Saltine crackers and sippy cups

Hey, does anyone know if it's okay for Megan to have saltine crackers yet? I hope so because in order to keep her busy during dinner at the restaurant tonight, we gave her one. Man, she gummed that thing to a gushy mess. Uh, that was after she grabbed a handful of green beans from my plate and tried to stuff them in her mouth. And you think I'm kidding when I say she'd eat a steak if we'd let her.

While I was unloading the dishwasher today, Megan eyeballed the sippy cup. She flailed her arms and legs, leaned toward it, and eventually grabbed it from me. So, of course, I relented. She got about 1/2 an inch of water in that big 'ole cup. The two cups (she was watching the World Cup at the same time) were enough to keep her very happy for about 20 minutes. I sat her in the Boppy...she reclined and kicked back on her own.

Even though it may not seem like it today, I do feed my daughter more than saltines and water!

BUSY, crazy days

Where do I begin? It has been a busy week for us.

We have two new additions to our family - one is way more important than the other.

The first, and only in chronological order, is named "Honda Odyssey." After 3 entire days of test driving, discussing, price haggling, and signing papers, we are finally finished with the whole car buying process. What a difference sliding doors and room to move around the car seat makes!

The second, and VERY important, addition to our family came this morning around 2:30 a.m. in Utah. My brother and sister-in-law have a new baby girl ("the baby without a name"). We are so excited for their family! She had a little trouble breathing on her own, but things are looking much better. We can't wait to go visit! In fact, I almost packed us up and headed to Utah....then I thought through the whole process of having to pack Megan and all of her stuff. Plus, "the baby without a name" needs special Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Scotty time before we trapse up there and butt in. We'll wait a few more months.

We now have 7 nieces and nephews (all ages 2 and under!). I'm probably going to have to go back to work just to be able to afford birthday and Christmas presents for them this year! But, the more the merrier in our family. We're so blessed to have several cousins for Megan to grow up with.

Welcome to NEVERLand

Yesterday, my father-in-law asked me, "How does it taste?" Since I've eaten crow so many times in the past year, I don't even taste it anymore.

My previous list of NEVERS included:
1) Having a baby. Megan is 5 months old.
2) Breastfeeding. Still going...and quite good at it.
3) Quitting my job to be a stay-at-home mom. I quit my teaching job on June 14th.
4) Driving a mini-van. We went shopping for one today.

Yep, I'm a changed woman. It's weird. The person I thought I was doesn't exist anymore. Oh, the temper is still here - in case anyone was hoping it was gone...

Never...HA!

(Like that Ranger butt in the background? Kudos to Jeremy, the photographer...perfect timing!)

No sleep for me!

As I sit here and type, Megan is singing her sweet screaming melodies in bed. The girl doesn't like to sleep!

For some reason, she has decided not to sleep through the night anymore. Last night we were up 4 times; every other night for the past 3 weeks just about the same. What happened? Who knows. I need those, 8-10 hours of sleep, nights back! This "no-sleep-play-hard-all-day" lifestyle wears me out! To add insult to injury, yes, another rambunctious day without a nap.

But look at that face! She was so playful and happy today that it makes the no sleep/no shower days worth it!

BUSY weekend!

Megan spent the majority of the weekend with her cousins (all under 2 years old) Kyler, Austin, Alex, Mandy and Gage. She just loves to watch people, especially kids playing. Needless to say, it was too exciting to take a nap, so she became progressively cranky all weekend! By 9:00 tonight, stick a fork in her she was done!

Daddy had a nice, yet busy, Father's Day. He got breakfast in bed, albeit only Grapenut cereal and fruit. Megan played with him off and on today inbetween playing with cousins and being cranky. Unfortunately I didn't do a very good job of making it "his" day. We spent more time worrying about getting together with family (not necessarily a bad thing) instead of taking care of home first. Note to self for next year!

That's the interesting part of this parenthood thing...mistakes are plenty! Yet this early on most of them are recoverable or forgiveable - hopefully.

Daddy's Girl

Just like her daddy, Megan hates green beans! I gave her a bite; she spit it out; gave her a bite; she spit it out. I tried one more time, but this time she just let it pool in her mouth. She refused to swallow it or spit it out. It was so funny! I couldn't get her to swallow it at all. I finally wiped it out of her mouth!

Food good, toes even better

Sweet potatoes are so yummy (see them over her right ear?), but apparently her toes are, too. Megan was sitting up with the Boppy but kept folding in half. We couldn't figure out what she was doing until we heard the "smacking" of her sucking on her toes. She got quite an ab workout because she kept pulling herself up, then back down for more.

Oh and one more thing...

I turned in my letter of resignation today...

Lots going on

Between eating sweet potatoes, finally rolling over, refusing to sleep through the night and drinking from a straw and sippy cup, we're exhausted over here!

Megan is eating about half a jar of baby food a day. She starts wiggling and giggling each time she gets near the high chair. Not all of it gets past her face and bib, but it sure makes for a fun time. I hear moms say they hate feeding infants because it is so messy and time consuming, but even after a month of it, I truly enjoy that time with her. We might have carrots, peas, and sweet potatoes everywhere but who cares?

After several months of ALMOST rolling over, Megan rolled from back to front in one fell swoop. It just looked as though she had been doing it all along...I think she knew how to, but she was just making us wait.

We went to out to eat lunch yesterday. Meg started to get fussy, so I put a little water in my straw and dropped it into her mouth. She LOVED it! When I stopped, she grunted until I did it again. This went on for quite a while, and we couldn't get her to stop! Needless to say, only a little bit of it actually made it to her mouth...the rest? Of course down the front of her shirt - she was soaked! It got me to thinking, and long story short, we ripped into a sippy cup (great shower gift that keeps on giving). Aunt Kelly said it was okay to put a little water in it and give it to her. She likes holding it and chewing on it. Every now and then something actually comes out of it.

Enough for now - I need sleep!!

Walker

Our next door neighbor brought over a walker that her grandson outgrew. We are not opposed to hand-me-downs, so after a swift Lysol wipe-down we were off!

Megan started at the plant ledge (first picture) and mastered pushing backwards as she ended up right in front of the closet door just moments later. Daddy said it wasn't fair to judge her movement because she had pajama feet keeping her from gaining traction. (Oh by the way, she's half naked because we had just finished eating sweet potatoes.)

Sittin' pretty

This picture is for Uncle Jeff. He made the comment the other day that every picture he's ever seen of Megan, she has a surprised look on her face. What about this one, Jeffy? (Yes, she's kinda sitting up on her own - she just becomes a "bobble-baby" every now and then.)

Reality check

No pictures today. The camera took the day off.

We had a reality check today. Daddy took a vacation day today, so I could finish up some work at school. When I got home, I suggested that we have a "date night" and drag Megan along. Sounded great at the time. Daddy agreed and asked what I had in mind. "Don't worry, I'll think of something." Six hours later I still hadn't thought of something that two adults and one sick 4 1/2 month old could do without making everyone else around us miserable.

Reality = two adults and one sick 4 1/2 month old stay at home for "date night" and do what we normally do every other night!

An example of what a great, patient, wonderful daddy Megan has: Not only did he take the day off to watch her (after having her Sunday-Tuesday while I was out of town), he became the victim of two massively poopie diapers which got all over his clothes (his favorite shirt included). No fits...just quickly removed them and went about his business. True love.

Sick baby

To quote my dad this morning, "There is nothing worse than a sick kid." (Except for maybe a sick husband?)
Yes, Megan has a horrible cold - I'll spare the nasty details. We took her to the doctor today, which was probably uncalled for, but since we're first time parents and she was doing some funky things, we decided to err on the side of caution. Going to the doctor has the added bonus of a weight check, and today she weighed 15 lbs. 6 oz. Not too shabby - only 5 oz. in 3 weeks. That's the least amount of weight she's gained in a 3 week period - ever. Dr. Hull called her a "piglet" when she heard that Megan ate 6-8 oz. per bottle while I was away in Kentucky. Apparently that's on the high end for a 4 1/2 month old. Anyway, everything was fine except for her sinuses, so we're armed with a decongestant. Oh and it gets better - this "cold" seems to last 10-14 days. Yuck!

Peas...peas...a delicious treat!

Uncle Scotty fed Megan peas today. She loves to chew on the tray between bites, therefore, someone must hold her forehead back. We've thought about duct tape, but that's risky...Aunt Lisa, the social worker, we were just kidding!! FYI - Click on the pictures to enlarge.

Lady Bug

Several months ago, Uncle Matt sent Megan a size 6-12 month lady bug dress for summer. His baby (due July 4th) has one that matches. We didn't anticipate that it would fit Megan already, so hurry up Brecken/Rylee! We need to take pictures together!

A new adventure...

Who knew a baby could be so fun? We have decided, after much discussion, that I will stay home with Megan. Thus begins the blog of the formerly career oriented, previously selfish stay-at-home mom.