Fourth of July

Hi little one,
Just a really quick post with pictures from your first Independence Day :)

Daddy and I were highly ridiculous and thought you might enjoy looking at fireworks to celebrate.

At 9pm.

Otherwise known as your bedtime.

We loaded you up in the car and took off in search of frozen yogurt to eat while we watched the celebration, but didn't realize that Peachwave closed at 5pm. Fail #1. Since Kansas doesn't allow its residents the opportunity to light fireworks in our own yards, they offer free firework displays to the public. We drove to the Great Mall of the Great Plains, only to run into Fail #2. The mall parking lot was packed. Like...people-were-parked-on-the-side-of-the-road-and-at-QuikTrip packed. So yeah. We didn't stay. But that ended up being okay because you fell asleep by that point anyway! Fail #3 came when I tried unsuccessfully to get you out of the car seat without waking you up. I WILL master that skill one of these days!

We'll do better next year, little button! Happy 4th of July!!
Love,

One Year Anniversary

Hi little one,
One year ago today, I married my best friend: your daddy! It's so unreal to think that this was the three of us in 2014...

...and this is us now!

Daddy had the BEST day planned for us. We went out for a quick lunch at Cheddars and then out to Unity Village so you could see where we got married. It is just as beautiful as the day we said our vows. It melted my mommy heart to be able to take you there and show you the rose garden and the beautiful fountains. I hope some day you get to marry your best friend and have a beautiful wedding there too :)

As my gift to your daddy, I arranged for a baby sitter and we went on a date to our first Royals game of the season. When we got there, I was a little sad that we didn't take you, but it was super hot outside and you would have been miserable.  Maybe next year!

We enjoyed the brand new Craft and Draft section and it just might have spoiled us for all future games. Craft beers on tap, gourmet food, kick ass seats, AND a Royals win?? The day couldn't have been any better!

I'm super excited to see what the next year holds for the three of us. It isn't always easy being a family of three, but it's always worth it.
I love you, baby girl,

A Girls Only Vacation

Hi little one,
We just got back from your first ever Girls Only Vacation!!!! I'm so excited to tell you all about it!

We went back down to Branson with Grannie and Grandma Joanne from Monday to today. As hard as it was leaving Daddy behind, we hit the road with nothing but the clothes on our back and some ice cold brewskies. (Okay, in reality I overpacked and the drinks might have been Dunkin Donuts coffee and bottled breast milk. Whatevs.)

Our first stop was at the Osceola Cheese Company. (For those readers who have never had the pleasure of visiting this small slice of heaven located off of Hwy 13, let me tell you it is exactly what it sounds like. Wall to wall CHEESE.) Your mommy used to stop here when I would go to Branson as a little kid. Of course, we got your picture in front of the Osceola cheese mouse. Have you ever seen a cuter mouse? I sure haven't!

Once this picture was out of the way, we hit the road in search of Branson's Nantucket resort. When we got there, my breath was literally taken away. So pretty! Who would have thought this was tucked away in the hills of the live country music capital of the world?

We spent our first night in, since we had a long day on the road. You opened a gift from Grandma Joanne (adorable clothes and shoes!) and we couldn't wait to put the shoes on you! They didn't last too long, but that didn't stop you from rocking them for awhile. And, of course, trying to eat them.

Wednesday afternoon we finally made it to the pool. Here you are, right before we put you in a floaty...

...and here you are, in my arms, about five seconds later. At first, you did.not.like.the.floaty. Nope. Weren't having it. No way.

But, we played around in the water for awhile and once you warmed up to it, you ended up having a blast. You even showed off your new standing up skills to Grandma Joanne! Here are a few of my favorite memories::

We also got to visit a winery during our trip. I couldn't resist sticking you in a big ass wine barrel and snapping this adorable picture, much to the chagrin of the winery workers.

We played hard and we had a ton of fun. It was really nice to get away for awhile and just relax with Grannie and Grandma. I hope we can take you again around Christmastime with the whole family! More vacations are definitely in order!!

With so much love,

Daddy's Weekend | Father's Day

Hi little one,
It's here! Daddy's first Father's Day with you!! We talked about grilling, but between the rain and the heat index over 95, we decided on beer and sandwiches at 54th St. You had their baked potato soup and just gobbled it right up!

For Daddy's first Father's Day, we got him the above picture frame for work. As you can see, he is proudly displaying it in his office!  (I'm secretly hoping for a M-O-M one for Mother's Day next year...but we'll see. Hint, hint Raleigh.) I'm also posting the adorable pictures that make up the D-A-D, so you can see them up close. Ahhh! Adorable baby girl alert!!

Yesterday, I was going through the millions of pictures on my phone and couldn't help but notice a common trend...how much your Daddy loves you. Here are some of my favorite pictures and reminders why Father's Day is so special this year.

I think what I love most about these pictures, is that you can actually see the love in your Daddy's eyes :) Happy first Father's Day!

With so much love,

Daddy's Weekend | Birthday

Hi little one,
This was a big weekend for Daddy:: his 31st birthday and Father's Day all rolled into one!

We celebrated his 31st birthday by going out to a delicious brunch at First Watch. I think we might make brunches like this one a birthday tradition. I meant what's a better way of celebrating than with pancakes and sandwiches, and some love for the birthday boy from his big girl??

After we ate, we came home for a quick cat nap before heading to IKEA! (This 95+ degree heat zaps energy out of us like whoa.) We didn't shop for anything in particular, but had fun walking around any way. We were also stopped several times by old ladies who couldn't help but gush on your cuteness :) that brought a big smile to Daddy's face every time!

Daddy made his special pizza for dinner (I have to take a second and tell you how DELICIOUS the crust is with ranch seasoning baked in. MMMMMM!) and then he opened all of your presents. Undies, socks, and man perfume!

All in all, it was a pretty good day! Daddy hit the jackpot because he gets to celebrate his birthday, his first Father's Day, AND our first anniversary all in the same month! I can't WAIT to see his face when he opens your Father's Day present tomorrow!

With so much love,

Pemberley | Eight Months

Hi little one,
Eight months? It's so unreal. Eight months ago you were this teeny tiny little newborn, and now you're almost crawling...excuse me while I shed some mommy tears!

So, at 8 months, you...

-wear size three diapers and 9 month clothes

-now have two more teeth (top incisors, or your "vampire teeth"), and are working on two more up there!

-love when we play peekaboo with you

-scoot around on your tummy, and can move backwards and in circles

-haven't quite mastered coordinating your arms and legs so you can crawl, but that doesn't keep you from trying

-can go from sitting to your tummy with no trouble

-have a blast in your exersaucer, now that your feet can touch the floor and you can bounce :)

-are getting really good at using your pincher grasp to pick up small pieces of food (yogurt melts make you squee when you see them)

-love eating purees at dinnertime, especially apples & chicken, bananas, and prunes

-have yet to successfully drink out of a sippy cup, even though we've tried three different kinds :(

-were sleeping so well in your nursery for awhile, but now fight naps and sleep for more than two hours at a time unless you're held (hellooooooo 8 month sleep regression!)

-are showing a strong preference for using your left hand when grabbing and waving

-are finally interested in standing assisted on those chubby legs

-love to read your board books (and by read, I mean eat)

We're only three weeks into our summer together, and I'm having so much fun! I can't wait for the next few months with you. I love you so much!!

Summertime Happenings

Hi little one,
Summertime is in full swing! I am so excited to be able to stay at home and do all sorts of fun things with you for the next few months, like draw on chalkboards and try to get you to smile!!

One activity we really enjoy so far is taking walks in the stroller. I've been going up to the track and trying to get in a few miles a day, just for the exercise and to get us out of the house for awhile. Sometimes we switch it up and walk on the trail behind our house, too.

After we walk about a fourth of a mile, you get pretty tuckered out and fall asleep the rest of the way. You're soooo cute when you nap! All of the joggers and other mommy walkers say you're just the most darling little girl - and they're right!

As you spend more time on the ground learning to crawl, you're also spending more time with the dogs. Dolce LOVES to lick your face, hands, and feet, so I have to keep a wet washcloth on hand pretty much all day. Rusty likes to nuzzle you with his nose, and you just giggle like crazy when he gets your underarm. I'm so happy that you aren't afraid of the dogs, and that they are so understanding when you pull on their whiskers and ears :)

You have also been busy learning how to eat solid foods. Even though you were doing just fine with the baby led weaning approach, I found myself with pretty severe anxiety every night at dinner. So purees it is! I think it's safe to say you are enjoying them...we've yet to find one that you don't like :) Sometimes you grab the spoon and start feeding yourself, and then this happens::

"Is there something on my face?"

Along with eating purees, you are also frequently enjoying another solid...your toes! Daddy captioned this picture, "I eatsa my feetsa." (He's such a dork!) I'm just amazed at how flexible you are! Also, watching your reaction when you forget you have teeth now and you bite down...priceless.

In bigger news, we finally made the jump to move you into your nursery. We figured that your sleep was so crappy in our room, it couldn't get much worse if you were down the hall. And guess what...you only wake up once a night now! Sometimes you even sleep all the way through the night!!! I think you sleep better because it's darker, you don't hear me tossing and turning, Disco's asthmatic wheezing, Rusty's snores or Daddy's toots. We also keep it dark in there with blackout curtains, and have it set at a cool 68 degrees. Daddy does a good job most nights of giving you your last bottle. It melts my mommy heart everyone I check on you guys as he's putting you down...

Well, that's all for now, miss girl. I love getting to know you and watch you grow. It's going to be an awesome summer with you!
Love love love,