What the Junk....8 AND 9 months!

Whew! This is hard...blogging ya know. I have to leave so much out because, how do you cover 2 months in one post?? You don't. So, here are the highlights. MONTH 8
This month Charleigh is just becoming her own little person, with personality and opinions (unfortunately). She has officially done her first sign language and the funny thing is, I taught her this one by accident. Every time I call Prissy, I pat the couch, or my leg, whatever is near. Now when Charleligh looks at Prissy, she pats...haha, it's funny! I didn't notice it at first but she kept doing it when Prissy was around. I thought she did "more" one time, but I don't think she really did...hmmm. It will catch on I'm sure :) She does like to use her hands, oh boy. Her new favorite thing is waving at everyone. When she waves she sometimes says, "ha". I think she means "HI!". What a little socialite :) It's funny too, her HI wave and her BYE BYE wave are totally different. For "bye bye" she curls her little wrist, which I LOVE! She doesn't say the words so much but she DEFINITELY knows what the waving means.

On the food front, we are introducing some fun stuff these days. We started meats. Turkey and chicken to be exact. She HATED them at first so I thought I would mix them with something she likes. I started adding apples to the chicken and sweet potatoes to the turkey. She LOVES them now :) She likes yogurt too. Since it's the bland kind with no sugar and what not, I always mix it with some fruit to liven things up. Well, the yogurt/fruit combo is usually pretty runny (which she does NOT like) so I started adding some oatmeal to it as well. Justin laughed at me and said, "What do you call that? Banana yogurt Oatmeal or yogurt oatmeal bananas?" So, as I'm contemplating these crazy combinations I have come up with to appease my daughter I walk into Target the other day. I peruse the baby aisle in search of cereal and BAM...there it was Banana Yogurt Oatmeal, not to mention Sweet Potato Turkey and Apple Chicken. Strangely, it made me feel empowered as a mom that I somehow KNEW those combinations would work. I gained a little more trust in myself just then :) Two other foods she really likes are peas (she gets it from her mama) and PUFFS. You know, those little cereal pieces that dissolve in your mouth??? We started trying them at 7 months and she could not for the life of her, figure out that they are supposed to go in your mouth. She would pick one up, give it to Prissy, pick another up, give it to Daddy. But then, one day, she put it in her mouth (after many misses) and woah, now she shovels them. I love her eating Puffs. Alright so I have tried desperately to limit her TV watching because she just loves it too much. So, we keep it on the Christian music channel now...she sings, it's funny. But when she gets fussy or mommy and daddy need to keep her occupied at all we go to...Veggie Tales! She absolutely LOVES them. I'm so glad because I love them too!

At 8 months she was still a toothless wonder. But that changes later on...keep reading. Her hair is filling in quickly. I am still holding out hope that she gets her Daddy's thick straight locks.

Onto other news, I decided to try going to the tanning bed again..haven't been in YEARS! So I bought a membership and only got to go like 3 times the whole month! It's just not possible with a baby tagging along. What am I supposed to do? Bring her in there with me...I think not. So I will remain white:)

Well, we started out month 8 at the doctor. In all her 8 months of life my child has not so much as sniffled in sickness but all of a sudden, she was coughing at night, and couldn't get good rest. So, I took her in and she was diagnosed with some bad allergies. We started Clarinex and it has seemed to help a good bit. A few weeks later I forgot to give her her medicine before bed and she didn't cough the entire night. To me, this meant she was over the allergies and YAY no more medicine. I was wrong. Turns out it takes a week or so to get out of her system and when it did...she was worse than EVER. Poor baby she was just pouring snot and coughing and rattling in her chest. Doc told me to put her back on the medicine (bad mommy) and watch for it to get better. A few weeks later is STILL wasn't getting better so I took her in again (she weighed 20 lbs exactly by the way...a week and a half before her 9 month birthday) and she was diagnosed with a sinus infection. Poor baby. But now, she is on that yummy bubblegum antibiotic and she's getting much better now :)

Okay, now for some pictures! Our friends Kristi and Ruco have been serving with Samaritan's Purse over in Uganda for a while now but have been called to help out in Haiti instead. They were able to come home for a while in the meantime. We welcomed them back with some great american food...Tokyo?? Yeah, we're weird but they really wanted some Sushi!

We also celebrated Little Lucas's 1st Birthday! Here is the Baby Clubbers and their daddy's at the party. So sweet.

At the beginning of May Ms. Joy's good friend Ms. Melinda came to town and had a little photo shoot with my Charleigh girl. Here are some of the adorable outcomes.
Here she is playing Big mama's piano (she LOVES pianos)

Another thing I will write more about is bathtime! She is a water baby for sure.

Wait, other babies don't eat in their tutus??

This is her daddy's old rocking horse. Look how she has her feet gripped.

Here she is in her daddy's old cowboy boots. She looks like she got caught doing something huh?

Pettiskirt and boots.

Just realized how goofy I look trying to entertain her...oh well, she's worth it.

Alright, our next adventure was the Olive Kids' Bass Fishing tournament that Daddy was heading up. He is a jack of all trades now and I am really proud of him for REALLY being a servant for God's house. He is now not only a deacon but also serves on the Security Team (no he does not get a tazer... yes, he is disappointed), on the Parking Lot Greeter Team, AND on the Bass Club commitee. Just thought I'd take a minute to brag on my man.

Charleigh and I headed out to support Daddy's efforts. It was a beautiful day.

Okay okay, so the big news this month was MY FIRST MOTHER'S DAY!!! Oh man, I have waited so long to say that. I love being a mother. We started the morning with the alarm sounding for church. Justin went to get my angel baby from her crib and brought her into the room with gifts in hand. As he carried her in, she sat straight up. No wobble to her little head, her back supported her strongly. Her eyes were bright and open and she smiled. She looked like a little girl. She's growing up already. What will she be like next Mother's Day? I just felt the need to cherish that moment. just then. Well, I opened my first hand made card from Charleigh girl. She writes incredibly well for a 7 month old :) Then a card from my sweet sweet husband. If I do nothing else right in our marriage ever...I want him to think I'm a good mom. When he tells me that, it melts my heart. I want him to be proud of me and the job I'm doing here. He makes me feel like he is :) After opening the rest of my gifts we hurried off to take our respective showers and get ready for church. Before we walked out the door, Justin slipped a beautiful white rose corsage (with bling might I add) onto my wrist...he's so cute. He knows he's supposed to get one of those for his mom every mother's day but I just didn't expect him to get one for me too! I LOVED it, it was perfect and meant so much to me. I wore it all day (even during lunch). We went to church, and I GOT TO STAND UP...when they called for all the mothers to stand...I got to! I told Justin that is what I was looking forward to most. I just have vivid memories of Mother's day in the past. The hurt that was tucked away in my heart, envious of the women who got to stand. Dreaming of my day to come. And come it did. Justin grilled (the best steaks I have ever had) for me and Mom Wow for lunch. Then we went to dinner with Paw Paw and Granmama that night. It was a good day. A very good day. (I do have pictures of me and my girl on Mother's Day but they are on Big Mama's camera)

The next day Justin took the day off (which is a miracle, my husband DOES NOT take days off) to extend the Mother's Day celebration. He let me and Charleigh pick what we would do for the day and of course we picked... THE BEACH! Is this not the most precious picture ever?

She loves her Daddy!

Oh and then the fun began. Charleigh definitely LOVES the sand. She loves to sit in it, and play with it, or just look at it...it's LOVE I tell ya. And Daddy likes to...well... dig holes. He always has his mother tells me. So, he decided to dig a nice cool hole for Charleigh to sit in. She loved it of course. Then he began playfully covering her feet and legs with sand, she giggled. As she was waist deep in sand she waved at the folks next to us and squealed with joy. Then Daddy decided to try something...crazy. He dug an even bigger hole, sat her in it and began to cover her in sand, up to her waist, her elbows, and finally her little shoulders. I was fussing at him the whole time but couldn't bare to stop him as our silly daughter was giggling with every push of sand! And here you have it:

So silly...

Next on the agenda we had a playdate with Miss Bella for a pool party. She slept through it I think :)

The day she turned 8 months we celebrated by a beach day! (We celebrate every other day with a beach day) We took Ms. Whitney and baby Bella to show them the ropes of babies and beaches. Bella seems like she is going to like beach days just like her bestie Charleigh!
That day we came home and I laid Charleigh down for her nap. She had already been asleep in the car so I laid her down (no swaddle) sand and all. So, I watched her on the video monitor to make sure she went to sleep...she didn't. Instead I watched her sit up (from a laying position) for the first time!!! I ran in there to her chubby little cheeks grinning at me as she is a head above the top of her crib now. I laid her back down and...she did it again, and again and again. So we cut naptime a little short :) Instead we made our way to the bath tub to wash off any sand that was lurking in crevices, which there was. She leaned right over to the side of the tub and pulled herself up. Woah, two milestones in one day! Since then, she is a sittin' up, pullin' up fool!



We were sad when Auntie Kristi had to go off to Haiti but we got a quick house visit from her before she had to leave :)I also FINALLY took Charleigh up to the school to meet all the students and teachers she hadn't gotten a chance to meet yet. They loved her and well she, loves everyone!
And we rounded out this month with a church picnic with the Kepners! Charleigh is a little aggressive with the boys.

MONTH 9
So, like I mentioned before, we started off this month with a sinus infection. Boo. On top of that discomfort, Charleigh finally cut two teeth! At 8 months and one week, I saw those little suckers shining at me when she was smiling in the bathtub! So cute. She continues to pull up to a standing postion every chance she gets. Now she is into pulling up and letting go, falling on her booty, laughing, and pulling up again. It's a vicious cycle.

I also got to go to the Intentional Moms seminar with Heather, Amber, and Rolla. It was interesting. A lot of things to be intentional about to get our kids to grow up with self confidence and teaching them how to depend on the Lord for their needs. I pray daily that I can be that for Charleigh.

Music in the Park also started in May so we met up with LOTS of friends there, spread out our picnic blankets, ate our dinners and laughed over some good music in the beautiful weather. That is definitely going to have to be a regular thing...while it lasts.

We were so excited when Baby Avery (and Aunt Jo) came to visit! Where else would we take her...the BEACH! Big Mama and the babies had a blast. As much as we go to the beach, my child is still white. I try to be a good mother and cake her with sunblock but I'm starting to think I should let the child get a little sun...huh?

Next was Kaison's bday party. Right when we got there, he crawled over to Charleigh and gave her a big KISS! It was the cutest thing ever! Here she is with her hand on his leg...I told you she was aggressive.Also this month, my friend Amber had a baby shower. Here is the hospital gown I made for her to wear: It's one of my favorites...this fabric is sooo stinkin' cute!At the end of May Justin decided we needed a trip to Bama to see my family. The last 2 times Charleigh and I went up without him and he felt a little left out of the party I think. So, we packed up and headed to spend the weekend with my fam. We were so busy having fun at our Memorial Day cookout that I forgot to take any pictures! I hate when that happens :( Just know, we had FUN! Well, here she is on Memorial Day when we got back.Alright, now for some bad news. While we were up in Bama I expressed my worry to my mom. Charleigh wasn't nursing very well for last few weeks. She was more "playing" and only for 5 or so minutes. I was worried she wasn't getting enough milk. I tested my theory by offering her a bottle after nursing and sure enough, she gulped it down! Oh no, I wondered if she was getting anything at all or if I was totally dried up? Mom had a plan. She told me to see how long I could go without nursing her and if I was still producing milk, I would "feel" it as I got too full. Well, that morning I skipped nursing time, nothing happened, then that afternoon, nothing, and again, and again...nothing. In short, I haven't nursed her since and haved gotten full or engorged in the least. I think it is safe to say that my milk is dry :( The good news is that the weaning process is usually pretty hard for mom and baby I hear. At least we are through it, without knowing of course. Oh well, I'm proud to have nursed her for 8.5 months, I'm okay with supplementing at this point. Plus that baby LOVES her solids!

On our way back home from Bama, we stopped in on some relatives in Evergreen. Charleigh got to meet her cousins Ansley and John Ed. She LOVED them!One event that has basically taken over my life this month was our End of the Year Banquet for my Chosen Girls' Ministry. Oy! This year all my leaders had to work the day of the banquet so it was up to me (and Charleigh) to fully decorate and prepare for the event. Some unexpected heros pitched in (Jeremy Lloyd, Sandy Fones, and Joel McDonald) to help me out and I could NOT appreciate them more!It is always bittersweet to say goodbye to my seniors but I know they are strong spiritual leaders. I love you all! My adult leaders, Amber Sherouse, Lesa Price, Staci Jacobi, Dee Kelley, Rachel Traylor, Whitney Lloyd, and Lynette Bledsoe, are my saving grace. They do so much for so little praise. I wish I could give them all a vacation for their hard work this year but...alas, they will recieve even greater gifts from JC himself :) The banquet was fabulous and the Pastor and Mrs. Liz even attended AND wrote about us on his blog!

That night, Jon, Angie and Jackson came in town for a few days. As well as Jo and Avery. We met them the next day at Nana's pool. It was Charleigh's first time in a pool and she, of course, had a blast.
She wasn't sure about this float at first but soon got the hang of it. Kicking her little feet. Pinching the water and putting in in her mouth as if it were finger food...so funny!

The next day we celebrated Jon's Birthday at Big Mama's house. Avery and Charleigh wore matching PJs.p.s. Charleigh LOVES Jack.

Next we went to the new Grand Marlin out at the beach to celebrate Paw Paw's birthday too. It was sad to look out at that beautiful water and know the oil spill would ruin it in just a few days. I sure hope it is all cleaned up and Charleigh is able to enjoy our white beaches in years to come.

And now, we've made it to this weekend! Justin and Ben decided they needed a fun day with their wives so they planned a Big Kahuna trip with us. We left Charleigh with Big Mama for the day (the longest I've ever left her) and we had sooo much fun. We love water parks. I again, failed to take pictures, sorry.

We did church on Sunday and now it is Monday, June 14th. Charleigh's 9 months today and Granny is....29! Happy Birthday Mama...we love you SOOO much!

Whew, that is all I can bear to muster for this post! So, here are some crafts I've been working on these last couple of months: Nap mat Covers! (fits 48" X 24" X 2")

I finally finished Charleigh's letters for her room. I love how they turned out!
I adore this cute little damask and dots pillowcase dress with matching bow!

My latest hair bow holder (Greens and pinks):

I'm now obsessed with Kiwi Paper (monogramable paper). I will now only use this for my travel mugs. Here's a couple prints available:

A patriotic pillowcase:

Lavendar and Hot pink tutu:

Happy Birthday to GranMama, Paw Paw, Papa AND Granny over these last two months! You are the BEST!

Next, we cannot wait for Father's Day next week!