A Walk to the Mailbox

So you say that we are going to get the mail huh? 

It's all the way down there at the street? 

Ok. I think I can manage that. Good thing I have my new shoes to get me there. 

Hold on. I see something interesting that I need to check out. 

Look at this green stuff! It feels funny when I touch it. 

Alright. Everything checked out up here. Let's go get the mail!

Oh wait. I need to stop and touch and smell the flowers. 

What were we on our way to do? Oh that's right. Getting the mail. 

Um, this sidewalk is starting to go downhill, and I don't like it. I need you to carry me, Mama.

That's better. 

 What? You said I got mail?! Well that's fun!

Can you open it for me? And also read it to me? I can't do either of those things just yet. This was a fun trip. Can we do it again tomorrow?

Weekend Fun

How was everyone's weekend? Ours was pretty great. Not too busy but not too boring. Just perfect. Jason had a course that started on Thursday that lasted all weekend. It was in town but he didn't get home until after 7 every night so it was just me and E most of the time.

On Friday, we started our morning with saying hello to Daddy when E got up. This was right before she face planted herself into the phone to give her Daddy a kiss.

We didn't really do much except run to Target on Friday. I did come up with this brilliant plan to let her play in some baking pans with a little bit of water in it with some toys. It lasted about 10 minutes until she discovered to dump the water out. Ha!

On Saturday, E and I went to a birthday party of one of my friend's little boy. It was a Mickey Mouse themed party. There was a HUGE Mickey Mouse balloon, and Elyanah loved it! She hugged it and kissed it and played it with it a lot while we were there.

All the kids got Mickey Mouse ears to wear. I snagged a picture before E took hers off.

On Sunday, we had the most wonderful weather come to Texas in July. It was in the 70's and rainy!! It was glorious! My favorite kind of weather! It was so nice out that we went outside on our back porch so E could look around and play in her new shoes. I got several new BOB shoes for half off on this baby website and they came in last Thursday. She looks so cute in them!

Daddy came home that afternoon from his course and we had some good quality time with him.

It was a great weekend! Can't wait for the next weekend!

Our 4th weekend

We had a very relaxing 4th of July weekend. Nothing really planned, but it was so great to be together. We didn't do anything really exciting on the 4th. E is way too young for fireworks,  and we know better than to stay out past her bedtime with her. (In case your wondering sleeping DOES NOT go well if that happens) It's ok though. I know there are going to be many more years for us to celebrate fireworks as she gets older. Even without fireworks, it didn't stop me from dressing my little girl up in the red, white, and blue.

We did eat BBQ for lunch at Dickies because nothing is more American than BBQ =).  

I just love the 4th. I love all that it represents. We live in a great country with freedoms that for others is only a dream.

In other news, this little one pretty much became a full time walker over the weekend. She is walking everywhere now!! WHERE DID MY BABY GO?!?!?! 

10 months!

Dear E,
You are 10 months old!! You are in the double digits. Only a couple of more months for me to call you my baby. You just get more and more fun with each month that passes. You make your dad and I laugh every day!

You took your first steps without falling this month!! Your first step was on June 9 and then you walked about 5 feet on June 24! Now you will walk small distances and get braver by the day! You still crawl everywhere but I don't know how much longer that will last. You are getting better at standing for longer periods and even play with toys while standing by yourself now. You are such a mover and still don't stay still for very long. I think that is definitely your personality though and I can't wait to see how it evolves as you get older. You definitely test your limits and I have to tell you "no" with unsafe things often during the day. Lately you are even going to something you know you shouldn't touch and look at me and then reach for it. Oh goodness my sassy girl!

You love to dance!!! You will dance with or without music and it is so cute. Sometimes you will be sitting on the floor and you will shake and rock your body back and forth and then look at me and wait for me or daddy to do it back. You think that is so funny and this will continue for a couple of rounds before you go off to do something else. You still love your books and like to open and close them all the time. Reading books to you is one of the only things that keeps you still for a few minutes =) You love to take all your books out of your basket. Favorite toys this month: shape bucket with the shape blocks, anything that you can push in front of you, dragon ball pop up toy, and the laundry basket. Oh you love that laundry basket. You love taking clothes out of it, you love pushing it across the floor, and you love riding in it. We pretend it's a train and you have so much fun! You still love Lucye. I don't think you could ever get tired of her. You think she is so funny and you love to "chase" her. You love your baths and cry when we take you out of them. You still play peek a boo with me and now you try to cover me back up after I say "boo!"

We tried a lot of new foods this month. You also started finger foods (besides puffs) this month! Finger foods were a big hit with you. You love to feed yourself! You would prefer finger foods over some of the purees and the oatmeal I give you in the mornings.  We introduced you to chicken and turkey. You LOVE chicken.  Love it! If I could just give you chicken for your entire meal, you would be happy. You pick out all the chicken on your tray and then will eat the rest of whatever we have given you. Other new foods: pasta, quinoa, nectarines, cherries, and blueberries. You are getting really good with your pincer grasp. So good at it that you will pick crumbs off the floor. Somehow you manage to find the one thing that the vacuum didn't pick up =). You still have NO teeth my cute little toothless 10 month old!! You have definitely found your voice this month. You do lots of excited screams and babble a lot. Lots of ma, ba, da, ga, and ssss. We think that you may have said your first word on June 16 - "mama" but we aren't for sure because you don't do it all the time. You definitely understand a lot. You will clap when I sing "if you are happy and you know it". You can wave hi and bye to people and give high fives too. You come to us when we ask you.  You do not like it when we tell you "no."

Separation anxiety is in full force this month. It is breaking our hearts. You especially don't like it if mommy leaves you especially in new places. I got called back to the nursery for the first time. They said that you kept crawling towards the door anytime they put you down. So sad. You and I just hung out in the cry room, and you ate puffs while I listened to the sermon from there.

Cute things that you are doing this month:
- You have a fake cough. If you hear us cough, you will make a fake cough sound. So funny!
- You also will laugh if we have laughed at something.
- If I'm in the kitchen, you will come pull up on my legs and put your body and head in between my two legs. Then I will have to walk somewhere else like the sink and you will just walk along with me with your head poking out between my legs.
- You do a cute scrunchy face when you get excited or think something is funny.

Firsts this month:
- First Father's Day

- First move from a house

You are napping 2-3 times a day. I think you are trying to transition to two naps but you aren't napping very long. You have definitely been resisting your naps this month. I am hoping it's just a phase.  You go to bed between 7-7:30 and now will wake up around 6:30. There have a been a couple of days where you slept almost until 7. You are eating every 3- 3 1/2 hours and have a dropped a feeding so now you are nursing 5 times a day. You eat 3 solid meals. We don't have official stats this month but I'm guessing you are at least 20 pounds. You wear 9 month clothing and can fit into some 12 month clothes as well.

We love you E. Looking forward to this next month!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Photo Dump Catch Up

I know. I know. I have been a little absentee from this blog for a little bit. But I have a good excuse. I have been busy packing up my house and then we moved last weekend into our new house!!! It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I plan on getting back into the groove of blogging soon for those that really care. For now here are some the things that we have been up to:

 Practicing with our sippy cup

Pushing her rocking chair in her room. She is really into pushing things right now. 

 Wearing Papa's hat. She looked so cute in it. 

The day we closed on our house! Love the Texas flag in the background. 

 Playing with Papa

 Getting pulled around in the laundry basket or the "train". A new favorite thing. 

Playing with our cousin Blake

 Enjoying our new push and ride bike. She loves the buttons on it and loves to dance to the music.

A little sneak peak of her nursery in our new house

 Eating lunch in our new house. She is really into finger foods and loves to feed herself. 

Be back soon!

A Day in the Life

I've been wanting to do a post like this for ages but kept forgetting to do it. I know that I will want to remember our day to day when she is little so I thought what better way than to document it! This was our day yesterday which I would say is a typical day for us. It's kind of long but it's for my memory so here you go:

5:45 a.m It's Jason's early day at work so he comes in the room to tell me bye, and I try to go back to sleep before E wakes up in less than 30 minutes.

6:15 Wake up to the sound of E up in the next room. So I get up and go downstairs and let Lucye out while I warm up E's medicine.

6:23 E has now set off the movement alarm monitor and is mad that I have not come to get her yet. I make a quick stop to the bathroom and put in my contacts.

6:25 Go get E from the crib and we go back into our bed and snuggle for a bit. She plays with the video monitor and crawls all over me.

6:40 Decide it's time to get up. E has her diaper changed. She takes her Prevacid and then we go nurse in her room.

7:10 We go downstairs and she plays in her pack and play while I pump for the morning. Once I am done pumping, I make her breakfast.

7:30 E has her breakfast. Today, it's oatmeal and yogurt mixed with prunes and raisins. She loves it. She likes to help feed herself the oatmeal and flings it everywhere.

8:00 E is done with breakfast. So we change her diaper and put her in an outfit for the day. She then plays on the floor for a few minutes before it's time to go down for her nap.

8:15-8:30 Read a book and sing songs and then E goes down for a nap.

8:30 I eat breakfast and change into clothes for the day. I showered the night before so all I have to do is put on an outfit, brush my teeth and put on mascara.

8:45 E is still screaming in her crib so I go in and check on her. I change her diaper because she has pooped (does this all the time!) and then put her back to bed. She falls asleep after 10 more minutes.

8:50-9:30 Meanwhile I unload the dishwasher, wash her breakfast stuff, and scan some things on the computer that I need to mail. I put together the new high chair since the bebePOD we have been using is getting too small for her. I also watch an episode of Four Weddings on the DVR.

9:30 E wakes up early from her nap. I take her downstairs and we play for a bit on the floor.

10:00 Nurse

Usually after this feeding, we usually either run errands or go for a walk to get out of the house.

10:20 Leave to head to Babies R Us and then I stopped at Home Goods since it was next door. I texted Jason this picture and said that E needed this for our new backyard at our new house. I never got a reply to that one. Humph!

I stopped on the way home to get a Chick Fil A lemonade because it was hot, and I decided I deserved one.

11:15 Get home and make E  lunch. On the menu: peach, apple and pear puree and some chicken and blueberries for finger food. She LOVES chicken. We introduced it last week and she can't get enough of it. The blueberries are new today and she wasn't a fan of them. We will try again tomorrow.

12:00 Naptime routine of book and singing and then to bed.

While she naps, I eat lunch and finish the episode of Four Weddings that I started earlier. I finish her 9 month post since she turned 9 months last week (mom fail).

12:40 E wakes up early from her nap again =). We come downstairs and play for a bit.

1:15 Nurse

1:30-2:45 Play and crawl around the house. This is where I like to practice our songs and work on sounds or "educational" things.

2:50 Go upstairs for a small nursing session and then read a book and go take a nap.

3:15 E falls asleep and I spend my time watching a House Hunters International on the DVR, cook some chicken for E's dinner, wash dishes, and start this blog post.

4:30 Jason comes home and E wakes up from her nap!

4:45 E nurses

5:00 Jason plays with E while I have a little break to do some things around the house and get her dinner ready

5:30 E eats dinner. Tonight its sweet potatoes, apples and pears mixed together and chicken as finger food. Since Jason came home early tonight, he offers to cook dinner!

6:15 E is finally done with dinner and we get in our pajamas and Jason plays with her while I get a nice little break =)

6:55 E is pulling on me and lying her head on my lap so I know it's time to go eat and start the bedtime routine. She nurses and then Jason comes upstairs puts her sleepsack on and reads her a book.

7:25 Jason has put E down to bed and she is not having it. She is upset and screaming and standing up in her crib.

7:30 Jason and I eat dinner and I start watching the Bachelorette. It's my downtime for the day.

8:00 E is still screaming in her crib so I go upstairs and calm her down. I sing to her for a few minutes and then put her back down and she falls asleep in 5 minutes.

The rest of the night is spent watching my show, picking up the house and making a wish list for things for our new house. I pump around 9:30 and then Jason and I head to bed around 10. All in all a good day!

9 months!

Dear E,
You are 9 months old!(last Monday) I can't believe it! This has been such a great month. Your personality keeps shining and I have loved every minute of this month. You keep getting more fun by the day. You make us smile from ear to ear.

You are still crawling everywhere and fast! You can now climb up the stairs (with one of us behind you of course). The first time you did it you were quite proud of yourself. You are cruising everywhere and between surfaces. You will even let go and throw yourself forward to the next surface if it's really far. If I hold your hands, you will walk for a couple of feet but then want to crawl because you like to do it yourself! You will stand without any help for 10 or so seconds and will let go quite often. You have even tried to take a step several times but you fall to the floor each try. I think I may have a walker soon! You are definitely an explorer and don't sit still for very long (unless it's a very interesting toy). I constantly have to keep my eye on you - but I truly love that you have a such a curiosity about everything. Because of your curiosity, we have been having to tell you "no" with unsafe things such as cords or the fireplace guard. You will take your hand away most of the time but then try to go back again.

Your dancing is now full body rocking back and forth and up and down. So so cute! Any type of music and you start your little jig! I've tried getting it on camera several times but you immediately stop when you notice I have my phone near you..hehehe...you're on to me. You love your books and will sit and let me read to you often. You try to help turn the pages. I think you like your dad reading to you better because he will do voices and sound effects and you love it! Favorite toys this month are your dragon ball popping toy, click and play remote, small balls, and your toy monkey. Although you still gravitate towards things that aren't toys too. The diaper wipes, remote, phones, etc.  You think Lucye is still the greatest thing. You laugh at her and try to "pet" her all the time. Last week, you even put your nose up to her nose so that she could lick it. It was the cutest thing and now you do it all the time.You are loving bath time especially now with all the fun toys you have in there with you. You had about 2 weeks where you hated your bath. You would cry and try to stand up and cling to us to get you out. It was the saddest thing but now it's back to normal.

We didn't try a lot of new foods this month. New foods were yogurt (made from coconut milk), raisins (pureed), peaches, and white potatoes. You can now feed yourself puffs! You can sometimes pinch it with your thumb and index finger but if I lay several down on your tray, you would rather scoop them up and try to shove them all in your mouth. Still no teeth yet!! The doctor said you will get some between July-October so we shall see. I love your toothless grin though. You are babbling lots of "mamama" and "bababa" and some "ga" too. You can sign "dog" and "all done" pretty consistently. No actual spoken words yet but we aren't worried. You are clapping A LOT. It is so adorable. You still love songs. You are definitely going through a mommy phase right now and follow me everywhere and get upset if I hand you off to someone (even daddy sometimes). I'm trying to soak it up as much as I can because I know that this phase won't last forever.

Some adorable and fun things you are doing this month:
- while in the pack and play when I have to cook dinner or something, you will take your toys and stand up and hang them over the side and then drop them. Then you look at me and smile.
- you are starting to give kisses. you just bring your face and mouth as close to us as possible when we ask for kisses and then wait for us to kiss you...melts my heart
-you are extra cuddly lately and we love it. After we read you a book before nap or bedtime, on the way up the stairs you lay your head down on our shoulders and don't move it through the rest of the bedtime routine. Sometimes after naps, you will lay on our chests for a few minutes before you decide you are ready to get down and play
- you will find your monkey toy when we ask you where it is. You will look for it and then stare at and smile and most of the time you will pick it up
- you have now figured out to set off your alarm that we put on when you're sleeping to detect movement. You wake up and immediately go to the corner of the crib and stand up. The sensors don't detect you there and it will go off. I come in your room and you are just smiling away!
-Not really adorable but pretty funny are your tantrums. You have a fake scream and you lie on the floor when you don't get your way. Oh my goodness.

Some firsts this month:
- first Mother's Day with me

- first time in the swing at the park


You are still napping 3 times a day. Although you don't alway nap each time, you do stay in your crib for an allotted time. You go to bed between 7-7:30 each night and wake up at 6-6:15 like clockwork. You are nursing every 3 1/4-3 1/2 hours with an extra feeding in the afternoon (so 6 total) and are eating 3 solid meals a day. You weigh 19 pounds and are 28 inches long. You wear 6-9 month and 9 month clothing mostly.

We have loved every minute of this month. Can't wait to see what next month brings. We love you sweet girl!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy