My Funny Girl

Bad Break :(

2009-04-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

Last night I had training in Portsmouth, and came home around 9:40p to find daddy cuddling Sarah downstairs. Sarah's sister had provided her with enough blankets and "stuff" to try to make an escape from her play pen. Of course, being shorter than the walls of her play pen, she fell. When Tim went to hand her to me, she started to cry and whimper, which is unusual...usually she wants mommy if she has a boo boo.

Well, after realizing she was crying every time she was moved, we started testing her arms and legs, and sure enough she cried out every time we touched her right arm. So Tim took her to the ER to get it checked out.

My little girl came home with daddy close to midnight with a temporary cast and sling on her arm. And the worst part was we had to see an orthopedic surgeon in the morning because they were concerned she might need surgery. The bulb at the end of the bone in her elbow broke off completely!

After a night short on sleep, we took her to the orthos today. Thankfully, the doctor we ended up seeing was the same doctor who operated on my knee, so we knew we were in good hands. Another Xray later, he determined that she did not need surgery at this point and should heal in three weeks. If it does not, then we might need to talk surgery. So Miss Sarah came home with medicine for pain, and a fashionably bright pink cast on her arm. :( But after a nap, she seems to be in much better form. :)

Silly Billy

2009-01-23T15:29:00.000-08:00

As I write this my crazy little toddler is running around this house laughing at herself. She's been doing this for the better part of an hour now...apparently she finds herself quite funny! She spent part of this time in the girls' soft purple hamper, kicking the sides and laughing away. Now she is on the floor laughing for no apparent reason. Just to laugh!
Last night I was getting Sarah ready for bed and she said, "Bed?" and I said "Yes, it's bedtime." To which she replied, "Go to bed, sleepy!". Little goose!
I cannot believe how big this little nut is. She is fast as lightning and has a rapidly expanding vocabulary (including the ever popular "Word!" or "Oh, MAN!". We love her to pieces (and we are being well entertained!).

Potty Time

2008-09-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

Sarah will be two in November (hard to believe) and while most people think "ooh, two, potty training", I really wasn't all that concerned with it....then Sarah decided she liked Potties...a lot! The day we were in Walmart and she had to inspect every "potty" in the bathroom, I decided, what the hey, I'll buy her her own potty, she's gonna need it at some point anyway. Well, as you can see from the pictures, somebody LOVES her potty...maybe potty training will be more simple this time around (although I am by no means holding my breath lol).

My Little Guitar Hero

2008-07-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

So I have this game I like to play called "Guitar Hero". Last night, when Meme came over, Sarah decided it was her turn to show off. She went and got the guitar, then tried to put it on and play it! I do believe we have a musician in the making lol! :)

Playing Hard

2008-06-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

Miss Sarah absolutely LOVES to play, but her attention has been shifting from playing alone with baby toys to playing (sometimes) with others, and with bigger toys, such as the dollhouse at Meme's apartment and baby dollies (and she can say "dolly" now too). The only problem is that she has also picked up a new word to use on her play adventures: "mine". :) Candace and Bradyn came over the other day and Sarah and Bradyn played their little hearts out. She has been putting so much energy into her day that we have caught her falling asleep in her high chair several times lately at dinner time. But as long as she is happy and healthy, it's all good!

Puddling

2008-06-23T15:38:00.000-07:00

The last several days we have had quite an unsettled weather pattern with quite a few showers and thunderstorms, particularly in the afternoon and evening. This morning, between rounds, the kids and I went to Dunkin Donuts for mommy's mandatory ice coffee. :) When we got home, Sarah discovered the joy of puddles in our driveway. So what's a mom to do but grab the camera and shoot away!

Monkey Butt

2008-06-10T13:16:00.001-07:00

Sarah has a new fascination with climbing...everywhere. Especially my computer desk. The other day I caught her on the desk moving the mouse back and forth, then looking at the screen in confusion as to why nothing was happening (the computer was off lol). Her newest thing is to climb into the desk chair and try to type on the keyboard. I caught her the other day with my camera...and you see the results. Too cute for words!

Also, congratulations to our friends Michelle and Tom on the birth of their beautiful baby daughter, Allison Marie Dotchin, who weighed in at a very healthy 9lbs. 12 oz. :)

When Life Hands You Lemons...

2008-05-31T10:12:00.000-07:00

So Sarah has had a bit of a tough time this weekend...poor baby got her very first bee sting. She was on our bed watching Sesame Street after dinner a couple nights ago and suddenly started screaming. She came out in the living room, and we checked her over, but couldn't figure out why she was screaming. Tim made her a cup and she took it and headed back to our room, still fussing. So I followed her, and sat her back on the bed, and then noticed her foot...her little foot was red and swelling on one side and there was what appeared to be a bite or sting. Problem was, we couldn't find the culprit...until mom went back to the desk and saw a big old bee (turned out to be a queen bee to boot...the thing did NOT want to die!). So we gave her some baby aspirin in her cup and restarted "bird" (what she now calls Sesame Street). Poor baby!
Last night we had dinner at Pizza Hut on our way to a friends' house. Tim gave Sarah the lemon from his ice tea...was quite funny!

Little Monkey

2008-05-28T09:16:00.001-07:00

Sarah's new favorite pasttime is to climb up on everything in the house, especially the computer desk to play with all the fascinating gadgets or look out the window (our desk is now in the corner of the window looking out the big window).

Sarah also loves to play and sing. The other day we went to her friend Bradyn's house and she ran all over the place. She also loves to sing along to the "Elmo's World" theme song. We have tried to get her on video singing it a couple of times but she either hasn't sung or won't look at the camera. Hopefully we'll get it soon. In the meantime, here are some pics to hold you over of our little cutie bug.

Time Flies

2008-05-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

Wow, time does fly! Sorry I haven't posted in a bit. Sarah is now up and walking...err, running, now. She is a year and a half old and boy is she full of it! She is more in love with Elmo and Sesame Street than ever (today I asked her if she wanted to watch Big Bird and she looked at me and said "bird"). She has lots of new words, including "baby", "eat", "GO GO", and if her brother or sister bother her, "HEY". She also calls Elmo "Mmmmoh".

I took her the other day to get her bangs cut (sniff sniff). I didn't want to, but daddy had been asking for weeks and it was his birthday so we decided to surprise him. To be honest, I don't really care for the cut, but I do like being able to see her big blue eyes. I think that is all for now, will try to post more often now that we have our new computer.

These Boots Are Made for Walking

2008-04-07T07:36:00.000-07:00

So Miss Sarah got a walker from Santa for Christmas, but hasn't really used it much to this point other than to play with the toys on the front. Well, all that has changed...she uses it to cruise around my house nonstop all day. And she is getting braver...she walks right across the house all by herself when she thinks we're not looking (and refuses to if we want her to show off lol).

The other day I got the idea to bring the walker with me and let her walk down Main Street to pick up the older two from school. This was great fun...until I had to pick her up to cross the school driveway. She HATED that and boy did she let me know it!

So to continue our fun, I let her use it a bit in the mall to cruise around. Wouldn't you know she cruised herself right into Ann Taylor Loft after spotting a pink dress in the window. Candace would be so proud! It won't be long and she'll be walking around with no help at all. Wait, did I say walking? That would be RUNNING! :)

Miss Independent

2008-03-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

Now that Sarah is getting bigger and (literally) taking steps on her own, she is developing quite the little personality, along with a stubborn streak to boot. She not only likes things her way, but she prefers to do them herself, thank you very much. She has graduated to eating mostly toddler and (some) adult food that she can finger feed herself, and is trying to figure out the tricky art of using a spoon. The other night, she decided that she was all done, and managed to shove the high chair tray (which was locked) onto the kitchen floor, food and all. Thankfully her sister Natalie helped me out with the cleanup.

I do believe she'd be walking everywhere except generally after about three steps she decides it is much faster to crawl and down she goes. She also has started to develop a love of shopping just like mommy's delight and daddy's chagrin. We love her dearly, though, and wouldn't have her any other way but the way she is!

The Cupcake Caper

2008-02-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

The other night, before I sat down to update the family blog and Sarah's blog, I sat Sarah in her high chair for a little snack of fruit stars a few feet away. So, I updated, and turned around, and there she was with a container of pink cupcakes that she somehow managed to pick up off the hutch (don't ask me how, I have no idea), took the cover off, and was shoveling pink frosting from the remaining half dozen cupcakes into her little face as fast as possible. Well, I had a choice, laugh or be mad, so I laughed. Hard. Then I did the reasonable thing and got my camera to take pictures. All the while, Sarah was looking up at me and laughing, then digging into more cupcake. What a little nut!

The Art of the Tantrum

2008-02-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

Miss Sarah is only fifteen months old, and already she has been picking up on the lovely skills required for throwing a tantrum, namely throwing herself backward onto the floor and screeching. Actually, she has spent the last two days testing out her shreaking voice. Needless to say, we are very glad that we have ibuprofen in the house. She is also developing a very stubborn personality. This morning she stood up on our couch and I told her to sit down (she does know what that means). She turned and gave me a mean look and turned back. I told her to sit down again, and she (attempted to) crossed her little arms and gave a little shreak. I am in such big trouble!

Not so Super Bowl

2008-02-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hey all, even though the Pats lost (gave away) the game to the Giants, we did have a good little party at our house and Ms. Sarah had herself a grand time playing with her cousins Jazzie and Kenny. Those of us who had Pats gear were dressed to the nines and did enjoy each other and some of the very funny commercials. And we got some very cute photos, which I am posting for fun. Better luck next year I guess.

Chuck E Cheese

2008-01-31T14:31:00.000-08:00

Today we took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese as a special treat. This is Sarah's second trip, and she handled it like a seasoned pro! She crawled all over, rode some rides, and LOVED the little stage show that goes on in the birthday area. I think this will probably be a favorite play spot for years to come...lots of toys and lots of freedom combined with lots of space spells fun for a little one looking for some independence. :)

My Gooby Girl

2008-01-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

Soooo....Sarah took her first steps a couple days ago! I stood her up in front of me (because she was trying to crawl up the leg that contains my injured knee), and expected her to either try to fall into me or promptly sit down and crawl to me. Nope, she took three steps forward! :) YEA!!!! Of course, as these moments go, it was unexpected and even if there had been time to grab my camera, which there wasn't, I didn't know where it was at that moment. SO, I will try to get her to do it again and see if I can get it on film.

Sarah also likes to sing! If I am at the computer with music on singing along, which I generally do when I am at the computer, she crawls over and puts her hands up to be picked up. I sit her in my lap and she sits and sings along, sometimes clapping her little hands. But generally throughout the day as she plays she can be found singing to her little self. It is quite cute. And when I put music on (like the Gospel Music Channel, which has been added to our cable package and I really love), she starts clapping and singing. It is very cute.

She's been a faithful little Pats fan, although I do believe she thinks football is all about the snacking and generally doesn't care so much about the game itself until a touchdown is scored and we all cheer. Then she claps. :)

Now, this little goober...the other day...somehow managed to climb up onto our dining room table. We were both home (in fact, Tim was in the room with her) and all of a sudden he turned around and there she was, on the table, playing with the candle piece. We have absolutely NO idea how she did it, and she hasn't done it again so I'm guessing she doesn't know either lol.

The other thing she has been big into is talking on the phone. She constantly puts a phone, any one she can get her hands on, up to her ear and says "Hello!" or "Hi!". The funny thing is, if you put her on the real phone and someone talks back, she won't talk. So I bought her her own house phone to go along with the cell phone we already bought her. And she LOVES it! However, if one day you get a call at your house and no one is talking, chances are it could be Sarah. She accidentally called a friend of ours the other day using the arrow buttons on the caller id. :)

Fun With Food

2008-01-17T11:19:00.000-08:00

Sarah is getting to a stage in her development where she is beginning to eat some of the grown up food that we eat. She particularly likes pastas, such as penne or spaghetti, but is definitely eager to get into some not so healthy food (ie chips, chocolate, etc.). Now, we don't keep chips in the house very often, but we had bought some for the Pats playoff game this past Saturday. Somehow, a bowl with a little bit of chips left in it was left on the little card table in the living room. Goobie gussie spotted it and immediately began her new fun game of throwing the chips (or food in general) on the floor. Of course, because it was so cute, I grabbed my camera and got a couple shots before I picked up the mess. :) There's a couple shots of her eating spaghetti the other night as well.

Snow, Snow everywhere!

2008-01-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

Today we got a really big snowstorm that dumped more than a foot of snow in our backyard. So after shoveling and whatnot we got Sarah dressed up in her snowsuit and new winter hat and took her out to play in the snow for the first time. I wasn't sure how she would do, but after looking around for a few minutes trying to figure out what on earth she was doing sitting outside in a pile of white stuff, she started to pat the snow (aided of course by the kids and their friends, who showed her how to do it). Then she started to beat the snow, very happily! And of course she LOVED the attention she was getting!

After playing in the snow bank we sat her on the sled and Natalie pulled her (slowly) around the driveway. Well, THIS we REALLY loved! Unfortunately, I do not know how to work the video feature on the camera so I wasn't able to get video of this but I did get a few good shots. We also tried putting her on a sled with Natalie to go down a little hill. As you can see from the photo, sledding down the hill was not her idea of a good time. :) All in all though she did quite well and we enjoyed our fun today!

My Little Climber

2008-01-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

Well, we all know the day was going to come when my champion crawler figured out how to climb on absolutely EVERYTHING. :) It started with her activity table and the stairs. Well, last week I took down our Christmas tree then ran out of steam, so I left the box (with the tree in it...it's fake) in the living room. Weeellll Ms. Thing decided this was placed there for her benefit to climb all over and onto the couch. And climb she did. Little goober!!! She is getting very adventurous and is lots of fun. I put all her toys in the corner where the tree had been, so now she has her own play area and I have the middle of my living room floor back. I am hoping to get a pic of her standing up...she's getting more and more brave about it every day, and it's only a matter of time before she tries that first step. We've tried helping her walk by holding her hands, but she prefers to get around by herself, thank you very much! :)

Happy New Year

2008-01-10T14:42:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Sorry I haven't posted in a bit, but most of you are aware how things have been at our house the last several weeks and you'll get why I haven't had so much time for this! Sarah is getting to be a very adventurous girl! We had a great Christmas, and she got quite a few new toys to add to her collection. She seemed to enjoy her Christmas and especially loved all the attention!

She loves to crawl all over the house and sing and talk to herself all day long. What a goose! We recently had a playdate at Bradyn's house. They are pretty cute to watch together. :)

Go Pats!

2007-12-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

Sarah has been learning very early in life that the Pats are the best football team on the planet! She already owns a pink and white Pats jersey, and while cleaning the other day I found a Pats cheerleader outfit that she wore for Monday night football last week when the Pats played the Ravens. As you Pats fans already know, we almost beat ourselves last night. The first picture is what poor little Sarah looked like at the beginning of the game. The second two are of her discovering that football and snacks go very well together (and yes, her eyes were actually glued to the game lol). The last picture is of her getting bored in the third quarter and discovering mama's magazines. The Pats did win (although peewee went to bed before the fourth quarter), but hopefully we won't get a scare like that out of them again. GO PATS!

O Christmas Tree

2007-11-26T16:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I cleared the corner in our living room for our Christmas tree. Well, that corner looked rather lonely to me, and I have been in a very Christmas-y mood for the last week or so, so I decided we needed to get a tree sooner rather than later. The problem with that is, it is a month until Christmas, and a real tree (and I LOVE real trees) would die before Christmas. That, and with the price of them these days, we decided to get a good looking fake tree. So mom took herself to Target and bought a tree. Which I actually really like. I assembled the tree late this afternoon. Natalie helped me put up the new star (I hated our old one lol), and mom put the lights on the tree.

Well, once the lights were on the tree, Ms. Sarah decided she had to go explore. As you probably noticed in the picture, the lights are just out of her reach (we did that on purpose lol). Sarah likes the Christmas tree! :) It was so cute to see her trying to figure out what that was!

After admiring the tree, Sarah moved on to play with her brother. She happily hit him on the head, then sat on his head in her attempt to get to her activity table. Apparently, his head makes a good seat lol.

Thankful for Sesame Street

2007-11-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

I'm quite sure I've mentioned before Sarah's unending love for all things Sesame Street, especially Elmo. When we put on Sesame Street, she makes a bee line for the TV stand, pulls herself up, and talks and sings along. It is quite the hoot. The sad part is, she knows when it's coming now. As soon as we start flipping through the On Demand menu (we can access SS any time of day or night lol), she gets very happy. Well, we have taken our love for Sesame Street to a whole new level. A week or so ago, I put on Sesame Street, put up the gate to keep her in the living room, and went to the kitchen to do some dishes/cleaning. Her big sister Erin (who shares her fondness for Sesame Street, although not quite to the same degree), was in the living room with her. Suddenly, Erin came running out to the kitchen to tell me that Sarah was sitting on the TV stand. I didn't quite believe her at first because there's really not that much room up there. So I come around the corner, and sure enough, she has squeezed her little butt onto the TV stand and she is petting Elmo on the TV. Of course, as things go, my camera batteries were dead, and I wasn't able to get a picture of this.

Well, last night, Sarah and Erin were sitting down watching Sesame Street as we were winding down for the night. I went to check on Tim in our room (which is adjacent to the living room) and came back out to see Sarah happily sitting on the stand again, this time happily patting Cookie Monster. This time, I got pictures!

Thanksgiving was fabulous this year. It isn't technically Sarah's first Thanksgiving, but considering she was only a couple weeks old this time last year, it feels like it's her first. We had dinner at the Galvins on Thanksgiving Day. Sarah slept through dinner but woke up just in time for dessert. Auntie M made mini pies, so we gave a cookies n cream one to Sarah. In case there was any doubt, this child LOVES dessert. :) Yesterday we had Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's house. Sarah was awake for dinner this time, and tried some turkey (which she seemed to like...she ate a good bit of what she was given and happily played with the rest). We went outside to watch the Christmas parade at 3, then it was back to Meme's for dessert, where Ms. Sarah decided my piece of pie belonged to her. She ate the whole thing. Thankfully, Meme brought me some pie later to make up for what Ms. Sarah chowed. :) Chocolate mint pie is definitely her thing lol.

So to wrap this up, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and that you have a blessed and happy Christmas as well.

One Year Old

2007-11-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Monday marked the passing of one year since Sarah was born. I still cannot believe how fast this year has flown by. It seems like just a day or two ago that I was in the hospital giving birth to her. And now she is a year old. Amazing. And a little sad, too, because she's not a baby anymore, and she's my last baby to boot.

I have to say though I cannot begin to put into words how much I have enjoyed the last year. And I am so looking forward to the next year, and all the years to follow with this sweet little girl who has made our family complete.

First Birthday Party

2007-11-10T15:02:00.000-08:00

Today marked a momentous occasion...Sarah's first birthday party! The party was today at 2pm at Sarah's friend Bradyn's house (his mom and dad offered us the use of their place to help us out a bit). The theme of the party was Sesame Street, namely Elmo, who is Sarah's absolute favorite. Sarah's friends Bradyn and Hailey came over, along with their parents, and Beepah and Kathy (Kathy is Bradyn's grammy). The kids watched Elmo's World, and then we did presents. Hailey helped Sarah open her presents. Sarah was more interested in the package of socks and the little bag they came in that Beepah gave her, and Hailey was more than happy to "open presents". After presents came cake! And boy, was that cake a hit! We bought a Sesame Street birthday cake to share, and bought Sarah a small little round cake for her first taste of the confection. I am attempting to attach a video to this blog for the first time ever so you can get the full effect. A good time was had by all and the birthday girl is currently crashed out in her crib!

Trick or Treat

2007-11-05T06:28:00.000-08:00

This month marked Sarah's first Halloween ever. We believe in Halloween at our house, but we do believe in having a little fun, so we do allow the kids to get dressed up and do some trick or treating in our neighborhood or Nana's neighborhood (or both, as was the case this year). It's fun for them and good exercise for mom. :)

Sarah's costume was a bumblebee. We went to a harvest party that the church here in South Berwick put on the Wednesday before Halloween, and then we went trick or treating on the 30th (that is the night our town does it). Sarah loved trick or treating in our neighborhood. It was still light out (because daylight savings was a week late this year). She sat in the stroller and sang and talked the whole way.

After walking a few streets in our neighborhood to show the neighbors our costumes...oh, I forgot to say that Erin was Snow White, Natalie was Juliet, and Connor was Obi Wan Kenobi...we met up with daddy and Auntie M at Dunkin Donuts to get coffee for the grown ups and go to Nana's for trick or treating. When we got to Nana's, she wanted to take lots of pictures before we left. As you can see by her expression, Sarah was not thrilled with this idea.

After all the photo ops, Mommy, Auntie M, Glen, and the kiddos, including my neice Maddie, who was a duckie, set out trick or treating. This was all well and good....until we got about halfway down Nana's street and realized that Sarah had my coffee coozie in her hand with no coffee in it. You guessed it, my ice coffee was sitting beside her in the stroller upside down. This effectively ended her night of trick or treating (her butt was covered in ice coffee...it smelled awful good lol). I took her back to Nana's to get changed, and she stayed with Nana, Oso, and daddy to hand out candy while I went back out in search of the others. All in all it was a fun night, and as you can see from the last picture, Sarah likes Halloween candy (I gave her a mini Hershey's bar yesterday during the Pats game).

Leaps and Bounds

2007-10-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

It's been a little bit since I last posted. Part of the reason for that is I lost the cord that connects our camera to the computer to download photos. But I found it tonight, so here we go.

Sarah is getting SO big! I cannot begin to believe that she will be a year old in a few short weeks. She and her little friend Bradyn are getting more and more vocal and interactive with each other, and Candace and I are absolutely enjoying each play date a bit more every time we get them together.

Sarah is cruising around the house now on her little hands and knees. We had a little problem at first with her trying to get into the bathroom to get into the cat food. She doesn't seem to be so interested in that now though, because she has discovered the stairs. She now spends a good portion of her day gated into the living room so she can't get access to places like the stairs where she can get hurt.

A funny story...we had to take Sarah to the ER last Saturday because she woke up from her nap with conjunctivitis in her eye, and of course the docs office is not open. It was a very long day, so we got some pizza on the way home. I was heading back into the kitchen for a second slice when I discovered that Sarah had sat herself partway onto one of the chairs at the kids' table across from Connor and was happily patting the table (and also noticed while taking a picture of this cute sight that she had peed through her diaper). What a little goose! I've tried letting her have a snack there periodically this week but she only likes to sit there if someone else (preferrably Connor or one of the girls) is sitting at the table as well. My little girl is becoming a big girl!

I will post more soon as Halloween is coming up, as well as Sarah's first birthday party, and many other cute moments in between I am sure.

Activity Table

2007-09-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

I was shopping a couple weeks ago for a birthday present for a friend of Natalie's when I noticed this little activity table on sale. I bought it thinking it was the right height for Sarah, brought it home and set it up. Sarah LOVED it!! She even shared time at her table with her friend Bradyn a couple days later. Now the funniest thing about this table is, she loves to stand at the table and growl at the various toys on it. It's hysterical!!! But she's always smiling while she is growling, so I know she isn't upset or anything.

Her other new thing is to mug for the camera. She has realized that when the flash goes off it's time to smile. However, she waits until the flash goes off, meaning the picture is already taken. So it goes like this...mom takes picture, flash goes off, Sarah mugs with big grin. I have managed to get off another quick shot to capture her "mugging" however, and it is quite cute.

2007-09-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

Milestones

2007-09-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

Sarah just hit two milestones in the last two days. She cut her first tooth yesterday evening, and today at Fort Foster she figured out how to crawl on the beach!!! She is getting so big...I can't believe my baby is almost ten months old!! She loves to get around the house (up till now she's been rolling, that is obviously going to change quickly lol), and her favorite thing to do is reach behind the TV stand and pull out the cable cord (the only one she can reach). So now I need to come up with a way to block her reach in that one small spot in a way she can't get past.

Another thing of note...her father is a huge Red Sox and Pats fan. Sarah now owns two more Red Sox onesies in the official colors (in addition to the two pink ones she already owns) and a pink Patriots jersey, all compliments of daddy. She makes a cute fan, I must admit.

I will post pics of her new tooth when she lets me (right now she's not very fond of showing it off, but has no problem biting with it lol) and crawling when I catch her in the act with my camera (unfortunately I didn't have it with me today).

Vacation

2007-08-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

We just returned this past weekend from a week's vacation at a wonderful cottage on Sebago Lake. We all had a wonderful time, and the place we stayed at was absolutely beautiful. We hope to stay there again next year.

Sarah absolutely loved the lake. My inlaws had bought her a baby tube that she could use in the water. This was all well and good for the first couple trips into the lake, until she decided it was no longer acceptable that her arms couldn't reach far enough over the side to splash the water, which of course is her favorite thing to do. So she decided she wasn't having any of that any more, and mommy had to carry her out into the water so she could splash. And splash she did. Happily and noisily. Nat, Connor, and Erin would come up to us in the water and splash along, which made her even more happy.

However, our happy baby came very close to cutting a few teeth (they're almost there, barely any gum covering them) last week as well, which made for some rough moments and a LOT of poopy diapers and a yucky diaper rash to go with it (I changed more poopy diapers in one week than I think in the past six months lol). But thankfully we found some ointment that was not zinc oxide based that did the trick and made life a little better for Ms. Sarah. She also slept quite a bit, partly I think due to exhausting herself in the water and partly as a coping mechanism due to the teething.

I am including a few pictures, but only a few for the moment because most of ours didn't come out as well as we had hoped. Hopefully I can get my mother in laws pictures (or a copy of them anyway) so I can post more.

Tubby Time

2007-07-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

We have discovered that Sarah LOVES water (except cold water). She has figured out how to splash, and now that she sits well on her own bath time has become more fun....she LOVES tubby time!!! She is completely fascinated by the water, the faucet, the little switch that you flip to keep the water in the tub or drain it, mommy's little scrubby ball, etc. It is so much fun! We've also discovered though that bubble baths are not a good idea, because she thinks the bubbles are for eating (the same is also true for the sand on the beach). She is also really close to figuring out how to crawl. My baby is getting too big already!!

A Day at the Beach

2007-07-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Tim, Connor, and Natalie left on Wednesday to go camping in Baxter State Park, so Erin, Sarah, and I have been enjoying some girl time. Wednesday we went shopping, and Thursday afternoon we went to the beach! I stuck Sarah's toes in the ocean, but it was a little cold, and she wasn't having any of that. So (since it was low tide) we found a big warm puddle to play in. This was great fun for a while...until Sarah decided that the sand was for eating! And it's not like I can just tell her no, since she wouldn't understand, so we played on our beach mat for a little bit. Then we got changed and walked around some of the little shops, and stopped for ice cream. I gave Sarah a bit of mine, thinking she'd try it and that would be it. Oh no, it became HER ice cream. And she was fit to be tied when it got down to the cone and she couldn't have any more! I had to quiet her with a baba lol. But we had a very good day nonetheless. I think I have a little water baby on my hands...Sebago Lake should be quite a bit of fun this year!

Fort Foster

2007-07-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I took the kids and Sarah to Fort Foster for an outing with my entire family. This was Sarah's first trip to Fort Foster. The water was at low tide, starting to come in, when we got there, and was pretty warm up until about a foot or two into it. After that it was a tad cooler...not bad for the rest of us, but not to Sarah's liking lol. She sat in the warm water and played with the wet sand and tried to catch the pieces of seaweed that mommy and brother and sisters kept taking out of her reach. She figured out how to splash in the water with her hands, which she thought was great fun. She also managed to finally snag not one but two pieces of seaweed, which she happily played with until a very small but cool wave passed over her. The wave did not knock her over, but she managed to knock herself over with her own reaction to it. She decided she did not like the water very much after that. Oh well! We played on the playground too and went for a walk on the pier. Definitely a great place to bring the kids...we'll have to do it again sometime!

Pink Tails

2007-07-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

I decided the other day that the curlies on the sides of Sarah's head might be long enough for little pony tails (or as Erin calls them, "pink tails"). Indeed they were, although I need to buy baby elastics, cause all I had were the big ones for my ponytails. Above are a couple of shots of Sarah sporting her new do. I am also including one of me from the Fourth of July. My friend Shallon and my sister Karen and I decided to brave the rainy weather to camp out for two hours (to get a good spot of course) to watch the Dover fireworks. It was too rainy to play the game we brought, so we had a little fun with our cameras instead! :)

Fun Times

2007-06-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday was Natalie and Connor's last day of school. The school puts on an end of the year celebration every year and this year they had a concert in front of the school with Wayne from Maine, free popsicles and face painting. Miss Sarah had a great time too, sitting on a blanket on the lawn next to daddy, playing with her toys. Our friends the Chalifours were there, and Deb and Amanda showed up with Elijah and Adia as well. A fun time was had by all!! :)

A Note From Mom

2007-06-21T07:34:00.000-07:00

Hey there,

So I haven't posted in a while and somebody (kindly) pointed that out to me, so I decided to get my butt to the computer. Our hard drive crashed and I lost a bunch of my photos, and somehow forgot to post what I did have.

I am going to post from my perspective from here on out, just because it's a tad easier that way. Sarah is getting SO big! She's been working on trying to sit for a while but this week she is finally figuring it out and LOVES to sit and play with her toys on the floor. She also likes to eat Zwieback crackers, cheerios, and Special K (daddy was sharing his cereal with her, and she like it lol). I have a few pictures of her to post, and I'll post more in the next day or so.

Love,

Tia

Messy Bessy

2007-05-01T10:46:00.000-07:00

I like to eat. A lot. But mommy says I am a messy bessy! I can't help it if it's so much fun to stick my tongue between my lips and spit right when she's putting the food in my mouth...I have to entertain myself, ya know??

I've been cutting teeth still and it hurts a whole lot. It's been keeping me from sleeping well, so I've been falling asleep in odd places. The other day, I fell asleep standing up in my exersaucer cause I was wiped out!

Playground Adventures

2007-04-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a very beautiful (and hot) day, so mommy took me (and my brother and sisters) for my first real trip to the playground. I had lots of fun! I swang on the baby swing, and I tried sitting in the blue toddler swing too! I loved the swing, and I loved watching all the kids running around and playing. I think I need a hat with a string though, cause the breeze kept blowing my hat off, and I don't want to get a sunburn on my little head! :)

Red Sox Fan

2007-04-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

Mommy sent daddy to the store the other day to get some stuff in case the power went out during a storm we were getting. Well, thankfully, we got the storm but never lost power. However, when daddy came back, he had a present for me...new Red Sox onesies and some blue jeans to wear them with. Daddy is a big Red Sox fan, and he can't wait to dress me up and watch a game together! Unfortunately, the games have been rained out because of the storm, but mommy dressed me up anyway to surprise daddy on Monday.

I also got a big bag of clothes from somebody that Kathy B. works with. There were lots of nice clothes in there! Mommy and I loved them. She's been dressing me up all week!

I am also really getting into teething. No fun. BUT, I have a teething toy that I like a lot that I can hold on to AND fits in my mouth, so I chew and slobber on it all day long to help my poor gums feel better.

Fun Fun Fun

2007-04-12T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that my exersaucer not only has toys on it that mommy puts there for me, but that there are toys ATTACHED to it! My favorite is the yellow flower...I love to talk to the flower.

My friend Bradyn came over to my house yesterday to play with me. He slept most of the time (what a party pooper), but when he did wake up, I wasn't so sure I wanted to play with this kid. I'm not sure what to make of him yet.

Also, my silly mommy tried to feed me peas again to see if I would like them any better. I don't know what she was thinking! Even my bib tastes better than those ucky peas! I hope she got the message this time...NO MORE PEAS!!

My First Easter

2007-04-10T18:30:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! This weekend was my first Easter. Mommy and Daddy took me to Osh Kosh to buy my first Easter dress on Friday. I liked my dress...it's very pretty. Then we had Easter dinner at my Meme's house on Saturday because Meme had to work on Sunday. Mommy had yummy ham and pot roast and fruit salad lots of other good looking stuff. I had squash. I like my squash, but I'm not so sure I got the better end of that deal.

On Sunday I went to Nana's house for our second Easter dinner after going to church. The Easter bunny brought me a new sweater and a book about bunnies. I got to see Auntie Rorry too cause she drove up to visit. I had a very good Easter! I hope all of you had a good one too.

(Don't) Pass the Peas, Please

2007-03-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

So my mommy decided that this week we would try some peas to add to growing repetoire of foods. Well, I'm not so sure about those peas!! They taste funny, and they don't feel the same in my mouth as my other foods did. I ate some cause my belly was hungry, but I'm not convinced. I don't think peas are going to be my favorite vegetables...can we go back to squash mommy?

New Furniture for Me

2007-03-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

So mommy and daddy have bought me a couple of new things lately, and my friend Hailey gave me something new too!

Mommy and daddy bought me an exersaucer at the Children's Orchard a few weeks ago. I LIKE that! It has toys on it that I've never seen before, and mommy puts some of my toys that I can grab on it too. It is bright and colorful and I can stand up in it or just relax if I feel like it. But most importantly it is fun to play in.

Mommy and daddy also bought me a new high chair this weekend. Daddy and Connor put it together for me. Mommy sat me in it, and I knew right away what this was for...eating! And I LOVE to eat! Squash and sweet potatoes and bananas and peaches and applesauce are my favorites! I like to eat cereal with fruit in the morning too.

My friend Hailey gave me a new changing table. It is white and has a soft changing mat on top. She also gave me some "sheets" that go on the changing mat. I like my new table (it's much more fun than being changed on the couch or the floor). Thank you Hailey!

Lastly, mommy and daddy took me for my four month check up. I weigh 14 pounds 1 ounce and I am almost 24" long (that's almost two feet...yikes!). I am in good health but once again mommy and daddy let those nurses give me shots! I DON'T like shots...those meanies!!

Toes and Woes

2007-03-26T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! Guess what I discovered this weekend? I have TOES!!! They look very interesting to me! I like to stick them in the air and try to reach them, and I like to sit and stare at them and try to play with them. Toes are pretty fun!

I've had a bit of a rough weekend though. I am starting to cut teeth, and it hurts!! I have cried an awful lot. Mommy and daddy have tried to make me comfortable and help me feel better, but sometimes it isn't enough! Poor me!

Been Too Long

2007-03-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so mommy and I realize it has been far too long since she posted anything on here. Give mommy a break though, cause she was busy unpacking from our move to our new apartment. I love our new apartment!! It is bright and sunny and has lots of room for me to play. Look out world when I start crawling!

I've gotten SO big! I like baby food, especially peaches and butternut sqash. I also like my new exersaucer that mommy and daddy got me. I play in it all the time. Once mommy gets some new batteries into our camera she'll post some pictures of me in it.

I also laughed out loud for the first time a week or so ago. My sister Natalie was playing peek-a-boo with me and I thought she was very funny! Mommy is going to post a couple pics she already has of me but check back in the next couple of days...she will take some new pictures and post them. :)

Sweet Potatoes

2007-02-12T07:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday mommy let me try sweet potatoes for the first time. I wasn't sure what to make of them at first, so I pushed them out of my mouth with my tongue and made a big mess. But then I realized that these taste pretty good, and I ate about half a jar. Mmmmm. Maybe mommy will let me try them again! :)

Today my brother and sisters are sick! Mommy is keeping them upstairs and me downstairs so I will hopefully not get sick too! She's been a busy girl though, taking care of them and me, doing all the laundry that comes with sick kids, and washing her hands a LOT! :) Thank you to Auntie Becky for giving mommy that hand soap for Christmas...it's being used well!

A Good Day

2007-01-30T10:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a very good day. After mommy and Erin and I walked Natalie and Connor to school, I napped and mommy got the housework started. Then we went to have coffee with the ladies at the cafe. I had a very good time...Nancy A. held me and fed me and I got lots of attention (I LOVE attention). Then my friend Bradyn and his mommy came over to visit (they were at coffee too). I like Bradyn. I can't wait till we're big enough to really play. Then daddy came home early and played with me too. I finally fell asleep and slept all night. :) Mommy is putting a picture of me and a picture of Bradyn on this blog.

Say Cheese!

2007-01-28T18:27:00.000-08:00

I smiled pretty today after waking up from my big nap, and mommy got the camera and got a picture of it before I got hungry and grumpy. I only get grumpy when I'm really hungry or extra tired. But I am a happy little girl and I love to smile and do my new trick...giggling. :)

10 Weeks Old

2007-01-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

I had my two month check up today. I am getting SO big...I weigh 11 pounds, 4 ounces, and I am a whopping 23 inches long! The doctor said I look great, then she had the nerve to order two shots for me. I did NOT like that! Although I must say, my mommy is a nice mommy, cause I was supposed to have four shots today, but she convinced them to wait a month to give me the other two. Mommy is typing this for me cause I am sleeping off the trauma of those awful shots!! My friend Bradyn came home from the hospital today...I can't wait to go play with him again! I saw his picture on mommy's computer today and started talking to it! Mommy was going to post a couple pictures she took of me but my brother got into the camera and somehow erased them. She'll post some later.

My future hubby lol

2007-01-22T07:20:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

My auntie Candace had her baby yesterday! His name is Bradyn Jon and he weighs 7lbs 3oz. Mommy and Auntie Candace say that he and I are gonna get married some day whether we like it or not. As you can see from the picture, I'm not taking that quietly! :) I played with daddy while mommy was at the hospital with Candace and Dave, and because I was such a good girl (and I missed my mommy a lot...she missed me too!) she took me with her to go see Bradyn yesterday afternoon. I wasn't too happy at first cause everyone paid attention to him and nobody wanted to talk to me. I didn't think that was right, so when I had their attention (finally!) I told them how I felt about that!

Me and my brother

2007-01-19T07:30:00.000-08:00

I have an older brother named Connor. He is five years old. I love my brother!

My brother is having a tough week because one of his little friends, who was very sick with neuroblastoma, went to heaven this week. And while I know my brother is glad that his friend Carroll isn't sick anymore, he misses him a whole lot. So I played with my brother to help him feel better. Please pray for my brother...he may be bigger than me, but he's still a little guy, and this is tough stuff for even the big guys, let alone the little ones like Connor. And pray for Carroll's family too...they miss him quite a bit too!

Oooh, I forgot!

2007-01-12T08:44:00.000-08:00

Mommy and I discovered that I can sit up for a minute or two on the couch! I am a strong little girl!

Also, we wanted you to know (in case you didn't), that if you read my blog and want to post a comment, you can...and you don't have to have your own blog to do it! Just simply click on the "comments" underneath the blog you want to leave your thoughts on, and check "other". Then put your name in the name box and your comments in the comment box. We love to hear back from people!

Busy-ness

2007-01-12T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've been keeping mommy so busy she hasn't had the chance to update my little blog. Where to begin? Well, for starters, I discovered that there are toys that hang over my hippo mat! I like to try to get the toys but my arms aren't quite long enough yet. But don't you worry, I'll get those toys one day!

Mommy and daddy went out and bought me a special bed because I won't sleep if I'm lying still...I love to be in motion! So they went out and bought me a bed that glides back and forth and plays pretty lullabies. I like it so much I have slept straight through the night the last three nights in a row! A big special thank you to daddy's friends at rescue who gave us the gift certificate that allowed us to buy my bed!

Also, I have a new shirt that I like. You'll see it in the pictures above. It's not really true (mommy usually does my hair), but mommy and I thought it was funny anyway.

I recognize mommy and daddy by voice and sight now. I love to spend time with them, especially mommy time!

I helped mommy throw a baby shower for (honorary) auntie Candace! She is having a baby too any day now. I had lots of fun until I realized mommy hadn't held me much cause she was helping with the shower. I cried until mommy took me from Bethany. Then I was happy again. I can't wait until baby Bradyn comes...then I'll have a playmate! :)

Playtime

2006-12-30T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today mommy put me on my hippo mat for some play time and, well, as you can see from the pictures above, I had a good time!

My First Christmas

2006-12-30T11:52:00.000-08:00

So this year was my very first Christmas, and I'm such a lucky girl that I got to celebrate it three times! We spent Christmas Eve day at my Nana and Oso's house opening presents. Santa left me diapers, and Auntie Katie bought me some cute onesies and caps. Then I went to the candlelight Christmas Eve service with mommy and Meme and Auntie Becky. Auntie Becky is a really funny girl! And the candles were very pretty...they definitely caught my eye!

Christmas morning Santa left more presents at our house. He left me a new hippo play mat. I wasn't sure what to make of it at first, but I like it now.

After daddy left for work (daddy had to work noon to midnight...I thought that was stinky!) me and mommy and Natalie, Connor, and Erin, went to Meme's house for a third Christmas. Auntie Becky, Bepah, Auntie Laura, and Chuck were there, as well as my cousin Jazmine. I got even more presents at meme's house. I had a fun Christmas, but it wore me out! Hope everyone else had a great Christmas too!

SO big!!

2006-12-22T18:47:00.000-08:00

I had my one month checkup this past Thursday (although to be completely honest I was actually five weeks old), and I weighed in at 9 pounds 3 ounces and I am 20 3/4 inches long. Yikes, I got big!! No wonder mommy has been telling me to stop growing. I don't know what her problem is though...that's what I'm SUPPOSED to do!

I can't wait for my first Christmas. I love to stare at twinkle lights...they fascinate me! I went to my first Christmas party at Auntie Rorry's house last Sunday. Everyone loved me and they wanted to hold me. I even saw Santa for the first time. Merry Christmas everybody!!

Wow, Go Me!

2006-12-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

Our internet was down most of last week at our house, so mommy wasn't able to update my journal for me. Looks like we have some catching up to do.

Mommy and Erin and I had a WIC appointment on Friday. I weighed in at 8 pounds 8 ounces (although that was with my clothes and sweater on, so I probably actually weigh an ounce or two less than that).

This weekend mommy started weaning me to formula. At first, I didn't like it at all, and I let her know that by spitting it back up all over her. :) Saturday night we went to my meme's and played cards with her, Auntie Karen, and Greg (auntie Becky watched and entertained them all).

I started to adjust to my formula except it was giving me lots of gas, so mommy and daddy got me some medicine to put in my bottle to help with the gas, and it made me feel much better. I am finally starting to completely adjust to my formula and process it as well.

And the big first...my first smile!!! I smiled at mommy Monday night...my first smile! I talked to mommy too...we had a good conversation about my day. I think she understood where I was coming from. :)

The picture in this blog is of me in my favorite jammies that Tanya and her mom bought for me. I LOVE my jammies...thank you Tanya and Linda! :)

Big Weekend

2006-12-04T15:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend was a big weekend for me. I went to my first Portland Pirate's hockey game. I really could have cared less though...I just wanted to eat and sleep, which is just what I did. Mommy says I slept through three straight Pirate's goals in the second period...I guess I'll have to take her word for it. :)

On Sunday I turned three weeks old, and I am getting SO big. My mommy tells me to stop growing...but that's what I'm SUPPOSED to do. We went to my nana's house to make gingerbread houses on Sunday afternoon. I mostly slept, and I cuddled with my nana in her rocking chair. I like to cuddle with Nana. I also cuddled with Auntie Mae and Glen too.

Daddy put my Pooh Bear swing together last week. I like my swing. I like to sleep in it and I like to stare out wide awake in it too. Daddy went back to work yesterday too. Mommy and I miss him, especially after dinner, cause that's when I liked to lay on daddy's chest and nap.

I don't have any pictures this time cause I've been keeping mommy so busy she hasn't had time to download them. Maybe next time. :)

My First Thanksgiving

2006-11-27T15:29:00.000-08:00

I had my first Thanksgiving on Thursday at my Nana and Oso's house. I had a good time but I was not very happy that they wouldn't give me any turkey, so I decided that it was time for me to eat when it was time for mommy to try to eat her dinner. That'll teach them! :)

On Saturday I went to my first parade in the town I live in. I didn't like the marching band so much, so mommy brought me onto Meme's front porch before the fire trucks could bother me. Good call mommy! Also at the parade, my friend Hailey's mommy lent us a fleece car seat cover to use when it gets cold. I like that cover a lot...the only problem is I like to sleep in it in our house (it fits perfectly in my little bed downstairs) and mommy and daddy need to fit it into my car seat. What to do? For now it's still warm so I'll use it in the house until it gets too cold for my regular car seat cover. The picture of me on this post is me snuggled into the car seat cover in my bed.

On Sunday I had my second Thanksgiving dinner. Mommy fed me before dinner this time so I decided I would let her eat hers too. This dinner was at my Meme's house. She made roast beef AND turkey...I thought it looked good, but the grown ups ate it all. Maybe next year.

My First Post

2006-11-21T13:29:00.000-08:00

My name is Sarah. My mommy started this blog for me to record all my special moments for me, and also so our family and friends can keep up with me too. I had my first doctor's appointment today. I weigh 7 lbs and 1/2 oz today (which means I've gained a whole pound in a week) and my bilirubin count was down to 9.5, which means no more bili-bed for me...YEA!!! I didn't like that bed, and neither did mommy. This is a picture of me that mommy took on Monday, when I was one week and one day old, in one of my favorite outfits.