Happy Halloween!

Encompassing "Lost"

I've lost my camera. I'm a little panicked. I'm a LOT panicked. It has to be somewhere in my house. I think. It's somewhere, right? Then why can't I find it?


Weight loss update: I've lost 11 pounds in 25 days. Not great, but not too bad! And, I'm still not biting my nails.


I walked/jogged the Dash for Dads 5k on Saturday. My friend Kat and her daughter Taylor got me going! Liv, of course, came with us. We did it in just under an hour, which I don't think is too bad since we stopped twice for Liv. The part I'm the most proud of, you ask? That would be wearing my 25 pound baby in her Ergo carrier for almost 2/3 of the race and actually jogging part of that!

I was excited that the race was at Camp Mabry, because what a fun place to visit and get to explore! However, I think my personal view was the best ;-)

Milestone Explosion

What is Miss O so happy about?! Oh no big deal, just teething, talking, and walking. WALKING!

First of all, she's got four teeth now, and she knows how to use them!

Then, two weekends ago, she kept saying, "Ogga! Ogga!" and Chris and I really thought she was saying Dog. By Sunday, she had it down to, "Dogga!" which she got from us over-enunciating the G at the end of Dog. By Monday, it was very, very clear her first word was dog! Of course. Granted, all three dogs, the birds at the park, the cats, and my Dad's chinchilla are all dogs, now.

Followed shortly after Dog was Mom-Mom, Dada, and (Proud Mommy Moment here -not-) "NO!" She's made all these as noises for a while, but over the last two weeks she's really shown us that she is applying them correctly. She's got words and she knows how to use them!

And most recently, she's started taking steps. I about died. From a sleepy little newborn that could barely hold her head up to a walking, talking little human in my house in 9 short months?! Mind blowing.

She's been cruising for over five months, and I kept waiting for her to walk. I guess she was fine with taking her time. Sunday night she took her very first unassisted step. I was hanging clothes and she was in the bathroom. I know as long as I hear the open-close-open-close of the cabinet doors, she's not into anything bad. When that stopped I went in to get her, and walked around the corner just in the nick of time! I saw her let go of the cabinet door and take a step towards the toilet. I know, what a glamorous first step story, but STILL! She walked! And since then (aka 3 days) she's taken a grand total of 9 more steps. She's got legs and she knows how to use them!

"That's right, I'm so cool I gosta wear a sweater."

Port Aranasas - September 2011

* Warning for certain audiences: there are pictures of me breastfeeding in here. It was a beautiful moment with my baby girl, so sorry for any eye scarring I cause. It just wouldn't be a well documented vacation without including these pictures. :-) There are also pictures of skinny bitch (aka my sister) in a bikini. Nothing I can do about that, that's just what she looks like :-P

Most of my family made a trek down to Port Aransas, TX for a little vacation this year. Both my parents, my sister and her boyfriend, my grandmother, Chris, Olivia, and myself went down for 5 days. It was beautiful!

Olivia's first ferry ride! She, like most things, loved it! 

Dad and Chris ... "bird" watching.

 Our first night there, we managed to sneak a trip down to the water in before the sunset. We dressed Liv for the water, set her down in the sand and SHE WAS OFF! I have never, ever, ever seen her (or anyone on the planet) so happy in my life.

 Seagull chasing.

 Gigi and Liv

 Olivia, naturally, was the center of attention.

 Emily and her boyfriend Stephen.

 Emily, Stephen and our condo for the week. Top left corner - what a view!

 Emily and Poppy

 Out in the surf with Daddy.

 Too cool for school.

 Ladies in hats

 This is such a cool story! Gigi (my mother) and I were way out in the water - past the second sand bar. I saw something in the water and had to do a double take. Sure enough, there was a hummingbird out there! He flew up out of the water for a minute, but was clearly disoriented and fell back in. We scooped him up onto a boogie board and ran him onto shore. Chris and Gigi gave him some pure cane Cola for the sugar, and found him a place to dry off. Maybe an hour later, he buzzed up and flew off!

 It was definitely the trip of the hummingbird. Earlier that same day, we had been standing on the balcony at sunrise and a hummingbird flew up and hovered in front of us for a good ten seconds. He was less than a foot from my mother's face. He was just checking us out while we were checking him out! I like to think it was the same hummingbird that we later saved :-)

  My brother had school and work and couldn't come with us. However, Emily looks so much like Jake in this picture, I think he was there in spirit :-P

 "Score! Is anyone looking at me?"

 "I ... think ... I... can..."

 "Drasted cork!"

 Ummm ... not explanation other than boys are silly.

 Auntie Em showing her the fishies.

 Obligatory shark mouth photos.

"You bite me, I bite you."

It was a long drive there and back, since Liv wasn't too keen on being in her car seat. We made frequent stops and we all had fun. It was definitely a memorable vacation!