Turkey Day Extras

Oops! I posted our Thanksgiving pics before I got the ones that my dad took. Here are a few more from our Turkey Day.

Helen Grace LOVES to stand up like a big girl. Can’t be sitting down for more than a second. Going night night in Goodmama’s rocker- what an honor to be part of a four-generation tradition. Eating up being the center of attention 

We have a busy week and weekend ahead of us. Wednesday we are going to our FTM group and then to Oxford for some DG transition meetings. Friday we have Kindermusik and then a moms’ and babies’ lunch. Saturday Helen Grace and I have a baby shower for my friend, Karen, and Baby Jack at 10:30, John’s OBHS soccer game at noon, Remle and Daily’s birthday party at 1:30, and Courtlyn’s birthday party at 4:00. We will truly put our little social butterfly to the test with that social agenda! I think I will bring a handful of extra outfits in the car just in case she decides she wants to wear her formula instead of drink it! Oh, and we have our FTM Christmas party on Sunday- and the DADDIES get to come! Oooohhhh! Whew, I’m headed to bed so that I can get my rest in preparation for this weekend!

Kitty Cat Princess

Saturday we made a quick day trip to Jackson to see our family there. We had a great time visiting with GG, Uncle Lary, and Aunt Gloria, and we spent most of the afternoon screaming at the tv as the Rebs lost terribly to State. Boo! Helen Grace was FULL of energy and wouldn’t sit still (her legs don’t stop kicking lately), so unfortunately, I didn’t get any family pics but here are some others from our day.

Kisses from DaddyOn the way home from Jackson…trying hard to keep her eyes open.Love this one! We met all the grandparents for dinner, and our Kitty Cat Princess was the star of the show!

Hens & Chicks

On Friday, Helen Grace and I went down to Oxford to meet Emily and Rebecca, Adickes, and Leighton for lunch. We haven’t gotten to see each other since HG’s christening in September, so it was great to take a break from the real world for a little bit and have a hen and chick party!

This was HG’s first time in a high chair. She could sit up in it well, but she got bored quickly, although Adickes did her best to keep her entertained. HG, Me, Adickes Thomas, Emily Nail, Rebecca and Leighton Thomas You can’t go to Oxford on a beautiful winter day without taking a stroll around the Square, and it’s even more fun with sweet friends. We tried to take a pic with Faulkner, but this was as close as we could get due to the Christmas decorations. HG was obviously exhausted from our shopping! Such a fun day- wish we could do that more often. Whit and Haney, we missed you!

Gobble, Gobble!

We had a wonderful and DEE-licious Thanksgiving feast with both sets of our parents at my mom and dad’s house. A baby makes the holidays so much more meaningful, and I enjoyed having some relaxed, laid back time to visit with our loved ones, as we passed the baby around. Can you say SPOLIED?! HG missed her Bubba but is looking forward to catching up with her this week after she gets home from Florida!

Watching the Macy’s Parade for the first time, one of my all-time favorite holiday traditions Her attention span lasted for about 15-30 minutes and then she watched the rest like this… You would think Rebel and Mocha had enjoyed a big turkey dinner the way they were laid OUT. The proud grandmothers couldn’t wait to get their hands on Baby Girl And Geggy too! Google and JohnHer mama and daddy could just eat her up!I believe that this is how our holidays will be spent from now on.On Thanksgiving night, Ryves and William came by to watch the NFL Network…I mean, to visit with their favorite little cousin. HG was asleep for most of the time, but I still wanted a picture of them. They were very excited about it, as you can tell.But just as they were walking out the door, HG woke up! Yay for a picture with all three of them!

Happy Half Birthday!

November 25, 2009:  Helen Grace is six months old!

Weight:  16 pounds, 6 ounces (80th percentile); Length:  25.5 inches (60th percentile); Head:  43.5 centimeters (90th percentile)

• She is still is famous for her oogly-googly-oogly’s, which require a paci. She loves to babble and keeps me entertained in the car.
• She is largely sitting up on her own, but she hasn’t figured out to put her hands out to catch herself.
• She loves to stand on your lap- would much rather do that than anything else.
• She has found her feet, and sometimes she can even get them to her mouth…which really grosses out her mama.
• She loves to get in her walker at Grandma’s. She has mastered going backwards- John calls it doing her ‘moonwalk’- and while Grandma swears she can go forward, we are still waiting to witness it ourselves. ;)
• She really squalls when she’s exhausted but doesn’t want to go to bed for fear of missing out on something. She doesn’t really go to sleep without somewhat of a fight these days.
• She loves her teething rings and is slobbering everywhere.
• She has gotten a lot more hair in the last two weeks. It’s dirty blonde peach fuzz on top, although her eyebrows and the hair at the back of her head are still red.
• Her legs are getting strong and chunky- so cute! I’ve had two people tell me today that those are a soccer player’s legs!
• She is really grabbing at things- hair, glasses, earrings, kitty cat tails- and PULLING! Ouch!
• She has just started doing this cough thing when she gets excited. It sounds like a light, fake cough. Not sure about this yet.
• She can be a big flirt and turns her head down toward her shoulder. How can it start this young?
• She has really started getting shy with people she doesn’t know and her bottom lip will slowly start quivering before the squall begins. Breaks her mama’s heart!
• She shows NO interest in being on her tummy or starting to crawl. She has only rolled less than a handful of times since she first rolled. She has woken up on her tummy twice- hated it once and was ok with the second time.
• We are continuing to put her down kind of sleepy, and she’s doing alright. She still sleeps on her left side and will either wear fleece footed pjs or sleep in a onesie and a sleep sack. She is still sleeping soundly through the night, although the time change has moved her wake up time up a little bit (just for now I hope) and she is really not interested in going back to bed after her morning bottle. I fear that I have started a bad habit, but on the days where we are home and can sleep in a little longer, I pull her into bed with us. She will always go back to sleep, but I usually don’t. What’s wrong with this picture? ;)
• She is eating all kinds of rice cereal and Level 1 foods 1-2 times a day followed by a bottle. She loves applesauce, sweet potatoes, bananas; is ok with green beans and squash; and hates carrots. We will be working on Level 2 foods very soon and have the green light from Dr. Barrett to increase feedings to 2-3 times a day.

We love our sweet baby girl more than words can express. What a joy she brings to every moment! We have so much fun dancing and singing with her and watching her laugh. She is such a blessing!

Cornucopia of Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! I took on a Facebook challenge this month to update my status every day with something for which I was thankful. It seemed a little overwhelming at first, but I sat down and started jotting things down and realized I could go on and on and on. The Lord has blessed me in so many ways, and I am eternally grateful. Let the thanks giving begin!

• I am thankful for John and his unending patience, love, and laughter.
• I am thankful for the Lord from whom all blessings flow.
• I am thankful for a happy, healthy baby that sleeps well and has brought so much joy to our lives.
• I am thankful for parents who love me unconditionally and have sacrificed so that I can have every opportunity. Such inspirations.
• I am thankful for my mother-in-law and god-mother-in-law keeping Helen Grace and teaching her new things each day. I am blessed to have in-laws who really are my family too and love me as their own.
• I am thankful for true friends, especially those who have shared a room- and life!- with me even when I was a brat.
• I am thankful for stories from Bubba and GG and generations before us- the world was so different for them. Where would we be without their foundation set for us and their guidance, love, and support?
• I am thankful to be a woman born in this era with so many opportunities.
• I am thankful for vaccines to protect our children from diseases that used to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people.
• I am thankful for my college education...and the fun I had and the friends I made while getting it.
• I am thankful for a good pair of eyes due to a successful LASIK years ago. Still can't believe I went through with it, but it has changed my life!
• I am thankful to have a job and one where I am able to help others find one as well. Also, one where I can work part-time and am able to watch my baby girl grow.
• I am thankful for being reminded I need my *daily* bread- and for John for making a Praise Baby cd for my car. Some days that's the only way I get it!
• I am thankful to have a roof over my head and food in my tummy.
• I am thankful for fall leaves and sunshine.
• I am thankful for and blessed by my FTM group. I learn so much from each one of you!
• I am thankful for a king sized bed...and kitties that sleep on top of me even with all that room. Life wouldn’t be the same without Rebel and MoMo.

Pretty in Purple

Yesterday, November 25th, our baby turned half a year old! I had hoped for her to wear her little white turkey dress for the day in honor of Thanksgiving, but it no longer fits over her noggin- oops! So onto Plan B. :)

We snapped some pics before our busy day got started (good thing because the outfit didn’t make through the afternoon). First, we went to our First Time Moms group, which was exactly the relaxed, laid-back time with friends and babies that I needed. I even got a few Christmas shopping ideas! Then, we met John for lunch, and when he had to go back to work, we found Spif and Google and sat with them while they ate lunch. We ran a few errands and then collapsed on the couch where John made it home just in time for an afternoon family nap. It’s been quite a while since all three of us have been asleep during the day at the same time!

We ended the day with a wonderfully spontaneous late-night drive-by Brandy and Lydia- just like old times! We oohed and aahed over Brandy’s snazzy new minivan (how times have changed!), and then we tip-toed upstairs to peek at a sleeping HG. Of course, we weren’t sneaky enough, and she rolled over, popped her eyes open, and threw a huge toothless smile at us! The girls got to snuggle with her for a few minutes, and then she went right back to sleep. It was great to see Lyd with her super cute baby bump, and I have a funny feeling that this won’t be the last time that Helen Grace will be awakened by Big Red!

Her six month post to come soon!

Weekend

This is our new typical Friday night…baby girl asleep in my arms and John asleep next to us on the couch. Couldn’t ask for more!

On Saturday, after we stopped by to cheer on John and the Lady Quistors at a tournament, we went to our cousin Hastings’ birthday party. Her mama, Cam, told me then that she had never gotten to hold Helen Grace…what?! She was there the night that she was born and even helped John clean the nasty tar diapers, and somehow she didn’t get to hold her. Cam, I’m so sorry! You can hold Helen Grace anytime you’d like! Here’s a picture of the official first hold at the birthday party…Happy birthday, Cam and Hastings!Saturday night John and I had a much needed date night complete with steak and WINE…yummm! On Sunday night, we bought a new fake Christmas tree since ours died last year, and then we met all the grandparents and great-grandmama for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner at McAlister’s. Bubba is going to Florida to see our Florida family for the holiday, and while I know she will be in hog heaven, we will miss her dearly! I got some cute footage of Helen Grace grabbing for a cup and straw like she did at Newk’s earlier this week. She cracks me up!

What’s Up, Doc?

Here’s our yesterday and today in pictures… Do you think I might have a photo addiction? I’m getting a little worried…

You would think that Helen Grace had experienced Newk’s sweet tea or dinking out of a straw from the way she came across the table to get her hands on Daddy’s cup…hmm…wonder where she learned that?

When John kissed HG goodbye this morning, I heard him laugh out loud through the monitor. He said it was worth my getting out of bed to see for myself…

Getting ready to go to her 6 mos  appt, playing with her new favorite toys, her feet.

6 Month Check Up 16 lbs 6 oz (80th perc), 25.5 in (60th perc), head is 90th perc

Relaxing with Rebel after her morning of shots.

I’m tired of trying to feed her “real food” in my lap, so I thought I would finally pull the highchair out of the box and see if she could sit up in it alright. Other than her mama not quite being able to figure out the tray, she did very well! She was so much more entertained when she could see everything, and I’m sure she feels more independent. Of course, she loved the applesauce and wanted to hold her bottle all by herself.

Helen Grace was in pain this morning after her shots but seems to be doing better tonight, just little whimpers every now and then. She took a long nap early in the day, got up to play for most of the afternoon, and is out again now. She is sleeping in my lap as I type this one-handed (yeah, yeah, the new sleeping protocol goes out the window when my baby is hurting), and earlier I leaned down and kissed her forehead. Even though she was trying to hold her paci in her sleepy little pout, a smile spread across her face. I love being a mama more than words can ever explain!!