Look at Our Growing Girl!

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Rocking My Baby...

This post is kind of random, but I just wanted to share an excerpt from a poem I have come across many times since I've become a Mommy... it almost makes me cry everytime I read it!  One of my most *favorite* things to do is rock my sweet Rosie... nothing feels better than a sleepy baby all snuggly in your arms and drifting off to sleep... and, sadly, I know there will come a day when she will be too "busy" or "big" for me to do so.

 So while I can, I'm gonna rock my baby...  I wouldn't trade those moments for anything in the world. <3


"Babies Don't Keep"

The cleaning and scrubbing
can wait till tomorrow...
For babies grow up,
I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs,
dust go to sleep...
I'm rocking my baby
and babies don't keep.

-- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Rosie, almost 4 months




















Love,
Chandra :)

1st Birthdaypalooza!!!!!

This will be Rosie's "official" First Birthday Party post!

My precious Birthday Girl <3

She had such an eventful birthday, that it's actually taken me TWO (long!!!) blog posts to fill everyone in on the festivities!  Geez! ;)  We may just have a family party next year... ;)

Rosie's birthday party was on Sunday, February 5th at 1:00 pm.  It was a typical February Sunday... chilly and kind of dreary.  It also *just happened* to be Super Bowl Sunday... oops!!!  However, the party was over by 4:00, so it shouldn't have cut into anyone's Super Bowl activities.

Rosie's party was held at Mimi & Papaw's house in Georgetown... they have more room than we do and were more than excited to host Rosie's first big party!  They had the house all decked out for her :)  Mimi helped me make food, Auntie Philana made lots of cute decorations and banners (I'll post pics!) and Judy Ramsey made her adorable and yummy cakes.  It was a wonderful day!

"I AM ONE" Bday banner that Auntie P made... SO CUTE!

Yummy (and beautiful) cake

Birthday photo banner, also made by Auntie P!  Hope RG gets her artistic skills!


We had MANY guests at the party, which made it kind of crazy, but it was sooo much fun :)  It was especially cute to watch all the kiddos interact with one another and "help" Rosie open her gifts... they all had a blast!  Some of the "littles" in attendance were: Hayes Davis, Braydon Bartlett, Ella Price, Ellie & Mallory Bevington, Catilin & Clay Gilbert, Karis & Gabriel Nickell,  and Savannah & Brady Faulkner. I must say that my friends have the CUTEST kids ever!!!  And they're also the sweetest :)

Hayes with Mommy

Ella with Mommy

When the guests arrived, we noshed on some food while the kids played.  After eating, we sang "Happy Birthday" to Rosie and she dug into her cake!  She was more interested in the cake this time around, but still didn't get too messy.  I thought she might be afraid since everyone was staring at her... but she loved it!  She's such a little ham and is clearly used to being the center of attention.  Aaaaahhh!!! ;)

"What's this thing on my head???"
"Yum... CAKE!"

After some cake, it was time to open gifts.  Rosie was VERY blessed... so blessed, in fact, that Mommy & Daddy might have to rent a storage unit to store all of her Christmas and birthday loot! ;)  She got several toys... a dollhouse, stuffed animals, singing teapot, and a talking purse, and a new CAR (see below!) just to name a few.  She also got several very cute outfits for this spring... and a bikini!!!  Daddy's not too sure about that one, but I am SO excited for her to wear it :)  She loved opening the gifts and playing with the paper... and she had lots of helpers, too! :)

"Let's open presents, Mommy!"

Lots of cute helpers!

Modeling her tutu!

Rosie stylin' in her new ride!


It was an exhausting, but WONDERFUL, day!!!   Rosie was in such a good mood and everyone had a great time :)  Thanks to everyone who came to help us celebrate... we are so blessed to have amazing friends and family!  Also, you will get thank you notes from me eventually... I'm just slow these days! ;) 

Here are a few more pics... just in case you didn't see enough... ha! ;)

Mommy, Daddy & Rosie

Rosie with Nick's parents (Nonnie & Buddy)

Rosie with Mimi & Papaw... thanks for letting us use your house! <3
My big girl is ONE! :)

Couldn't resist... ;-)


Love you all!!!!

Chandra :)

Saturday, February 18, 2012

"Whooo's Turning ONE?!?!?" ROSIE GRACE!!!! :-)

Hi friends & loved ones!!!

Just a warning... this is gonna be a LONG one! ;)

The past couple of weeks have been C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!!  What else is new?! ;-)  However, just to add to the madness... our sweet girl turned ONE on February 2nd!!!  I can't even begin to explain how bittersweet this huge milestone in Rosie's life has been for me.  On one hand, I was sooo excited to celebrate her birthday and I love everything about how she's growing and changing... but I am unbelievably sad that my BABY is less of a baby everyday... she's becoming her own little independent (and opinionated!) person.  I really can't believe that she's already a year old.  She's so beautiful (I know I'm a bit biased, but she really is!) and she has such a playful personality... loves to smile and laugh.  I could not be happier with her <3.
"Who's the pretty girl in the mirror???  ME!!!"

Sweet little grin <3

"Hi, Mommy!"


 Just some updates on Rosie... at her one year check up, she was 22 lbs 12 oz (75th percentile) and 30 inches long (80th percentile) - we have a GROWING girl!!!  She has tripled her weight and grown 11 inches in one year... hard to believe!  Our pediatrician, Dr. Chase (who we love!), said that she's the perfect picture of a healthy and happy growing girl... I'm so proud :)  She tolerated her shots (barely!)... did not appreciate them, but she survived ;).

Feelings are hurt and I'm MAD after mean shots! :(

  Rosie is doing all the "typical" things of a one year old... she's starting to walk, which is SO cute, but very nervewracking!  I live in fear that she's going to fall and crack her head open :(  She constantly says "hi" and waves to everyone... sooo cute.  She is eating more table foods now, although some foods have been a challenge and she's a messy girl who loves to play with her food rather than eat it sometimes.  Some of her favorite things to eat right now are:  bananas, toast, mini pancakes, cheese, applesauce, animal crackers, cheddar goldfish crackers, and green beans.  We are working on eating more veggies and some meats.  She is down to only one bottle a day (at night) and the rest of the time, she drinks milk/formula or water with very watered down apple juice from a sippy cup.  This is a huge achievement because she LOVES her bottles and was not at all interested in the sippy cup for the longest time... I must give credit to her wonderful sitter, Kathy, for working with her and helping her to achieve sippy cup success :)  She has a healthy appetite and wears 12-18 month clothes right now... just a little big for her age, but is starting to lose some "baby fat" because she is constantly on the move and NEVER sits still!  I love all her chubs and don't want her to lose them! :(  Right now, some of her favorite toys are baby dolls (she loves to "rock" them and pat their backs), books (looking and pointing), and Little People toys... she loves those!  She loves bathtime and her face lights up whenever she sees Daddy at the end of the day... Mommy just can't compare ;)  She says Mama (mostly when in distress or when she's tired!), Dada, hi, bye-bye, and baba (bottle)... and lots of other things that we just can't understand yet!  This little girl is the JOY of my life! <3




So, back to the birthday... Rosie's actual birthday fell on a Thursday and I took the day off of work to spend the whole day with her.  Even though she didn't understand that it was her birthday, I just couldn't bear the thought of being away from her on such a special day... so a "vacation day" it was!  We stayed at home in the morning... ate breakfast, played and took a nap (I showered while she napped!).  After a quick snack, we drove over to Mimi's (my mom's) school to visit for a few minutes.  She was SO excited to see the Birthday Girl :)  Then we headed to Lexington to see Daddy at work and to grab some late lunch.  We drove over to the mall and had lunch at Abuelo's (a yummy Mexican restaurant).  Rosie snacked on goldfish crackers and played in the highchair while Mommy & Daddy ate... she was so patient and good!
A

 Then... we headed over to the Build-A-Bear store!!!!  Yes, Rosie got her first expensive and personalized teddy... it was worth every penny to see her look at all the bears and "pick" the one she wanted.  Her bear was stuffed, sewn up, "bathed" (with air!), and dressed in a cute pink outfit.  She was given the name Honey Bear Landers and is Rosie's BFF right now!
So many to choose from!

Love my bear!
"Bathing" the bear with Daddy ;)
Sweet face <3
Mommy, Daddy, Rosie & Honey Bear!

 It was truly a fun experience for all of us... can't wait to do it again when she gets older.  By this time, Rosie was worn out... so we headed back home so she could take a nap in the car.  Later on in the evening, after Daddy came home from work, the real celebrating began!  We ate some dinner and gave Rosie her first cupcake!  Mimi and Pappy came over to bring Rosie a few presents and to watch her eat her cake.  She was so funny and wasn't sure what to think about all the sweet icing... but she played and had a great time.  After the mess was cleaned up, she opened a few gifts... Mommy & Daddy gave her a Radio Flyer wagon, a playmat, some pretty pictures for her playroom, and a few other things.  It was a wonderful day!



"Reading" her card... so smart! ;)

Whewww... I'm tired again just from typing all of that out! ;)  And I haven't even gotten to her "official" first birthday party yet!  Gonna have to save that for the next post.  More on my sweet girl later... she's waking up from her nap!

Love,
Chandra :)

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

YES... We're still alive!!!!!

Once again, I managed to abandon my blog... I'm pretty upset about it; however, those of you reading with mobile babies, full-time jobs, and dirty houses will probably understand... I would love to blog more, but it  seems that something else ALWAYS gets in the way.  Plus, I am a person who requires a good night's sleep, which means that I can't stay up all night catching up on my blog...

I know... EXCUSES.  I'm full of 'em!  Now I feel guilty...

Well, onto more exciting things... if you can believe it, my precious Rosie turns ONE year old tomorrow!!!!  How is that possible?!?!?  Seems like I was just pregnant... seems like we just brought her home... seems like it was just yesterday.  You know, I've been told that this is how babies grow up on us.  It makes me feel a little sick inside how fast she's growing and I just want to remember her so little, so sweet, and so innocent forever.  Thank you, God, for allowing me to be the mother of this precious girl.

Modeling her first birthday outfit and rocking in Mommy's rocking chair
Look at that sweet face <3

Yummy book!

In honor of Rosie's birth, I am taking tomorrow off work (yay!!!!) to spend the whole day with her!  We are going to meet Daddy in Lexington for lunch and do a little bit of shopping ;)  Then we're going to come back home for a few presents and some cake.  We LOVE to celebrate birthdays around here... especially me!  On Sunday, Rosie is having her "official" first birthday party - can't wait to celebrate her with family and friends.

I will do my best to update quickly after Rosie's party and to also catch everyone up on us during the past as few months... there has been a LOT going on and it has been BUSY!!!

As I go to bed tonight, I'm feeling very blessed and my heart is full <3.

Love,
Chandra