Pieces of Reese :)

Rachel here. So last Friday we took Reese to her 9 month appointment, which was actually her 9 1/2 month appointment. Statistics: 20 lbs 13 oz and she's about 29 inches in length. Needless to say we have a little Shrek on our hands. :) Her weight didn't go up as much as it has in the past, which made me nervous, but the doc told me because she doesn't sit still for more than a millisecond (unless she's eating or cookie monster is on TV) she's burning off some of that baby chub. I just love her baby chub. :)

We're trying some new foods with her. I've learned after about 2 weeks of loving my chicken concoctions... she actually HATES chicken. I guess we'll try that one again later. She loves her Yobaby yogurt, waffles, toast with a little margarine, cheese, whole wheat pasta (which Mommy loathes), puffs, wagon wheels, banana chunks (but only when I feed them to her because they are slippery), cottage cheese, and I think that may be it for now.... or at least all I can remember. The sippy cup continues to be a struggle. I fill it for her everyday with her little juice. She'll play with it, but isn't interested in it enough to drink. I tried putting her milk into it... nothing. I guess we'll try that one later too.

She loves playing in her play room and going through her tunnel. We've learned that we have to put ANYTHING and EVERYTHING out of her reach that we want to keep dry. (We still have no teeth, but the doc said he thought her gums looked a little large, so they may be coming in in the next 5 years.) I learned a huge lesson trying to take her to story time last Thursday. She was sitting in the living room very content watching Curious George, so I popped into the kitchen to grab her bottle. People I was seriously gone for less than 10 seconds. This apparently was ample time for my little butter bean to pull herself up to the coffee table, and in attempts to drink from my diet coke can, managed to spill the ENTIRE thing all over herself... none of which actually got into her mouth. After a quick outfit change, we did manage to make it to story time ON TIME.

Pulling up is definitely something she's perfected. She likes to pull herself up on the sliding glass door in her playroom and lick the glass. Classy. We're not quite cruising yet, but she loves to hold onto your forefingers and walk around. She's a high stepper. :)

Tormenting Winston seems to be one of her new favorite past times. He is being VERY good and trying desperately not to snap at her. She wants to play with all of his toys, and try to climb onto the couch to lay with him... she doesn't understand that he lays on the couch to escape the wrath that is Reese. We put Winston in his little kennel fairly often, so he can get a break from her... he kindly obliges and usually runs for cover inside. Yesterday we caught her sitting in front of his cage growling and laughing at him. She's so sweet isn't she? Growling is something she does a lot towards Winston when they are both on the floor. It's hysterical to see. I think she learned it from Cookie Monster. When he comes on TV he has that growly voice, and she just cracks up. While we were in Florida, we got her a big stuffed Cookie Monster. When we play with it with her we growl a lot, and she just giggles.

She'll do just about anything now to get a reaction from us. It's really cute what she can do now. I caught her putting her little fingers up to her mouth and moving her lips while making sounds... super cute... I'm not ashamed to say I cried when she did this because it was sooooo sweet. We've also discovered that she likes to swing her head back and forth. At first we thought something was wrong with her and we were going to have to wait outside every morning before school for the short bus to take our little angel to school. :) No worries though... she's just learning to move around. We've been working on waving; this resulted in her loving to wave to herself. :) And that's just whenever she wants to... can't prompt her on that one.

Here is a little video we shot the other day that shows some of her new talents. We love you Reesie!!!!

Daddy's garden

Dear Daddy,

First of all... I miss you terribly! I wish you didn't have to go out of town all the time, but Mommy tells me someone has to "bring home the bacon in this house," so I'll go along with it. :)

I kindly reminded Mommy that she needed to be taking care of your veggie garden. Right before lunch today we went out to give her a good watering (and to see if we had a "varmint" yet... no go). We're watering away, and look at what we found!!!

It's a zucchini Daddy!!!!! Mommy said if I was good, she would cook it for me and let me eat it BY MYSELF for snack. :)

Xoxo,

Reesie

p.s. Mommy took some extra pictures to show that she has not killed your precious garden... all of which is organic for all you Blacksburg Hippie haters. :)

Wine Festival

Chateau Morissette is a BEAUTIFUL winery located in Floyd, VA. This past weekend they had their 2nd Annual Hokie Wine Fest. I went last year, I was of course in Mommy's womb but had a blast nonetheless. This year though was the first year I was able to actually see what all the hype was about. There were tons of Hokies around "sipping" (chugging is more of the Hokie style) on wine, talking with friends, and listening to great music while sitting on blankets. Mommy and Daddy didn't take any pictures until a kind "blitzed out of her mind" lady sitting next to us reminded us that I was adorable and needed my picture taken in my orange and maroon.
(Rachel here. Fairly tragic picture... I know, but this was all we got!)

Snack

So Mommy has been slowly giving me control of feeding myself. Now that there are A LOT more solids in my horizon I feel as if I should be able to take the wheel. She's been letting me do my snacks all by myself. Granted we haven't moved above puffs, arrowroot cookies, bananas, toast, waffles, and now these nifty little "granola bars" that Earth's Best makes, but I appreciate Mommy having more faith in me. I mean seriously kids... look what I did all by myself!!Check out my 'do.

Tunnel vision

Mommy made me a super great present this week... A NEW PLAYROOM!!! It's hawt people!!! She turned our little breakfast nook into a fun and bright place for me to play. When she showed me my new room, there was another very special surprise in it. A giraffe tunnel!!!Here is a better shot of some of the new playroom!

Good morning Daddy

Dear Daddy,

I missed you putting me to bed last night, but Mommy did a good enough job I suppose. She tucked me in around 7, but I gave her a run for her money, and decided to go to sleep around 9. :) I had lovely dreams and slept until 6:45.

For breakfast Mommy made me oatmeal with some applesauce swirls... so yummy.

I was a little cranky this morning, probably because I feel asleep late, so I had an early nap around 9. Up at 10, and I've been going strong ever since. I was trying to help Mommy dust and managed to fall on my head... again... I guess climbing on the bottom shelf of the foyer table wasn't one of my brightest ideas. :)

I can't wait for you to come home to see me!!!

xoxo,

Reesie

A lovely day in the country

Yesterday we went to my Grandma and Grandaddy's house for a little barbecue. It was super fun. I was able to show them my new climbing trick... I think it's safe to say they were impressed. :) Grandaddy walked me around the farm, while the rest of my family looked for nice scenery for some lovely pictures. Take a look at some of our favorites! The sun was super bright that day; that's why I'm all squinty faced. :)

One of my favorites from the day.

Hope you enjoyed my shots!

Happy Birthday Brett!

So this past weekend Mommy, Daddy, and I went to Bridgewater for my new buddy Brett's birthday party. He turned one! Mommy can't believe all of her friends' babies are turning one already. It breaks her heart because she realizes that I too will soon be joining the one-year-old club. SIGH. Here are some cutie pictures she took from the day.

That's Brett... isn't he a cutie?

We got to run around, for me speed crawl, all over the place. We played with these giant balls... so fun!

I was trying to climb EVERYTHING in sight... Daddy was nice enough to make sure I didn't crack my head open. I love him so much.

Here is Brett in all of his pre-messy cake glory.
Happy Birthday Brett! Thank you for inviting me to your party!!!

Elmo

Mommy and Daddy got me the chicken dance Elmo for Christmas this past year. At first I didn't even let him phase me, then I moved onto staring at him in wonderment. Now I:

9 months old

Rachel here. My baby is growing up. I know this because she's heavy as all get out. :) We have her appointment. later this month (all the docs must have been on vacation), so we'll have real numbers then as far as her weight and height go.

Now for everything that is new! Well, I think I mentioned this before, but we lowered her crib because she's been pulling up. Bryan has apparently been having nightmares about her safety, so he undertook that chore. I helped, but there were tears. She's figured out how to pull up on everything else imaginable, so NOW we have our hands full. I'm sure I will say that exact same thing in the coming months when we have a cruiser and then walker. :) I, on the other hand, have been having nightmares about her car seat. It's no secret... our baby is a big baby. She's just on the brink of growing out of her infant car seat (she may have one more pound to go), so we broke down yesterday and bought her a "big girl" seat. I thought Bryan was going to cry, but we made it through without all the extra waterworks.

I posted a few days ago that Reese had learned how to crawl up one step over the 4th of July weekend. Well, upon returning home, we mastered two... count then two steps people! In the recent days, however, we became a marathon climber and can successfully scale the entire staircase.

The waving thing is a hoot! She's waving all the time now... honestly I think she just likes that movement of her wrist. The other day, she had her maraca in her hand and hit herself right in the face with one little flick of her little wrist. She occasionally waves back at you if you wave to her first, but mostly... she just waves. Last night at Red Robin she waved at the big red bird and the ceiling fan. Good times.

We are STILL searching for the perfect sippy cup. Last night we purchase our third and hopefully final "model". The sippy nipples just tend to be to thin. Reese always wants to put it in her mouth perpendicular to her lips as opposed to horizontally (if that makes any sense). At Target we found a sippy cup though that has a rounder nipple, so hopefully that will make for a smooth transition.

Her food is getting more interesting as well. We're moving away from the lovely world of smooth purees and making things a little chunkier. Finger foods scare me. We've been giving her a small variety... puffs, shredded cheese, small wheat bagels... I picked up some mushier fruits for her to try and some pastas. I'm just so afraid she is going to choke beyond repair, and then when I submit my name for "mother of the year"... the editors of "Ladies Home Journal" will scoff.

This past month has been full of new things... and now we prepare for this month. Will we have a cruiser? Perhaps teeth? Could she find the cure for the common cold? Or maybe she'll actually get her first cold? Stay tuned...

Vera Bradley

Mommy occasionally finds herself slightly obsessed with Vera Bradley bags. Daddy likes to call them potholders. I think I might just fancy Mommy's obsession.

(Rachel here. For the record... this is one of my old Veras... my very first one to be exact. :) I'm not gonna lie... I put her little Elmo cell phone and her plastic car keys inside. Tacky? Perhaps, but it made me smile.)

Ponytail!

Here I am in all my ponytail glory!

Shenanigans

Rachel here. I love my baby. She is such a sweet little thing. Always smiling. Always giggling. I love my baby.

Now for the shenanigans. She is speed crawling all over the place. This past weekend she learned to climb up one step... still working on numerous steps. Her learning to climb resulted in falling on her head a handful of times. Perhaps we need a helmet to go along with our cage? She can pull up, but has only recognized this ability in her crib. Waving "hi" and "bye" appears to be next on the list. She can move her little hand like she's waving, but not sure she knows what it means. I also witnessed her giving people "high fives" at my mom's house. Reesie is killing me... killing me.

I love my baby. She is such a mischievous little thing. Always escaping. Always messing. I love my baby.

Auntie Amanda

Over the 4th of July Holiday we also spent some lovely time at my Nana and Pop's house. I finally got to meet my Great Nana! While all the adults ate, I sat around looking cute, screaming and giggling, and being the overall best entertainment ever! After we ate, my Auntie Amanda held me tight and played with my little toes.

4th of July

Happy belated Birthday America!!! We were in Suffolk/Norfolk for the 4th of July holiday visiting with Mommy's family. Our first stop... Grandpa and Pearl's hizzouse in Suffolk. Grandpa took me into the big pool... I hated it frankly. Grandpa and Mommy put me in my little boat... I stayed calm just long enough to take a couple of cute pictures, but then I lost all control and had to be removed from the pool all together.

Daddy was nice enough though to blow up my froggie pool for me to enjoy. Once Mommy put me in it... I was as happy as a clam.

The 4th of July was a wonderful day that I got to spend with my family... even my Great Grandma!!

Happy 4th everyone... I hope yours was just as special as mine!

The Park

Daddy worked from home last Wednesday because Grandma and Grandaddy were coming into town to pick up Winston for the weekend. We had a lovely visit... I showed them all my new tricks, but then it was soon time for them to go home. Mommy and Daddy weren't ready yet to lock themselves in the house and pack for their 4th of July trip to Tidewater, so we went to the park!

I didn't like being on the slide by myself too much, so Mommy came with me. Here we are trying to avoid the bird poo. I even got to do some swinging!

Daddy's daddy

Mommy has been meaning to help me blog about how I spent my Father's Day weekend; she was out of town and finally got some pictures to post :). Daddy has been wanting to go on a mine tour forever now it seems. He was super delighted when Grandaddy mentioned that that might be something of some interest to him as well. Daddy put two and two together and came up with a great idea for Grandaddy's Father's Day gift.

The plan was to meet at Grandma and Grandaddy's house, pick them up, and head on to the Wild and Wickedly strange West Virginia. All in all, it was a super great day with my family. :)

This is me chillin' with my daddy in the mine cart.
Mr. Mine Man, Me, Daddy, and Grandaddy. I love adventures!

The Library

FINALLY Mommy decided to take me back to the library. I heard her saying to Daddy that she wanted me to interact more with other kids (honestly... I think she wanted to interact more with other mommies, but don't tell her I think she needs friends). Mommy's friend Jaime from high school is the teacher. It was super nice to see her again, but I was way more interested in ALL of the other kids!

We did so many fun things. First Miss Jaime told us a story. Look at how studious I am... can you tell I'm a teacher's kid? All the other children sat with their mommies... I wanted to be set free like a little bird.
The best part though was when we got to sing songs and do sign language at the same time! I can't wait to go back!!!!