8 and 9 Month Update!

I do realize that Q is almost 10 months old, but give me a break, I have an almost 10 month old crawling around making messes all day so I don't get much down time! :) I remember when I couldn't wait until she started crawling, now I LONG for the days when she stayed in one spot ALL day! She's so beautiful though (even if she's starting to look more like her daddy!) I can't imagine how much crazier life will get once Q starts walking!! I'm sure then, I will long for the days when all she could do was crawl, but I'm so grateful for this amazing blessing God has blessed M and I with, we will not take any moment for granted!

I thought it would be fun to make a list of all Q's favorites! So here we go:

FAVORITE GUY: Daddy of course! When he gets home from work, all I have to do is open the door and as soon as Q sees daddy she makes a beeline for him wherever she is in the house!

FAVORITE GAME: Hide n seek.

FAVORITE FOODS: Bananas. She can eat a whole banana, it's actually a little crazy. Other favorites are: blueberries (she just discovered these 3 days ago!), pasta, cheerios, and eggs.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Slapping Mommy and Daddy in the face to show how much she loves you, giving the most slobbery kisses you have ever imagined, reading with mommy, bath time, eating EVERYTHING, being outside, banging the water hose against the washer to make music, and napping (but honestly, who DOESN'T love napping?)

FAVORITE ADULT THINGS: The remote, the computer, anything shiny, anything that makes noise, anything with bright colors, GLASSES, necklaces, hair, mirrors (she thinks she's SO cute), mommy's make up brushes, and anything else she hasn't thoroughly examined yet.

FAVORITE NOISES: "dadadadada" and extremely high pitched squeals that she likes to save for church and movies.

I think that's about all I can remember right now. On to the pictures! :)

I smile good! 

Just trying a new do

Did I mention, she likes to climb? 

Looking like Daddy here! 

Practicing for the next Exorcist remake

Attempting to eat sticky rice! (Notice hands)

Just adoring herself

After bath pic, she immediately peed on me...

Watching the Cowboy Parade with Papaw last weekend! 

Cuddling with Mommy

Pumpkin Patch with Nee Nee

Watching fireworks with Daddy on Halloween

Fireworks! 

And then of course there is the I'm finished taking pictures face. :)

MONTH 6 and 7.

I'm finally getting a chance to give an update on Q. I know people are busy ALL the time, but seriously, we've been busy ALL the time lately. I have been making a TON of cakes, which is pretty awesome, but also means I don't have much down time, but that's ok, I like contributing to the family income, even if it's just a little tiny bit compared to my hubby!

But enough about me, let's get to Q! Since my last post, we were lucky enough to go to Sulpur Springs Camp with Grams, Aunt Lisa, Mary Anne, Cathy and Uncle Mike! Everyone had a blast! I miss it already! Q even swam in 68 degree spring water (with a lot LESS fussing than her dear Uncle Mike, I might add too!). The camping/vacation trip was too short!! I love spending time with my in-laws, they're pretty cool. :)

Grams and Q at the river!

Just a few weeks ago, I took Q to her 6 month appointment. She weighed 17 lbs and was 24" (I think...) tall! Her pediatrician printed out some growth charts for us to see where she compared with the average height/weight of kids her age. She's a little chubbier (no surprise there!) than average, BUT also a little taller than average so she balances out! Her noggin' was in a good range too! Her ped. also gave us advice about helping Q learn to crawl, no more walker, a LOT more tummy time. And seriously, she has made SO much progress since her appointment, it's crazy! Actually, I am proud to say that today, she literally took her first "step" crawling wise!! She moved her entire left side, knee forward followed by arm. I was so excited I started yelling and clapping and jumping up and down. I think I actually scared her and she stopped doing it! But I'm so glad that Marty and I both got to see her do that together! Usually he, or both, of us miss her firsts!! (Like when I walked back into the room and she had rolled over without me!!). She is literally on the brink of crawling around like crazy!!! It's SOOOOO exciting! She already rolls from one side of the room to the other. Particularly, to the TV to pull ALL the wires out from under the entertainment center. We're going to have to do something about that soon!! Here's a video!!

Q also has two bottom teeth! I wouldn't of even known she was teething unless I was keeping an eye, or finger, out for it! She is still just as happy and sweet and usual. I told Marty that she had two teeth and was still happy and he said, "Geez, is ANYTHING going to effect this kid?!" But I mean seriously, will ANYTHING effect this kid? I'm pretty laid back, but she is like on an entirely different level of chill! I LOVE it!!

Her ped. also suggested that we start giving her teething biscuits and she LOVES them! She actually feeds herself! I cannot believe how big she is getting already! We also have some little star shaped teething biscuits, but she hasn't really gotten the index finger, thumb grip down yet. The teething biscuits are long and a lot easier for her to grab. We are still feeding her baby food at least once a day, and I think I've FINALLY figured out her constipation problem!! She just needs some extra water throughout the day. If she drinks a few ounces a day, she's totally fine. I'm really glad we got that figured out, it was rough hearing her cry every time she had to make a doodle!

We also let Quinn stay with NeeNee and Papaw in Dublin for an ENTIRE week. Needless to say, it was a VERY spur of the moment decision. We of course had NO idea what to do with ourselves all week, but Q did just fine. Cousin L also spent an entire week with us. At the end of the week M said, "I think we should just have one kid." Haha. We had a lot of fun, though! L just wanted to carry Q around ALL the time...let's just say that Q had more face plants that week than she had EVER had. Haha. In L's defense though, she made her laugh a whole lot too! At the weirdest things, it's like if you're trying to make her laugh she knows what you're doing and will NOT laugh for you. But just yesterday I was looking on the computer and look over the screen to meet Q's eyes and she started laughing!! SO CRAZY! You can just tell that L loves her more than anything else in the entire world, except maybe lamby. We took L and Q swimming at the Pleasanton pool, which of course was really fun, and I also took both of them to the movies. Quinn basically squealed  throughout the ENTIRE movie, I guess she was really into it.

Anyway, Quinn is so happy and perfectly healthy. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think how blessed M and I are that we have a beautiful, healthy baby. We have seriously been SO BLESSED during this major change in our lives. Here are some pics, ENJOY!

6 month picture! 

Two bottom teeth! 

4th of July! I know it's old, but I wanted to show her outfit! 

Her small teething biscuits looking like front teeth!

A WAY too late 5 month update!

Being that Quinn will be 6 months old tomorrow, I've practically missed her 5 month update!  We've got a lot to talk about people, so let's get started!

Since my last post about Memorial Day weekend, we've celebrated Father's Day AND the 4th of July! It was Daddy's first Father's Day, one that he's been longing to have for many years, so it was an EXTRA special day for the whole family! I made him a breakfast pizza to start the day off right and then we made our way to Dave and Busters in San Antonio (what a great father-daughter activity). Quinn was mesmerized by all the lights and noises, she could of stayed there forever I imagine, which would probably also be fine with Daddy. It was overall a GREAT day, especially for my hubby, I'm so happy he gets to finally celebrate Father's Day now!

Quinn's Father's Day present to Daddy! Got the idea from Pinterest! 

At D&B. She is waving around the napkin rose Daddy made for her! 

A few weeks after Father's Day, Quinn and I made our way to Lampasas/Dublin to celebrate Lyla's 7th birthday!! (And to see family too, but let's face it, we went for Lyla!). It was a whirlwind weekend that I think I'm still recovering from! I know I say this ALL the time, but we're SERIOUSLY LUCKY to have such an awesome baby who SLEEPS when traveling a long way. We do have to make more stops for feedings and changings, but other then that our trips are just as smooth as her little skin (fingers crossed they stay this was as she gets older!). We met Grams for lunch in Lampasas at my new favorite restaurant Alfredo's! It's SO GOOD! Quinn was SO excited at the restaurant, I think partly because she was happy to be out of her car seat and partly because she LOVES new places! Grams could barley keep her from jumping out of her lap!

At Alfredo's! 

Lyla's party was Friday in Granbury. It was a sleep over/pool party and man can those girls party! I stayed to help with all the kiddos and I'm pretty sure I was the first one asleep! Nee Nee, Papaw and Cousin Natalie brought Quinn back to Dublin so it was the first night we were a part! I didn't think I would miss her as much as I did in just ONE night! During the party Quinn swam and she loved it! She wasn't too sure at first (the water was COLD!) but after she got used to it, she splashed and kicked around! All the kids had a good time, and Lyla even got her pretty little face SMASHED in her cake! (NO, it wasn't me!) I was so glad Quinn liked the pool! Swimming is so much fun!

At Lyla's Party! 

In Nee Nee and Papaw's hot tub! Wasn't too sure at first! 

Bottom tier of L's cake

Swimming pool on top with L and Q!

While we were in Dublin, we had to go and visit Nana and Papaw Ken! While we were there Papaw Ken fed Quinn her first taste of solids, homemade whipping cream (thanks Papaw!). She wasn't too sure how to eat it, so she just stuck her tongue out and Papaw would scrap the spoon across leaving the whipped cream behind. I don't think I've ever seen him laugh so hard, it was so funny! I wish we had a picture or video of it, but I will remember it forever! MEMORIES! Quinn laughed so much while we were down there, Nee Nee has it on video, I'll get it and post it for you guys! That's probably my most favorite sound in the world, her little belly laugh!

As I've already said, Quinn is officially on solids now, (and not just whipping cream)! We've started her on bananas, and she LOVES them. Daddy and I read an article where parents are starting to let their kids feed themselves starting at 6 months old now (CRAZY, right?!). We tried it, but she kept gagging and that freaks me out, so I can't do it. I'm feeding her for now, but trying to make the food more chunky with each feeding, so maybe she'll be able to eat my herself pretty soon (with parental supervision, of course!). I've also bought Quinn a sippy cup and all I can say about that is that I'm glad it's a no spill lid! she grabs the handles and just goes crazy throwing it up, down, up, down. She's better at feeding herself with her sippy cup rather than a bottle, but hopefully she'll really get the hang of it soon!

As for crawling and teething, the next two big milestones! She can lift herself up to where her entire upper body is off the floor, now she's just gotta get her legs involved! And while we were in Dublin, Aunt Melissa felt a bump on her upper gum! I know usually the bottom teeth come in first, but maybe she'll be special! She still drools constantly, but isn't fussier than normal so I'm not sure what's going on with her teeth! We'll see I guess!

I almost forgot to talk about the 4th! It was a pretty good day, we spent most of the day in San Antonio, shopping! Since it's July it's officially my birthday month, which means I can buy whatever I want! (Sorry Daddy!). As it turns out, however; we bought more things for Quinn than for myself, but it was a REALLY awesome deal so I couldn't turn it down! We just watched our neighbors pop fireworks outside, but Quinn was once again mesmerized by all the pretty lights and she also got her first official bruise, on her forehead too! She did a face plant in the back of Daddy's truck :( (it was my fault)! She just moves so fast I didn't even have time to react before she hit her head!! It's pretty faint so I don't think CPS will be knocking on our door. Here are some more pictures of my little cute, cuddly, and mischievous daughter! I'll try and get some pics of her 4th outfit and some videos to upload! ENJOY! B.

She REALLY REALLY loves bananas! 

You walk away for two seconds and come back to this! 

Snoozing in Papaw's chair. 

This literally happened when I was blogging! Hurry up MOM! 

Her brand new walker we got at the store today! 

Swinging at the Park for the first time! 

Memorial Weekend and Bumbo!

This weekend we were lucky enough to make it to the Anderson Family Reunion on Lake Granbury. I always love going to this and seeing family you probably wouldn't see otherwise. This was technically Quinn's second reunion, but she was just a tiny little peanut in my tummy last year! Of course everyone loved her and thought her chubby thighs were the cutest! She also got to meet her cousin Chasleigh for the first time! Chasleigh is 6 months old and loved Quinn! She crinkled her nose with a huge smile every time she saw Quinn! They were both so good all weekend being passed from Aunt to Aunt. We also brought them a pool to splash in, but they were not fans of the super cold water! NEXT YEAR! It was a short, but great weekend! We can't wait for next year!

With Cousin Lyla and Papaw! 

With Mason, Chasleigh, Uncle Jay and Aunt SueLynn

Quinn also had her 4 month appointment (with shots) last week. She did GREAT, cried for a few moments, but was perfectly fine after a few minutes! Her doctor still assured us that her head is shaped perfectly and healthy in every other way too! We

We're still trying the rice cereal out. It's getting better, but she's still not a HUGE fan of it. Her doctor told us to make it a little thicker and that seemed to work better, she just has to get used to that spoon!! 

Quinn can almost sit up on her own now! (YAY!) We bought a Bumbo chair for her last week and it seems to be helping her sit up better on her own. I can't wait until she's able to sit up on her own and really starts to giggle! (and NOT just for Daddy either!) She's continuing to be the greatest blessing of our lives! Loving every moment these days!

BIG GIRL! 

Quick note on my weight loss journey, since I posted last I've lost 5 more pounds! BUT, I'm pretty sure I gained it all back this weekend, no one's on a diet on Memorial Day!! Found this AMAZING recipe that I want to share: Gwyneth Paltrow's Braised Chicken. Not only is she a gorgeous movie star, she's a pretty amazing cook! I've made this recipe three times already and it just keeps getting better! It does however; take a pretty long time to cook, but it's NECESSARY if you want it to taste amazing! It's worth the wait, I promise!! Thanks for stopping by, if you try the recipe let me know how it goes! YUMMY!

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Braised-Chicken-Green-Olives-Lemon-Gwyneth-Paltrow

Greek Yogurt Pancakes!

As promised, here is the recipe for Greek yogurt pancakes that I just discovered via Pinterest. First of all, if you haven't joined Pinterest I highly recommend it! It's AMAZING!! It's basically a HUGE inspiration board  for almost everything! Seriously, check it out.

Anyway, back to this recipe. I'm pretty skeptical about the "healthy" version of anything. 1. Because I love butter. 2. It never seems to taste as good as the original. Especially when it comes to pancakes. I have a very deep and loving relationship with many types of pancakes. So, when I stumbled upon this recipe I probably wouldn't of given it a second thought, but I already had the ingredients PLUS I've decided to begin a healthy lifestyle to get rid of the baby weight for good! And HEY, if I can find a pancake recipe that I could have everyday, then I'm on board!

Ok, first things first DON'T be alarmed at how thick the batter is, it's supposed to be that way!
Second, I substituted whole wheat flour instead of white flour. (YAY ME!)
And thirdly, I added a little vanilla to make them even more yummy!

Enough chit chat, here's the recipe link:

http://www.everydaybelle.com/2011/06/greek-yogurt-pancakes/

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did! And don't be afraid to add some blueberries, bananas, or strawberries to the batter! YUM!

4 MONTHS OLD!

Hello again! Our little one is 4 months old! Well, actually she's almost 5 months now! I know I've bragged about her being the most sweetest and laid-back baby all the time, but I just can't help it! She really is!! She sat through my brother's THREE hour graduation ceremony from UTSA (which I'm super proud about!)  like an angel! Everyone we saw had to complement on how cute and well-behaved she was. We took her musical sea horse with us (that's the secret weapon we use when she gets a little cranky from lack of sleep) and she just oohed and ahhed to her sea horse, they were having quite the conversation and were creating quite the scene, but everyone around us just loved it and couldn't stop smiling! She oohs and ahhs to just about everyone/everything she sees these days. We've had many conversations about daddy (when he's not around, or course) already ;).

Q's also got this new thing where she just stares at her hands. It's exactly like it is in the movies (you know, when a person is little high ((and NOT on life)) and they notice their hands for the first time and they say something like "Whoa dude, look at my hand!"). That's what it's like for her, seriously. It's hilarious. She cracks me up.

I took her to the doctor Tuesday, there was a little concern that her head was a little mishapen in the back, but I'm happy to report that she is growing just perfectly! She weighed 14 lbs and 13 oz, and is now 24 inches long! The days seem long, but the months seem to go by SO fast, 5 MONTHS next month, 5!! Then she'll be half a year old after that, I CANNOT believe it! I've already started brain-storming party ideas for her first birthday! (A little crazy, I know!)

I've also found out the trick to getting her to sleep right when we put her down, WITHOUT crying! The very first sign of her getting sleepy (rubbing her eyes, gets slightly fussy) she gets put in her crib. I turn her sea horse on and by the time the sea horse is done, she is out! You would think it would work the opposite way, the longer she stays up, the sooner she'll go to sleep when you put her down, but that's not the case! The fussier I let her get, the longer she cries when she goes down for a nap! Weird, right? I'm guessing it's because she gets over-stimulated and just doesn't know what to do with herself! That was the case on Monday after graduation for sure! We didn't get home until around 6, and she just cried and cried for the longest time, I put her down hoping she would finally calm down and fall asleep, but that just made it worse! Daddy finally had to bundle her up really tight and rock her to sleep! (Good job Daddy!)

Now I'm going to talk about myself for a moment: WEIGHT LOSS AFTER BABY! I've done ok, I guess. I've lost about 34 lbs since birth, which might seem like a lot, but I went a little crazy while pregnant and gained 50 lbs! Like my doctor told me to stop gaining weight (OOPS!). I would like to lose AT LEAST 10 more pounds, preferably 15! But I'm SUPER lazy, like SUPER lazy, especially when it comes to diet and exercising. I would rather just eat one DELICIOUS, fattening meal a day, than diet and exercise. That's healthy, right?? But I've just had to make myself start eating more and more veggies. If you know me, you know that this is a MIRACLE! And, much to my surprise, they aren't THAT bad! Actually kinda taste good!  Who knew?! Now comes the really hard part for me, exercising at least 4 times a week. I've discovered ZUMBA, which is super fun and still a nice sweat building workout! Try it out if you hate exercising! I literally just go to YOUTUBE and type in Zumba workouts and there are plenty for FREE!

This is a really long post and I hope you've stayed tuned this long! I wrote the entire last article to tell you that I'm going to begin to chronicle my weight loss here too. 1. To share super yummy and HEALTHY recipes that I've discovered and 2. Because knowing I actually have to have good results will give me more willpower to stay with it!

I'll leave you with a little note I saw on my sister-in-laws pantry door (who by the way is super awesome with weight loss and WAY more disciplined than I) "NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS BEING SKINNY FEELS." I probably need to write that on every door and cabinet in my kitchen! It's a great reminder! I hear my little zombie baby making zombie noises from her crib now, so she must be awake! (Seriously, she definitely sounds like a zombie sometimes). Thanks for sticking with me! Bless your little heart! Enjoy the pics!

Q really likes the Big Bang Theory...

3 Month Update With Pictures!

I CANNOT believe my precious little girl is 3 months already! If I have to be honest, some days it feels like I've been a mom for years, but just yesterday I was getting all her pictures together to start her scrap book and just couldn't believe how much she has changed in these three short months that we've been blessed to have her. In the wake of all the tragedies that have been happening recently her daddy and I have both been holding her a little closer, not taking a moment for granted. But we also praise God for her continued health and safety. Below is are a few comparison pics!

The week we brought her home

Taken yesterday for her 3 month pic

Q is not longer being breastfed. I literally just deleted an entire paragraph I had been working on to tell you how this came about, but I'll just get to the point: I feel that bottle feeding allows me to be a better mom. Yes I know and agree that breast IS best and the nutrition is out of this world. But honestly, if I feel that I can be a better mom and appreciate the time I have with my precious daughter more while bottle feeding, I will not feel guilty for doing it (I wasn't breastfed and turned out just about as fabulous as one can get). I sometimes feel that people get a little out of control about breast feeding, but as I've said before (and will probably say again) DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. And this works for us.

Anyway, back to my little child. We are seriously SO lucky, Q only cries maybe once or twice a day and that's it. When she starts to get fussy, I just put her in her crib and she's out. Some days I can't even remember her crying at all! (I know some of you are probably starting to hate me right about now, but oh well.) 90% of the time she is all smiles all the time. She loves when we sing to her and she's starting to sing back to us, it's the sweetest sounds I've ever heard. She can also stand a couple of seconds while we hold on to her hands, and she holds her head up a lot better while she's having tummy time now. Oh and she likes to watch me ZUMBA, she thinks it's funny. Here are a few more of my favorite pics of her:

Spring Break and 2 month update.

Q and I spent spring break in the Dublin/Lampasas area. Here's a little rundown of how busy the week was for us:

We went to a wedding, visited Nana for a day, had a baby shower, shopped, visited Grams for a few days, a TON of driving, and she was constantly passed around from family and friends. But luckily I have been blessed with a pretty awesome child and she was (mostly) smiles through it all. We had such a great time visiting everyone, but we're SO glad to be back home and back to seeing daddy everyday!

Since we've been back home, Q has had her two month appointment. I think we all know that means shots. Luckily daddy was off two days in a row (miracle!) so he was able to come and support her (and me). There was a split second where I thought she wasn't going to cry, but then the tears came. It wasn't too bad though, with the help of Tylenol, we made it through. She actually only cried a few minutes after the shots and was good for the rest of the day! Tough little cookie!

She officially weighs 12lbs and is now 23 inches long! Growing little lady! We had to ask her doctor about a few things; over spring break, Q developed a skin/diaper rash, as well as cradle cap (or as M and I call it, cradle crap!) There was a while where the poor little thing would cry when we changed her diaper because it hurt so bad :(. But we've gotten that cleared up now and have switched to fragrance free soaps and lotions, which seems to be working so far. As from the cradle crap, the doctor suggested to rub some baby oil on her head and it's worked for a couple of days, but it's coming back. Any suggestions that might clear that up for good would be greatly appreciated!

A little update on Q's schedule: we were doing pretty well with it, until we went to visit everyone back home. No one could put her down for a second, so she's gotten used to falling asleep in warm arms and not in her crib. But I can't blame them I guess, she's just SO cuddly! I am finding out that I'm not so crazy about getting her on a perfect schedule anymore. We just kind of do whatever works for us. The main reason for this, I think, is because I'm used to being a mom now. It took longer than I thought, honestly. And in the beginning, as I've confessed in past blogs, it's pretty darn hard! When Q was first born, people would ask me all the time, "How do you like being a mom?" and some would even ask, "Isn't it the best job in the world?" That's the worst question you could ever ask a new mom, at least it was for me! Why don't you save that question for a few months down the road, when we're adjusted to this new life? I'm going to start asking new moms, "Would you like a shot?!" That's more appropriate for the first few weeks!

But now feel free to ask how I love being a mom, because now I can't truthfully say that's it's so awesome! Especially since the little one smiles all time! Those little toothless grins make it all worth while!


Best parenting advice I've recieved thus far:

DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU!

ROUTINE! ROUTINE! ROUTINE!

This week I've been trying get Q on a routine (both for her sanity and mommy and daddy's!). After researching online, my husband and I decided 6 weeks would be a good time to start this. Then I started reading the book, On Becoming Babywise ,and found out if we started Q's routine on week one, according to the book, she would already be sleeping through the night. Can I have a do-over?! After kicking myself for not reading the book sooner, we began the long process of starting a routine. *note: this book was loaned to me by a friend who has had success with this method three different times, so you know I jumped at the suggestion! The book suggests a parenting/feeding style called parent directed feeding, in this process I decide when she eats/sleeps/etc. while at the same time staying flexible to her needs and making sure she stays full, happy and satisfied. It's basically a nice medium between parent led routines and baby led routines. I'm all about nice happy mediums, I just can't take all the EXTREMES of the world!

Anyway, I began by looking at sample routines online and used the sample as a guideline for Q's routine. According to her routine, she gets three naps throughout the day and six feedings (or more if she wakes at night, which she ALWAYS does at the moment). The first two days were pretty rocky, so I revised the times to make it more accommodating for everyone (the day does NOT start before 7AM!). It's going.....how shall I say this......okay (I guess). I feel like it's more of a hit and miss with Q. Sometimes she's all about routine and making life easier for mommy and sometimes she just wants to see just how far she can push it (and she's only 6 weeks old! What does that mean for the teen years?!). Another obstacle we had to conquer was the transition from sleeping in her swing in mommy and daddy's room to her crib in her nursery. (**confession** sometimes I let her sleep beside us when she constantly wakes up. I know, I know this is BAD, VERY BAD! We're working on it, OK?!) All I can say about that is she's officially cried herself to sleep as of yesterday, during that time basically locked myself in our bathroom and made as much noise as possible so I wouldn't be tempted to go pick her up. You might think that makes me a bad mommy, and if so feel free to come get my child on a schedule for me!

All jokes and stress aside, I am still confident that I will succeed in this venture! I'm sure we will DEFINITELY be doing things differently in the future with Q's brother or sister (or maybe we'll just get a puppy and call it a day). I do believe she is getting better though and with the good grace of God we will survive! I'll be sure to give an update on how things are going soon!

*P.S. I kind of like getting parenting advice from everyone I know, but also kind of not. So if you will just give me some encouragement that would be just as fantastic! (Spanks! Love you!)

First trip to the G-ma's house!

Q and mommy and daddy just got back from a weekend full of visits from friends and family. As my step-sister would say, "Every one should walk into a room and feel invisible once in a while." That is definitely what it was like, Q this and Q that. At one point someone even told my husband when he walked in without her, "We don't want to see you! Where's the baby?!" haha. (love you too fam!)

Our weekend started on Friday when we drove to Lampasas to spend the night with Grams and Aunt Lisa. We had a great time! Q even got to meet Uncle Mike and Aunt Cathy for the first time! They brought her all kinds of presents! Actually, every person we saw pretty much had gifts, we didn't really even need to pack anything, she got enough new clothes to last the entire weekend!

Saturday morning, we left to come to Dublin to see NeeNee, Papaw, Aunt Melissa, Cousin Lyla! But first Q had to make an apperance at one of my best friends bridal shower and of course everyone oohed and ahhed over her. After the shower, we went to NeeNee and Papaw's. I'm pretty sure Lyla has psychic powers when it comes to Q because as soon as we walked in the door, she called to see if we had made it yet! Saturday night was a great night full of fantastic food (steak, potatoes, and banana pudding) family and friends! The best part was that NeeNee and Papaw offered to watch Q Saturday night so daddy and I could relax in the hot tub and get a good nights rest! Lyla said she would get up to change her, feed her and rock her back to sleep, but she didn't quite make it.

Sunday after church, Q got to see Nana and Papaw Ken again, and this time Papaw Ken got to hold her for the first time! Sunday night we spent the night with Grams and Aunt Lisa again and this time Grams watched Q during the night so mommy and daddy could sleep (we love family!).

We came home Monday. Q did so good all weekend. But I don't really know for sure, because I only got to hold her a couple of times, every one else hogged her while we were away! Daddy and I both agree that it was a nice little break, but we're also glad we get to hog her constantly now! Here are some pics from Q's first visit to the G'mas!


L reading to Q under her present from Aunt Cathy and Uncle Mike

Q loves her Aunt Cathy





Of course her favorite person is L!



Q and Papaw Ken