Our Strawberry at TEN MONTHS!

Sooooo...I'm officially a month behind!

Our breath of SUNSHINE turned ten whole months old on April 4. Can I get a resounding GULP????!!!! She continues to be the light of our lives...such a joy is this baby girl! And Harry and I agree she just gets better and better with each passing day. Who knew that was possible? While I yearn for the itty-bitty baby stages again, I wouldn't trade the current milestones for the world. Oh, be still my heart...children are indeed a blessing from the LORD!

New in her TENTH month of life:

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  SECOND and THIRD toofies! (on the bottom next to the one she got at eight months, and one on the top left)

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  Touching with her chubby pointer bites of food before they go into her mouth (because mealtimes just didn't quite take long enough before...)

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  Waving HELLO to everyone she meets...and their doggies, too!

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  Blowing "raspberries" all the time as a source of self-entertainment...but mostly to flirt with her Daddy, who used to think it was cute to initiate these at meals until he gots carrots spit into his eye! She also "bangs" on her lips with the back of her hand while singing to make all sorts of funny noises! She loves when Mama or Daddy tap on her mouth, and she immediately begins to sing. SOOOOO EDIBLE!

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  Spitting her paci out with force and then smiling up at me in order to protest night-night time (I have to force myself not to laugh at this very effective means of communicating, "I am not done playing, Mama!")

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  An increasing repetoire of animal sounds...especially DOGGIES! She imitates us when we make the sounds along with books or real animals, and initiates a deep "woo-woo-woo" whenever she sees a pup or hears one barking in the distance! She ADORES Rylie and always looks for her when she wakes in the morning. She usually finds our very neglected fuzzy child sleeping on our bed right across the way from her nursery...

• Bathtime fun now involves Susannah having long "conversations" with her rubber duckies. She goes through her entire repetoire of normal, happy for her/unique as far as babies as concerned vocalizations: she growls at them, hollars at them, and giggles to the point of snorting at them! Tickles in the tubby evoke such delight that I am certain to provide them on a regular basis.

• "Kissy Neck"...our new favorite bedtime game! And how could it not be?! As we dance, Susannah will lean her head back to expose her precious, soft, ENTIRELY IRRESISTABLE neck, which I am compelled to kiss and nibble! She giggles through her paci as she nuzzles into my face...only to toss her head back again the minute her laughter subsides. Though I know I should be the adult in the equation and focus on winding her down, I seize my inner child and indulge us both in some "Kissy Neck" fun. These moments will dissolve as quickly as all the other moments in her first year of life have, and I am determined not to let a single ounce of exposed baby neck go unkissed!

Barrettes!!!

Susannah now has enough hair to wear the sweet barrettes my friend Kacie made for her! How exciting is it to be able to accessorize your baby?! As if dressing her could get any more FUN, FUN, FUN!!!! :)

Daddy loves his sweetheart in purple...

...and Mama thinks she's the loveliest little thing around!

Had to throw in another favorite of our barrette-donning beauty!

A Visit from Grammy!

In early April, Grammy (Lacey's mom) came to Staunton to spend the weekend with us. We had a wonderfully laid-back couple of days fussing over and playing with Susannah. I loved being able to have my own mother experience life in our home with our darling girl. We walked around downtown and visited Pufferbellies Toys and Books, as well as our favorite ice cream store, the Split Banana. YUMMY! Mom and I got three different flavors of ice cream packed into a take-home styrofoam container and indulged later Saturday evening as we watched a movie together. The weather was lovely, so we got to walk the park on Sunday afternoon before she had to return home.

The big treat of the weekend (well, one of them anyway!) was that Harry and I went to church while Grammy stayed home with Susannah. I know this is a warped statement, but consider the following: I have scarcely heard a church message since her birth last June, as I'm either slinging toys, swaying along the side of the congregation, or holed up in the nursing room with a little one who needs to eat or have her morning nap. We hope Grammy will visit again soon!

Susannah explores a "Magic Rain Stick" that Grammy bought at Pufferbellies.

Musical instruments--including the above-pictured rhythm sticks--are some of Susannah's new favorite toys. Imagine that...you shake and bang them around and they make endless noise. Of course they're a favorite for babies! :)

Peek-a-boo in any form is a favorite of Susannah's, as well. Here, she looks through this inflatable "barrel" that Grammy gave her to see a smiling Grammy on the other side! This fun new toy also has jingling balls inside. How delightful!

Practicing my climbing and crawling skills on the new barrel.

Trying soooooo very hard to crawl, but can't quite do it yet. She is STRONG but must be as uncoordinated as her mother! Poor thing...an athlete I am not. Forward motion eludes our girl and she ends up just rocking on all fours and then moving backwards. It'll come, it'll come...and then I'll regret ever wanting it to!

Time for a Sunday afternoon stroll in the park

Grammy pushed me while Mama walked Rylie the Wonder Dog, my favorite family member of all! (By the way, Susannah is wearing a handmade sweater-and-hat set lovingly created by our dear family friend Betty. She looks like a PORCELAIN DOLL in it! The white yarn has a bit of shimmer to it, making her simply angelic. I gasp every time I see her in it!)

Modeling her sweet sweater set. Like I already stated...A PORCELAIN DOLL!!!!

Playing, playing, PLAYING the Days Away

Our young friends Zoe and Julia (identical seven-year-old twins) stayed with us for the weekend in early April while their parents had a weekend away. Susannah really enjoyed having two "big sisters" to watch and play with, and they were so sweet with her. Because Saturday was such a rainy day, we took a trip to the local pet store to look at and touch some of the animals. Susannah's favorite were little black finches that twittered and flitted about their cage. She sat on Daddy's shoulders and tracked them with her head and eyes, blinking as they rapidly flapped their little black wings. I think she must have watched them for ten solid minutes before her little mind was saturated!

Getting stronger by the minute...and taller, too!

Daddy just adores playing in more active ways with our girl, while my strength is sitting for prolonged periods of stacking, shaking, filling, dumping, and clacking smaller toys. What a great balance the Lord has struck between the two of us! I'll have her folding origami in no time, while he'll have her ready for the big-kid jungle gym at Gypsy Hill Park! This squishy pink "Gertie Ball" is Susannah's new favorite thing to play with Daddy. She loves to hit it and watch as it rolls to him...and then, magically, he hits it back to her! COOL!

We got Susannah a Leap Frog Activity Table off of Craig's List recently, and she will prop-stand at it for "forever" and press the buttons, listen to the words and tunes, and maneuver all the many levers and rollers.

LOOK AT THOSE MATCHING FACES!!!!! hahahaha

Little strawberry crib shoes on little strawberry feet...

Spring has SPRUNG!

Though we've continued to have our share of chilly days, the warm days are becoming more regular and are a blessed refreshment after a long winter of indoor activity. We should be seeing more of those little arms and legs and toes-ies once the temperatures elevate another ten degrees or so!

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS are a favorite! Susannah will sit FOR HOURS with books...but prefers certain ones. Her current faves include any of the Baby Faces books by Margaret Miller (including Baby Food, Peek-a-Boo Baby, What's On My Head?), anything by Sandra Boynton (Doggies and Snuggle Puppy just enrapture her), and any of her "Touch and Feel" books, such as Puppy Love, Who's Zoo?, Touch and Feel Farm, and Touch and Feel Pets. If we select a book from her basket that she's not so into, she will endure a few pages and then push it away, immediately looking toward the pile to our right in order to signify that she wants something new! Preferences have begun... She also bursts into tears every time books are done and it's time to transition to music and dancing before going to sleep.

Now that the weather is warming up (some days, anyway!), we are spending more and more time outside and less and less time inside! YAY!!! Susannah delights in exploring nature...touching grass, looking at flowers, watching the doggies romp in the backyard, and taking LONG stroller rides in the nearby park. We often get together with Melissa and baby Judah down the street for our neighborhood and park walks. The babies like to look at each other in their strollers!

Here, Susannah explores a daffodil we picked from our very huge "stock" of these gorgeous yellow blooms.

Not so tasty...

On the same day we explored daffodils, our friends Sarah and Mike and their adorable little Levi (age 14 months here) stopped by for a short visit. Levi is on the move, and when I expressed to Sarah how I am worried that Susannah isn't yet, she responded in all seriousness, "Lacey! Don't be upset about that! That is a GIFT FROM HEAVEN!!!!" :) I guess she's feeling the exhaustion of chasing a busy, busy boy around all day, everyday!








Boy, were these two little ones sweet together. Levi even gave Susannah a kiss! Such a gentle, gentle friend he is. We can't wait to see them again in a few weeks!

This is Susannah with her "Aunt Jackie," my friend with whom I used to teach at Covenant Nursery School. We hosted a baby shower for a mutual friend at our home in early April, so Susannah got all dressed up! "Aunt Jackie" just LOVES Susannah, and our family is so deeply grateful for the time she so freely gives to us. She comes over to keep Susannah sometimes so we can have "date nights" and so I can make an occasional grocery run sans bebe. What a blessing Jackie is to us! Since we don't have family nearby, it is a gift to know that someone who loves our baby so much can care for her when we need her.

An Afternoon in the Park

Susannah and Lily, our neighbor who lives just up the street

Amanda, Lily's mama, and I are soooooo thankful to have these little girls!

Susannah LOVES to swing! This is her second time on the park swing. She is a giggly delight as Daddy pushes her and grabs her feet and tickles her little legs.

Sheer swinging delight! This picture just MELTS MY HEART!!!!!

This is what BLISS looks like...

NIBBLE. THAT. BABY.

Daddy helped Susannah go down the slide in the Tot Lot. WEEEEEEE!!!!

Yummy Food!

Our little girl is a good eater some days, and a not-so-great one other days. It's not that she's picky...she LOVES spinach, asparagus, broccoli, almond butter, pineapple, and other more "conventional" baby foods. She just has hungry days and less hungry days...I guess. Who knows what really makes this little thing tick?!

Recently, she sent me into a tailspin because all she wanted to eat for dinner one night was Cheerios. She had just mastered the fine art of the pincer grasp and clearly wanted to practice, practice, practice it. And practice she did...for AN HOUR AND TWENTY MINUTES. One "O" at a time. One painstaking, "Mama, I will do it myself and therefore will swat away any Cheerio that you offer me," I-thought-the-meal-would-never-end "O" at a time.

Spinach face!

She truly delighted in every bite of spinach and prunes. Can you tell?!

A Visit from Katie and Her New Son

Our friends Katie (far left) and Chad visited with their teeny new baby, Thor Ezekiel. Katie and Chad moved from her hometown of Staunton to Washington state to be nearer to his family for a season of their lives, and got pregnant shortly thereafter. I was soooooo thankful to be able to cuddle their adorable little six-week-old and encourage this new mama on the rocky journey that is mothering a newborn baby. Oh, hearing her questions and struggles brought back SOOOO MANY memories from those early, foggy, "Will I ever sleep normally again?" days. (The answer to the last questions is a resounding NO!!!! Just ask our daughter...)

Above, Melissa and her six-month-old Judah and Susannah and I head out with Katie and a sleeping baby Thor for a neighborhood walk.

Fast asleep in my crib at 11pm...with my "Silky" on my face! (This is a regular occurrence for our girl and it cracks us up EVERY TIME!)

Our Sweet Spring Bunny

I couldn't resist doing a photo shoot of Susannah in her spring bunny hat sitting amidst the daffodils in the circle garden of our backyard.

Ready for my stroll in the park!

How much do we love this girl? WORDS COULD NEVER EXPRESS...