Room for Dessert

Juliet's First Thanksgiving

2009-12-08T10:12:00.001-06:00

Juliet spent her first Thanksgiving with CeCe and Pops in Tupelo. We had a great time! Juliet and I spent lots of time with CeCe, while Justin and Pops trimmed and cut down trees. Juliet was actually sick while we were there...her first time for a major runny nose, congestion and quite fussy. She was so stuffed up that she wouldn't even nurse! Fortunatly I take a pump every time we go out-of-town, so she did take a bottle. CeCe was a big help (even though she has a cast on) and encouraged me through the rough spots with Juliet. Now I know that she didn't have a cold, but she was cutting her eye teeth...ouch. Despite Juliet's fussiness, we still had a great time. Grandparents are impervious to fussy babies...at least both sets of Juliet's grandparents are! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal and were joined by good friends of CeCe and Pops. We had good food and fellowship!

This year we are so thankful for family. Our new family. Our parents who love our little one so much. And the knowledge of how much our parents love us!

Love this picture! Daddy's little girl!

The tallest tree pictured is the one of the trees Justin and Pops felled! It is the biggest tree Justin has felled; it was at least 75-80 feet tall. By-the-way, this is Justin's new hobby...yikes.

Hanging with the Laney's

2009-12-07T09:55:00.001-06:00

It had been since May since we had seen the Laney's. Juliet wasn't sitting up on her own yet and Drew was just taking his first steps. So since we were in Mississippi for Thanksgiving, we went a few days early to spend some quality time with our best friends! We made cookies, played cards, talked until 3:15 in the morning, ate, and played with our children. It was perfect!! Every time we get together we plan how we can be next door neighbors! We miss them so.

We tried a little photo session with Drew and Juliet. Drew is SUCH a great picture taker, Juliet on the other hand, struggles a bit in that area. Juliet is not into sitting still for a photo. We did get some cute ones with them on the train. It was surreal. Taking pictures of our children together. I am so excited about our growing families and look forward to our get-togethers in the future. They are only going to get better and better! Thank you for having us, we LOVED it. And Drew, Juliet appreciates you sharing your toys; you did such a good job! We love you Audra, Andrew and Drew!!!!!!!!

10 Months

2009-12-05T11:06:00.000-06:00

Before she reaches 11 months tomorrow, I better post this! Well, this was supposed to go up yesterday...

Juliet is so much fun! Especially for her Daddy! She likes going to him now and gets so excited when he comes in the door. Who wouldn't like that? She is very social and really loves watching other kids.

Juliet is weighing more since solid foods began. She's eating bananas, peas, avocado, yogurt, whole grain cereal, carrots, sweet potato, plums. Almost every day I make a mixture of banana, avocado, yogurt and cereal. It's her favorite. She also likes drinking water from her sippy cup. She's started throwing it down when she's done. I guess the gravity game has begun! When she is full she'll either raise her hands to her mouth or she'll pooch out her lips and let you touch the spoon to her mouth, but she won't open up!

Sleeping has gotten better. We grew weary and one night we realized, hey, she doesn't want us to rock her! So we put her in the crib and she liked in for a few minutes and then that was it. I tried, Justin tired, I tired again and we let her play. Then when she was past tired I tired again with no luck. So...since both of us were frustrated, we decided to let her cry it out for 30 minutes. After 10 minutes of solid crying, she stopped. For the next 20 minutes she would let out a cry and stop. Finally she fell asleep and slept through the night! Since then she has been going down so easy! And most nights she is sleeping through the night (7:30pm-ish to 5:00am-ish). We'll get her pjs on, sometimes read and then kiss her night and lay her down with her blanket and passy, and she is ready to sleep! Yea!!

Juliet is playing more and more by herself. She is a quiet player and unlike me (according to mama and my sister) if I was quiet, I was up to no good. She is really good! There are a few things she cannot resist eating: shoes, magazines, paper, cell phones. Of course everything is still in the mouth, but not everything can go there! She still loves the touch and feel books and knows them by heart. Books are really her favorite toy.

She'll turn the pages over and over again.

She is still crawling and I talked about her "walking" in the previous posts. She likes walking so much that when you stop helping, she cries. One night she was so tired, but kept walking and walking with the push toy. Finally I tried to take her away and of course she started wailing! I stood her back up and she continued to walk, but couldn't stop crying. She was so tired!

This month her church behavior has changed. We have been so lucky that she has been sleeping through most of the service. She is usually out by the Lord's Supper. This month she is still making through services, but not asleep. Yikes! We still have not had to deposit her in the nursery. I'm sure this luck can't last forever!

This parenting thing is fun! We haven't reached the independence or tantrum stage yet though!;)

Y'all, Blogger is being SO difficult, sorry for the messy post. I don't have time to continue to waste! Also, sorry for the misspellings, I cannot find spell check anymore.

She Did It!

2009-11-19T09:18:00.000-06:00

Soon after I wrote yesterday's post, Juliet took her first step! We were outside playing and she let go of my leg and took a steady step to the wall. It was different from the other steps because there was no falling involved, it was a real step! Of course I didn't get a video, but I did run in and get the camera to mark the event.

Juliet is very interested in Lucy these days. We will chase Lucy together and Juliet will laugh and laugh. She also wants to pet her. She's working on her dog sound too! I'm pretty sure she knows that Lucy and dog and the same. When we are in the kitchen and talk about Lucy she looks out the kitchen door where Lucy usually is!

This is Juliet's latest face...she likes to make this face often :)

Just About

2009-11-18T10:38:00.000-06:00

Juliet is just about to walk! She is testing her skills more and more! She loves walking around with assistance. Most of the time she still wants two fingers, but she can walk with one and prefers that you hold her right hand. She will adjust her grip on your finger until it's just right. She walks so fast too! If you stop when she isn't ready, she cries! She is letting go sometimes to grab onto the couch or transfer hands. She has taken a step out, but I has there to catch her. Otherwise she would have just done a face plant Juliet is a walking machine. She walked all the way to Leigh's house (three doors down) and back. She also loves the little push toy. She hasn't figured out how to turn it around and waits or whines until you can turn it around for her. In this picture she is wearing some beads I gave her while I was packing for our trip to Tallahassee. She LOVED them! She wouldn't do anything without them. Justin took them away and set them on the couch, so she could walk better, but she stopped walking and crawled right over to the couch, pulled herself up and reached for the beads. It was so funny! She also loves taking them on and off, on and off. Of course this is a "toy" that needs constant supervision.

SCROLL DOWN FOR 2 MORE POSTS!!!

Family Time

2009-11-18T10:15:00.000-06:00

This month Juliet has been and will be able to spend some quality time with her grandparents and great-grandparents! The month began with a visit from Granddaddy. He has business in town and spent lunch, afternoons and evenings with us for 4 days. Juliet had a ball with Granddaddy. They played CONSTANTLY. Really, it was non-stop! I know that Granddaddy didn't want to leave Juliet, but I'm sure he needed the rest (especially his back)! Granddaddy was able to get Juliet to laugh really good. I was able to get a video of the last part of the laughing session. She had been going for quite some time and in this she is starting to get tired.

This past weekend we went to Tallahassee with Deda and Granddaddy to visit Grandma and Papa and to celebrate Papa's 85th birthday! We had a great time! Juliet really enjoyed being there. She even sat with Papa quite a bit and went to him on her own. On Monday morning she sat with Grandma a long time while Papa played the guitar and they all three sang! Sweet memories!

Juliet ate in the high chair that has now seated 4 generations! Papa sat in it, Mama, me and now Juliet. She liked propping her feet up, as you can see. She also started signaling "touchdown" this weekend. Juliet's buddy Wynn, who stays with us on week days, taught Juliet. While watching the Alabama v. MSU game this weekend, when AL scored the commentator said, "Touchdown!" The ref signaled touchdown and Juliet threw her hands up in the air! Granddaddy and Grandma witrnessed it. So while she was eating, she thought it was fun. Most of the time it is just a one-armed touchdown.

We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with CeCe and Pops and visiting with the Laney's this month too!

9 Months

2009-11-18T09:45:00.000-06:00

Here I am again, posting really late. I keep on waiting for the right time (free time), the right outfit, Juliet to be in a good mood and someone to help with the photo shoot so those things don't line up too often. And then the photo shoot was a flop, but that's the way it goes. Justin and I got ONE picture.

Juliet went to the doctor this month for her 9 month check up. The doc was pleased with everything except her weight. She only weighed 14 lbs. 15 oz. I'm sure it is due to the fact that she is mobile now, so she's burning more calories, but she is in the 2nd percentile for weight. Since she could see her ribs, the doc suggested we begin supplementing with solids. Believe it or not, I was fine with that news. Since supplementing only means adding solid food to her normal feeding schedule, it's not that big of a deal. So I decided to jump in with bananas! I had just started reading Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron the week before, so I was somewhat familiar with how and what I wanted to start with. You already saw the video of the first "meal." She is doing great with it and has now eaten mashed potatoes and yogurt. When I gave her the yogurt she shuddered, but wanted more! Juliet has also learned to use a sippy cup (water). I am also giving her water from a regular cup after she finishes eating. These are all things in the Super Baby Food book.

Ahhh...sleeping. Unfortunately, Juliet is not pacificed with Justin anymore. She'll fuss until he brings her into me to eat. So now we're back to where we were :(. Oh well, this too shall pass.

She is loving to walk with assistance. The swivel hips are gone and she is walking with more confidence. She is so proud of herself when she's walking. She has a huge smile on her face and makes sure you are looking. If you hold her fingers and don't move, she gets mad! And she walks fast!

Juliet still loves the touch and feel books. She is not sitting to read as long as she was. She is more squirmy. Juliet also loves the plastic shapes. She is taking one in each hand and clapping them together. Soon she'll be clapping! She is in the stage of taking everything out. It is so funny. She loves to take things out and toss them over she shoulder and lightening speed. Laundry baskets full of clothes are a favorite! Once she tosses them behind her, she'll turn around and toss them again!

She has six teeth, although they are not easy to see. She hates showing them off. The best chance at seeing them is on the changing table or leaning her back causing her to laugh. The front two teeth look huge compared to the babies on the bottom. There are two more that have just cut through beside her two top front teeth, one on each side.

Juliet is still a super baby. We are enjoying her more and more!

Tiny Prints Giveaway!

2009-11-09T20:59:00.000-06:00

Win a $100 gift certificate to Tiny Prints!!

Little Clapper

2009-11-04T13:48:00.000-06:00

Last week Juliet started clapping on her own. It is so precious. I love it! She's gaining a little weight, so her hands have dimples on them and they are the best!! I love staying at home, I knew exactly when she clapped for the first time. Praise God I can stay home and thank you to my super hardworking hubby who brings home the bacon. Justin's the best.

Touch and Feel Book

2009-11-04T13:40:00.001-06:00

I finally completed a touch and feel book for Juliet. I like how it turned out. She is playing with it a little, but I know that I'll be able to use it more and more. It will come in handy when she is learning her colors and sorting into color groups.

I went to Hobby Lobby to find all the pieces of fabric except for the felt.

Pink: rosettes

Blue: satin

Orange: tulle tied in knots (by Justin)

Red: velvet ribbon

Green: sequin material

Yellow: ruffles

Purple: shiny, slick material

It Was A Good Crop This Year

2009-10-29T10:04:00.000-05:00

Sunday night Juliet attended her first Fall Festival at church! She was a precious little flower, 'little blossom' to be exact! Justin was the farmer and quite proud of the little blossom from his garden :) Juliet made it through the night with no candy! She didn't even get a taste of the frosting on our cupcake. She did get to go on the big, blow up slide and she got her first balloon. It was a big hit! Once we got home she figured out if she bounced her arm, the balloon would bounce too! She loved it! We won't be going trick-or-treating this year, but maybe she'll be ready in 2010. We had a little photo shoot before we left at Leigh's house with Deda and Granddaddy. Since it's been up in the 80's, our pumpkins are rotting-yuck.

Power Tool Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-21T18:23:00.001-05:00

With our pumpkin from Burt's ready to be carved, we set up shop in the front yard for Juliet's first pumpkin carving experience. It looked promising, but Juliet was asleep. We parked her out front and took pictures so she would remember. I began stabbing the pumpkin and realized this booger was thick. Justin very casually mentioned he had some power tools. Well I took him up on the offer. He had that pumpkin popped open in no time! Most excellent. I began digging out the seeds when little one decided she wanted to participate after all...after she ate. So Justin takes over and I go in to wash. Juliet and I set up in the lawn chair in the front yard and a few minutes later, she is a new little lady. Justin nor I had any sketches or even ideas for the jack-o-lantern. Justin said he would pre-drill the eye holes and with that, the pumpkin evolved. The easiest pumpkin we've ever carved (especially for me since I watched)! It turned out super!!

A mini photo shoot evolved too...not once could I get her and the camera to cooperate in a shot with her looking at me.

Fall Fling

2009-10-20T21:20:00.000-05:00

We spent a long weekend with Deda and Granddaddy weekend before last. Since my family moved to North Georgia in the 90's, we have a tradition of going apple "picking" in Ellijay, the apple capitol of Georgia. I don't think I've missed a year. It never gets old! Selecting your apples, eating fried apple pies, apple fritters, apple donuts and sipping apple cider is just the beginning. Fall leaves, mountain scenery and cool weather to go along with the apples makes it a perfect celebration. (Although this year the leaves were just beginning to change and it wasn't cool.) The apple tour ends with a visit to Burt's Pumpkin Patch. A truly yuppy joint, but who cares!! I love it! Last year it was fun to think about having a little one with us. Juliet wasn't too sure about the large orange things and didn't want her picture made with them alone. Maybe next year will be more fun for her. She did enjoy strolling around in the pumpkins though.

We also celebrated Deda's birthday while we were there...Birthday Diaster Weekend 2009. (inside joke)

My Granny, Juliet's Gigi, recently moved to North Georgia, so we were able to go visit her while we were there too! Gigi hadn't seen Juliet since she was born! What a change!! She was also able to visit with her great aunt and uncle and cousin. Gigi, Aunt Ann and Neal were able to make a trip over to Calhoun for church on Sunday, so we got to visit more!

Juliet was soooo tired. She did not want to take a picture. Neal couldn't get enough of her ear lobes, just like Leigh! We were so glad we were able to spend time with the fam!!

Juliet::the past few days

2009-10-19T13:06:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of Juliet (who else?) over the past week. She is such fun!!

Playing with Daddy's helmet.

She fell asleep holding on!

Juliet wore a vintage light pink sweater and bonnet to church Sunday. She looked like a doll! Leigh and I both wore the sweater and bonnet! At first she was mad that we made her wear it!

A Few Videos

2009-10-14T14:46:00.002-05:00

A few fun videos of Juliet.

Climbing the stairs at Deda and Granddaddy's. She had no problem figuring it out. Glad we don't have any at our house! She liked walking up the steps even better. Holding her fingers, she would pick her foot up high and step up. If only she had balance!

Justin and Juliet having some homemade fun! By the end she was giggling like crazy. He stopped and took her out and she cried. He put her back in and she stopped crying immediately. I guess that means she likes it!

Little Camper

2009-10-07T09:44:00.006-05:00

Much to Justin's joy (and mine), Juliet is a good camper! This weekend we went to Lake Lurleen State Park for our first camping trip as a family (Lucy included). I was a little anxious since Juliet had been teething all week, which resulted in multiple dirty diapers daily and crankiness. But she took a break from teething just in time! We chose Lake Lurleen because it is half way between CeCe and Pops and us. They met us there on Saturday to visit with Juliet.

Our friends Amy and Florence (6 weeks) went with us. Amy's hubby was out on business and wanted to get out in this beautiful weather, so we invited them to come along. Florence is also a great camper! Really, going camping with a baby, especially when baby is breastfed and a non-walker, is not bad at all! Amy provided a super dinner, girl scout style. We had ground beef patties and veggies wrapped in foil packets, laid in the red hot coals. The packets had onions, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, potatoes, winter squash, and tomatoes! With a little olive oil and the juices from the meat, it was perfect. They turned out wonderful! This meal is a keeper for camping trips!

Juliet loved watching the fire and even feel asleep easily, watching the flames dance. She slept very well. I had her in warm footie pajamas (with socks underneath), a fuzzy jacket and matching hat. She did pretty good about keeping the hat on. It did get chilly early, early in the morning, but she did just fine sleeping on Justin's chest, underneath a sub-zero sleeping bag. Juliet woke at her usual time between 6 and 6:30, ready to play, after eating of course. Justin got the fire started again and began to prepare breakfast. Florence had a nice night only to be awakened at 7:30 by the ROTC's air horn! It was orienteering day. The menu for breakfast was bacon, eggs and toast in the skillet, nothing better!! Espresso too.

CeCe and Pops arrived at 9:00. They played and played. Juliet got her first noisy toy. (We are now wondering if CeCe and Pops love us or not - just kidding). CeCe prepared a super lunch and by 4:00 it was check out time. Juliet was asleep before we even left the park!

We had a great time camping with Amy and Florence. Hopefully we can all go camping again before it gets too cold. My dad, Granddaddy, was super excited that Juliet was a good camper. I'm sure he is already planning a trip for the future! I hope she continues to like to camp. Justin and I both have great childhood memories of camping and fishing.

Showing off my teeth!

First Food!

2009-10-06T19:41:00.002-05:00

I'll write more in Juliet's 9 month update, but the doc wanted us to start solid foods. So, Juliet's first food is banana! She likes it too. Here is video of the deed!

Happy Birthday Leigh!

2009-09-29T09:44:00.004-05:00

Today is Leigh's birthday! We celebrated with Mama and Daddy this weekend in Birmingham at the Hot and Hot Fish Club. Oh, boy was it good!! I highly recommend it. The tomato salad was simply amazing. Of course tomatoes are my favorite food, but really, this was over the top. I wanted to buy the $35 cook book just for that recipe (which had 3 different sauces, which took 2 days to make). Leigh asked, "would you really make it?" Ummm, yes I think I would. It was divine. The better question is "do you have time to make it?" Ummm, no. For my main course I had the pork plate, that's what I'll call it. It had a much fancier name...Fudge Farm Pork Trio. The slender, rectangular plate held three cuts of pork with a complementing vegetable. First was Leg in Hoisin sauce (Asian) with wilted greens (aka cooked collards), second was Belly meat (not the actual stomach) with roasted brussel sprouts and apples and lastly Loin with mashed sweet potatoes. They were all excellent! My favorite cut was the loin, it was seasoned to perfection, but the belly meat with the apples and brussel sprouts had the best taste together. Oh, my, brussel sprouts and apples, delicious!! For dessert I had a chocolate souffle. The more I ate of it, the better and better it was. But we all had dessert envy over Leigh's pecan truffle. Yum-o! It sounds like a lot of food, but it wasn't really. I was not stuffed when I left, which is nice. The portions were great.

Juliet went too. I was a little worried about her behavior. She likes getting down now and likes to test out the volume of her vocal cords. I know our family wouldn't mind it one bit, but I can remember just a few years back when I would have. Justin and I go out for a nice dinner and we're lucky enough to sit next to a screaming kid. Great. She did well and only let out a few screams. She was restless, but only grabbed my steak knife twice. I wish I had a picture of Mama and Leigh's eyes when she did. The funniest thing that she did was when Mama was holding her. Mama took a sip of water and Juliet went straight to her mouth, like a little birdie, asking for ice. This little habit we started at home. And was unexpected when she went for it in public! Mama is definitely whooped, she gave her ice, just like she wanted. If it was us when we were little...no way!! Of course, Juliet hollers if you don't give it to her....ooops.

See the lady in the back!

It was so cold (seriously cold) in the restaurant, that the camera fogged up outside, but this was the best pic)

Getin' My Sew On

2009-09-23T21:55:00.001-05:00

So I decided that I could make Juliet some cute outfits. I think I bought 6 patterns and borrowed one from a friend. I completed two. Grandma, Mama and Leigh have taught me what I know. I sewed some in high school, but wasn't really interested. Now I am and some times a phone call just doesn't work. So, when Mama is in town, I ask away.

This is the first outfit I made, yellow seersucker. Nothing says Southern Summer like seersucker. I turned out really great, but it is too big. She'll probably be able to wear it next summer! The bows are too big and ended up soaked (in her mouth all the time). And the bloomers I made too small...the pattern made them HUGE and I cut them down, so I'll have to remake those.

(the bloomers should peep out from behind)

Outfit #2:

This outfit was WAY above my skill level, but I figured it out. I love the ruffles!!!

Right now I am working on a touch and feel book for Juliet. Creating as I go. I'll post pics once it's finished. I'm hoping to sew some this winter for next summer. We'll see.

8 Months

2009-09-22T19:48:00.006-05:00

A wee bit behind, but here's the update. Juliet breezed into her 8th month. I cannot believe how quickly she is developing. She's trying to walk and only born 8 months ago for Pete's sake! Babies are amazing!

Juliet now weighs 15 pounds. We are so proud of her weight gain. She is definitely filling out and is most evident in her cheeks. They are so cute and really show up when she's smiling. It makes her eyes curve into half moons. I love it! Justin loves "eating" her cheeks and she thinks it is so funny. She is still eating every three hours during the day like clock work. Sometimes it is difficult for her to keep on task. She gets so distracted! Public feedings are much more difficult due to this. She doesn't like her head covered and she likes to look at what is going on. Thankfully, feeding her doesn't take too long and we can slip off somewhere and fill her tummy. You think she's starving when I sit her in my lap. She is very impatient for me to get read for her to eat!

Juliet is becoming more and more vocal. She is continuing with "ba", "ma" and "da." And now they are a bit louder as she plays with her volume control. The other day she was sitting in the floor by her self babbling and all of a sudden is yelled "DA-DA!" Justin and I were both so proud. "Ba" is her favorite and repeats it over and over (see pic above). Thankfully we love hearing it; it never gets old. She has really discovered her nose and uses it often. She crinkles up her nose, sticks out her bottom jaw and breathes out of it loudly. It is so cute. She does it often, especially when she is excited. Sometimes she'll snort, so cute! (see pic below)

She is playing more on her own with toys. She likes handling toys a little bit more although they are still headed towards the mouth eventually. Ice is a favorite toy. We use it a lot at meal time. It is great for developing her hand skills. Even though ice is hard to handle, she is great and gets it to her mouth every time! Of course, she soaked by the time dinner is over, unless a bib is involved and she still gets wet. She also loves eating ice. We can chomp some up in our mouth and give it to her. She makes such a funny face and holds her finger up to her mouth like she's thinking. As soon as that piece is melted, she is ready for another!

Thankfully Juliet is off of her tummy and crawling on one knee and one foot. She is fast too! Now that she is off her tummy, her clothes are getting so dirty which is wonderful. She is also loving to walk with assistance. It is so funny because she walks loudly and not on her toes. Juliet is so proud of herself. Juliet has let go once to take and step and I caught her mid face plant. She has a signature move that really gets everyone tickled, she will spin in a circle. It is so funny. While sitting on her bottom, she will use her heals to push herself around. She will make a full circle at least once, if not twice. It seems to go with the excited snorting, which makes it even better! This month also brought her first fall...off our bed. It was so sad. She came away unhurt, but now we cannot leave her on the bed. She was sleeping so soundly moments before it happened. We had just taken pictures of her too, we heard the fall and lots of crying. She was more scared than anything else. Her head had a few red marks, but were gone by that evening.

We are trying a new technique for sleeping which is working better. Justin is going in to sooth her at night if she cries. If she smells me, she must eat. So far it is working well and Justin is able to get her back to sleep easily. Most nights she is only waking once. Napping is another issue. She does not like to sleep alone. Many times she'll fall asleep on my chest when I lay down with her. Sometimes I can put her down once she's asleep. Other times it wakes her up and she gets mad.

Juliet still loves to read and is still crazy about touch and feel books. She likes "The Very Busy Spider" and the web the spider spins is raised. I showed her once that she could feel it and now she feels it every time. She also loves the book "Look At Me!" (see pic below). This book has different animal faces you can hold up. She LOVES this book. It provided happy times for this photo shoot. Cradle Roll is a favorite time for her too. She has yet to cry when I leave her in there (knock on wood). The Cradle Roll teachers tell me about how excited she gets over Winkie Bear. Thankfully I teach her on Wednesday nights, so I get to see it first hand. She starts kicking her legs and breathing out her nose when Winkie appears. He is a very simple bear puppet that has probably been around for years. Juliet always wants to hug and "kiss" Winkie.

Juliet is truly a joy. Everybody loves her! It is so funny now when we go into restaurants, if the waitress does not make a comment about Juliet or doesn't interact with her, she's not a good waitress. Ha! I am constantly saying to Justin, "Did you see that?" "Did you hear that?" "Justin, look!" She is such a cutie. Once again, I cannot thank God enough for Him blessing us with sweet Juliet.

DISCLAIMER: this part might cause tears, make your heart ache or make your tummy hurt. (AKA-Mama, don't read)

The other night Justin and I watched a Christian movie, "Faith Like Potatoes," and a little boy dies in the movie. Of course I was crying. I told Justin if anything happened to Juliet, I would die, the Lord might as well take me too. I could not go on. She woke up a bit later and I went to nurse her and I cried, kissed her and prayed. I can truly sing with conviction, "Come Lord Jesus Come." Oh, for the time when there will be NO pain or suffering. Now when Juliet is crying or wanting to be held or wearing me out, I thank God for these times. I want to take none of them for granted.

Mo 'bility

2009-09-21T16:10:00.002-05:00

Either way you look at it, more ability or mobility, that's what Juliet is up to...

Silly Face

2009-08-31T20:34:00.002-05:00

Stand Up!

2009-08-27T20:44:00.005-05:00

Juliet is standing up in her crib like a pro! She did it for the first time about a month ago, but now it's normal for me to come into the room and see her standing in the crib. (She likes to gnaw on it too.)

Well Tuesday she kicked it up a notch, she pulled up on a chair in the kitchen! Of course I didn't have my camera or my phone handy, so I didn't get a picture. But I did get on later that day.

Now she's pulling up on me, toys and chairs she can grip (she can't get a grip on the couch yet). It is so funny because once she is up, she doesn't know how to get down. She'll start whining and then cry until we help her or until she falls-ungracefully. It is quite funny. She'll lay on her back and kick her arms and legs until you pick her up. Apparently the fall causes her to forget how to roll over and sit up. She looks like a turtle on it's back. A special cry comes with the fall too. It is a scared cry, poor thing. Aint Leigh even thinks it's funny. She was taking pictures of Juliet standing and just as she was taking the picture, Juliet fell. It is a great documentation of Juliet's learning curve.

Today while standing, she let go of both hands for a brief moment. I got the back of her doing this:

In no time she'll be cruising furniture and then taking steps on her own. Juliet's "baby" is fading, but thankfully there is still a lot of "baby" left. Below is a video of her new move. I'm so happy we have the ability to record this, pictures don't do it justice...although the one of her falling captures the mood. She also says "ma-ma," blows raspberries and fake coughs [love. it.]. Enjoy!

Isn't she the cutest?!! I could just eat her up!

Lake Lurleen

2009-08-27T12:31:00.005-05:00

We made a day trip to Lake Lurleen outside of Northport, AL to meet CeCe and Pops so they could have some Juliet time. It is a half way spot between us. The forecast looked really hot, but thankfully down by the lake we had shade and a breeze! We spent most of the day there, had a picnic, and played with Juliet. She spent the majority of her day in just her diaper. Juliet and Justin took a dip in the water while it was so hot. Lucy came along too and enjoyed splashing in the water. It was a great trip for us all. Juliet was asleep before we even left the park on the way home!

Our Time in Tally

2009-08-25T21:24:00.009-05:00

Following our fun trip to Panama City with Deda and Granddaddy, we headed for a 10 day stay with Grandma and Papa (Deda and Granddaddy were there too). We hadn't seen them since Easter, Juliet has changed so much. Of course, if you miss a day, you get behind. Deda and Grandma spent 99.9% of their time tending to Juliet, while I read and read. It was great to relax and let the experts take over. Juliet enjoyed her time with Deda, Granddaddy, Grandma and Papa. Juliet especially loved Papa's "pickin'." Grandma became quite the expert in getting Juliet down for the night. And Deda read to her a bunch!

While we were there, Juliet attended her first VBS! She had perfect attendance. I learned more about her personality too. I knew she was very busy, but she is gregarious. She loves other kids. It is so cute. She just lights up and smiles so big at other kids. She is also a little bit aggressive. If she wants a toy, or in this case, a Bible, she'll take it! I also discovered a love for stuffed animals. I don't know what the attraction is, but she's crazy about them. When she sees one, she must have it and she grabs it fiercely and smashes her face in it. Her attention span was great and I was really impressed how well she did every night, considering it was late. How neat is it that her teacher was Jennifer Butts, one of my suite mates from college!
(Miss Suzie and Mr. Chris, VBS Directors)

Leigh and Justin came down to pick us up. We had not seen them for 14 days! I was a bit afraid of Juliet's reaction to Justin. Unfortunately, she did cry when she saw him. I on the other hand, did not. I was so happy to see him. We haven't been apart that long ever! That Sunday was our 6th anniversary(July 19th...I'm still playing catch up). We celebrated on Saturday at a local restaurant, Cyprus and went to the movies to see Harry Potter! So romantic, I know. There are like a TON of pictures, so bear with me!