Whew!!! Thanksgiving was one, quick, whirlwind. Here are a few highlights:
1. Paxton, Paxton, Paxton! Uncle Awesome and I LOVE him big time. We both got a little sick and didn't get to hold him near enough. We'll be making another trip soon. He is precious, sweet, and perfect.
2. Like Mother, Like Daughter. My Mom saved my strawberry shortcake rocking chair. I almost cried when our cupcake fit right in and loved rocking in my old chair.
3. My parents had a mouse get into, make a home, and temporarily live in their attic last Christmas. Chris and I heard him scratching in the ceiling while we were there last time. So, imagine their extreme disappointment when in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner I came running down the stairs yelling MOOOOMMM!!! THERE'S AN ANIMAL IN THE HOUSE. I wish I had the picture of everyone's faces. (Let the blog-record state this was Chris's idea). Lucky for them this was the animal we were bringing down:
4. Matching PJ's. So cute. Enough said.
5. Walmart. 4:45 am. With my Mom. This is a blog post in itself. Maybe one day soon. Lucky for you we don't have pictures of it.
Chloe's got a cold, our house is a wreck, our fridge is empty, and our tree is still in the attic. Needless to say the blog's going in the backseat for a few days. Hang in there, we'll be back.
We skipped right on past Chloe's 8 month mark! It's so hard to believe she's closer to a 1 year old than a newborn. Here are her pictures for this month:
At 8 months Chloe: - is crawling like crazy - is pulling herself up on anything - is a sweet little cuddle bug in the mornings - is super talkative - is eating lots of solids - is picking up and feeding herself cereal puffs - is starting with some separation anxiety - laughs really hard at random things - still loves the bathtub - rolls around a lot when I am changing her diaper - still kisses only Mommy :) - is sleeping through the night like a champ and taking two daytime naps - is interested in everything Mommy does - gets so excited when Dada comes home - loves to crinkle paper....hello Christmas!!! - loves to swing and imitates me saying weeeeeee
I know I'm missing a few things but we LOVE this age. I know I say that each month but she is so responsive to us and her personality is really blossoming. I can't hold, hug, or kiss her enough. I know one day I'll really value babysitters or time for myself but for now I'm still sad when her naps feel too long or when I am away from her. I'm trying so hard to treasure each precious second yet they slip away soooo fast. We're looking forward to her meeting her cousin Paxton next week and then we'll be in full Christmas mode!
We had a very busy weekend...or at least it felt that way for me since we are in thick of separation anxiety (read: I can not be out of Chloe's sight).
Chris's Dad and Ann arrived Friday afternoon. They got some play time with Chloe before bed and then once we put her down the four of us did a make-your-own pizza night. We just sat around the table eating our yummy pizza made with local veggies and local organic mozzarella while catching up. It was a great Friday night! Check out our pizzas...any guesses as to which one belongs to which couple?
On Saturday my parents rolled into town too! The Darlings were in town visiting their other Austin friends, The Emmons, so my parents figured they could come and see us, Ed & Ann, and the Darlings in one big trip. This would also be Gary's first time to meet Chloe. So, Saturday afternoon we went down to Dripping Springs for a big old get together.
I was shocked to see Gary with a full beard! He looks so friendly (should mention here that he is super friendly and a genuinely kind hearted person but normally tries to keep that under lock and key given that in his line of work he's not supposed to make friends!). Turns out I wasn't the only one in shock to see facial hair. It was a first for Chloe and took some getting used to! Here's a picture early in the day when she wasn't too sure:
She was glad to see Courtney again and ultimately played with Courtney and Morgan without me for a bit! Yay for a Mom-break! Courtney also made Chloe a Christmas bib. It was soooo sweet of her and is going to be so special to have at Christmas. Stay tuned for pictures of that!
Dear, sweet, Uncle Gary never gave up. He played peek-a-boo, used his finger as a airplane that did a swirly landing on Chloe's nose, tickled her, kissed her, and just kept smiling and talking with her. I have absolutely no doubt that he'll be a terrific Grandpa one day. In the meantime, it was so sweet to see him interact with Chloe. The Darlings have always had a special place in our hearts and I don't see any end to that as they've extended their love and kindness right on to Chloe. Finally after a couple of hours she was happy to be with Gary:
Morgan, Gary, and Courtney even got Chloe roaring with laughter when they brought out Pooh!
It was a fun afternoon and I am absolutely kicking myself that I somehow missed getting a picture of Chloe with both sets of Grandparents that were with us! Not sure how I missed it...
Sunday we went to breakfast with my parents as well as Ed and Ann and then headed to church. Chloe graduated to her new class...the crawling class. (Swallow lump, she is growing up). She did great. Then my parents had to head home while the rest of us went home for Chloe's afternoon nap. Later in the afternoon we went to dinner at Mandola's, one of my favorite restaurants. Ann and I must share the same taste in food because she really enjoyed it too!
It was a really nice weekend with wonderful weather. We loved having family in town and now we can start the count down until Thanksgiving when we get to meet our precious nephew...Pax!
We are so excited to share that Paxton Robert McNally, our nephew, is here. We are thrilled and ready to embrace our new names of Aunt Sister and Uncle Awesome (cool with that brudder?). He had a rough start with a stint in the NICU, refusing to eat, and needing a spinal tap but he's pulled through like a champ. Kevin, Kari, and Pax are all home settling in as a family. Though...those of us who have had newborns (like 8 months ago for example) know that there is hardly any settling going on in those first few weeks. So thanks for praying thus far and please continue to lift up their precious family as they get to know the new little guy! Click the picture for a larger view. In the meantime, I keep bugging Brudder to send me more pictures. He's averaging about 2 a day which is precisely 28 under quota for this anxious Aunt.
In other Paxton news, I'm excited to say he's already benefiting from Aunt Sister's fashion merchandising major (Pa Pa paid such good money for it, someone should, right?) Anyway, I'm having so much fun with little boy things since I've been engulfed in pink for the past 8 months. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE pink. But, blue is fun too. Uncle Awesome even got in on the fun of Paxton fashions. So, we'll be bringing this little treat with us when we meet Pax in T minus 15 days. I've cropped a hint picture below. Anyone have a guess as to what this little number is?
Cupcake is crawling everywhere. Off to chase her before a tongue ends up in a socket or a hand in the toilet! As always, click the pictures for a larger view.
Paxton Robert McNally was born this evening at 9:43. He's 7lbs, 7oz, 21inches long. Kari had a fever when he was born so he's in the NICU right now. Please say a prayer for him and Kari and Kevin.
Also, we'll never forget the day that Chloe really started crawling since it is my nephew's birthday. She's been trying for weeks but today has really started to take off. Guess that means we've got to baby proof. Especially because so far she went to the garbage pail, a stack of dirty diapers, and then an outlet. Marvelous.
We've got a video and I'm ashamed to admit she's wearing a disposable diaper in the first crawl video. LARGE GASP OF HORROR! I mis-guessed on when to do laundry today and had to use the back ups. I'll have cute crawling videos in her bumGenius soon enough :).
Dear Blog Stalkers who have been asking me to post more about making my own baby food, This one is for you!
The Hubs has been wanting to video me in action for awhile. I finally agreed. Of course I've not been airbrushed, made up, or even had my hair "did" like I when I was on HSN so I was feeling less than glamorous as the camera's started rolling. But in the name of health for your children, who cares what I look like? It's really about showing those who have been asking just how easy it really is to whip up your own fresh, healthy, organic, goodness. If you have questions let me know. In the meantime, happy mushing!
