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!

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!