She likes chicken fingers!

Last night we went out to Outback to celebrate a friend's birthday.  Summer was being a good girl and playing with the other little girl in our party (she's 8).  When no one was looking, Summer swiped a chicken finger off of her plate and started eating it.  I was surprised when I turned to look at her and there she was chicken finger in mouth!!!  She didn't eat very much, but she did enjoy what she did eat.  It was her first meat, and I guess her way of telling me she's want meat!  Lucky me had the camera on hand, so I got lots of pictures of it. 

She has also started using a sippy cup.  She is doing pretty good and I don't think we will have a problem going from the bottle, which she only gets juice in, to the sippy cup.  Summer has never been really picky about where her food comes from.  She will take any nipple on any bottle and drink from pretty much anything you want (or don't) her to. 

One of my neighbors brought Summer a Christmas present over today, so I let her go ahead and open it.  She really liked the wrapping paper, but she did not eat any of it today.  She just chewed on it a little and then got distracted by something else.  She liked the toy too...a panda bear...it makes noise when you move the head, arms and legs and the paws have beads in them so they rattle.  It was really nice of the neighbor to think of her (Thanks Beverly!).  When the weather was warmer, we used to go see her often, but now that it has gotten cooler we don't get to see her and Bill that often.  I'm sure next spring we will get to see them more.  I miss our walks down the street and stopping at their house to talk.  Just a few more months...or maybe even sooner.  It is supposed to be in the 70's this weekend and the beginning of next week so maybe we'll get to go for a walk then.  It's crazy to think that it is the middle of December and it is this warm!  Global warming.....

She finally got the present she started opening on Monday opened yesterday.  It only took her two days....opening presents may take a while this Christmas...LOL.  Anyways, I need to go get finished packing for the weekend. 

She found the presents

Today Summer decided it was time to open presents.  She started opening one of my nephew's presents so I decided to go ahead and let her have one of hers.  I didn't really think she would get it open, but I was wrong.  She did manage to get about a third of the paper off and that was really all she was interested in. Once she got it off, she proceeded to put it in her mouth and try to eat it.  She didn't really even give a hoot about the present, the paper was what she wanted.  I ran and got the video camera to get it on tape--her 1st time opening a present.  I also took a few pics which are on the camera out in the car.  I am too lazy to get up and go get it right now, so I will post them later. 

She is also starting to "talk".  She has been making noises and cooing for a few months, but now it is like she is talking--just in a language I can't understand.  It is cute though.  She goes on and on...I just wish I knew what she was saying.  Tonight in the car it did sound like she was saying dadadadada (that's what Clint heard) along with other similar sounds.  I think I am going to try to teach her some basic words in sign language so we will be able to communicate in some way until she actually learns to talk.  I hope I can be consistent enough for her to actually learn a few words.  I have been doing "eat" and "drink" for a few weeks, but I really need to be more consistent with it.  I am also going to try "more" and "love" and "bath" and "bed" for now.  I may try a few others if I see a word that I think would be beneficial.  I guess I haven't really got it all figured out so I will just try to play it by ear, but the key will be for me to be consistent.  I have at least got a few websites on my Favorites that I can refer to for the correct signs although I read you can just make up your own signs for words.  It makes more sense to use the correct signs though.

Hmmmmm...what else???  She still just has the one tooth.  She is crawling around a lot more and getting into more things.  I guess you could say she is exploring more now.  I have to keep a close eye on her or else she will definitely get into something she shouldn't.  Have I mentioned how much she loves paper?  I swear I think she can smell it or something.  You would think it tasted like candy or chocolate or something the way she loves to put it in her mouth.  Sometimes when she crawls, she straightens her legs out like she is trying to stand up.  It kind of looks like she is doing a push up with her bottom up in the air.  She is getting to where if you hold her hands, she will pull herself up and stand up.  She doesn't really walk yet, but she will stand there for a while and may take a step or two.  I am NOT ready for her to start walking yet.  It will only be a matter of time though.  I am enjoying being a mom...I never imagined it would be so rewarding, but having a happy little girl to spend my days with is awesome.  I am so lucky to have Clint and Summer in my life (and all my other family members). 

TEETHING

I guess now that Summer has a tooth she is definitely "teething".  For the past few months I have heard the question "Is she teething?" many times.  My answer was always "I don't know."  I'm not sure how long it usually takes between teeth, but I'm not really anxious for another one.  Now I have to make sure to brush her tooth everyday...I guess???  I'm not really sure about that one and I am too lazy to look it up on the Internet so I'll just go with that until I go back to the pediatrician.  The good thing is she likes the toothbrush.  Of course she pretty much likes anything you (or she) puts in her mouth so that's not a big surprise.  It seems like she is trying to chew on things in the back of her mouth so I wonder if she is cutting a molar.  I guess I will just have to wait and see.  She was a little irritable tonight which I'm not sure if it was due to teething or just being tired.  I left the teething tablets with my sister, so I ended up giving her some Tylenol. 

Today she discovered the Christmas tree.  A couple of days ago she discovered the presents, but never actually touched the tree.  Today she grabbed a few limbs and tried to put them in her mouth.  Then she realized the presents were much more fun because they are wrapped in paper which she absolutely loves to chew on.  She got the tag off of one present, but I got it before she chewed it up or swallowed any.  I guess I am going to have to keep a close eye on her now that she knows what good stuff is waiting for her under the tree...if she only knew.  I can't wait until Christmas even though I know it won't be as great as next year or the years to come.  This year it will be all about the paper and boxes.

Yesterday we went to a playdate with 4 other babies - two girls and two boys.  We have had playdates with Lili before, but this time some others came to join us.  The boys, Ashton and Aiden, are twins and are about 2 months younger than Summer.  Kately is about 2 weeks younger than Summer.  They had a pretty good time together.  Summer was tired when we got there because she missed her afternoon nap, but she was pretty good despite being tired.  Needless to say she fell asleep in the car and went straight to bed when got home. 

Saturday we took Summer to her first parade.  It was the downtown Christmas parade.  It was cool outside, but not as cold as I thought it was going to be.  Nonetheless, I still had Summer bundled up so she would stay warm.  We didn't stay for the whole thing because it was really long and she wasn't getting very much out of it.  So we went back to the condo and ate leftovers from the Christmas lunch we had earlier that day and put her to bed. 

That's about it.  Enjoy they pics.  I wish I could get more pics of her tooth, but she only shows it off when the camera is not in my reach...hummmmmmmmm

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!