Vintage Baby

Mom has been slowly moving her children out of her house for at least a decade now. Every time I go to Barry, it seems that she's asking me to go through one box or another and pitch things or take things with me to Florida. I love that she's kept things for us all these years, and I really appreciate that she's continuing to keep many of my belongings in her basement still since Brian and I have a noticeable lack of storage in our current house.

I especially love that she kept some of my baby clothes. Mom brought a selection of clothes with her on one of her trips down after Mary Ellen was born, and I finally remembered to pull some of the little ones out. Did someone say "Photo Shoot"?

The knit hat is part of a sweater set, but with temps in the 80s, I decided to forgo the sweater.

Such a girly little outfit! It's probably a good thing that I didn't wait too much longer to try this one on her. Those legs might not fit in the leg holes in another couple of weeks.

Mary Ellen had never been so dressed up. There is not a thread of natural fiber in the dress (or the tights for that matter), but she was a good sport about what must have been a very itchy situation. **Note the cat stalker in the background.

This is why we live in Florida

I curse the weather in the summer here. I know it's hot everywhere, but we get these 5-month long awful summers here (May-Sept) where it's hard to enjoy the great outdoors without a gallon each of sunscreen and water. Okay, I exaggerate, but this, my friends, is why we live in Orlando. It's been in the low 80s for the past two weeks and Mary Ellen and I have taken full advantage of the lovely weather. I just had to snap a photo of here "helping" me rake the leaves. She LOVES being outside and is content to hang out in her stroller while I putz around the yard and garden. Good times!

What a Week!

My apologies for the little blog hiatus as of late, but our world has just been crazy! Believe it or not, we were under contract on a new house for exactly one day, when after the inspection we realized that this house was much more than we were bargaining for. That said, both Brian and I learned a lot in the past week, and our house hunt will likely continue, though probably not as seriously, for a while.

In that short week, Mary Ellen has had some big milestones. She's now fully rolling over (i.e., rolling around and off her play mat). She's starting to really try to pull up on me when I'm sitting on the floor with her. And best of all, she's getting this eating thing down. The secret: Letting her do it herself. I know that I'd hinted that this was the trick in earlier posts, but check out this little eater:

Mary Ellen is 7 months old!

Gulp. How did it go by so quickly!?

Our little girl is growing up fast. She's attempting a new milestone as I write - putting herself to sleep for the night on her own. She's had a few rough patches as of late with sleeping, and I swore that it was time to just let her cry it out. I am really hoping to avoid all the drama because she's so good about putting herself to sleep during the day that I just want it to transfer. Here's hoping, and judging by the lack of blips on the monitor, so far so good!

A few other little tidbits about my sweet Babu at 7 months of age:

• She's starting to like this eating thing. She ate sweet potatoes and avocado today, and, whether she'll admit it or not, she was enjoying herself. The sweet potatoes were a hit and she would grab for the spoon as soon as I had it loaded. Oh, that's another thing. She will only eat if she's the one to put the spoon in her mouth. It's adorable, and why should I be surprised that she's miss I Can Do It Myself? Whatever works, right?

• She starting to make more sounds. She's vocal, verbal, and just plain loud! But I'm not complaining. This girl is happy and she hollers to let the world know it.

• She constantly flapping her arms up and down. I guess it's just another sign of happiness. Sometimes there's an object in hand to bang with, and other times, she just flaps for the fun of it.

• She's a pro at sitting. I've seen the beginnings of her creeping forward, but she's just not wild about being on her tummy, so I still think it's a while before she get the idea of crawling.

Happy Valentine's Day!

This Valentine's Day sure is a special one for us!

In Remembrance

My family lost a very important member last week. My Grandma Moulds, Mom's mom, passed away on February 3. Grandma was such a special person, and we'll miss her very much. Mary Ellen was blessed to have been able to meet her G.G. last fall, and I'm so thankful that Mom and my Aunt Linda coordinated the trip. Grandma was so happy to be able to spend time with the babies and I'll always remember what pals she and Mary Ellen became on that trip.

This is the Grandma that I remember. She's the one who made special visits for our birthdays, always had a knitting bag next to her, made the best bread and applesauce in the world, and guaranteed a Quincy shopping visit when she came to see us. She made a great impression on me with her talents in cooking and sewing. She taught me to knit (though that one skill didn't really stick) and to appreciate handmade things. Grandma, you'll be missed and remembered always by the talents you passed along.

Prunes?

Seriously? Prunes? That's what the kid likes.