Pemberley | Ten months

Hi little one,
Let me just tell you how surreal it is that I started planning your first birthday party this month! 10 months is way too close to one year, and I know I'm going to lose it if I think about the fact that you'll be a TODDLER soon. Where did my tiny baby go??

So at ten months, you...

-wear size four diapers

-mostly wear nine month clothes, but can fit into a few 12 month outfits

-got a fifth tooth! It's your top left front, finally!

-can pull to stand on just about anything...the table, the dog, my leg

-say "mamamama" all the time, along with "EEEEE" and "babababa"

-are not a picky eater:: you're officially done with pureed foods and eat whatever we eat (pancakes are always a hit)

-haven't slept a wink in your crib all month, but will sleep 10+ hours in our bed

-love to hum when Daddy holds and bounces you up and down

-have decided that you no longer like mommy's bows, and will tolerate them for about 2.5 seconds before a total meltdown occurs

-enjoy crawling over to the pet fountain and splashing in the water (cue a mommy meltdown)

-will use your Nuby sippy cup if we give it to you, but still prefer your bottle

-have started making the cutest face, where you scrunch your nose up and try to show off your teeth (I'm not lying...see below!)

We love being your parents so incredibly much, baby girl. When I see you trying to walk, I get so overwhelmed and emotional. I remember taking you home from the hospital and watching your chubby cheeks bounce up and down in the car seat, thinking how lucky I am to be your mommy. Now you're almost a year old! You're growing into such a beautiful little girl; I don't know what Daddy and I ever did to deserve you, but I'll never forget how amazing it is to be your mama.

I love you SO much, big girl!!

Pemberley | Nine Months

Hi little one,
Nine months. Three fourths of a year. 274 days. It doesn't matter how it's put, I still can't believe it. I never knew I could love someone so much, in such a short amount of time.

At nine months, you...

- wear size four diapers

-are still wearing 9 month clothes

-weigh 18.4 pounds (57th percentile)

-are 27 1/4 inches long (34th percentile)

-have a head circumference of 17-1/4 inches (67th percentile)

-can very clearly see all four of your teeth, and have the cutest smile

-are officially a girl on the move! You've mastered crawling on all fours and there's no stopping you now!!

-can pull to your knees, but not quite to standing

-are on a pretty predictable 2-3-4 napping schedule

-love, love, love to eat anything we put in front of you

-haven't found a food you don't like (yet)

-will sleep in your crib for a few hours before you start crying for me or Daddy to come get you

-LOVE dancing to music. Any kind...Baby Einstein, Fetty Wap, Britney Spears. You love it all!

-try to open-mouth kiss Dolce and Rusty all the time, and don't even notice the cats

-are the happiest baby girl!

You know, sometimes Daddy and I watch you sleep and we can't believe how blessed we are that you're so sweet and perfect. We had no idea what we were getting into nine months ago, and you've managed to make parenting so incredibly easy and fun. I know I say this all the time, but I love you more and more every day, dear little Pemberley!

With bunches of love,

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,