first trip to hopsahi

We ventured out to the cabin last weekend for the first time this year. It turned out to be cloudy, windy, and cool so we didn't get any quality swimming in but we had fun. Meredith is the first of the 'next' generation to go out to the cabin.

It was exactly the same as I always remember it. Hairy spiders & a showerless bathroom. Okay, okay...there is that outside shower that we subject our neighbors to but that is not enough motivation for me to be brave enough to stay the night. We'll stick to day trips.

Just hanging out with Grandma.

Mmmmm...sand is yummy.

So is this rock.

Having a little fun with Mark.

big girls

Big girls can crawl! Yes, that's right, they can crawl!!! I have a big girl.

Big girls can ride zebras on their own. I have a big girl.

Big girls help out in the kitchen. I have a big girl.

Where, oh where, did my baby go?!?

ben and angie's wedding

I really can't believe it was a year and a half ago that Ben proposed to Angie. Time sure went by fast. I think I speak for everyone when I say that the wedding was well worth the wait and welcome to the family Angie. I'm excited to have a sister-in-law!

I don't have a ton of pictures to share since I was in the wedding and Greg was taking care of the little munchkin all day but we managed to sneak a few before the wedding.

Me and the beautiful bride herself.

A few pictures of Em being cute and well behaved before the wedding.

That's all folks. No pictures of the fun stuff :-(

it's finally pool season

As many of you know, we're trying to sell our house. But in reality, I think it's going to be a long time before someone is willing to buy it so that means I will have at least one more summer to enjoy our community pool. Last weekend the weather was finally warm enough to wear our bathing suits so we geared up and went to splash around in the pool. Meredith was a bit unsure about it and I think it was due to the cooler water than what she is used to in her bath. But she got used to it and I think she enjoyed herself.

Who has a better tan? Me or Meredith?

I love her little Hawaiian print swim suit.

She was unsure of this thing. She tolerated it for about a minute.

9 month stats

Today marks 9 months for Meredith. She has been around for as long as she grew in my belly. Does that even make sense?!? You all probably get sick of me writing this all the time but I love her so much!

She weighed 19 lbs. 11 oz. and was 29" long. I can't believe she hasn't even gained a whole pound in the last three months but still remains in the upper percentiles. The next visit (pending any unforeseen circumstances) will be at one year.

Meredith is a little behind on her gross motor skills. She doesn't crawl or pull up on things. She also can't get into a sitting position on her own. She likes to roll everywhere though and she can stand unsupported against things for short periods of time.

Her fine motor skills are excellent though. She mastered the pincer grasp a long time ago, she's a champ with her sippy cup and putting food in her mouth, she can point to pictures of babies and other objects (doctor said this is great for her age...a lot less likely to be autistic), she attempts to say kitty and baby, she has signed 'drink', etc. She also went through stranger anxiety several months ago which according to her doctor is a sign of intelligence. Supposedly babies who go through that early on are more likely to be intelligent than babies who go through it at an average age which is around 9 months. Her doctor was impressed at her social ability. All smiles to a complete stranger.

These are a few pictures I took after her doctor visit.

Can you see my tooth?!?
Just a random picture that I like.

what on earth is this?!?

Well, we finally had some good weather so I took Meredith outside to play.

I love how she's throwing knives from her eyes at the grass. She was pretty unsure about what the heck all that green, pointy stuff was. Does that furrowed brow remind you of anyone?

She's so angelic :-)

My new favorite picture.

Last but not least, I think this one is funny.

making progress

Meredith is making a little progress towards crawling. But don't let this picture fool you. She's not quite there yet. I have a feeling it will still be a while. Her dad is more optimistic than I am.

jen's deck party

Last weekend we went to my friend Jen's house to celebrate their deck being finished! We had a great time visiting Jen & family, and Renee & family. Also, I can tell Sandy (Jen's mom) is a natural at being a grandma!

the tooth

Here is the tooth I was talking about. You can't see it very well...for some reason the pictures aren't as clear on Google as they really are. There are actually two teeth. The second one is just barely above the surface still. The tooth is kind of growing on me. I guess it's kind of cute after all.

breaking news

Take a good long look at this beautiful gummy smile. It's one of the last few things that made her look like a true baby nowdays.


I'm sad, yet excited to tell you all that Meredith cut her first two teeth today. I had no idea she was teething since she showed no symptoms really (now that I think about it, she's REALLY cranky today). They are just barely through so once I can get a good picture, I'll post a tooth update.

there's just something about babies...

There's just something about babies that other babies find fascinating. First off, congrats to Nate and Jen on the arrival of their baby, Samuel. Sam is almost three months old and last month Nate and Jen took him down to Arizona on his first vacation. Sam sent a sweet e-mail full of cute pictures to his grandma (Phyllis) and she printed it out and put it on the refrigerator. As soon as Meredith caught sight of it, she couldn't look away. She even had to touch it.

Nate & Jen - If you read this, Meredith is very excited to meet Sam next month at Ben and Angie's wedding. I think they will be good friends. She may even try to kiss him.

grandmas & grandpas

I'm happy to say Rich and Mary made it home from Florida. They even brought me a 1/2 bushel of Valencia oranges and they are so good they taste like candy. Meredith is so excited to be able to see her Grandma and Grandpa Carlson!

While we're on the subject of grandmas and grandpas, Grandpa Schwake stops over every now and then and usually Meredith cries when she's around him. Well, she's getting SO much better with her social skills and she sat on his lap, played with him, and yep - she kissed him!


And finally, here is Grandma Schwake and Meredith on Mother's Day.

mother's day

I am so thankful to be a mom. It really, truely is the best thing in the whole world - nothing compares. I love you Emmy!

I'm also thankful to have a wonderful mom and mother-in-law. I love you too!

We spent my very first Mother's Day visiting relatives for Ben and Angie's wedding shower. We had such a great time. It was good to see everyone!

I love this picture of Mary Jo and Meredith.

pictures

We took Meredith to the mall on Saturday to get some pictures taken. I feel like such a horrible mom because I haven't had pictures taken since she was 3 weeks old. She's 8.5 months now. She did pretty good though and was all smiles during the first outfit as you can see. She wasn't quite as smiley once we changed her into her dress though. Here are some of my favorites.

is she crawling yet?

People always ask me if Meredith is crawling yet. I thought this photo would shed some light on her current ability to crawl.

blonde baby

The one trait I really wanted Meredith to inherit was my blonde hair. I have always wanted a blonde baby for as long as I can remember. She may appear to be bald in pictures but she's starting to grow some beautiful white hair. She gets cuter every day and I can't wait for her to have a head full of fuzzy, white hair.

lock your sons up part II

It seems that Meredith has found her true love when it comes to kissing. Never fear, it is NOT your sons. It's not even Mom or Dad for that matter. We're chopped liver nowdays. Her favorite thing to kiss now is her dolly.