Bumbo Improvement

Lately Allison has been working hard to sit up - not when she's on her back, but when she's leaning against me she strains to lean forward so I figured it was time to try the bumbo chair again. Check out the picture to your immediate left to see how she was doing just one month ago. And now check this out!! So proud. :)







Here are a couple of more cute pictures. The first one is Allison playing with Frank, and the last one is Allison preparing to go out to dinner last night - with her new accessory, of course.

Diva in Training

Look how cute! Allison's sunglasses finally fit somewhat! We went outside to visit daddy while he was mowing the lawn. That made him smile and run for the camera, of course. Punkin' actually didn't mind her sunglasses, so I think they may become part of her daily wardrobe. My little girl is getting so big! In more Allison news, she has started to laugh! It's not a deep chuckle, but I can tell it's definitely her baby laugh. She likes it when I hold her in front of me while I make faces at her. Have I told you how addicted I am to my baby??? She's my favorite.

Happy Birthday, Frank!

Today Frank turns the big 3-2. Allison and I treated Frank to lunch at Olive Garden for his birthday. Allison insisted on wearing the cute dress she got from her great-aunt Cindy. She also called this morning and tried to sing him 'happy birthday'. I think she did pretty well. We have a whole weekend of festivities planned that starts tonight. Lots of eating and hanging out with friends is on the agenda. Other than that, we will be at home relaxing.
Update on punkin': She is still very congested, but I think she is nearing the end of her cold. She did great when I took her out with me today. She stayed in her carrier most of the time and she never fussed once. I'm feeling about 95% better. Give me one more day and I'll be back to normal. Well I think this post was supposed to be about Frank but I quickly veered off topic (to myself) lol.

Happy Birthday, babe!

True Romance

I love being a mom. I've embraced it. In fact, I'll say there is nothing better in this world than caring for your own child. I get so immersed in it some days that by the time Frank gets home from work I finally take a look at myself and realize that I'm a mess - not because I don't care about my appearance (quite the contrary) - but because I've been so busy taking care of Allison that I don't give myself much time. I was reminded of this again last night when Frank and I crawled into bed and he snuggled up with me as he usually does, and I heard him inhale deeply. Frank is pretty predictable, so I knew what was coming. He was going to tell me that I smelled nice. I was all prepared to accept the compliment when he instead sniffed my shoulder (as if to confirm what he already suspected) and then announced that I smelled like sour milk. Ha! Now that is romance, ladies and gentlemen.

Bunny Feet

Allison received another gift today from Kelly - a lady who works with Frank's mom. She got pink bunny slippers! These came at a perfect time because who doesnt love a new pair of slippers when you are feeling under the weather? They also just so happened to match what she was wearing. :) Baby girl is still battling her cold with a very positive attitude. I think in a couple of more days she should be better.

Sick again

Poor baby punkin came down with a cold Wednesday morning, and she had only been rid of the tummy bug for a few days. When I got her up that morning she was very congested, but in true punkin style, she was still in a great mood. Until now, I haven't had much need for those bulb things that you stick up her nose, but I've had to suction her nose several times a day now. It breaks my heart to hear her stuggling to breathe through her nose, because I know how frustrating that is! She's such a good sport - the first time I used the bulb she cried for about 5 seconds and then decided that it was ok as long as mamma smiled and talked sweet to her. So she dropped the crying and smiled really big at me the whole time! I have such a good little baby! She has yet to run a fever, but she is sleeping a lot more while her body fights off the nasty cold.

I was supposed to drop her off at my moms house Thursday morning so I could go work out, but I opted to stay home with her all day to make sure that she got plenty of rest. I'm so glad I did because her cold has been a lot worse than I anticipated, and I would hate for her to have given it to my mom. It's funny that it really never occured to me that I could get it. I'm sure you wont be surprised to hear that I did, in fact, come down with the same crud by Thursday night. I had felt just fine all day, and I was even planning to throw a dinner party at our house on Saturday, but I was stopped dead in my tracks around 8:30 that night. Out of nowhere I started sneezing and coughing - and the worst part - congestion and drainage. I barely got any sleep that night and Frank ended up coming home early from work Friday so I could rest while he watched Allison.

I have to brag on by husband for a little bit here - but first I have to tell you how annoying I am. Unlike Allison, I'm not good at being sick. I mope around the house reminding everyone how bad I feel, describing my symptoms, and whining frequently. I'm not fun to be around, I'm sure. However, in spite of all that, Frank not only puts up with me, he spoils me! He made a stop at Target on his way home from work on Friday and bought me a humidifier to put by my bed, he made me soup and fruit salad for lunch, and then he made me a nice dinner that night. He was constantly asking me if I needed anything, and about every two hours he brings me a glass of juice or water because he wants me to stay hydrated. How sweet is that?? I married very well.

Anyway, back to me. This cold is not fun! I cant remember the last time I felt this bad - and that includes the morning sickness I had when I was pregnant. I told Frank this morning that I would gladly take nausea and vomiting over this mess. At least after you throw up you feel better and can go back to sleep! I don't feel better after I blow my nose, I can't sleep, and I can't keep my fever down. Ok, that's enough complaining. Everyone avoid my family like the plague until we are better and properly disinfected. You dont want this.

Picture Day

Today Allison and I ventured out in the rain to get her three month portraits done. I brought five outfits since I really couldnt make up my mind. The only thing I was missing was a new big white bow. I know that some people don't care for bows, but I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum. I say, the bigger the bow the better! With that in mind, I left a little bit early with plans to stop at the mall on the way. It was sprinkling when I left the house and I was already trying to work out the details in my mind of the best place to park, how to get her in and out with the least effort, and keep everyone dry. Well, the further south I got, the more it rained. This forced me to reassess my need for this white bow. I knew the logistics of getting in and out of the mall would be tricky, but in the end I decided to do it anyway. Now that I see how great the pictures turned out, I think I made the right call, but while I was running through the rain I was really questioning my decision making skills.

To start with, I had to park pretty far from the door. Who knew so many people would go out in this weather? Armed with my umbrella, I got her out of the car and into the mall with minimal damage. Her stroller was pretty wet, but that was expected. However, by the time we left the rain had really picked up and I was in too much of a hurry to wait it out. So I whip out my umbrella again and it breaks! Deep breath. So off I go (umbrella-less) at top speed - which isnt very fast in wet flip-flops. When I got to the car I noticed that someone had parked a huge suburban next to me. I'm guessing it was a woman driving (sorry) because she parked so close to my car that I could barely squeeze Allison's carrier through the opening in the door. Then, during the struggle to get her in the car, her blanket got caught on the door and fell into the puddle I was standing in.
Allison made the trip with only a few drops of rain on her, but I was a different story. My hair was damp all the way through, my shirt was good and wet, and my jeans were soaked from the hem to mid-calf. I have to give props to whoever paved the parking lot at the mall because it's always a good idea to have one with the capability to hold large bodies of water right around the parking spaces. Never before had I been concerned about hydroplaning in my shoes. I don't want to sound like I'm complaining (even though at the time I was), but I really do find the whole situation funny. The whole time I kept thinking "when it rains, it pours!". Ha - literally and figuratively!

Anyway, the day was a success. We had a great portrait session, and my baby looked beautiful as usual even though she was a little hungry during the shoot. This time they gave me a disk of all the images so I'm going to share an obnoxious number of them here. Sorry, I just can't help myself. I'll be mailing out wallet sized copies next week to friends and family, so hang tight! Let me know which one is your favorite!

Motivation

This week Frank and Eric have been extra motivated to work-out, so they met at the gym after work on Tuesday and Thursday. I don't mind being at home alone for most of the day, but by 5pm I'm really ready to either get out or find company. When I know Frank will be home around 5:45, I can just stick it out - but on the days he goes to the gym I find it nearly impossible to stay home. So Tuesday I called Amy and arranged for us to all have dinner when the boys finished at the gym. I packed up Allison and we drove to Allen for dinner. We repeated this again Thursday. I find it funny that Eric and Frank will eat next to nothing all day, work out really hard, and then eat very unhealthy dinners. Hey, whatever works! Tuesday we ate at Dicky's BBQ, and Thursday we had mexican - with ice cream for dessert. I snapped some pictures of Eric and Amy at Braums.


"CHEESE!"


"Cheese? I don't eat cheese."


"Don't test me, mister!"

Another Milestone

Allison turned 3 months old today! She's getting so big! Every day she sings a little more as she tests out her vocal chords, and she also loves standing on my lap while I hold her up. Frank and I have both joked that she will walk before she crawls because has no upper body strength, but her legs are very sturdy.

Today I took Allison with me to go grocery shopping for the first time. I have to admit that the grocery store is most likely my least favorite place to go, so I avoid it at all costs. Throw a baby in the mix and it's extra stressful. I've been VERY lucky that Frank actually doesn't mind doing the grocery shopping, so up to this point he's been going for me! I wish we could keep that arrangement, but it just doesn't make sense when I'm home during the day now. Anyway, we made it to Target around noon, and I rewarded myself for the effort and endurance by purchasing a couple of photo albums for Allison. We made it out with almost everything on the list in less than an hour! However, when I got home, I realized that I had left the diet coke cans on the bottom of the grocery cart! Perfection evades me. That was definitely an "ahhh!" moment. I hope someone appreciates those.

Also, I want to note that this week an older lady leaned into to take a look at Allison while I was out, and she said "Oh, what a cute little boy!!" Seriously?? She was wearing pink! She was covered in a pink blanket! And her carrier has flowers all over it!! Now I'm not so prideful that I can't admit that she can look gender neutral when she's in green or yellow, although I do think she looks most like a girl. What I don't get is how this lady didn't take in all the signs before assigning a gender. I had a hard time not being offended.

Here are some more pictures of my baby GIRL. I know they are all similar, but I couldn't pick just one to post, so you get them all!

Fun Times

When my uncle Randy came out a year ago and helped me build a roof over my back porch (and yes, the language grossly overstates my role), I saved a section of the old rain gutters with high hopes of saving money and reinstalling it later.  Predictably, it's still right where I left it, up against the back fence. 

Our dog Maggie is a self-entertainer, which is kind of fun.  She loves life, frequently takes naps flat on her back, legs in the air, and finds toys everywhere.  Well, tonight she found a mouse in the rain gutter and when I called her to come inside, she obediently collected her new toy and brought it inside with her. 

Now, when I say, "mouse," I probably need to clarify a bit. 

This was not a cute little small field mouse.  This thing was large.  Like "Secret of Nimh" large, complete with the whole long stringy tail and big toes.   

So - like I said: Maggie (with muddy feet, no less) happily brought her toy in the back door.  Kristin (with Allison on her lap) jumped up and screamed.  Allison wasn't sure what all the excitement was about, but she wasn't a big fan of all this stress and communicated this in no uncertain terms.  Maggie - curious as to the cause of all this sudden excitement and concerned there was fun to be had elsewhere - perked her ears up and spit the rat out on the floor.  I was torn between getting Maggie and her muddy feet off my carpet and also making sure the giant soggy rat didn't decide to move in or gnaw one of my bare feet off. 

We pulled it together.  Kristin ran Allison to her crib and grabbed a broom (this wasn't a spider, after all!).  I cornered the thing behind the couch and when Kristin - armed with the broom - was in position on one end, I opened the door, lifted the other and the soggy rat bolted for the door. 

Just another boring night at our place. 

Weekend Update

This weekend has been pretty good, minus Allison feeling under the weather. Friday and Saturday night were spent having fun with friends, but the last two days we've kept a low profile and stayed at home. Allison is still having tummy problems, but I think the worst has finally passed. Since yesterday we have left her in nothing but a diaper because we got tired of changing her clothes every half hour. The poor thing kept spitting up the majority of her meals. She whimpered most of the day and just wanted to be cuddled and talked to. I was worried about her getting dehydrated so I had Frank get her some Pedialyte, but she would have none of it. In fact, she's getting to where she wont take anything out of a bottle - especially from me. She thinks I'm holding out on her, I guess.
Today she is much happier, I think. For the last hour Frank has been reading out loud to us while Allison and I played "airplane". I thought she would be too young to enjoy it, but she grins really big when I lift her above me. I know it's a dangerous game when her stomach is upset, but it was so nice to see her smile! Also, just to note - she weighed 12lb 10oz when we were at the pediatrician's office Friday! That's a pound heavier than when we were there three weeks ago. She's also grown an inch! Every day I look at her and decide she looks older than the day before.

She's gotten big enough that I've had to upgrade her PJ's to the next size up. Here she is hanging out with daddy before bed.



Check out the bear faces on her feet! Have you melted yet?



She has recently perfected sucking on her thumb. She can now get her fingers in a fist and suck her thumb at the same time!



Last, but not least - this t-shirt speaks for itself. I dont want to hear anything about the football team, though.