10 Month Update

Here is our 10 month update that has been on my to-do list for the past 3 weeks......now that she will be 11 months in a few days, here we go :) Wow, is this the season of change or what?? I read in on of my baby books that months 5-8 are pretty easy since most mom's have a good handle on what works with their babies....then everything changes. That lasted till about 9 months with us....now we are off and running (or scooting) with a little girl, no more little baby I'm afraid. This phase is so much fun though. We can do lots more interacting, playing and seeing more of her little personality. I tried to capture some of our new stuff on camera.

Here is our 10 month run down.....

*Petite girl: 17.5oz (8th%)

*Big grinner and laugher.....We will do just about anything for a laugh, but it doesn't take much these days.

*Still scooting, starting to pull up on stuff, but not cruising yet....I think we are really close.

*LOVES to watch Ellie do just about anything

*Enjoys interacting with other kids

*Likes to explore new places....like closets and bathrooms.....who knows what she will find....gross.....need to start being a better floor cleaner!

*Likes to give grunts of protest when we put her in the high chair, change her diaper or a multitude of other things.....any tips on nipping the winning in the bud early??

*Now eating mostly finger foods, favorits are: avacodo, banana, blueberries and black beans. When it comes to baby food the first word that comes to mind is spitting.......

*Officially done nursing and on to formula, wow expensive! Glad she will be moving to normal milk at 12 months!

*Most common sounds: BaBa, DaDa, rare MaMa.....pretty sure no connection to people yet.

*Lots of clapping and now waving, especially to herself in the mirror.

*Still no teeth.....but all sorts of "teething"

*Sleeping with a lovey....thankfully not a particular one yet, while sucking her 2 favorite fingers.

*Attachment anxiety, not liking Mama to leave at all......yikes.

*Stranger anxiety.....when someone walks up to her in the stroller, she loses it 99% of the time....poor person usually feels awful.

*Particularly interested in plugs, cords and standing lamps.....of all the toys in the playroom, she tends to go straight to the very few off limit things.....she does not seem to be getting the memo.....apparently my "serious voice" is hilarious.

*Loves the outside swing at Moo Moo and Poppy's house.

*Loves to grab hunks of our skin, dig her nails in and yank....I think I have almost lot a lip and nostril multiple times....I am trying to teach her what it means to "be sweet", but again I don't think she is getting the memo.....any tips??

*Cuddling days are mostly over.....sad but true.....way more exciting things to do apparently.

*Loves to give big, wet, long open mouth kisses! We can't get enough of those :)

*Loves to sit herself up, scoot to the book basket, pick a book and flip though it....so cute!! She gets that from her Daddy!

*Hums while the Glow Worm sings. Love it!

Lots of fun squeals of delight :)

Sitting up on her own from laying down

Still sporting blue eyes! I hope they stay.....but who know where they came from??

Still gnawing away at the fingers and being entertained as always by Aunt Erin!

LOVES to watch Ellie and Boomer chase their ball

Always loves hanging out with Aunt Robyn!

Having tons of fun with Moo Moo and Poppy these days

Sticking out her tongue at meal time.....and lots of spitting......

Despite all I have blamed on teething over the past few months....still no teeth! She loves to grin bearing her gums to the world :)

Bonnets are my new favorite accessory.....hooray for hand-me-downs!

Enjoys hanging out outside....when it is not to hot and buggy.

Loves to reach, grab, dump and discover new things

Loves to sit and bang stuff together

Almost done with baby food! This is the face we get when she is done....may be after one bite.....but finger foods are working much better

First Daddy pancake experience the day she turned 10 months! What a treat!

She had tons of fun this trip to see Webbers a few weeks ago!

Our Escape to the Smoky Mountains

Last week Brian, Lydia and I took a mid week vacation to a little cabin in the Smoky Mountains. It was an awesome get away after a crazy summer. We pretty much chilled in our cabin with a few short outings between Lydia's naps. Vacationing with a baby changes things up a bit, to say the least :) Our cabin had a great porch swing, pool table, and cozy sofas, so while Lydia slept, Brian and I had some great chill time but also plenty to do. It was so sweet to see Brian showing Lydia the ropes of the mountains....his second home! Watching her see and experience new things is so much fun. The mountain storms left the ground too soggy for hiking, so being the good sport he his, Brian took us to the Sugarlands Visitors Center instead. He took Lydia through the animal exhibit and told her all about bears, snakes, and other critters.....eek. I'll stick to horses and dogs, thank you. Lydia must have had fun since there were plenty of squeals and claps to go around. We managed to make the drive there and back with only 2 short melt downs from the back seat, so I would consider that a very successful vacation!

Fun times playing pool

Family shot before our trip into town for dinner

Mama and her happy girl!

Great mid clap and squeal shot :) This swing is tons of fun!!

Riding on Daddy's shoulders to the animal exhibit

Daddy and his girl

I love my sweet kisses!

Exploring the Nantahala Outdoor Center

The big tub in our cabin made for some fun bath time :)

Talking to the cartoon

We even got to spend an afternoon visiting Ellen and Jackson!

For the Love of Watermelon

Yesterday was watermelon introduction day. Needless to say it was a hit! Lydia gets the love of watermelon honestly! She ate it through the mesh feeder and chowed down in no time. She is still having a hard time picking up small, wet pieces of fruit, so the feeder comes in handy. I have found cutting the watermelon in half and scooping it out with an ice cream scoop is the quickest and easiest way for me to "cut it up." I am pretty sure Lydia and I will go through some serious watermelons for the rest of the summer!

I stumbled upon a really great food storage website: http://www.stilltasty.com/ I feel like I am always guessing how long food will last safely, and now I have a quick place to check. I am trying to be more careful about food storage since I am feeding it to my sweet girl!

A friend showed me this money saving website and it has been really helpful so far!

http://mommyoctopus.com

Who wants green beans after watermelon?!

Lovin' Lucy!!

Finally a post and finally back in town for a while! It has taken me a while to catch up around here! Lydia, Brian and I have been crazy traveling these past few weeks! Brian has been out of town for 3 weeks to Cherokee, NC for a youth mission trip, to Nashville for the PCA General Assembly, and to Chattanooga for a youth leadership camp. While he was gone Lydia and I lived out of a suitcase as well. We spent a few days with Moo Moo and Poppy waiting for Lauren to call and tell me she was in labor. Lucy decided to take her sweet time, so Lauren ended up knowing her delivery date in advance, since she was having to be induced. The scheduled date made it much easier for Lydia and I to plan our trip. I realized that jumping in the car at a moments notice and driving to Birmingham at any hour of the day was going to be very interesting with an 8 month old. We headed over a day before the induction to help Lauren get the last few things together. One of our sweet friends, Channdara, kept Lydia for me all day while Lauren was in labor, so that I could be at the hospital. What a blessing to be a part of that wonderful day!! We stayed in Birmingham for one more night, and them headed back home for a week. Thankfully, Robyn and John came and stayed with me in the middle of the week, which was such a treat when you have been home alone! We sure missed Daddy! At the end of the week we headed back to Birmingham to give Lauren and Derek a hand with Lucy. I think Lydia and I might have created more craziness, but we had a great time! Not a ton of sleep......I was reliving my early postpartum days.....Some of those details might be worth forgetting :) After that week I realized I have it pretty easy with an 8 month old who sleeps though the night. Adding a newborn in the equation is no joke! I thought I juggled things now.....no no. Two babies are some serious juggling. To those of you who have more than 2.....I am amazed by you! Lauren and I decided that team mothering is the most encouraging and effective way to go about this new motherhood thing. Maybe we can convince them to move to Fayetteville.....until then there will be lots of trips to Birmingham! It will be so fun to watch Lucy and Lydia grow up together. It is so clear that the Lord created us for relationships. Friendship is such a sweet reminder of how the Lord loves and cares for His children!

Erin and I cheering Lauren on!

Admiring precious Lucy

First picture of the fun 4 :)

Spur of the moment play time and photo shoot. Don't look too hard, Lydia does not have on the cleanest outfit and Lucy's is on backwards....we are new moms.....can you tell??

Getting acquainted

Wow! is Lydia that big?

First of may walks with the Gals!

Our sweaty babies

Sweet Lucy!