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Showing posts from November, 2010

Baby Shot!

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Thanksgiving Recap

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We headed down to the beach on Tuesday evening and although it was a really late night, it was so nice to wake up at the beach.  It just feels more relaxed when we get down there.  The weather was warmer than I expected, so Sarah Graves spent our first day in just her diaper!  She was loving life being bare foot in her diaper!  Lovie and Pops brought her walker and she roamed all over while we worked on preparations for our big meal.  Thanksgiving day was beautiful and warm.  Sarah Graves chose to dine al fresco for breakfast! Sarah Graves loves to go out on the deck and go "sailing".  This is what Pops calls it when he takes her out and they feel the wind and sail on her "boat", the Watussy.  I'm not sure if her Daddy takes the Watussy out or not, but she was enjoying watching the boats out in the water with him and he was teaching her about the seagulls. She loves books and Pops was happy to read this one to her.  Lovie can always get a smile out of her!

Letter Month Ten

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Dear Sarah Graves, I know, technically you were ten months old last Sunday, but we have been a little busy, so I am now finally writing your letter.  What have we been su busy with, you ask?  Traveling, learning to walk, and generating harmony with your sister, Lucy are at the top of the list.  Halloween weekend we took your first plane trip to Baton Rouge to visit with family and friends.  You did really well on the plane and managed to make a few friends.  It seems like other people think you are as cute as your Dad and I do!  You did really well meeting so many new people.  You would let them hold you and smiled and gave kisses.  I was a little concerned that traveling and staying in a hotel might throw your schedule off, but you did just great.  You napped when you could and came right back to your schedule when we came home.  Lovie and I took you on another trip to New York city.  I was participating in a leadership training there and I just couldn't be away from you for sever

Beachy Thanksgiving

Yesterday after work we loaded up and made our way down to the beach. Traffic was bad in Atlanta, so we didn't get down here until about 2 in the morning. Poor Aaron had to deal with foggy, rainy weather and Sarah Graves slept some, but I think she is teething and was uncomfortable. I say I think because I am never sure if that is the cause of the fussiness until the new tooth appears. Maybe after a few more babies I would be more certain (I'm not saying we are having a few more), but the irritability, diaper rash, and recent onset of drooling suggest that teething might be the culprit. Sarah Graves woke up about 6:30 (babies do not seem to adjust their schedules much) and it was so nice to see the waves and hear that peaceful sound. I think she will enjoy how warm it is and being able to go barefoot! I am looking forward to some relaxing time with family. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Location: Bluefish Dr,Fort Walton Beach,United States

Giggly

A couple of weeks ago I tried to post this video of Sarah Graves giggling and for some reason it didn't work.  So, I removed that post and I think I have the video fixed now.

Baby Shot!

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Here is our big 10 month old cutie!  She is sporting a darling new dress that Ms. Margaret Anne made for her.  It has a purse on it with her name.  I do hope that she likes purses like I do!

Thanksgiving Attire

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Ms. Margaret Anne is very creative and when she made the Halloween dress for SG, she made it reversible with a turkey for Thanksgiving on the other side!  It is so cute!  Plus, you don't find many girlie things for Thanksgiving, so that makes it especially fun.  Lovie found this turkey barette for her hair.  I just love all this cute stuff!  I cannot imagine how much time it takes someone to fold the ribbon and glue all those little pieces on. 

Flips

I have become quite committed to cloth diapering. Mostly because I hate the thought of disposable diapers sitting in landfills for an estimated 500 YEARS , As much as I love our cloth diapers, it just doesn't make sense to haul them with us on airplanes. So, I found a system that uses a cloth cover and a disposable insert that is environmentally friendly. The cover is made of leak proof material and you can wipe out the inside as needed between uses. I have not seen any need to wipe out the inside. The cover has snaps just like our regular diapers do. The insert is not as absorbent as her Smartipants or Bum Genius 3.0s, but it will last for us now overnight with a single insert. I am really glad that someone came up with this hybrid system for those times when you need some flexibility. Cotton Babies is the maker of the Flip diapering system.

Back to Normal

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Our whirlwind trip is over and we are back home and mostly back to our routine.  I am worn out, so maybe it's good that we are in our routine!  Here are a few pictures that I took. We stayed at the Park Central New York on Seventh Avenue.  Our room was surprisingly large for a New York hotel room and there was even some open space in the room for SG to get down and play.  I know, you are probably wondering if I am in my right mind letting my baby get down on the floor in a hotel room, but there was no way I could keep her from getting down for two whole days.   We were only a few blocks from Times Square so we walked over there a few times.  Sarah Graves sat in her stroller just taking it all in.  I don't think I have ever seen her sit so still while she rides.  She just sat, rubbed her blanket between her fingers, sucked her paci, and looked at everything.   We passed by Radio City Music Hall and I couldn't hlp but think of Annie and sing the song Let's Go To the

Good Morning America

My Mom watches Good Morning America religiously. I would too if I didn't go to work so early. Anyway, when we were walking around last night we found the spot where people stand outside the studio. This morning I mistakenly got up an hour early, so I suggested that we walk over thwre to see if we could get close and see anything. When we arrived, Mom asked a security guy if we could go in the studio and be part of the audience and he said we could. I knew that I couldn't stay long, but went in anyway. So I left them there and went on to my training. Who would have guessed that SG would sneeze and get the attention of Sam Champion! He came out again and SG qgave a cry and got his attention again. A friend of Mom's said that even Robin Roberts mentioned her name! I don't have any video of her big television debut, but I think my grandmother may have recorded it, so hopefully I will get to see it sometime. Who would have guessed my Mom and my baby would be on n

New York State of Mind

Today, Mom, SG and I flew to New York. I am attending some training and they came to keep me company. SG ended up nursing and sleeping in my arms most of the flight. We had the window seat and I think there a few people that we didn't flash! I know it won't be long until SG decides to wean, but I am grateful that I have been able to soothe her like I could today. Our hotel is just a few blocks from Times Square and pretty spacious. We walked over to Times Square to look around and have dinner at a deli. I ordered food out of obligation and thoroughly enjoyed the cheesecake, which I really wanted! SG was wide eyed as we strolled around the busy streets. She was going strong when I made her go to bed at 11. She rarely makes it past 8:30 or 9 o'clock, but it is the city that never sleeps. She is an excellent traveler and adapts pretty easily to whatever we try. We are using jarred baby food, so I am sure she will have some reactions to the different tastes. Maybe

Training Lucy

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Now that Sarah Graves is very mobile she spends a lot of time on the floor, which has made us realize that Lucy does not respect her and Lucy's problem of jumping on people is magnified when the person is very small.  We have struggled with what to do and tried to teach Lucy not to jump on Sarah Graves, but it hasn't worked.  So, I reached out to Atlanta Dog Trainer  who we have worked with in the past and had success.  I have enjoyed working with them because they seem to understand that Lucy is stubborn, but she is capable of learning.  We worked with another trainer at PetSmart who frequently dismissed her stubborness for the fact that she is a bulldog and felt we should not expect anything more from her.  Trish, the trainer who came today, was confident that Lucy is capable of learning not to jump on people, but we have to be stronger than she is.  Lucy is pretty strong willed.  I hope we are stronger than she is. Trish's instructions for us today were to work on a be

Speedy

This video will give you a sense of how fast SG can crawl now.  It's hard to get video of her doing it because she seems to end up crawling toward me most of the time. 

Pippy

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SG's hair continues to grow longer and seems to want to grow toward her face.  This drives me nuts!  The solution has been to use barettes and bows to keep it out of her face.  This was Lovie's attempt to fix her hair recently.  We called her Pippy that night.  SG loves having her hair fixed.  She loves it so much that she rips the bow out just so we can do it again.  It's a fun game we play.

Big Girl Teeth

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This picture shows off her big girl teeth!  She has 5 now and there might be another one on the way!

Labor of Love Reunion

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Sunday we went to a reunion for Labor of Love. Pam was our wonderful doula who has done far more than just support us during the birth. Pam opened up a whole world of people and different approaches. She introduced us to Intown Midwifery and that was the most valuable thing anyone could do for my birth experience. Because of all that, I was excited to go out and meet other families that have worked with these special doulas. It was a beautiful afternoon and there was lots of yummy food!

Grown Up

Yesterday I forgot all the parts that make my pump useful at home. I went home to get them and when I arrived I finally met the lady who has been cleaning for us for about 6 months. (having someone clean has been a huge help and has freed up my time in the evenings.) As I backed out of my driveway, I was struck by the realization that I am really grown up. I walk around often thinking that when I am a big girl I will wear really high heels, trendy clothing, enjoy an evening cocktail...the list goes on. Basically, I realized that I am already a big girl who has a job, a husband, a baby, and a house. Maybe I haven't chosen some of the other cool things I envisioned for my adult life, but I am a grown up and it is really good.

Family Reunion Follow-Up

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I got busy last week and never posted about the rest of our trip to Baton Rouge.  On Sunday my Uncle Steve had us and my Mom's brother, Ronnie, over for brunch.  We had a good time visiting and Sarah Graves had a chance to wear her costume!  We didn't do a great job taking pictures, but we took a few.  Uncle Steve loves Sarah Graves and she looks at him so intently when he is talking to her.  I think we got some better pictures of the two of them with Uncle Steve's camera.  Maybe he will share them with us sometime :) Maw Maw Yvonne was happy to have babies to hold.  Mallory is so grown up now and played with Sarah Graves.  Ryan is still a little boy, but he is really good with Sarah Graves and shares well with her. It was a whirlwind weekend, but I am so glad that we were able to visit with everyone and help Sarah Graves know more of her family. 

Baby Shot!

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I love these overalls!  Osh Kosh might be my favorite place for every day kinds of clothes.  She can really crawl when she doesn't have a dress to slow her down. 

Time Change

When you have a baby, that bit of joy you experience when you gain an hour of sleep with the time change is gone. Babies don't reset their clocks and don't really care if 4:30 is not a sane waking hour. Actually, it hasn't been as bad as I thought. She has woken up insanely early the past two mornings, but she napped and went to bed appropriately. I let her whine for a few minutes this morning and she must have fallen back to sleep. I heard her again about an hour later at 5:30 and went to her. The book on sleep that has proven pretty useful suggests that you don't go to them before 5 am so that you don't reinforce the super early wake time. Hopefully, she will sleep until 6 again soon.

Sense of Humor

Now that Sarah Graves is sleeping through the night and has been for a while now, I feel like I have a sense of humor again. I was so tired for so long that I couldn't think all that well anymore and I definitely didn't have the mental energy to poke fun at anything. The best that I can describe it is to say that I felt dull. I didn't have anything interesting to say and I was just putting one foot in front of the other. Not that I am a comedian by any means, but I have noticed that I feel more with it and more lively. Even Aaron has noticed that I am no longer a zombie! That's what sleep will do for you.

GG Kisses

Baby Shot!

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Family Reunion

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Saturday was our family reunion with the family on my paternal grandmother's side (a.k.a. Maw Maw Bourgeois' side).  We had a great time visiting with everyone and eating some delicious food!  My cousin Eric made gumbo and everyone else brought different items like sweet potato casserole and homemade cookies!  My grandmother had a pack'n play so that SG could take some naps and she did.  She was passed around the aunts, uncles, and cousins and was pretty content with them.  I'm not sure how we ended up with mostly pictures of her with some of the men!  My pictures came back a bit random as far as what I caught!  SG and my cousin Nikki SG and Aunt Linda SG and cousin Joe SG and GG SG and cousin Brian SG with cousin Nikki and Aunt Nay We love babies in our family and we had a few of them there.  Sarah Graves had several babies to check out; sweet babies, too! Nikki holding cousin Emily (she is just scrumptious and you would want to kiss her cheeks to death!) cousin

Breakfast with Aunt Lexie

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Since we were in town for less than 48 hours we packed in visits at every meal.  Saturday we started off the day with breakfast with Aunt Lexie and her friend Tim.  After lunging for silverware and making every attempt to throw herself at Aunt Lexie's cofee cup, SG caught a second wind toward the end of our breakfast and got giggly when we went outside.  It was fun to catch up with someone so special to us and we hope that we can have a longer visit next time. 

SG and Maw Maw Yvonne

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When we came in on Friday night, Maw Maw Yvonne came to the hotel to visit with us but MOSTLY so she could see Sarah Graves.  Sarah Graves showed off her ability to cruise around furniture and gave a few kisses.  Who wouldn't love that?

First Plane Ride

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Friday we left after work flying to Baton Rouge for a family reunion and a chance to see more family and friends.  Sarah Graves' first plane ride went pretty well.  As you can see from the picture, she was pretty distracted by the people and a little rambunctious.  Only one time did she really start to cry and the lady behind us started entertaining her with peek-a-boo and that calmed her down.  I think she did pretty well considering it's a small space and not much room to get down and play (what she really wanted to do the entire time).  I nursed her during take off and her ears didn't seem to bother her at all.  The return flight was pretty smooth and she nursed some and hung out some.  Again, she got a little impatient with having to be held, but we had toys to distract her.  The iPad was really helpful for distracting her!  She will be flying again in 2 weeks, but I'm not as nervous now that we have done it once!