11 Months!

I'm 11 months old now! That means I'm only 1 month away from my first birthday! Can you believe it?!

Me and my elephant hit the road again for this month's celebration. Here we are in Waynesville, NC.

Me, Mommy and Daddy went up to the Smoky Mountains with my grandma and grandpa and Aunt Julie and Uncle Aron. We spent two nights in Gatlinburg, TN and one night in Waynesville. I liked the mountains, but did NOT like driving through them. The winding roads made me carsick for the very first time :( Being carsick is yucky! Mommy had to clean my clothes out in the river when we pulled over. But once we got done the yucky driving part, I had a great time! I swam in the hotel pool, went hiking in the mountains, and spent a lot if time with Grandma and Grandpa! Here's me and Daddy hiking:



Don't worry, we got my carrier adjusted so I wasn't hanging all the way down his back the whole time!



I'm not quite walking yet, but I can stand on my own and cruise on the furniture. I'm getting pretty close to taking those first steps! I like to rearrange the furniture by pushing chairs around the house. At my Great-Grandma Kerr's house, I always move her kitchen footstool across the kitchen. It looks better there, but she keeps moving it back.

 I'm also mimicking words. I try to say "yuck", "all done", and "oops". And I love to blow raspberries and give fishy kisses - I suck my cheeks in to make a fish face and then make a kissing noise.

I LOVE to wave. I wave to say "hi", "bye" and "night night". I also like to wave at my own reflection in the mirror. That pretty baby always waves back :)

I'm usually a happy, smiley girl and I can get pretty giggly! I'm very ticklish now, too. But when I'm tired I get very dramatic. I will cry bloody murder over the tiniest little bump. I'm just not happy when I'm tired!

One month from now I'll be celebrating my first birthday! Mommy says I'll get to eat cake and ice cream. I'm not sure what that's all about, but she makes it sound pretty exciting! I'll let you know what I think next month!

Just for fun, here's a video of me getting my exercise. I could do this all day long. And I scream when Mommy or Daddy makes me stop.

Summer 2013

Let me start by saying I have easy, easy pregnancies and really cannot complain at all. I feel absolutely fine and normal until I start to get a belly and then the last 8-10 weeks I have aches and pains, can't breathe well, get heartburn, etc. So really nothing compared to what other women deal with.

BUT, even an easy pregnancy has no-nos. And last night I got to thinking about all the things I am going to do next summer when I am (hopefully, fingers crossed, please dear God) NOT pregnant. For the first summer in three years. Here's what I've come up with:

1. Go to theme park or fair and ride every ride until I puke. Jamie and I were discussing plans for a visit to his parents' in Orlando next month and he suggested going to a Disney park. I voted for MGM because it has the best rides. Oh. Right. I can't do those.

2. Lay out and get tan. Not that a pregnant woman can't tan really. It's just that laying out is tricky when there's a watermelon in your belly. I have not worked out the logistics of where my two babies will be while I'm tanning. Please don't bother me with reality.

3. Drink margaritas. I'm not a big drinker, but I do LOVE the occasional frozen margarita in the summer. And I miss them. I went right from pregnant to nursing full time to pregnant again without ever satisfying that craving.

4. Go out on the lake - any lake will do. Last summer Jamie's uncle posted pictures of his family out on their boat swimming and jumping off rocks. It looked SO fun! I asked Jamie if we could go with them one time. Then I remembered that jumping off rocks is generally not recommended for expectant mothers. Next summer, we're so doing it even if I have to steal a boat from someone.

5. Lay on a blanket in our yard. Not that I can't do this now, but every time Anna and I go outside to relax and enjoy the warm weather, I realize I'm a little limited. I can't lay on my back or stomach. I have this strong desire to lay on my stomach on a blanket in the grass. Ahhhh.

6. Play tennis. When I was very young, I attended tennis camp one summer. All I remember is bouncing the ball on the racket, sweating. So for most of my life tennis = hot and boring. Then Jamie reintroduced me to it while we were dating and - surprise! - I like tennis! But for the last two years every time it's been nice enough outside to play, I've been knocked up. Next summer, my goal is to play a lot with Jamie and maybe even find a girlfriend who likes to play, too.

In the past I've written about my tendency to live for the future instead of in the moment. I may be indulging in that particular character flaw right now. But hey, a girl's got to have dreams, right?

The Scariest Thing I've Ever Seen

Jamie and I decided to take a trip to Whole Foods this weekend, just for kicks. The nearest one is a good 30 minutes away down closer to Atlanta. On our way home, Anna fell asleep in the back of the car and Jamie and I were having a conversation that turned out to be a little eerie in retrospect. See, the last several times I've taken a road trip I've passed ridiculous traffic going the other direction. Crazy accidents and stuff that had the other lanes backed up for miles and miles. But I never seem to hit it myself. Saturday this happened again, and Jamie and I were cruising along on 85 North checking out the traffic on 85 South, joking about my strange gift.

Then all the sudden just in front of use to the right, I saw a red Chevy Blazer do something cars aren't supposed to do in the highway. I'm not even sure what I saw exactly, just that my brain knew something wasn't right about the way that car just moved. And before I could figure out what I had just seen Jamie said, "That just happened!" He quickly pulled over onto the shoulder and got out to see what was going on while I called 911. As I talked to the operator, turned around in my seat and looking out the back windshield I started to put it together.

On the shoulder was a very large John Deere tractor. And the Blazer had obviously smashed into it. I had the following conversation with the 911 operator:
"What vehicles were involved in the accident?"
"A red SUV, maybe a Chevy Blazer and a tractor"
"You mean a tractor trailer?"
"No, a tractor. A John Deere. Like they use on farms."
"What is that doing on the highway?"
"I have no idea"

In retrospect, the tractor was obviously there to do some sort of landscaping work on the shoulder. It had backed up a bit too far, crossed into the far right lane of traffic and the Blazer's driver either didn't see it or didn't have time to stop before hitting it.

It was ugly. The tractor tire, you know that ones that are as tall as me? it was completely smashed in. The front of the Chevy was crumpled. All the glass in the tractor cabin and front windows of the car was shattered. This didn't occur to me at the time, but Jamie later said he was pretty nervous walking up to it that neither driver would be alive. After I got off the phone I waved Jamie back to the car and told him help was on the way and asked him if he wanted me to see if I could do anything. My thinking was I have been trained in first aid and CPR. Those certifications are expired, but at least I know something. I way overestimated the usefulness of basic first aid and seriously underestimated the seriousness of the accident. Once I walked up to the cars, I realized there was absolutely nothing we could do except tell the drivers help was coming and try to keep them calm.

It was awful. And scary. Both drivers were conscious, but obviously seriously injured (Jamie told me later that the tractor driver was not conscious when he walked up and it took several minutes for him to come to). I've never felt so helpless.

The 10  minutes or so that we waited for emergency personnel to respond felt like a lifetime. I think Jamie and I were both so relieved to be headed home. Unfortunately, we've looked online and tried to find something about the accident but haven't been able to. So we don't know how either victim is doing.

I told Jamie last night the more time that goes by, the more disturbed I am by the whole thing. I had never considered what you're supposed to do in that sort of situation. It had never occured to me how awful the time between an accident happening and help arriving must be for those involved.

I'm seriously considering just staying home from now on.

Anna Being Adorable

It took me seriously forever to get these darn things loaded on here, so you better enjoy them!!

We're using baby sign language with Anna, so when she's finished eating I'll ask if she's all done, sign "all done", and wait for her to sign it back. The other day I was saying and signing "all done" over and over and she wouldn't do it back. Finally she said, emphatically, "Ah duh!" Now she mimics us whenever we say it and it's freaking adorable. I also say "Yuck!" whenever she puts something she shouldn't be eating in her mouth. She's started trying to make the sound at the end of "Yuck". Also adorable :)

Someone's thinking about walking! This weekend she climbed under the kitchen table, pushed this chair out and brought it all the way across our sunroom.

He did turn her around. And then she sat on the floor and looked at him like "What? I brought it all the way over here. I'm not bringing it back, too."

10 Months

My 10th month has been a big one! I finally decided to start crawling, and once I got going there was no stopping me! I'm all over the place now and into EVERYTHING! But Mommy swears she's loving this new stage. I'm also pulling up, and one of my favorite new activities is to pull up on the windowsill and look out into our backyard. And sometimes bang my head repeatedly against the window, which has Daddy convinced I'm a total weirdo.

You'll have to forgive my Mommy for this picture. She forgot about pictures until late in the day and then the camera was dying. This is the only shot she got before it died.

I haven't ventured any steps on my own yet, but I'm cruising along the furniture. Maybe I'll try walking soon. We'll see.

Now that I can pull up, I usually stand up in my crib when I wake up until someone comes to get me. Mommy and Daddy had to lower the mattress so I'm safe!

I have yet another tooth, bringing my total to 5! I'm working on the 6th. These two have been a lot nicer to me than the last two.

Here I am being silly at Buford Dam today. We had a picnic and played. Daddy stuck my feet in the water, but it was way too cold for me!

I sleep now from about 8:30 at night to 7:30 in the morning. Once I started crawling, I also started waking up again for my middle-of-the-night bottle that I had given up. Now Mommy or Daddy bring me one around 6:00am and I drink it and go back to sleep for a couple hours. As long as I've had that bottle I wake up very happy in the morning! Sometimes I'll sit and have a chat with my elephant for a good half hour or so before wanting to get up. But if I wake up hungry, watch out! I am NOT happy.

I still love to eat any and everything, including my vegetables which is more than I can say for Daddy.

I'm still refusing to say Mama, but I do love to talk! I babble all day long and love to chat with my toys and stuffed animals.

I figured out my hands are good for more than just holding stuff. I wave bye-bye, clap and can use some baby sign language. I sign "more" and "all done", but I'm not always sure that's what I want. Sometimes I mix them up.

The cuteness around here is pretty much non-stop! Can you believe there's going to be two cute baby girls in this house in a few months?

9 Months!

I am 9 months old now!

I'm still not crawling, but don't think I'm staying still! I've perfected two styles - the steamroller and the scootch - that get me everywhere I need to go. Mostly to the tupperware cabinet and the potpurri bowl. Mommy and Daddy are constantly telling me I'm not supposed to eat potpurri.

I just started pulling up on the furniture, and I love to drum on the couch and ottoman. I've also started using my walker, but I can't figure out how to go forward, only backward.

I've started consistently sleeping through the night. Mommy and Daddy are soo happy! Sometimes I wake up super early and cry for a while, but I usually will go back to sleep until 7 or so.

I'm still eating any and everything (can you tell?).  I just love food! And I think feeding myself is the greatest.

I'm saying Da Da Da constantly. And even though I don't realize it's his name yet, I'm also seriously in love with my Dada right now! I cry every day when he leaves for work.

I'm 3/4 of the way to my first birthday! This year is flying by!

I get her up at 7:30, change her diaper and head out to the kitchen to feed her breakfast like we do every day. Except today she doesn't want to eat. She screams, clamps her mouth shut, turns her head away. So finally I get her down and put her on the floor to play like she does every morning. But today she doesn't want to play. She just wants me to hold her. She's not too concerned about the housework I'm trying to get done and how difficult holding her makes my chores. So I carry her around and do as much as I can until I run out of one-armed chores.

We sit on the floor and play except she doesn't really want to play, she wants to climb on me like a jungle gym. Pulling my hair and covering my clothes in drool and snot, whining the whole time.

At 9:00 I put her in the bath. She's happy for the first time today, splashing in the bubbles and playing with her duckies, so I decide to wipe up the grime in the bathroom. My back is turned for .3 seconds. She poops in the tub and I turn around just in time to catch her shoving a handful in her mouth. I stand there for several seconds holding her awkwardly, trying to figure out how to deal with this mess. I clean everything up, give her another bath and get her dressed. She cries the whole time.

We go into her room and I lay her on the changing table and grab her nasal aspirator. She's still getting over a cold and needs her nose cleaned out. She hates it and screams and tries to get away from me. It turns into a wrestling match I eventually give up on. Her boogers will just have to stay put for now.

I sit her on my lap in the glider and read her a book. She cries, still not over the trauma of the aspirator. I eventually give up and lay her down for her nap, still crying. She fusses for a while and then finally, finally, falls asleep.

I sit down on the couch and grab my laptop, already needing a break 2 hours into this day. As I sit here reading blogs and sipping orange juice, I feel the little one inside of me moving, starting her morning workout. And I think, "I can't wait for you to get here, little girl!"

And then I realize I've completely lost my mind.