Bedtime Giggles

I know you're not supposed to get kids riled up before bedtime, but I swear come 7:30 Fiona gets a serious case of the sillies.

Six Months...Yikes!

I can't believe my little baby has already been around for half a year. Time sure does fly. In spite of all the traveling we've been doing, Fiona has managed learn lots of new tricks. She can sit up for a while without toppling over...and I'm not just talking seconds...minutes! Just to be safe, we'll continue to tell Bess she can't sit up. She's getting ready to crawl forward any day now...right now she's only managing to go backward unless she's on soft surfaces. She's tried a few solid foods...taking after her cousin Kateri, she loves ice. Bananas...not so much. And yes, I realize ice isn't a food, but I get the feeling Fiona feels very big when she's sucking it down. So far the most successful real food has been apples. Unfortunately, my fear of her gnawing off too big of a piece led me to buy some mesh food holders, and of course it's not quite as fun to eat things if they aren't choking hazards.

Anyway, she was making the best faces for this photo session so there were lots of pictures...here are some favorites. So happy to get full body shots of the pointy toes...it's totally her excited position...

Oh I love her.

Scituate!

Since we're not going up north around the holidays this year, we took a quick weekend trip to Scituate to get in some quality time with Nanny and Papa and to meet the newest addition to the Bird family.

Little Leah was every bit as sweet in person as in pictures, and I can't wait to snuggle her again! It's amazing too think Fiona was this size just 5 short months ago!

I was a little worried about my little Texas baby dealing with the cold, but we got some gorgeous weather while we were there. Can you believe this was 8:30 in the morning in December?!

Fiona was SO excited to see Nanny. She even pushed away the toy Nanny brought for her at the airport and went straight into her arms to grab her face instead. And she was in love with Papa...she even let him lull her to sleep one morning without a peep. :)

She also got some love from Auntie Bowker...

All in all, it was a wonderful trip! Can't wait to see you all again in Louisiana!!

Oh, and this if for the Speier girls...

Giving Thanks

While at first I was a little dismayed that we were going to stay home for Thanksgiving this year, I now understand why people like staying home for the holidays. (Staying in PJs until noon sure was a pleasant treat.) With so much to be thankful for, we celebrated this year with a low-key feast with just Jon, Fiona, myself and Mara.

For our first attempt at a turkey, it could have been MUCH worse. (And it sure looks very pretty.)

Homemade pies, potatoes, stuffing and gravy rounded out our ridiculously large meal...Fiona even got a little sample of potato...which she didn't like much better than bananas. Maybe it was the obscene amount of garlic...

All in all, it was a wonderfully lazy day with lots of entertainment from our sweet little Fi. I can't believe how big she's gotten, and I feel like every week she has a new trick. She finally started getting some clearance in her crawling attempts. I'm guessing it will be any day now. But I think I said that about some teeth a while back, and she still doesn't have any of those, so who knows...

Oh, and Jon was VERY excited about football on the new TV and made me take a picture.

Long story how that came about...

Sarah and Jim got married!!!

As I was preparing to write a Hawaii post, I realized I never got to posting our trip to KC for Sarah and Jim's wedding. For some reason, it's much harder to post about "events" than little things that happen every day. I guess it kind of makes sense...it's more overwhelming. So six weeks late, here we go.

Fiona and I headed out to Kansas City the day after we got back from Jamaica for Sarah's wedding to James Jablonski, Jr, Aka: Jim. (Yes, Jon came too, but couldn't make it until Thursday evening.) Not only were we super excited about the wedding, but Fiona got to meet all of her Deacon-side cousins for the first time.

We're hoping Bess and Jacob and Sarah and Jim add to the mix soon.

Caroline wanted to hold her, but got bored with that pretty quickly. She definitely had more fun playing. I can't wait until they can actually play together without Fiona being in a bouncy seat.

And Raya was SO sweet with her. You should have seen the look on Fiona's face before Raya calmed her down.

Fiona also got to attend her first bachelorette party at only four months old.

Jon came and picked her up when he got in--thank you!--and as it turned out she got to attend her first (and probably only) bachelor party that night too.

The wedding was beautiful, as was the bride, and we are so lucky to welcome Jim in the family! Unfortunately, these are the best pictures I have. That's what professionals are for, right?

Thanks to Sarah and Jim for a great party, and of course for great hospitality Aaron and Kate!!!...whom I somehow have no pictures of. Sorry guys. We can fix that at Christmas.

And as if that wasn't enough, when Jon headed back home Sunday, Fiona and I were picked up by my dear friend Jessica and her sweet baby Annabelle to spend a couple days with the Kessels in Leavenworth. Only six weeks apart, we have high hopes that Fiona and Annabelle too will one day be good friends!

Hopefully this is accidental rather than Fiona showing Annabelle her place.

SO sweet! She looks SO much like her big brother, Gus.

Thanks for the great visit Kessels! Can't wait to see you again!

Problem Solved

I must admit that before Fiona was born, I was not sure about my feelings for pacifiers. After a rough first month, and a constant finger in her mouth, I was beyond thrilled when she finally took one at 2 months. Believe it or not, she was VERY particular about the kind and shape. You should see our stash of rejections. I swear we tried over 15 different kinds. She finally settled on a NUK...but you better not dare give her silicon, latex only. Jon says she takes after me...not in the latex vs. silicon department, but her particularity in general.

Anyhow...the downside to the pacifier is that now she cannot fall asleep without one in her mouth. (There are rare exceptions, such as hiking in Hawaii...) Which wasn't a problem until recently when she started pulling it out, playing with it for awhile and then trying to stick it back in. She's actually gotten quite good at getting it back in...when she's awake, her eyes are open and she's not already fussing. (It would also be convenient if she wasn't stuck on the NUK because not only does she have to make it to the mouth, but apparently it's not satisfying if it's upside down.)

I thought I was a genius the day I thought to shove this between her NUK and her hand.

I'll probably regret this later when she won't sleep without her little chick. I guess ultimately I'm just adding to the "stuff" she needs to sleep well, but since becoming a parent I've realized I'm definitely of the mindset that if the end result is peace, it's worth it. We'll see how long that lasts.

Someone please intervene if I have spoiled brats.

Johnny Jumper

Although Fiona's loved her Johnny Jumper for some time now (likely due to her preference for being upright), only recently has she figured out that actually jumping in it can be pretty fun. She's still a novice, but I have a feeling she'll take off any day now.

Stylin'

After 4 and 1/2 months, I decided the "I just had a baby" excuse is wearing thin (pun not intended). Since the weather here has cooled down and Fiona actually really likes her umbrella stroller (and can sit in it relatively well), I decided we should start taking long walks. So I got to a "park" (it was in Irving) the other day with high hopes of making at least 3 laps around the pond. Unfortunately, I forgot to take into account sun + baby's eyes = bad news. Needless to say, I spent 1/2 of of the first (and only) lap pulling Fiona backwards in the stroller.

So I came up with a solution:

She didn't take them off once. :)

When we got home, Fiona had lots of fun reading her new favorite book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

And then mugged once for the camera.

Football with Daddy...

A Visit from Nanny

Nanny came to stay with us for a few days on her way to Phoenix. She made fast friends with her youngest granddaughter reading her books, singing her songs, and sitting in the back seat keeping her entertained while running errands...quite a luxury.

And she stayed with Fiona one night so Jon and I could go to the U2 concert. It was our first baby-less night out since her arrival, and based on how well she did we just might get some date nights in without coaxing Nanny into town...unless, of course, she wants the excuse. The concert was awesome, and the new Cowboys Stadium is ridiculous. Also, Bono made mention of their Spaceship...which reminded me of Spaceship Peach. :)

Thanks so much for coming Nanny!!!!

*Thanks for the book, Mom and the outfit, Arlene.

Laughing

Of course it was almost over by the time I got the camera out...and in the end it ruined it. But you get the idea.

Jamaica!

Our trip to Jamaica was short and sweet...which ultimately worked out very well. While staying at the Ritz on American's dime is glamorous in theory, you'd be surprised how much one person (me) can rack up in food while staying there. Add to that beach-side beverages for the two adults, and it made our trip not quite the cheap little get away we'd thought. As I told Jon, "How much damage can we really do in two days?" As it turns out, quite a lot.

Fiona loved the warm waters of the Caribbean...even though she only got to go in once with Jon because I was too afraid of dropping her as I fumbled over the rocks. Fine, I only made it in once myself...with the help of a foam floaty. Jon getting stuck by an urchin didn't make me want to go rushing in either.

But we still enjoyed the tropical setting. Fiona got in some nice outdoor naps,

a little exploring with dad

and some play time on the beach with mom.

Oh yeah, she also got a killer bath.

Four Months

So I have some back posting to do from our trips to Jamaica and to KC for Sarah and Jim's wedding. But in the meantime, before I forget, Fiona has finally started chuncking out at 4 months. Yippeee! I love her rolls. This was taken after a LONG trip home from KC...her expression is quite appropriate. Maybe I should give my baby girl a break and try staying home for a few weeks in a row...

Bedhead

Fiona woke up from her nap this afternoon with some fabulous bed-head.

As usual, the pictures don't do it justice, so I kept trying. After a while she got kind of sick of it.

It's much nicer when she wakes up from naps being very sweet than waking up like I do. But I guess I have only myself to blame with so many flashes.

But she got over it very quickly...without caffeine.

I need some pointers.