10 Months

This month  was pretty exciting with your new developments.  You are using your verbal skills to let Daddy and I know how you feel.  You like the sound of your own voice at times you scream out with joy and other times you whisper dada very softly.  This month you also said mama for the first time which was music to my ears.  You are starting to exercise your will a little more with you desires.  Daddy and I have to turn our heads when you throw a fit so you don't see us smiling.  You are such a mover and shaker.  You love to crawl around and explore new places.  Every month I am amazed by your development and feel so blessed that I am able to call myself your mommy.

Weight: 16.1 lbs - 3% percentile

Length: 27.5 inches - 10% percentile

Size: You are wearing 6 month clothes still but we have moved you up to size 3 diapers.

Feeding Schedule: You are eating 3 meals a day now.  Cereal and fruit for breakfast, veggies & fruit for lunch, and veggies & fruit for dinner. You nurse 4-5 times a day. You also enjoy puffs, bananas & avocados.

Sleeping Schedule: You go to bed around 7pm give or take a couple minutes.  You are sleeping through the night most of the time.  

Likes: Music Class, Baths, Your Playhouse, Max,  Tickles, Music, Crawling, Exploring, Pulling Up on Furniture, Stroller Rides & New Places.

Dislikes: Getting your nose or face wiped off. Wearing a Bib. Your car seat.  

Events: This month we were busy with Saint Patrick's Day & Easter preparations.  We had Wednesday Lent services this month.  I enjoyed preparing for Easter with you. We colored eggs, read many bible stories about Jesus journey and celebrated with family.  I look forward to teaching you about Jesus death and resurrection.  This month you also helped daddy and I celebrate our 8th dating anniversary.  It was another fun month!

9 Months

This month went very quickly.  We started the month off with sickness.  First you got the bug, then daddy and mommy was last to catch it.  Once we were all healthy again we worked on helping you learn to sleep through the night.  You have been sleeping through the night for two weeks straight now. This month you have started to try and pull yourself up on things.  It is pretty fun to watch you try to pull yourself up.  When you get up you are so proud of yourself.  After a couple minutes you get frustrated because you have not figured out how to get down (so you just cry until we rescue you). You are enjoying music class more each week.  You have started to pat the drum during drumming time.  Daddy and I look forward to watching you grow and develop! We love you to the moon and back!

Weight: 15.8 lbs - 3% percentile

Length: 27 inches - 10% percentile

Size: You are wearing 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers still!

Feeding Schedule: You are eating 3 meals a day now. Barley and fruit for breakfast, veggies  & fruit for lunch, and veggies & fruit for dinner. You nurse 4-6 times a day.  You have started to eat a few puffs also.   

Sleeping Schedule: You go to bed around 7pm give or take a couple minutes.  We finally had a break threw.  You are sleeping through the night 7pm-5am!  

Likes:  Music Class, Your Playhouse, Max, Apples, Tickles, Music, Crawling, Exploring & New Places .

Dislikes: Getting your nose or face wiped off. Wearing a Bib.  

Events: Early in the month we had a winter storm. We took advantage of the snow by pulling you around in daddy's wooden sled from his childhood. Mommy also brought in a bowl of snow and let you play with it. You were pretty amazed by the white fluffy stuff. We celebrated your first Valentines Day by making cards for family, making Valentines for your friends and dressing you up in all your festive Valentines clothes. Aunt Kristi and Uncle Adam announced they are expecting another baby!  Your new little friend will be here in September! Daddy had President's Day off. You two spent the day together playing and Daddy brought you to my work for a surprise visit! Another month has come and gone and we made lots of great memories as a family!

 Sitting Still Is Not Happening Anymore!!!

8 Months

This month has been very exciting!  This month you started to army crawl and say Dada.  You have made so much progress already Daddy and I are so proud of you and your new developments.  In just two weeks you have went from only going 2 feet and now you will crawl around your whole playroom and into the living room.  It won't be long before you are into everything.   This month you also were really sick for the first time.  I felt so helpless but thank goodness you are finally better.  Daddy and I love you so much!

Weight: 15.11 lbs - 5% percentile

Length: 27 inches - 25% percentile

Size: You are wearing 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers

Feeding Schedule: You are eating 3 meals a day now. Barley and fruit for breakfast, veggies for lunch, and barley, veggies & fruit for dinner. You nurse 4-6 times a day.

Sleeping Schedule: You go to bed around 7pm give or take a couple minutes. You still wake up at night.  I am sure you will sleep through the night someday until then we will continue to have our mini dates in the middle of the night.  

Likes: Finger painting, playing with Max, Crawling, Playing Tag with Mommy & Daddy, Stroller Rides, Reading, Singing, Jumping in your Jumparoo, & Music Class.

Dislikes: Getting your nose or face wiped off. Getting your diaper changed.  You are starting to not like veggies, loud noises, your car seat.   

Events: We started the month off by ringing in the New Year.  You were asleep at midnight but Daddy and I snuck into your room and kissed you at midnight.  We also helped cousin Walker celebrate his 1st birthday.  We attended cousin Alivia & Kinsey's basketball game.  You liked all the people at the game but the buzzer upset you.  Last weekend we headed to Indy for a quick visit with Grandma & Grandpa Strobel. 

7 Months

This month has been very busy with all the Christmas celebrations. It was so fun to experience Christmas as a parent and watch you enjoy all the festivites.  Daddy and I thought very hard about traditions we wanted to start for Christmas.  We may not have it profected yet but we have a good start.  The traditions we did start; we put our tree up the weekend after Thanksgiving and won't take it down until Epiphany is over.  On Christmas Eve we made cookies for Santa and Daddy read Twas the Night Before Christmas to you.  We let you open one gift on Christmas Eve and we got you new PJ's for Christmas morning.  I look forward to Christmas in the future as we teach you about the birth of our Savior. 


Weight: 15.8 lbs - 25% percentile

Length: 26.5 inches - 50% percentile

Size: You are wearing 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers

Feeding Schedule: You are eating 3 meals a day now.  Barley and prunes for breakfast, veggies for lunch, and barley and veggies for dinner.  You nurse 4-7 times a day now. 

Sleeping Schedule:  You go to bed around 7pm give or take a couple minutes.  You still wake up at night but you are getting better.  Everytime I think I have your sleep schedule figured out you change it up on me. 

Likes: You still love to be swaddled, baths,  putting everything in your mouth, pacifiers, watching Max run around, sitting up, rolling over, spinning in a circle on the floor, playing in your jumparoo, Mommy & Daddy reading books to you and singing!

Dislikes: Getting your nose or face wiped off. 

Events: This month we had several Christmas celebrations.  We started the Christmas celelbrations with the Sparks family.  All your cousins had so much watching you open your gifts and chew on the wrapping paper! We later had the Strobel Christmas and had fun watching you and Ben open gifts and be together.  You also played baby Jesus at Grandpa Strobel's church.  Mommy was very worried because you were a little fussy but you never made a peep. Your 1st Christmas was all I had hoped for and more!

Hello 2013

2012 has been a big year for the Strobel's

 

 

We started the year off with lots of anticipation about the birth of our first child. We were knee deep in names, paint colors, and parenting books. In late February we hosted a gender reveal party. At our 22 week ultra sound we had the ultra sound tech write the gender on a piece of paper and seal it in an envelope. We then gave the envelope to our neighbor who called the baker. The next night we cut into a bright pink cake and found out that we were going to have a daughter, we were over the moon!

 

 

 

 

After finding out the gender we started to debate names. Eric was set on Palmer and I really wanted Paisley. Neither one of us wanted to budge but finally we came to an agreement on Piper. In March Piper’s God Mother started painting her purple argyle room. Kristi really made my vision come to life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In late March I was put on bed rest and Eric stepped up and took over all the household responsibilities. He was such a trooper and a pretty good nurse (most of the time). It was a long 9 weeks filled with lots of health concerns and worries but on May30th Piper was delivered 28 days early by emergency c-section at 10:01pm. Our whole world changed in a moment. We knew we wanted to be parents but we had no idea how much joy and love we would feel for our little girl.

 

 

 

 

 

In mid September we had Piper baptized. It was a memorable day as we were surrounded by so many friends and family. We feel so blessed that God gifted us with the opportunity to be parents to such a wonderful little girl.

 

 

 

 

Eric continues to work for Lorillard Tobacco. Eric is very committed to his work and is hopeful to move up in company in the years to come. Eric also continues to be a huge sports fan or as I like to say a "sports junkie". With the birth of Piper he only made it to one sporting event this year. He went to a Notre Dame game in November for his birthday. Eric is already trying to help mold Piper’s sports interest, she already has a Cubs, Mets, Jets, Colts, and Norte Dame Shirt.

 

 

 

January 6^thwe welcomed a new nephew Walker Martin Clark into the family. Our oldest nephew Liam was glad another boy joined the ranks. With the addition of Piper the Sparks Grandchildren count is up to 2 boys (Liam 6 and Walker almost 1 year) and 5 girls (Alivia 9, Kinsey 7, Layla 4, Addison 4, & Piper 7 months). All the nieces love Piper to pieces they call her Pipey and beg to hold her from the moment we walk in the door. Piper made my parents Grandparents for the 7^th time and Eric parents Grandparents for the 2^nd time. This year the Sparks family gain 3 babies (Walker, Piper, and Kate) but lost 2 remarkable men. My Uncle Scot and Grandpa Dale are now in heaven having a cup of coffee together. On the Strobel side Ben is our only nephew. He will be 2 in April. He is a ball of fun and full of energy!

 

 

 

It is hard to believe that only 7 short months ago Piper joined our family. She has brought us so much joy. The time is passing to quickly, it seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. We love being parents and are seeing the world through a new lens. Being a parent is joyous and heart wrenching all the same time. We just want the best for our little Piper. A concern since her birth has been her head size. The Dr.’s have been watching her from the beginning. Last Friday Piper had an MRI and CAT scan, later that evening we received a phone call from her pediatrician. Piper was diagnosed with Microcephaly (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/microcephaly/DS01169) Some people live unaffected and others have severe developmental delays. We are hoping and praying that Piper lives unaffected by her Microcephaly. No matter the severity we will take this on one step and day at a time. Our emotions are still raw with the new diagnoses but our hearts are full of faith and hope. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We started this year feeling very blessed and we are now ending this year with that same blessed feeling. 

 

 

God is Good

 

 

We wish you a blessed 2013

 

 

P.S. One thing I learned about myself this year…I am THAT mom that talks about her baby all the time and wants to show everyone pictures of her and tell everyone about her newest tricks!