It's been awhile

5 new posts!!!!

Playing outside!

As we were playing outside, watching Daddy wash the cars, I noticed something...we have a new birdnest! We think it might be a Dove's nest. I am hoping this one works out better than the last!

It's built right on top of the old nest.

First bites of food!

Here is video of Cora's first bites of food! Yummy rice cereal! The video is a little long and my hand is in the way for some of it but we think it's pretty cute!

ExcerSaucer

Cora in her ExcerSaucer flirting with the camera! We took this awhile back but I think it's still pretty cute. Plus I just figured out how to post video. I could never get video to download to Blogger.

Update

I worked on my Four Month blog (below) last week but just published it. We are happy to report that this week was a very good week at home with Dad while I was at work! She was a little fussy but nothing like last week. I am so relieved. My mom and sister helped out but both found that Cora now seems to prefer her Daddy. She took her bottle better with him and he was the one to get her to go to sleep. Please pray for her continued progress. It makes it so much easier for me to go to work knowing that she is not miserable.

Four Month Update!

Miss Cora is about 4 1/2 months old now. I can't believe it! I planned on posting the week of her 4 month birthday but I kept putting it off. Today was our check up with Dr. Towns and Cora looked great! Her current stats are:
Weight - 13 lbs 15 oz (50th percentile)
Length - 25 3/8 inches (75th percentile)
Head - 16 1/2 inches (70th percentile)

She is following the growth curve beautifully and has been pretty consistent with regards to her percentiles. Her head took a good jump from the 50th to 70th percentile...she's just growing lots of brains!!! We got two shots this visit and will likely get three at her 6 month appointment. She will be eligible for the flu shot when she is 6 months old so we will be getting that shot as well. No fun, but we want to make sure she stays healthy.

We spent the week of Cora's 4 month birthday on the move with a trip to Oklahoma to visit her Mimi, Aunt Stefani and all of her cousins. We have also been able to spend a lot of time with my side of the family. We spent all day long with my Mimi, Cora's "Old" Mimi for Mimi's 82nd Birthday. Mimi loves Cora and I know she really enjoyed spending the day with her. Other than that we have just been enjoying having a 4 month old. She is usually smiling, laughing, talking, playing in her Bumbo or in her ExerSaucer. Sometimes we have a harder time. Cora has developed a pretty bad case of separation anxiety that sometimes makes life a little more difficult around the Stogner household. Life is good until Momma has to go to work. Poor Cora has been crying from about the time I leave for work at 5:45pm until around bedtime at 8:30pm. We are trying everything we can think of to help her out but it seems she just wants her Mom around for comfort and breastfeeding. Poor Matt. My Mom, Dad and sister have been all working together to help take care of her. She's never been thrilled to see me leave but this week has been awful. It makes me feel beyond terrible to know she is so upset when I am at work but I am hoping and praying that she will soon grow out of this. We were told by the pedi today to consider starting her on solid foods to see if this will help. We gave her rice cereal tonight for the first time and she wasn't really a fan! We videoed it and I am trying to get that plus another cute video of her up on the blog. I am having trouble figuring it out!

Bumbo and tummy time. She always leans herself over to her left side in the Bumbo.

Party girl ready to go to a baby shower with Mom and Dad

Cora kissin on her cousin Nathan

Cora and Nathan...and part of Mimi

We love to bathe in the sink at Mimi and Fluffy's house

Chewing on people's hands is another favorite pastime. This time it was Aunt Crissy but I don't think she minded!

Eating my cereal and chewing on my fingers!

What's Going On

A lot has been going on in Cora Jude's world lately. She is 3 1/2 months old and she is doing all kinds of things. Last weekend we went to a baby shower for our sweet friends, Jamie and Curtis. I went to high school with Jamie and Curtis and now they live in Nashville. We had a lot of fun seeing them and we can't wait to meet their little boy!! Cora had a real good time at the shower. This week we brought out the Bumbo and the ExerSaucer and I am happy to report that she loves both of them. She plays independently when she is in them which gives us time to get things done around the house or get some blogging done! We also started Music Class this week! My cousin Jennifer and her son Nicholas have been going to class for awhile now and having a lot of fun so we thought we would try it out. Cora was very interested in the class, she obviously didn't sing or play with the "instruments" but she was absorbing everything! The class is for infants to 3 year olds. Cora was the only girl and the youngest in the class. There were two boys there that were about two years old and her cousin, Nicholas, who is 6 months old. We will be going for the next five weeks. I am happy to get her out of the house and get her engaged with other people. I sometimes feel like she is quarantined in the house due to our crazy schedules and also because it's so HOT outside! I can't wait for it to cool down in the Fall. I already plan on taking her to the Arboretum, to the park, to the zoo...I can't wait!! Hopefully Matt and I can both take her. We pretty much are either working or watching the baby. Our schedules are not optimum and we really miss each other but we know we are doing what is best for Cora. Hopefully soon one of us will have a better work schedule and we will have more family time.

Cora and Mommy at the shower

Bumbo baby

I love my ExerSaucer!

A sneaky way to get tummy time in...give her something interesting to look at! She LOVES the computer!

Cora's favorite place to take a nap - Mommy and Daddy's bed!