A Tooth!!!

Today Summer and I walked down to the neighbors house to say Hi.  While we were there, the neighbor was looking at Summer smile and said, "Is that a tooth?"  I was like no, she doesn't have any teeth.  Then I looked at her gums and there it was...her first tooth.  I was so surprised I had to keep checking it to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.  It looked like it was still under the gum, but when I rubbed my finger on her gums I felt it.  She had been fussy all morning long and I just thought it was because I had held her all day yesterday and she wanted to be held today too.  But, apparently she is teething.  She has slept a lot today and wants me to hold her.  My mom and Tre came to visit and she still wanted me over them which was surprising.  She played with them for a while, but she wasn't letting me out of her sight.  They helped me decorate our Christmas tree which looks awesome.  I will have to take a picture and post it so my distant family members can see what a good job we did since they won't be coming here for Christmas.  It is a 12 foot tree, and I was really scared I wouldn't be able to get it looking as good as I did 2 years ago when my dad helped me decorate it.  But, I think we did pretty good.  I can't believe we got it all done in one day.  I really thought it would take me a day or two to get it done, but they were a big help.  This will probably be the last time I put that tree up because next year Summer will probably want to help.  Hopefully we will have this house sold by then too...if we are lucky.  Anyways, I guess that is it.  I will try to get new pics up in a few days.  Hopefully she won't be walking by then...LOL

She's crawling

It all started on Thanksgiving Day.  Of course I did not see her crawl until the morning after.  We got up, like any other day, and went into the living room to play with some toys.  I was sitting there watching her go after something under the coffee table and there she was CRAWLING!  I ran to get the video camera so I could capture the moment.  Then I proceeded to call all my family members and tell them of her new accomplishment.  I called my dad first only to find out that she had actually crawled for him the night before but he was afraid to tell me because he thought I would be upset that I missed her doing it for the first time.  I was cool with that though because he only sees her a couple of times a year being that he lives all the way on the other side of the country.  So, it was actually neat that he got to be there for one of her "firsts".  It was so exciting seeing her make her first moves forward instead of backwards.  Now, she is completely mobile which is exciting and scary at the same time!  I've got to keep a close eye on her now and make sure there is nothing lying around that will hurt her.  I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow getting the house baby proofed.  At least I have the "cage"....LOL  I am going to try to decorate for Christmas too.  I am anxious to see how she reacts to the Christmas tree. 

We are home from our trip, and I just put Summer to bed.  I am sooooooooooooooo happy to be home and back to our normal (if there is such a thing) schedule.  The time difference really killed me this trip.  After we got home, she was crawling all over my floor and climbing on me.  I wonder how long it will be before she starts pulling herself up onto things.  I saw a 9 month old at a restaurant tonight who is already walking.  I wonder if that will be her in a few months.  I love watching her grow, but I wish she would slow down.  Before I know it, she will be all grown up.

We made it

Oh my, I am sooooooo tired.  Can you say jet lag?  There is a 3 hour time difference b/w here and home.  So, at 5:30 this morning when Summer got up to eat, she did NOT go back to sleep as usual.  She knew it was really 8:30, so needless to say, I am super sleepy today.  I did not get into bed until after midnight Tennessee time, so I did not get enough rest.  I figured Summer would sleep late since she too did not get into bed until midnight our time.  She only took an hour nap on the plane ride too!  I thought for sure she would be tired since she got 4 hours less sleep than usual, but she was a happy girl this morning.  She did pretty good on the plane again.  At first she was a little fussy, but she fell asleep and took a nap so I decided I would watch the movie they were showing on the plane.  She woke up before it was over, but I still got to watch it.  She was amused by a man sitting across from us, so she just smiled at him while sitting in my lap.  Right now she is taking a nap which is what I should be doing, but of course I just laid there thinking about how soon I would have to get up so I gave up on taking a nap myself.  We are going out to dinner with the family tonight at a Japanese restaurant in the Palms.  It is pretty good, so I am excited.  My mother-in-law always takes us out to nice places when we are here which is a treat. 

Today me and Amanda got pedicures and manicures.  Then we were going to get massages, but when the time came we found out that you have to be 18 to get a massage in the state of Nevada.  She is only 16, so she wouldn't have been able to get hers.  So, I decided I would cancel mine too because I didn't want her to just be sitting there waiting on me.  I was pretty bummed out because I was really looking forward to the massage.  But, we found a way to book me a massage tomorrow and she will get her hair done at the same time.  Actually it is going to take longer for her to get her hair done, so I am going to get to play video poker in the casino while I wait on her.  YEAH!!!  I was worried I wouldn't get the chance to play this trip since it is a short trip and we have both kids with us, but it worked out where I will get to play for a while.  My mother-in-law is getting all of these treatments for us as our Christmas present.  It would cost us a lot of money to do all of these things (way more than in Tennessee that's for sure!!!!), but she can get them for us with her comp points.  So, it has been a very nice treat and the best Christmas present I could ask for.  I have not been pampered like this in a long time, if ever.  Well, I guess I need to go get ready for tonight. 

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!

It won't be long....

Summer is on the verge of crawling!!!  She can sit herself up and move around to where she wants to be by a series of sitting up, turning and other moves.  She will get on all fours and look like she is going to crawl, but she hasn't figured out how to move her legs the right way.  I know it will probably be within the next two weeks...at least it seems like it will be.  There is still one position she won't get herself out of.  If she falls back or is laying on her back, she will start fussing until someone helps her sit up or turns her over to her belly.  I know she has turned herself over before, but she will not do it if she knows there is someone around.  I think in the bed she might roll herself over, but I'm not certain.  It is too hard for me to let her just lay there and whine, so I help her up.  I'm not sure if this is the "right" thing to do or if I should let her figure it out, but I know she will eventually figure out how to roll herself over. 

I have the "cage," as Clint likes to call it, (it is really the play yard fence I got from Wal-Mart) in the living room floor.  It is still open on one side, but I moved all her toys into it so she will get used to playing in it before I actually need to close it.  It is plenty big enough for us to play in together even when it is closed.  She loves to play with her toys...she knows how to dump all the toys out of the storage bin they are in...she always makes sure to dump the blocks out of their container.  It is funny, if I put them back in it, she goes straight for it.  She doesn't really even play with the blocks yet.  She's lucky she's so cute because I could just leave them spilled out all over the floor, but I always pick them up just so she can dump them out again.

I really love her soooo much.  It is crazy how she makes me feel.  She's got me wrapped around her finger.  Let's just hope she doesn't figure that out!

She took her first bath sitting up the other day.  She has been ready for a while, but I wanted to get it on video, so I had to wait until I had the camera handy.  She likes it, but it is hard for me to wash her now....and rinsing...hmmmmm.  I still don'thave it figured out, but I guess that will come in time. 

I guess that is it.  We are going to visit Clint's family and my dad for Thanksgiving.  I can't wait!

A Spoon and A Table

Today at lunch, Clint and I were letting Summer sit on the table and play with the spoon that came with the rest of my silverware.  She was having a good time putting in her mouth and checking it out (it was a BIG spoon).  When our food came, I moved her to my lap and that is when she made a discovery.  If she hits the table with the spoon, it makes a noise.  It was so cute to see her realize that she could make noise with the spoon and the table.  Lucky for us, she did not do it for too long. 

Okay, my step daughter is evil.  Not really, but she just came in here and asked me if she could eat some of this ice cream cake I bought a few weeks ago.  I went into the kitchen to help her, and of course I couldn't resist.  Clint and I already had ice cream after dinner earlier so I didn't really need any more, but it looked so good.  And it is!  I usually eat a grapefruit about this time every night, but not tonight...I ate ice cream cake instead!  And I'm not going to get to work out tomorrow.  Oh well!  Hmmmmmmmm...where was I at?

Oh yeah, Summer is so adorable.  I love watching her explore and learn new things.  I will be doing that for years to come so I had better enjoy it.  She was ready for a nap after we left the restaurant, so we walked back to the condo and I put her down.  She went right to sleep and slept for at least an hour and a half.  Then I had to wake her up so we could go workout.  I wish I could've let her wake up on her own, but we already had the appointment with Matt.  While we were working out, I looked at her and saw she was making me a present...LOL.  I waited a while to make sure she was finished and the next time I looked at her, I could see my present through her clothes.  It had came out of the top and bottom of the diaper.  I had to take her into the bathroom and wash her off in the sink.  There was so much poop on her clothes that I almost threw the outfit away (it is probably the last time she will wear it anyway b/c it is getting small on her), but Clint and I both like the outfit (which is white...of course!!!) so he took it outside to a water hose and rinsed it off.  That was one of the messiest diapers she has ever had...even messier than the funeral experiencea few weeks ago.  I guess cleaning poopy messes has to bring me down off of the "my baby is so wonderful" high every once in a while.  By the way, did I tell you my baby is the best baby in the WHOLE world?  Of course she is!   I know most moms feel this way about their children at least for the first few years anyway, right?  I hope I feel this way forever because it sure does feel good.

Well, I feel like I am rambling on.  I need some serious sleep.  I may go to bed early and tape "What about Brian?" which does not come on until 10:00.  I actually did get to nap for a little while today, but I too had to get out of bed to go workout.  It was such a wonderful nap too!  I really need to do that more often.  Okay, rambling again...I outta here! 

Ear & Doc Pics

Okay, here are the long awaited ear pictures and a few from the 6 month checkup.  Sorry it took me so long to get them posted.  The week just flew by and before I knew it was Sunday. 

On a side note, the weirdest thing just happened to me.  I was sitting here checking my email and my stomach moved.......WHAT???!!!!  It kind of freaked me out because that hasn't happened since I was pregnant with Summer and I'm not sure what it could be.  hmmmmmmmmmm and another one for good measure hmmmmmmmmmmm  All I do know is it was weird.  Clint says it was probably just a stomach spasm.  Anyone ever had one of those?  Oh well, I guess I won't worry about it.  But, I find myself looking at my stomach every few minutes......

Summer is really moving around now and sitting herself up all the time.  She is up on all fours all the time but she is still not crawling.  It is cute to watch her move around and try to get to where she wants to be.  I got my big play pen in the mail Friday.  So, I am ready for her whenever she does start crawling...at least I think I am.  She stayed at the condo with Clint and I this weekend.  I didn't arrange for a babysitter because my sister hurt her arm last weekend and my mom babysat last Friday so I didn't want to push my luck.  I called to talk to my mom on Friday night and she told me she thought that I would have called and asked her to keep Summer that night.  If only I had  known she wanted too, I definitely would have.  We still had a good time this weekend.  Summer goes to bed at 8:00, so we had plenty of time to ourselves.  Anyways, I gotta focus on the TV now!

4th Check-up

Today was Summer's 6 month checkup.  She got 4 shots, one of which was the flu shot.  She has to go back in a month for a 2nd flu shot because they said the first one does not make them completely immune to the flu.  Clint held her today while she was getting her shots...and not enjoying it I must say.  I was video taping and Clint was smiling while he was holding her.  I got that on tape, so one day she will see her dad smiling at the same time she is screaming her head off.  Well, it is still attached, but you know what I mean.  She weighed 17 lb. 2 oz. (75 percentile) and was 27 1/4" tall (85 percentile).  So, she is big for her age, but her body is well proportioned so she is growing well.  The doctor said Summer is developmentally a month ahead of where she should be right now.  She said she thinks Summer may walk early....YIKES!!!  I am NOT ready for that.  I still have to find one of those fence things for my living room which neither Wal-Mart nor Target carry so I am not sure where to get one....hmmmm...any ideas?  Oh yeah, the paper that they put on the table/place where the patient sits during an exam (I am drawing a blank on what it is called) was Summer's favorite thing about her visit today.  The stethoscope was a close second.  Anyway, Summer was ripping the paper and trying to eat it.  She made a big mess and we finally had to get rid of it all together and just put her on the table without the paper.  She is all about paper right now.  If she sees it, she wants it.  When we were in the waiting room, Clint was holding her and trying to read a magazine.  Summer got a hold of one of the pages and ripped it out.  Lucky for us, she did not pitch too much of a fit when we took it away from her.  She was pretty good during the whole visit, but at the end she got a little cranky.  I don't know if she sensed that the shots were coming or what, but she got restless.  She did not cry for that long after the shots and was all better by the time I got her clothes back on. 

After that, we took her to the mall to get her ears pierced.  It took the girl a while to get the dots on her ears even because every time she started to do it, Summer would turn her head and get fussy.  We finally got them straight and got ready for the actual piercing.  Clint was manning the video camera while I held Summer.  The piercing actually went much smoother than the placement of the dots on the ears.  She did get a little more upset when the earrings went in....go figure.  It was all over in a few minutes and she was finished crying before we even paid for it.  Well, my computer is about to die so I better save this.  I'll add pics later.

Something New

Today I went upstairs to get Summer out of bed after one of her naps and she was sitting there playing.  I was shocked.  I didn't know she could sit herself up.  I am going to have to start putting the rail up on her bed now.  I also need to get one of those fence play pens to put in the floor so I'll be ready when she starts crawling.  Maybe I'll do that sometime this week. 

We also gave her a cracker for the 1st time today.  I put her in her high chair while Clint and I were eating lunch and thought I'd see if she would eat one.  Of course she did!!!  She'll eat anything we give her.  I also gave her a few bites of mashed potatoes.  I forgot while we were eating that she could eat those, but after I was done I thought about it.  So, I gave her a few bites from Clint's plate.  For dinner tonight she had peas.  Surprisingly she didn't eat the whole jar.  She had some toys on her high chair and got distracted playing with them.  Oh well....

I've also posted some long awaited condo pics.  That's it for now. 

A Birthday Party

Yesterday we went to Willow's 1st birthday party.  Summer and Willow played together for a while.  It was cute watching them.  There were 3 books in the floor with them.  Willow had two, so I gave Summer one.  Willow would take the book away from Summer and I would give her the one Willow put down.  Then Willow would take that away from her and on and on.  They were both calm the whole time, but it was funny because they don't know how to share yet.  At this point, they don't get mad when the toy is taken away, they just try to get it back.  I hope over the years they learn to share with each other and become great friends just like their moms are.  That would be soooooooo cool. 

Later when it was time for Willow to eat her cake, she wouldn't touch it.  So, I thought I would let Summer have at it thinking Willow would want it if Summer had it.  That didn't work.  My baby, of course, immediately stuck her hand in the icing and put it in her mouth.  Willow was still looking at the cake with fear in her eyes.  Selena took her hand and put it in her in the icing.  She then put the icing hand in the other hand and then looked at them and started screaming.  Needless to say Willow didn't eat any cake.  I know when it is Summer's 1st birthday, she is going to be all over the cake....and anything else we give her.  I didn't get any pics of this, but now I wish I did.  I did take a few pics of Willow which I will try to post soon.  She is a cutie!

Trick or Treat

Tuesday night Clint and I took Summer trick or treating with our friend's little girl.  Summer was a bunny and Clint and I were Redskin fans.  I got a few picks of Summer, but I forgot to take any of Clint and myself.  Oh well...we went to about 10 or 15 houses.  Some of the people looked like they didn't want to give her any candy.  A few asked what they had that she could eat and of course I picked out what I liked b/c we all know the candy is for me...not Summer.  I mean, wasn't that obvious?  I was lugging around a 20 pound (a guess) baby in a Halloween costume, didn't I deserve some candy?  Anyways, I some people didn't think so.  My wrists were tired and cramping by the time we got back to my friend's house.  But, it was worth it.  Summer had a great time.  I let her chew on a 3 Musketeer while it was still in its wrapper.  She dropped it a few times, but I heard it and picked it back up.  She would get so excited as times and would kick her legs and arms and make happy noises.  I know she had a smile on her face even though I couldn't see it in the dark.  She also had her first candy.  Amy gave her a grape tootsie roll pop to suck on before we left.  She really liked it.  After that, we went over to another friend's house and handed out candy for a while.  Overall, it was a great night.

On a side note, the funeral went pretty good and Summer was a good girl during the service.  When we got to the funeral home, Summer was in a dress.  When we left, she was in a onesie and sweats.  Let's just say "blowout" and leave it at that.  Oh yeah, and too bad I didn't take myself a shirt...LOL.

A Time to Mourn

My aunt died on Monday, and today is the funeral.  It is sad to see someone so young (43) and loved pass away.  She had been battling cancer for almost 5 years, and it finally got the best of her.  Over the past 6 weeks or so, we knew she was dying.  So, Summer, Clint and I tried to visit her at least once a week.  She loved seeing Summer and always lit up when we walked in the front door.  She would hold her and give her lots of kisses and tell me how precious she is.  Last Tuesday was the last time I took Summer to see her.  Even though she was in a lot of pain and barely able to talk, she got the strength up to hold Summer.  She lifted her in the air and of course gave her lots of kisses.  It was amazing to me to see her put forth so much effort to hold my little girl when she couldn't even get out of bed or pick up a cup of water.  There were only a few words I could understand that day and the last one was "kisses".  She said that before we were leaving, and I knew that meant she wanted to give Summer some more kisses.  I know she loved my little girl and I am glad I had the opportunity to brighten her day by sharing Summer with her.  I said my goodbyes to her on Sunday, and Monday morning my mom called with the news that she had gone to be with my Memaw up in heaven.  Today at the funeral I am reading a poem that I wrote for her a little over a week ago.  I hope God gives me the strenght to do it without breaking down.  We will truly miss her as she was such a wonderful person.