Busy week...

Mira and I made a quick trip to Fairfield to cheer cousin Olivia on as she tried out for twirler. Of course, we ate at Gilberto's (twice) and Mira's outfit just happen to go lovely with the Mexican-inspired bench...an impromptu photo shoot ensued. As usual, Mira and Avi enjoyed hanging out, too.

On Tuesday, Mira graduated from Level 1 to Level 2 at Gymboree! The one criteria is that they can sit all by themselves, unsupported. They stay in Level 2 until they can walk which, unbelievably, won't be all that long! Looks like most of the other babies in Level 2 can already crawl, so Mira & Mason will have some catching up to do! We'll miss Ms. Kelly's singing, but we'll see her around.

Since Mira is sitting up so well now, we can leave the infant carrier in the car when we go grocery shopping! It makes it so much easier, because the carrier never fits on there just right, and I always ended up putting it in the basket which left little room from groceries! She also really enjoys sitting up, looking around, chatting with passers-by (i.e. reaping compliments), and investigating everything that I take off the shelves!

Last Wednesday, we went to our second Supper Club, where a group of young families get together for some good eats - everyone is supposed to take a turn hosting. We've already met a lot of really great new people at just two suppers. Matthew stole Mira away for a few minutes and got her to smile this time rather than scaring her with his fake sneezes. =) It was a beautiful evening and a ton of fun - not to mention we had lots of delicioso Mexican food!

Mira and I went up to Kenny's office then had lunch with some of the TCD clan. Mira thought she'd take a peek at the menu to see what she wanted for lunch (she had sweet potatoes). Emily toyed with Mira's crazy curls, so she had to look up and see who was messing with her 'do.

Happy Mother's Day!

I'd already say that my first Mother's Day was a total success (and it's not even over yet)!!

Mira started to rouse around 6:30 - Kenny was no where in sight. I pulled her over into bed, assuming she was ready to nurse. I decided to try and steal a good snuggle first, expecting her to fuss at me to hurry up with the food. But, to my delight, I wrapped my arms around her and snuggled her close, and she immediately went back to sleep! So, we lay cuddling for a few minutes (I sort of nodded off again, too) before Kenny returned...

He brought me a tray full of delicious breakfast and cards and presents!! Kenny and Mira each got me a card - they both brought tears to my eyes. Mira's had a picture of her on the front and an original poem written by Kenny & Mira on the inside - super-sweet!! I also got a very nice gift card to my favorite local spa - enough to get a massage and facial!! I am so excited about this!

Apparently, he took a poll at work and was (correctly) told that he should not get me a juicer for Mother's Day...thanks ladies! ;) Kudos to Kenny for asking opinions and dodging a bullet!

My other gift was the super-secret project that Kenny & Mira have been working on for a couple of weeks. I've been banned from upstairs on many occasions in the past few days while the finishing touches were done. At one point, our computer sort of crashed, and Kenny thought he had lost the whole thing! Fortunately, most was salvaged after reviving the computer - phew!!!

They made me a 15 minute video - complete with snapshots, video, and sappy music - of Mira over the past months. It starts with video of my big, pregnant belly and ends with a photo of her sitting up by herself "reading" one of her books. I cried...again. It was so fun to see the early video of Mira - it just re-iterates how much she's grown and changed! She was so tiny and helpless, and now she is so big and capable!

For lunch, we went to the Mother's Day Brunch at the Petroleum Club with the Montgomery's. The food was fabulous (as usual), and we had a great time chatting with Matthew & Casey. Mira sat up very nicely in the highchair, but soon got bored (when we wouldn't let her play with the silver) and then tired, so she was quite fussy through the majority of the lunch! Kenny tried to put her to sleep at one point, and she kicked and bucked like a wild stallion - I could hear her screaming across the club!! Of course, as soon as we got her back in the car, she was all smiles! What a stinker!!! =)

Tomorrow, Mira and I will make another trip to Fairfield to cheer Olivia on as she tries out for twirler! I can't believe she's going to be in h.s. next year!!!! We'll have to turn right back around and come home, so we can make it to Gymboree on Tuesday - Mira is graduating to Level 2!!! Yay!!

Some exciting stuff that is coming up later on in the month: our 2nd Supper Club (Mexican Fiesta is the theme) is this coming Wednesday (same night as the season finale of LOST!!!!!), Mira turns 6 months old on the 17th, we have our 6 month Well Baby check-up on the 18th, 6 mo. photo shoot with Melissa Stephens on the 20th (so, so excited about this!), and G'ma Sheila arrives on the 31st just in time to drive with us to Destin on June 4th (Mira's first beach trip)!!!

Goodbye to April

This last week of April was a busy, fun-filled one! I'm looking forward to the May flowers that all these April showers promise!

Kenny and I didn't do so well at the Croquet Classic...but, I did win something! There was a silent auction at the luncheon, and I won 2 personal training sessions for $20 (valued at $80)!!! I'm very excited!

We had so much fun at the tournament, though. Thankfully, Katy and April were there to take care of Mira (who was none too happy during the first round). She cheered up after a good nap and a bottle. =)

Kenny was silly with Mira and managed to get her to giggle out loud at the luncheon!

We got to play 3 games and enjoyed visiting with everyone. It was a beautiful day and the all-white rule did make for pretty pictures.

After the tournament and luncheon, we had a "pool party" at the Montgomery's! Mason had a blast in the kiddie pool, but Mira was not having any of it! The water was cold, and Mason was being such a boy - splashing like a wild man!! She was perfectly content as soon as we took her out! She watched Mason continue to splash crazily! It is so funny to see how very different they are in every way!

Kenny and I took Mira to the park and played at the playground. We were dissapointed when we realized our park doesn't have swings! Mira loves to swing, so we'll have to find another nearby park that does have a swingset. We had fun anyways on all the other equipment!

Over-due Update

Well, it's only been a couple of weeks, but so much has happened since Easter!

Last Wednesday, we joined a fun group of young couples (all with small kiddos) for our first Supper Club gathering. We plan on getting together each month, taking turns hosting the dinner. The little ones range from infant to young toddlers, and there were 6 couples at our first get-together. We had great Italian food and really enjoyed meeting and visiting with some new people. The host couple had a baby swing in a big, old tree in their backyard, so Mira and Mason tested it out - they both LOVED it! Mira even got a big kick out of watching Mason swing - she laughed out loud at him! =)

This past weekend, we went to DFW - the first time since Mira was born! Mira's Uncle Kellen met us for dinner and then hung out a little at our hotel. It was really great seeing him - it's been months since we got to visit!

Saturday was super-busy! We started the morning off at the Fort Worth Zoo for the Zoo Run. It was a beautiful day for a race - clear skies and nice and cool, but not cold. Kenny was excited that he beat his goal time; he ran the 10K in 43 minutes!

While he ran, Mira and I strolled around, checked out the booths, and I pushed Mira in a swing for a bit - she really loves to swing!

Then, the three of us did the "1 Mile Fun Run" which, in actuality, was a leisurely stroll through the zoo (Mira slept soundly).

It was awesome! The animals were so playful and some (the lions) were eating breakfast - plus, there were no crowds to combat! We will definitely make this an annual tradition!

Then for lunch, we met up with Monica (a friend from the Dale office in FTW). She hadn't seen Mira yet, and was pleased to hold her throughout the meal. I tried to convince her to relinquish the child and eat, but that didn't happen. She didn't eat her food - she took it home in a to-go box!

We did some quick shopping before heading over to Dawn's house to visit and have dinner with her and her three little ones. This is the family I nannied for a couple of years ago. It was such a riot seeing how big they've all gotten. The 3 1/2 year-old twin boys, Jack & Riley, were such a hoot! Riley cracked us up with catch phrases such as "It's all a part of the plan...more or less" anytime something didn't quite go as he planned. Jack very sweetly offered to share his Cheerios with Mira - almost insisting that she take it! She did, in fact, take it - so, I had to secretly (and quickly) steal it from her when Jack wasn't watching! Sydney, 6 1/2 years old, entertained us with singing, dancing, and reciting the names, teams, and positions of her favorite NHL players. It was a lot of fun!

Mira is starting to sleep better again - she woke twice last night, but very quickly went back to sleep, and I didn't have to nurse all night!! She woke up around 6:30 this morning - I'll take it!!

She is also doing better each day with sitting up on her own. She can prop herself up almost indefinitely and sometimes she'll let go and stay up for a little bit (before face-planting!). Don't worry - we catch her...most of the time. :\ So, this means she will be graduating to Level 2 in Gymboree soon, and we will go back to Melissa Stephens for her second photo shoot of the year! Here she is watching the bubbles at Gymboree:

This weekend, Kenny and I are going to be playing in a croquet tournament. This should be interesting, since my only experience with croquet (before last night) was watching Alice in Wonderland - I hope they don't use birds for mallets, walking/talking cards for wickets, and rodents for balls... : But, Kenny and I played two games in our backyard last night after Mira was tucked in, and I must say (sorry Sweetie), I DOMINATED!! =) Looking forward to taking the tourny - results ASAP. ;)

The other interesting part of this croquet tourny is that it is croquet etiquette for everyone to wear all white! Yikes! Luckily, white is so "in" this Spring that it was fairly easy to find a decent outfit for me and Kenny both - now, for shoes...

Well, that is about it for now. We have LOST tonight and lunch with friends tomorrow. Mira is ready for our show...here she is in her Dharma onesie with her hard-earned "fish biscuit" - only LOST-ies could understand.... =)

Easter

We had a lot of fun in Fairfield celebrating Mira's first Easter. For the most part, she hung out in the lap of cousin Avi. They sat in the bed and watched cartoons together, and Avi was the expert on putting Mira to sleep.

We'd hand Mira over tired and fussy, and she would simply conk out in Avi's lap! It was the craziest thing! (Mira likes her face covered when she's napping...IDK)

We decorated eggs and built a candy town. It was pretty cold, but we also managed to sneak in a quick Easter egg hunt.

Aunt Coco painted Mira's toenails - they are absolutely adorable!!!

I think Mira wore her Easter get-up for about 3 minutes (enough time to take photos). Then she was ready for a nap; I undressed her so she would be more comfortable and handed her over to Avi! She was out like a light!

Puppy Love

Mira and Shatzie love each other. He doesn't care what she does to him; it's attention, and he'll take it! She thinks it's funny when he sniffs her face.

Jeter has learned to dodge her grabby little hands - it hurts when she pulls a fella's beard!!!

Hard to Believe!

She seemed so big at the time! Now look at her!

Yum!!

Just a quick entry to share an update on the whole "eating solids" thing...

It's been slow-going (as to be expected), but today it seems like it just "clicked" for her - "Wow! This is FOOD! And it's tasty, too! I'm such a big girl!!!!"

She was opening her mouth and literally diving at the spoon! She'd swallow it down and fuss if I took too long with the next spoonful (reminds me of a video I saw of Kenny when he was a baby). We made an extraordinary mess and she ate a ton (compared to what she's eaten so far) - I made three or four different batches before she finally slowed down!

It's all very exciting - her learning such great new feats as rolling over and eating solids! I don't think I'll ever get over the amazement of how fast they grow and change! All this in just a little over 4 months! Wow! =)

She Did It!!!

I'm sure she'll be rolling over and over all over the place now! I guess I'll have to tether her, if I want to get anything done! j/k (well, maybe...no, really, j/k!)

I should mention that this was the third time she did it, and she has rolled over a ton since! I missed the first time - one second she was on her back, the next second she was on her tummy! I put her back on her back and ran to get the camera; by the time I got back, she was on her tummy again! She's sneaky!!

FOOD!!!!!

All stocked up! We have our booster seat; we have rice cereal, oatmeal, and barley; we have bowls, spoons, and bibs; we have homemade sweet potatoes and peas! We're set!

That's one too many bites, mommy!

I'll just eat my new bib instead!

This is just a real short clip of her first couple of bites - thought we'd spare you the 5 minute video that captured the whole meal! =)

Did I say "in a couple of days?"

I should have said, "Now that Mira has mastered grabbing her feet, she'll have them in her mouth tomorrow!!"

She sure loves those toes (but, honestly, what's not to love??)!!!!

Some video: I snuck up on her really going to town on those toes!

Thanks for humoring me...

Mira was patient and sweet enough to let me try some headgear on her at Target, but she put her foot down and wouldn't let me buy any....

4 Month Well-Baby

So, we had Mira's 4 month check-up today. Everything went well - she "looks great" and is "doing perfect"! =)

She got two shots today - didn't even cry on the first one! She only cried a brief second on the second (it's the one that really stings). I always get so worked up during the days before we go - dreading the shots and the horrible look that will come across her sweet face...then she hardly seems fazed! So proud of her!

We also discussed starting solids - Dr. Crittell gave us the go-ahead!! Yea!!! So, after the appointment, Mira and I went to Target and got all the required (and not-so-required) paraphernalia for starting "real food"! I got so excited about the bowls and spoons and bibs...I got out to the car and realized I had forgot one thing - the cereal! So, we had to make a quick dash back inside! Silly Mommy! =)

So, Mira is doing the greatest thing these days. It's one of the things I've been looking forward to most...she grabs your face with both hands and pulls you in for a big, slobbery, open-mouthed kiss!!! I LOVE it! We let her do it over and over again - it's the best! This girl really knows how to melt our hearts!

Other fantastic new achievements include talking so loud that Kenny and I have to raise our voices to have a conversation or just be quiet and listen!

Today, she finally got a hold on her feet - she's been eyeing them up for some time now, but is just now able to grab them. There's no doubt that she'll have mastered putting them in her mouth in a couple of days!

She is ever-so-close to rolling from her back to her tummy - she gets so very close and then decides she is content on her side. Of course, figuring out that she can play with her feet now does a good job of destracting her when she's about halfway there! =)

You can see a glimmer of understanding of cause-and-effect in her eyes. She has managed to figure out how to make some of her toys play their lights/music and watches the water in the tub when she splashes.

Speaking of the tub - she loves to watch and grab at the water when I pour a cupful on her belly or hands!

Also, to my delight, she is suddenly taking longer naps (hour to hour and a half) and eating every 2 1/2 to 3 hours (rather than every 2 hours). This is awesome!!! And she's done it on her own once I stopped trying to put her on a schedule! Go figure!

I've done a couple of songs in sign language from birth, but now we are really starting to do a bunch more songs - she really likes them a lot! In a couple more months, we'll start focusing more on signing during our day-to-day activities ("eat," "more," "drink," etc.)

That's about it for now!!

Look at me sitting up!!!

Mira is doing very well with the first stage of sitting up by herself - she uses her hands on the floor as support beams for now. It works, and she can do it for a long time!! Watch her go:

Georgia Trip!

So, we're back from our road trip to Georgia! We had a blast; we visited with Kenny's Uncle Rich and Aunt Monina (along with the rest of their gang), toured Coca-Cola Park, ate at a great vegetarian restaurant, and, of course, experienced the Georgia Aquarium from both sides of the glass (Kenny and I dove in the aquarium with Whale Sharks, Hammerheads, Sawfish, and much more)!!

Kenny and I from Sheila's point of view inside the Underwater Tunnel at the Georgia Aquarium.

Mira did great on the road - of course, G'ma Sheila was amazing at keeping her company, helping her to nod off, and feeding her bottles as I pumped! (Anything to keep moving!!) Kenny did allow us to stop a couple of times on each day of the trip to stretch our legs, and Mira seemed to enjoy these breaks.

We broke the driving up into two legs, spending the night in Meridian, MS (halfway point) on the way there and on the return trip. That was a great idea and helped us all make it through the trip with our sanity in tact!

Mira really took in all the sights and sounds! She was very interested in the Coca-Cola Polar Bear and gazed at the fish at the aquarium as long as we stood there. Of course, she also enjoyed people-watching, too! She tried her hardest not to fall asleep but finally gave in.

Getting some love at Coca-Cola Park.

Uncle Rich and Aunt Monina went back and forth, vying to hold Mira all weekend. She ate it up!!



We have a ton of video and photos from the trip, but it will take a while to get the video edited/spliced; we'll post ASAP.