Roly Poly

Genevieve (finally) decided to roll completely over from back to tummy today!!!

She has been working on rolling over for weeks. Recently she has been doing a semi-roll so that her knees and tummy are completely flat on the floor, but when she would try to put her shoulder down she would end up lurching herself back onto her back. However, she realized today that if she picks her head up then she can actually put her shoulder on the floor!

She spent her entire early evening catnap practicing her new skill so by dinnertime she was absolutely exhausted. She ate the majority of her dinner with her eyes closed which made for a very messy evening!
Unfortunately, Ben has been in Charlotte all day on a business trip so he missed her first roll. But that's ok; something tells me that she will be glad to show him her new trick all night long. Who needs to sleep anyway? Rolling over is totally awesome!

Family Weekend

Genevieve, Ben, and I had a wonderful family weekend.

First, we got to spend a wonderful Saturday afternoon hanging out with our neighbors and watching lots of football. Here is our little Gamecock!Today, we made our way to Magnolia Gardens. It was a beautiful day and Genevieve absolutely loved spending time outdoors taking in the new scenery. She even got to see a peacock walk right by her stroller while she was eating her yummy peas. I was less than thrilled about that though; birds and I don't mix well, especially when they start eying my baybee!

Genevieve had such a blast! In fact, she was rather upset with us when we put her in the car to go home. Apparently, she was not finished looking at all of the pretty flowers, animals, and people!

Great friends. Wonderful family.
Life is Good!

6 Months Old

Genevieve, you're SIX months old!!!!
What are you up to these days?

• You weigh 16 pounds and 12 ounces.
• You are still wearing a size 3 diaper.
• You wear 6-9 months clothes.
• You are such a happy baby (except when you have an ear infection, or a cold, or are teething...)
• You love to hear Mommy sing. We sing together on the way to daycare everyday. There have been a few days when you really get into singing and I can hardly hear myself. I love it!
• You recently had your first weekend beach trip. Unfortunately, you experienced your first ear infection on that trip. Mommy and Daddy didn't know what to do, but luckily your Yaya, Aunt Cameron, and Aunt Addie came to the rescue (thank you!!). Yaya even spent the entire night holding and bouncing you. Thank you, Yaya!
• You are a good eater. You love carrots, sweet peas, green beans, and sweet potatoes. Now that you've tasted "real" food, you refuse to eat rice cereal!
• You are very stubborn when it comes to rolling over. You will roll all the way over onto your tummy, but you stop short of lifting your head and moving your shoulder. You are getting so close!
  
• You just recently learned how to blow raspberries. Here is a video of the first time you realized you can blow raspberries. You have grown much more adroit with your newfound skill in the past week.

• You amaze Mommy and Daddy everyday; we can't believe that six months have already gone by. We are so blessed to be your parents. We love you more than words can say!

5 Months Old

Genevieve, you're FIVE months old!
What are you up to?

• You weigh almost 15 pounds.
• You are 24 3/4 inches long.
• You are still wearing a size 3 diaper.
• You are wearing size 3-6 months clothing.
  
• You love to talk. And by talk, I mean YELL! Apparently, you are in love with the sound of your voice. I can't blame you though; I'm in love with it too!
• You've been in daycare for about a month now. You have already learned so much just by watching the other children. After five days in daycare, you finally figured out how to hold your head up while you are on your tummy.
• Now that you know I'm not trying to suffocate you when I put you on your tummy, you are trying really hard to roll over. You are almost there!
• Your eyes are still big, beautiful, and blue!
• You no longer have to be swaddled to go to sleep. Now you get to wear the cute footed pajamas since you aren't snuggled up in a blanket.
• I am amazed at how much you have developed over the past month!
• You are seriously teething now. Mommy and Daddy aren't getting much sleep because of it, but I imagine it is much more annoying for you.
• You are extremely ticklish...especially on your little bottom!
• You make Mommy and Daddy laugh and smile everyday.
• You love eating rice cereal as long as it is the kind with mixed fruit in it.
• You love watching the bright colors on TV.
• You love looking at yourself in the mirror. There's always a very pretty little girl staring back at you!
  
• Blue's Clues is awesome! You love your new friend, Steve. You have grand conversations with him.
  
• We can't believe how much you've grown.
• We love you more than words can say!

4 Months Old

Genevieve, you're four months old today!!

What are you up to these days?

• You weigh roughly 14 pounds (according to the bathroom scale, which isn't the most accurate thing in the world).
• You are 24 inches long...I think. You are pretty hard to get stretched out long enough to measure.
• You are wearing a size 3 diaper.
• You wear 3-6 months clothing. The plain 'ole 3 months outfits don't fit anymore. Neither do the 6-9 months Gerber onesies...
• You tried to roll over a few times (with just a little help from Mommy), but when you figured out that you were rolling over onto your tummy you decided it wasn't worth it!
• Your eyes are still blue with a light blue ring around the pupil. When you look into the sunlight, the ring looks like a light green. Although, the other day, our friends said your eyes looked purple. Interesting, to say the least!
• You've gotten into a pretty good sleeping pattern. You go to bed around 8 p.m., I feed you right before I go to bed around 10:30, and you sleep until 7-ish.
• You have discovered that you have things on the end of your legs, called feet. However, your rolls prevent you from actually touching these delicious things. Just like your daddy, you are not very "bendy."
• You have been sleeping in your own room for several days now. You are still trying to adjust--a couple times during the night you call for me and Daddy, just to make sure we're still here. I adore these middle of the night greetings as much as the next sleep deprived mommy, but when I go back to work I'm not sure how I'll feel about them. So, I'm hoping you will feel secure enough by then to be able to sleep through the night again. You have 5 days, kiddo!
• You make Mommy and Daddy laugh and laugh and laugh!
• You are extremely camera shy! I have been trying everyday for the past three weeks to catch you talking on camera, but as soon as I pull out the camera you stop talking and stare intently at the camera. I get it though--it's a bright, shiny object--very interesting!
• You still find your hands fascinating and YUMMY! You have now figured out how to put your fingers in your mouth to sooth yourself.
• You have a birth mark on your right thigh. Mommy thinks it is cute...and she definitely did not try to scrub it off, thinking it was dirt!
• You still have the cutest smile in the world.
• Mommy has enjoyed spending the past four months at home with you. Soon we will enter the next chapter of our lives. I'm sure you will be a very big girl, and adjust well to the changes. I will try to be a big girl!
• You still love being swaddled when you go to sleep. But when I go into to check on you, this is what you look like:
• You have good head control now. You can sit fairly well while supported.
• You love watching Mommy and Daddy cook.
  
• You have just recently become ticklish.
  
• You love to talk! You are constantly experimenting--you move your mouth in different ways just to see what kind of sound will come out of it.
• I can't believe how much you've grown!

Southern Hospitality

Ellen Howe is looking to rent a shed. She called my house last night and left a message listing her needs. Impressively, she used the word "y'all" three times within a 20 second time frame. Before she hung up she promised to call back in the morning.

Ellen Howe is looking to rent a shed. As promised, Ellen called again this morning. She left another message. Trying to appeal to my business sense, she reminded me that she had referred several people to my shed-renting company in the past, but now she is calling for herself. Ellen is apparently great for business...too bad she has the wrong number.

Ellen Howe is looking to rent a shed. She called again. This time she didn't have to speak to a machine. I answered the phone and listened patiently to her shed needs. Slightly embarrassed for her that I let her carry on without interrupting, I finally said, "Umm, I think you have the wrong number."

Why did I feel the need to not embarrass her? I think she has the wrong number? No--I know she has the wrong number. Southern hospitality at its finest, I suppose.

Perhaps due to my sheepish tone, Ellen Howe--who is looking to rent a shed--asks, "Are you sure I have the wrong number?"

Yes--I'm quite sure.

She then proceeds to call out my phone number and ask me if that is the number she dialed.

Yes--I suppose it is.

She clearly is baffled. She wants to interrogate me further, but decides that will be of no use. "Thanks anyway," she says as she reluctantly hangs up.

Ellen Howe is looking to rent a shed. Another call. I answer, this time wondering if she will recognize my voice.

No--she does not.

She lists her needs once more. Again, I listen patiently, not wanting to seem rude. When she finishes making her shed needs known to me now for the fourth time, I say, "You still have the wrong number."

"Do I really?"

The sarcastic side of me wants to notify Ellen--who is looking to rent a shed--that, shockingly, I did not change my phone number in the last 30 minutes. But, instead, I politely reply, "Yes ma'am."

I wonder if Ellen Howe is still looking to rent a shed?

Testing...Testing...1, 2, 3

Let's Play a Game!

You're freezing...

Getting warmer...

Warmer still...

Cold, cold, cold...

You're on fire!
Ding, ding! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner (sort of)!Practice Makes Perfect!

~~Please excuse the blurry pictures. I guess it was kind of hard for Ben to take a good picture when *ahem* someone kept jumping up and down and hitting him on the shoulder all while shouting, "Take a picture, take a picture!" I wonder who that could have been?