Whiny Face

This face says: pick me up...or i'm bored...or i want more puffs...or pretty much anything you can think of these days.  How can you say no to this face?!  I've seen a lot of this face lately.

Streaking

Millie loves it.  Beansie and Buddy are not amused.

E.A.S.Y. Does It at 10 Months

I realize this isn't an exciting blog post, but for record-keeping purposes, I would like to record Millie's current E.A.S.Y. (Eat Activity Sleep You) plan.  This has been the routine from about 9 to 10 1/2 months of age, which probably means that since I finally feel like we've established a pattern, it will change again soon. ;)

wake ~ 6:00am
6 oz bottle ~ 6:30am
breakfast ~ 8am
nap ~ 9:30
wake ~ 10:30
6 oz bottle ~ 11am
lunch ~ 12:30pm
nap ~ 2pm
wake ~ 4pm
6 oz bottle ~ 4:15pm
dinner ~ 5:30pm
6 oz bottle ~ 7:15pm
bedtime ~ 7:30pm

*She has rarely been eating the entire 6 oz bottles; it is usually more like 4-5 oz, but we still try for 6 oz.
**Activity time is 3.5 hours from time she wakes up to time she to sleep again

now that she has conquered her fear of the grass, she loves going out in the yard to check things out

First Bump on the Head

Millie refuses to be contained any longer.  Jail just isn't cutting it.  She needs to roam free.  All she wants to do is walk around the house exploring...opening cabinets and toddling into various rooms.  She's doing great walking but still gets tripped up pretty easily, and she falls on her bottom A LOT.  Sunday she fell headlong into the leg of the coffee table and received her first little goose egg on the forehead.  Since then it has turned into just a bruise; such a tough girl. 

see it? :(

 she felt better by lunchtime

then we took her for a walk later that afternoon...there is a lady nearby who plants the most beautiful bulb flowers every year.  these lilies were gorgeous.

A Day with "The Girls"

My dad, Tricia, Sheridan, Jocelynn, and Maya came out to visit on Saturday.  Millie flirted with them from afar for most of the day.  She loves smiling at them and staring at them but would prefer that they keep their hands off (in as nice a way possible).  This has been Millie's preference with almost everyone for the past 4 or 5 months.  She loves to check you out as long as mom or dad stays close.  She did venture out to touch Jocelynn a few times...and those two had the cutest game of chase around the chair that went on for quite a long time.  It's always great to have the girls out; wish we lived closer so it could happen more often.  They are such beautiful little people, inside and out.

jocelynn, maya, sheridan, grandma tricia, and papa

 telling the girls about her see-n-say

 playing chase with jocelynn

Mills did have a skirt on earlier in the day, but it just gets in the way while playing ;)

Fun with Cabinets

This is what Millie loves to do all day, every day...

School's Out for Summer

Today was the last day of Mother's Day Out...I took Millie a total of four times. So...not that much, but it was a great introduction before summer break.  I plan to take her back in the fall for one day a week.  I think it's good for both of us.  ;)  I feel kind of sad that my once a week alone time is over for awhile, but I'm also very relieved.  She cried every time I dropped her off and she was always crying when I picked her up.  Heartbreaking.  The teachers assured me she never cried the whole time, and my friend Tracey also gave me positive updates on Millie when she would drop her son Grey off in the same class.  But I think we are both relieved to have a break from this drama for awhile. 

The great news is that summer is here!  Summer means bare feet, weekly play dates with Cayden and Amanda, ice cream, Millie's first birthday party, fireworks, cookouts, swim lessons...ohhhh, how I can't wait to see this girl in a swim suit! 

Camilla & Cayden at book club meeting last week

Millie loves bananas; sometimes they don't make it in her mouth

 lashes

 shakey-shake on beansie's head

more backyard photos...gotta enjoy the green grass while it's here ;)

Mommyhood

Happy Mother's Day!  This was my first, and I'm so happy to finally be a part of this club.  Yesterday, we had the perfect little outing...just the three of us.  Since the weather was so great, we packed up Millie (plus the large amount of supplies it now takes to go anywhere) and we spent a couple of hours on the Crystal Bridges Museum grounds.  John has taken Mills up there to walk the outdoor trails a few times without me, so this was my first trip to the trails.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  There are multiple trails and plenty of room so that it doesn't feel crowded, and they have done a wonderful job planting flowers, trees, and other native plants.  Unfortunately, Millie wasn't feeling very well, which we didn't realize until we got home; I don't think she enjoyed the outing as much as I did.  She's doing better today with a slightly less runny nose and just a low-grade temperature. 

I loved this field of wild flowers

Someone offered to take our picture from a very awkward angle, but you can't say no, right?!  This picture shows that little miss bear got her dad's skin tone.  JKK tans beautifully and is pretty much freckle and mole-free...I'm so so happy to report that she didn't take after me in this area. ;)

 you can tell she isn't feeling great in this pic...it's in the eyes

 and here she sort of looks comatose...makes me feel bad for dragging her around all day

After some trail-walking, we had a treat indoors while we fed Millie lunch

poor millabean was ready for nap time

It was a great way to celebrate Mother's day.  Of course, I missed getting to see my own mom, but the good news is that we fly up to Denver to see her, my brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and niece in less than two weeks!

Back in September, I wrote the following blog post when Camilla was 2 months old.  I never published it; not really sure why...however, I'm thrilled to say that I still surprise myself daily with how much I love being a mother to sweet baby Millie.  This mommy business is the best!

I sort of knew what mommyhood would be like, but really I had no idea how great it would be.  This is what I have found to be the most surprising aspect of being a parent...the awesomeness of it.  When you don't have kids, people tell you you won't have any idea what you're missing until you have them (big eyeroll here).  But it's true!  It's the absolute best thing I've ever experienced.  I was a little worried about myself and how I would handle sleep deprivation.  I need 8 hours, and even when I get a full 8, I still cannot be classified as a morning person.  Yet somehow at 2 in the morning when she wakes up hungry, I'm still gentle and loving and calm.  I want to make her happy and make her feel safe and loved.  I'm not in denial; John will tell you that I can definitely be crankypants in the morning after a long night with Millie.  But the important thing is that I'm not mad at her for it, and it sort of surprises me.  Not that I thought I would be a mean mom who blamed her infant for not sleeping through the night, but I did sort of wonder how I would feel towards the baby when I'm feeling sleep-deprived and cranky.  So I'm happy to report that I've pleasantly surprised myself (and possibly John) and our baby is not being made to feel guilty for mommy's dark undereye circles (or kangaroo pouch, but that's a whole other topic).

Baby Millie - 2 Months Old

Papa's Visit, plus...have you seen Millie's hair lately?!

Papa (my dad) came to visit this weekend!  It was the absolute best "sitting out on the deck" weather...so that's what we did all day (& night) Saturday.  I haven't seen dad in awhile, so it was really nice to visit and hang out with him.  He got in some millatime, and then we had some dad & daughter time Saturday evening while JKK was attending a wedding.  It was a lovely day...

Dad and John share a bit of a passion for cigars

 Buddy prefers to stay smoke-free

I wish I had been able to get some good video of these two playing peek-a-boo around the kitchen counter :)

This weekend, Millie was a bit whiny and not as playful as she normally is...later today we figured out why: poor Millie Bear is sick with a cold...runny nose, congestion and a fever. :(  We made it 10 months without her getting sick, but I knew with the Mother's Day Out and Little Gym exposure that she was bound to come down with something soon.

Camilla's hair is pretty weird now with all the different lengths...it gets even weirder when she runs her hands covered in food through her hair.

See how long it is on top?!  I've had to give up the bows & barrettes for the time being because she keeps pulling them out and sticking them in her mouth.  Choking hazard.

Also, something for the record book:  last weekend I took my first trip away from Millie.  I went to Dallas for the weekend to hang with my college girlfriends; it was much needed and much appreciated.  I am so lucky to have such a competent, loving husband whom Millie adores.  I definitely missed those two, but at least I knew she was in good hands!