Batter Up!

This morning I dressed Mookie up in a "new" outfit that my neighbor, Lanna, gave us that her daughter has outgrown. It's a very cute little Winnie The Pooh outfit, and I wanted to take pictures for you.



Here are a couple showing off the Poohness of Her Cuteness:

She was laying on her Bright Starts activity mat. We got it a few weeks ago, and so far it's only been another place for tummy time and to read and dance on.



But then today, the game changed a bit.



She discovered The Lion, a worthy opponent to be fair.



The Discovery.

The Swing.

 The Miss.

Contact! It's a Home Run!

Her next opponent? The Frog. Here's the stare-down.

(which makes me think of "...look to me my eyeballs, Ruben.")



Sad that the game is over and it's naptime.

O.U.T.

This is all very news-worthy to me because batting at things is an important developmental stage, and we moms all love to check things off the developmental list, now don't we? :o)

We're off after her nap is over to look at a new toy for the boy. His prize for completing (warm-fuzzies) his PhD is a new laptop. He wants a mini-note, that's, like the size of greeting card, practically! I wonder if he realizes how small the ESPN.com pictures are going to be on that thing! Oh well, whatever the doctor wants, right?

Hope you are all well!

Did You Feel That?

That's been the first question out of the mouths of the last 2 callers I've had in the last 10 minutes.

"Did you feel that?"

Turns out at 11:42 am PDT, Mookie and I experienced our first (and hopefully last!?) earthquake! Apparently it measured 5.8 on the Richter scale, and the epicenter was somewhere near Pomona. (I don't know exactly where that is in relation to me, though).

I had just put Mookie on the bed and I was getting onto the bed to lay down next to her to read, and it felt like one of the cats jumped up on the bed and missed...like the bed kinda moved. And I looked around and didn't see her, then I noticed that the little mirror I have leaning on the wall was kinda wiggling, and the blinds on the window were kinda waggling, and the door was wobbling. Then I heard my neighbor outside talking to her kids, and I figured I had just experienced a wee little quake!

Red letter day! :o)

I don't know enough about earthquakes to know if we'll have any more today. I know there are "after" shocks, but are there "pre" shocks? I guess I need to do some reading...

Anyways, just wanted to share! :o)

**Edited to say** -- there were apparently 15 aftershocks, and the epicenter was 29 miles east of LA, but we are south of LA proper, so it would probably be about 40 miles away. Dave called to say that he was standing with other folks, and said that they all felt the quake and then thought that maybe they needed to leave the building.  Also, the US Geograpical Survey (USGS) recently downgraded the earthquake to a 5.4. And as far as I know, there is no damage in my area.

I'll let you know if there is anything more to know about us, but I think (hope? pray?) that there will be nothing to update. :o)

Picture Pages

Hi - sorry it's been so long since I updated any pictures. Mookie is getting to the point where she is awake more during the day, and, therefore, I need to spend more time with her and less time on the computer. Sorry, Loyal Fans. :o)



Here are a couple pictures before she wakes up and breaks out into hysterical crying and I need to leave the computer for another day (or week):



Here is Dave reading to her, probably "Hop on Pop" (a Dr Seuss classic):

(doesn't she look captivated?) :o)



And here she is all dressed up waiting to go to her first party -- which was a baby shower held in her honor by the ladies of our church. The generosity of these women astounds me. Now I have about 57,000 Thank You notes to write. (Not a bad problem to have, in retrospect, I know).  This is a dress her Aunt Terri gave to her. Very cute, if I may say so myself.

And a rare one of me and my girl at the party:

...and there she goes...she's awake. Well, at least she gave me an hour this time to shower, eat, check email, research something for Dave, check my favorite blogs, upload pictures for you, rest my back and arms, make a couple of phone calls, look at the huge pile of loot from Saturday and wonder, with fear and trepidation, when I'm going to sit down and write the thank you cards.



Have a great week!

Fun With Fonts

I don't know if you noticed, but there's been an update to blogheader above. Just a gentle change, but Cheri made me a new blogheader, and I love it! :o) Look how fun it is with the whole cowboy/rodeo font going on! She really is a talented, creative person, and she does more than just make blog headers, so if you are interested in either a new blog header or a new purse, or some new earrings...go visit her - either at her etsy shop or at her blog.

I will post pictures of Mookie soon.

Today, we cried.

My sweet girl is marching along Milestone Lane. Hmmm...seems like just yesterday she was a wobbly-headed newborn, and now she's a big, strong 2-month old.

And with 2-month old-ness comes an important doctor visit. The one where she got her first immunizations.

:-(

Four Bugs Bunny bandages and quite a few Mama and Baby tears later, we came home. And we slept. And we slept some more. By the afternoon she was feeling better, but Mama still wanted to cuddle. :o)

But the doc said she's doing really well, and she measured 22 1/2 inches long. He seemed really pleased with how alert she is and how she responded to him, developmentally.

So, even though we had to live through the tears, it's always nice to hear that the doctor thinks she's as brilliant and exceptional as we do.

Dear Mookie: Month Two

Dear Mookie,



Sometimes time moves slowly. The minutes we spend when you are eating seem like hours, while the hours you spend sleeping seem like minutes. And the days we spend together seem like seconds, while the seconds you spend crying seem like months.



And this month has passed by quickly. You have grown and changed before our eyes, and we're loving every one of those changes. The most magnificent, and endearing change is the fact that you are smiling. Everyone who sees you smile is completely taken by you...of course. I love every smile, but I think the best ones are when I come in to get you after you've been sleeping and you see me and realize I'm going to pick you up...and you smile. Big.



I forget everything when I see you smile.



(like what I was going to write about in this letter!)



This last month you met even more of your family. Your Grandma Burns came to visit for a week, and then you, Papa and I flew to Birmingham. While we were there, you stole the hearts of Grandpa Willie, Grandma Jen, Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Terri, and your cousin (we'll call her) AJ. Then on our return journey, you met and stole your Great Aunt Barb's heart, too. You traveled great, though. You really did. We were both pretty tired when we got home, so we took a few days at home to rest and recuperate.



Today, on your two-monthiversary, we used your last newborn-sized diaper. You've grown up SO much! Yesterday you weighed 9 pounds, 10 ounces. You gained almost 2 pounds in the last month. Good for you. And your neck is much stronger, too. I can hold you against my shoulder and you can hold your head up rather than banging it against my collar bone like you used to. :o) This just gives me one more way to hold you. And you sure like to be held. All the time with the holding. I think I've walked a marathon up and down the halls over the last month trying to get you to sleep. But the good news is that you are starting to settle yourself to sleep. Sometimes. Oh, bless you for the sometimes. The sling is still a challenge for both of us, but now that you are bigger and stronger, I can put you in my front carrier, and hang out like a champ.

I think you are bigger than the bear this month, and I know you'll only get bigger. This time at least you could kinda hold yourself up!

When I zoomed in on your face next to the bear's, you decided to smile for me. That precious smile.

And as if you were trying to explain something to me...

Each morning you and I spend a little time together doing our "exercises." We listen to Sirius KidStuff Radio on the TV, and I move your arms and legs to the music. Sometimes you'll move your arms and legs, too. If you are particularly chatty, we'll "talk" for a few minutes. You coo, I coo back. Over and over and over again. Sometimes I wonder what you are really trying to say! After our exercises and our chat, I roll you over for "tummy time," which you don't like so much, as evidenced by your cries of frustration after a few minutes. I know it's important, but I hate to make you do something you don't like. Poor girl.

You are still sleeping in your Moses basket at night next to our bed, but I don't think you'll be there much longer. You still like it just fine, it's just that it seems to be shrinking. I'm sure the cat will put it to good use when you're done with it, though. :o)  One of my favorite things to do, next to seeing you smile, of course, is to sleep near you. I will sleep on the floor of your room if you are in your crib. I will (shame on me) put you in our bed if I want to sleep a little later in the morning and you are just an ounce too fussy to sleep in the basket. There is just something so comforting about sleeping near you, knowing that you are content, and hearing you breathe, and coo, and try to suck on your fist, and even giggle in your sleep. And then when you wake up, your stretches are just mesmerizing. You are just fun to watch.



I've realized this month that my big lesson, my big growth issue is flexibility. I need to be more flexible, and you are teaching me that. Before you were born (and as I'm still learning this lesson), I would get something in my head, and I was just determined to do it. To go there. To finish it. To whatever. But you, your schedule isn't my schedule. And I am realizing how selfish it is to always make you fit into my schedule. You have no control over when you get hungry. You don't care if we're on the interstate or at home. You are HUNGRY and you need to eat. And I'm sorry for the times I've made you wait. And I'm sorry for the times I didn't know you needed me to change your diaper, and I just kept driving. I know God has been using you to work in me, and He will continue to do so, I'm sure. I definitely see His grace in you. I still pray that God will make me a better Mama. I want to be the very best Mama you could ever imagine having. I want to be THE BEST, because you? You deserve the best.



I want you to feel how much I love you. How big I love you. How deep I love you.



(read Dear Mookie: Month One here)

And More Lovin'

On the last post, I forgot to mention that coming home, we flew through Houston. My aunt and uncle live there and work for Continental Airlines, so I worked it out so my aunt could meet me during my layover. (She didn't know it, but she was my back-up plan in case Mookie or I had a complete come-apart between Birmingham and Houston).



This was the first time she got to meet Mookie, and I think it is safe to say that Aunt Barb is quite enamored with Mookie.

Mookie liked her too, as evidenced by the fact that she slept in Aunt Barb's arms for the better part of an hour, and then when she finally woke up, she cooed, and smiled, and even giggled for Great Aunt Barb!! Oh, the love.

She Got Lovin'

Wow, I thought I took more pictures than this! I'll have to do better next time.

Anyways, like I said, Mookie did really well in her travels. I was really surprised how it seemed like everyone in the airports wanted to make a comment about what a cute/beautiful/lovely/little baby she is. I almost never talk to people in airports. But there were tons of people who wanted to talk to me about my sweet baby!

So, here's a picture of my dad holding Mookie after she got up on Saturday morning. She's doing her morning stretches for Grandpa. :o) She loves to have her left arm free (wonder if she's gonna be a lefty...), and it made good fodder for conversation. (Not that we needed anything more to talk about really!)
After her breakfast, we played (one of many rounds of) Pass The Baby. Here's a sweet pic of AJ holding her baby cousin. I think Mookie looks like a doll in this picture, and not a real baby! AJ was SO good holding Mookie. She held her a few times throughout the weekend, and she was a champ each time. AJ is getting another baby cousin in a few weeks (and this one will live much much closer), so she'll have plenty of baby holding practice before long.

After that, and before she got too tired, we turned on Kidstuff Radio (a SIRIUS satellite station), and did our morning "exercises" and "danced." We do that each day at home, so I thought we should do it while we were gone, too. Mookie really does seem to enjoy her exercises. :o) We do the Hokey Pokey, and we stretch Sooo Big and Soooo Tall, and we wiggle our arms and legs to the music. Then we turn over for some tummy time, and try to crawl! :o) Hah, not really crawling, yet, but she moves her legs like she wants to crawl away! It's just the getting-her-head-off-the-floor part that stumps her.

One of our favorite parts of our exercises is what we call "Smooch-Em-Ups." Normally it involves bringing Mookie up to my face and I smooch her 10 times (or more, of course). This time, Papa was doing a different version of Smooch-Em-Ups, where he was leaning down to her to give her smooches. I think this is one of the best exercises we could ever do. :o)

Saturday night, we went out to dinner at the restaurant where Jonathan is the manager. Nice place. If you're ever in Birmingham, and want an authentic (really) (really really) New Orleans dinner, I'll point you in the right direction.

Grandma Jen had gotten AJ and Mookie matching dresses, so the girls wore them out to dinner on Saturday. Here's one of my favorite pictures in the world. (AJ with her two front teeth out, and everything!) But look at the matching ribbons on her shoulders and hair...such a southern girl she is!

And here's the 3 of us. I, of course, did not have a matching dress...so I clash like a bad noise! BUT there's lots of love. Lots of love. (it helps that AJ is so darn lovable!)
And then on Sunday we went to a pottery painting place, and AJ made a little plaque to hang on her door, and I made a plate with AJ's hand-print and Mookie's hand-print on top of it. The owner was pretty adamant about not having any photos taken, or I would show you the "before" shot of our artwork. In the end, I think it was a good time for both of us since she'd never done it before. Hopefully she'll remember the time we went painting. And maybe next time I visit I'll do a better job of planning.

AJ's just growing up WAY too fast (what little girl isn't, right?), and next time, she'll be 6, and way too grown up to hang out with her un-cool Aunt Melissa. :o) No. She's been raised too well for that. Seriously. Her mom and dad have done an incredibly awesome job raising her. Too bad they live so dang far away! I could use some help doing the right things!

And...we're back.

Mookie and I have returned from our visit to the far off land of Alabama. It's late, though, so I won't say much other than that she did fantabulously well on the airplane flights (I only cried twice, so that's good, right?), and she enjoyed meeting and getting tons of lovin' from all her family.

And remember the request for ideas for how to spend special time with my niece AJ? We painted pottery. We have handprints of AJ and Mookie on things. But guess what. Turns out she wanted to wear our tiaras and go to a fancy restaurant for tea again.

Note to self: next time - ask the kid! :o)

The weekend was a TON, TUN, TONNE of fun, I just can't believe I was stupid enough to only book our trip for a couple of days.

Anyways, pictures and stories in the next few something-or-others.

In Appreciation of Cows

(because we are all about the cows here, be they galloping or waddling or cooing or whatever)

Friday, July 11 is officially "Cow Appreciation Day" at Chick-Fil-A.

Mookie and I discovered this the other day (when we were getting our book about shapes). If you dress up like a cow, you get free food! How cool is that? You should go! Really! On the Cow Appreciation site, they even have hints for how to dress like a cow from head to hoof. GO! Eat Mor Chikin!

Welp, unbeknownst to us, on the very day we learned about Cow Appreciation Day, Uncle Rob was sending Mookie a little cow outfit!

SO...here's the Mooing Mookie, all dressed up for her free chicken! (which, she'll have to enjoy via the Mama Latte transfer method...)

And the sneezing Mookie...


...everywhere a moo moo...

(I just love this one!)

*Disclaimer: I have not received any free chicken for posting this advertisement*

Blooming Flowers

So the other day I was talking to my brother on the phone, and I mentioned that all I seem to blog about is Mookie. Here is a snippet of our conversation:

Rob: Do you have much free time? (he doesn't know many newborns)
Me: Um, some. Why?
Rob: Well, maybe you could read a book.
Me: Oh, yeah. Well, at Chic-Fil-A® today we got a book about shapes in the kid's meal...

So, today I had the chance to do a little gardening (inside and out), with Mookie in her front-carrier, and this is what I found:

1. My Coleus plant has a flower! I knew that these plants flowered (because all "true" plants flower whether we see them or not). Here's the big, whole plant picture:

2. Here is my Coleus flower! Yay for happy Coleus plants, right? (by the way, Coleus is the common name, so I don't know why I'm capitalizing it like it's the scientific name...but then I would italicize it because that's what you do). (And this ends today's lesson in botanical binomial nomenclature. Come back tomorrow for Lesson #2.)

(And, yes, this is the flower, and not some parasite or worm manifesting its way out of my plant)

Anyways...moving on...

3. A couple of roses from the renegade rose bushes out behind our house. I neglect these things so much that I should be ashamed to admit I own not one, but two pairs of pruning shears. But owning them and using them are, apparently, two different things. Anyways, once every 6 weeks, or so, I dead-head the roses. Today, these two lovely blossoms wanted to come inside with me. So I dusted off a bud vase that (I believe?) is from Dave's maternal grandmother. I always prefer to put hand-cut roses in antique, family vases. Don't you?

And because I can't seem to post a post without a picture (or two) of the thing that's prettier than roses and happier than Coleus flowers...I present to you, a smiling Mookie!

And if it seems to you that she's got a wee little bit of lip gloss on, it's there by transfer because it is IMPOSSIBLE (and I mean that with all the empasis implied) IMPOSSIBLE to not kiss those sweet little lips...whether Mama is wearing lipgloss or not.

We were all gussied up because we went to the movies with Kelly and Kendall today. We saw Hancock, which was really good, I thought. There was a plot-twist that was refreshing, and I liked the ending a lot. There is a movie theater that opens one screen up once a week for "Baby Pictures." Kelly has gone before with Jen and Maddy, but this was Mookie's first movie. Jen and Maddy couldn't join us because they had important stuff to do today. :o)

(P.S. These are compressed, low-quality pictures of Mookie, so if any of you Grands and Greats out there want the original, let me know and I'll email it to you.)

HALP! Aunt Melissa Needs HALP!

Calling all Creatives! I need help! I need your creative help. Please, please help me. I've got the history and the future of this need written below. I know I can count on you because you guys are some of THE most creative people I know! And I'm not just trying to puff up your egos, either!

I happen to have the honor of being called "Aunt Melissa" by the sweetest, most adorable, most lovable little girl in the world. We'll call her AJ. AJ was born in 2002 in a land far, far away from me (Alabama). I first met her in person in 2003 when she was about 9 months old. She doesn't remember that. Her mom, Terri (SIL), has always done a fantabulous job of keeping Aunt Melissa and Uncle Dave alive and well in AJ's mind. I also try to send pictures and cards and books and presents when I can, because what's the point of being an aunt if you don't send stuff, right?

So, then, fast forward three years to 2006. We were living in England, and I made plans to spend a month back in the US, to include spending a week with AJ and her family. I was so very excited! Not only is AJ wonderful, but her mom and dad are pretty awesome, too. Terri informed me one day that AJ was really looking forward to spending time with Aunt Melissa, and that she held me in the highest regard as far as aunts go. I determined then that I needed to do something pretty spectacular with AJ while I was there in order to uphold my reputation in that little 3 year old's mind.

Behold "Princess Day 2006"

AJ, Terri, and I dressed up as princesses and went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dessert. I loved the idea, and so did AJ (because what 3 year old doesn't love the idea of dressing up like a princess and going out in public, right?). I packed my best ball gown, my tea-length gloves, and bought a new tiara just for the event.

As we were getting ready, AJ came up to me and asked what princesses carry in their purses. So we picked out the most sparkly purse she had, and filled it with her Bonne Bell lipgloss, a little Barbie (plastic) mirror, and a $5.00 bill, just in case. (So sweet!) We got all spiffied up, got our photos taken by the Royal Court Photographer (AJ's dad), and stepped into our carriage to be whisked away to our destination. Terri used to work at Ruth's Chris, so she knew a lot of the staff there that day. And it happened to be Mother's Day, so when three "princesses" entered the dining room, people stared and smiled, but I think they assumed our attire was in relation to Mother's Day and not so much Princess Day. (But AJ didn't know that). The staff was very courteous and obligingly bowed to Her Royal Highness (and her court, of course). We ate our dessert, drank our tea, and then took our extra bread out to the fishpond to feed the fish.

When we got home, AJ proceeded to tell everyone all about our outing as princesses, and they (also obligingly) oohed, and aahed at her every description. I hoped against hope that she would remember Princess Day with Aunt Melissa fondly for many years to come.

Fast forward to now. I haven't seen AJ in 2 years, and I'm going to see her next weekend. Dave, Mookie and I are flying to Alabama. My dad and step-mom are going to be there as well, so it will be a nice reunion all around.

Here is where you come in...

Please help me come up with something fun and memorable and reputation-upholding to do with AJ while we are there. We're only there for the weekend. I need to not carry too much stuff with me as I will have a wee baby and all her stuff as well.

Here's what I was thinking:

(a) AJ and I could take pictures and make a book about the family and the weekend. (too time-consuming?)

(b) AJ and I could go shopping. (but I want this special thing to be memorable, and mildly educational, maybe, and not just about spoiling the sweet niece).

(c) AJ and I could get canvasses and make paintings for everyone? (How well can 5.75 year olds paint?) (Does it really matter?!) ('Cause she probably paints better than me!)

What do you think? What could we do that will be permanently embedded into her sweet little brain and remember me fondly forever and ever?

I'm waiting with notepad at the ready. Thanks for your creative juices, I will give status reports as they come.

Happy Independence Day!!

(or as some of our British friends would call it...Happy Insurrection Day!)

(oh, how I miss being called a "colonial")

I hope that you are enjoying the holiday! And don't forget to acknowledge the freedoms that we have in this country and how it is that we have them. I know that the holiday itself is in recognition of our forefathers who established the freedoms and liberties of this country apart from British rule, but those freedoms were hard-fought, and many men and women have died to ensure our freedom. (Even if that freedom is to be able to grill out in shorts and take the caps off our beer bottles with our shoes). :o)

Have a great day.

(by the way, I put up that bracket and flagpole all by my girlie self)

Le Artiste

Long time no pictures, eh?

I know, I know. Been busy not sewing. :o) Hah!

Here are a few of the latest of The Greatest.

This first one is of a napping, post-tummy-time Mookie. I love how her little legs are tucked underneath her. And also how her little diaper is sticking out the sides of her outfit.

(fret not, I did not leave her on her tummy unattended)

I took this one with Mookie reclining on the quilt her Grandma B made her, and she is gazing (suspiciously, I think) at the quilted pup that Grandma B brought for her when she came to visit last week. Both the quilt and the pup reside in or around Mookie's crib so the bright colors can be visually stimulating for her, as well as so she can be reminded of her Grandma B often.

So, the big news on the block is that Mookie is smiling!! Yay for the baby smiles! And, no, it's not just gas, thankyouverymuch. :o) She REALLY smiles! Especially when she's cuddling with me or Dave, or if we are mimicking her sounds and faces. She will also smile back at us when we are smiling at her. Seriously, how cute is that? With the little tongue sticking out. My girl is goh-jus!

This one? Shall we call her Gaseous Clay? Hee hee.

And this? This may rank as my favorite self-portrait of all time. Not kidding. Not exaggerating. FAVORITE. Makes me feel like a real artiste.
I've probably got a million more photos I can put up, but this is it for now. I'm getting some hairs chopped off tonight, so I must go prepare the baby for the outing.

Hasta linguine, peeps!