Feet, Feet!

Can you believe it, I have feet! I am just as astonished as you are! I have two new toys to play with now and they're always there! I have found them to be quite entertaining as I grab at them, tickle them, and hold them and roll on my back at the same time.



This new discovery has also been a help to my mom since I now hold my feet for her when she changes my diaper. However, my arms do get tired and the unexpected drop of the feet is a new challenge for her.

Rolling Over?

Well, all of the books say that this occurs around 5-6 months of age. But why go by the books. Now, I haven't rolled over quite yet, but I'm sure getting close! Maybe it's because mom and dad help me practise. I just can't quite figure out how to get over that bottom shoulder; otherwise, I'm ready. Does anyone have any tips?

Not that I need to do this to get mobile or anything. I have fully figured out how to crawl while lying on my back. Mom and dad will put me down on the floor and I'll take off towards whatever I see. The first couple of times mom and dad laughed as they watched me do this. Now, all I hear is don't go anywhere when they put me down.

So Strong!

I finally got the hang of it, I can now hold my head up pretty much all the way so mom can snap dozens of photos of me upright. Well, somewhat upright. Laying on my tummy, with the help of a rolled up towel, and a few of my favorite toys is now one of my favorite things to do.

Too Small!

I have this great new toy called a jumperoo but I think I'm still a little too small. Mom put a phone book underneath me and I can make it jiggle a bit but nothing like the full fledged jumping that I'm sure I'll get to in a month or so or even a few weeks with my over achiever status. But in the mean time, I'll be content playing with the toys I can reach on it and chewing on the seat since my head hardly sticks out.

The Penguin

It happened, I contracted my first bug. Thankfully, mom was paying attention to my subtle signals and got me to the Dr. right away. Yes, I'm sick. I have an upper resiratory infection and a middle ear infection. We've started the medicene, which I quickly decided I hate. Each time I see that pink stuff coming, I turn my head or shut my mouth. I'm a pretty intelligent little girl. So, twice a day, mom spends about 15 minutes playing distract and drop with the pink bubble gum liquid that I continually try to spit out. This results in an uncomfortable pinching of the cheeks which forces me to swallow. She's a pretty tricky mom.

So this cold has landed me back in the cradle next to mom and dad's bed. They've inclined my mattress to help with the drainage. They got the crazy penguin humidifer going to help with my sniffles. And I'm back to giving mom sleepless nights. Hopefully, I'll shake this thing fast. My cough, sniffle, and tug of the ear just breaks mom and dad's heart. 

So Big!

It's hard to believe, but today I'm three months old! I'm growing like crazy and am now 22 and 3/4 inches tall and weigh 12 lbs. 1 ounce. I've been watching mom as she sadly packs away all of my 0-3 month pajammas. I'm thankful for this since I can't stretch out fully in them, I'm almost busting through the toes! But I'm still petite enough to wear the onesies. Guess I just have long legs.

I've acquired some new tricks, among mom's favorites is my constant dialogue with myself. Well, she tries to talk back but I understand her about as well as she understands me. One day we'll have this communication thing down. I'm also working hard on rolling over, I've made it to my side but just can't seem to get the rest of the way. I'm sitting up pretty well now on the couch and mom and dad are purchasing some new fangled contraption called the "bumbo seat" to help me sit up even more. And my neck strength from tummy time has increased. I think I'm clearing about 6 inches now at least.



Life at 3 months is good.

A New Face!

I had another visitor from afar! Great Aunt Marigene came for her first visit with me this Easter weekend. She flew all the way from Lansing, MI. We had a very nice time together. Although, as time would tell, I was beginning to get sick. But nevertheless, I was a happy baby and impressed her with lots of smiles and long sentences! I was sad to see her go but I know I'll see her again.

Texas Bluebonnets

Every spring, native Texans go seeking patches of bluebonnets to take pictures in. For almost 6 years, mom has driven the highways and biways watching families do this very thing. This year though, she had a native Texan to take with her and photograph!

Every morning, almost, mom takes me for a walk in our neighborhood and sometimes, we have friends who join us. This morning, Aunt Ruth and John came over. We had found a beautiful patch last week and tried taking some pictures but of course, the moms can't get enough so we tried again today. This time around, mom stood me up and held me so you all could see just how many bluebonnets there are! (The pink flowers are indian paintbrush.) On the first try, she didn't quite have the hang of it so you can only see a few.















Don't worry, I didn't pick any of the bluebonnets. That's a crime in Texas!

The Return Trip

Yes, it was as ominous as the title sounds. We had gone to the wedding on Saturday and stayed in Tulsa. After a good night's sleep we went to church and to breakfast. I was stellar and had lots of compliments from the ladies at this church on my behavior. (Obviously they missed the fact that dad left with me and I came back with different clothes on. Oh well, I was getting prepped for the ride slightly early. Plus, this was not the last time I would have an outfit change today.)

The car ride began at about 11:00, I had been fed and we were ready to go. Tulsa, OK to Austin TX. 40 minutes in we stopped, I ate and got my diaper changed. I gave in to the whir of the Volvo at 70 miles an hour for about 1 1/2 hours. Awoke from my slumber with a dirty diaper, but mom caught this in time and we had no leaks. (It didn't matter if I did leak really, Mom was overprepared and made a special pad for me to sit on in the car set to prevent any major disasters.) Again I slept, but somewhere between here and home, I decided I wasn't tired anymore.

Short cat naps here and there along with a lot of staring at the mirror and the taupe interior in the car. We hit TX and I was getting a little cranky (3 1/2 normal hours to go). 40 miles in Mom and Dad decided we had to stop. Well, actually I decided, they just agreed that it would be a good idea. So we stopped, had a snack, got resituated and started again. Now, I would have thought, given that I was already cranky mom would have gotten in the backseat. But nope, I'm still by myself back here.

Dad's getting tired, Mom's already tired, we stop at Starbucks. It's not like decaf helps mom any, but Dad seems to be rejuvenated. Again, I'm still by myself in the back people. What is going on? So, a little while down the road, I began. We stopped for gas. Mom got the picture and got in the back seat. Finally, I had some interaction with a person and not just flying stuffed rattle bugs. This was a satisfactory change for the moment.

Then again, I was crying and crying and crying. At some points, wailing. When would they stop. Something about waiting 5 more miles to get to a spot. As my face turned red from crying (or so mom thought) and I had these huge tears...Dad pulled off. Yes, my diaper needs changing. Outfit change take two. Mom stayed in the back and we continued on. We actually are almost there, 45 miles or so to go. I made it the rest of the way without incident. A warm bath, an unhurried dinner, and a crib to stretch out in...I feel wonderful now.

Oh well, I did manage to get two books in on this excursion to and from Joplin. The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy. Mom and Dad had just read the Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to me before I was born so we skipped that one in the Chronicles of Narnia on CD.

When is my next trip you ask? Well, Dad had thought we might drive to South Carolina to see PaPa and Grandma. Um, that's 16 hours+. He thinks that we might try flying and see how that works instead. But, given we won't go until June or so, he might forget this experience and try driving again. The big question though is, will I forget?

So Lady Like

This weekend I went to a wedding reception with Mom, Dad, Nana, and Granddad. I wore this dress that Nana made for me. It does have little bloomers that go with it, but they were too big for my tiny little bottom! So despite everyone's best efforts at getting me to keep my dress down, I am going to show everyone that I was sans bloomers at the party.

It was also my first night in a hotel room! They didn't bring us a crib so I had my first whole night in bed with mom and dad. Although I wouldn't have known it, king size beds are huge! I slept wonderfully in the middle of the bed. I only woke up once!

Mimi

Did you know that I have three great grandparents...Mimi, Great Grandma Dort, and Great Gram Rankin. I met Mimi (pictured above) for the first time this weekend. This was one of the main reasons that I rode in my car seat for so long. We had a delightful meeting, smiles right away and no crying. Mom was very thankful for this. She didn't know what would happen since I had been crying at the very sight of Granddad all morning. (Thankfully, I changed my tune and was sort of smiling at him by the end of the weekend.) 

My Cousins

I met my cousins this weekend during our trip. (me on the left, Will in the middle, and Chanie on the right) My Uncle David brought them over from Kansas City for the day just to see me. Wow was it exciting when they arrived! Cousin Will immediately came and introduced himself to me in baby talk. He knew what he was doing since he has a younger sister, Chanie.

My cousins are a little wild compared to me so I retreated to take a nap. I awoke from slumber and played some more with everyone. Although, I was most comfortable just being held, slightly removed from the action. This of course was no problem with Nana and Dad at my side with eager hands.

I also had my first lesson in sharing. Chanie loved some of my toys and I was happy to share them with her. Thankfully, she didn't pick my current favorites. One day though, I really will have to learn what sharing is all about. 

Where Am I?

I'm checking things out and have no idea where I am. The people look familiar but nothing else does. Oh, that's right I have been in my car seat for about 10 hours! Hopefully, we've ended up somewhere worthwhile. Mom and Dad sure didn't disappoint me in the destination. We're at Nana and Granddad's! Oh, I'm so thankful I can stretch and that I've figured that out.

The car ride wasn't all that bad, lots of rest some good snack stops along the way. Nothing like dragging out an 8 1/2 hour drive to 10 just because I had to go to the bathroom and eat. But, Mom and Dad never complained and they just kept on driving. At one point during a stop, Dad even let me try driving. I needed to stretch and ended up using the steering wheel as a prop to help me stand up. Thankfully the center of the steering wheel was soft enough to rest my head against and my head wasn't heavy enough to sound the horn.

I was an extremely good traveler up until the last 20 miles or so. At this point, I had had enough and wanted some playtime. Mom promptly reached back for the next 1/2 hour straight and jingled my toys that hang off my car seat. I vaguely recall her making the comment that she was glad she only had to do that for 2o miles. I would test her strength in that area on the return journey unbeknownst to her... 

Me and My Duck

I will put anything in my mouth that isn't plastic these days. Especially my trusted friends: lamb, duck, and giraffe. Below I am eating Mr. Duck. Yesterday, I ate Miss Lamb. For appetizers, I always eat Mr. Giraffe because he travels with me in my car seat frequently.