Teeth and parties!!

Well, I am finally going to have to say goodbye to that gummy little smile of yours.....

Teeth have emerged!! Two little sharp white teeth are just poking up from your bottom gums! Today you are 11 months and 12 days old - I wondered if you'd ever get any. Everyone who stops us out in public to compliment you or gush over you - in the grocery store, at the mall, everywhere! - they all see your drooly little chin and your fingers in your mouth and say "Oh, she must be teething!". Then we patiently explain how you've been "teething" since your were 3 months old - ha! People keep telling me that the longer it takes for teeth to come in, the better off you'll be. Not sure how reliable that is, but I'll take it! Plus, I have to say I really love your cute gummy smile - it makes you look very baby-like which makes mommy happy. You are growing up waaaaay too fast! So anyway, I wasn't really stressing about your teeth not being here yet. Now that they're here though, I am so excited! It's a big milestone, and it is really going to change how you look. My big girl. How I love you!

I tried really hard to take a picture of your new teeth, but you absolutely do NOT like having your mouth messed with....so this is the best I could get. See how mad you are?? Sorry!! :(


We also finally got a walker for you. Grandma has had one and says you do really well with it, so we decided it was time to get one for you too! We got it at Wal-Mart, and you LOVE it! It has really cool music on it which you like to dance to. So flipping cute! You are a pro at pulling up on it and walking, but still haven't gotten the steering part down. :)

Running into the wall.....

So since my last post, you have grown and changed so much! Your hair is coming in longer and thicker every day - it's very light and wispy, and oh so soft. When I ask you where mommy's hair is, you pat my hair/head, and then I ask where your hair is, and you rub the back of your head and make this cute little "eeehhhheeeehhh" sound. I love it! You are also learning where your nose and toes are. You are really smart, and you pick up on stuff super fast. You know who each family member is, you know the animals, you know bottle, yogurt, puffs, TV, cheadle, picture, and of course the fan. You wave really well now, and can blow kisses and give squeezes! Those are my favorites (obviously). You have a pillow that I bought for you in the shape of an owl. It's pink and is probably supposed to be a girl owl, but we named it Mr. Hoot Hoot. You seem to really love Mr. Hoot Hoot and will go get him and hug and kiss him.


You've always loved the book "Hippos Go Berserk", so of course daddy and I now have it memorized. Sometimes we'll just start reciting it without the book in front of us, and you'll stop whatever you're doing and just stare at us - like you're trying to figure out why what we're saying sounds so familiar. :) It's so much fun being your mommy and daddy!

I've been very busy planning your 1st birthday party! It's going to be birdie themed - "Sweet Tweet" - and so much fun! I'm planning to make the cake myself, plus a special little one just for you. I highly doubt you'll make much of a mess or eat a whole lot of it (you are still not all that in to solid food yet), but it will be fun anyway. Now if I could make a cake out of pickles, that might get you excited....

I'm also busy getting ready for Auntie Beth and Uncle JJ's baby shower. It's going to be on December 3rd (which is not so far away) in the same place she had our baby shower. Wilmot Gardens on the UF campus. It's a beautiful little building with gardens all around. I'm planning to buy a brick with your name on it to go in the garden in the Alumni section. Then you will have it there to go and see someday when you're all grown up - maybe you'll even go to college there too!

The baby shower is going to be butterfly and garden themed. I ordered the invitations yesterday and they are so pretty! I still have a lot to do though. I want to make this a stellar party for Beth and Justin. They both really deserve it. :) Oh, and I got to feel your cousin Charlotte kick for the first time the other day!!!! It was amazing! I cannot wait to meet her, and I can't wait to see your reaction to her too!

Here's Charlotte in Auntie Beth's tummy! Less than 4 months to go....

One last thing - we got a new camera, and it's a really good one! Below are some pictures that I think turned out AMAZING. I only wish we had been able to get it sooner....

Swinging at the park - I love your expression!

You like to drink the shower water. :)

I love the way you can see each little droplet of water...

I love you more and more every day my wondrous little girl. You surprise and enchant me on a daily (hourly) basis. I am the luckiest mommy in the history of mommies. :)

Lately these are the songs/poems that I have been singing/reciting to you. You seem to get really relaxed when you hear them....

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod (my Grandpa always sang this to me when I was little...)

"Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe---
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in that beautiful sea---
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish---
Never afeard are we";
So cried the stars to the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam---
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
'T was all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 't was a dream they 'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea---
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod."

And...

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

I love you, my sweet daughter.

xoxo,

Mommy

Crawling and sneezing and cousins...oh my!

You love this toy - when you spin the red wheel, it plays music and you love to rock forward and back to it. Plus, you've learned how to make the music play all by yourself - smarty pants!

Hello my beautiful ray of sunshine! It has definitely been too long since I last wrote - but I've just been so busy and preoccupied these days. Some of it boring grown-up stuff, but mostly just busy trying to keep up with you!

You reached some major milestones last week - the most impressive of which is you are crawling! Everywhere, and fast! On the Sunday before Labor day, we all went over to Chandra and Aiden's house to eat dinner and hang out. While we were there, you all of a sudden decided you could belly crawl (maybe you were trying to keep up with Aiden?). I caught a video of it on my phone - we were sooooo proud!! Well, that wasn't the end of it. About two days later I noticed you were occasionally going a few "steps" on your hands and knees, then you'd plop back down onto your belly and scoot along. I guess then something clicked in your sweet little head because by the very next day (Wednesday, September 7th) you were crawling like a champ! All over the place! So guess what mommy and daddy did this past weekend? BABYPROOFED! :) Yep, we got that gate up just in time. Sockets all covered up and all clutter gone! And an unexpected result of all this new found mobility? I am an obsessive vacuum-er now! Never thought I'd see the day....

See? Here you sit on a freshly vacuumed floor!

Okay, so that was a great milestone, but you also met a not so great one. Your very first cold. :( Yes, we tried sooooo hard to keep you from catching it, but Aunt Beth had it, then Uncle J, then Daddy, then Mommy, then you, then Grandma. I think it was unavoidable, and only a matter of time. Luckily you only had some sneezes and sniffles that lasted about two days, but it was still two days too long. You were so pitiful and it just about broke our hearts to see you like that. You were a sport though, and were back on the go in full force in no time. I know there are many more colds, sick tummies, scrapes and bumps to come in the future, and I'll just tell you now that I would take each and every one of them for you if I could! We will do our very best to protect you, our most precious and cherished girl, but these are the experiences that will come as you explore the world - and we so want you to explore it! :)

Here's a quick list of other things you can do: crawl (of course); pull up to standing and cruise along any surface you can get to; play pat-a-cake on command, or we can just say "clap", or you'll just mimic us clapping; we'll say "How big is the baby? Soooo big!" and you stretch your arms way out; wave bye-bye or hi (with the classic backwards wave - I love it!); you know what these words mean: "fan", "picture", "mommy" and "daddy", "Eddie, Dylan, doggy", "bottle", "kiss mommy", "can I have some?"; you can blow raspberries; and it reeeeallly sounds like you can say "hi", "hi daddy", or "hi Eddie"- still not sure if you're really saying it or not, but it sure sounds cute! Oh and you are completely obsessed with balloons. You point and start babbling very loudly and excitedly, it's so funny! You definitely know the word "balloon" and we almost always get you one when we go to Publix, otherwise you just about throw a fit! Haha! You are excruciatingly cute and endlessly entertaining...life is just so much fun with you around!

Here you are "cruising" and trying to get your hands on any and everything!

And the last (but biggest and BEST) news is......you are going to have a little cousin!!!! A girl cousin! Auntie Beth is pregnant and just found out that it's 85% likely to be a little girl! Of course, we've all known for a while now about her baby, but I didn't want to write about it too soon. I wanted to make sure she had announced it to everyone first before I did, but now we can shout it out. I am so happy for her and Uncle J!! And for you too, because you'll get to grow up with her - she'll be just as close to you as if she were your sister. The baby will be called Charlotte Patricia and is due to arrive around February 12th (or a week or so afterward if she takes after the girls in our family, haha!). Auntie Beth's tummy is growing bigger and bigger as little Charlotte grows, and she looks beautiful and healthy and happy! I am starting the planning for her baby shower which we'll have in early December. It's gonna be a great party and I can't wait!

I'm also starting to plan another splendid party for a sweet little girl who'll be turning one year old soon..... :) I can't believe it's already been almost a year since you came into my life and made the world infinitely more beautiful. I have loved every single solitary second of you, my darling Juliette. Every. Single. Second.

xoxo,

Mommy

P.S. We got a new car a couple of weeks ago, a 2010 black Mazda CX7 - I love it! It's a small SUV that is roomy enough for all my work stuff and your stuff, but still sporty and cute and fun to drive! :) We had to say goodbye to the Saturn. It was 11 years old and had been a good little car, but was time to be retired. I was a little sad because it was my first brand new car and my Grampa (Mimi's dad) helped me to get it when I was still in school and had no money. He was so sweet to help me out like that, and letting the Saturn go just reminded me of how much he did for me and how much I miss him. Someday when you're bigger, I'll tell you all about him and Grammy (Mimi's mom) and my dad too. They were all wonderful people who would have just loved and loved and loved you! Goodnight Julibean, I love you!

Madison Paige Staats

Today I am going to write about a beautiful little girl named Maddie. She was born healthy and perfect to two of the luckiest parents in the world. Her mom, Kellie, loves big colorful bows, and Maddie was her most gorgeous model. The oversize bows were often as big as (or bigger than) Maddie's head -- and she looked so adorable! -- but her personality was even bigger! Kellie writes so lovingly and adoringly about her daughter, beautifully describing Maddie's budding precociousness, commenting and marveling on the tiniest details and quirks that only a mommy or daddy might notice. James, Maddie's dad, has a blog too, and his heart clearly belongs to both his girls. He writes thoughtfully and honestly about how Maddie has changed his life, and how very much he loves and misses her.


Suddenly and unexpectedly, Maddie was taken from this earth when she was just a little over four months old, and her parents have been left to wonder why, and to count the minutes until they will get to hold their baby girl again. Kellie has chronicled her painful journey on her blog www.kandjstaats.blogspot.com and I have been a faithful reader. I found her blog through one of the many forums I'm a member of - her Maddie was born less than one month before my Juliette. I don't know Kellie or James, but I am a parent, so I know them.


Kellie asked that today, on her birthday, we bloggers do a post for Maddie. I feel honored that she would ask a bunch of strangers to write about her most precious accomplishment. I cannot find enough words to say how much I love a little girl that I never knew, how much I admire and respect a woman I will never meet. Maddie, through Kellie, has touched my life profoundly. As anyone who knows me knows, I have never been one to take anyone for granted. I am a worrier by nature, and have always been fearful of the worst case scenario. But Kellie has taught me that you can never prepare for a living nightmare, no matter what. Maddie and Kellie have helped me to see that I'm better served to just put my fear aside and focus that energy on loving my daughter -- relishing every blessed moment, being joyful at her joy, laughing with her laughter, taking in every single detail, and snapping tons and tons of pictures....and knowing (accepting) that I can only control so much.

Kellie is spreading the word about SIDS - awareness, education, prevention. I already knew quite a lot about it, but she has taught me things I did not know, directed me to websites I was not aware of. For that, I will always be so grateful.

Maddie is a beautiful light that I feel in my life on a daily basis. I feel lucky to have found Kellie and James' blogs; lucky to get to "know" them; and luckier still to get to know Maddie.

Kellie, Maddie will live on in the hearts of thousands of people. She's made more of a difference and touched more lives than most people ever do. She will NEVER be forgotten. Thank you for sharing her with us.

I hope that you and James are able to celebrate your birthday with smiles today.

xoxo,

Jennifer

I am the poster child for worrying and for thankfulness

I'm feeling sad tonight, not for any one particular reason, just in general. I think I've just had this dark cloud hovering over me for a while now, and I wish it would just move on. Sure, there are plenty of specific things that could be bothering me at any given moment, but for now I just feel a general blue color. Not the amazing blue that is Juliette's eyes, not the blue that is the gorgeous Florida sky, not the deep mysterious thrilling blue of the ocean, not the clear light soft blue of my father's eyes...in fact, I don't even know why being sad is equated with being blue since blue is such a lovely color. What's a color I don't really like? Orange? Puce green? Taupe? That's it - I feel taupe. That fits so much better.

Tonight I was watching the weirdest movie, very strange, about this 15 year old girl who gets murdered by her crazy ex-babysitter. The babysitter strangled her and then hung around with the girl's dead body for a few days before she buried her. The parents were frantically trying to find their daughter, and the way the actors displayed grief was all too realistic. It was gut- and heart-wrenching to watch and I wish I would have just turned it off. :( It made my taupe cloud hover a little more heavily.

Plus, several of the mamas who write the blogs I follow have been having an extra hard time lately. My heart just breaks over and over again for them. Why, oh why do these horrible things happen? Why do some (most) people get happy endings while others get horror stories? Who chooses who suffers? I guess it's all random, but somehow that feels so disrespectful (not to mention depressing) to think that way. Like, we want to believe that our heartaches, our losses, our suffering, our pain - that it all has some kind of meaning, or purpose. Right? Wouldn't people just go kind of crazy otherwise?

And with all these scary, sad thoughts rattling around in my head (pretty much all the time), how in the hell am I supposed to relax and enjoy my own happiness? How can I help but become more and more fearful when I fall more and more in love with my incredible daughter with every passing moment? I know it's irrational to think (believe!) that if I can just anticipate, or predict, or prepare for every single awful scenario, then it just could NEVER happen to my family. Like it would be impossibly ironic if it did, you know? I know that's stupid. Yet, it's how I live. And maybe I need help, or maybe I'm just like any other mama, or maybe I'm just a little south of normal, it doesn't really matter because it is what it is. I will worry and fret and wonder and be just a little panicky for the rest of my life. My baby is perfect. She's perfectly perfect, and nothing in my life has ever been that perfect- so how can this be?

I will never have an answer for that question. I don't really want an answer either. I just want to soak her up, enjoy every second, every smile, every laugh, every nap in my arms, every clap, raspberry, sneeze, wave, and babble - and never lose a single memory of this wondrous time with my baby girl. I want to love her without fear, without longing for her as if she isn't right here with me! Oh, what is wrong with my mind? I'm just so damn scared all. the. time.

And now after re-reading what I've written, I feel like such a fool. I am lucky. My daughter is sleeping peacefully and healthy in the next room. She is whole. She has a million miles to go, a billion miles of potential, a trillion miles of happiness ahead of her. She is pink and chubby and robust and full of energy and life force. I am so lucky. My arms are full, my hip is heavy with the weight of her, my backseat is alive with giggles and indignant cries, my kitchen is cluttered with bottles, nipples, and baby food jars, my garbage can fills quickly with used diapers, my dryer has onsies and tiny pajamas and miniature ruffled skirts in it, my ears ring with giggles and squeals, my camera is loaded with happy new pictures day after day, my living room is cluttered with toys, strollers, and pacifiers, my life is bustling and full and exhausting and joyful. My daughter is here with me. I can hug and kiss her and snuggle her anytime I want. Why should I be sad? How dare I be sad? I have it all. Just look at this....

My sweet Juli-bean, how much you are changing and growing by the day! You can now wave bye-bye, clap your hands, identify mommy, daddy, the doggies, and the fan! You are eating more and more solid foods. And you're beginning to sprout some hair! You can crawl (well, scoot) backwards only, you can pull to standing and cruise a little bit. You always want to be standing up - I guess you'll skip that old crawling nonsense, huh? I love you, my sweet! More than you can ever know! Here is another picture of you laughing and being just your cute self!

Shy girl behind your toy!

My Gator Girl!

Clapping to Pat-a-cake! Such a big girl!

I love you my little chicken! Here is the song I've been singing to you lately...

"Summertime and the living is easy,
Fish are jumping and the cotton is high.
Your daddy's rich and your ma is good-looking,
So hush, little baby, don't you cry.

One of these mornings you're gonna rise up singing,
Spread your wings and take to the sky.
But until that morning there is nothing can harm you,
With daddy and mommy standing by." ~ Sam Cooke

xoxo,

Mommy

Anniversaries and bumped heads...

Well hello my sweet little chicken. A lot has happened these last few days...

First off let me say that you are growing more and more extraordinarily beautiful and funny every day! You will be 9 months old tomorrow (tomorrow!!) and you are really blooming into your own little person. You still don't crawl (although I'm sure you could if you had a good enough reason), but you LOVE to stand and bounce, stand and bounce. You will reach out for our hands, then pull yourself right up. My strong girl! You also are getting really good at giving us kisses - when I ask for one, you grab my face and then put your (wide open) mouth on my cheek and then you smile like you're sooooo proud. :) My face is left wet with drool, but I love those kisses so much! You're also figuring out that mommy will do a silly dance when you shake your rattle and stop when you stop. That's a fun game that also doubles as a workout for me! You are still eating baby food, and have added some new foods to your repertoire, but still not a fan of textured/solid foods. We are going to see Dr. Grooms tomorrow for your 9 month visit and shots (yuck), and will ask her how to go about getting you to like different textures. Oh, and no teeth yet! I just love your little gummy smile.

This is an outfit knitted for you by the mother of one of my patients. Too cute!

Ok, so Sunday was mine and daddy's 7 year anniversary! It was my year to plan it, and since we are light on cash and didn't want to leave you overnight, I planned a day of going to all the places that were/are special to us. I'm going to make a little mini-scrapbook of the day (that's my plan anyway) which will explain the significance of all the places we went. Our stops included, but aren't limited to: Newberry Elementary and High Schools, Santa Fe College, Baughman Center, Paramount Hotel, and the duck pond (well we didn't actually make it to the duck pond, but we will soon!). It was a fun day; a nice trip down memory lane.

Here we are hanging out at our high school....where it all began. :)

The chapel where we got married.

While we were out for the day, you stayed with Mimi, (and we missed you allllll day!) which brings me to the bumped heads portion of this blog.....

Well, you were sleeping in your pack and play at Mimi's house and Auntie Beth was there too. I guess you woke up, so they rocked you back to sleep and instead of putting you back in the pack and play, Mimi put you on her bed. She knew that you were getting more and more mobile, but she thought you were good and asleep, so she wasn't worried. Well, that was an oops. You woke up and were stirring around, but they didn't hear you, and somehow you inched your way off the bed and landed (thump!) on the floor by Mimi's bed. She rushed in immediately and you were already crying (which, believe it or not, is a good sign). She and Auntie calmed you down and gave you extra extra kisses, and soon enough you were smiling and back to playing like your old self. They checked you over, and you had no bruises or red marks, no cuts or bumps, and you looked just fine.

That night and all the next day, you were in great spirits - playing and bouncing and "talking" and laughing. You came to my doctor's appointment with me and were so good! Everyone loved you, and ooh'd and ah'd over you and your gorgeous blue eyes and sweet shy smile. :)

Sitting in the chair at Dr. Sarantos' office!

Later that day you were sitting on the floor in front of me when I noticed your head didn't look quite right...kind of misshapen. Then I felt the large, squishy lump on the left side of your head! I freaked out because I knew that squishy was not good. First I called Mimi, and she said to call the pediatrician, so I did. They were a bit concerned, so we went ahead and took you in to be checked. The nurse practitioner felt your squishy bump (which you hated!) and said it was likely a hematoma (a collection of blood), but that she wanted you to have an x-ray just to be on the safe side.

Yikes! So now we were all sufficiently freaking out! Your poor Mimi, though...she was (is) so upset and feels so guilty. She was crying and saying she was so sorry, but I told her not to be so hard on herself, that accidents happen and that you would be fine. The doctor and the nurse both reassured us that as long as you were acting normal, and showing no signs of brain trauma, then things would be a-ok. We still went in for the x-ray today though, and that was rough experience. They had to put your poor little self on this hard table and mommy had to hold your arms down (!) while they took 4 or 5 pictures of your head. Once they were done, I scooped you up and daddy and I laid about 1,000 kisses on you, and you quickly cheered right up.

Dr. Grooms called us about an hour later to tell us that your x-ray was "interesting". She said the swelling is right over what could be either a suture line or a small fracture. They really can't tell at this point, and she said to just let you go on with your normal activities but to be super careful. We have to get another x-ray in 2 weeks to see if there is any change. She said if it's just a suture line, then it will look the same. If it is a fracture, we will see signs of new bone growth. So, my little girl, you may have already had your first (and only, I hope!) broken bone. :( I'm so sorry you have to go through all this (and Mimi is the sorriest of all - she loves you so!) but I take solace in the fact that you won't remember one bit of it!

Here you are hanging out with daddy today.

According to the clock on the computer, you are now officially 9 months old!!!! What a milestone! I am already starting to plan your first birthday party in my mind - it's gonna be epic! :)

Happy 9 month birthday, honey! I love you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much!

Love,

Mommy

Here are a few pictures of you playing with that "other" super cute baby!

Fireworks, gallbladders, and nostalgia...

Hi my gorgeous daughter, it's been way too long since I blogged. A lot has happened in the last month...

You had your first 4th of July! We had two cookouts at Grandma's house, one on the 3rd with Kevin, Maryann, Ivy and Ian, and one on the 4th with Mimi, Grandaddy, Auntie Beth and Uncle JJ. You and Ian played in the pool for a little while and had a lot of fun - although you don't really know what to make of each other yet. Daddy and Uncle J set off fireworks in the driveway, but you fell asleep in my arms! It was past your bedtime and you had had an exciting day. You know I never mind when you fall asleep in my arms - I never will.

The next day I had to have surgery to have my gallbladder removed. I didn't have to stay in the hospital (thank goodness! I told Dr. Sarantos that I was not about to spend a night away from you!) and was home by lunchtime. I was pretty sore, but the worst part was that I wasn't allowed to pick you up for 10 days! As you can guess, I cheated. Haha! You are just too irresistible. I didn't cheat too much though because you are getting to be such a big girl!


You turned 8 months old this month. I can't believe how big you are getting and how fast time is flying by. You are rolling around everywhere, sitting up so good by yourself, pulling to your knees in the crib (and once to your feet!). You can wave bye-bye, and sometimes when we ask "where's mommy/daddy?" you know who to look at! You love to laugh and smile, and get very bashful with strangers, especially boys. You are eating a lot of different baby foods now - your favorites are pears, apple cinnamon oatmeal, and green beans. We tried giving you the little puffs, but you spit it out and gag. Guess you aren't ready for textured food yet, but we are going to keep trying! You and I have a little game we play - when you are chewing on something (a toy, pacifier, whatever) I'll say "can I have some?" and open my mouth, and you'll smile and hold it out for me to "eat". Then I'll "eat" it and you'll take it back really fast and smile when I tell you thank you! You are already a generous girl! :)

Oh yeah, and you LOVE to swing!!! You laughed and laughed...best sound ever!

I was on YouTube tonight looking for a video to put on Facebook, and I started looking up all these old songs from when I was in high school and college. Definitely sent me down memory lane. Some of the memories are sadder than others, but now, almost 20 years later, the music is just comforting and makes me nostalgic. It's like, I remember the sad times when I hear certain songs, but I don't actually feel sad. Mostly, however, the memories are good and happy ones! High school with daddy, my friends Shannon, Patience, and Kristen, then later on, college at Santa Fe with pretty much the same people. :) And then there's the time I lived up in Buffalo - some bittersweet memories there, but experiences that shaped me into the person I am. Music has surrounded me, guided me, comforted me, driven me, inspired me throughout my life. If you love music the way daddy and I do, then each chapter of your life will have certain specific soundtracks, and when you hear those songs again years later, you can relive your memories in a very emotional and encompassing way. I don't know if any of this makes sense, but I have a feeling you will understand. :)

I love you so much, my daughter, and I don't even really know who you are going to be yet. Somehow, though, I just know that we're going to have an amazing bond and be "kindred spirits" (to quote Anne of Green Gables).


I already know that you have a sweet and giving spirit, that you know what love is, and that you have the spark of curiosity. I see so much joy and potential in you, so much life!

Sorry if this was a ramble-y post; I need to post more regularly because I know there is a bunch of stuff I've been meaning to write about but just can't think of right now... Oh well, what I can tell you is that with every passing second of every minute of every hour of every day, you win my heart over again and again.

xoxo,

Mommy

P.S. Here's what I've been singing to you lately...

"For you there'll be no crying
For you the sun will be shining
Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright, I know it's right.

And the songbirds keep singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before.

To you, I would give the world
To you, I'd never be cold
Cause I feel that when I'm with you
It's alright, I know it's right.

And the songbirds keep singing
Like they know the score
And I love you, I love you, I love you
Like never before,
Like never before; like never before."

- by Fleetwood Mac, covered by Eva Cassidy (my favorite version)

Father's Day and backaches....

Hi my sweet little pumpy-umpy-umpkin! Right now, I am sitting at home and you are at Mimi's house - it feels so weird to be here at home without you! I miss you like crazy, and I just texted Mimi to see how you're doing. She (and Grandma and Auntie Beth) know how much I miss you when we have to be apart, so they always send me pictures of you throughout the day. I really look forward to those texts. So, I'm home from work today because somehow I hurt my back yesterday and I can hardly move without it hurting really bad. I don't know how I hurt myself, but boy did I do a good job of it. The only thing I can possibly think of is that short little walk I took with you in your Bjorn. You LOVE going out in it, so we walked for about 15 minutes or so until Daddy came home, and by the time I took you out, my back was cramping up. You're such a big girl now!! Mommy needs to go to the gym more often and work on her abs! :)

**Mimi just sent me a picture of you in your high chair holding your spoon and the message said "Getting ready to rat peas!" Haha!! And you look sooooo cute. (as usual)

So this weekend was Father's Day, and it was a great one! It was a busy weekend - first we went down to Orlando for cousin Shea's first birthday party! You were so good in the car both down and back - you slept pretty much the whole time (which is sort of a miracle, since lately you and your carseat are not really friends). There were lots of kids and babies there at the party - Shea, Molly (8 months) and Levi (3 years) who are Shea's cousins, Eden (almost 2) and Avery (3 years) who are Aunt Katie's friend Megan's kids (plus Megan had a little baby boy in her belly), and of course, YOU! It was loud and rowdy, but so much fun. You and Shea played some, but it was harder for you since you aren't crawling yet, and Shea was all over the place! Mostly you sat on the floor and played or sat in my lap (which is fine with me 'cause I just snuggled and loved on you). Oh, and it was so cute, Daddy and Avery hit it off and talked a lot - she really liked him. She wanted to know if you still wore diapers (haha!) and told us that she wore panties because she was a big girl. I am very curious about how potty training is going to go with you....hmmm, it will be an adventure I am sure.

So that was Saturday, then on Sunday, we got up really early and went to the football stadium (the Swamp) and went up and down the corkscrew ramp 5 times. It was already so hot, and by the end you were pretty grumpy (and mommy was TIRED!) Then we went to Cracker Barrel to meet Grandma and Grandpa for breakfast. Yum! Once we got home, you and Daddy went to take naps, and I went out to run a few errands (pick up the cookie cake, get a couple of last minute gifts). Then you and Daddy went to Sonny's together for lunch so I could wrap the presents - had to get him out of the house for the big surprise! After lunch, we went out to Mimi's for a little bit because Shea, Aunt Katie and Uncle Billy had stopped by on their way back home. Already it had been a very busy day, and we still hadn't done the best part -- presents!!

We went to Carraba's for dinner with the family - it was delicious! - and then back to our house for dessert and gifts. You and I tricked daddy, we made him think he was getting a bicycle, but instead we got him an iPad!!!!!!!! Everyone chipped in on it - Mimi and Grandaddy, Grandma, Aunt Beth and Uncle JJ. He was SO surprised, and super excited. I told him that since this was his first Father's Day and because he is such an amazing dad, he really deserved something extravagant. He said the best part of the day, however, was knowing he had such a beautiful, sweet baby daughter to love. Happy Father's Day to Daddy, you and I are two lucky girls!

We love you more than words can say, my little Juli-bean. I keep thinking if I blog about how much I love you, or tell you how much I love you, or sing to you about how much I love you enough, I can even begin to scratch the surface....but what you mean to me is too big for words. I hope you feel how loved you are, my sweet girl, every single minute of every single day.

So here is the silly song that I referenced at the beginning of this post....it's been stuck in my head all week, but you seem to like it, so I will keep on singing it to you:

"You're my honey bunch, sugar plum,
Pumpy-umpy-umpkin,
You're my sweetie pie.
You're my cuppy cake, gum drop,
Snoogems, boogems, you're
the apple of my eye.
And I love you so,
And I want you to know,
That I'll always be right here.
And I love to sing sweet songs to you,
because you are so dear!!"

xoxo,

Mommy