Gobble Gobble

We have so many reasons to be thankful. I want to share how we spent our Thanksgiving. We woke up to drive to Duncan, Ok at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday. Chloe did fantastic and traffic, or lack thereof, was great. We packed it up Saturday around 5:15 a.m. and were back in Austin to pick out a Christmas tree by 12:30 p.m. It was a good trip!

Aunt Ellen and Chloe

Cousin Ryan and Chloe

Chloe and Riggs playing with Aunt Ellen

Nancy, Suzy (Chloe's Nana) and Chloe

Bogart (Ellen's dog)

Chloe helping Granddad with his crossword.

Granthamania at the BBQ joint
...and my family thought getting 10 together at a restaurant was difficult!

On our way back, we had to get a picture of...

This GIANT rocking chair.



Granthamania
(standing left to right: Me, Mark, Chloe, Don, Nancy, Mike, Abby, Ryan, Debbie, Jimmy, Ellen, Sally, JJ, Riggs)
(sitting left to right: Suzy, Granddad, Granny)



6 Months

Chloe, it's November 28, 2010 and you are six months old today!

We go to the doctor on Wednesday, December 1. I'll update your height and weight then.

You are such a big girl. You are napping in your crib now. I lay you down and you fuss for about five minutes and then fall asleep. Staying asleep is another story. Your naps are only about 30 minutes, but I'm sure, like everything else, you'll work it out. You've led the way for most of this journey.

A quote from last month: "You have still not started solids but we are going to try rice or oatmeal cereal on Sunday! No veggies or fruit until 6 months." I'm eating my words. You were soooo ready for solids. You didn't spit anything back out; you just started chowing down...so we decided to try some fruits and veggies. You have eaten sweet potato, pears, apples and carrots. You eat them in the evening around 5:30 and you only have a tablespoon.

When you are eating, we give you sips of water to wash it down. We have learned that you like to drink out of a cup like a big girl...no sippy cups for you!

You have both your bottom teeth now! They are so cute but very sharp!

You now sit up without support. and can stay that way for about 30 minutes. You love to play with your shape sorter cookie jar.

You also like to put lots of weight on your legs and with our help, you stand. It was so strange. Every day we tried to get you to put weight on your legs. One day you were curling up into fetal position when we tried and the next day, you put all your weight on your legs. You literally learn things overnight.

You had your first family holiday experience.We went to Duncan, OK for Thanksgiving! More on that later...

We love you, Miss Chloe!

My Busy Little Baby

Chloe!  You have been so busy lately. We have so many things to share. I'll try to make this snappy.
We started you on solids a little earlier than I thought we would...you were definitely ready. You have tried rice cereal, pears, apples and sweet potato.

First Bite of 'Real' Food
10.29.10




Yuuummmm
10.29.10



Not Really Sure What to Think...
10.29.10

Daddy's Turn to Feed You
10.29.10

Here is a video of your first meal. Shorty and Pop, this is for you!





A Few Days Later...Feeding Yourself


I'd have to say that sweet potato is your favorite! See for yourself:

Sweet Potato is Goooooood
11.19.10



Getting the Hang of It
11.19.10

Just a fun picture of our sweet angel.

Baby Blues

You are diggin' the exersaucer now that you are putting weight on your legs. You bounce and bounce and bounce.

Exersaucer - Good Times
11.19.10

Happy Baby

You investigate everything. And why not? It's all new to you! I love to watch you figure things out.

Our Little Inspector

Love This Face

My Shooting Star

What will you learn tomorrow?

I Love BOOBIES!

Last Sunday, I went with a group of friends to run in the Susan G. Komen race for the cure. They estimate that there were over 10,000 people at the race. No wonder I lost all my friends, my husband and my baby after the race! Don't worry...I eventually found them back at the car.

Not sure about this face.

Jogging for Jugs!
From Left: Jenny, Berkley, Stephanie, Kim & Chloe), Libby and Laura

Also, Chloe has been working out the sleeping on her tummy thing. Tonight she is sleeping peacefully, face down in her crib. I'm sure she'll be screaming for me to come flip her over before the night is finished. The past two mornings, I have found her sleeping on her tummy (after waking for the 6:00 a.m. feeding), but that's only after I make her cry it out for a few minutes after I flipped her over half a dozen times. 

You only get one shot before the camera wakes her.

Waking up. Please note the HUGE mosquito bite on her head. One of five!

Tonight was my first attempt at making baby food! I made apples. They are in the freezer in an ice cube tray as I type. I have nothing against Gerber (or other jarred baby food). In fact, Chloe has eaten Gerber applesauce. This is about attempting to set a precedence in our house. I would like to keep fresh food rather than processed food in our pantry and fridge. While pre-made baby food is about as pure as it gets, it's cheap and fun for me to make my own. Sooooooo, tomorrow I'll make butternut squash and sweet potatoes. Of course, Chloe won't be eating them for a while. And hopefully, Mark and I will get out of the habit of buying pre-made, processed foods.



Landry

Mr. Landry,

I regret that I am a moron. I have clearly lost my mind. Your
birthdate is one of the few I CAN remember! It is 11-12. The problem,
good sir, is that I don't know what up from down is now, not to mention
what day it is. Your birthday is Friday...it's been bugging me all
night that I got that wrong!

Love you.

Sent from my iPhone

A Few Updates for the 'Book'

I'm at the neighbor's house so I'm writing this from my iPhone. That
means no pictures but as Tori pointed out, Blogger isn't really
cooperating right now anyway. These are just a few of the things on my
mind today.

1. Landry is going to be 2 tomorrow. I need to see that kid again (and
soon) or he is going to be driving by the time I do...plus I want to
meet his new sister and see his cousins, too.

2. Chloe has two teeth now! It happened so quickly and I feel like
it's the start of her turning into a child (no longer a baby);
although, she'll ALWAYS be my baby!

3. She sits up without help now and today she stuck her arm out behind
herself to lower her body to the ground rather than crash.

4. She decided today that she wants to put weight on her legs. So with
the help of me or her daddy, she can 'stand.'

5. This is all going by way too fast! Time for another?!?

6. Just kidding!

7. Chloe was attacked by a mosquito in my car. I think I counted 5
bites. We weren't in the car that long...somebody needs to tell the
bug popultion in Austin that it's mid-November. Bug off! (pun intended)

8. I can't wait for Chloe's Christmas stocking to get here!!!! It's
soooo cute. No. They are not homeade...we are going to do this Our
Way. Plus, I can't find the time to make a stocking. How crazy am I
for almost ordering an extra stocking for a future child?!? Should I?
So they all match?

9. Driving to Duncan for Thanksgiving! Super excited to see Granny,
Granddad and the rest of the Granthamaniacs!!

10. Pictures for our Christmas card. I want a family picture with the
dogs, too. Is it gonna happen?!?

11. Wrote our first letter to Mark's brother, Ben. He's in basic
training now. I'm going to try and write a letter a week. I need to
send him pictures of Chloe. I asked Mark, "Is there anything
particular you want me to write Ben?" his response? "Tell him 'Sup?'"
So I did!

12. I LOVE our king size bed! How did we live without it?

13. I've gone on long enough...

Sent from my iPhone

Jumping the Gun

Disclaimer: I have not forgotten the reason for the season...this is a post about my dilemma for what to get a 7 month old for Christmas as well as setting a future precedence.

I know Santa has a few more weeks before he comes to town. Trust me, I'm not rushing him. BUT, this is Chloe's first Christmas!! Am I buying into the consumerist crap that floods the market this time of year? God, I hope not! Probably so...grrrrr.

I read a few GREAT ideas on the mommy board I frequent. Mark seems to think these ideas are ridiculous; however, I think Christmas has gotten ridiculous. Here are the two ideas:

1. Want, Need, Wear, Read - This is pretty self-explanatory. You buy your child an item from each category.
2. Only 3 presents - If it was enough for Jesus, it's enough for you.

I love the logic on number 2. However, can I really only buy my child three things for Christmas? I doubt it. I already purchased three items...a book, and two sing-a-ma-jigs. I'm leaning towards the first one as she gets older, items become more expensive and the 'I want, I wants' rear their ugly heads.

Speaking of the 'I wants.' One family tradition we will be starting is giving to less fortunate children. For now, Mark and I will do the buying but when Chloe is old enough she will pick out a few toys to give to another child. It's something my parents had us do and I believe we learned an invaluable lesson from it.

Lastly, I have NO IDEA what to tell Santa to bring Chloe for Christmas. I'm thinking about a little red wagon or a rocking horse. I know she won't remember what he brings but she's been good and he really wants to leave something under the tree for her on Christmas morning. Maybe she wants her first doll? He should probably bring her diapers...that's what she uses the most!

I know this: Christmas is going to be both stressful and blissful this year! We are setting our traditions for our family. I want it to be perfect. Life doesn't get much sweeter!