a tooth!

it's about time!  little lady finally has a tooth!  and i have to say, last week was not the best week we've had in her 8 month existence, so i'm glad that the culprit was a tooth and not a new phase of grumpiness. 

genius parenting moment...it's been a blazing the past couple of days.  mae has been getting sweaty at night in her normal pj's so, i got a little creative

enter the pirate pant pj's

i took a pair of too small pj's and cut the arms and legs.  some might call this ghetto, i call it genius!  she loves the freedom.



her new thing is crossing her legs.  well, i'm not sure if it's a new thing, more that i've been noticing it.  all the time.  in her highchair, carseat, bathtub, even in the pool.  she always crosses her legs.  and it's adorable!

she's also started making a granny face.  like she forgot to put in her dentures. 

it's pretty funny! 

she's becoming a daddy's girl.  whenever she sees her daddy that's who she wants to be with.  i knew this day would eventually come.  and that's okay, her daddy is a pretty special guy.

The First Swim

i've been so excited for the weather to finally be warm, and for my parent's pool to be warm, so we could go swimming.  we didn't get to swim much in it last year, so i've been waiting with anticipation for the weather to cooperate!

i'm not going to lie, i've been really nervous about how mae would take to the water.  i pretty much grew up in a bathing suit, and the pool and the beach were my favorite destinations (and still are).  so, i was scared that mae might not be a water baby...boy was i wrong.  she loved the water!  she was apprehensive at first, but my mom or i stayed close to her the whole time, and she was totally comfortable by the end. 

we had such a blast!  it was so much fun to share something with my daughter that brings me so much joy, and to see that it brings her joy as well!  it looks like we will be making many a trip to gram and gramp's house to play in the pool!

greased up and ready to go

in other news...as you can see in the pics, we're rockin' the pigtails!  

what's in a name?

my grandmother's name is eula mae, and for as long as i can remember i've loved the name mae.  i love the spelling and how sweet and simple it is.

when cody and i first found out i was pregnant, we went through a bunch of names, but this one was always at the top of our list.  when we found out it was going to be a girl, we narrowed it down to two names.

for the middle name, if we chose mae, i knew i wanted anne.  cody's grandmother's name is anne.  and  bev my mom's best friend and one of the greatest influences in my life, who has passed away, had the middle name of ann.  it seemed to fit so well.

we wanted to wait and see her before we decided on a name, but deep down, i was hoping that she would look like a mae anne.

when i had her, i knew right away this was going to be her name.  i don't think i even looked to cody to make sure he agreed, because it just fit her. she seemed to have the grace and sweetness of my grandmother, the spunk and generosity of cody's grandmother, and the intellect and personality of bev.  i know you can't really tell that much from just looking at a tiny (well, not so tiny on her part) baby, but for some reason, i could just see all of these qualities.  i knew that they were all qualities of these amazing women that i wanted my daughter to have.

she is one lucky babe to have these amazing women to look up to.  how many kids can say that they know great-grandmothers that they are named after?  but, i couldn't help but think that she would never know bev.

one night, when i was up with her, i remember being sad that she would never know bev, and i started to cry.  this woman was one of my favorite people, and she would never get to know my sweet girl.  as i was holding mae, she got a smile on her face, and i was overcome with peace.  in that moment i knew that she in fact does know bev, and that see is watching over her.

i'm grateful for that experience, it was such a testimony builder to me.  i know that heavenly father knows and loves each of us.  and i know that we will be able to see those that we love who have passed on again.

this little lady has some big shoes to fill.  and we're so blessed to have so many wonderful people to love her and help us guide her along the way.

i'm so grateful for each of these amazing women, and the influence that they have had on my life.

Hershey Park

these past two weeks, we've spent as much time as we can with kasee before she leaves for her mission.  and this weekend we went to Hershey Park!  we had a blast.  grandma and grandpa (bryan and karen) were so wonderful to help with mae so cody and i could enjoy some rides.  we loved being able to have that time with kasee. cody was exceptionally fun on this trip.  kasee and i could barely catch our breath on the rides, we was cracking us up so much!  i love when he lets go and his goofy side comes out.

 

i love this girl

 

 mae was loving kasee, and was even reaching for her when i was holding her.

 totally engrossed with the chocolate world tour!

 we love kasee...and chocolate world

walk it out

the new theme song in our house "walk it out"...little lady has started walking.  that's right, walking. not crawling or scooting.  homegirl has gone straight to walking.  she'll hold your hands, but she takes off once she's up and ready to go.  and that's pretty much all she wants to do, which makes it hard to get things done.  but, it's fun to see the joy that it brings her.  oh, did i mention that she doesn't even have teeth yet! my child is up and running, and has yet to sprout a tooth.  she never ceases to amaze us.

she's in her big girl car seat now.  and i have to say, it's much easier to put her in her seat when she isn't fighting me like she was before.

and she's still standing and chewing any chance she gets...

we still see crazy faces, along with even crazier hair...

and we love the little things that bring a huge smile to her face.

the faves: munch

what i'm loving right now:

tv series on dvd.  i love collecting tv shows on dvd.  we have so many.  but, there are a lot more that i want! that's what i workout to every morning.  i pop in a tv show.  i love it.  some of the shows we have a friends, icarly, golden girls, boy meets world, saved by the bell...

exercise.  this one isn't new.  i grew up playing sports and being active.  but when i was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, exercise was one of the main things that helped me through some tough times, and helps me now to manage these.  i love trying new workouts, and creating workouts.  my workout is one of my favorite parts of my day.  there's nothing like the feeling of completing a tough workout.

greek yogurt.  i'm a little late on the band wagon.  but i love this stuff.  you can seriously do so much with it.  one thing i love right now is mixing a little bit of funfetti cake mix in vanilla greek yogurt...it tastes like dunkaroo dip! delish.

mix cd's.  i love making mix cd's for people. and i love to get them.  there's something special about popping in a new mix that you created.  or the excitement of not knowing what someone has put on a mix for you! 

the library.  dorky i know, but i've always loved to read.  i have so much fun perusing the books.  i could spend hours in a library.  my mom used to always take us, and it was so exciting when we went.  i can't wait for when mae will get excited about going to the library.

the faves: munchkin

here are a few of munchkin's favorite things right now:

sitting up.  she has become a whole new baby now that she can sit up and play on her own.  and we've learned she has an arm span similar to that of shaq's.  homegirl swipes at everything.

kicking.  she always is kicking her feet.  or moving in some way.  even when she was in my belly, she was always moving.

 standing.  she always gets a huge grin on her face when she's standing.  it's really all she wants to do.  she even will grab for your fingers so she can hold them and stand up.

the baby bjorn.  whenever she see's me strap that thing on to carry her, she gets super psyched.

books.  well, she loves to eat books.  but 'where is baby's belly button' is a book she will actually sit and listen while i read it. 

being outside.  i love being outside, so i'm glad she does!  we have fun just listening to the birds, or playing in the grass.  she loves to be in her stroller.  i took her jogging the other day, and she loved the wind in her face.  she started to get grumpy when i slowed down to walk.  (it's hard to push a stroller and run up a hill!)