a day in the life...

Baby R starts her day by crawling around and playing with toys...


Then she takes some time for her studies, and spends quality time reading books...


Then when she has studied enough for one day she finds some new toys to play with...


When she gets tired of sitting, then she stands up at the couch to practice her walking...


Then at the end of a long day she takes a nice, relaxing bath...


Sorry, I went a little camera crazy! Hopefully you don't get sick from my poor skills as a camera-woman, I'll work on that...

toys

Baby R's favorite "toys"

1. water bottles
2. spoons - hers, mine, measuring, wooden...
3. little noses bottle
4. wipes container
5. cell phones
6. remote controls
7. cups
8. combs
9. puffs container
10. my grocery list

technology

I will preface this post by apologizing for the rant you are about to read...

If a doctor's office has enough money for the nurses to carry little laptops into the rooms with the patients, then why not splurge and purchase a digital scale as well?? I realize that weight is not super important for some babies, but for others (Baby R, for instance) it is INCREDIBLY important. Here's the deal: Two weeks ago we went to the CF Clinic, where they use a digital scale, and Baby R weighed 18 lb 3 oz. One week ago we went to her pediatrician's, where they don't use a digital scale, and Baby R weighed 18 lb 2 oz. I was a little upset at this since we had increased her enzymes and she should have been gaining weight faster, not losing it. I mentioned to the doctor my concern that maybe their scale was off, and she decided we should come back a week later for another weight check (instead of just calibrating their scale). Today I took Baby R back in for a weight check (which the receptionist last week apparently did not enter in the computer, and we therefore didn't have an appointment today - luckily they could "fit us in.") Baby R's weight today - 19 lb 1 oz. Someone explain to me how in one week she loses an ounce, and the following week she gains 15 ounces! There has to be something wrong with their scale! (Hopefully not with their nurses.) Now don't get me wrong, I am EXTREMELY glad that she is gaining weight, but couldn't they have calibrated the scale last week and saved me a week worth of worrying? We have technology for a reason people, please use it!

The high point of the day - Baby R weighs 19 lb 1 oz. That almost puts her back at the 50th percentile! Yippee!!

karyna

Happy 1st birthday Karyna!

Top ten faves:

1. Her eyes are beautiful - they look like marbles
2. She isn't afraid of Uncle Rick
3. Her coordination (and probable athletic ability)
4. She has unique forms of mobility (backwards on her head, on her toes at the pool...)
5. She LOVES to play in the pool
6. Her poker face - if she had a King high or a royal flush, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference
7. Her name results in fewer mispronunciations than Nayeli
8. She contends with Nayeli to see who inherited more of their parents' stubbornness (although they often try to blame Aunt Katie)
9. The way she likes to play with Reagan at church
10. She loves to smile at her Aunt Katie

garin

Happy 32nd birthday Garin!

Top ten faves:

1. He's sort of like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, except he doesn't do as many barrel rolls
2. His comedy routine at the beach house is legendary stuff
3. He actually thought it was fun to sit and watch Rick umpire a little league game
4. He is a snowmobiling fool
5. He is half responsible for making three super cute kids
6. He always makes sure we have tons of fun when we visit
7. He is talented enough to style his daughter's hair and paint her nails, how many dads can do that?
8. He always makes good baked potatoes
9. He's a pro at beach football
10. If we ever need someone to speak Icelandic, he's our man!

laziness subsides

Baby R has finally outgrown some of her inherent traits of laziness. She is no longer complacent sitting and waiting for someone to help her walk to her toys. The forward motion has begun at last. Now don't get me wrong, she does not prefer crawling - she just crawls far enough to reach someone or something so she can stand up and walk the remainder of the way. Not to mention the fact that she crawls with one knee and one foot, in a half sitting, half trying to stand sort-of fashion. Always trying to be different...

water, water everywhere

Bathtime seems to get more fun every day! During this splash-fest our bathroom floor got soaked, and so did Daddy. We spend so much time in the water these days, luckily Baby R enjoys it almost as much as Mommy!
At Karyna's birthday party on Saturday Baby R had plenty of swimming buddies! Nayeli, Wyck and Collin are the few that I managed to get pictures of...

fun can be found everywhere

Today we had to say "goodbye" to a good friend of ours, Katie Coleman! She is moving back to Chicago where she has a new job. Yeah for the new job, boo for the moving! We went to lunch at Culver's and tried to catch up a bit in the short hour we had. Baby R hasn't seen Katie very much, but instantly liked her. Maybe she recognized her voice from the months we spent working together last summer while I was pregnant. Or maybe she is just a very likable person. Baby R had a blast, so here are a few snapshots from our lunch date...

Yippee! My daughter is a Harry Potter fan already! Just look at her practicing with her wand! Okay, so maybe it is really a drum stick from one of her toys, but she thinks it is a wand. All she needs is a wizard's hat and cape (hint, hint Grandma). She told me she wants to be like Hermione when she grows up...

Yes, so have I mentioned that we spend a lot of time at the pool these days?? Luckily Baby R has a couple of friends who love to play in the pool too! Mary Lou and I really enjoy our weekly trips! It is nice to have a break from the normal daily routine. Not to mention having Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles all around to give us a break here and there!

A wonderful friend of ours from Williamston made Baby R the nicest gift! It is a beautiful quilt that has a built-in pocket for toys. That way Baby R always has something to play with when she stays overnight someplace. The quilt has Winnie the Pooh on it, and came with Pooh and Eeyore stuffed animals in the pocket. She already loves them, and laughs hysterically when daddy makes them dance and do flips. Thanks so much Chris and Erin for thinking of her!

As a little update, Baby R cut her 4th tooth on Tuesday, and has 2 more working their way out! Her 9 month stats are: 18 lbs 3 oz and 28 inches long. She still isn't gaining weight fast enough, and is now below the 50th percentile in weight. We increased her enzymes to try to help her absorb more of her food, so we are praying that her weight gain will be better soon. Aside from swimming, she really enjoys cruising around our apartment holding onto furniture. I can't believe how fast she is growing up!

new 'do

Steph put a cute little barrette in my hair last week, so naturally Mommy went out and bought me some. Isn't it fun to see me with different hairstyles?

big swimmer

Austin getting splashed by Uncle Rick and Uncle Rob. Poor kid, he couldn't get away while floating in his 'boat.' So Aunt Katie and Aunt Beth decided to teach him how to swim...

He caught on really quickly, and didn't even notice when I stopped holding onto him...

Look at that big kid swimming all by himself!

first steps

Baby R really enjoys trying to walk, so we have taken a few clips of her the past week. She is still getting the hang of it, so it is pretty cute to watch! ENJOY!

fun, fun, fun

My baby is growing right up! Although there is hope for her crawling eventually, she has her eye set on walking. She loves to pull herself up on anything or anyone she can find. And she LOVES trying to walk. She is getting pretty good too! She just reaches out her hands, grabs mine, and starts moving! But sometimes she doesn't stop when she wants to, and lets me know that we walked right past the toy she wanted.

We love spending time at Uncle Jack and Aunt Sue's pool! Besides the wonderful pool and fun toys, we love spending time with Jack and Sue! They make us feel at home, and they're pretty darn good with the little ones too!

joseph jackson mcmillan

We are SUPER excited to announce the arrival of our newest cousin,

Joseph Jackson McMillan!

He is quite the little cutie already! We are so HAPPY for Jodi and Kevin! CONGRATULATIONS!

9 months!

Well yesterday Baby R turned 9 months! She has reached the age now when she has been outside the womb just as long as she was inside! I would love to show you a month by month photo shoot to see how much she has changed, but I have taken most of my pictures off this computer. Sadly, the life of this computer is nearing its end and I don't want to lose my wonderful photo memories. So all I can show you is this:

Baby R when she was born!

9 months later!

She is growing up into such a beautiful girl, of course she was beautiful the day she was born. I can't believe she can get any cuter, but she does! Especially now that she cut that mean, nasty tooth and is happy baby again! I can't remember life without my wonderful daughter! Happy 9 month birthday Baby R!

the return of happy baby

Thursday was a horrible, rotten, no good, very bad day! Baby R was SUPER upset, and nothing would calm her down! I was about to lose my mind, so when Rick came home from work he gave her a blessing. On Friday my happy baby returned! And I even figured out who to blame for cranky baby - tooth number three! The strange thing about her third tooth is that it is not one of her front teeth. Normally the next teeth to emerge after her bottom two front teeth would be her top two front teeth. Well, Baby R likes to be different. So instead of cutting one of her top front teeth, she cut one next to that (lateral incisor).

She just had to be unique!

dennis

Happy 53rd Birthday Grandpa!

Top 10 Things we Like about Grandpa:

1. Tells great jokes (most of which he makes up himself (sometimes in church))
2. Has the entire payout card memorized for Acquire
3. Can't remember the difference between spades (shovels) and clubs (clovers), yet still wins at Euchre
4. Has been known to call his youngest son "Eric Dean," his youngest Daughter "Betty," and his daughter-in-law "Kathy."
5. Always up for a rousing game of whirley ball
6. Won numerous awards playing basketball in high school, but it's his historic football career that will live on forever
7. Has always been very supportive of his kids and grandkids
8. He would have won a gold medal had he performed the infamous "summer sausage sprint" in the olympics.
9. Loves to have fun
10. Made a great decision in choosing Mom over other candidates like Dawneta

aunt pat

Happy 55th Birthday Aunt Pat! (Yesterday)

Top Ten Faves:

1. Creative, especially when it comes to scrapbooking
2. Hosts FUN parties all the time
3. Makes super delicious taco dip and potato salad, among other things...
4. Always more than willing to baby-sit any of her grand nieces and nephews
5. Has a great husband and two fun sons
6. Always sends Rick job possibilities
7. Very supportive of extended family (i.e. sitting through numerous graduations, baby blessings, etc.)
8. Loves to play games with the family
9. Trusts Steve (and sometimes Chuck) to help her highlight her hair
10. She was Katie's first example of how to put makeup on while driving

a little shout out

augh!

Well the past week (or month) has been a very frustrating one for me. I find myself getting more and more stressed as the days pass. So I figured, maybe if I write down my concerns and get them off my chest then I may be able to relax a bit. So here goes:

1. Where will Rick be working by the end of the summer? I would really like to know soon because we need to find housing near his new location! Plus it would be nice to know that we will still be able to put food on the table...
2. Baby R's weight gain. She needs to stay at or above the 50th percentile in weight or she will have to have a Gastrostomy Tube. This makes me very stressed because there are some days where she doesn't want to eat a lot. It is also hard because I only have 30 minutes from when I give her the pancreatic enzymes to finish feeding her. Therefore she doesn't get much time to actually work on feeding herself before I need to start shoveling the food in for her to make sure she eats enough calories.
3. My dad's health. It is always a rollercoaster ride with him, but it is hard for me to ride along anymore. Baby R has very limited contact with him because some of the infections he has Baby R cannot be exposed to. My daughter's health must come first, which makes it difficult for me to see him much at all - thus making me feel guilty.
4. Baby R has no desire to crawl. This should not be a big deal because many children skip crawling and go straight to walking. However, I have talked to some mothers, and have read a few things that show a possible link between not crawling and a tendency for dyslexia, ADD and other learning inhibitors. Even though there isn't medical proof showing this, it is believable. So, my worrisome self has been working around the clock to try to persuade Baby R to crawl - so far, no luck.
5. My happy baby has disappeared. Hopefully this is just temporary, but Baby R has turned into a whiny baby. People ask me "Is she hungry?" "Is she tired?" "Why is she crying?" And my answer is "no," "no," and "if I knew then I would make it stop!" I HAVE NO IDEA!!! Maybe she is teething, maybe her tummy hurts her from her surgery, maybe she has allergies, maybe she is bored, maybe she hates her mother.... WHO KNOWS??!

Ok, well enough of that, I officially sound like a whiner! I am going to switch directions here and name 5 blessings in my life to counter those worries. So here goes:

1. Despite the many complications early in life, Baby R is healthy! Rick and I prayed throughout my entire pregnancy for a healthy baby, and the Lord blessed us with one. We are blessed that she was born at a time when there are so many medical treatments and preventative things we can do for her to ensure a healthy life.
2. My dad has been blessed to live long enough to see not just one grandchild come into the world, but four. When he was diagnosed with diabetes, the doctors estimated his life expectancy to be around 30 years. He is almost 54. There have been many times in my life when we didn't think he would make it much longer. But miraculously he has defied the odds, and made it this far. And we expect many more years from him!
3. Rick has always been blessed with a good job. Well, by 'good,' I mean a job that pays the bills. He hasn't always enjoyed his jobs, but we have always had a roof over our head, clothes on our back, food to eat, and more... I am sure he will get a good job offer soon.
4. Baby R really enjoys standing up, and trying to walk. The last few days she has even started taking a couple steps here or there when we are holding her hands. I have no doubt that she is where she should be developmentally. And when I was reading a Parenting Magazine the other day, it said crawling is not a developmental milestone that is necessary. It said after sitting up, the next necessary milestone is pulling herself up into a standing position by holding onto a stationary object. She can do that while holding onto my hands, and is almost there while holding onto her little play table. (But I do still want her to crawl...)
5. We live so close to family. My sister and brother both live within 5 minutes of our apartment. My parents live about 15 minutes away. Rick's parents live about 50 minutes away. How great is that? Many of our friends live across the country from their families, and only see them a handful of times or less in a year. We see our families a minimum of once a month!

Sorry to air out my dirty laundry, but I often find that letting it all out makes me feel better. Once I say it out loud or write it down, it normally doesn't seem so bad. And if it makes a few more people pray for us - well, who could ask for more? Now that I have gotten that off my chest and made myself think of a few blessings in my life, I do feel better. Now I can go play with my beautiful daughter. Lucky for her, all she has to do is smile at me and I forget how mad I was! I think that could be blessing #6 - Baby R's perfect little gummy smile!

wizarding world of harry potter

I just read the wonderful news online that Universal Studios in Orlando will be opening a new theme park, "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter." That sounds SWEET! I know that we will definitely be taking Baby R there once she is old enough!

I actually read the news on The Harry Potter Automatic News Aggregator, where they have a great article about the theme park. I know this isn't quite as exciting as the 7th book or the 5th movie coming out next month, but it is still fun!

more fun

For your enjoyment, a few more pictures from the pool...