9 Months!

Dakota is a big girl now. 9 months old as of Cinco de Mayo. She had her check up and she is just perfect. She weighs 16lbs 6oz and is 28” long…tall and skinny. The doc told me that she is more active than most kids her age so he is still not too worried about her weight which is only the 10th percentile. She is pulling up on EVERYTHING wishing she could stand and walk on her own. I think she will be walking in another month because she has mastered the “crab” walk which is an upgrade to crawling. This week we also got to start “real” food. He said we are free to try anything except eggs, honey and peanuts. So far she LOVES to feed herself turkey (deli meat). She is so cute when she puts her little pincers in her mouth and gobbles it up. She likes cheese too. She also learned two new “tricks” this week…playing peek-a-boo and blowing her nose. Last Monday, Jacob and I were driving in the car and I was sitting in the back with her and she started pulling the blanket on and off her head. I would yell “peek-a-boo” and she would laugh and laugh. I bet we did it 30 times. Then, Tuesday morning I was wiping her nose which she normally hates and I realized she was blowing it. I kept doing it and would say “Blow” and she did! I praised her for it and now she thinks it is a game when I put the tissue up to her nose. SO CUTE. Anyway, I can’t believe she will be a year in 3 months. I have loved every bit of the past 9 months…

Speaking of 9 months…I feel like I need to toot my own horn for a minute. It’s amazing how in 9 months I gained 30 pounds and swelled to a ginormous size but in the past 9 months I have lost 40 pounds and this past Thursday I ran/walked 6.5 miles to my friends house. My girlfriends and I have been running a lot and I feel so good and active and healthy. I still eat like a hog (thanks to the breastfeeding) but I am exercising which is something I enjoy. Dakota loves strolling too. On April 19 several of us ran a 5k and I got 5th place in my age group with a time of 27mins 35secs. Still nothing compared to my high school days when I could run a 21 min 5k but hey…I’m almost 10 years older and I’ve had a baby. Maybe if I keep at it….

Well, enough about me…here are some recent shots of our sweetie. Can you tell how much she loves life?? She is almost always happy and giggly.

Oh...we celebrated a friend's 30th birthday with an 80's party. It was TOO funny. For pics of Jacob with a mullet and mustache check out our friend Tracy's blog.

I love those blue eyes!!!

Sutton Button joined us for a swing date.

This was in our front yard and I thought it was perty. Anybody know what it is?

She pretty much has the sippy cup mastered and I am so thankful that water pleases her!! I don't want her addicted to juice too early. And can you tell she is ready for football season??
She wanted you to see her top toofers. I started bathing her in the kitchen sink because it is easier than bending down in the tub. She loves it. Thank goodness for deep sinks!

Cartner Look-alike Meter

Fun Pictures

Here are some pictures taken over the past month or so. Just a bunch of random ones. She is so wonderful and she is crawling all over the place. She has a new tooth just at the gum and she can pull up to a standing position with ease (she is still working on the balance thing) as well as go from tummy to sitting in no time.

She likes her new walking toy. My bet is by 10 months she is going to be running circles around me!

These are all the way from V-Day.
Easter Sunday with Mommy
What a cute crawler!
This bouncing business can really wear a girl out!

Bathtime fun.
Dinner Fun.
Sunny day play time fun.

Just in case you thought she smiles all of the time :) She was just pouting because I stepped away for a moment. So pitiful!

Snow Much Fun

On Friday, March 7, we had a rare snow "storm". The snow began falling on Friday about 4 pm and kept falling until the wee hours of Saturday morning. Since our boys (Chris and Jacob) were in San Francisco for a conference and Carie's mother-in-law was in town, Dakota and I headed over for a fun evening. We ended up getting snowed in and had a slumber party. I know some of you northerners reading this are probably laughing but I was not about to take my 7 month old out in 5" of snow with bare tires. In fact, I made a trial run 100 feet down the road and didn't feel comfortable. Besides, everybody loves a slumber party...especially when sweet potato pancakes are on the menu for breakfast! We got some cute pictures before the snow all melted. By saturday afternoon there were hardly any signs of the pretty white stuff.

I am a Child of God

This past weekend we had a great time with family as they came to celebrate Dakota’s “official” dedication to the Lord. I say official because Jacob and I committed her to the Lord before she was even born…we promise to raise her in a godly home and in a manner that glorifies Him. Sutton Button was also dedicated, adding one more special memory to our friendship with the Alleys.

Thanks to Martha, Dad, Brad, Sally, Clarence and Lauren for making the trip out to Memphis to visit. We had a great time.

This picture cracks me up. She thinks she is SOOO funny picking on him! He looks so amused too.

Sorry I don't have any pictures of Dad, Martha and Brad...I forgot to get them off of their camera before they left!

Cro[ss]cheting

Last night we met for our second week of crocheting. We enjoyed dinner together and then sitting by the warm fire. So far we have made several hats to be handed out to the homeless. We decided we would get a head start next year and try to make 150 since that is the number of lunches we provide.

I made up a silly name for our group: "The Crosscheters" (pronounced Cross-shayers). That's what you get when you mix Christian fellowship and the hobby of crocheting to make items that will benefit and serve others.

Here are a few pictures from last night. We missed our buddy Carie...hope your boys get to feeling better soon!!

Dakota and Lou Ann with my first hat. It was a little smaller than the others but we figured there are small homeless people too.
Emily finished up this hat that her sister started. Emily already made 2 of her own!! Way to go Em!
Anita, on hat number 3?
Debbie and Nancy working away.
I thought I'd go for a little extra warmth on my head.

6 Month Stats

We had Dakota's doctor appointment yesterday. She handled the shots like a pro, only a little crying and was ready to entertain the little ladies at church right after.

Anyway...here are her stats:

14 lbs 13 oz - 25% for weight
26 1/2" - 75% for height

The doctor said I shouldn't be worried about her only gaining a pound over the past two months, even though they recommend a 1 oz per day weight gain. He said he could tell she was active and that she probably burns a lot of calories with her energy. Hopefully she is taking after her dad's metabolism and is going to be tall and skinny like him!

Tonight I am getting together with some of the older ladies and some of the girls my age for our second week at crocheting. I enjoy this time of fellowship and have even made 1 hat for the homeless so far and am 1/4 the way done with my second! Maybe I'll post pictures tomorrow.

Happy 1/2 Birthday Dakota!

Dakota hit the 6 month mark yesterday and we celebrated with a little “party”. Ok, so it wasn’t really a party but I made her a cake and a hat. Ok, so the cake was really for me and Jacob. Today is her 6 month doctor appointment and I am looking forward to hearing her stats but not looking forward to her shots. If I could guess…I’d say she is about 15 lbs 10 oz and 27 inches long. We’ll see how accurate I am! If you look closely at these pictures…notice her little toofers in the bottom. She is quite proud of them.

Helping Mommy Bake a Cake (no worries, I didn't use this spoon)
Trying out a sippy cup.
Trying on her new backpack for school.

35, 36, 37 down…13 to go!

So we made a trip out to the plains this past weekend to conquer the highest points in NE, KS and OK (respectively). We had a great time and Dakota did amazing on her travels. Dakota and I had to make the 4 hour flight (1 hour to ATL and 3 to DEN) by ourselves and I was a little worried about not having the extra help. God blessed me with very helpful flight attendants and two empty seats in the back row just perfect for us. It allowed us a little extra room and she sat in her own seat, buckled in, and played with her toys and napped. Although NE and KS were super flat…it was hard to believe that they were higher than even Mt. Katahdin in Maine!! OK, was a pleasant surprise and very beautiful and actually had mountains! I don’t have much time to write but enjoy the pictures!!