Eight Months is Awesome

My Precious Girl,
Today you turn eight months old. I know I keep saying that you are so close to crawling, but apparently you are taking your sweet time. You did get promoted to the "Crawlers" room at church since you could scoot yourself off the carpet in the baby nursery. That's their rule, so you got the boot. I was a little worried that you might get run over by the more mobile kids, but you survived. The only bad part of the day was that you didn't want to take a nap all morning and miss out on watching all the other kids, and then about 15 minutes before we came to get you, you crashed in a swing. Unfortunately, we tried to test your limits by taking you to lunch and it was disastrous. Not even Ainslee and Cara could distract you from the fact that you were bored (had already eaten, so nothing to do in your highchair) and worn out. We finally came home and all took a 3 hour nap in Mommy and Daddy's bed. You are just like Daddy, cuddling up to my side until I was almost falling into the floor. Daddy said we should all sleep together more often because he has never gotten that much room!

You are trying a few new foods but still sticking with jarred baby food most of the time. The other day, I bit a green grape in half and thought you might like to suck on it a bit. You loved it and gummed it down a bit. I was trying to be careful and not let you actually bite any of it off. There were a few times when it looked like a piece of grape was missing, but I checked your mouth and didn't see anything. I proudly announced to Daddy that you had "eaten" some grapes and he seemed surprised... I told him not to worry, that you hadn't actually bitten any off. So we go to take your bath later and you are happily playing with your toys and sitting up. All of a sudden, you spit out this dime-sized piece of grape! You had been hiding it somewhere, but apparently never tried to swallow! Mommy has learned to stick with the mesh thingy for real foods.

Sometimes I think we try to rush you along to the next phase, and other times we miss you being a tiny baby. Just the other day, I was trying to cuddle up close to you, and you managed to punch a hand right into the middle of my throat, and I thought, man I miss the younger you! But on the days when you laugh and play with Daddy and are so active, I think that it will be so wonderful when you can talk and hug us and be a big girl.

Eight months have flown by. In fact, your third tooth came poking through on the top on Saturday. It is not one of your front teeth, it is off to the left side. Isn't that funny? Before you know it, you will be celebrating your pre-Halloween birthday! Is it too much that I was already thinking about your party today? Let's take it one month at a time, shall we?

Mama loves you!

An Aggie Weekend

Camo,
We are proud to say that we are going to have two Aggies in the family this fall! Your Grandpa and Gigi made a trip to College Station this week to get Uncle Tanner all registered for classes and check out the house he will be renting a room in. He was happy to know that all his hard work of basic classes have gotten him ready for the big show at A&M! Uncle Tanner loves animal science and will be tackling some big stuff over the next couple of years.

We were lucky to have Friday night and Saturday to spend with them before they headed back home. We even got to go to the Guadalupe River for your first time!

Gigi wanted to get your feet wet, and before long you were plopped down and enjoying splashing your hands in the water. Thank goodness Mommy keeps an emergency outfit in the car! You couldn't go to dinner with that huge soggy diaper! But you had so much fun and will be going back alot in the future, hopefully when there is more water!

You were so patient even though your schedule was WAY off. We didn't sit down to eat dinner until after 9:00, when you are usually in bed! Grandpa and Gigi traded off holding you and keeping you entertained. Only one mishap - you pulled Gigi's giant glass of water right over into her lap! Thank goodness she loves you!

Then we spent a little time on Saturday shopping in Fredericksburg. Grandpa decided that you needed a new toy from Spunky Monkey, the coolest shop for kids! Gigi helped pick out this awesome pink "monster" puppet! Mommy has been wanting to get you a cool puppet and we knew this was the perfect one. You get so excited when it talks to you!


We had a great weekend and are so proud of Uncle Tanner. He loves you very much and will be close enough for us to hang out on the weekends! We had such a nice weekend and were so proud of you for rolling with all our spontaneous plans. You are such a happy girl and we love you more every day!

Field Trips!

You have had a busy week, my sweet girl! Since Jason is off from school and home helping with you and Ainslee, Mrs. Cara has been feeling awfully adventurous when it comes to taking you places. Target and Costco are regular outings, but now you are enjoying full-on field trips!

I think it was last week when you went to a giant kids play center, and Cara got possibly the cutest action shot of you ever. Check it out here! And just yesterday you went to story time at a local library, designed for active toddlers. They read and sing songs and apparently have a wonderful playground. She said you loved watching all the older kids and even paid attention to the story (as best as a baby can!)

So yesterday, your mommy had a fabulous idea... Maybe Jason could do us a favor and pick up the mulch we need for the backyard and just leave it in your daddy's truck for us! We can't ever seem to get there before they close, so I just gave him the keys to our truck and he is going to go on a field trip for us! Hooray! Daddy was thrilled to have another chore to do in the evening...

But we definitely want it to be finished soon because company is on the way! Your Grandpa and Gigi and Uncle Tanner are visiting A&M to get him all settled for school next fall and are stopping by here on the way home for some fun. And we are also having our annual 3rd of July party! Anyone know some really fun water balloon games? I think it is gonna be a scorcher...

Update: The truckload of mulch was insanely cheap and looks great. Bad news is that it didn't even cover half of our back garden. Looks like we will head back for another load on Saturday. Daddy is beyond excited...

Daddy's First Father's Day

Hey Chubbs,
You tried your best to give your daddy a wonderful first Father's Day! After a long day of garden work, we had a great dinner Saturday night at one of our favorite restaurants, Scenic Loop Cafe. You even got all dressed up for the occasion in your pearl-snap dress.

Then this morning, we made Daddy special waffles and went to church. You had a great time playing in the nursery while we enjoyed a great sermon. You didn't want to take a nap, so you were pretty pooped after we went shopping for some new golf shoes for Daddy's present. You were asleep when we pulled up to the restaurant for lunch, so your sweet Daddy decided to just go through the drive-thru and let you rest.

So when we got home, you wore a special shirt just for him!

He worked outside most of the afternoon so that we could totally makeover a part of the back garden. We had three bushes that had gotten completely out of control and grown together into a seven foot tall green monster. He had to dig them all out and pull tons of weeds! Mommy only helped a tiny bit, but someone had to keep you company here in the air conditioning...

Unfortunately, I didn't really get a good "before" shot, but here is the midway point for reference.... I will post the "after" shot later in the week when we go get our truckload of mulch!


But you did finish off the day watching the U.S. Open with Daddy and riding your horse! Since Frisky is off at summer camp, we are making due.

It was a wonderful weekend for us Three Amigos! Way to show Daddy some love by cheering him on with the yard work and helping him grill his own hamburger tonight. He even washed the dishes. Daddy is the best!

P.S. Your Mommy sure misses her Daddy today too. He would have wanted something for his motorcycle for his present, I am sure! But he would have given lots of hugs and kisses to you and Mommy, no doubt.

Going and Growing

Remember this post about how you needed summer shorts and I was so horrified that I had to buy you the nine months size? And I remember saying, at least going bigger will mean these will last you through the summer....

Yes, now that you are approaching 8 months, those don't fit anymore. They look like they are cutting off circulation in your poor little thighs. So I was at Target the day before yesterday, and they still had the same shorts (some on clearance now) so I picked up the TWELVE months size for you. Sigh.

And just to keep everyone up to date, the last time we were at the doctor, you weighed 19 lbs. 3 oz. At seven (and a 1/2) months old! Looks like turning that car seat around will be no problem when you turn one!

Check out this post to see the hilarious stats of Ainslee at her eighteen-month checkup (which you attended, by the way). I hope it didn't hurt your little chubby feelings...

Did I forget to mention....

That you have your first official illness? You have been such an incredibly happy and healthy baby all this time. I can't really say if it was breastfeeding for six months or staying with Mrs. Cara and avoiding daycare germs or what, but we were so pleased that you had not been sick.

And yet, when we got to Abilene on Saturday night, we were told that you had been running a low grade fever and were kind of cranky and drooling like crazy. So we just assumed more teething! But then on Monday morning, I noticed that your face was a bit red and splotchy, which I took to mean that you were allergic to something. I started frantically washing sheets and toys in case it was that, then I analyzed all the foods you had been eating and wondered if you had something that didn't agree with you.

Around noon on Monday (since we were thankfully home resting up instead of me going to work), your daddy said to just take you to the doctor if I was so worried about it. I had already gotten Dr. Keith's approval to give you a tiny bit of Benadryl, but it did nothing, so off we went. Thankfully, our pediatrician's office could see you at 2:00. It was our first time to sit in the "sick child" waiting room. We always go for "well child" checkups and don't have to park in Germville. You were pretty happy to watch all the bigger kids and didn't squirm too much while we waited. The doctor said that it looks like a viral rash, not contagious thank goodness, and that there is nothing that will really make it go away. She said you probably had the virus earlier and this is just a late symptom. She did give us some baby Zyrtec, but it didn't really seem to help either.

The most unfabulous part is that you were a bit more cranky than usual and could not seem to sleep through the night. You would go to bed at nine and wake up crying at 10:30. Then again at 3:30 (your favorite time of night, I think). Just last night, you finally seemed to be back to normal and sleep well. The rash is still there I think, but your mood definitely seems better.

Bad news is that Rachael sent me a message today that Emerson has a rash now too. Nice job on spreading the love.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Babies

...Or all the cute things that I want to remember you doing recently. Let's see:

1. Suck only on your left thumb. The right hand must be free to do other things, like shake your crab rattle or pull on your hair so it sticks straight up.

2. Once you are up on all fours, rock back and forth until you are exhausted and must flop back down on your tummy. There is not currently anything enticing enough to actually get crawling for. Maybe a cell phone, someday.

3. Pretend that you are only vaguely interested in eating your dinner until about halfway through the jar of food. Then, demand that mommy shovel it in your mouth as fast as possible and make impatient sounds in between bites. Just for fun.

4. In order to make Mommy fully appreciate cuddle time later, don't give in to it for now. Squirm as much as possible, especially when you are actually very tired. If Mommy tries to win by holding you closer, you can always head-butt her and ensure that she backs off.

5. Donate some of the clothes you have outgrown to Africa since Mrs. Danielle and Mrs. Lisa are heading there this week. This ensures that Mommy will definitely buy you more (big sale at Crazy 8! Woohoo!), and it is just a nice thing to do in the first place. There are lots of babies that will gladly wear them for a long time.

6. Drooling is an art. Think of it as an accessory to any cute outfit, and try perfecting a half circle shape of wetness on the front of all shirts and especially fancy dresses. Now that you have learned to pull off bibs, this should be an easy task at any time of day.

7. Books are fine for reading, but better for tasting. Try your best to grab a corner and insert it in your mouth before Mommy realizes. Board books should be specifically made to stand up to this rigorous enjoyment anyway. :)

Sweet Carolina, Part 2

Your Daddy seemed to think of everything! Our room had beautiful roses waiting for us, and it was close to downtown Asheville so we could see the sights and enjoy more good food.

We ate at a great place called the Tupelo Honey Cafe, where your daddy discovered that he is a fan of shrimp and grits! We topped off the meal with some biscuits and their famous honey.

The next day, we headed about an hour and a half away to Bryson City to go white water rafting. I am so sorry that we didn't get a picture of us decked out in our huge lifevests, but we didn't want anything to happen to our nice camera! There were some interesting folks way out there in the backwoods... Daddy was a bit disappointed that it wasn't more rough and exciting (sadly, no one fell out) but I was just fine with it!

So after a wet and wild afternoon, we thought we would take a little detour on the way home on the famous Blue Ridge Parkway. It turned out to be a three hour (de)tour! But Daddy had a great time driving through all the hills and beautiful landscape. We stopped at a few scenic overlooks but realized we would never get home if we kept it up!

There were even these beautiful flowering bushes planted all along the highway.

And the tunnels were pretty fun too... I think we counted 12 on our little stretch.

So that night, we had one last dinner with Josh and Laura and wanted to have some real southern barbecue. You know, the vinegar base is very different... So we went to the Fiddlin' Pig! That's right. They had a bluegrass band playing and even had a group of cloggers performing. It was so loud we had to move out onto the patio for Addison's sake!

We had such a wonderful time enjoying each other's company and not caring about a schedule. We sure did miss you, Cameron. We could not get home fast enough on Saturday night and arrived just in time to give you a bath and last bottle of the night. You got to see all the family and were a happy (drooly) girl for everyone.

Thanks for letting Mommy and Daddy enjoy a wonderful anniversary trip!

Sweet Carolina, Part 1

Hey Baby Girl,
We had such a wonderful trip and couldn't wait to get home to you on Saturday! Thanks to our fabulous hosts - Josh and Laura - we were able to drive from the airport in Charlotte and have a spare vehicle to borrow for all our touristy exploits.

Our first evening in Asheville, we enjoyed dinner while catching up on all the happenings here in San Antonio. They were especially happy to hear about all our CBC friends that are having babies, since they are expecting baby number 2 in mid-August (who I think will be named Kaitlyn). Josh is a police officer there in Asheville, so most evenings he would meet us for dinner and have to go back to work for a late night.

We decided the next day we wanted to go house hunting, and look what we found!

Pretty impressive, huh? The Biltmore house itself takes up four acres and has 250 rooms! It's the biggest private residence in America, and let me tell you, the tour was exhausting! No elevators, four floors of stairs up and down, and you didn't want to miss anything. Beautiful artwork, fabrics, and pretty impressive technology since it was built before 1900 (like the lights in their indoor swimming pool!) We also toured the beautiful acres of gardens and saw the most spectacular variety of roses.

They even have an enormous greenhouse...


With every kind of plant imaginable! My favorite were the orchids, since I have never seen one with so many breathtaking blooms!

All that walking was making us thirsty, so we drove over to the winery for a tasting! We were mostly pleased with the white wines and even brought home a few bottles in our luggage. Here's Daddy enjoying his samples...

It was a great day that had more surprises in store for me! Daddy found us a beautiful little Bed & Breakfast to stay in called the White Gate Inn & Cottage. We highly recommend it if anyone is visiting the area! The garden there was so lush and beautifully tended, and had a fountain running all the way down the side of the house.


So much more to tell you, but this post is getting long....

Gardens & Movies & Showers, Oh My!

Hey Little Girl,
We had such a nice weekend that I figured I had better write it down now before all the excitement of our vacation takes over! Saturday morning we went and picked up my car after getting the A/C fixed. Then we ran a few errands and headed home with ten more bags of mulch (Daddy did ten earlier last week) for the front garden. I should really take some pictures of the before and after because it looks so much nicer! I got to spend a few hours outside after Daddy pulled tons of weeds, and I told him that even though I got all hot and sweaty, it was so nice to be outside and feel productive. I kept walking past the gardens as they got worse and worse, and it was driving me crazy! But we certainly can't just let you hang out with me and get a sunburn, so we tend to stay inside all the time. After our trip, I think we will tackle the back garden in hopes of having it all looking nice for our annual 4th of July party!

Back on topic now... Saturday evening we were thrilled to have a date night, so we hurried over and dropped you off at the Pattesons huge and lovely new house. They live in a fabulous neighborhood with cute little community gardens and a huge pool. Made me think how short my commute would be if we lived nearby! :) So our evening was spent at the huge Palladium theatre, where we had a nice quiet dinner and then went to see "Angels and Demons." Fortunately for us, it was only showing in the VIP Theatre, which is 18+ only. You can take drinks or food in there, and there are fewer seats because everyone gets a huge leather chair! It was the most fabulous movie watching experience ever! And the movie was pretty good too!

We were thrilled to hear that you had a great evening too. Mrs. Danielle said that you are a very happy baby and that you love to just watch everyone. She agreed that you are a good eater too! You were a little bummed that we had to wake you up to get you in the car and again when we got home, but Daddy put you right back to sleep again. Thanks for being so easy going and giving us a great night out for our anniversary!

Then Sunday after church, you and Daddy got to hang out while Mommy went to throw a baby shower for Dr. Kara! We can't wait for Baby Morgan to arrive in late June (says Kara) or early August (says her doctor). Mackenzie is so excited to be a big sister and we know that you and Morgan will be great friends when you are bigger. We had a wonderful time with lots of friends and tons of food, and Morgan is officially decked out with tons of clothes and goodies.

I told Kara that organizing everything after the shower was one of my favorite things. I loved seeing all the tiny clothes and imagining you in them, putting away all the little blankets and toys and just picturing you with them. Of course, that was also one of the few times when your room was perfectly neat and organized, so I am sure that Daddy loved it too!

Well, the packing frenzy is almost over and tonight we head to Abilene to drop you off with Grammy. You are also going to spend one day each with your Grandpa and Gigi and your Savta and Sabba. They couldn't let you hang out in Abilene and not get to have you all to themselves! I have to admit that we were a little overwhelmed with how much stuff we need to bring since we know they don't have a house full of baby stuff. And as I was thinking about how many days we are going to be apart, I wondered if you would miss us and be cranky... Okay, I might have hoped a bit that you would miss us, but I seriously doubt it. You seem to be up for anything!

We are going to miss you very much, but know that you will have a ball with everyone. And a happy Mommy and Daddy are always better for you too! We are so looking forward to relaxing in North Carolina and seeing some old friends. Three cheers for our Mini-Moon!