Eight Months

I've been doing a lot of growing over the past few months. Momma got a little behind on my 6 and 7 month posts, so I have a lot to talk about!

I have not been to the doctor for an official weigh in, but I think I'm pushing 22 pounds.

I've been wearing 12 month clothes for a while now. There are still a few things marked 9 months that I can fit in, but those are mainly brand new items that haven't been washed a million times.

I am still not crawling, but I want to. My favorite thing to do is sit and twist myself in whichever direction I think I need to go, then reach as far out as possible. I end up in a crawling position, but slowly slide back onto my tummy. I am strong enough to pull/push myself back up onto my hands and knees, but still don't try to go anywhere. Momma says that's making her life easier for just a little longer.

Even though I'm not moving around, I like to stand and hold onto things. I can't pull up on my own, but if you put my by the couch or a toy, I can stand until I get too excited and start jumping.

Avery makes me laugh, but she seems less interested in my lately. I've found other friends to enjoy, and every child at any age makes me smile.

I'm a happy baby who gets along with everyone. Last week at VBS, I was the only baby in the nursery while Momma worked. I had four grandmas who took me in as their own and were at my beck and call. I loved it.

Momma, Avery and I flew on an airplane to Texas to visit my Grammy, Pop, and momma's Grandmom for over a week. I did really well on the plane and charmed everyone along the way. That was the first time I've visited Momma's hometown, and everyone at church loved me.

While I was in Texas, I slept all the way through the night two times! The rest of the time, I only woke up once. Since I've been home I've had a few rough nights, but I'm down to waking up only once consistenly. I eat and go right back to sleep within 7-10 minutes. Momma says she can handle that a lot better.

I can say "Dada" and "Ball." Still working on "Mama," but I love to babble and make funny noises. I've recenlty learned the 'gurgle' but magically keep all the spit in my mouth.

I have two teeth on the bottom, but didn't give momma too hard of a time as they came in.

I still eat a lot. Momma's milk was not completely satisfying me anymore, so I'm on formula full time now. I still scarf down all my veggies and fruits. It's been fun trying new combinations. Daddy has even given me some mashed potatoes and refried beans. I've also had tastes of ice cream and like that...a lot!

My favorite thing to do is mimic Daddy after he coughs. Momma thinks it's funny to hear my cough after Daddy's.

I can finally hold my bottle by myself. It's helpful for Momma, but it also shows her how grown up I am.

I've also learned to clap. I can't do it all the time, but every once in a while, I get really excited and clap really big.

Viva Vacation!

So this is long overdue, but I thought I would go ahead and write about our trip to Florida.

We drove down on Sunday and were able to spend that evening and the next day with Kenny's mom, dad, brothers, sister (Tom, Jon, Kirk and April) as well as his grandfather. We were also able to visit the High School campus where Kenny graduated. He attended three different high schools, but I think he claims this one as his "home" because he went there his freshman, sophomore and part of his senior year. We also were able to catch up with some friends that Kenny went to school with. I feel like I know them because I met them when Kenny and I first started dating; then Barry was in our wedding, now 10 years later we still have kept in touch.

Tuesday and Wednesday we went to Disney World. It was truly a Magic Kingdom for Avery. It was fun to see her face and watch the joyous expressions as she discovered new things. I found myself, along with everyone else, 'overloading' her by saying, "Avery look at this! Wow! Look at that!" I finally backed off because I could tell she was getting a little overstimulated. I then realized she is her own little person who can observe things all on her own.


We waited in line to see Pluto, Donald Duck and Goofy. We also met Snow White, Cinderella, Belle and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). Avery explored Minnie's house and the Swiss Family Robinson tree all on her own. We enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean, Pooh Bear's Book, Dumbo, Aladin, and the Jungle Cruise as a family. An all time favorite of Avery and Braden's was It's A Small World. I still think the little figures are a little creepy, but by the end of the ride, both of my kids were hypnotized by the colors and happy tunes. Avery sang "It's A Small World" for days.


Kenny and I were able to sneak back to the park one night without kids to enjoy Space Mountain with his brother, Jon, and April. It was a great ride, but I realized how my focus has changed to my children instead of my own wishes since becoming a mother. I would choose to see Avery and Braden's faces on one ride rather than ride an adult ride 10 times.


The next day we drove to Kenny's 'home' town, Palm Bay. He doesn't really claim it as home because his family moved there when he went away to college, but I think of it as his home because that's where I visited him during our dating years. While there, we enjoyed a day at the beach!


On Friday we drove back to spend another day with Kenny's grandfather and family before heading home on Saturday.


This trip was so much fun, not only for our kids and the fun in all the hotel pools, Disney park, beach, etc. I especially enjoyed this trip because of the time we were able to spend with Kenny's family. It's been too long since we've spent quality time together, and I feel like I grew even closer to all of them. (And of course it didn't hurt that they were more than willing to watch the kids for us while we snuck in a date/movie one night!)


So, after seven days, six nights, two long road trips, millions of laughs, a few tears, Cuban food, Italian food, Chinese food and way too much fast food, we were home safe and sound.

MIA

Thanks to those who are concerned that I may not be among the living...things have been crazy lately.

After we got home from our Disney vacation, volleyball and football started full swing. As things seemed to calm down a bit, I received news from my family that my grandmother suffered a stroke.

So, I've been in Texas for the past week with my family. I will be home Wednesday. Hopefully Kenny will not have learned to love bachelorhood too much and will welcome us home with open arms.

Until then I'll leave you with these teasers:

Disney was fantastic. We enjoyed Kenny's family and some fun and sun. We all came home with tans...even Braden...and Daddy. ;) Well, Daddy's was more of a sunburn, but he could definately say he got some color!

Volleyball was fun. I started a camp for little kids this summer, and it was a huge success.

We've enjoyed time with Kenny even though he works at school, he's home sooner than normal.

We have a new video camera and regular camera! I have not had time to get the video camera out of the box, but I LOVE our new camera. This trip to Texas has been a great opportunity to have fun with it. I look forward to posting pictures of the kids when I get home.

As for news of my grandmother, she seems to be recovering from her stroke, but is still suffering from her nerve pain in her leg that began shortly before her stroke. She now lives in the Christian Care Center instead of her home. This has been an adjustment for my mom and dad as well since my grandma used to live in the house in front of our house. They were used to popping in and out to help as needed. It's been hard to turn over the caregiving to someone else, but it's necessary since my parents work full-time and she now requires full time care. The Lord has answered our prayers for her to make it past the effects of her stroke, and we hope He will continue to bless her health. He has already blessed her with a wonderful roommate in her new home. Her name is Mrs. Davis, and we hope she will be a piece of the puzzle on Grandmom's road to recovery.