Light snow was predicted for the morning of Friday, January 6th. We really didn’t get our hopes up although temps were looooowwww, but when John woke up early to hit the shower as usual that morning, he said it was starting to lightly fall. When he got out to drive to work, the roads were white but not slick. I laid awake, checking my phone for an update from school, while HG snoozed.
FINALLY, the call came in that school was cancelled! When HG woke up on her own right before 7:00, it took a few seconds for her to realize what time it was and how we’d normally be late for school…and then her feet hit the floor and she was running for the window! While we didn’t get a ton of accumulation in Memphis (maybe half an inch; DeSoto County got several inches), the roads were really icy in spots for a day or two. It was a good call to cancel schools.
Around 8:00 a.m., the girls were ready to venture outside. It took us/ me a while to gather all of our needed winter gear, but we finally bundled up- Cressey wearing HG’s old bunny snowsuit. The snow was really coming down hard while we were out there, and I loved seeing the snowflakes gather in Cressey’s eyelashes. She seemed to really enjoy it, never crying a bit, and HG loved it for about 5.5 minutes. Then, she was immediately in dire need of hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. We spent the rest of the day inside, watching the snow coming down and having a lazy day together.
Catching snowflakes on her tongue
Look at those flakes coming down!
HG on top; Cressey on bottom
HG on left; Cressey on right
HG on top; Cressey on bottom
And just because it’s one of my favorites of HG, this is her peeling out of her snowsuit. The only part of the snow process that Cressey didn’t like was getting out of her suit. I didn’t get a pick because she was screaming bloody murder.
She took her second plane ride this month, to upstate New York this time, and handled travel delays and a very late night like a champ.
She loves to clap and say, “Yay!” (Said yay first on New Year’s Day)
She is still not crawling, but she loves to stand and hold on to stuff. In fact, she’ll even lock her legs when you try to set her down on her bottom. When I set her on my bathroom counter with her feet in the sink, she reaches for the faucet and pulls herself into a standing position. That’s the only time I’ve seen her pull up though.
She started saying “dada” right at Christmas, and around January 11th, she finally started saying “mama.”
She will sometimes lay her head on your shoulder, which surprises me every time. She wants to be on my hip 24/7 but is not one to sit and cuddle with me. She has also patted me on the shoulder a few times. Her sister did that a lot, so I hope Cressey will keep it up.
Aunt Edie helped her learn a new trick where she leans her head to the ground and then pops up…”dooooown, up!”
A second mole has popped up on her upper left thigh.
She is pointing with her index finger, and HG loved letting her chase the laser pointer with her finger.
It seems that her hair is starting to curl on the ends. Still can’t quite figure out which way her hair will part with all of her wild cowlicks.
She calls the kitties (or John when he’s been bad) with her little hand, saying, “Come here!” I’ve noticed she babbles in a high pitch voice too when she’s calling the cats.
At a restaurant, she has to be kept busy eating real food. Cucumber slices are our go to, but she’ll eat anything off your plate. I really haven’t found anything she’s turned her nose up at (obviously). With the new allergy rules (to expose earlier to prevent allergies from developing), we’ve now tried eggs, strawberries, peanut butter, etc. She hasn’t had a response as of yet. I feed her two sit-down meals a day (an early lunch and dinnertime) and bottles throughout the day, but if she’s awake for my breakfast, she’ll insist on eating my waffle or oatmeal too.
She’s still taking two big naps during the day and a dinnertime nap, although sometimes she’ll drop that last one. Half the time, she’s awake by 7 a.m., but other times, HG and I have to drag her out of bed to go to school.
She’ll drop her head to her shoulder and smile at you like she’s flirting.
Her temper has shown its head as of late. Like a toddler. Not sure what this means for our future! But if she doesn’t want to sit down, if you take the bottle from her, if you take your phone from her, etc., she will arch her back and throw herself out. Dangerous! She’s hit her head a few times as a result, but the lesson doesn’t seem to have sunk in yet.
She will sometimes go straight to strangers (even the guy at Swanky’s that helped us to our car), but then other times, she’ll cry in the arms of friends. Also, I’ve noticed her cry a few times when I leave.
There’s snow outside on that roof, so an outfit with snowflakes was in order!
“Oh, elephant, I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to go!”
“Ha! That was fun!”
{HG at 9 mos, Feb 2010; she wasn’t throwing her hippo, but she was climbing out of the chair and eating her sign.}
HG asked to come along to Cressey’s check up so that Dr. Vargo could listen to her wheeze. (She was traumatized by C’s shots last time, so I knew she was worried.) Fortunately, she knows her body well; unfortunately, she needed a breathing treatment. Cressey wasn’t sure what to think of that big, loud machine. A lot of albuterol and prednisone over the following week fixed HG right up. Cress only had to get one shot- the second half of her flu shot- and she basically went, “Oh!,” and moved on. Didn’t even fuss when I took off her band-aid that night. Amazing.
Here are a few of our adventures with Snowflake Mist and Elfa this holiday season…
HG was so excited for the elves to return on December 1st that she drew them on her lunch box napkin.
Buuuuut she had a hard day at school that day, so they couldn’t come but sent this note.
And she wrote this to them after a good day at school the next day, hopeful she’d proven to Santa her true character.
And what do you know? They came back, and in just the place she had hoped they’d appear (and wearing pajamas she and Grandma had bought)!
Here they are planting the magic seeds that the elves left. Sure enough, they believed, and the seeds turned into a marshmallow snowman and a snowflake sucker the next day.
HG was hiding one morning and jumped out at me. I screamed, “You scared the bejesus out of me!! Well, I probably shouldn’t say that word- excuse me.” She responded, “It’s ok. We say, ‘you scared the juices out of me,’ at school all the time.”
HG was so insistent on putting together a gingerbread house after dinner on a Sunday night. Should have known that was a recipe for disaster.
We got the roof on…and then things started sliding. And not even hot glue could keep it together. We had an upset little girl. She asked the elves to help her mama out by bringing another one.
HG’s class Christmas party on Dec. 13th (and yes, I left Cressey at home so big girl could have the attention)
And thankfully, the elves brought a PRE-ASSEMBLED gingerbread house for our second attempt. YAYYYY!!
Cop Stop day at SAA and HG made the school’s Facebook page
This doodle was completely unprompted. I swear!
After we got out of school for the holidays, we were able to meet up with Callum and crew for a much needed play date!
The girls and I went up to John’s office for their Pick Up Your Spouse party. They had a pinata this year, and while HG had NO interest in getting into the maylay to tear it open, she sure was quick to dive in there for candy!
John and I looked around at one point for HG, and we finally found her sitting at a desk (not her daddy’s- eek!) and playing in the chair. It’s the little things!
Most of the time in our house, we have to share our seat with Momo.
Cressey loves Christmas cards as much as her mama and sister do!
Just a lazy holiday break day with a girl and her kitten
We were squeezing in every Christmas outfit we could in December…and I mean really ‘squeezing into’ them…
As she sat next to the tree, I handed Cressey an ornament and was saying ‘ball’ to her. HG sashayed over and said, “Mama, you know she can NOT say the word ‘ball’ yet,” and gave me this teenage look.
We got to see Ellis over lunch! She changed schools this year, and we’ve missed her and her family so much.
Our old neighbor and SAA grad, Katie, came home from college and called to asked if she could come hang out with HG. SWEET! She brought over a little gingerbread village, and I thoroughly enjoyed harassing them as they worked, but theirs turned out much better than my first attempt!
John and I had a date night with HG to Holiday Ham for dinner, and then John went to go see a movie with CB and HG and I went to see Moana. (Beforehand, she begrudgingly ran some last minute errands with me. It’s amazing how much you can get done without hauling a baby carrier through a store! She was not excited all the stops we had to make, but we had lots of fun running through the rain together and chit chatting.)
While wrapping, I plopped this bow on Cressey’s head, and HG piped up with, “Cressey, you’re our Christmas present this year!” Sweetest words I’ve ever heard.
HG’s first handprint ornament on the left and Cressey’s on the right
HG decorated some gift envelopes for me. Without any prompting, this is what she drew.
This cat just makes himself at home. Prince and the Pea!
As usual, Blue and Mo aren’t far from a sleeping HG.
This stupid cat has a new trick that has made us lose our minds lately. He did it repeatedly over the holidays.
Lego assembly in action
Isn’t there a saying about a silver spoon in the mouth? Ha!
Holiday haircut…she let us cut the last bit of her baby hair off the ends. Probably 2-3 inches. Looks great!
A quick visit with Courtlyn
And Sing movie with Addie for her 4th birthday
Brandy, Daily, and Frankie came over to play.
Daddy has one full lap of love bugs.
We met the Coats girls for lunch and cupcakes. Cressey has never been a big fan of loud noises or crying/ loud babies, but it reached a fever pitch at the restaurant. Every time Alexandra would make a peep, Cress would melt down.
This cat is pitiful.
John found mini cucumbers for Cress, and they are a big hit. She’ll gnaw/ gum it until it’s just a nub.
On NYE, Glo, Suzanne, and Grace Ann drove up from Jackson (and Worth from hunting too!), and we meet the Hasseltines for lunch and jumping. HG was in hog heaven.
