All That Girly-Girl Stuff

When we were at my parents' house, Cora found a baby doll in with the toys. I didn't think she would be too interested in it, but to my surprise, she sought out the doll several times.

Here she is ever so sweetly poking the poor baby's eyes.

And, here she is kissing the boo-boo. The funniest thing was watching Cora play with the baby's hair. This particular doll had a tuft of bright blonde hair. Little missy was drawn to that hair. She pulled on it, licked it, stared at it. I think she was a little jealous. When we got back home, I got out her little doll that she got for Christmas. It has two little pieces of curly hair, and she loves to mess with them, too! I hope I haven't already put my obsession with baby hair on Cora!

It's Not Like It's Squash

I
don't

like

strawberries!

(I'm sure she'll like them when she can eat them like the grown-ups did. . .with sugar and ice cream!)

The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants

Little Miss Cora is quite the creature of habit. I think we both like our routine. When it comes to bed time, she wants her paci, she wants her fan on, and she wants to sleep in HER bed on her tummy. I put her to bed a little early tonight because she was pretty grumpity, and she didn't take a very long afternoon nap. She was fine for a few minutes, but then little missy was crying her little eyes out. I thought she just got over tired, so I intended to let her cry it out. However, when the crying seemed to last too long, I went in to check on her. There were no pacis anywhere to be seen. Apparently, she threw or dropped them out somewhere. I ended up having to open up a new package to give one to her. When I put her back in her bed, happy and tired with the new paci, I found one of the missing ones on the floor. I threw it in the crib for good measure. When I went back to check on her a few minutes later, she was asleep sucking contentedly on one pacifier and clutching the other in her little hand for dear life. I'm hoping this means that she has learned her lesson about dropping or throwing the pacifiers. . .we'll see!

Cora's First Visit to the Zoo

On a whim on Saturday, we decided to take Cora up to San Antonio. The weather in the afternoon was just lovely, so Yia Yia and Dado suggested we go ride the train in Brackenridge Park. Cora is definitely a convertible type of girl - she loves the wind in her hair. Naturally, the train was just up her alley. Here she is enjoying the leisurely ride.

There is a small tunnel on the train ride, and the conductor always encourages the riders to yell and scare away the bears. This did not sit well with Tiny Might.

Here she is at the start of the tunnel. Dado tried to cover her ears, but that did not sit well with her either.

Next, we went to the zoo. It was really sunny, but the weather was perfect for the animals to be active and out. There is a petting zoo or goat corral. . .shouldn't a petting zoo have more than one kind of animal?! Cora was not that interested in the goat until it got close enough for her to attempt to put its ear in her mouth. (That's Cora with John's other wife. . .ha ha!)

We were slathered with Purel shortly after that photo was taken. Here we are as a happy family a few minutes before the park closed. It was a fun day!

My Homemaking Skills May Be Called Into Question

My house is generally in various states of disarray. This is why I require much notice before anyone wants to come over to my house. Currently, I am trying to organize Cora's clothes. I'm in the process of putting away the clothes that are too small and getting out the new clothes for her to wear. Because of this, there are plastic tubs all over the living room. Now that Cora is completely mobile, it is like her own indoor playground. I knew Cora could crawl, but I did not realize she could also climb. Here she is on top of on of the plastic tubs reaching for her favorite thing. . .crunchy paper!

9 Month Appointment

As usual, I was stuck in the grips of anxiety in the days prior to Cora's well check. Compounding my anxiety was the message board I stumbled upon where proud mommas were listing their children's vital stats. Though I knew that Cora would be nowhere near the size of the kids listed, my fears were cemented when I read a post from a woman whose pediatrician was worried about her son who is 9 months and weighs 16 pounds. UMM, yeah, there's no way Cora weighs 16 pounds! So, with much trepidation, I put her on the scale at the doctor's office. And, the grand total is. . . 13 pounds, 9 ounces and 25 1/4 inches. It's not ideal, but it is a gain of over one and a half pounds and one and a half inches since her last weight check. She is meeting all of the developmental milestones like crawling, vocalizing, and using the pincer grasp. And, more importantly, she looks proportional as far as her size and body shape. We will still be going back for our regular weight checks in addition to the normal baby maintenance, but Dr. Mitchell has pretty much come to the conclusion that Cora is just going to be tiny. Anxiety abated. . .for now, at least!

The Nominees for Mom of the Year Are. . .

And, I thought the problem would be keeping Penny away from Cora's toys!?! I felt especially proud of my parenting skills considering that I scavenged the camera and managed to get photographic evidence before taking away the chew toy. NICE!

Goodness!

I just couldn't resist posting this picture.
She and her duckie look like little pieces of a puzzle stuck together just right. I love it!

The Kodak Moment, Take 2

I am determined to get a picture of Cora petting Penny. Here is take 2. Penny looks like she's sticking her tongue out at the camera. You can't see Cora's smile. Picasa couldn't fix her red eye. Sigh

She IS a genius!

Cora likes to watch Jeopardy.

And, yes she did get the answer of "What is linoleum?"

Crawling

Well, Cora started crawling at my parent's house. She has decided that it is better to use one foot and one knee to crawl. I think it may have to do with all the hard surfaces in our house. But, I love to see her do that wonky hybrid that she came up with.

This week I will be on hands and knees in my house looking for potential hazards. I have a feeling Cora will be hearing the word "no!" a lot in the coming days and weeks as she enjoys her new mobility!

Fun with the Great-Grandparents

While we were at my parents house, Cora got to have another visit with my grandparents, her great-grandparents. Pa and Gamma live about an hour away from my parents, and they were sweet enough to drive up on Sunday to see us. Cora was in a very good mood and posed for some more pictures. Here she is with her Pa. (She's smiling behind the paci!)
Here is a picture with her Gamma.

We are looking forward to when we can take Cora to visit Pa and Gamma's farm and ride Pa's tractor!

Visiting the Grandparents

Last week was Spring Break for Cora and I. We decided that this would be the perfect time for John to paint the house. We also decided that this would be a great time to take a little trip to my parents' house. This was my first long trip by myself with Cora. This is where I learned that you do not get a bathroom break when you travel by yourself with a 9 month old! Thanks Mema for the tips!! Lots of people asked me what Cora and I were going to do while visiting the grandparents. I had to respond that I thought Cora will probably be whisked away from me immediately to be spoiled. And, I would end up doing not much of anything. I think it's safe to say that my idea was pretty accurate. It's too bad nobody around Cora loves her!!
I had to include this sweet picture of Cora with her P-pa. He usually ends up holding the camera, so it was fun to have some candids with him and baby girl.

The Dress. . .Redux

I can be a bit frugal. What you may call cheap, I prefer to think of as "budget-minded." However, I have learned to draw the line at free clothing patterns printed off the internet. (Although, I think I may have figured out how to change the lovely fabric from a large sack to a wearable garment. . .stay tuned. . .but don't hold your breath!) So, this time, I purchased a pattern from the fabric and crafting mecca known as The WalMart. (Hey, one step at a time with the spending!!) Here's the new dress.

I think that it turned out absolutely fabulously, if I do say so myself. . .and, I do! Admittedly, I had some help finishing the dress. It was not due to lack of skill, per se. You see, the dress broke two machines. (Broke may be stretching it a little. People say I've been known to exaggerate. Shocking!) But for some reason, my machine was rendered unable to create buttonholes. This was especially disappointing considering the handy-dandy automatic button hole foot that comes with the machine. I talked to many more knowledgable seamstresses who were unable to figure out the issue. So, my mom helped me make the buttonholes when I went to visit this weekend. That is when the dress rendered her machine unable to do a straight-stitch. Are you kidding me?! Thankfully, mom swooped in to the rescue and did a lovely hidden hem BY HAND! It looks beautiful now, and I think it will be especially lovely when we take her picture in the bluebonnets this weekend. I'm working on the rest of the photos from Cora's and my visit to the grandparents. More coming soon!

Next, We'll Teach Her "Stay"

Cora was sitting on the floor playing, and I ran in to my closet to grab my shoes. When I came out, Penny was sitting next to Cora, and little missy had her hand so sweetly on puppy-girl's back. Talk about Kodak moment! Stinkin' ADORABLE! Sadly, I have no Kodak evidence. I scrambled to get the camera, squatted down, and Penny, seeing my face within licking range, ran up to me to cover me with kisses. Don't think I didn't try to stage the picture. I surely spent the better part of 10 minutes trying to recapture the moment. Regrettably, the magic was gone. sigh. This was the best I could do.
Penny looks weird. sigh. Maybe next time.

Especially for Yia Yia

Cora loves her warm winter coat! She was cozy during that last cold snap!

Speaking of Sack of Potatoes. . .

So, I may have passed the spatial arrangement portion of the sewing midterm, but I most definitely failed the measuring part!

The dress is a little large. (I use the term "little" loosely. As in "I have a little problem with measuring.") We'll just hang it up and wear it this summer. Or perhaps we'll save it, and she'll finally fit in it when she's two?! (I'm thinking I should get a real pattern. . . not one downloaded free from the internet!)

Can I PLEASE Kiss My Brain?!

I'm not trying to toot my own horn. This accomplishment is really no big thing for most people. But, I wanted you to know that I just finished making my first baby dress. I know it is only a shift dress, but here is the tricky part. . .it's reversible!! Okay, maybe that is not really a big deal, but I can't tell my right from my left. When it comes to spatial awareness activities, I would rather pinch my finger in the strap of Cora's stroller than to try to figure them out. (See my pinched finger tip to find out if strap pinching in said stroller is fun.) I will admit that there was a moment in the process of making this dress where my brain actually melted a little bit, but I am proud to report that I finished the dress without having to break out the seam ripper. It even has finished seams on the bottom. (Cue the smooching sound effect; cut to a picture of Melissa kissing her brain.) Thankfully, I have made it through the process with minimal brain shrinkage. I may even be able to do it again. Oh, would that I could. . . I have some lovely pink fabric to work with! Here are some pictures of the dress:

So those are the two fabrics. The straps are made out of ribbons, and I put buttons on top to cover up where I sewed the ribbons on. I had to sew the buttons on both sides so that it would cover up the thread. I did okay on one set of straps. On the other side the buttons are not even. That's why we'll call that side "the back!"

I'm planning on modifying the pattern so that it has fabric straps. I'll keep you posted on how that goes!

More Nap Time Craziness

Cora is a great sleeper. I have discovered her tired signals, so when I start to see them, we troop off to her crib so she can sleep. Usually, she plays a little in her crib before she finally nods off, but she is always perfectly content to do so. It is a rare event now that we have crying at bedtime. The other day I put her down for her nap as usual. Apparently she woke up a little early and had some fun with her clothing. When she started jibber-jabbering, I went in to get her, and this is what I found. (Side note: She is crying in the picture because she saw me run away to get the camera.) Not quite sure how she managed to get in this position. I suppose she is a bit of a Houdini!

Then, yesterday I laid her down for her nap. But, when I looked on the baby monitor, I saw two big bright eyes staring at me just inches from the camera - not because she had rolled over from tummy to back, but because she had figured out how to get from lying down to sitting up ALL BY HERSELF!! I watched the monitor for a little while and saw her try to pull up to a stand on the side of the crib. This was when we decided it was time to lower the crib! It almost feels perplexing because my little one who barely fits in to 6 month clothing and still can wear her newborn size shoes is doing all these big girl things. It's just amazing to see how fast she grows and learns.

It's Not Like She Knows When Her Birthday Is

Look what arrived in the mail on Wednesday. . . (Was that the "Hallelujah Chorus" playing softly in the background?!)Notice the very large box that it arrived in. I feel I got my money's worth as far as the shipping charges. There were at least $20 worth of packing peanuts in it! (Most of which, incidentally, ended up all over my living room floor during the box opening frenzy!)My plan was to save it until her birthday. That plan lasted about 17 seconds. As soon as Cora woke up from her nap, we put her on her new toy. She loves it. She especially loves the ears (?) on its little head. They make great chew toys (after being thoroughly cleaned, of course!)She's not quite tall enough to propel herself on it. Her little feet dangle about an inch above the floor. However, she did quickly figure out that there are handle bars and foot rests. I'll try to post some video of her on it later.