6 month check up

We got a good report at our 6 month check up yesterday. Mary Elizabeth weighed in at 24 lbs 9 ozs and is currently 28 and 7/8 inches long. She is in the 12-18 month range on the growth charts. There is nothing little about our little girl!

New toys and family fun

Mary Elizabeth splashing in the pool. She was so surprised when she hit the water and it splashed all over her face!

Big Joe found this activity center at Walmart and M.E loves it.
Playing in the pool with Dad
Hanging out with LuLu at the pool

M.E. has finaly discovered the mirror in her bed. She loves to look at the baby in the mirror and make the music play by spinning the roller.

Last Friday I had some alone time. Mary Elizabeth spent the night with her daddy, so I could go take a couple of lessons and bring Doodlebug back from Fran's. I had fun visiting with Fran and Jay Friday evening after my lesson, then I stayed at a hotel and took another lesson Sat. morning before coming home.

Mom, Scottie and I all celebrated birthdays this past week, so we had a family birthday party on Sunday 7/20. Jim, Lea Ann and Peggy came over along with Pat and Big Joe. Scottie was here Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We all went swimming, then Mike boiled some shrimp for dinner. On Monday Scottie, Reba and I (and M.E. of course) scoped out some weding locations. Mom joined us when she got out of class.

Big Joe has been a faithful babysitter. He continues to come over almost everyday, so I can ride or run errands. Pat has been working at church music camp, so I know she will join us once camp is over.

New Toy

Mary Elizabeth got a new chair/ activity center last week. She is really enjoying her new "stuff"! We also discovered a 5th tooth yesterday, so she has 3 on the bottom and 2 on the top.

Riding lessons anyone?

Cruising with Fran in the golf cart

My mare Doodlebug is still at my trainer's barn, so I have been trying to coordinate with LuLu and Mike so I can go ride (it is about 70 miles away). Well this past week we were having a hard time coordinating schedules, so Mary Elizabeth went with me. It all went rather well actually. We set up the play yard in Fran's office and M.E. made herself at home. I was able to tack up, lunge and ride Doodle while M.E. entertained herself. Fran checked on her every so often and M.E. stayed content until the last 5 minutes or so. When I was done, Fran put Doodle away so that I could get M.E. We really had a good time.

Pat and Big Joe came over 3 mornings this past week to hang out with M.E. I rode Norman 2 days and ran errands one day. Pat is teaching church music camp this week, so Big Joe will be the official playmate for M.E.

I went to have dinner with Heather and caught up on some girl talk Sat. night, so M.E. and her daddy had the evening all to themselves. Mike handles the evening routine most nights (feeding, bath and putting to bed), but it was nice for them to have some quiet time for just the daddy and little girl.

M.E.'s top 2 teeth have finally broken the surface. She has also finally gotten the hang of taking food from a spoon, so we feel like we have made great strides this week!

Beach Trip recap

Well we have returned from our first trip as a family. Mary Elizabeth is a good travelling companion. On the way to the beach we stopped to see PaPa House's sister Jewel in Andalusia. She had not met M.E. yet so it was a fun visit. M.E. had a bottle and a diaper change, while Mike and I enjoyed some wonderful chicken salad and fresh fruit. We got back on the road again and arrived in Sandestin in the late afternoon. Mike got all of our stuff to the room before we went to Publix to buy some basics for breakfast each day. Wed. evening we went to the Village to eat at the Creole Cookery. We rode the tram and made it back to the hotel by 8:15. M.E. is cutting two upper teeth, but she slept well the first night. Thurs. we went for a big walk, then got in some pool time. M.E. had a good mid-day nap then we went to the Village to eat at Hammerheads. M.E. slept through dinner, but was awake and cheerful later. Friday we went for another big walk and then headed to the pool. There was a lot of activity at the pool since it was the 4th and M.E. took it all in. She was fascinated by a magic show for the kids. We went to Moe's for lunch, then headed to the room for awhile. We went to the beach for a bit Fri evening, then to the Market Shops for dinner. We ate at Beef O'Bradys and listened to some live music in the courtyard. M.E. slept through dinner again, but woke up long enough to enjoy some music. We headed back to the room and put M.E. to bed, then Mike and I watched fireworks over the bay from our hotel balcony. Saturday we made 2 trips to the pool and between pool time we went to a restaurant on the beach for lunch. Sat. evening we took it easy and ordered pizza and watched a movie in the room. Sunday it was time to pack up and hit the road. We left around 9 am and M.E. slept all the way to Andalusia. After that it was a different story! I think between her teeth hurting and just being plain overtired she decided to make her voice known! By the time we were able to stop in Greenville I think she had given up hope of being rescued and stopped screaming, she was just staring at the seat. After a hug and some milk we were good until Prattville, but the noise didn't start until we were pulling in to a stop, so that didn't last long. She was happy for awhile, then the final screaming episode resulted in a sleeping baby for the remainder of the trip. We really got the hang of how to operate in vacation mode with a baby on the third day, so I am glad we stayed a little longer than we usually do. More vacation photos are on our shutterfly page at http://www.mehouse08.shutterfly.com/.

Beach Trip

Taking a snooze while Mom and Dad eat dinner at Hammerheads.
Playing with Mom at Trader Toms.
Wondering what my crazy parents have in store for me next.

It was somewhat overcast yesterday and there are storms forecast for this afternoon. We may go to the beach for a bit today, but tomorrow will be the real beach adventure. Have a great 4th of July!

Beach Trip

With Mom in the room
By the pool with Mom
Swimming with Dad. Mary Elizabeth did get a lot happier. The water was just a little chilly to start with!
With Dad at the Market Shops
Happy girl hanging out with Mom and Dad at the Market Shops

Just for fun

Mary Elizabeth is fascinated with the water running from the faucet. It is like it is a toy to grab, but when she touches it there is nothing solid to grab. It is a pretty entertaining thing to watch!
Pat and Mary Elizabeth enjoying some playtime.