HG’s barn offers three weeks of pony camp in the summer. We had a conflict with the first one, so we signed her up for the second one, the week of June 26th. It’s always one of her favorite weeks of summer, but it’s usually relentlessly hot and by the end, she’s exhausted from working and playing so hard in the heat. But this year, she never complained a bit and begged to go to the last week too. It didn’t hurt that she rode to camp in the morning with Ms. Jody, so she enjoyed riding in a truck with a puppy dog in her lap and with some of the older counselors and getting there early to help set up. She also competed in her first outside show that first week with a group of five girls (all much older than her), and she won 2nd, 4th, and 5th place ribbons. She wanted to do camp and a show again so that she could earn a blue ribbon this time!
So we signed her up for the week of July 10th. I did hear her complain once about the heat that week, but she immediately made a new fun friend and they had a BIG time. In her second outside show, she and her friend were the only two in their division, so she won 1st, 2nd, 2nd, and reserve champion ribbons!
Week One
For the record, Granddaddy and Spiffer came to her show, but they were too busy wrangling Cressey (keeping her quiet and out of the pasture) to get in many pics. I also handed over John’s camera to a new mom friend there who happens to be a professional photographer, so she got some cute ones of the girls.
Week Two
Grandma, Hastings, and Cam came to cheer her on, and she and Madison had a great time getting their horses ready and riding outside together. It couldn’t have been a more humid day, but we loved watching HG in her element!
Grandma was trying to help me get Cressey to cooperate in the pic…
Cressey turned 15 months old on July 8, 2017. Her check up was today, July 11th, and here are her stats…
Weight: 28 lbs, 14 oz
Height: 34 inches
Head: 49.25
She’s still off the charts, but she’s flattening out on the growth curve. (I knew we weren't exactly on the chart when the nurse stepped back in the exam room to ask, “She is here for her 15 month check up, right?”) Her weight is coming down, and her height-to-weight ratio is looking good. She had a vision test today (which was great) and got two shots, one in her arm and one in her leg.
She’s started ‘tickling’ things and loves to be tickled. Will just cackle.
She fake coughs and sneezes.
She can be trusted to hold a bowl on her high chair tray without chunking it, although she will for sure start throwing pieces of food on the floor when she’s ready to get out. Still a garbage dumpster, will try anything, and wants to eat anything you are eating.
She says, ‘what’s that?,’ and ‘where’s ___?’ Getting a much more discernible mama, dada, sissa, and kitty cat. She throws in some version of thank you too.
She wants to be carried around 24/7 at home and has a bit of separation anxiety. If I walk too far away from her (in the one minute that her feet actually hit the ground), she will start running after me with her hands in the air to be picked up. HG and I have been trying to have a girls’ day once a week over the summer, and we have to be REALLY crafty about sneaking out to leave her with a babysitter. She watches us like a hawk and wants to be right beside us. While she used to willingly go to anyone, now she rarely goes to anyone other than us or grandparents. She will lay in your lap for a few minutes after she finishes her bottle before she does her signature roll to get down.
If you sit down on the floor with her or in a chair, she will sidle up to you between your legs and snuggle in. She will blow you kisses often but is stingy with actual, lean-in kisses. (I walked into her room one morning, and she started immediately blowing me kisses. Talk about melting!)
She is somewhat better about wearing shoes. Sometimes she’ll put them on without a fight, while others she will still pitch a huge fit.
Unfortunately, she is still very attached to her paci. Much to HG’s disappointment, we can’t find any other lovey that she’ll attach to. She wants to take it everywhere she goes.
She’s still using a bottle for most of her big milk drinks (2% milk), but she has also mastered a straw and likes her straw sippy cup best. She’ll carry it around with water. She can also hold her own bottle now which is nice.
She is officially a pain to eat out at a restaurant with because if she’s not eating, she wants DOWN. NOW.
She is still a mama’s girl, but the minute John walks in the door, she is all over him. Cries when he tries to change clothes, follows him around the kitchen (loves to chase him round and round), crawls up in his lap. It’s pretty adorable.
While she is still trying to figure out her gentle touch, she is sweet to the kitties, and they are sweet to her. They don’t immediately run from her anymore and actually lean in for her kisses.
At least three of her molars have come in. She might have a fourth, but I can’t get my hand in there to check anymore!
She likes to read and rock at bedtime. I’ll put her down in her crib and then rub her back or stroke her head. John laughs and says as he lays her down in the bed, he holds his breath, waiting to see if she’s going to roll over happily on her tummy to sleep or if she’ll keep rolling and pop up mad to be in her bed! Almost always sleeps on her tummy now. Will always take a morning two-hour nap but an afternoon nap is iffy, depending on her big sister’s afternoon activities. If she naps too late, she stays up all night (8:30), so sometimes it’s easier to keep her up and put her to bed at 6:30. On one night of desperation during teething, we tried to put her in our bed. She just got even more wound up and wouldn’t dare lay down. Complete opposite of her sister who wouldn’t leave our bed if she didn’t have to.
She’s developed quite a short temper when things don’t go her way (when you won’t let her open the microwave while it’s still on, when you won’t get her out of her high chair fast enough, when you take something out of her hand), and I laughed with Dr. Vargo that we might have to bring her in for a concussion next. She scrunches up her face at you and thrashes her whole body.
She walks everywhere now, in what we call her Frankenstein walk. I usually only see her crawl to help her get under a table. She would be up the stairs in a heartbeat, but I won’t let her try.
When she started getting mobile, I had a really hard time keeping her out of cabinets and was worried I was going to have to lock down the house. However, she’s gotten really good about stopping if I tell her no. She will still try, but if I catch her, she’ll easily stop and move on. Now the pantry…that’s a whole other story. She wants in there BAD.
We have a new baby hippo at the Memphis Zoo, and we’ve been trying to get a glimpse of her. One afternoon during the witching hour when HG and I needed to get some fresh air (and try to quieten the baby), we headed to the zoo and got amazingly lucky! Winnie and her mama put on a show as the mama laid down and let the baby nurse underwater. So cool!
HG used her birthday money from Glo to buy herself a sweet (and cool) treat. She was so proud of herself.
HG helped me bag up some car seats, and I was tickled to find this extra note on the label.
The Ducks came over for dinner, and an epic pirate battle ensued.
Headed to our cousin Carrie’s wedding in Tupelo
HG and Ella had a BALL. I had to drag her out of there kicking and screaming.
The big sister extraordinaire took care of some baby girls who wanted to dance.
Showering Em and baby Russ as she prepares for the best title in life- “Mama”
What an exciting two years for Em and Mark!
Love seeing this in the monitor
A little HG quality time
First Jerry’s of the season, compared to Cressey’s first visit last year
She loved having some bites of HG’s.
Thanks to our neighbor, Christy, for Cressey’s first sucker. It was obviously a big hit!
The Toohig Family Band
We stopped by a swim meet at the Racquet Club to see some of HG’s SAA friends race. Can you spy Evie giving HG a hug goodbye in the ocean of swim caps?
Celebrating Rowan’s 4th birthday
Ever get the feeling someone’s watching you?
All dressed up for camp at SAA. Looking too much like a teenager.
We met the Mattice girls at the zoo one afternoon after camp. HG hadn’t planned on getting wet, but it was such an inferno that she chose to jump in to cool off.
Cress can’t stay away from HG, even if she is soaking wet.
She got her toesies wet too.
Fun with Grandma
Mama’s closet never gets old.
Dropping her off for Jump Into JK camp in 2013 and robotics and Minecraft camps in 2017. She just hops out and runs in now, although that morning I did get an ‘I love you.’
She’d follow that sister anywhere.
Loves her some babies
Just a mental note to remember the stage of life where my bathroom is overrun with little girls’ things.
Visiting Vaco and Hank
Trying to get the hang of squeeze pouches
It’s a whole new world!
Always ready for dinner
And apparently always willing to try new things…like her bed??
It’s not summer until you go to Gibson’s for donuts in your pajamas…
Visiting Daddy at work
Cheering on her friends in the SAA summer production of the Lion King
Movie date with Ann Maxwell
Nowhere to hide
Pony camp begins!
My little shadow
And she’s discovered the potty…ooooh no!
She loves to chew on a toothbrush.
Playing with Mary Mason and Darby
“Get me outta here!”
This bed is a little crowded.
Ice skating with the Anglins
Sharing a bite of her daddy’s famous and fabulous chocolate milkshake
