Guess who's 7 months?

Hi guys!

My sweet little baby is now closer to a year old than a newborn.  How sad!  Time is just flying right by!  I know I've said it a thousand times but she just has amazed me every single day of these last 7 months. 

Look how big she is!  In honor of her 7 month birthday I of course made her a tutu, like I do every month pretty much and we had a little photo shoot this morning.  She was of course, waaaaay more interested in the dogs than me.  I am just so boring I guess :)

Oh yeah, and mama chopped 4 inches off her hair today.  It will be easier for all the hair that is finally growing back (you know, from that that post preggo hair loss eh) to catch up!  

Miss Blue Eyes

When I was pregnant I told Dustin little girls always look like their dads and that I hoped she looked like Dustin but had my eyes.  I think I got what I asked for :)  I'm pretty sure her eyes are going to stay blue, they get bluer and bluer every day.  

P talking yesterday.

And getting ready to go places...

The old days

Sometimes I really miss the old days.  Not that I would change my life right now.  I guess I miss the things I used to do but I would like P to do them with me now.  Does that make sense?

Every summer I used to spend going from hot air balloon festival to hot air balloon festival with my dad.  It was pretty much my favorite thing ever to do.   And it gave me a chance to spend time with my dad which I  feel like I didn't get to do enough of growing up.  I loved flying with dad.  It's sort of ironic how terrified I am of flying in airplanes but can go up in the balloon with not a single worry in the world.   I always looked forward to that first festival at the end of june.  When the season was over I was always so sad.  But then a friend of mine came up with the winter balloon festival and I froze my ass off in December just to be around the people and things that I loved!  :)

I met so many great people through ballooning.  Many who I still talk to on a regular basis.  My friends that I met were always so much fun and we always raised hell wherever we went.  Nothing too crazy though, maybe some mini golf in the hallway  or a water balloon fight in the hotel.  I remember a few times of a little too much helium and prank phone calls. 

When I found out that dad was done ballooning and had sold the last balloon I was so sad.  My summers would never be the same again.  I hated when we lived in California.  We lived near Napa Valley so every single morning I would see balloons flying.  It hurt my heart.  Maybe that sounds silly to most people but it really did.  That is how much I missed it.  I wanted to be flying or chasing with them!

It makes me sad that P won't get to experience all the fun of spending her summers chasing balloons around and hanging with a crazy bunch of people.  I know that she would absolutely love the big beautiful balloons too.  Oh well.

Another big part of my life that I miss is Meme.  I didn't really enjoy living in Battle Creek.  But I did really love having Meme there to go visit whenever I was bored or felt like talking.  It makes me sad that P doesn't get to see her very often.  Meme was such a huge part of my life and the person I could ALWAYS depend on.  There will never be another Meme.  Some days I get so lonely here.  Sure, I have friends but most of them are always busy with their own lives.  I can't just pack up P and go over to see them whenever I want like I could do with Meme.  I don't miss Battle Creek, but I do miss seeing Meme every day.  But you have to do what you have to do.  

Zoo

Today we went with our mom group to this little zoo/park near our house.  It was a lot of fun and there were a lot of kids running around.  P was content riding around and I think enjoyed looking at the people more than the animals.  We went to the playground at the zoo and she swung on the swings with her pal from our group.

We have spent every day outside lately. It has been so nice.  We find a nice little spot in the shade and stay outside playing.  P really loves it and loves watching the birds, people, and cars go by.

The last few days P has been getting on her hands and knees quite a bit.  I wonder when she will start crawling?!  We really need to baby proof our house.

These next couple months are going to be so busy. I almost wish we didn't have so much going on.  I love lazy days at home with my family.  In two weeks our friends Danielle and Jeremy are coming up with their daughter, Rylee.  P was born on Rylee's due date (Rylee came a few weeks early) so it will be so fun to have two babies so close in age playing together!  We have all sorts of fun stuff planned so I hope the weather is good.  The day they leave my brother is coming down to spend the weekend with us again.  He has a few days off on top of his regular days off so he wanted to come visit.  Non stop visitors.  That weekend that our friends come I was supposed to attend a wedding and a bridal shower.  Then there is another bridal shower a week or so later but I am not able to attend that either.  THEN we have P's christening.  We are going to have it at my old church in Michigan since we aren't members at a church here yet and it would be easier and less stressful on everyone with it in the town all of our families live.  And finallllly....we have our trip to Puerto Rico in the beginning of July and one more wedding in July and then I don't think anything until the end of summer.  Thank goodness.

Anyway, other than enjoying our time in the nice weather and planning for the next month of madness we haven't been doing anything too exciting.  I am so boring, I know.

I heard her giggling and talking after her nap today and I go to get her and she is upside and sideways in her crib!  She is crazy!

On her hands and knees!

Her and her bff.  They just love each other.  It is so odd.

Daily nothings...

Well I can't really say "nothings" because every day is amazing with my little lady but I have been trying to stay home more often because she does a lot better when she is on a schedule.  Yesterday though we had to drive to Joliet to the jewelry store to get my rings checked.  Since my favorite aunt and uncle live close to there we made a trip to see them. 

 P is always grumpy when we go there it seems like.  She doesn't nap well there.  Yesterday she was such a good girl and so happy.  She was just smiling at everyone and talking.  She even took a little nap!  We didn't go out and see the horses in the barn but P enjoyed seeing the pups running around.  I can't wait for summer to take her outside and watch the horses run around.  This past winter and this spring have been too cold to spend a lot of time in the barn with her but the time she has spent out there she was wide eyed and excited by them!  

Today we don't have any plans to do anything. It is pretty nice out and we spent some time outside this morning.  P was cracking up at her toys.  Her laugh is so funny.  Tonight I am going to go learn to knit with a bunch of old ladies at the library.  My life is so exciting!  This coming week we have a lot of play dates with our mom group and we are even going to the small zoo here in Aurora.  Hopefully the weather is decent.  

P has been sleeping better FINALLY.  The last few days have been reallllly great for me sleep wise.  She goes to bed at 7:30ish and sleeps till 5:30am!  I get up and feed her and then Dustin wakes up at about 6am and gets up and plays with her till about 8.  By then she is ready to go back to sleep so she goes to sleep until about 10 or 10:30.  It feels SO good to get caught up on sleep.  Call me lazy.  It's okay.  I went 6 months waking up every couple hours so I think I deserve a little sleep.  

Peakaboo!

She puts everything up in the air now.  I don't know why. ha ha

Mom, you're so funny!

Weekend

This weekend my brother came down.  We had a pretty good time.  He came down Thursday night when he got out of work so it was pretty late when he got in.  Friday we woke up semi early and got around and headed into the city to explore.  We didn't really have a set plan but Chris is like me and just is happy walking around checking out the sites.  We went to Millennium Park and checked out the bean and walked to the Married with Children Fountain (or Buckingham Fountain).  Then we walked all over freaking creation trying to find somewhere good to eat.  The day was hard on P, who refused to nap in her stroller.  We left Chicago after we ate because the weather was getting cold and it was about to rain.  We took a side trip to IKEA on the way home.  I love that place!  Chris had never been and he wanted to pick up a few things for his house.  He ended up getting a bunch of stuff!  I had fun helping him pick out everything!

The next day we had planned on going to Shedd Aquarium but wanted to make sure P got a nap BEFORE we left since she wouldn't nap the day before and was a wreck.  While she was napping I took Chris to look for some beer that they sell here that they don't sell back in Michigan.  He is really big into microbrews and crap these days and buys and trades beer.  So silly to me but I'm not a drinker... at all.  After we got back to the house it was already like 3pm and too late to go to the aquarium.  We just hung out the rest of the evening and went out to dinner at Portillo's.  Yum.  Chris fed P her dinner.  I think he enjoyed that! After she went to bed, I made P some more food and the boys played video games.  That was our wild night :)

Today we got up and took Chris to our favorite breakfast spot, Mothers!  We hung out for a little bit and then it was time for him to hit the road.  The weekend went by so fast but it was fun.  Although having Chris, Dustin, and P in the house I realized what my life would be like with 3 children.  ha ha ha.  Sometimes Chris and Dustin together is too much for me to handle.  I was ready to start putting people in time out.  Especially when I went to bed semi early and ended up with everyone in my room at 12:30am screwing around.  Boys...

This week is going to be pretty low key.  I don't think we have any play dates or anything.  We are boring!

Our reflection in the bean!

It was warm at home and when we got into the city it was SO cold.  We were all so not dressed for the weather.  I was afraid P would be cold but she seemed to be fine.  All I brought was this stupid lightweight blanket too.  Mother of the year here people!

 He ruined this family picture with a boob grab.  

 Typical.

 Feeding P some dinner!

Pool time!

This morning P and I went to the park with our mom group.  It was SO hot.  She was a trooper though.  After we got home she was so tired.  She nursed and went right to sleep for 3 hours.  I really missed summer but geez.  I guess I should have said I miss CALIFORNIA summers.  This humidity is so gross.  

After P woke up we tried out her new little pool!  It was so hot that I got in it as well!  How fun!!  She was loving it and splashing around.  That wore her out too.  We came in and I gave her a bath to get all the sunblock off her and she went down for a nap again.  All this sun is exhausting.  Even I am tired.

so happy!