heehee

I just had to post this picture. It cracks me up. Took it this morning. Her outfit is just too much. She looks SO BIG in her tee-shirt and skirt. She LOVES to stand up and move around. It's like she's so proud of herself and her big girl clothes.

oh, and sidebar: the skirt is size 18 month. Keep in mind, she's only 9 months! Granted, this one is a Tar-Jay outfit, and their stuff tends to run small. When I buy her 'name brand' stuff like Gymboree, it tends to run a little more true to age.

Not much else to tell. Just wanted to share the latest munchkin pic!

WASABI.............

The girl grabs at everything! Grandpa and Beanie were here over the weekend. We went to dinner on Saturday night... ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna for an appetizer.. the waitress put it on the table and in a split second little Missy had smashed her pudgy little hand right into that green blob of wasabi! Luckily I have developed Super Fast Mommy Reflexes and I was able to grab her before she stuck her fingers in her mouth (and Beanie has the super fast Nana reflexes b.c she handed me a water-soaked napkin within .2 seconds!). That little crisis was averted. The rest of the meal was spent with the adults cowering over their food and drinks at one end of the booth while Eileen stretched and stretched to get at anything on that table! She almost has success with Granpa's Manhattan, but we got that away from her as well. Our poor waitress got a lesson in serving patrons with toddlers. Despite the acrobatic antics of Eileen, she was insanely well-behaved. She hadn't even had her afternoon nap, yet she was good as gold. Just hung out and took in all the action. Oh, and she attempted to eat the crayons and coloring page supplied to her by the hostess (see picture 3rd down).


Before our little dinner adventure..we had plenty of other activities! Aunt Sissy and Uncle David were babysitting Caroline and Jackson for the weekend. Jackson is 8 weeks younger than Eileen, yet he weighs three pounds more and he's crawling! Eileen is almost there, but not yet. She had a blast playing in his pimped out exersaucer, and she also had a blast smacking at him when he was in it. I think she thinks other babies are like her baby doll at home (which she constanly smacks and pokes in the eye!) I wonder if she does that to her buddies at school? Anyway, Jackson was a real man and ignored her smacks (OK, they weren't smacks.. more like those little love pats babies do). I see she and Jackson being great pals!


She spent lots of time hanging out with Granpa and Beanie. She always has fun with them. She's fascinated by Grandpa. She just stares at him and then giggles!

She did not sleep well the latter part of last week or over the weekend. Ever since that doctor's appt she's been out of whack. We tried to let her cry it out both Friday and Saturday- but she was screaming bloody murder. Afetr 15 minutes on Saturday (this was after she'd been so good at the restaraunt!) I went up to get her. Poor girl was literally sweating bc she'd worked herself into such a tizzy. After several attempts at getting her to calm down and sleep in her crib, one set of exhausted parents gave in and brouhgt her to bed with us. I think she was just overtired. Even in our bed she had a hard time calming down. Once she did, she slept fine. By Sunday night she did a little better, and last night- one little wake-up at midnight, and other than that she was out for the night. Fingers crossed we're back on the road to the good sleep patterns she usually has!

She seems to be adjusting to her new class - finally. Yesterday and today when we dropped her off, there were no tears. She actually reached for Miss Mary. So that's certainly comforting.

Got this picrure of she and Daddy yesterday morning.. she's giving him a big hug. How cute is that?! Every day we think we can't love her any more and every day our hearts just about explode as they get bigger and bigger to make room for more love. You could just eat her up!

Looking forward to a (hopefully) quiet week and weekend. Then next week it's July 4 (I can't believe it's already about to be July 4!)

new pics at shutterfly!

Latest Stats...

She's in the 75th percentile all around!
Eileen had her 9month checkup on Wednesday...
height = 28.25 inches
weight = 19lbs 14.5oz (just shy of the big two-oh!)

She's good n' healthy! We can go ahead and start letting her eat solids.. cheerios, well-cooked (soft) veggies like carrots and beans, cheese, small tender chunks of meat.. all sorts of goodies! We also can give her yogurt, and also ice cream! (tho I've given her ice cream before).

She ate yogurt last night and loved it.. I bought some of that "Yo Baby" yogurt in the banana flavor. She hasn't been getting as much calcium as she should since she isn't always a fan of her bottle.. at least now with cheese and yogurt she can get more (3more months until she can have real milk). And we've given her some cheerios.. she is not so sure what to think of them! She'll stare at it for a while, pick it up.. stare some more.. and eventually it makes it to her mouth. Then she nibbles on it like a little mouse. I have no doubt that once she's used to it she'll scarf them down.

Other than that.. not much to report. No shots at this appt, just mainly chatting with the doctor! We know she's going to crawl at any moment (note the third picture.. see her stretching... close!). I can't believe her next appt will be her TWELVE MONTH! Unreal.





Oh, quick update on the iguana. Josh ran into the neighbor last night and mentioned it to him.. he was cool about it.. said he'd already heard from Doreen! He's already bought and installed a new lock for it. Whew. Hopefully no more Reptile Encounters in our little world.









Loving the last picture posted here... Eileen and Gracie were watching Daddy in the garage...



Gracie was all pumped and ready to go to Daycamp! Oh.. speaking of Gracie.. isn't she looking svelte? She's lost about 6 pounds! Still want her to lose at least 4-6 more, but I am glad we're making progress.

Grandpa and Beanie are on their way here. Looking forward to a fun weekend!

Happy Friday all!

Couldn't Make This Stuff Up if I Tried...

Before I tell my bizarre story... I want to thank whoever it is that did their rain dance. We got two straight hours of rain at our house last night. Nice steady rain. I could practically hear the grass and flowers cheering (not to mention all the farmers around here who have no corn b.c of the drought!).

Now if you have looked at the pictures on this post before reading, you are probably wondering why there is a shot of a random cage here. That would be our next door neighbors pen for their PET IGUANA. Yes, our new neighbors have an iguana. I know very little about these animals. I have yet to see it, and don't exactly spend a lot of time looking for it.

So yesterday, my neighbor Kristin, who also happens to work here, stopped by my desk. She asks if I have talked to Doreen, another one of our neighbors. Nooo.. I haven't talked to her in the last couple of days... so Kristin tells me this story:

She was driving past our house on Saturday afternoon (Eileen and I were shopping, and Josh was at Uncle Bobbys). She drove by and said to herself.. "I think there's an Iguana in Erin's driveway!" So she turned back around to doublecheck, and yes, there was a 4ft reptile there in our yard! Kristin, like me (and most normal suburbanites), knows nothing about these animals. So Doreen was outside, and Kristin got her to come over. The thing was at our front window, and they could see and hear Gracie going beserk inside the house. So then Doreen's husband and son come over. By now, the thing has climbed our wall, and then leapt onto our Japanese Maple (who knew it could climb walls)! They're all standing in our yard somewhat scared of it but also trying to coax it away. Doreen had brought over some lettuce (who knows what these things eat) and was trying to bribe it. Then Kristin's husband Jim came home. He joined the party! He managed to get the thing's house out of it's pen (one of those 'igloo' dog houses). Somehow, Jim and Doreen's husband and son all got the animal into it's house and back into it's pen. Thank Heaven we have such cool neighbors!


Eileen and I got home shortly after all the activity, and until yesterday we were clueless about it all!

The new neighbors are certainly nice enough. We see them outside a lot, so Josh is going to mention it to them. Perhpas they can invest in a sturdier lock. All the neigbors on our street have kids or dogs or both- I don't think any of us want a reptile wandering around!

Anyway.. that's my random story for the day.

We're off to the doctor this afternoon!

New Look..

what do you think? I am trying to figure out how to make a cool new header like Nicole and Tiffany.. in the meantime, at least I managed to change up the template!

Ahhh... Summer

There really is no better time of year. Sure, Fall is fun bc it's crisp and there's football and yummy smells. And the Holidays are fun, b.c well, they're the Holidays! And spring is nice b.c it's invigorating and warmer. But SUMMER. It just takes the cake.

We had a great weekend. Very relaxed and chill. We're working on some new 'routines' in how and when we do things. First new change is that we went to the grocery store on Friday after work - tired - yes, but we wanted to get it done so it didn't hang over our heads all weekend. This week we'll be working on a slightly later bedtime (8pm instead of 7:30.. b.c lately, she's just not tired at 7:30 so I spend 45 minutes trying to get her to sleep!). We usually eat after she's in bed. But with the later time, if we continued that pattern, it would be 9pm before we ate! So we'll start eating before she has a bath and goes to bed. Hopefully we'll be able to eat by 7:15 or so. Added bonus is that now she can get used to sitting at the table and eating as a family.

Eileen is becoming quite mobile. Not yet crawling, but twisting and turning and reaching! Used to be I could leave her sitting in a shopping cart and she'd just hang out. Now if I leave her too close to the aisle or turn my head, she's either grabbing things off a shelf or twisting around so much I fear she'll just work her way right out of the buggy!

Then on Saturday we hit the gym, and then went and got our new garbage can. (yes, I really am still quite excited about it). Then Josh went to Uncle Bobby's for the afternoon and Eileen and I went shopping!

She's just SO GOOD. We went to the "Lifestyle Center" near our house (translation= outdoor mall with pretty fountains and walkways and streaming music). We wandered around for 3 hours. She was in her stroller the whole time, and it was pretty hot out. Not once did she fuss. She loved sticking her (clean!) hands out of the stroller and feeling all the clothes. She loved staring at all the people and cars (I swear she's judging their fashion, or lack there of, statements in her little head). At one point in NY&Co, I was going through a rack of clothes. I turned around and she had found a shirt she liked and had it in her lap in her stroller! She's just hilarious. Then we went to Belk. She loved loved loved the Clinique Counter. Her little finger prints are all over their display case (for which I profusely apologized to the clerk!)

And then we went for Ice Cream. :) She still doesn't really like it.. I think the cold shocks her. I put a little bit on a spoon and let her go to town. Once it was more liquidy she liked it better. We sat outside and I had to eat at mach speed b.c it was melting all over me and the stroller! There was a woman there with her teenage girls and their friend and they were all hanging out. It seems crazy that in a few short years that will be us. I can't make my brain get past Eileen as a baby. Nevermind a teenager having a conversation and using big words!



Sunday was Josh's first Father's Day. It was a fun one! We went to church- where all the kids performed songs they'd learned earlier in the week at Vacation Bible School. Adorable. Little girls with bows in their hair, tan little arms and feet, and the cutest dresses in the world. The little boys with their little button-down shirts and shorts and hair sticking up all over the place. My boss' son -he's 6-was one of the kiddos up there, and he was just concentrating so hard on the words and corresponding hand movements. Again, it's crazy to think that in just a couple of years Eileen will be up there doing that little show!

Then we came home and did some chores, and then hit the POOL! My most favorite place in the world. Aunt Sissy came and met us. As you can see from the pictures, Eileen had a blast using Aunt Sissy as her personal jungle gym. Check her out on her knees. Aunt Sissy didn't put her like that, Eileen got herself up like that all by herself. She actually was doing that all day. Trying SO HARD to get up. She gets so mad b.c most of our floors are hardwood so she just scoots all around when she's really trying to get some traction! But really, I will not be suprised if she's crawling by this weekend (Beanie and Grandpa will be here, so perhaps she'll give them a show!). And as you can see by this last pic, after some time in the pool and the sun, she was ready for a big ol' nap! She passed out the second Josh gave her the pacifier. That's how she sleeps, with her hands behind her head. Hilarious, is it not?

And then Sunday night Josh made his Rendevous ribs. D I V I N E. Oh my. They were just soo good. I could have eaten the whole rack! Can't wait to do that again!

We'll go to the doctor on Wednesday for her 9month check up. Nine Months. How'd that happen? I think this is the visit with no shots, just weight/height and general check-up. The doctor told us to wait until she's crawling before we start solids, but I'm betting she's close enough he'll tell us to start giving her pasta and cheese and easy stuff like that. I'll check back in later this week with her newest stats!

:)

whew.

Five more hours, and the weekend begins. This has been one heck of a week.

I knew it would be hectic, since four of my colleagues were out on vacation or business travel, so of course I am covering for all, but I really had no clue how truly insane it would be. I can't WAIT for them to be back next week!

On Monday, it seemed all hell was breaking loose at work. People calling in sick, last minute requests for shoots, getting ready for a massive shoot on Tuesday. And in the middle of all that, Nana Janet (who was at our house with Eileen) called me to say she was throwing up and had a fever! There was no way I could leave the office so I called Josh, basically gave him no choice, and told him he had to get home and work from home and entertain Eileen and keep her away from Nana! Poor Nana was in bed all day and completely missed out on her last day with Eileen.


Tuesday was the crazy shoot day. As insane as it was, and as many people were out, we pulled it off - and with great success. It was one of those days where I realized how many really great people I work with. People really stepped up to make the shoot happen. In fact, people have really stepped up all week to help me stay sane while I wear all these hats!

Wednesday and Thursday were - in comparison- calmer, but still pretty insane. I think yesterday I actually walked about 2 miles while at work. Our building is mammoth. And I was all over the place yesterday! Tracking down crew guys.. walk to the studio, to their offices, to the equipment area.. back to my desk.. start all over for another task.. and back downstairs.. you get the drift. But hey, burning calories is burning calories.

Now it's finally Friday. At the moment, I am trying to decide what to eat for lunch. I normally bring from home and eat at my desk, but today I wanted to treat myself and go somwhere. Only now I don't know what I want.

Eileen has had an OK week. Early in the week she was not sleeping well AT ALL. We ended up with her in our bed on Tuesday night. And she's got something going on with her left eye. We thought it was irritated skin, but I'm thinking it may be something else. I know it's bothering her. We went to the doctor on Monday, but it wasn't our regular doctor. She has her 9month check up on Wednesday, so we'll get to see our doctor then and ask him. She is still adjusting to her new class at school. Miss Amanda is back from her vacation, so Eileen has been loving getting to play with her. Yesterday Eileen was doing a lot of pulling herself up and standing. She still hasn't crawled, tho she looks like she could at any moment! She is definitely a fan of standing. She gets very proud of herself when she does it. And then she giggles. Too cute. I will try to get it on video this weekend!

We don't really have any plans for the weekend. Of course it is Josh's first Father's Day. I got him BBQ Rub from the Rendevous. YUM. Tomorrow we plan to park ourselves on the deck with a cocktail or two and fire up the grill.


We will hit the gym in the morning so then there's less guilt with the pork! Oh- the other big plan I have for the weekend is to get this new trashcan. $100 for a garbage can?! I know. It's insane. But I really can't stand our trash can. It makes me so crazy. It moves around and hits the wall and the stinking bags are always falling down into it. So annoying. Some friends of ours had this Simple Human one, and it's really just the BMW of trashcans. (really. really. did I just blog on about a trash can?! it is quite sad that I am so excited to get this thing! what is more sad is that I know there are several of you reading this and completely getting what I mean!)

And on Sunday we're heading back to the pool. I can't wait! I'm feeling pale. Need some sun.

All of these pics are from last weekend. Little Eileen posing for the camera. Josh and Grandma Joyce in Sneedville. Me and Uncle David on our friend's backyard swing (That was really fun!).

Happy Friday all. Have a good weekend!

little comedienne

This will hopefully show up soon.

Video from Friday night. She was squealing at me. Hilarious.

I have more pictures to post and stories to tell.. but that will have to come later today or tonight. I'm at work and pretty crazy right now! Is it Friday yet? Later taters.

Sick Mommy!

Ugh. Thank God it's Friday!

I was sick yesterday. First time since Eileen has been born that I've been sick! I had a stomach bug, but it was weird b.c I never actually got sick. Crampy stomach and I had a fever of almost 101. I don't remember the last time I had a fever. It is just not fun. Josh was on his way back from Nashville and I went home and crashed. Aunt Sissy got Gracie from camp and then got Eileen from school. Thank Heaven.

Of course then Eileen was fussy and wouldn't eat for Sissy or Josh, so then I tried and she still wouldn't eat! We finally got her somewhat fed and bathed and into bed and then I went back to bed. Slept like a rock, then woke up in a complete sweat - so at least the fever had broken!

Better today. It's been a good excuse to exist on bread. And now Nana is here and she'll make it all better! :)

I think we'll go to Sneedville tomorrow to see Grandma Joyce. Other than that we'll be chilling out this weekend.

It's finally raining here. But tomorrow and Sunday are suposed to be sunny! yay!

Happy Friday.

C'mon Eileen: The Girl Has Got Taste..

C'mon Eileen: The Girl Has Got Taste..

www.eileenloebner.shutterfly.com

The Girl Has Got Taste..

We really have won the baby lottery. I don't know how we're so lucky, but I sure as heck don't take it for granted. We ran Eileen around all weekend long and she was just so good.

Friday night was a little bit of a race as I was eager to get her bathed and fed so I could go out! with some friends.. yes.. I left Josh at home alone while I hit the town for Amy's birthday. Pictures of the lovely lady in her sombrero available at the usual link!

Saturday we had a lazy morning..went to the gym..came home and while she napped we did chores (Josh keeps complaining that if I hadn't fired the maid -HA! - we wouldn't have to keep up the house...). Uncle David and Aunt Sissy came over. I held Eileen for a while so she could get used to Uncle David. She's always fascinated by him but doesn't always like to be held by him. I think we figured out the trick. Let her hang out for a little while just watching him, and then she's like butter in his arms! She had a blast playing with him. You can see she's a big fan of standing on people now. I'm just waiting to walk into her room and find her standing in that crib!

Then we went to the MALL! I have not been to the mall in ages. The weather was weird.. cloudy but bright and muggy as can be.. so we decided walking around the mall would be fun.

I had to return a couple of things. And I finally got my mother's day present - a new jewerlry box! I've been wanting (and needing!) one for a while. It's not like I am dripping in diamonds.. but I do have some fun stuff that I just plain forget about b.c it wasn't in a place where I could easily see it. Now it's all pretty and organized and visible. So we're wandering around.. Eileen is content, pretty quiet, in her stroller just taking it all in. Then we walked into the Coach store (my true heaven) just to look around. I kid you not, she started chattering and squealing. The girl loves purses and wallets! Just like mommy! So after I wiped the drool off my face, we headed across the way to Williams-Sonoma. Same thing! She was a complete chatterbox. She loved all the fun kitchen-ware. She knows good stuff when she sees it!

We walked around a little more.. then ended up at the Disney store. Oh my. Loads and loads of fun stuff in there. TONS of fun little princess outfits. Most of it way to old for our 8.5 month old.. but oh.. in years to come.. too fun. The whole back wall is stuffed animals.. and there was a special... three for $20. Who can resist that?! Josh really really wanted Tigger. I couldn't decide between him and Pooh. So I let Eileen pick. Put them in front of her and she lunged at Pooh. So there's one. Then we let her pick between Dumbo and a Dwarf. Again, she just about leapt out of the stroller at Dumbo! The big pink ears are a draw! And then, finally, between Mickey and Minnie. I don't think she really cared which one of those she got, so I went with Minnie. Gotta love the mouse in heels. And then we got a free pair of mouse ears for her. Too fun.

And then Aunt Jaime came over! She'd been in Sneedville with Grandma Joyce while she recovered from gallbladder surgery. She's a trouper.. and already running around town! You'd never know she had just had surgery. So Aunt Jaime came to see us on Saturday night. We all went to dinner at PF Chang's. YUM. I don't know the last time I was there! We kept Eileen out well past her bedtime, and she didn't make a single fuss! Honestly, she just hung out in the highchair while we ate. And then we got home and she went right to bed. She continues to amaze me. We had a good time with Aunt Jaime and she got some good cuddles from Eileen!

Sunday was the norm.. church and home for a while.. then we hit Target. It's the place to be! We saw Miss Kerri, Miss Sandi, and we also ran into Dr. Ginger (our obgyn). It was fun to get to see her and let her see Eileen (she hasn't seen her since Eileen was born - and promptly pooped all over her! So it was a fun afternoon of grocery shopping.

Today is her third day in her 'new' class.. it's the 'older' infants. Friday and yesterday were sort of tough on her.. She knows she's in a different room with different teachers.. she did make the move with six other babies from her first class- so at least she knows the other kids and we know the parents. And the kids that were already in there we also know. Hopefully today will be better for her as she gets used to her new place. When we left she was happily playing with baskets of toys, so that is a good sign.

That's about it!

Happy Tuesday.

endless pictures...

It really is a good thing digital cameras have come along. Otherwise, I would bankrupt us with getting film developed!

We had a great long weekend!

We had friends over on Saturday. Grilled ribs (beef & pork!), chicken, burgers, and hot dogs. And veggies too. Really, it's tough to top cooking and eating outside. The kids ran around the back yard with the sprinkler going and the adults had a cocktail or ten.
Eileen hung out for a while with Uncle David without crying- big step! We really can't figure out why she gets upset when she sees him.. he oozes love for her. And she made a new best friend with the other Uncle David. I think she's only seen him one other time, but he walked in on Saturday and she just melted in his arms. Josh called him the Baby Whisperer all weekend. So funny how she just gels with some people!

So we had the crowd at our place on Saturday. Then on Sunday we just hung out and enjoyed the day (and nursed our slight headaches!). Aunt Sissy and Uncle David came over and helped us eat some left-overs. Then we made it to Brusters for IceCream.. but Eileen was pretty hot and pretty tired.. I don't think she quite gets how perfectly yummy ice cream really is. I gave her a lick of mine, but she was still not convinced. So we didn't stick around long.. which is really OK since our ice cream was melting at record speed!

And on Monday we went to the pool! there are more pictures in the post below. She LOVED it. Had a blast. She was a star in her little bikini and matching sun hat. We bought her a float, but she wasn't really a fan.. I don't think she's quite big enough for it yet. But she was more than happy for Josh or I to spin her around or bounce her up and down. I can't wait to go back!

We had awesome weather all weekend. I know we so need the rain.. but it was great to have perfect weather on a holiday weekend. Even tho it's still May and our yard is already turning brown. We water the flowers.. but so far we haven't been watering the yard. That would get quite expensive. I'll do my rain dance, but only for rain in the middle of the week. :)

See the one below for more pictures!

For Uncle Dick...

It's funny.. whenever Josh gets Budweiser we always smile and toast Uncle Dick and the rest of the Hankey Men. We even took this picture on Saturday with the express intention of sending a copy to Uncle Dick so he would be proud of his little grand-niece and see that we're teaching her well. ;)

I found out last night that Uncle Dick had a stroke on Thursday...it seems like it was a mild one and he'll be OK.. but it's still so jarring to get that sort of news. Things like that aren't supposed to happen to the Uncle Dick's of the world. He's that ever cool, ever fun, always full of huge hugs Uncle. So our prayers are with him & Aunt Marcia, and here's hoping Uncle Dick gets to have a cold one sometime soon.

Here are some other pics from the weekend.. Josh with Eileen and his first ice cream of the season! And look at her sitting next to him on the couch like a big girl! He's blowing up ANOTHER new 'tub' for her. She's 8mos old and on her 4th tub! First there was the little baby tub- the one that is for newborns and sits on the counter. Then there was that reclining chair thing that sat in the adult tub. And then the seat that attached to the side of the tub. That one was retired over the weekend as Eileen's pot belly no longer allowed her to fit in it! And now, we have what is hopefully her last step towards a full-on tubby! this is actually a mini-pool made for the tub. It's rectangle and fits snugly inside the tub. So she can sit in it and play in the water, but still not really get anywhere. She's still not quite big enough to just sit in the tub - she floats away! (I know, you're thinking perhaps I should not put in so much water. But what's the fun in that?! ) And of course if you go to the link below you'll see updated pics and see her in the new tub! Oh, and that's her (naked!) doll she's holding in her lap. She loves that thing. Nana Janet gave it to her. It makes all sorts of noicse, and I think sometimes she thinks it is real. She hugs it all day.

And of course, the last one is her in her smashing bathing suit. Isn't she such a ham!?

Hope you all had a good long weekend.. now it's back to normal.. but at least it's summer!

see more pics at our shutterfly page!

2 years... 8 mos...

Ahh... it only took us TWO YEARS to get some pictures up on the wall along the stairs.. and it only took EIGHT MONTHS for us to finally get some pictures of Eileen up in her room!

Of course these pictures that I took of the pictures don't really do justice to how good and home-y it finally looks in our house.. at least you can get an idea!

Egads I am so ready for this three day weekend. It's Friday, about 11am. I am desperately hoping we get 'early dismissal' today. I have enough work to keep me busy until Sunday.. but I just about to be over this work week and be out of here!

We'll have some friends over for a cook out.. we'll hit the pool (can't wait to get Eileen in her new bathing suit!).. oh and of course we must kick off the Unofficial Start of Summer with a family trip to Bruster's! Even Gracie gets to come.. they give out free doggie ice cream! Other than that we'll just chill out and enjoy the extra day. It's supposed to be warm and dry all weekend! I know we desperately need the rain.. but I am so glad it will be sunny all weekend. Bring on the tan!

These other pics are just random ones taken this week. You can see Eileen and I after a day at work and school. How is it that I sit behind a desk all day, but I still manage to look like I've been hit by a Mack Truck at day's end? Eh. oh well.

And you can see behind me that our poor Japanese Maple has finally come back to life! It looked great in March, then we had that freakish freeze in April and it killed it! We really didn't know if it would come back.

OK.. I'm going to get back to work so I can try to get out of here and start the long weekend.

:)

If Only I'd Had The Camera...

If only.. we'd be $100K richer after winning the prize on America's Funniest Home Videos (um, sidenote: how long has that show been on the air?).

It was Friday night, tubby time. Little Lady had eaten dinner about 20 minutes prior. She's splashing away, and out of nowhere, she belched. I don't mean she just burped. This was a full-on Frat-Boy-Pledge-who-just-drank-eight-beers belch.

Wait. It gets better.

After the belch, she looked up at me, with a look of shock. As if to say, "Mommy, what the hell was that?" And then, she threw her head back and laughed her ass off. I mean- she laughed like that video I posted a couple of weeks ago. That, of course, threw me into hysterics. I was d y i n g. Josh had just gone downstairs, and thank Heaven, he heard the whole thing. He never would have believed me otherwise.

Clearly, she's taking after me. There was a time in my life that I could recite the vowels, including sometimes y, in one nice belch. Usually I did so while in my school uniform.

It was by far the funniest baby moment yet. Love this kid.

The rest of the weekend wasn't near so exciting - but still a good one! On Saturday we tootled around..went to the gym, to look at some plants for the yard. Went to Target and WalMart. Then Saturday evening we went out for Raven's birthday! Slowly but surely, she's creeping up in age along with the rest of us (teehee, only kidding Raven!). Our babysitter was out of town, so we took Eileen with us. That's Raven's husband Dave in the top picture. Eileen was fascinated by him. Eileen is just so good, I really can't believe our luck. It was way past her bedtime, but she just hung out in my lap. It's not like we kept her out until midnight (ha! as if Mommy and Daddy would last that long), we were home by 8:30. But still, that's late for her. We got home, she took a bottle, and went to bed. Almost surreal. Eh.. like I always say.. I fear what is in store for us with Kiddie Number Two.

Sunday we went to church, went to the grocery store (how do two adults, a baby, and a dog manage to blow thru $200 every weekend at the grocery? What the heck are we going to do when Eileen is a teenager? and when there's more than one of her?). Then we went to my company picnic. It was fun, but will probably be more fun next year when Eileen can walk and appreciate the petting zoo. But hey, I got to work on my tan.

As you can see by the picture of her in the high chair, by the time Sunday night rolled around, she was over it. She was exhausted. And I of course made her madder by taking a picture of her covered in food and fussing (see?? she really does get grumpy every now and then).

Then of course it was tubby time again. No belches this time around. She was, however, highly amused by wearing this little yellow 'tophat' and dumping it off of her head.

OH! and on Saturday she bit me - again- and left a mark! Little turkey. She has no idea what she's doing, but it HURTS.

Today we got the big news that next week she will officially move into the Infant 2 class.. which is the next class up. She is 8mos old today.. so it makes sense that she's moving. Definite mixed emotions. We'll miss her teachers so much that she has now. But it will be good for her to be with kids more her own age (she's moving with several others from her class). Some of the kids in Infant 2 just moved there a month ago, so she'll know most of them.

That's it for now.. Happy Monday!