Random pictures from Florida

There were quite a few pictures taken in Florida so I will post a few more!

The girls went kayaking for two hours. I complained the most. It wasn't easy.




We solved our bathtub issue thanks to the quick thinking of Aunt Nessie. We put her rubbery-plastic placemat in the sink. Perfection!





Other than when Uncle Craig put Miss M in the corner for being fussy, Miss M liked playing with Uncle Craig (note to all grandma's - this picture was staged).




One of the best parts was that the Pod, which transported all the furniture, was unloaded when we arrived so it was all play and no work. Thanks Pod-unloaders!!!


Spending time with daddy since he's been working a lot lately.



And spending time with family.

Look how much taller Uncle Craig is than Grandpa. Either someone is growing or someone is shrinking.



Although we see her at home we like seeing her in Florida too!


Miss M did not go without lots of kisses and lovin.


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Thanksgiving

This year we are most thankful for Miss M.



Miss M celebrated her first Thanksgiving with a morning 5k Turkey Trot. She strolled while Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Jessie pushed her.


After working up an appetite from our morning workout we went home and cooked a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Miss M ate just about everything but I think her favorite was the beef burnt ends! Delicious. And mashed potatoes came in a close second. There isn't a food Miss M won't eat so far. The joy of Miss M learning to feed herself and eat food is that she puts her hands in her mouth (while the food is in there too) and then rubs her head.
The result is one messy but adorable girl.

You might have to zoom in to see that the food is everywhere on her head.



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Miss M and the pool

I am happy that I didn't spend the money to do baby and mommy swim classes. Miss M was not big on the pool when we first got in. She would curl and pull her toes up as soon as she felt the water.



Luckily, by the end of the week she wanted to go in. She was neck deep in the pool and laughing. And yes she is in her clothes and not swim ware.







The big kids liked the pool too. There was lots of frolicking going on. We bought pool toys and had ourselves some fun.

Pretzel anyone! The yellow floaty is the cheese cup! You can't have a pretzel without cheese! Really the yellow is Miss M's floaty toy that she wanted nothing to do with.



Serious game of pool tennis.



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Travels

We traveled to Florida for Thanksgiving. Some people might say that I have a lot of anxiety without a child but Miss M certainly magnifies my anxiety! Flying on the plane makes me worry about a bunch of stuff that I really can't control. Miss M was a pleasant flyer on the way to Florida but was a bit difficult on the way home. Three hours is a long time to entertain a child in the small confines of one's lap especially since we all know airplane seats are barely big enough for an adult.

Thanks to Gramma D we discovered baby puffs. They are essentially rice crackers that dissolve in your mouth. She loves them. If there were any substance to them at all I would worry about how many she consumed. Miss M can definitely be pacified with food. She quickly figured out how to pick them up with her fingers and put them in her mouth. It's fun to watch the wheels turn as she tries to figure out how to get them in her mouth.

While in Florida I left Miss M with the family for less than 30 minutes and return to find these pictures of Miss M grabbing the puffs and getting them into her mouth.











Eating puffs from grandpa's tongue. Talent.

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Purple monster

I have been perplexed about how to appropriately dress Miss M for the winter to ensure she's warm enough when we walk places.

I went shopping for a new coat for myself and ended up with a new outfit for Miss M. Typical.

I think it's pretty cute and absolutely hilarious. I bought it because the hands and feet fold over so they aren't exposed to the weather. And because it's cute...and funny.

She seems to like it.







Such a cute purple monster.

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Miss M is 8 months old

Miss M turned 8 months old on Saturday. We and a great day hanging out together.

It is harder to take her picture because she doesn't sit still so we don't have great photos this month...we will try again later.

She's saying baba, mama, dada regularly. She has six teeth with a seventh on the way. She doesn't crawl but she likes to stand up and jump. She eats almost anything which does include chocolate cupcakes and doughnuts! She's getting enough hair that we have found ourselves noticing her hair is messed up! She's sleeping through the night! And lots of other exciting things.








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A party for a princess

We did celebrate Miss M's 8 month birthday on Saturday, but Monday we celebrated Aunt Nessie's birthday.

Aunt Nessa is our princess and Miss M is our 'princess in training'. Aunt Nessa brought Miss M a present with a onsie that states she is the 'princess in training'.

Well a princess party requires the following:

- princess plates
- princess napkins
- princess wand
- princess pin stating she's the birthday girl
- box wine (but not for the princess in training, of course)
- streamers, lots and lots of streamers
- meatloaf (because what princess doesn't want meatloaf)
- and chocolate cupcakes with sprinkles and princess candles

Let's just say that there isn't a shortage of princess stuff at the store.

We were excited to throw a party and spend such a special day with Aunt Nessa. Thanks for letting us spend your birthday with you. We love you!!!

The birthday princess



The princess and Drew (I looked like a hobo so we are not posting those pictures)




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My girl

I love my girl. She just makes me happy.

We won't talk about yesterday because she didn't make me happy. I think she's cutting yet another tooth and has a bit of a cold so she was a bit more needy than usual.

Hopefully this makes you happy too.












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Bath time dilemma

I feel as though we have a dilemma on our hands.

Miss M still takes a bath in her infant tub in the kitchen because it's easier for me but she's getting kind of big for it.

Miss M is trying to pull herself up these days. In her infant tub she can just about escape if you turn your head for a second.

Our bathtub/shower is too difficult to use because the ledge is too deep. It makes it hard to get her and she's still not stable enough and those little buns slide easily when she goes lunging for stuff.

So tonight I decided I would just try to use the sink. Oh dear. I think the problem isn't the place where I bathe her but rather the fact that she is a woman who wants to be on the move.

The sink wasn't fun either because she kept slipping and almost whacking her head into the ledge of the sink.

I think we will stick with the infant tub a little longer!




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Grinding

Miss M has begun grinding her teeth. She has four of them with a fifth coming through.

I don't know how she's so good at grinding her four front teeth but she does it throughout the day.

I find the grinding to be a horrific sound. I can't stand it. It's like nails on a chalkboard.



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Sleep revisited

On Saturday night we decided we were physically, mentally and emotionally ready to let Miss M cry it out.

We went to bed with a game plan. Sort of. She woke up at 1:21 am. We let her cry for a bit. We checked on her after 30 minutes and then she was quiet. We laid there waiting. She woke up again. She didn't ever cry hysterically rather she just fussed. And fussed she did for quite awhile. I made a decision to check on her at 3:10. This decision was made at 3:07. I like multiples of five. The clock struck 3:09:30 and the noise was finished.

Sunday night. Same game plan. She didn't wake until 3:45. I think she cried for 20 minutes. She fell back to sleep without being checked on.

Monday. Repeat of Sunday.

Tuesday. Repeat of Monday.

Not too bad.

We will see how it continues to go.

Hopefully she stops screaming at 3:45 am but I think we have made progress.

I remember when I wasn't sure she was ever going to sleep.

Those days stressed me out.




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Socks

I think Miss M has an aversion to socks when she sleeps. She doesn't wear socks to bed at night, but each time I get her up from her nap she has taken her socks off.

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