Date Night ala Nashville

This weekend Dave and I took our sweet child to visit Family and Friends in Nashville. We hadn't been since Christmas and since I want my in-laws to like me, I must bring their grandchild to visit every few months. That sweet little angel slept the entire car ride there and the whole way back without a peep. God bless her!

While we were there we went to Maggiano's, which if you are not familiar, is the best Italian restaurant EVER! It's family style dining with more food than should be legal to consume in one sitting. Honestly, Dave woke up feeling hung over and thought out loud, "Wow. I shouldn't have had so much to drink." And then he realized, he had not had anything to drink! It was a food hangover, and yes, it's possible. Anyway, we had wonderful company. Our good friends Jeremy and Lindsey (Emily's Godparents) and our friends Anne and Scott (who are expecting their first baby in September). The conversation was entertaining and started to cross the line before the first glass of wine, which is typical with that crowd! We can't wait to go back! We miss you Nashville!

Next weekend... Girl's weekend in Birmingham! It will be Emily's first girl's weekend!

My Big Girl

OK, so I don't mean that literally. At her last doctor's visit a week and a half ago she only weighed 13 lbs 10 oz which puts her in about the 10th-20th percentile for weight and she's in about the 75th for height. My little string bean! But she is growing up so fast. She so desperately wants to crawl. If you put her on her tummy she will spin her self around in circles. Her upper body is so strong, but she just can't seem to get her legs in sync. Last night Dave and I were playing with her on the carpet and she pushed back a little and got her butt up in the air, almost on her knees.

She is also working very hard to sit up all by herself. She is a pro if someone is sitting behind her to keep her from tipping over. She can balance for a few seconds by herself, and then she tips over. It's so cute! She loves when we are sitting on the floor with her and let her stand and face us. She likes to be face to face and to feel like she is one of us. It's amazing to watch her grow up literally in front of our eyes!

Her other big thing recently is kisses. Oh boy! Does she likes to give kisses. She will use both hands and get a death grip on my cheeks, or ears, or neck, or whatever she can get a hold of and then lean in with her mouth wide open. Usually she chews on my nose, or chin. But I like to think they are kisses. :) The only thing better than that feeling is when she gets her arms all the way around my neck and holds on so tight. She gives the best hugs. (Sorry Dave!)

I can't wait for you all to see her. You are not going to believe how fast she is growing up. In a few weeks she is being dedicated at church. We can't wait for her Grandparents and Aunt Alyssa and Godparents to come visit us. It is going to be a very blessed weekend. Until then, prayers and kisses to all of you!

Happy baby

Just a quick note to say that I have the happiest baby on Earth! She was so good Saturday at the party. We're ready for Ms. Courtney to have her baby so we can have playdates with Baby Tarena! After the party we came home and played with Daddy. He put his silly, old, stinky hat on Emily, but she sure enjoyed it! And then since she was in such a good mood, Momma even got a few pictures, since I'm usually the one taking them.

The new trick this week is that Emily jumps! Thanks to her Aunt Leslie and the Johnny Jump she gave us, she has learned to jump. Now, when we put her in the exersaucer, she will bounce up and down. Even when she is just standing in our lap, she will try and jump. It is so cute. And she will respond. If she is just sitting there and Dave or I say "Jump Em!" or "Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy!" she will start jumping. I can't wait to see what she'll do next!

You can see Em is looking directly at Courtney's belly. So cute!

Just look at that sweet little belly poking out!

Oh Spring...Where art thou?

So Daylight Savings Time came around and I was so excited. Emily and I had a good long run after work Monday. We were feeling refreshed and ready for Spring; ready to be outside. Since Tuesday the temperature has not reached above 36 degrees. Yuck! We are ready for some fun in the sun.
This week Dave was out of town for work in Nashville. We missed him, and he missed us. While he was gone I tried giving Emily some cereal again and she really seems to be taking to it. Much better than last month. Now she is opening her mouth really wide (and laughing), reaching for the spoon (and laughing) and actually eating the cereal instead of pushing it back out (and laughing). She thinks eating is just one of the funniest things ever. She is barely getting an ounce or so each night of cereal, but right now we're just trying to get her use to the texture and taste and the idea of eating real food. It is going well. The good news is, that one little ounce of cereal seems to be sticking to her tummy because last night she slept from 7:30pm until 6am this morning. It was fantastic! We are surely going to stick with it and try a little cereal each night. In a week or two we might try some veggies or fruit. I know, we're pretty wild at the Chambless household! Watch out! :)

This weekend we are going to a baby shower for my good friend Courtney who is due May 5th. I am bringing Emily along because there will be a house full of women with baby on the brain. I'm sure she will be the star of the show... except for the mommy-to-be, that is. We even have her outfit all picked out! I don't have the gift yet, but Emily's outfit is already hanging on the back of the door. You can tell where our priorities are in our house. :o) I will be sure to post some pics.

Hope you all have a great weekend. Take care and God bless!

Toes and Raspberries!

New developments in Emily's little world include her toes! She has recently discovered them and will grab on to both toes and get them all the way to her mouth. Very Impressive! It's a little problematic while trying to change her diaper, but oh so cute! She has also learned how to stick her tongue out and make that raspberry sound. It is so funny! She's really starting to put things together and notice cause and effect, like "if I make that raspberry sound, they will laugh at me." So she makes the sound again and again and waits for us to laugh. She is a pro in the exersaucer now too. She knows if she hits that button, it makes a sound, so she keeps hitting it over and over again. It's really amazing to literally watch her learn.

Yesterday she went with me on my run. I kept thinking she was asleep because she was so quiet. So I'd stop and lean over to check on her, anticipating that she would be asleep and I would recline her seat, only to find her bright eyed just staring up at me. I think she really likes it! We went over 4 miles and she was quiet and awake the whole time! I think she likes the constant movement, changing scenery, and warm weather. It works for me, because now I can work out without feeling guilty, like I should be spending time with her instead. Now I can do both!

There is one thing that has me feeling guilty. Dave and I just booked a Caribbean cruise for our four year anniversary! Part of me is so excited I can't stand it! The other part feels like the worst mother in the world for leaving my 7 month old for 5 days! Not to mention the deilema I am faced with regarding breastfeeding and pumping. How often can I pump while on the ship? Will she want to nurse when I get back? How much milk can I saved up before we leave? How will she handle not nursing at night before bed? I'm not sure what I am going to do, but I do know we are going, so I have 10 weeks to figure it out!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

This weekend was Emily's first big snowfall. How exciting! Actually, it made for a very quiet, very relaxing weekend. Friday night we all went out to dinner and Emily slept like a champ the whole time in her carseat. Fantastic!

*Getting Ready to go to dinner Friday night. Got to put my party hat on!

Early Saturday morning I went for a 5 mile run with some other mommies from the church. It was some great "Mommy time." When I got home, it was Daddy's turn. He went to the park to play football with the boys. By 12:30pm we were all home together and that's the way we stayed until Monday morning! The snow started Saturday afternoon and kept falling and falling. We watched "Gangs of New York" and nearly everything on our DVR queue.

By Sunday morning we had about 6 inches of snow on the ground! Since we couldn't find the truck under all that snow we decided to stay home from Church. We snuggled on the couch and watched TV all day. A big "Thank You" to mother nature for a wonderful, much needed, weekend at home.

Next weekend's forecast...70 degrees!!!!!!