Lana- 7 months

Lana hasn't had many traditional firsts this last month, but she is progressing in all areas. :) She has started to get on her hands and knees and rock back and forth. She is eating just about every kind of baby food and has started enjoying a few veggie straws with her food. As she's eating food, she likes to rev her hands as if to say "keep it coming, mom". Her first Thanksgiving was in Sabetha with the Wertenberger side of the family and then her first state championship game (and win) were that Saturday. Yay, Bluejays! Lana's first basketball game was this past Saturday and it was for Eli. Mom was coaching, so we didn't get a photo of her. She has started pulling my hair after she wakes up from a nap and when she gets sleepy- kind of like a hug. It's sweet. We sure do love our Lana, Mae! And you'll see from the photo's from our friend, Sara McMillian, she is still well loved by her siblings. :) 

She came down with a cold today, so our photos aren't so smiley and fun this month. We'll knock it out of the park at 8 months. ;)

 Eli, Micah, and Haddie at 7 months.

I mean...💓💓💓

Lana- 6 months

 Lana Mae is 6 months old! She continues to grow and develop and be the center of attention with her siblings. Just today I was talking to the kids about how they are my favorite kids. Micah asked who my "favoritest" kid was. I said, "all of you"! He said "if I were you, I would choose Lana". How sweet is that?! She's been eating just about any and all baby food. Her favorite food is easily green beans- girl can put them away! We had a few weeks of her waking up in the night, but she's back to sleeping well. I keep thinking her teeth will pop through one of these days, but they are still nonexistent. She is now in 12 month clothes and size 4 diapers (same diapers as her big sister). 

 Lana is starting to sit up well. She loves playing in her exersaucer and sleeps with a little lovie bunny. She is spitting up less, but still plenty for mom. 

They sure do love her! Sometimes a little much. :) 

Stats:
Height 26" (56th percentile)
Weight 17# 14oz (95th percentile)
Eli (apparently the first born gets two posts for 6 months), Micah, and Haddie at 6 months

For Halloween (the day after 6m for Lana) she was Perla- the pink mouse from Cinderella. 

Sensi Wu, Cinderella, Perla, Lloyd

Photo from our friend, Sara McMillian

Lana- 5 months

Outfit circa 1987

Lana is such a dream of a baby. Last month she started rolling, so we just now have transitioned out of swaddling and she is now a good little tummy sleeper. Lana goes with the flow pretty well and will take a nap about anywhere with a little convincing- especially if I'm wearing her or she can lay down. A few days ago we started baby oatmeal and she loved it. So far we've only done that and butternut squash and she likes both. She is growing like crazy and is already in 9 month clothes and size 3 diapers. Lana still spits up quite a bit, slobbers and lot, and likes to chew on her hands when she's awake. Much to the delight of her siblings, she has started laughing and we all have a lot of fun with that. She's been to her first 3 football games, 1 volleyball, 1 soccer, and 2 cross country meets. (Like I said, she goes with the flow pretty well.) The time is flying by. We all LOVE Lana Mae!

Eli, Micah, and Haddie at 5 months! 

Starting to try to sit up!

Lana- 4 months

Lana Mae is such a sweetie pie and is adored by her siblings. She is least happy when she is all alone- or at least feels like she is alone. In the last month, she has started rolling both ways and sleeping in the "girls room" with Haddie. Haddie LOVES this and always smiles when I bring her in and says either "I DO like Lana Mae" or "she's the best friend (or sister) ever". It's so precious. I still swaddle her at night, but we'll start transitioning out of that soon. She had her first sickness with a little cold a few nights ago, but she handled it like a champ. Lana sucks on her bottom lip while she's sleeping and thus has stopped taking her paci. She sleeps best swaddled, but will sleep while being held which is nice for church and when we're out and about. She has really started to smile , almost laugh and talk and the whole family is a big fan of all of that. She is well loved! 

Stats:
Height- 25.5" (90th percentile)
Weight- 15# (70th percentile)

Eli, Micah, and Haddie at 4 months. 

Lana- 3 months

It was a big month for our Lana Mae! We started her month with a week-long visit with friends from Colorado. During that time she had her first swim and really seemed to enjoy it. After this, we made a quick trip to Oklahoma to see our friends who live there. And most recently, we went to St. Louis on the bi-annual Wertenberger family vacation. She has been quite a little trooper in all of these ventures. In St. Louis in particular, she spent a lot of time in the ring sling and did remarkably well. 

 Lana continues to be a great baby. She sleeps through the night and takes one great/long nap in the afternoon. She cat-naps in the morning and in the early evening. She's getting so she doesn't need the evening nap as much but then she gets cranky/tired before her last feeding so she may be ready for the last feeding to be dropped- time will tell. She's starting to take after big sister and have a blow-out almost every day. She's in size 2 diapers and size 3-6m clothes. Unlike any of my other kids, Lana spits up pretty frequently and I'm always feeling caught off guard by it. 

It feels like she's getting closer to rolling over. She really prefers to be in her swing if she's awake, so it's a little bit of a battle to get her to just lay on the floor and play. Plus, when she's on the floor there's usually someone in her face so I don't really blame her. In the last month, if she's not swaddled she is chewing on her fists/fingers. She does take a paci, but we'll see if that sticks around. She has really started to coo and smile- the kids are LOVING this. They usually get in her face and say "who's a cute little sister?" and she almost always gives them a big smile.

These three adore their baby sister!

Here is Eli, Micah, and Haddie at 3 months. 

Lana- 2 months

Lana turned 2 months on Saturday. She is such a little sweetie and we love her so much!

In the last month Lana...

-has become a great sleeper- she sleeps through the night most nights and takes a 3-4 hour nap in the afternoon with some shorter naps through the day

-went to her first wedding- Uncle Josh & Aunt Claire 💓

-has started smiling and cooing- her brothers and sister love trying to make her smile

-loves to be swaddled

-wears size 2 diapers and 0-3 month clothes (although not for much longer, I'm afraid)

-has been to several of her brother's t-ball games

Length 23.5" 92nd percentile

Weight 12lb 5oz 77th percentile

Eli, Micah, and Haddie at 2 months

Lana- 1 month

Lana Mae turned one month on Wednesday. I'm not sure where that month went, but we have certainly hit the ground running! She has made a trip to Sabetha, for Tara's Memorial race, and did beautifully on the ride. Eli is home for the summer so our mornings, we usually try to get out and do something and then quiet afternoons in with naps. Lana has a nice little schedule going- and I'm so thankful! She gets up once a night and then eats every 3 hours during the day with a 4 hour stretch in the afternoon for her long nap. So far, it has been a huge blessing that she and Haddie nap at the same time and the boys have some quiet time so mom's brain can rest a little (haha)! Usually she has a fussy time in the evenings, but nothings too harsh. She is really a sweet baby and is greatly loved by her brothers and sister- sometimes a little too much! Mom and Dad are very smitten as well. 😊

 Eli, Micah, and Haddie at 1 month for those that want to compare. We're thinking she favors Eli so far.

Lana's little corner of the room.

At her 2 week appointment she weighed 8# 5.5oz, I think she's close to 10 now. She's already out of NB clothes and diapers!

In her bed. She's only slept her for her morning nap so far, because she and Haddie share a room.

I don't think this one looks anything like her, but it was the only one she had her eyes opened for.

Poor baby. 

Sisters! ❤

"Haddie Talk" - 28 months

Our friend, Bethany, took these pictures of Haddie a few weeks ago.
 

 Haddie has come a long way from when she had very few words and hadn't been eating food for long. She says some of the cutest things in the cutest ways and we just don't want to forget. 

For a long time, she always referred to herself in the first person. She is starting to use correct pronouns now, but it still occasionally makes an appearance. 

"Haddie do it." When she's being independent.

"And Haddie!!!" Usually involves patting her chest to make sure everyone knows she wants to be included in whatever is going down. 

By way of her brother, Micah, Haddie has managed to learn most of the new testament books of the Bible. Whenever we get to 1st and 2nd Peter she says "Peter's at Grandma's house"! 

Haddie is still pretty terrified of animals, but likes to pretend she likes them when she's standing inside our storm door.

"Mom, you see it? You see it? I see squirrel...o dhere." This usually includes a pointed finger right by her eye.  

Sometimes when telling an elaborate story she'll end it with "the udder day" (the other day) letting us know it was from awhile ago. :) 

At rest time Haddie likes to sing "Angels Sing" a Christmas song. I asked to sing something different because I'm tired of it. Haddie said "Please, mom. Pleeeeease. It's Haddie's favorite song!"

When I snuggle her when I lay her down for rest time she hugs me tight around the neck and says "that's my mommy". 

She can be heard saying "boys, stop it!"

"I need 'nother one lovie". (Means she needs both (2) of her lovies).

Lana Mae Wichert

The LORD your God is in your midst,

a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

Lana Mae Wichert 7lb 7oz, 20"

Our sweet Lana Mae is here! Lana is a name that Brent and I agreed on a few months ago and it stuck. We just liked it. I've had several people ask how to pronounce it- and I say exactly how it's spelled but I realize that's not so helpful. The easiest way is to say it rhymes with banana. :) Mae was my Grandma Flossie's middle name and there's a funny story behind it. Her legal middle name was spelled May, but after my Grandpa passed away she had their gravestone made up and spelled her middle name Mae. I think it is so fitting to her personality to do something like that in literal stone so it can't be changed. (If you're interested in more about my grandma, here is the tribute I wrote after she passed away). Our hope and prayer is Lana Mae will also grow to be a woman who doesn't always "fit the mold". That she will rise to what God has called her to do/be and do it confidently "in stone" without apology. 

Leaving for the hospital- bright and early.

She's here!

Daddy and his littlest girl. 

 Her birth story: We checked in at 6:45 Monday morning for a scheduled induction. The day before I had the stomach flu- it was awful and I was worried we wouldn't be able to go ahead with meeting Lana the next day but I stopped throwing up around noon on Sunday so felt good enough to go ahead. I knew from my previous birth experiences that I wanted my epidural as early as possible. So as soon as my water was broke and Pitocin started, they put that in. I'm not positive of the time, but I would guess around 9:45 once all that was done. The epidural worked on my left side only, but there wasn't any time to adjust that. I was complete and ready to push. My doctor came in and asked if I wanted to push. I did and one and a half pushes later Lana was here. After she was on me Brent said through nervous laughs "I don't think I was ready for that". 

Going home!