Guess what Lainey's favorite food is?

Up until now, Lainey hasn't been a huge fan of too many foods. For the most part, she'll humor me by eating a few bites and then she really wants nothing to do with the rest of it. So I keep trying, plugging away, hoping we find a winner! She will eat bananas, any combo with bananas, sweet potatoes, and apricots. BUT, the one container food that she ate without hesitation (despite my hesitation) was GARDEN VEGETABLES. This happens to be one of the most disgusting-looking foods out there for babies. It's slimy. It's a dull army-green color. And it looks absolutely gross. But she ate it, and was happy about it. We'll see if she likes it again tomorrow! So Mom, add Gerber's "Garden Vegetables" to the baby food list. :) We fly to Colorado for two weeks on Sunday (all four of us - Reagan, me, Ben, and Lainey) so my mom is stocking up on baby items!

I really needed to do a few things around the house that would only take a few minutes (clean up after the garden vegetable fiasco and put away laundry) and Lainey did not want to be put in her jump-a-roo/on the floor with toys/anywhere that would require me releasing her from my hip so I resorted to this. Surrounded by pillows, she watched a little TV for about 5 or 10 minutes. I loved it! I wasn't far, so I could keep an eye on her, but she didn't budge from this position. Even when I pulled out the distracting camera!

Go 'Roos!

A little AC action for Lainey... On the "small world" newsfront, one of the little boys on my soccer team has a dad who went to Austin College and graduated two years before me. We didn't know each other but what a small world!

Rolling and Sitting

Lainey has started to sit alone for longer periods of time. I can never predict whether she'll fall backwards or forwards or to the side, so I tend to put pillows all around her just in case. And yes, sometimes I'm overly confident in her ability and forget to put out the pillows. Thankfully, she never really minds when she falls...it's more me that freaks out. (Isn't that always the case??)

Lainey is also rolling over from back to front. She has done it for the past couple of days, so I think she's getting the hang of it. For a looong time, she would roll to the side and get stuck - unable to lift her head from the ground! But now she can do it. I've noticed that sometimes she forgets that she can roll back onto her back - so she'll fuss for a while on her stomach until I remind her. Then she says (Yes, she's already using her words!) to me, "Oh yeah. That's how I solve that problem."

Next milestone I'm REALLY looking forward to: Lainey being able to put her own pacifier in her mouth...particularly at night and while in the car seat. :)

The "pumpkin" amongst the pumpkins

Today we met friends at the Dallas Arboretum. It was both my and Lainey's first time there, and it is so pretty! I loved being outside (the morning was actually somewhat cooler than normal) and it was so nice to sit and chat with friends and enjoy the scenery. Lainey wasn't quite a fan of the hay the pumpkins were sitting on, so she was more interested in keeping all body parts off of the hay than looking at the camera. But this photo does show you the cheeks this girl has - so cute and kissable!

Anne's wedding, continued

SO, I didn't get a single picture of my cousin in her dress OR with her new husband! I tried to take some, but there was rarely a time when they were alone and able to smile for two seconds at the camera and the ones I tried to take didn't turn out well...very dark. I got some pictures from the reception and then I took some more pictures this morning at the brunch. I'll have to wait for the pretty professional pictures to see some of Anne! She looked beautiful and we had so much fun at the wedding and reception. Thanks for having us be a part of your wedding, Anne and Brian. :)

Top row: my cousin Rachel and my brother Matt

Bottom row: my cousin Lizzie and Matt's girlfriend Emily and my cousin Kate

My mom, Matt, and Lainey. This picture is so blue. I haven't quite completely figured out my camera yet...

This is actually a picture of my dress at the wedding. I managed to spill nearly an entire glass of red wine on my dress (note the darker-colored portion above). I was leaning across the table and my elbow caught my brother's glass and wow....it was a MESS. They had to bring out a new tablecloth and the wine even got on Ben and went down into his shoe. Awesome. Not to mention cold...the reception was a tad chilly and my new accessory de wine didn't help matters!

This is my Aunt Sarah and her granddaughter, Andi (who is Lainey's second cousin). Andi's parents were there, too (Sara and Nate) but I didn't get their picture!! But this is Andi, and she's adorable!

Cousin Anne's wedding

My cousin Anne is getting married this weekend! Here are a few pictures from the brunch at my parents' house this morning. Lainey got to meet lots of her extended family, so that was fun.

The "aunts" - the hostesses - with Anne

with my Aunt Sarah

with my Aunt Nancy (Kate and Anne's mom)

The Ruffmans - Cousins Lizzie (lives in New Orleans) and Rachel (Washington, D.C.) and their mom, my Aunt Martha (California)

with my cousin Kate (Anne's sister)

My cousins Rachel, Anne, Sara (my cousin Nate's wife), Lizzie, me, and Kate (and Miss Lainey)

Lainey with my cousin Rachel - their birthdays are one day apart (and several years...) with Lainey's being the 24th of April and Rachel's the 25th. Coincidentally, her sister Lizzie's birthday is just one day after Ben's (again, several years separate them!).

Lainey with her Emmy (my mom)

"Oh Emmy, you're so funny!" (It looks like she's slapping her knee here and giggling about something just hilarious.)

Playing with Nora

We played at the park today with Kate and Nora. Since I forgot my camera, Kate was sweet enough to send me pictures of the two girls playing. Nora is 6 days older than Lainey and is absolutely adorable and so good-natured. She's sweet and calm and just beautiful. Kate took all these pictures, so some of them are on Nora's blog! But I'll post them here, too, because these girls are just too cute to appear on only one blog. :)

"Hmm. A camera. Let's throw your mom for a loop, Nora, and (1) pretend we've never seen one of these before and (2) look confused like we don't know that we should be smiling."

"A bink! Not quite like mine but I'll try it."

"OK, OK, I give up. I'll smile. Nora, you can smile for the next picture."

SUCH a cutie!

5 months old!!

I find Lainey like this a lot. With her sleep sack in her mouth. It's what she does instead of sleeping and since she can't get her pacifier into her mouth yet, this is the next best thing to suck on. Silly baby.

This baby is 5 months old!! That makes me a little sad. She's getting to be so big but we're loving every minute of her little life. In this video, she gives you a few "yells". These seem funny at first, but when they start happening repeatedly (especially in public places) they start to get a tad embarrassing. I'm sure that those of you who know her know exactly what I'm talking about.

Some fifth month discoveries (by Lainey and her parents):
1. She really likes her feet.
2. She loves the song "Wheels on the Bus" and playing patty-cake. "Wheels on the Bus", when sung a fussy Lainey in the car, calms her down. It's so funny! So we start making up lots of things that suddenly belong on a bus... dogs, cats, pigs...basically anything with a sound. So glad I don't have a video camera in there while I'm singing.
3. She is getting better at sitting up and she can almost roll over from back to tummy, although she gets stuck on her side.
4. She's started sleeping on her side and seems to prefer that.
5. She's enjoyed bananas and apples/blueberries (baby food) and is still not a giant fan of oatmeal. But it's more tolerable than rice cereal.
6. Adult sneezes scare her to pieces. She has to be fully awake and happy for them to not bother her.
7. While I'm running and pushing her in the jogging stroller, she grips the sides like she's going to fall out or something. And then she passes out for a nap. This happens every single time.
8. Yelling is a new form of communication. It can mean several things - mostly "I'm tired". Or it could mean "Entertain me. What you're doing is not working".

Lainey, we love you. You are hilarious and cute and keep us smiling all the time. :) Thanks for being in our lives, and we are lucky to be your mom and dad.

Our week

Here are some updates from our week. No pictures, though - sorry. 

* Lainey has her first ear infection. Poor baby. :( She's also stuffy and coughing. Thankfully, nothing seems to be affecting her sleeping so that's great. No - don't get the wrong idea - the child still awakens around 4ish to eat (after going to bed around 7:30) but she'll go back down and sleep until 8 or 9. So at least she's getting rest!!

* We went to eat lunch with little Kate (in Kindergarten) on Friday. Kate's favorite part of our visit was introducing Lainey to her friend Laney. She was SO excited to say, "Lainey, this is Laney. Laney, this is Lainey." We also kept Kate that evening for a bit and she was a big help with the baby. She gave Lainey every single one of her toys in the bathtub and she even helped get the baby's medicine and put on her diaper. Go Kate! Maybe she needs a little brother or sister, Tisha... ;) Haha.

* I really, really, really dislike Amoxicillin. It is horrible and I can't stand to give it to Lainey. She makes a complete mess of it and spits it everywhere so twice a day we have a pink-splatter masterpiece in the bathroom. Today, I am going to try yet another dispenser to see if this one works!! 

* My parents came over for a yummy dinner on Friday. :) It was fun and it was great to see them before they head back to Colorado next week. 

* Ben has been gone since yesterday morning on a Leadership Plano retreat. He'll be back tonight. Lainey and I went to a housewarming party last night for about 1-1/2 hours and had a good time. She did great until it was just time for bed so we came home and did just that. 

* Finally, the boys had their first soccer game!! It was sooooo fun and we giggled about 98% of the time. They are only four, and just hysterical. They tried so hard and scored lots of goals (No score is kept at this age.) and I am so proud of them!! 

More laughs

I get SUCH a kick out of her laughing. It cracks me up! She has her first real cold/cough now, so her laugh sounds a bit raspy. Poor gal. No fever, but definitely whinier than usual. :(

P.S. Yes, with the help of the pillow, I videoed this myself.

Getting stronger!

She will sit like this for a little bit.. and then she starts to fall backwards.

Falling backwards...

Oops. I let her fall by accident... bad Mommy!

Happy again. This time, I'm giving her a little support!

Meeting Sydney Anne

Lainey got to meet a new friend today...Sydney Anne. She was in town because she and her mom and dad (and big dog Riley) had to leave Houston due to Ike. Their home is still without power, and with a 1-month old, that's not a good thing! So we were lucky to squeeze in a quick lunch while they were here. SO good to see you Leslie, and Sydney - you're darling!!

5 months vs. 5 weeks

with our baby girls :)

Happy Birthday, Keegan!

Yesterday we attended Keegan's first birthday/heart-transplant anniversary party. Our neighbor Keegan was born last year on September 12th, and he received a new heart when he was just one week old. You can read his story and keep up with his progress on his website. He is a true fighter and has come so far in just a year. It was truly a reason to celebrate!! Thanks for inviting us, Keegan!

Ben and Keeg

Lainey, meet Red Balloon. Red Balloon, meet Lainey. (Lainey's first introduction to balloons. WHAT FUN they are...)

Who is this kid?? I don't think this picture looks like Lainey at all!!

Hmm. Real food looks much more appetizing than baby oatmeal.

A few things

So, the newest news is that Allyn (Bud, Ben's dad) and I have volunteered to coach little Collin's Under 5 Soccer Team. We are in charge of teaching 7 four-year-olds how to play soccer! Today was our first practice and it rained allllll day so we just passed out uniforms and got to meet some of the boys. They are so little!! Anyway, more to come on that subject (funny stories, I'm sure) but here we are! Dressed for rainy uniform-passing-out duty.

Here is a cute baby in her car seat.
"Like my pants?"

"Um, can we go ahead and go to dinner without strapping me in? I'd really prefer that. Those straps are awfully confining...even if that is the point of them."

Belly Laughs

Well, you can sort of get the idea here. Lainey has really only given us big belly laughs when she plays with Reagan. She gives really good ones, but of course when the camera is turned on she gives kinda good ones. Our neighbors and good friends Maddie and Gray (Keegan's their baby) told us that Reagan would be the most entertaining toy, and they were absolutely right about that! :) And Reagan was thrilled to receive that much attention in one sitting.

Meeting Rory Cate

Yesterday we had the pleasure of meeting Rory Cate and playing with her big brother John. Well, the great photographer I am, forgot to take a single picture of Rory Cate...but you can see sweet pictures of her and her sweet brother John here. Anyway, she is a beautiful, beautiful baby and John was soooo incredibly gentle with Lainey and Rory Cate. He would be thrilled if they would both hand over their pacifiers to him to keep and it was pretty funny watching him stare at the pacifiers and then think about grabbing them.

We took these next pictures after visiting the baby at Greg and Tisha's house.
Brooke took this picture. You can tell I'd been smiling for too long as she figured out how to use the camera!


Meeting Great Aunt Elsie for the first time... (Yiyia's sister)

This is just a picture from the weekend. We had gone to Babe's to celebrate Allyson's birthday and we decided to try to get a kid picture. From L to R: Brooke, Kate, Collin, Ella, and Cally. :)