Whew, six months have flownnnnnnn by! Our sweet Annabelle Grace is changing so fast, every single day! I mean, she practically seems like a toddler already! (I know that is really quite the exaggeration, but I don’t really care.)
We’ve still been reading tons of books! Annabelle Grace loves story time and likes to interact by touching the pages and trying to open and close books! She loves when you use special voices for different characters! (The book in the picture was actually created by some friends in Helena, Will and Misti Staley, in memory of their sweet son, Freeman! They have also created a playground, Freeman Playground, and we can’t wait to take Annabelle Grace! If you would like to donate, possibly purchase a book, or keep up with the awesome-ness they are doing in Helena- go “Like” their Facebook page- Freeman Playground.)
We are still having PLENTY of tummy time!
Learning to stand on her own, by holding on to things when place near something!
Reaching up for things
We had our first dinner out as a family- where Annabelle Grace was able to sit in her OWN chair! She wasn’t in our laps or in her carseat! She sat in her seat and read her book and watched us for 1.5 hours- she did SO well! Also- this chair is seriously wonderful! We also bought the tray that attaches to it, and both are GREAT additions!
We also finally started trying some churches out in the area- we were waiting until she got big enough to take different medications in case she were to catch a cold or, worst case scenario, the flu. Thankfully we have managed to stay “cold and flu free!”
She loves when you let her stand in her crib!
Is a big fan of this purple, rolling, hippopotamus we gave her for Christmas:
She started pushing up on to all fours on February 8- though she isn’t crawling yet- she’s trying her hardest to figure it out.
She enjoys knocking her colorful shape blocks together.
We did have one little bonus visit to the doctor this month, aside from her 6-month wellness check up. There was a teensy bit (veryyyy teensy) of blood in her poop, so we figured we would check in on it. She also had a tiny bit of diaper rash, but other than that was sleeping and eating and as happy as ever. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so we were told to just watch and see if it happened again- and it hasn’t! Silly girl was just as happy waiting for that appointment though and decided she would eat her shoe!
We also took a trip with Papi to Eudora, Arkansas so that Daddy and Papi could run the Mississippi River Run half marathon! We were able to stay with Papi’s cousin, Carol, and see lots of her family while there! Poor Daddy and Papi ran in rain the ENTIRE time. None the less, it was a great little mini-trip with good food and great family time! Of course, Annabelle Grace napped on the way there and the way home-perfect!
She is still drooling, but still no teeth!
She can grab on to her crib rails.
We celebrated another first holiday- Valentine’s Day!
She had her first farm-lunch picnic, even though she didn’t get to eat food yet!
We are enjoying all the weekends and afternoons and evenings we have with Daddy right now before he gets busy! Smiling, laughing, dancing, walking, swinging!
Annabelle Grace has obviously worn an assortment of outfits yet again- some, a little mis-matched, some not…most always with a bow of some sort!
And of course, if you keep up with us on any other form of social media- we have started Baby Led Weaning! Her first day of meals was Thursday, February 22! We were avid about waiting until the 6-month mark, as that is when a baby’s digestive system is better able to handle solid foods. Her “adjusted” 6 month birthday would have been the 21st, and her real 6 month birthday was the 23rd, so we went for the day in the middle!
For months now, Annabelle Grace has sat in her high chair and had a toy, a spoon, or a breastmilk popsicle to play with while we would eat. We had hopes that this would get her used to the idea of sitting for meals, and that the objects she had would get her used to having something in front of her while sitting at the table. It is a baby’s natural instinct to bring something to their mouths, so we also had hopes that this would help develop her pincher grasp and aim until it was time to try the real deal. Either our plan worked, or we just have a great baby- she did great!
Her very first meal was breakfast- eggs and bananas!
We continued with a few snacks and meals through the 23rd- she tried plain, Greek yogurt, broccoli, a peach, a pear, baked tilapia seasoned with Ms. Dash, roasted sweet potato sticks, steamed asparagus, cucumbers, red and orange bell pepper strips, roasted red pepper hummus, green beans, and a plain hamburger patty! She definitely aimed each time, and definitely ate a little of these items, believe it or not! (Feel free to come change a diaper if you need proof! hahahaha) We are all absolutely loving this method, and honestly couldn’t see going about this any other way. We look forward to meal times together and Annabelle Grace is always so eager to see what is on her tray!
Six months of joy with our baby girl and it has FLOWN by. It’s hard to believe she is a half a year old now….!! She is weighing in somewhere around 14 pounds, and her length is somewhere between 25 and 26 inches long! She has an incredibly happy demeanor and has still had no trouble sleeping through the night!
Our schedule this month has looked a little like this:
5:30am: Wake up, change diaper and put clothes on, nurse, play in exersaucer
6:30am: Sit at the table with Mom and Dad while they eat breakfast, tummy time while they get dressed for the day
7:30am: Change diaper, nurse, nap
9:00am: Wake up, change diaper, nurse, tummy time while Mom folds/puts away laundry
10:00am: Change diaper, nurse, nap
11:30am: Wake up, Change diaper, nurse, story time
12:15pm: Sit with Mom at table while she eats lunch, play time of some sort, clean up the kitchen
1:30pm: Walk outside, if the weather is nice
2:15pm: Change diaper, nurse, nap or hang out with Daddy
4:15pm: Wake up, change diaper, nurse, play
5:30pm: Nurse, play
6:15pm: Sit at the table with Mom and Dad for dinner
6:30pm: Bath time, lotion, diaper cream, rock and nurse
7:00pm: Bedtime
As for me, I am still feeling so great! January 24th I was asked by Pure Barre corporate to submit a story about the last few years I have taken Pure Barre classes and how it has helped me mentally, physically, and emotionally with my miscarriages and while pregnant with Annabelle Grace. An old roommate from college, Alycia, has kept up with my blog and life and happens to be a friend with someone who is a master teacher with corporate. The two of them had talked about my story and I didn’t know a thing about it. I then was contacted and asked if I would be willing to share for the newsletter that is emailed to all of the owners and teachers. I was incredibly honored to do so! They also asked for a picture of Annabelle Grace and I to add to the excerpt!
Month six was a great month! Now, to finish the second half of her first year!
The Cashion Life 
What an incredibly blessed baby girl is Annabelle Grace Cashion! I can just see her reading and referring to these wonderfully detailed notes and pictures when she has babies of her own someday way down the road of life! We can feel the love she is experiencing in her home! I know she feels it , too! Incredibly blessed is she! Praise God for her and for her sweet parents!
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