Everything's FALLing into place

This week is making a strong comeback. Fall is upon us, the house is clean, the weather is gorgeous, our fall decorations are up, my pretty girl learns something new and spectacular everyday, and I have a wonderful husband to share all of the good things in life with. I feel like each new season brings about a sense of rejuvination and something to look forward to. Summer brings cookouts, lake time, and a nice tan. Winter brings the excitement of Christmas, snow, and yummy food. Spring brings beautiful flowers, sunshine, and flip-flop weather. Fall is my favorite season by far for many reasons. To name a few: football, hoodies, hot chocolate, falling leaves, Thanksgiving, family time, and pumpkin carving and dressing up. Halloween has never been a holiday that was appealing to me and I guess I can thank my mom for that. We never did the whole ghost, goblins, dead bodies, and skulls thing.  BUT I love to dress up! And I absolutely cannot wait to dress Hallie in her first costume! Aunt Bailey and I were checking out some baby costume options the other day: a lobster, a monkey, a pea in a pod, or a snail. I realize a snail probably sounds gross, but the costume is so cute. Now that we have narrowed it down to 4 choices, I need your help. Please leave me a comment below and vote for your favorite!

 Growth spurt is over. Transformation back to an angel has begun. Today she has spent 3/4 of the day napping...yesterday on the other hand, she napped for just 90 minutes. Three teeny, tiny 30 minute naps. When she wasn't taking her teensy little naps, she was screaming for food. So glad that is over! Riley scored some major bonus points last night. He had gotten off work pretty late and didn't have much time to sit down and relax, so when he disappeared for 20 minutes I was wondering what on earth he was spending his only down time doing. He came into the living room and took the baby from me and told me to follow him into the bathroom. He had lit candles around the bathtub, had the jets going, and my new book sitting on the ledge of the tub. It smelled amazing because he had sprinkled some stress relief salts in the water. He told me to relax and he didn't want to see me for at least 30 minutes. "I think I can handle that!" Just what I needed. It almost seemed for a second that I was at a luxurious spa on an exotic island without a care in the world. And then I opened my eyes and sure enough, I was still in Mustang, OK. But with a sweet little baby and a husband like that, why would I want to be anywhere but here.

Hallie and I had to make a stop by work today and it gave me a rude reminder of how fast time is going now that I am down to the end of maternity leave. I've decided to have another baby so that I can go on leave again in 10 months. Ssssh. Please don't tell Riley. I am pushing worries and fears to the back of my mind and I will deal with them in 3 weeks when the time comes. Tons of mothers are working moms. I guess I can do it too!

This afternoon Hallie took a long, unexpected nap which gave me some rare time to put out our fall decorations. I was so excited about getting the fall container down from the attic yesterday that I contemplated doing it myself. I called Riley and asked, "honestly, do you think I am strong enough to bring the container down by myself?" His answer was "um, no!"  So I waited patiently and he brought it down for me first thing when he got home.  Now all I need are the real pumpkins and it will be complete.....

I've also had some time to update Hallie's baby book today. Good thing I have the blog to look back at, because I would have no idea about certain dates. Wouldn't it be nice if I could just ask her...."hey Hallie, what day was that when you smiled at dad and I?" and "what was the date when you first went to Nanny's house?" Last night I had a not so pleasant dream about her...she was still two months old, but she was in school and some of her classmates had taught her how to throw up gang signs. So my two month old was showing me the gang signs she had learned to do with her hands. I have NO idea what inspired that dream! But I was glad to wake up from it.

Hallie's Corner

Good day everyone! I have been a good girl today. Mom loaded me up for a walk this morning before my bath so I was still wearing my jammies. Dad was concerned about this because I just so happened to be wearing my cheetah jammies again....what if animal control saw me! Would they take me in??? Whew, we made it without them spotting me. But seriously folks, lay off the animal jammies. How can it be cute every single time!? I have had a mobile on my swing for 2 months I guess but I just now noticed it a couple days ago. It just fascinates me how those little colorful lambs fly in circles above my head. I don't know much about farm animals, but I don't think they are supposed to fly. Well, maybe chickens but I'm not sure.

"Wow, how do they do that?"

I finally got some sleep last night. I packed the food in during the day and wasn't hungry all night. I woke up to say goodbye to dad this morning but my mom was still asleep so I decided to cut her some slack and I counted sheep until I couldn't take the silence anymore. The fact that I can't count made it kind of frustrating. Mom and I went to her job today and had to say hi to everyone. She kept telling me to smile for everyone...what mom doesn't understand is that I don't just smile for anybody. I save them up and give them to the people I love the most. So yesterday she was driving me crazy when she kept making me smile for our neighbor down the street...I will show the world when I get really good at it. Ya see mom, sometimes I still can't tell if you are smiling at me or if you are just plain crazy. We will work on it!

Growth Spurts = NO FUN

It has taken me three agonizing days to finally figure out that Hallie is going through a growth spurt. It must be a big one. That has to be it...otherwise she thinks she is a bear and is preparing to hibernate for the winter. And speaking of bears, I have been one for a few days now. Wow, all eating and NO sleeping. Literally. My baby napped for a total of 1 hour yesterday. That seems crazy to me! By this past Sunday, the lack of sleep had finally caught up to me and I think I had mentioned my mood was not the greatest. Well, it still isn't the greatest, but I think my body is finally adjusting to the no sleep thing again. Hope this doesn't last much longer. Growth spurts sure make for a happy baby though...good thing too, because her smile-a-thons are about the only thing I have enjoyed the past three days. She is eating about every 3 hours at night and getting up super early and just staying up for an eating-a-thon until the sun comes up. I had devised a plan to pretend like I don't want to sleep, because I figured she would fall asleep in that case. I can't fool her. Her and dad have done there fair share of things to pull me out of the muck...on Sunday Hallie picked me some lovely flowers...from the neighbor's yard. Don't worry, the house next door is abandoned! Riley realized the flowers didn't work when he found them in the trash two hours later. He saved them from my bad mood though...

Hallie and I had been inside all day Sunday while Riley was doing yardwork. The monotony was getting to me I guess, but when Riley asked me if I wanted to go on a walk I said "no." Well I made my way into the kitchen later that evening and something caught my eye on the dry erase board calendar...Riley had written "September 26th- Ashley turned down a walk with dad." Now wait a minute. He didn't say let's take a walk together. I assumed he meant all by my lonesome. Of course I would have gone with the whole fam! Funny guy! So yesterday had the potential to redeem itself but that was short-lived because the internet wasn't working, "no name" puppy was barking and digging in the backyard, Emmi was covered in mud and dripping wet from our walk and had been banished to the backyard until I had a second to give her a bath, the muddy stroller was awaiting me on the back porch and it needed to be ran through a car wash to get clean, and Hallie was screaming and had thrown up all over herself. All the while I was making calls and sending emails trying to reach a shelter than wouldn't kill "no name" and trying to do some laundry and dishes. On this day, I didn't cry over spilt milk...no, it was pineapple juice. Everywhere. In every crevis on the counter. We attempted a nap...but it gets a little hard to sleep when you have a baby attached to you eating the entire nap. So the bad mood continued UNTIL...I found a home for the puppy. The puppy has been staying in a crate in the garage and it must have been affecting me more than I had thought. I must have been fooling myself and pretending not to care so that I didn't get attached. Once I found the lil guy a home I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. At times, I think I love animals more than humans...they don't expect a lot from you, just food, water, and love. I was out of my funk and ready for the day...at 5 pm. There it is folks...my big fat pity party. You all were invited I just didn't send out invitations. If you just read all of that above, here is my apology. I just had to get it all out.

Once I decided that life wasn't so bad and it in fact would go on, Hallie and I took our second walk of the day and the weather was gorgeous! (Our morning walk was a bit chilly and Hallie had to bundle up in her track suit and blanket. I closed the top of the stroller and she had a nice warm baby cocoon. She sure looks cute in a track suit!) I wanted to stay out forever in the afternoon breeze but Riley was getting home early and that happens once every eon so we headed home. I snuck out of the house to make my weekly trip to Hobby Lobby...but this just so happened to be my favorite trip of the year. Fall decor shopping!!!!! It's no secret that I spend half of my income at Hobby Lobby, and unfortunately, yesterday was no different. Oh wait, income? I don't have income right now unless you count poopy diapers. In that case, I'm makin' bank! I loaded up on fall festive decorations and headed home. On the way I got a call from the puppy foster home and decided that I would swing by the house and go drop him off. The lady lived in Moore so it wasn't too far to drive. I arrived at her home and was immediately greeted by all of no name's foster brothers and sisters..all 11 of them. And yes, you can just imagine what a house smells like that fosters 11 puppies. BUT the family was just the sweetest and no name fit right in. He took a while to warm up at first and he wouldn't leave my side. I will admit, I even shed a few tears when I said goodbye to the cute lil fella. I am so glad (as is Riley) that we found him a great temporary home. Mitzi, the foster mom, has already sent me an update to tell me that no name indeed has a name...Toby.

"Let me in!!!"

Hallie must've heard me mention to dad the other day that he and I should watch the movie 8 Seconds (Riley's favorite movie) because it had been awhile since we watched it... she woke up just in time to catch it on HBO at 3 this morning. Thanks little girl! In fact, she really liked the movie that followed it because she wanted to stay up and watch it as well! Before this growth spurt, she has been sleeping with the light and tv off (thank goodness) but lately mom has been getting pretty bored during our 3 hour feeding parties and the tv and Facebook are musts. Turns out Facebook is pretty dead around that time.

Riley and I have been enjoying the new fall TV lineup. Well, let me rephrase that. Riley has been tolerating the new fall TV lineup. Though we do have a new show that is "our's." OUR show is The Event. But it turns out, all of MY shows came on at the same time and the DVR didn't record OUR show... decision, decisions. Will I toss out Gossip Girl, Dancing with the Stars or Quints by Surprise? My mother would just say toss out all three. We will see.

Hallie's Corner

It's Fall here in Mustang. My first Fall in fact. I turned two months old yesterday! And I started my two month old growth spurt. So much for keeping my girlish figure...I am starving all the time. And I have gained a few ounces. Can you tell?

" So just how many calories are in an ounce of milk?"

So not only am I smiling and sticking my tongue out, but I have started to chat with my parents when I'm in the mood. Daddy just loves it! He has been singing to me to make me laugh...his voice is horrible but that is what makes it so funny. ;) This weather has had mom digging for some warm clothes for me. I bundled up in my track suit yesterday for our walk and this morning I wore my jacket...it's still a bit big but it sure kept me cozy...

"So this is why mom likes hoodies so much."

I will start daycare in 3 weeks. I am terrified. What will I do when the babysitter won't let me eat every ten minutes like my mommy? Will I get to take my swing to daycare? Because I think I will need it to get through the day. I hope mom sends an extra pair of clothes with me in case I have a blowout. ;) What will I eat??? I hope I don't have to eat chicken nuggets like the big kids...I haven't practiced that yet. The other kids seemed nice when I went to visit but they are a lot older and are awesome at coloring and playing pretend. Since I can't do those things yet, I guess I will just sit back and learn. I just learned how to track fun objects with my eyes. Just this morning I was throwing a fit and somehow mom distracted me with my mobile. I got pretty excited....

This past weekend was filled up with fun stuff and I got to see most of my family. I had fun and was a really good girl. Mom thinks that I sleep well when we ride in the car....what she doesn't know is that I'm wide awake and I'm silently giggling at her voice...how on earth could someone sleep in the car with her anyways, she doesn't ever stop singing! I heard her say that this weekend was going to be low-key. I guess that means a lot of relaxing at home. But I do know that we are hitting up Baby Gap for some new fall clothes for me. My first trip to the mall!  Someone should at least warn daddy!

Hallie's NW Oklahoma Tour

My three day hiatus from the blog world has left my mind full of thoughts and they are bursting to get out! 12 hours of driving time logged over the past few days and that is enough for me for awhile. Hallie is a champ at riding in the car, it's her dad and I that can't handle the late night driving anymore...gah, I feel old! The little angel slept probably 11 hours and 55 minutes of the 12 hours. The car is a magic baby-quieting machine. So where were we driving to you ask? Riley took a well-deserved day off on Friday so we could go visit Nanny's house. Friday morning was something I don't wish to relive. We had planned on leaving town fairly early to get a jump on the day, but someone had made other plans for us. We are not sure who this "someone" is, but they were nice enough to dump this little guy in our yard...

No Name

This precious boy has no name because I am doing everything in my power to not get attached. I have limited myself to a couple minutes a day of playing with him....I let Emmi do the entertaining. We have been keeping him a crate in the backyard just in case he has fleas or something else we don't want in our house. I tried to use the powers of Facebook to find this puppy a home but didn't get very far with that. I think we are looking at taking him to a shelter tomorrow. This is your last chance to call dibs on this guy...I know you want him!!! Emmi has been pretty confused since this dog showed up in her territory. I tried to explain the situation to her but she has been acting out...she asked me if she could share her thoughts...so this one time only, presenting Emmi's Corner....

Emmi's Corner

Ruff ruff everyone. My feelings can best be shared in the form of a poem...

Where did this dog come from, and who does he think he is?

I hope he is not staying, I already have to compete with that kid.

He has taken over my home, and he is eating all my food

My mother says she isn't attached, but I'm beginning to think she likes that dude.

My dad has a distaste for weenie dogs, he thinks they're ugly and loud,

So why is he letting this dog stay and overcrowd.

I tried to talk to my mom, but she doesn't seem to care,

Maybe she will get my drift, when I pee in her chair.

Yeah, that will get her good, and maybe that dog will go away,

Oh who am I kidding? I had a blast playing with that dog all day. :)

BFFs

We finally got out the door and had a peaceful drive to Woodward. First things first...Papa Bill wanted to show Hallie off to his coworkers at the bank. He carried her around so proudly and introduced her to everyone. Everyone had heard so much about her already and was excited to meet her! I heard a lot of "oh, her hair is a kinda red" and "well, she sure does look like a Fanning." The Irish in her is more and more evident everyday! After her bank tour, we dropped her off at Nanny's for the afternoon and Bill, Riley and I headed out to the farm at May. Our mission: to pick up the new "project." The project is a car. A '65 Mustang to be exact. John Deere green. Nanny Kathryn's very first car. And according to my dear husband, it's in pretty good shape. Well. Here is part a conversation we had last week...me- "so Riley, does the interior still look pretty good?" Riley- "Oh yeah, it's pretty much like new." So you can imagine my thoughts when I took a peek in the driver's side and saw this....

If by "new" he meant a huge hole in the seat, then alright, it looks really new. Lol! This gave us a good laugh. Bill and Riley worked like a seasoned Nascar pit crew and I just stood back and watched in awe while they fired up the car. All the while wondering if Riley was wearing glasses the last time he looked at the car because he had been describing something completely different. He has been persuading me to take on this project as my own (with him doing all the work of course and I would just do the fun stuff like pick out wheels, paint color and interior color). It has suffered a hit and run as well as a collapsing barn. And I hear through the grape vine that baby kittens were birthed in the backseat. It is going to take lots of work and I am not sure if Hallie will be able to go to college after we get done restoring this car, but I'm sure it will be a beauty. ;)

Loaded up and ready to head back to its new home in Mustang....seems very fitting!

We were only gone for a couple hours and I was already missing this sweet little girl...

"Where ya been mom?"

Back at Nanny's house, Hallie showed off her new tricks for Nanny, Papa, Aunt Katie, and Aunt Kylie.  

Proud grandparents

Aunt Katie loves her time with Hallie

 Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you about her new tricks!!! Not only are we smiling, but she is also mimicking other faces too...she can stick her tongue out at us and lifts her hand up to wave back when we wave at her. She likes to have "smile-a-thons" with Riley. It is our new favorite thing to do! Everyone was sad to see her leave after dinner. I guess she didn't want to leave either because she broke the rules when we put her in her carseat...she cried in Nanny's house! Side note: Nanny has entered Hallie in the Woodward News cutest baby contest....she is baby #1 and needs your votes! So if you live in the area send some votes her way!

The whole way home I was secretly thrilled that is was not my night to wake up and feed because I was dead tired by the time we got back. We both fell asleep knowing that we weren't going to get enough rest before our next day of driving but I am certain I got more sleep than Riley that night because little miss Hallie was well rested from her roadtrip and ready to start the day at 4. I think I could have slept til noon, but 7 o'clock came and told me to wake up so that I did. Riley went to a men's breakfast at church with our neighbor friend. Hallie and I were out the door on time and headed to Enid to pick up Aunt Bailey and Grammy. Hallie was the perfect passenger, although Bailey was pretty bummed that she slept the whole way and she had called dibs on the backseat so she could play with her. We had some good girl time...it's not very often all three of us hang out for an entire day! The only eventful part of our trip was pulverizing a dresser drawer in the middle of the road. We were just driving along and see one dresser drawer on the shoulder, oh there is number two drawer. Hmm, where's the third one? Smash!!! There it was. Tire was surprisingly okay. We got there just in time to head over to Matt and Amy's baby shower...but not before great grandma and great grandpa got to love on the baby...it was Hallie's first time to meet her great grandpa Paul..

"Thanks great-grandma, I was pretty parched after that long drive"

"Oh, hi great-grandpa!"

I had been dying to dress Hallie in this fabulous outfit since she was born...thanks Aunt Heather! She definitely looked fabulous! But I did catch a lot of flack for too many bows...but the socks and matching bow were a must! I think most of the family is rooting for her to be a tomboy and rebel against the pink that I douse her in. Last time I checked, divas wear pink. Very fitting for her!

Everyone poured into Grandma's house and we were off to the baby shower. Amy and Matt got lots of great stuff for baby Aaron! I can't wait to meet him and I know that my grandma is super excited to add another great grand to her list! I absolutely love when the whole family gets together...if I had two words to describe our big family, it would be FUN and LOUD! Well, the loudness mainly is a product of Bailey being in the room but we won't blame it all on her.

"We meet again my fellow red-head!"

Proud Grammy showing off "her" baby at the shower

Great Aunt Deedee getting in some practice before her grandson Aaron arrives in 4 weeks

Amy (and baby Aaron) opening gifts at her shower

Aunt Bailey taking one for the team and doing the sniff test

She was ready for a break under the fan

Hot little baby wanted to be naked for awhile

4 Generations

It was a typical family gathering...Grandpa was a silent observer in his easy chair, David was cursing at the tv watching football games, Lana was running around like a chicken with her head chopped off cleaning the house for grandma, and Grandma was making hilarious comments. This one was a favorite from yesterday....when talking football, Lisa says "yeah, FSU just didn't show up for the game against OU." Grandma responds by saying "well they didn't even come?" Ha! Ha! I didn't want to leave, but I had a LONG drive ahead of me. Hallie got to hang with G-man for awhile when I dropped Grammy off in Enid. Hallie yet again showed off her new skills for him. She definitely has the smiling down. Every now and then I think our smiles might seem more creepy than happy because she will make a bug-eyed face and pull her head back like she's scared. I stayed to watch the end of the OU game with him...I figured it would be easier to be able to watch them lose than to hear it on the radio and not be able to see what was going on. Well, they snuck by in the end and I was able to drive home in peace. Hallie even withstood stopping at each and every stinkin' stoplight in Kingfisher. Seriously, there was no cross traffic to stop for...I would just stop and hold my breath and stare in the backseat until the light would turn green. But she didn't wake up. Whew. Daddy was happy to see his girls when we got home. Riley had spent the day in Woodward and out at the farm in May getting his hunting gear ready for the upcoming season.

Shame, shame on us...we did not make it to church this morning. Hallie woke up at 3:45 to eat and squirmed around with her eyes wide open for 5 hours while I layed there half asleep intermittently shoving the binky in her mouth. I was a walking zombie and felt like I had been shot with a tranquilizer gun when the sun came up! Once I gave up on sleep around 9:00, my bad attitude and I drug ourselves out of bed. Riley and I spent the morning doing what we spend all of our free time doing....trying to make her laugh and smile. Well, no laughing sound comes out but you can tell that she wants to giggle. He was singing his rendition of Amazing Grace in his deep tenor voice and it was really doing the trick..."Hallie Grace, how sweet the sound..."

"Dad, you are silly!"

I have literally slept the whole day away. I mustered up enough energy to burn breakfast twice and figured it was best if me and my bad mood tried to get some sleep. I am sure Riley agreed. His words were, "when momma doesn't have a good day, nobody does." The couch was a popular napping spot and all my girls joined me... 

If you look closely, you will spot a cuddly little tiger



Divalicious!!!

We finally got Hallie's newborn portraits back! I had them sorted, framed and up on the wall faster than you can say OCD! I realize that most of you have probably already seen these photos on Facebook...so these are for all you non-Facebookers...cough, Nanny, cough. I think we need a bigger house just to hang pictures of our girl...I have no wall space left!



Hallie is one smart little lady and my new accomplice! We came up with an evil plan to make daddy keep his face clean-shaven! I really don't mind the hair growth, but Hallie doesn't like kisses from a porcupine. :) Last night he did his normal shaving routine where he stands in the mirror and gives himself one last look like he's saying "goodbye gotee, I'll miss you." Then he proceeds to shave half of it off just for fun and then ask me what I think to see if I'm paying attention. Then he poses with just the mustache remnants. He turns to me and I give him "the face." And then he shaves the rest off. And that's the facial hair routine. So Hallie carried out our plan flawlessly... she made sure to snuggle up against his soft face last night...she would squirm up toward him and just lay her head against him.  Worked like a charm...

Hallie's Corner

Hi guys. It is a dreary day here in Mustang. We slept in today...7:15 is sleeping in around here folks! It is very windy and scary looking outside. Mom told me it's the first day of fall and I guess this is God's way of letting us know it's a new season. The sun must be playing peek-a-boo with me because it just came out for 3 seconds but it hid back behind the clouds. Dad has the day off tomorrow so I think I heard them talking about going out tonight. I hope they choose Ted's! I love the chips and tortillas...yummo!! Until then...today is a PERFECT nap day!!

I have really been struggling with losing this baby weight! At first some of the weight literally fell off of me...but I am stuck in a rut. And I can't wait to get out!At first I had to be reminded to eat because I was so exhausted trying to develop a routine and get sleep..eating was the last thing on my mind. Right now, I feel like it is sometimes the only thing on my mind...and the baby of course! ;) Muffin tops are not attractive...neither are hamhock arms. I don't want this to be a baby/family/weight loss blog...BUT I do think if I keep track of it on here once a week it will keep me accountable for my plan. And the potential public humiliation of gaining weight (gasp) will be enough to increase the motivation! Twenty lbs is the goal...so here I goooooo! Side note: I get a big FAIL for last night (that doesn't count though, lol). I decided to bake a big 'ol cookie bar for 2 people! Seriously? I have no idea what I was thinking. So after a couple hours of supreme guilt..the cookie was packed up for Riley to take to work! Oh and if you are thinking "Did she not just say that she wanted to go eat mexican food at Ted's tonight?" Well, eating out doesn't count! Lol!

Dear infamous cookie bar,

I wish I had never learned how to make you. You are addicting and full of yummy sugars. I regret to inform you that I will no longer be baking you.

Regretfully,

Ashley

It's A Zoo In Here

Riley came home yesterday and was greeted by an excited wife, Puggle, Golden Retriever, and cheetah. Yep, a cheetah. No need to take a trip to the zoo when you have the cutest animal right at home...

It's not Halloween yet, mom!

I was reading Nicholas Spark's new book, Safe Haven, yesterday...in it was a part about a mother who had passed away when her children were very young. The father was explaining how he regretted not taking more pictures of the children and their mother together. He mentioned that she was always the one taking the photos. So I told Riley this last night and of course he made fun of me ( well I would have made fun of me too) but he took the pic anyway...

....and then continued to make fun of me a little more. He told me that he needed more pictures with all of his children then...

So our little pink cheetah went on an eating spree and then decided to give Dad a chance to see what projectile vomit looks like. It really is a two person operation to clean up the aftermath. Clean the baby, clean yourself, clean the couch, start a load of laundry. Bye bye cheetah, hello white tiger....

She may have a future with Siegfried and Roy



Hallie Grace, when you smile the whole world smiles with you!

Melts my heart

I finally caught her smiling! This isn't even close to a big smile! She was just getting warmed up here. I think she was having a pretty good dream right here. It made me laugh to myself...if you have seen the greatest movie of all time, The Hangover, then you probably remember Stew's song about finding Doug. Goes a little something like this...."What do tigers dream of, when they take a little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras, or Halle Berry in her catwoman suit?"

What I haven't been able to capture is a real "mom, you are so funny" smile! She is finally starting to imitate faces. Now if someone asked me to make her smile I would probably be too embarrassed to do it. It involves a lot of high-pitched baby talk and a huge over-exaggerated smile that hurts my face. If I keep it up I'm gonna need Botox sooner rather than later! But it works almost everytime...she gets so wide-eyed and those little eyebrows raise up and she gives me the biggest toothless grin! I know I'm biased, but she does have the most gorgeous smile! She did a couple more new baby things yesterday but I will let her tell you about them...

Hallie's Corner

My animal jammies must have given me super powers because I was on fire yesterday. First I smiled for mom first thing in the morning when she came to pick me up to feed me. That made her cry. Then I tried to talk to her...just some little cooing noises I came up with. She started crying AGAIN. My goodness, how is this lady going to keep it together when I learn to walk?! For my last trick I held my bottle up...I debated telling you all that it was almost an empty bottle...if I hadn't told you that would you think I was Superbaby? I have been trying to figure out how to get my hands on that bottle and I finally figured out the trick. I had to spread my fingers apart real big and then use both hands...and VOILA! I feel like some kind of magician around here...everything I do gets an applause and a look of amazement. And for my next trick I will be performing...

I have been sleeping very well at night....I do better when I wear my jammies that cover my feet. Those sleepers I was wearing made my feet SO cold because I don't like to be swaddled and I kick my covers off...then I can't get 'em back once they are gone because mom and dad are snoring. "Hey folks, a little help over here would be nice!" And they wonder why I have to wake up?! Geez! Mom bought me a lot more footie jammies and now my feet stay nice and toasty all night long.

I think I am the opposite of a lot of babies out there. Sometimes I just don't want to be held anymore. Mom finally figured this out the other day. I LOVE my swing and it soothes me and puts me right to sleep.

I guess I need to catch everyone up on the last couple days because mom has been slacking off. She told me that she doesn't want to bore everyone when there is nothing to write about so I guess that means I need to start doing new and exciting baby things EVERYDAY! Does upgrading to a new diaper size count? hehe!

So Monday afternoon my Grammy ended up getting to visit me after her doctor appointment. She said that I made her day! My grandparents ended up eating with us because mom is silly and she cooked 2 lbs of beef for the enchiladas instead of 1 lb. We had enough for everyone...where were you all then??? Grammy and G-man reluctantly left me and I spent the rest of the evening being slept deprived. I wanted to go to sleep SOOOOO bad but mom and dad wouldn't let me. I get it, I get it already. Well they got their way and I slept all night long. Those two may have me figured out finally. ;) Mom was whipping around the house like crazy the next morning with lots and lots of energy...Emmi, mom and I were all walked, showered, bathed, dressed and fed by 8 am. Mom made me go to Walmart with her next...I really don't like that place. By the looks on everyone's faces at the store, they don't like it either. I think mom was trying to stock up like it's Y2K or we are going underground in a bomb shelter because she bought enough meat to last a year! I think she wants to fill up her new freezer. She got it to freeze and save my milk, but I don't see any in there yet...step it up mom!!! Step it up.

The detachable tale makes it even cuter!!!

I took a sign language class during PT school and we learned a bit about baby sign language. Riley and I have decided we are going to teach her this because it has shown to increase language skills in babies and on average they speak sooner and are able to communicate for effectively at a younger age. I dug out my old materials from the closet yesterday. I was curious what age is best to start teaching...we still have to wait a few months. Looks like 6 months is a good age to start. I am constantly thinking that we should be doing more to keep her stimulated mentally. Do I buy the Baby Einstein videos? Obviously babies developed perfectly fine and went on to be smarty pants before the Baby Einstein videos existed. I realize I am probably over-thinking this...I wonder what age Hallie will be when she realizes that her mom is a crazy lunatic???