6 month pictures

There is a picture similar to the above one that we bought and for whatever reason it did not come through on the email.

We got the above pic. in black and white (way cuter than green!)

She was a modeling super star! We couldn't have been any happier and boy did they suck us into buying soooo many pictures! So, take a look and see why.

6 month doctor's appointment

Melanie went to the doctor today and was a champ. She showed off all of her rolling and sitting skills and was quite vocal. She acted like a perfect child until he checked her ear and then she was sooooo pitiful during her shots. She weighed 17 lbs 1 oz (69th percentile) and was 26 1/2 inches long (73rd percentile). The doctor said she is eating great and growing perfectly-wahoo for Melanie.

New Pictures

She loves sitting up and putting toys in her mouth.

Isn't Shelby a good sport. Melanie is constantly crawling all over her, pulling her hair and sticking her hand in Shelby's mouth.

Are they cute together or what....

Our six month cutie!

I just returned from a three day girls weekend for Brooke Burger's bachelorette party. Clint brainwashed Melanie while I was gone and I came back to her babbling "dada." I better stay home so she will continue to say mama. She is now six months old and has her next doctor's appointment on Thursday and her next set of professional pictures this coming weekend. I will post after both of those events. Here are some cute new pictures from this morning.

Our Trip to Mississippi

Melanie with her great grandmother.
Melanie with her nanna and her great grandparents: Papaw and Memaw
Hello friends!
Okay- I know this is not the greatest picture of her but it shows her sitting up pretty well.

Melanie was an angel on our trip to Mississippi to see her great grandparents. She slept the entire way there and the entire way back only waking up to eat. She was so good at her great grandparents house and enjoyed the constant attention she was getting. She began babbling "ma ma" when we were there. I don't think that she has any type of meaning attached to saying it. I think now that she has figured out how to "talk" that she doesn't want to stop. The other day we were out to eat and she just wanted to scream VERY loud. Not because she was mad or because she wanted anything- she just thought it was funny to hear herself scream so loud that it would echo. Needless to say we had to leave the restaurant. I don't think I need to even write that I enjoy "ma ma" much more than screaming. She is continuing to enjoy her baby food- there does not seem to be much that she does not like. She also loves playing with blocks. She will put them in a container pour them out and knock them over when I stack them up. She also loves to pull on Shelby's fur and I think Shelby secretly enjoys it as well because I can't separate the two of them.

I can sit!

Our 5 1/2 month old daughter can sit- wahoo! She started balancing pretty good a couple of days ago and now she can hold herself upright. We still stay close to her because she does not catch herself too well when she falls but she can hold herself upright for a minute or so- yeah Melanie! Here is a picture for proof- she is kind of hunching over because she is trying to get close to me as I take her picture.

New Pictures and a New Tooth

Father's Day Fun.

Well, Melanie has 2 teeth now! The first one is about half way in and the second one popped up right beside it about a week ago. She is continuing to love her baby food (except peaches). She also is acting much better in the gym daycare. She loves to "talk to" and watch all of the other children. She is so funny at trying to crawl. We will put toys right out of her reach and she will scoot herself to them or roll in the opposite direction and then gear up for a big roll back towards the toys. If she could just get her big old booty all the way up she would be off and going. Anway hope you enjoy the new pics!

Vacation

Could she be any cuter?This was her touching a fish my dad caught.

We just returned from vacation and had a wonderful time. But, going on a vacation with a baby is quite different than the vacations I am used to. Melanie loved the water. We would put her feet in the ocean and she would watch the water come up towards her feet and just wiggle away. She also loved the pool. We had a float for her but she preferred to have us hold her (what else is new?). She did not like sleeping in her pack and play. She sleeps very well at home in her crib without putting up a fuss or anything but she HATED sleeping at the beach. So, the princess that she is, she cried loud enough and long enough to convince us to let her sleep in our bed 4 of the nights. Luckily when we got home she went right back to sleeping in her bed like normal (thank goodness!). She is also getting a tooth. It is soooo sharp. It's one of her bottom front teeth. You can barely see it but boy can you feel it if you stick your finger in her mouth. Other than that she is just getting bigger and more fun by the day.

Quick Update

Her first taste of green beans!

Her first experiement with rice cereal.

Goooo Braves!

We had Melanie's appointment for shots yesterday. She did quite well. But, her temperature went up to 100.9 when we got home and after a phone call from the doctor we gave her some Tylenol and it finally went down. Melanie is LOVING eating baby food! She so far had tried rice cereal, green beans, sweet potatoes and applesauce. She thinks they are all wonderful. She tries to grab the spoon and feed herself. She is quite funny and will stick her foot in her mouth while we are feeding her and then baby food is EVERYWHERE. But, I guess that is half the fun. She also is almost able to hold her own bottle. There are sippy cup handles that you can attach to her bottle and she can hold those and put the bottle in her mouth but has a hard time tilting the liquid to her mouth and she is working on just holding the regular bottle. She also has taken a few sips of water out of a regular cup. It is quite funny. She will reach for any cup (or food) that we have and try to take it. She is also finally "playing" with her toys. She will press on toys to make music and bring rattles and stuffed animals to her mouth. She continues to love to roll over and is still working on sitting by herself. She can now take her pacifier out of her mouth with her hand and is getting accurate at putting it back in. She can also sit in her stroller like a big girl and doesn't need to be lying down in her infant carrier at all times. So needless to say she is a GENIUS :) But seriously we are excited to see each new step and I am loving summer time! We took her to the pool and she enjoyed the water and the float that her nanna gave her. I am so happy that teachers have summers off and I can stay at home and enjoy all of her new abilities.

Doctor's Appt.

Well, Melanie's 4 month doctor's appointment did not quite go the way I intended. Unfortunately on the way to the appointment we got in a pretty bad wreck. There was an older couple trying to cross 4 lanes of traffic by taking a left from a residential road across Five Forks heading back to Lilburn in front of Five Forks Library and they had stopped in the middle of the road in their attempt to turn left and I ran straight into them (I was going straight down Five Forks toward Lawrenceville). Thankfully everyone (including the older couple) was okay and that is what is important. Melanie slept through the entire event. I immediately got her out of her car seat as soon as my car stopped and she was still asleep and I didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. But, as soon as she woke up she seemed alert and fine. The paramedics came to check her just because she is so little. They gave her the okay and I eventually got her on to the pediatrician so he could check her also. They were very kind and stayed late to wait for us even though it was a Friday afternoon. The pediatrician said she looked fine. She weighed 14 pounds 5 ounces. She was given the all clear to eat rice cereal and in about a week baby food- hooray! She didn't get any shots because if there were injuries that we didn't notice he didn't want any reactions to the shots to mask the injuries that may have occurred. Clint stayed with my car during the whole ordeal and watched it get towed away :( Ironically enough I came home to a car payment- not quite what you want to pay when you don't even have your car at home! But, the older couple was very kind and they have insurance that should cover it all and I am just soooo thankful no one was injured. The car behind me (which would have run into the older couple had I not been there) was being driven by a pregnant woman so I guess in an odd way it was a good thing it was me that was involved in the wreck and not her.

Mother's Day

Thanks to Clint and Melanie I had an amazingly wonderful Mother's Day. The morning started off relaxing with my own family then lunch with my mom and dinner with Clint's mom. It was wonderful to be able to celebrate with everyone. My grandparents came to town on Monday and here are some cute pictures from their visit. Melanie has a doctor's appt. tomorrow so we will see how big she is and hopefully get the okay for solid food....keep your fingers crossed!

Melanie with her great grandparents.

Melanie loves her great Papa

She thinks it is sooo funny when someone blows on her back!

Daddy's girl!

Daddy's are so much fun!

Boy have we been busy!

Well, Clint, Melanie & I survived Hawaii. Clint and I had a blast though I cried the entire way to the airport and each time I called and heard her cooing in the background. I think our parents enjoyed spending extended time with her but I think my parents were glad for us to be back also! Melanie has been spending some time with babysitters as we get more and more busy. Elizabeth (one of my co-workers) watched her when we went to Brian & Dawn's wedding shower and my bosses daughter watched her for an entire day when my dad was sick. It is a good thing we have such an extended group of people I trust to watch her. Otherwise I don't know what we would do. I can't wait for this summer when I can just spend time with her and not worry about work and everything else on my to-do list. Since she is growing so fast I think we might actually be able to "play" some this summer. Melanie loves to turn over and will roll back and forth the minute she is put on the ground (especially in her crib-she is in constant motion in her crib). She also loves to grab things and pull on them. She is drooling up a storm- I wonder if teeth are in the close future-AAHHH! She can sit up by herself if I hold her hands or support her lower back. It will be so weird when she can sit completely unsupported. She goes to the doctor again in about 1 1/2 weeks so we will see how gigantic she has become. I hope that the doctor gives us the go ahead to start her on some food (at least rice cereal). She will be 4 1/2 months at her appointment so surely so. Anyway- I have to get back to work. Here are some recent pictures. Melanie 14 weeks

View from our balcony

Our pool

On the coast of Hawaii

Hooray for Pops

She is helping him cut the grass...



Well my dad survived...he and Melanie are becoming best buds. Here are a few cute pictures of Pops and his princess...

Easter

Checking out her Easter basket with her nanna.

She is in her Easter bunny costume!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. We all went to church with Clint's family on Sunday and Melanie was an angel (I think she knew God would be mad at her if she acted up!). She slept through the entire service. I was holding her and didn't move an inch- my arm was killing me by the end. Afterwards we went by my parents and then to Clint's parents. Melanie got so many Easter gifts you would have thought it was Christmas- what a spoiled rotten princess already. She and her Pops are learning to read each other's signals and enjoy being together during the day (when Melanie is not pitching a fit that is...). Anyway, here are some cute pictures.

We Survived

Pops with his princesses


Don't you wonder what could make her so serious?

Well, we all survived my first week back at work. It was way harder than I thought it would be. I am EXHAUSTED! But, I loved being back at work and my kiddos were wonderful. Melanie did pretty well with all of her caregivers (Clint, his mom, and my mom). Next week starts her full time with her Pops (my dad). She can now officially roll from her back to her stomach AND her stomach to her back. What an amazing little girl! I went into her room Wednesday morning and found her on her stomach after I had left her on her back. Then, on Thursday she rolled to her stomach for me at my parents and this morning I found her on her stomach again. She cries when she first rolls over and then realizes she likes where she ended up. She sometimes gets stuck on her side and will cry and it's quite funny because she creates so much drama just because she is stuck. Although my house is a wreck and I have laundry and shopping (grocery-not the fun kind) to last me for days I am so glad to be back at work. I have a million things to get done at work and I don't want to stay late to do them so I am learning to use my time very wisely when I am there. But, all in all a great and tiring week.

Oh yeah, she went to El Torero for the first time :)
Happy Birthday John Taylor- sorry we can't make it to your party- we need a bit of sleep!
Happy Retirement Pops!

First Day of Work

I went back to work today. It went amazingly well! I got Melanie up at 5:00 to feed her and put her back in her crib. Then I got ready (in peace...no baby, dog, or husband to interrupt or rush me). I got out of the door on time and on my way to work. My class was so well cared for when I was gone. My room was clean and I had a HUGE stack of stuff that they had for me to file and go through. My coworkers took over all of my duties when I was gone and made my absence very stress-free. Everything was so organized and waiting for my return. Needless to say my "To Do" list at work is massive. The biggest obstacle at work is pumping my milk but it went okay today. Surprisingly I was not upset about being away from Melanie but I think it was because I was comforted in knowing that she was with family. Clint had a great day with Melanie, though Melanie didn't want to nap for her daddy, but all in all it went quite well. So day 1 away from Melanie went well....but I was so happy to see her when I got home. I can't wait until I can get a true reaction from her when she sees me after a long day- today it was just some looks and smiles (but that is enough for me!).

If you are checking in on her life please leave a note so I know who is staying up to date on her little life.

Big Weekend

We had a very busy Saturday! It began with Melanie getting her first professional pictures. We went to the Picture People at the Mall of Georgia and could not have been more pleased with our experience. We had the first appointment of the day and Melanie was in a fantastic mood. She looked so cute and smiled and was having a blast. She then completed two additional poses naked and we started another pose in a 2nd outfit but she had done all of the smiling she was going to do for the morning. While we waited on the pictures to get developed we had her picture taken with the Easter Bunny. It was okay- she didn't cry but it is by no means an amazing picture. When we finally picked up our pictures I couldn't stop smiling. They print all of the pictures out and bring you 6 complete packages and they had the best picture in a 10x13 already framed. She was gorgeous! It took all I had to not buy it all. But we came out of the experience with some amazing 3 month pictures.

Later in the day we went to TJ's birthday party. He had everyone dress up in Hawaiian clothes. There were lots of kiddos there (Grace, Zach, Caroline, and Melanie) and they all looked sooooo cute! Obviously the all of us moms had fun playing dress up with our little ones.

Tomorrow is a big day for me...I go back to work. I am kind of ready and I have LOTS that needs to be accomplished at work but I hate to leave Melanie. I am very lucky that I have the privilege to leave her with family so I don't have to worry about people caring for her, but no one can do it like mommy! Clint is staying home the first two days, then his mom is taking her on Weds. and my mom on Thurs. and I have Friday off- so my first week is a short week. My dad will be on his retirement trip and next Monday he will star in his babysitting debut. I will update everyone on how work went later on in the week. Enjoy the pictures!

Wahoo!

This past weekend (on 4/2/06 to be exact) Melanie rolled over for the first time. She is only 11 weeks old. Wahoo! She is an athlete in training! I was home alone with her and I heard Clint open the garage door and I looked down and she rolled over from her stomach to her back. She smiled as soon as she did it. I ran and got Clint and then he came upstairs and she did it for him and then rolled for the camera and then for our neighbors. However, the stubborn little thing would not roll for either of our parents- oh well, maybe another day. Hooray for Melanie!

(Our little chunk taking a bath- she is obviously not starving!)

Cute Pics

Shelby loves baby Melanie!

Goooooo Dogs- Sic em!

A Trip to Athens

Yesterday Melanie and I went on a girls trip to Athens. We went to Randi's house and enjoyed getting to visit. We also went to see Ruth and ventured out to Bear Hollow Park which is like a very mini zoo and then we walked around the lake and saw turtles, ducks, and fish (I'm sure Melanie appreciated all of the wildlife!). Here is a picture of her first trip to the "zoo." (Notice the deer in the background.)

Yet Another "First"

She is looking over my mom's shoulder.

Well, I have to say this is not a first I'm proud to brag about...she got kicked out of daycare for the first time. Clint had to work late so I took her to the gym daycare while I worked out (I only planned on being there for 30 minutes and Clint was going to come and get her as soon as he could). Melanie was asleep when I dropped her off but she must have decided it would be much more fun to torture the poor employees. They came and got me after about 20 minutes and said she was crying and they couldn't get her to stop. I went in to check on her and she had stopped crying and the employee was holding her and walking around. I only had 10 minutes left of my training session so I told them if she started up again to come and get me. Well about 7 minutes later the girl came to get me- Melanie was finished being in the daycare for the day and needed her mommy. People who work with kids always go home with a story about a particular kid- sometimes a cute story and sometimes a not so cute story...I have a feeling Melanie was "that kid." The employees probably went home and talked about a baby that screamed for 30 minutes-AAHHH! I want her to be the kid they go home and talk about her cute smiles, cute outfits, yummy smell, etc. What in the world would Melanie do if I had to put her in daycare when I return to work? I'm sure my dad is thrilled at the prospect of keeping her when I go back to work now-don't worry dad- I 'm sure she will be an angel for you.
But, on a different note, her growth spurt seems to be over. She is sleeping through the night again. She had her first sleepover. My mom had surgery and Melanie and I went to stay at her house and help out. We took enough supplies over to their house to stay for a week instead of a night but you never know what you might need! Melanie slept very well in the cozy crib that my mom has set up. She also got to see Clint's dad for the first time in a month (he was in Arizona for spring training). She was very excited to see her Papa and was on her best behavior. She showed him how she can hold herself up when she is on her belly- what a big girl!