Teething

Well, it has appeared to everyone that I have been teething now for at least two weeks. Has anyone considered that I just like to chew on things...fingers, toys, teething rings, sippy cups, my clothes, my blankets, and yes now my pool float. It may appear as if I am making an attempt to play ride em' cowboy but I'm really just trying to gnaw on the white handle. Unfortunately for me but fortunately for the pool float, my hand seems to get in the way. But like all things new, it only takes a little while to figure out how to get to what you are really trying for. It just takes perseverance, a quality that will serve me well as I grow. (We'll see how it serves my parents.)

So, yes I am in the midst of teething, I think. Mom is armed with nasty cherry tasting, gum numbing stuff that she sticks in my mouth every night. Does it numb my gums or numb my tongue? I also get some Tylenol if the going gets real bad at night. (I was waking up every 3 hours again, mercifully, I am back to just once a night.) And every once in a while mom rubs some Benadryl on my gums. Supposedly, this makes me tired and decreases my drool. However, this backfires on mom every once and awhile and instead, I drool more and refuse to nap. (My first nap that lasted longer than 45 minutes in aweek occurred today after numerous outdoor activities. I think I'll have more mom insisted outdoor playtime from now on.)

But alas, there is still no sign of the teeth when I rub my tongue on those gums or try to bite my finger off. This is probably good for my finger but bad for drawing out the pain. Check back for the momentous "I have a Tooth" post!

A Day at the Pool

Well, my mom continues to gradually get over her "first-time mom paranoia" and has actually stopped reading box label recommendations and instead goes with her gut feel on whether I'm old enough or not for something. So finally, I got my first pool floaty and she got her first day in the sun! We went to the pool at 9:30 this morning, before the sun got too strong. Here I am in my (6 mos and up, remember I'm 5 months old today) pool float, complete with rotatable sun blocking canopy.


It didn't take me long, but I decide that I really liked this. (I give swimming a full, thumbs up.) I'm actaully a little too small still to really put my legs through the holes and enjoy, but when mom held me, I kicked and kicked in the water. (I'm a little off center in the picture because mom is holding me with one hand and snapping the photo with the other.)

But man, the sun sure does tire you out. We got out and mom wrapped me in a towel while she got everything ready. Mom, brought my bathrobe to the pool to help get me all snuggly warm once I was dried off. I fell asleep almost right away. This was a great break for mom. We both enjoyed the waterfall by the pool and relaxed an hour more of the morning away.

Stepping Out

My first pair of overalls came from my Great Uncle Gordon. He thinks I'm gorgeous, not pretty! I've decided that pants aren't the most comfortable when I'm scrunched in my car seat but I love walking around in them with my mom (or dad's) help. So, here I am stepping out (on the kitchen counter).

A Cup!

After battling against the bottle for months now, mom and dad finally wised up and tried a cup. I find this much more satisfactory. I've drank (if you can actually qualify a few drops and a lot of drips, drinking) out of it with and without the lid. Mostly though, I really like chewing on the spout as cold water drips out because this makes my gums feel a lot better. I'm teething now and it's quite uncomfortable. 

Beating the Heat

Wow! Texas summers sure are hot! Staying out of the direct sunlight requires a lot of patience on both mine and my mom's part, we have to wait until at least 3:30 each day before we get any shade on the patio! Mom's looking into a sun tent for me though since I love being outside so much! By far, my favorite part of the day is pool time, here I'm just chilling out. Mom and I like to watch the golfers go by. They all wave and say hi to us. Good thing they don't here our golf swing commentaries! But the best is watching kids hit from the junior tees, they're a little bit bigger than me but before you know it, I'll be out driving them.

When you Have Tags...

Who needs toys? Yes, I am very thankful that the toy industry has not taken after Hanes in creating products that are tagless. Tags are way too interesting and fun to play with. Those of you who know my dad would say I'm taking after him and developing my research skills. Any toy that has a tag simply becomes a favorite and provides me with minutes of endless study material.

All Wrapped Up

We went to the doctor's yesterday for my 4 month shots! Yes, this was definitely an unpleasent experience for me again, but both mom and I managed. I did get a great report from the doctor though. I'm growing long and strong. I currently weigh in at 13lbs. 1 ounce (40% for my age), have grown to 24 and 3/4 inches tall (60%), and my head is in the 57% range. The doctor said this was super and mom concurred that having a skinny, tall, smart girl on her hands was fine with her.

When we got home, mom gave me a super big playing area by laying out a sheet. Unfortunately, she didn't weight down the corners and I got all wrapped up as I rolled all over. But, this definitely made for some cute pictures for you all!

Me and My PaPa

My PaPa is not an early riser, but every morning he arose early before work just to spend some time with me. I gave him big smiles of course for this special effort! We had a lot of fun together while I was there and he taught me a lot of new things. He started with exercise, I used his fingers as weights and lifted them with his help, 3 sets of 4 each day. He also gave me pony rides on his knee, complete with music. He was giving me a taste of the rides to come...first on his knee, than on his back, than on a real pony! We also practiced pushing with my feet...an exercise to help me get my crawling legs started. We got close enough that between that and my rolling, mom and dad installed a safety gate at the stairs when we got home.

PaPa's are great!

Rubber Ducky...

You're the one....You make pool time so much fun....

For those of you that know my mom well, no she is not teaching me the wrong lyrics to a song. She was just trying to help me be cute with our tag line. So, while I was at Grandma and PaPa's, the weather was very hot. However, I loved sitting out on their veranda. Because I loved being outside so much, Grandma and PaPa bought me a pool to cool off in. Granted, it's actually a blow up tub that I will one day grow into. Anyways, I had a ton of fun and went in it everyday around 5:00.

Great Grandma Dort

I have now met 2 of my 3 great grandmas. While I was in South Carolina I got to meet my Great Grandma Dort. She flew for the first time in over 30 years just to see me. (Well, my mom too.) We had a wonderful time together. She helped to teach me peek-a-boo, which I finally got the hang of on Sunday, May 28th. I squeal now whenever I hear "There you are!"

We also visited my Aunt Trish at her apartment in Spartanburg and walked around campus together. My first college visit. Mom's starting me early. The campus was beautiful and we took beautiful pictures by the fountain. (Picture forthcoming when grandma emails it to mom.)


And of course, right before great grandma left she showered me with love. Some cute little new outfits for me. Some more good incentive for mom to keep snapping photos of me and posting/mailing them to all of the people I love.

I'm back!

I'm back from my big excursion and have a few pictures to post. But right now, I just want to tell you about my big trip. We left so early in the morning on the 20th, that I slept almost the entire way to Grandma and PaPa's. This was a blessing for mom. I did do great on the plane though, even despite the layover! No crying at all on ascent or landing and I did my best to charm all of the passengers with that big smile of mine.

When we got there, we had a long ride (2.5 hours) in the car ahead of us and I tried out a big girl car seat for the first time. I slept on the way to the house and appeared to love the car seat. Mom was thankful considering the same exact one was on the way to her house on the UPS truck.

Then I got to see everyone that I had come to visit! We had an eventful first couple days with great grandma, a trip to Aunt Trish's, another trip to a different airport (saying goodbye to great grandma was tough). Then, we finally got settled in at Grandma and Papa's.

Then, more fun. Visits from Grandma's friends. A pool on the patio! A team of fun-loving attention givers! Walks outside. Man it was hard to leave.

On the way back, we got delayed, on our plane for 1.5 hours. It was tough and mom wouldn't feed me but I managed. We all held out for that take off feeeding and I went right to sleep. Even with the delay, I didn't cry. The stewardess called me "the best baby girl in the world." Mom said that I was an awesome traveler!

We are home now and I'm on an entirely new schedule, but mom's adjusting. The heat is scorching and we have no shade for an outdoor pool. Walks are scarse because it's so hot and sunny. But, there's always the next trip to look forward to!

I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane

My first flight is tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn. What am I talking about crack of dawn, I've gotten up way earlier than 6:10 am before! So, where am I going you ask? Mom and I are going to Aiken, SC to see Grandma and PaPa. I'm also going to meet my Great Grandma Dort who is making her first flight in over 30 years to see me! We are all very excited. We will miss Dad greatly the first half of our excursion, but thankfully he is able to rendezvous with us towards the end.

So, I wanted to let everyone know that I'll be gone and my mom won't be posting my pictures and stories until we get back. But do check back after Memorial Day so you can see all of the news from my big trip.

Sitting Up

Well, I'm not quite on my own yet, but I sure do like the view sitting up instead of from the flat of my back. The Bumbo seat arrived yesterday and has gotten much use already. It's great for capturing smiles and demonstrating my increased flexibility, I can still get my toes to my mouth despite the fact that I'm sitting up.

Chew on This!

Well, I'm not really sure if I'm teething or not. But I sure have found the joy of chewing on things. I love chewing on this particular rattle which also serves as a chin holder when I'm on my tummy. Mom isn't convinced that this use of the rattle is comfortable, but I repeatedly place it right under my chin. I've also taken to fingers, shoulders, forearms (mine, mom's, or dad's are all tasty), and a set of teething keys. I'm still not to sure about the plastic taste, but it's growing on me.

The Roll

Striking a pose.













Getting ready to turn.













What do I do now?













The bottom's over.













Check me out mom!













On the elbows.













Success!