, and peaches.

Thus far, V detests the rice cereal, no matter if it is warm or cold. I tried it and it's pretty bland. Even if we mix it with fruits, she's not the biggest fan.

This is a picture from the very first time we gave her food. Fortunately, it is less than a full month later and it's easier to feed her. We anticipated a mess the first time we fed her, hence the almost nude baby.

So far, the biggest winner of the baby foods has been Gerber's pears mixed with cinnamon oatmeal. I actually tried it myself. It's delicious. Yeah...I tried baby food. Whatever. If the baby can eat it, so can I. I'm actually so happy she loved the cinnamon and oatmeal. Cinnamon is one of my favorite spices. Like mother, like daughter.

Melange of photos

I have to get better with posting! In the world of babies, differences between one week and the next are momentous. Differences between one month to the next? It's almost like your baby could look like two different people. Below are a bunch of photos from April to current. Honestly, I get so confused with the weeks old versus months old. Clearly, I was meant to be an English major and took the right path.

The photos are shown from oldest to newest. When Vanessa was born, we called her "Sloth" and "Spider Monkey" for quite some time. Now, she is five months old and is 1] much faster in her movements and 2] significantly less monkey-esque.

Photos from April - May, 2016

We call this hairdo "the Trump." For the record, we are not Republicans. 

Photos from May- June 15, 2016 

with cousin, Fionna 

 

 

Photos from June 15-July 15, 2016 

   

 

Mom's Martha Stewarting gone wrong. 

Photos from July 15-August 8, 2016