The Big One

I don't even know what to say about Tinkerbell's birthday. . . We had a great day Friday, a fun party Saturday, and were reminded how blessed we are for having her in our lives; realizing at the same time that being parents has put us in fast-forward with no hope of hitting the slow-motion or pause button. It was one of those wonderful, bittersweet milestones that I'm sure I'll exprierence over and over again. Here's the re-cap:

11 months

Tink was 11 months last Friday, and I've been so busy trying to keep up with her that I can hardly sit down to post an update! We didn't visit the doctor this month (thank goodness), so according to our bathroom scale, she weighs about 18 lbs - no forward facing car seat for this girl's first birthday :) She has four teeth and is diving in to anything we'll give her, which recently includes ground beef. I'm really nervous about giving her meat for some reason, but she seems to like it and does a pretty good job chewing, so I'm working on getting over it. Her favorite things to play with are coasters and tupperware lids (why do we buy toys?), but she's also into anything with wheels. R seems to think she needs a brother so that she can play with his cars and trucks, but I'm perfectly fine with buying her a few cars of her own for now :) She's cruising along the furinture and walking with help, so I'm working (unsuccessfully) at keeping shoes on her feet. She's also dancing constantly, even when we're in a store and she hears music in the background. Naturally, her favorite thing to watch is Jack's Big Music Show. I must admit that it grows on you, even if you have "I'm Gonna Catch You" stuck in your head all day. We're hoping to find the DVD before we leave for Oklahoma on Thursday. Birthday Party plans are in the works, so check back soon for a full report :)


11 month pictures

Playing the Piano

"Wonder what these taste like. . ."

What are these?

Hi, Daddy!

Look at me go!

Valentine's Day, Part 2

I had to share just a little more of our Valentine's Day :)

First Valentine

heart-shaped pancakes

Abby Cadabby

Daddy's present - a mouse pad of her "Top 10"

my present - The Great Cupcake pan!

Daddy's sweethearts

Just hangin' out

Tickle Monster finger puppets

Love is in the Air

I will be the first to admit that I get excited about holidays - even the "little" ones. I'm one of those annoying people that has a box of decorations for "non-Christmas" holidays (don't worry, R has kept this to a minimum). This was perfect when I taught kindergarten - what five year old isn't excited about an excuse to have a party and possibly eat cake? Since I'm not teaching right now, I'm very excited that being a Mom gives me a reason to celebrate each holiday to the fullest. R started our Valentine fun by surprising me with heart-shaped cookies a few weekends ago (he made them while I was out shopping), and I've been in a "Valentine" mood since. Last weekend, I decided it would be fun to take a few pictures of Tinkerbell in a super-cute pink fur vest that was given to us before she was born (that's right, pink fur). I also took the opportunity to get out her ladybug costume one more time and pose some pictures with some of my ladybugs. It's getting REALLY hard to take "non-candid" pictures of her, but thanks to Daddy's entertainment, I managed to get a few. K and I also took a few pictures of the girls in their Valentine shirts (thanks, Nana!)

So . . . Happy Valentine's Day from us and our little lovebug :)

Ten months

Can you believe she's ten months old? Tink continues to amaze me as she grows and changes so constantly. She keeps us in stitches with the things that she copies and tries to do. She is crawling like a champ and has started "cruising" along the furniture. She is also working on a third tooth, which was not fun last week during a double ear infection! Thanks to her first round of the good ol' pink amoxicillin, she's back to her sweet self. I decided to post some video along with pictures this month so that you could see her in action - her current favorite toy is a pink Little People school bus that she received for Christmas. It plays a little song and contains several Little People - her second current obsession (she's even mastered crawling while holding one in her little hand). The first part of the video is her "dancing" to the bus song, something that she started doing on her own, but we have since perpetuated by frequently pushing the button and dancing along with her. The second part is her pushing the bus around the kitchen. Yes, she knows it rolls forward, but it seems to get away from her that way, so this was her solution (hilarious).

PS - I just discovered her very first piece of dog food in her mouth. She's always so kind to share a little food with Scruffy while in her high chair, I guess he decided to return the favor . . . Don't even know what to say about that.

Ten months

Nothing is safe

Standing tall

Here I come

Fun Giveaways for Valentine's Day

If you love freebies as much as I do, stop by these blogs and enter to win super-cute Hanky Panky panties, an amazing brownie box from Fat Witch Bakery, or a copy of Eat This, Not That (to read AFTER you eat the brownies) . . .

Make Mine a Mojito Giveaway

Blue-Eyed Bride Giveaway

Chic Runner Giveaway

Merry Christmas to me!

Our furniture finally arrived this week and I must say that I am feeling a little better about the munchkin exploring in the living room. I still have to watch her like a hawk, but she can no longer reconfigure our sound system or toss about five DVDs on the floor before I can get to her. Thank you again to our families who so graciously gave us gift cards for Christmas to buy this furniture - we love it! We also spent last weekend installing a new baby gate, putting locks on several of the cabinets, and re-organizing the pantry so that all things dangerous are out of reach. Regardless of the time we spend making things "safe", this kid finds a way to get into something! Oh, the life of a Mom with a crawling baby (I wouldn't trade it for anything!) By the way, Tink is having some "Pack N Play" time so that I can have a moment of peace. If you have a little one and haven't read Baby Wise Book Two, I highly recommend it! Gotta go, my time is almost up and I'm sure there's something more productive I should be doing. . .