Before We Fly

I figured I'd update with a few pictures before we fly tomorrow :).  Just so you can see our cutie this week ;).  Haha...  Jeremy says he expects me to take 1/10 as many pictures of our next baby as I do of Lynnaea.  I have taken him up on that challenge.  :).

Her first time in a high chair!  At a restaurant.  I met up with a couple former co-workers for lunch and she was a total ham most of the time.  Everyone oohed and ahhed over her and she grinned away.  You wouldn't guess it from that picture though.  Haha...

 We had a Halloween party this year again.  It was okay.  I made way too much food, as usual.  And there's my munchkin in her Baby's First Halloween outfit.  She was content to watch the chaos from a distance.

And because I always take a picture of food for my dad...  Because he loves it :).

Lynnaea with her cousin Desiree.

I was so excited about my "touch" boxes!  They had monster eyeballs, Frankenstein ears, tarantula legs, and guts inside ;)...

Emily wanted to hold Lynnaea too.

Loved the way the sun was hitting this tree this evening.  It was so pretty.  Picture doesn't do it justice.  This is what Lynnaea and Jeremy will look like tomorrow evening when we are at the airport :)!!

 

This baby loves her baths!  Tonight we put her in the little blue tub and filled it pretty full of water.  She started touching the water.  She like that a lot.  Then her daddy started squirting her with her bath toy and she thought that was hilarious!  She laughed every time he did it.  I can't wait until she can sit up on her own in the tub, because I think she's going to have a blast!!!



 

 

And last, but not least!!  My friend April sent me these for my birthday!  Throwback 80s cereal!  It was so totally awesome!!  I've never had the mummy one and the brute one, but I sure am excited I get to enjoy the experience in the near future!!! 

 

And that's it for now :).  Look for Bama pictures to come!



5 Months

Dear Lynnaea,

Today marks 5 months that you've been bringing joy into my life.  And you've had quite a month!  Let me tell you all about it.

You rode your first boat -- a ferry.  We went to a family get-together for Daddy's family and you were held the entire time by your aunts and cousins.  You are loved by so many, Baby Girl. 

You are sitting up -- as long as we make sure there's something around you to help you.  You're quite happy with this accomplishment, and you love to be able to look at all your toys spread out around you.

You started to eat rice cereal!  You were a little skeptical at first, but you really enjoy it now.  You gobble it up.  Our process is fun:  you grab my pinky finger and open your mouth for the spoon.  So stinkin' cute -- that's you.  You also want to grab the spoon.  And sometimes I let you.  And when you're ready to be done with your cereal, you start sucking your thumb.  Which I think is hilarious.

You also have two teeth!  Both of them are on the bottom.  You haven't bitten mommy yet (other than on my hand when I let you chew on it).  Everyone gets excited and wants to see your teeth whenever I tell them you have them... You usually stick your tongue out so nobody can.  But when you smile so big and pretty... Well, they are on display for everyone!  And you're such a sweet, happy girl, so you show those teeth off quite a bit.

You have started to anticipate things.  I like to lift my arm way up high above you when you lay on your back and I start wiggling my fingers and saying, "tickle, tickle, tickle" as I slowly bring my hand toward you.  And you start laughing when my hand is halfway to reaching you.  You know what's coming now!  It's so cute!

You also found your feet and toes.  And where was the first place they went?  In your mouth.  Just like everything you get your hands on.  Including the plastic fire-fighter hat you got at the parade in July -- and which we shouldn't have let you chew on, since you scratched your face with it...  Hmmm... That's now out of your toy arsenal.

You seem to enjoy scooting around in your crib while you sleep.  And then you wedge yourself in a corner and can't get out, so you cry.  And that's when Daddy or I go in to help you get back to your rightful spot.  But beyond that, you are quiet at night, and you sleep well.  If you wake up, you usually put yourself right back to sleep (unless said wedging occurs...). 

You are such an easy-going and tolerant baby.  You like new experiences, and you are my go-everywhere-buddy. 

Oh Lynnaea, you continue to amaze me every day.  Do you know how thankful I am to be your mommy?  Do you know how you have blessed my life?  Sweet girl, I love you.

Love always,

Mommy

Finding Feet!

So guess who finally found her feet today?  Haha... Don't know what took her so long to find those, but I guess she just wasn't interested until now.  But it seems like she has just blossomed in personality lately.  She's flapping her arms a lot, jabbering a lot, and is just generally more expressive.  I think it's a great time to introduce her to her grandpa in Alabama!  Good timing too, since we're only less than a week away!  Yay!

So anyway, here are a few pictures.  (The foot ones were taken by a daddy who was pretty excited about witnessing one of her firsts!)

Last Friday wearing a knitted top someone gave her.

Don't you just love her serious face?

At church.

 Learning to sit up like a big girl -- and she's quite happy about it!!!  (This was Tuesday)

And finding her foot tonight!!!  Like the spit stream?

Every time I laughed, she looked at me like, "What do you think is so funny?"

 But not much was distracting her from these tasty toes...

 Nom nom nom.

Resting with Daddy right before bed-time.  For both of them ;).  Haha.

I love my little family.

Chompers

I have been busy!  And do you know how many things still remain on my to-do list?  No?  Neither do I.  Because even though one of the things I told myself I needed to do today was to make a to-do list, I never got around to it.  Which will spell certain doom, eventually.  But updating this blog with pictures of the cutie-patootie would definitely have been on the list, so I think this is a valid use of my time :).

So I probably can't remember everything that's happened in the last week.  But there were some big things in our little family :)...  Saturday was the get-together for Jeremy's dad's side of the family.  Every October we do this.  We travel to Whidbey Island and enjoy lots of fun and food.  The men in the family make fresh apple cider with the cider press.  The women stand around talking (or chase around kids... which I'm sure I'll be doing some of next year).  This year I visited mostly.  Other women were completely overjoyed to take Lynnaea.  She got passed around a lot.  I don't bother bringing pack and plays or anything like that to these things, because I know she'll never be put down.  Haha...  It was awesome, though.  And because of this event, she rode her first ferry!  And I, of course, took pictures :).

Yeah, Jeremy loves having his picture taken...  And so does Lynnaea.  Haha...  Actually, it was pretty cold and windy.  So she was relatively unimpressed with this excursion.

 Here we are on the deck of the ferry :).

And here's our little family.  In a rough "self-portrait."  But at least it's documented :).

The other new thing is that Lynnaea has her first tooth!  I felt it on Friday, but it erupted all the way on Saturday.  Jeremy had his finger in her mouth and she gave him a good chomp.  Apparently that tooth is sharp. 

After we got off the ferry, we still had a bit of a drive.  And this is how she looks when Daddy is in the back entertaining her!  (We rode with Jeremy's parents).  Sweet girl.  Jeremy was making animal sounds. 

My Aunt Sue is in town for a couple days, so stopped by to visit her.  It was a short visit, because Lynnaea was ready to eat; so we headed home.  But it was a nice visit :).

I tried to get a picture of her tooth today, but it didn't work.  She's pretty secretive about it ;).  I did, however, get this shot:

Sunday was easily the worst poopie-diaper changing experience for me ever.  It'd been 4 days since her last poop, so we knew it was going to be a doozy.  She wiggled around in it and spread it on her dress and all over her belly and blanket and the disposable changing pad (thank you Julie!) that I had the presence of mind to put in the diaper bag -- just in case.  And thank goodness for the plastic smell-good bags someone gave us as a baby gift that are meant to hold a poopie diaper, but instead held her soaking-wet-from-rinsing-previously-pooped-all-over dress, tights, and blanket.  Sigh...  And then I took out the church bathroom trash.  And this is why you always pack double of everything...  I don't know how many wipes I used, but it was a lot.

And today I've been busy.  I made dry beans for the first time (soaked them last night, boiled them this morning).  Put some in a soup that's in the crock pot and froze the rest for future use in place of canned (less sodium and cheaper!).  And made home-made French bread.  Three loaves!  So here's to hoping it's good! 

And with that, I think it's about dinner time :).  So I'm outta here!

New Blog

Well, I decided to start a new blog about the things for which I am grateful.  Kind of a way to acknowledge the good things in my life, and also a way to write.  Because, as you know, I've been wanting to write.  And over several middle of the night feedings, while I was rocking my sweet girl and feeding her, I started to come up with this idea.  So feel free to visit it! 

And, of course, feel free to smile at some cute pictures!!!  (Is that a little too biased ;)???).

 The secret's out...  We actually had twins!!!  ;)

She's working on the sitting up thing she so desperately wants to accomplish.  And she's getting much better at it!

Soggified

Well, it has definitely changed weatherwise here!  We have been soggified.  Saturday was a deluge.

We had quite a bit going on the last few days.  Jeremy had a 5 day weekend, and we braved Lynnaea spending the night with her aunt and uncle so that we could go on a special date.  And because they'd been begging to do it for quite some time.  And she did great.  Which is bittersweet.  I don't think she missed me very much!  Haha...  But I'm so glad that it went well, because it would have been heart breaking if she'd screamed the whole time.  So Jeremy and I went to Seattle and ate at the Cheesecake Factory (he'd never been there).  For the first time ever, there was no wait!  And we were there a little after 5 p.m.!  I was shocked.  The food was delicious, and we tried the new S'mores Cheesecake.  That was a bit too rich for me, actually.  Then we rode the ferry back home and watched Cars, because Jeremy had never seen it.  We got Lynnaea on Saturday and spent time with the family eating dinner and just visiting.  All in all it was a good weekend.

Tuesday was sort of sad :(.  Lynnaea got her 4 month shots.  I so hate that.  But I know there's a good reason.  She also had her 4 month check up!  Sweet girl is in the 74th percentile for weight (15 pounds 13 ounces) and the 73rd for height (25.25 inches!).  The doctor said everything looks great and she's proportional, which is good :).  He said just keep doing what we're doing!  And that we can start her on cereal whenever we're ready.  So we did that today!  And the reason is because I'm hoping it will help lessen her spit-ups.  She was still spitting up quite a bit.

And so, before I post pictures, I have to share the dream I had when I was taking my nap this morning!  It was crazy!  So I was in Tuscaloosa visiting and it was about lunch time, so I realized I should call Annie to see if she wanted to meet up for lunch.  When I was looking up her number in my phone, I saw that it was misspelled and said "Anie."  Weird.  Anyway, she answered and I started talking to her, but I was groggy in the way I was talking, because it turned out that had been a dream, and I was waking up from the dream and had actually called her!  So I was telling her that I had dreamed about calling her and actually did in "real life" and I was sorry to bother her in the middle of the day at work!  And she said she felt touched that I had called her.  And then it turned out that was a dream too!  So I woke up and was telling Jeremy about both dreams!  And we got up and walked into the kitchen, which had been rearranged, because Jeremy pulled out the counter space separating the dining area from the kitchen.  I looked at him and said, "Oh no... This won't work.  It is a lot more open and I like that, but I don't have enough counter space!"  And then I woke up again and I was laying in my bed.  And that time I really did wake up.  Haha...  That was crazy.  And since Jeremy was taking a nap with me (he is still on swings), I ended up telling him all three of those dreams :).  He mostly laughed about my reaction to his fixing the kitchen!

Anyway... random.  But here are the pictures of our sweetness! (Some from last week :))

 Chillin' at home on a rainy day last week.  I should probably stay in my pj's less... 

 This was our final harvest.  I've used up most of those tomatoes now (once they'd ripened).  I'm scalding, peeling, chopping, and freezing for use in soups and such in place of canned diced tomatoes.  The easiest way for me to use them up right now and it does save a little bit of money :).

 We did tummy time together.  She still hasn't rolled over without her daddy's help yet.  But she'll get there.

 These two pictures are from Sunday.  Someone I used to work with at the funeral home gave me this pink hat and a white one very similar.  I know my dad is rolling his eyes right about now :)...  The outfit is for a 6 month old.  Yep, she's a big baby.  But with me and Jeremy as her parents, she had no hope of ever being petite...  Clearly we have to work on her modesty ;).  Haha... just kidding.

Eating some cereal for the first time today.

And not sure what to think about it.



 Don't worry.... we got smart and added a bib.

 Here... Let me wipe my mouth off...

 

And I packed up all the newborn to 3 month stuff...  It's sort of bittersweet.  I'm so happy Lynnaea is strong and healthy and growing.  And I'm so thankful we're getting more sleep!  But every milestone with her is a one-way street.  There's no going back.  And sometimes...  Sometimes I just miss her tiny little body that even the newborn clothes were a little big on.

P.S....  Yes, Jeremy is still having to go in to work.  We don't know yet (well, he probably does, but since he's at work right now, I don't) if he should expect a regular paycheck or not at this point.  But he didn't get furloughed like several others that work there...