Why I'm a Shut-in. An Example

Going out during wonder week (fussy period preceding acquisition of new developmental milestones)...

So I decided to go out yesterday and get an outfit to wear to a NYE party we're attending tonight. Bill was going to meet us so he could watch Calla as I shopped. i even pumped a bottle to save time if she got hungry during the trip.

When i got ready to leave... dead battery. i thought it was an omen... Bill says it's because i never drive my car anymore. Anyway, he picked us up. In spite of wonder week, Calla was being pretty good. We put her in the stroller in hopes she'd continue her car seat nap.

She started fussing while i was in a dressing room. Some nosy old woman told Bill that the baby was to young to be shopping and stood there staring at him while he tried to calm the baby. He told me about it and I was so mad i wanted to find her and give her a piece of my mind - but who had the time for that!

He gave calla the bottle and she was fine. I went into dressing room again and then i heard my baby screaming. Being the bottle newb that I am, I forgot the vent thingie, the bottle worked fine at first, but then it spilled milk all over Calla. :( She was soaked!!! And mad!

THEN when I changed her into dry clothes, I discovered the spare outfit i brought was too small!!! I guess my 11 wk old is officially wearing 6-9/6-12m sizes now, no more 3-6m. I just had to squeeze her into the outfit, which was a footed one-piece (poor Calla), so she wouldn't be naked until we got home.

In short, it was an adventure! I told Bill that my fear of that kind of outing is why i'm being such a shut-in lately. He reminded me that we have had several good outings, too. True, but i was SO glad to get home.

Test

Too Cute Not to Post

This will be my last post of the day, I promise! This was too cute not to post, though:


Calla (11 Weeks) with her dad.

Xmas Tree

Vids from Xmas

More to come...

Merry Xmas

Merry Christmas!

Calla's New Friend

Among the Xmas gifts from Gram for Calla was a Raggedy Ann doll who has quickly become Calla's best friend. I had no idea that she could become so fond of a toy at this age, but she has.

She "talks" to the doll, she smiles at the doll, and today when her mother carelessly positioned Calla where she couldn't see the doll, she cried real tears until her friend Raggedy Ann was back in sight!

Calla with her friend:

Xmas Is Next Week???

We haven't even begun shopping! Yikes! Oh well, at least Calla is ready:





The cape won't fit around her neck/chins!!!

Calla Is Two Months Old Today!

And she had her first shots. (See the band-aid on her chunky little thigh?)


She didn't cry when she got her shots! I nursed her while it was being administered and she didn't even flinch. She hated the cherry flavored oral vaccine however. I'm glad she didn't find the shots traumatic since we're using Dr. Sears' Alternative Vaccine Schedule, which requires more sticky pokes overall.

Here's Calla's stats:
Weight: 15 pounds even
Height: 24 inches

She's healthy and doing well!

Calla Good

Cooing on Cue

Calla wants a cookie?

Cat and Calla were in Calla's room and Cat thought that Calla said she wanted a cookie. A few seconds later I heard it with my own ears, Calla said "Cookie" clear as day. Was this a coincidence or is my daughter already knowledgeable of the power of cookies?

Poppa Bee

Recent Photos

We've been a bit busy lately. Never too busy to take photos, though. Here are a few:

Calla in a great mood after her nap.

Calla all bundled up.

Calla and her daddy watching the ceiling fan. Fun!

Proof I fit a turtleneck around Calla's neck/chins.

A rare photo of Calla giggling. Although she smiles and giggles often, these photos are hard to get because she stops smiling when the camera comes out.

Calla @ Abyssinia

Calla was a good baby when the family went out for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

Calla Holding Up Her Head

We have five straight minutes of video where Calla is holding up her head like this:



She's so strong!

Happy Baby!

Calla has been returning my good morning smiles for a while now, but today was the first day she smiled at me first! Aww! She has been extra smiley this morning. Maybe she's happy to be back home?

Here are cute pics of her grinning on Friday before we went on our road-trip:

Thanksgiving Weekend -Calla's First Road Trip

Calla hamming it up with a diaper on her head:


Calla went on her first road trip on the Friday following Thanksgiving when Poppa Bee drove the family to middle Tennessee so we could introduce Calla to several of my relatives. She met her uncle, both sets of great-grandparents, her great-aunt and great-uncle, as well as her mama's Nanny T, along with a slew of cousins and family friends. We all had a really good time. I loved showing off Calla, who was quite the charmer overall.

She was extra good in her car seat during the four hour drive to our destination. She didn't cry at all. We made sure to stop frequently to change her diapers and see if she wanted to eat. I was so proud of my little darling, who used to cry at nearly every red light or stop. She was on her best behavior.

On the ten minute drive from the hotel to Aunt Susie's house, however, she decided to cry and scream the whole way. I have to admit this drive took place during her usual "fussy period" anyway, and I couldn't blame her for not wanting to be in the car seat anymore after being in it for such a long time already.

We had a really great time visiting with Aunt Susie and Uncle Cayce, Granny and Gene, Aunt Linda, Cousin Richard, and Cousin Lindsey along with her two adorable daughters: Kylei and Savannah. The girls were fascinated with Calla and loved stroking her baby hair. They were too cute! Calla slept for most of this visit, even though I was hoping she would wake up so they could see how fun she can be. Everyone was in love with her anyway, though!

We were worried how she'd sleep in the hotel, but she did great on Friday night. Thank goodness because Mama was still tired from Calla's antics on Wednesday night when she was up half the night nursing and fussing. Everyone woke happy and well-rested the next day.

We'd hoped to introduce Calla to her Grandpa Ron, but he got sick and had to go back to the hospital the day before. She'll meet him later, though. She got to spend Saturday afternoon with his parents, Mamaw and Papaw. A little mystery was solved when we took off Calla's hat and Mamaw said, "Oh! She has red hair, just like my daddy!"

Calla was very alert and being cute. She managed to entice my 85 year-old grandfather to join her down on the floor. He was rewarded big big smiles after he told Calla that she was prettier than both her mother and father put together (which is true, after all).

We got to see her Uncle Charlie briefly before he left to go visit Grandpa. We also got to play with Mamaw and Papaw's "baby," Gizmo, a spoiled toy chihuahua. Giz has a bib and Mamaw spoon feeds him his dog food. He's very smart and sweet.

Later that evening, we returned to Aunt Susie's for a delicious dinner. In addition to Uncle Cayce and Aunt Susie, Richard, Granny and Gene, my Nanny T (Teresa), and Cousin Jennifer and Terry were there. It was so great to see everyone. Dinner was delicious, and we had a lot of fun. Calla woke up and even smiled a bit, especially when everyone laughed after Poppa Bee put a diaper on her head. She had Granny down on the floor with her this time!

Want to see photos from the trip?

Everything went so well, I can see us going back to visit again soon. I really found it exhilarating to be out of the house. It was sort of surreal to go back home, where I spent so many years of my childhood, with my own child in tow this time. And I found it very heart-warming to watch these people I love fall in love with Calla.