39 weeks old!!!

Yesterday was Sunday, and we know what that means....  Baby girl is another week older and (it seems) years smarter!!!  I think she really loves having her picture made, since I have had this camera in her face since she was born, she knows how to smile on cue and she makes some funny faces for Momma now.

So much has happened in the past week I need to share with you, so I will probably be doing a post a day this week so I don't get behind in sharing all the fun pictures we have to show you!!!

Sweetness' family came these last 4 days and met Chloe and brought her presents, and we took them around town, so I will be blogging all about that AND Chloe's first 4th of July!!!!

In the meantime- Chloe's stats are that she weighs in at 17.8 lbs, and she is soooo long!!!  She can wear 6-9m stuff depending on the length, if it goes all the way to her feet- she definitely needs 9 months!!!  My girl is going to be super tall I think!!!

She now claps her little hands all day long- which by the way is the cutest thing ever!!!  To see her little hands clapping together in shear delight makes my heart so happy!!!  She also has stopped that ear piercing screaming she used to do, and finally her sounds have evolved into the cutest little babbling and cooing again.

She is reaching the stage now where she is becoming a clingy Momma's girl- and I do not mind in the least!!!  She is going through a "Momma-stage" right now and Daddy (who is normally the fan favorite) will not do -- for this week anyway.  So we have been snuggling together and I'm loving every minute of it.  She started putting her little hands out for me to pick her up r hold her, and I am so happy!!!

She is also having an evolution of her normally amazing sleeping habits!!   She usually puts herself to sleep after we lay her in the crib with her light up seahorse and her "tagg-ie" blanket, but the last 7-8 nights, she will not go to sleep by herself. So I have been rocking her to sleep every night. 

I don't mind rocking her- in fact I love it, but I don't want to make it so that she will no longer be able to go to sleep by herself.  But we will just play it by ear, it may have been because we had company and she knew it and just wanted to stay up with her company  :)

Overall, this past week has been so fun, as we watch our amazing little peanut blossom into the sweetest little girl!!! Both Sweetness and I have ben on vacation for 5 straight days and we have got to spend some real quality time as a family!!  It has been over 100 degrees every day this past week, which has negated us going outside to swing or do the pool again.  It is just TOOO HOT to even breathe out there.  But the heat wave seem s to have broken today, with a high of ONLY 86, it feels so much more manageable!!!

Stay tuned for Chloe's first 4th of July in the next post!!!

New friends and new surroundings

One of our very favorite things to do with Chloe at this age is to take her swinging in the park.  She LOVES swinging!!!  So a couple days ago me and one of my former students, Tonya and her baby girl Sarah went to the park with our girls and let them play together and of course swing!!

Here is Miss Sarah- such a cutie pie....

Chloe was so tired when we went she was about to fall asleep in this swing because she could lay back all the way  LOL- but it was so fun!!

Then after we left those swings, we took the girls to the park area and let them interact a bit more.  Since Sarah is already 1 she is cruising all around and walking circles around Chloe. 

Chloe was trying to figure out how to walk like her and wanted to move so badly, she got frustrated!!

So Daddy tried to help her by letting her simulate walking and she seemed much happier than sitting down watching Sarah get to run all around!

And here is beautiful Sarah again, acting a bit shy, leaning on Mommy's legs!

Daddy was also along and he was throwing Chloe high up in the air and she just loved it and giggled and squealed!  I love how this picture turned out!

Then we took the girls over to another area of the park- it is a HUGE play park, and let them swing on a different type of swing since that seemed to be what they liked the most!

It was so hot out- Chloe was getting cranky, and wanted to go into some AC....

but not Sarah- she was sweating like crazy, but she wanted to swing for hours!!! LOL

So after all the swinging- the girls were so cute as they said goodbye to each other in their own baby way :)

Chloe kept trying to put her thumb in Sarah's eye??? go figure....

But it was so fun to have her interact with another child again after being home all day with her sitter and not really having a chance to interact with other kids, I think these outings are crucial for her social development.

Speaking of having her interact with more kids..... she will be getting PLENTY of it really soon.  Last Monday my sitter gave her 2 weeks notice, she is moving in with her son in NC so she wil be leaving us.  Remember she comes to our home to watch Chloe so Chloe has been having a lot of one one one attention for the past 2 months since she has been our sitter.

Well the past week since she told me I have been begging the Lord to open a door to a new place I felt comfortable leaving my girl..... She is so precious to me and I will not be leaving her just anywhere that is cheap or convenient to our house, it has to be the RIGHT place.

Well just 3 weeks ago I called the church day school I really want to put her in and she has been on their waiting list since April for a spot in their nursery, and they said they did not have anything and they thought it would be more like October or even November before a spot would open!!!  I was very discouraged.  So fast forward to today- Sweetness and I were just about to go looking at some DayCare centers and I looked at my phone and I had a message from the head of the church day school!!!

In God's divine providence, they have a baby that is moving unexpectedly and Chloe was next on the waiting list!!!!  I literally had tears in  my eyes as I told her how I have begged God as I lay awake at night to open a door like this!!!  She reassured me that He knows all our needs and He has been so faithful to us time and again, so why doubt Him now?

So we went there and got the packet of about 100 pages we have to fill out for her- but she will start on Monday July 16th and be in a nursery with 9 other little babies her age and have tons of interaction with other kids and I think its going to be so wonderful for her!  So while we are sad that she wont be at her home and crib anymore, I actually think this is better and best for her long term development socially and spiritually.  They sing songs and tell them bible stories at this school and she will be getting lessons about Jesus each and every day!!!  Her spiritual growth is just as important, if not more so than her academic growth- and she will get both here at the DaySchool!! 

We give the Praise to Him who has been so faithful to our family- and we look forward to what He has for our sweetest little girl at her new "school."  I will certainly keep you updated as to how she does in her new surroundings.....that's all for now- next up the fourth of July celebrations and Sweetness' family was here to celebrate with us- just have to download the pictures from my camera :)

A Saturday in the life of Chloe

So this past Saturday, it was about 100 degrees out, much too hot to do the yardwork or anything really.  So we lounged in bed almost all morning, and Chloe really thought that was neat-rolling all over Mommy and Daddy! We snuggled and played games and just got a lot of lovin in on our girl!!!  She then wanted to watch her little cartoon show on BabyFirst channel and she just squeals and laughs so much with the kids on that show!!!  Its amazing how drawn they are to other children!

                        She was having a great time sitting on our bed just laughing and singing with her cartoons  :)

About 11 am she was ready for a nap and then ate some lunch around 1pm.  We then decided to take her out in her new baby pool that I purchased on Amazon.  It is sooo cute!!!  So we put Daddy on the job  of blowing the thing up, and before long he broke out the air compressor. It was a job to blow all these little parts up!!!

It was such a hit!!!!  The water was HOT coming out of the hose becausee it was over 100 degrees out, so we had to actually add some cold water to it!!  Crazy I tell ya.

So as Daddy kept his hands on her and watched closely, I was taking a zillion pictures and even took a video of her laughing and squealing with joy as she splashed and splashed!!

I love how this pool has it's own shade for the baby so they dont get so much direct sunlight!!  Its really quite ingenious.  It also comes with 3 small mushrooms, you can see the red and blue ones in the pic above--that you blow up and they sit in these small holes on the side of the main pool.  It also comes with 3 round butterflies that you blow up and they velcro to the yellow arms that support the mushroom's top!!  Its so cute to look at as well as play in.

I have since found out from my girlfriend, that she got one very similar to this for her baby at WalMart if anyone is interested in buying one like it for their little one!!

So after about 45 mins in the kiddie pool her skin was getting  a bit pruned, so we took her out, and put her straight in the bath since she was smothered in sunscreen and it makes her so oily, and she splashed some more.....

Then she had some dinner and a bottle and played in her jumperoo for a bit, and then it was time for her to go to bed for her 12 hours of beauty rest!!  We have the best baby- she sleeps for 12 hours at night and she really likes to sleep- just like her momma!!!

I hope you have enjoyed a day in the life of Chloe-she has the life really!!!

38 weeks!!!!

38 weeks old!!!  Where does the time go??!!   My baby is getting so grown up.  She can wave bye bye now, and she claps her hands in delight when she sees me and Daddy come through the door!!  It certainly is the dog days of summer right now....Geesh- its over 100 degrees everyday now and I am looking so forward to the fall breezes coming really soon.  I hate summer time- but I do love getting outside with baby girl and letting her explore her world!

 I just love this dress on her- she looks so patriotic!!!  And this cute red white and blue headband that coordinates just perfectly!!!  Ive been holding on to it just for her to wear on the fourth of July and to church this week.

 Baby girl loves to curl those toes!!!  :)

 The most beautiful face and porcelain skin.....:)

She is the happiest, funnest, silliest little girl ever!!

We can't wait for Daddy's family to get here tonight!!  This is their first time meeting Chloe, and they are staying with us all week!!.  Its going to be so much fun as Chloe celebrates her first 4th of July tomorrow!!!  I will keep this post short and sweet, but there will be many many more pics to come this week!!!

We wish you and your family the happiest 4th of July ever!!



Some fun shots from this past week!

Baby girl is getting so fun and full of herself!

 Grandma came over Friday night and we went out to dinner!  She is so busy now, and active that she will not sit in her carrier while we eat anymore, so we have to occupy her the whole time.

 But everybody just gravitates to her and her infectious smile, even strangers are talking to her wherever we go!

 She can sit up really well now, but she still has not even begun to crawl yet, that is until this morning she actually pulled her legs up under her and got on her knees!!!  So it wont be long.....  She loves to stand like this all the time, and I was reading the baby book about what to expect over the first year and they say some babies can skip crawling all together. I had no idea!!!

 Maybe thats what she will do, who knows~ but she has certainly mastered sitting in a very short time!!  This picture that I captured below has got to be one of my new all time favorites of her!!!  Man is she one beautiful baby girl!!!

So cute story ahead...... My step dad went to 7-11 one day and he found a day old kitten screaming and screaming, he waited for over an hour but the mother NEVER came.  We assume she abandoned the baby.  It was pouring down rain and he wasnt leaving the baby out there to die, so he scooped her up and went to Wal Mart and got bottles and kitten formula and much to my mother's shagrin brought her home!!!

Well that was 3 weeks ago, and the baby kitty is doing well, everybody in the family is taking turns feeding her, but she got a bit constipated and so I had to take her to the vet earlier that day. 

So after dinner, we came home and put Chloe in her PJs and decided to show her the baby kitty.....

 Here is my mom holding Chloe and showing her the baby.  She loved the baby!!!  And she wanted to get her hands on that baby kitty as you can see from the pictures.  But it was a really sweet moment!!!

 Then on Saturday, Daddy happened to put on his beloved Clemson Tigers t-shirt, so I thought I would put Chloe in her matching "Clemson Cutie" skirted onesie!!!!  Man they looked so cute together!!!  Daddy is sooooo ready for football season to start- shoot- Mommy is too!!!  We are a football loving family and anything that has to do with Clemson or Alabama- we are so there!!!

 This pic below is one of my faves of the 2 loves of my life!!! I am going to have it printed and put in the frame I gave him for Father's Day!

 And below are just some shots I took a couple days ago of my girl in Daddy's favorite aqua color!!

 She is making some of the funniest expressions lately!!! 

 And this is one of them.  I was happy I actually caught it!!  She looks like she is saying "Oooo I'm gonna get you momma!"  LOL

I hope everyone has a really great weekend coming up and an amazing 4th of July!!!  Sean's Aunt Joan and Uncle Bob are coming down to spend it with us!!!  I am so happy!!!  They are like my in-laws because Sean's parents are both deceased (I never got to meet them, although I would have loved to).  So they stood in for his parents at our wedding and they love us so much!!!  I can not wait for them to meet Chloe and take them around our area!!!  There will fo' sure be pictures!!!

Peace and Love Ya'll!!!