A Glimpse

I have been a bit behind on my blog, so I wanted to use this post to give you a glimpse of the happenings of our family during the summer and up until a few weeks ago.  I am going to use pictures and captions to tell the story.  Enjoy!

Visited the Air Force Museum at Hill Air Force Base.

Achaia enjoying swimming.

The Sharps at Bear Lake

Watched the Angel Moroni get placed on the Brigham City Temple (this picture is from our front yard!)

We went camping at Payson Lakes with some family friends.

Achaia on the beach at Payson Lakes after deciding the water was too cold. (Can you see her "fangs" just inside her mouth? Those two top teeth were her first teeth to come in.)

Taking pictures at the Manti Temple, just before visiting my sister at Snow College

Visiting Thanksgiving Point.  Achaia was overdue for a nap so it was hard to get a good picture.  I loved this face she is pulling, though.

Achaia's aunt put her hair in pigtails. I think she looks so cute, but it also makes her look older- more like a toddler than my little baby!

One of our favorite things to do is going for a walk!

Florida and Caribbean Trip, Part 2

The second week of our trip in June was spent on a cruise in the Caribbean! We were on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. It is one of their largest ships (maybe even the biggest?).

The first day of the cruise we were at sea. So we got settled in, explored the ship, and enjoyed a quiet day.  The cruise ship was so fun.  We loved traveling this way because we only had to unpack once and just about everything is included, even food!  The our cruise ship had a rock climbing wall, multiple pools, mini golf, FlowRider (for surfing or body boarding), ice skating, many restaurants and dining rooms, a theater, among other things.  Every day we returned to our room, there was an itinerary for the next day and a towel animal. 

The second day we arrived at Labadee, Haiti.  This port is leased by Royal Caribbean and is very tourist-y.  But we loved it!  We went on a historic tour and learned a lot about the history of Haiti.  Then we had a great time watching Caleb speak to the natives in their own language (Caleb spoke Haitian Creole on his LDS mission in Florida).  The people were so surprised that this white guy could speak their language!  We also enjoyed lounging on the beach and in the warm, beautiful water.

Unfortunately, we forgot to take pictures in Haiti.   But we did buy this red dress in Haiti.  This picture is on the bed in our stateroom.  (Excuse the red eye, I just noticed it and don't want to reload another picture.)

The third day we arrived in Falmouth, Jamaica.  Caleb and I didn't have anything planned to do at this port, so we explored some shops and saw some of the countryside while on the bus to the shops.  The picture below was taken while we were waiting to get back on the bus to return to the port.

Caleb and Achaia at some shops near Falmout Jamaica. The bus in the background says "Chicken's Magic Bus Tours"

On the fourth day, we stopped at Georgetown, Grand Cayman.  The ship couldn't come into port here, so we took smaller boats to shore.  At Grand Cayman, we went on a boat tour of the salt water forest.  The salt water forest is made of mangrove trees.  These trees are unique because they use salt water, not fresh water like most trees.  This tour was nice and we learned about some of the animals in Grand Cayman.  On the ride back from the tour, we stopped by Seven Mile Beach.  This beach was beautiful!! We were going to swim here, but Achaia was so tired and grumpy, we decided to head back to the ship.

Holli and Achaia on the ferry to Georgetown, Grand Cayman.

Grandma Peterson (far left), Achaia and Holli on Seven Mile Beach. (Beautiful, huh?!)

The fifth day and last place we stopped was Cozumel, Mexico.  Here we went to the Tulum Mayan ruins.  There was quite a bit of walking, but it was really neat to see the ruins.  All the doors and entryways on the ruins were short, so Caleb and I thought we could fit right in, back in their day.  After our tour, we found an LDS tour guide that told us a little about the ruins from a Book of Mormon stand point.  That was really interesting to connect the three portions of the Mayan temple to the three members of the Godhead.

The tour guide offered us an umbrella for shade.  At one point I was holding all this and a bottle in Achaia's mouth.  I love this baby carrier, though!  We used it a ton on the trip.

Then we spent one more day at sea before we arrived at Cape Canaveral, Florida.  The last day we tried to do everything on the ship that we hadn't done yet.  For me it was trying the body boarding on the FlowRider.  Then we got every packed up to disembark the ship the next day.  After we disembarked, we got a few rental cars and got ready to go separate ways.  Caleb, Grandma Peterson, and Grandma Bailey went to Orlando to catch a flight home.  Caleb had to get ready to go to Missouri because his Army training started the next week.  My mom and dad, threes sisters, Achaia, and I traveled down to Miami to spend a few days with some family friends, the Fabianos.

Achaia did pretty well at 7-months.  She had her moments of tiredness or grumpiness, but overall she was a trooper.  We enjoyed bringing her along, even though it was a lot of work.

Florida and Caribbean Trip, Part 1

In June, we spent a few weeks with my parents and sisters on a trip to Florida and a cruise in the Caribbean. The trip was for my sister's high school graduation. And it was our Christmas and birthday presents for the last few years as my parents saved up to take us all on this trip. We took Achaia with and had a lot of fun! Here are some highlights of our trip.

We spent the first few days in Disney World. We went to Epcot the first day. We made sure to get to the Test Track and Mission Space rides first before they got to busy. Then we spent the afternoon at the World Showcase. France and Mexico were my favorites, but we didn't get to see all of the countries because Achaia needed a nap. For the record, I thought the Baby Care Center in Epcot was the nicest of all four Disney parks. In Epcot, Achaia got to ride the Finding Nemo one and the boat ride in Mexico.

Our little family outside the Finding Nemo ride.

Caleb and Achaia waiting for the shuttle back to the hotel.

The second day we went to Animal Kingdom. This was my favorite park in Disney World. There were lots of trees for shade, fun rides, and animals to see through out the park. We really enjoyed Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safari, and It's Tough to be a Bug show.

Baby elephant on Kilimanjaro Safari.

Mama and Papa Lion on Kilimanjaro Safari

The third day we split with Hollywood Studios in the morning and Magic Kingdom in the evening. In Hollywood Studios, we liked Tower of Terror and the Indiana Jones show. Magic Kingdom was really busy, but we got Fast Passes to Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain so we didn't have to wait too long in line. (If you are traveling with kids that are too small to ride, I would definitely recommend the Rider Swap option. You just go the ride entrance, ask for Rider Swap, and go wait at the exit- which is usually and air conditioned gift shop. Then when the rest of the family gets done, you can leave the child with them and three people can take the Fast Pass line. It was really nice!)

I didn't get any pictures of Hollywood Studios or Magic Kingdom, so I will have to get some from my family and post them next time I visit my family. We had a lot of fun in Disney World. It was kid friendly and there is so much to see and do! My family spend two more days in Disney World, but Caleb, Achaia and I went to Fort Lauderdale, where Caleb served his mission, for the next couple days.

And I will have to post the rest of my trip later when I get on a PC. Our Ipad won't let me post blogs. I can comment on blogs, but not write a blog. Weird. I will just have to leave you all in suspense of more pictures and details. :)

Six Months!

Achaia is now 6 months old! Where does the time go? It still seems like she should be 3 month s old. She is still an angel and we love every day with her!
At her 6 month appointment, she was 16 lbs 7 oz (60%) and 27 inches (90%). Still really healthy and doing well. She got shots at this appointment and for the first time, she got a fever and wasn't feeling good that evening. It was my first taste of having a sick baby (beyond a stuffy nose and small cough). I hope she doesn't get sick too much, but I know it will probably happen some time or other. It's just hard to see her miserable.
This last month we celebrated Easter with her. We didn't do anything real extravagant, but we did go to my Grandma Peterson's house for Easter dinner. It was fun to spend time with family and enjoy Grandma's delicious dinner.
Achaia has started babbling mini-words. She started with da-da. Then she figured out ma-ma and mum-mum. Ma-ma is her favorite, at least for the last few days. She rotates them every few days.
Since she was 4 months old, we have been feeding her rice cereal and pureed carrots, sweet potatoes, and sweet peas. Now at 6 months, we started feeding her mashed fruits and other mashed foods she can easily eat. Of the baby foods, she seems to like pears and peas the most, but it depends on how hungry she is.
Some other fun things about Achaia are she is pretty ticklish. We can get her laughing pretty good in the evenings before bed when she is a little giddy. Caleb is the best and most consistent at getting her to laugh. I have only been able to get her to laugh a couple of times. But she gives her smiles away freely and that is good enough for me.
She scoots backward with her hands when on her belly and forward with her feet when she is laying on her back. She hasn't yet figured out how to crawl, but I still have to keep an eye on her because of her scooting. Also, she can sit really well on her own, but I try to stay within arms reach because she still tips over once in a while. We are excited to see her crawl. It will open a whole new world to her.

Baby's 1st Easter

Sitting all by herself

Sitting with the Boppy because she is still a little tipsy

Dressed warm and ready for a walk in the brisk morning air

In the middle of a raspberry and a funny face

She found her toes and is thinking of trying to stick them in her mouth

Months Four and Five

Achaia is now 5 months old! She is still doing wonderfully. She had a bit of a cold (stuffy nose, cough) last week, but other than that she is healthy and well. At her 4 month appointment, she weighed 14 lbs, 9 oz and was 25 inches long (75 percentile on both). We love her rosy, chubby cheeks (see pictures below)! Now, we figure she is about 15 lbs, and we measured her at 24 inches... let's just say she stayed at 25 inches. I hope she's not shrinking. :)
Her newest trick is rolling from her back onto her belly. She does it now without even thinking. At least until she remembers she doesn't like being on her belly. Then she lets us know she needs help getting back to her back. Achaia is slowly staying on her belly longer and getting to like it better. She has been pulling her knees up under her while on her belly and pushing up with her arms, so we hope she'll figure out how to crawl soon. Or at least roll to her back.
She is still refining using her hands. She is getting pretty good at reaching for things and manipulating them into her mouth. She is satisfied with any toy that will fit into her mouth. It was been so fun watching her develop the use of her hands. It is also fun to watch her observe her world with so much interest.
Well, I could go on and on about Achaia. I'll just finish up with some highlights. She still sleeps through the night, every night, and takes a few-hour nap in the afternoon. She loves to talk with you, play on the floor, watch people move, and look at herself in the mirror. At four months, we started feeding her rice cereal once a day and now we are giving her pureed veggies. And she loves her daddy- she smiles real big when he gets home from work.

4.5 months
Big Grin! I love how she hold her hands.

Again, I love how she holds her hands.

4.5 months
Playing on the floor

4.5 months
In her sleepy-J's, all ready for bed! We love how the hat sticks up on top.

4.5 months
'After rolling on her belly... It looks like she might be happy, but she's really upset. (But cute! Note the hat)

4 months and a week
This is on her journey to rolling over. The day this was taken, she just learned to roll onto her side. And she was so tired, she fell asleep just a few minutes after the picture was taken.

Not quite 4 months old
She was holding onto her daddy's ears. Weee!

3.5 months
She got this coat (and the dress underneath) from her great-grandma Peterson. She was 10 times cuter in person. Love it!

3 months and a week old
Our piano prodigy. Daddy is showing her how to play Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Graduated

Caleb and I both got our diplomas in the last few weeks! Caleb graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Management Technology from Weber State University (above left). I (Holli) graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Utah State University (above right). We are so excited to have completed the student stage of life. Now on to the family and kids stage!

Three Months!

Helping with the laundry. Now we just have to teach her how to fold the socks.

Achaia was three months back toward the beginning of February. She weighed about 13 lbs and was about 24 inches long, although not officially because we didn't see the doctor at 3 months. At three months, she was able to hold her head up pretty well on her own.
Not a lot has changed in the last month. She has been working on perfecting the skills she has. At three months, she smiles more freely and is working on perfecting her laugh. Achaia is a lot more interactive and fun to have around.
She still sleeps beautifully through the night, about 9pm-7am. She also takes a few hours nap in the afternoon. If she doesn't get her regular naps, she can get pretty grumpy. But she is almost always in a good mood.

Achaia loves to stand and fly over her daddy.

She always sleeps with her hands up by her head.

Beautiful smile!

Another beautiful smile. The picture is off center because I was focusing on getting her to laugh rather than using the camera.

I have issues with flash on my camera. But this picture shows her bright blue eyes.

And this one if fuzzy because I have camera flash problems. But look how high she can lift her head up!

I love how she smiles with her tongue! I also really like that outfit.

Two Months

Achaia was two months back in January, but I'm still catching up. :) At her 2-month doctor's appointment, she was 23.5 inches long and weighed 11 lbs. She also got her first shots, besides the few she got at the hospital when she was born. And she did so good- she settled down within a couple minutes of getting the shots. She cried a little more a few hours later when the soreness got to her.
By two months, she was smiling and starting to coo. She could also hold her head up a little on her own. She loved to listen to people talk to her and would sometimes talk back. Achaia likes to lay on the floor and kick her legs.
During her second month, we celebrated Christmas. She got a nice swing that she enjoys and a really pretty forest green dress. Achaia gave Caleb and I a great Christmas gift: sleeping through the night! The week of Christmas, at about 6 weeks old, she starting sleeping around 8 hours through the night! She has been sleeping great ever since. And there was much rejoicing- yayyyy!!
We gave Achaia a name and a blessing the first Sunday in January. It was a great day. She looked beautiful, as always, and she was smiling really big after the blessing! It was great to have our families and friends all together for her special day.

Playing with Daddy

Green dress from her Great-Grandma Peterson for Christmas

Smiles!

Loves to play with Daddy!

With Santa Claus

Christmas morning

Achaia and I (and my sister) on her blessing day

Blessing Day

Full-Body Shot

This is one of my favorites. It's our computer desktop.