Teething???

Alaina has been sleeping like crazy. Last night she went to bed at 7:30 and didn't get up until 9 this morning. She was ready for her morning nap by 9:45 and she slept for an hour and 45 minutes. She is still taking bottles well, but not so into the food unless it's cold, so I contributed it to teething. But then I caught her doing this...


She was already up like this when I saw her, so I put the pillow there!







Maybe she is just wearing herself out! She's been pulling up to toys and to the couch and trying to "cruise" but this---is crazy!!! What a monkey!!!

My First Playdate...

Alaina is a cougar! Here she is with a younger man on her first play-date.

Alaina looks so gi-normous next to little Emerson.

Just in time...

We just lowered Lainer's crib matress on Monday since she was starting to pull herself up onto this toy she has that is like a small table. It was good timing! She slept over at her Mimi's house on Saturday and when she went to check on her that evening, she walked into the nursery to find her STANDING in her crib!!! Mimi needs to lower hers, too! Here are some pics of her in action:


Grab on...



scoot closer...



and stand up!!!



Look at me!



Hello down there!

..and now the puppy is in trouble! [our first trip to the ER]

Ok, so I am one of those poeple who would totally talk about how great our dog is, and how nice and friendly she is and how she would NEVER do anything to hurt anything.

Well, NEVER say NEVER...

Annie-Puppy was sleeping today in front of the back door like she always does. I had just pumped, so I was in the kitchen pouring the milk into a bottle. I set Alaina down in the living room [openly connected to kitchen] to play and saw her creeping her way into the kitchen to play with the scale [yes, I keep the scale in the kitchen--seems like the likely place to remind myself of the consequences of a snack].

The next thing I know Alaina is crying [not so much screaming as I thought there would be in retrospect]. The dog is just laying there [like she always does, and Lainey just comes up and pets her] and I pick Alaina up and she has holes in her face. Without fainting, I run to the bedroom and wake up Adam. He had just got home from the owl shift [goes to work at 10 pm and gets home at 7 am] and it was only 8:30. I scream, "Get up, hold her, I have to call the doctor." Three minutes later, I finally get through to the doc [they open at 8:30 and their machines were still on for the first 5 tries getting through]. Lainer was already done crying but I was still freaking out. The doc said just go to the ER. Adam, after only one and a half hours of sleep, drove us there. Lainey took a nap on the way! We get there, I'm thinking antibacterial wash, stitches or glue....nothing! She laughed at the doc and tried to steal his stethescope as he washed her marks with a washcloth! He said they were very superficial [not deep] and just needed some ointment. She came home, ate and has been fine all day!

I on the other hand, have been a mess. As soon as I could breathe a sigh of relief that my baby was ok [and it would have been MY fault if she wasn't] it kicked in that my VERY FIRST baby, Annie-Puppy, was going to be kicked to the curb. I knew she didn't do it on purpose. She was startled while she was sleeping, it wasn't even a bite, just a scared nip....but I could not chance that ever happening again. What if Lainer falls on her when she is learning to walk and Annie snips her from fear or pain??? I know Annie is such a good dog, and I would still say all those things like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, except, I guess for the NEVER part.

With a little retail therapy, I had almost convinced myself [although I knew it would never fly with Adam] that maybe Annie deserved a second chance, and that I would just have to never let Alaina down in the same room, they could co-exist--

--UNTIL---

the lady at Babies 'r' Us.

She was telling me about her cousin who had a dog and a 2 year old. For two years the dog and baby were best buds and played together and the baby layed all over the dog, then one day the dog played with the baby like a toy and bit her head and shook back and forth like dogs do with toys [except Annie is too lazy and will not play like that] and the 2 year old had to get 600+ stitches!!!! Then I realized that I still needed to get an e-mail out asking anyone if they want and indoor, smart, house-broken, friendly dog!!!

So sad, I cried!

Here are some pics of the damage. Yes, she looks cross-eyed. I was really close and the flash was crazy...'

I'm in trouble...

Here I am being a good girl, reading my favorite book.

Here I am being a bad girl and getting into the dog food.

I still don't see the camera.

"Oh, Hi Mom!"

MMMM, yummy...

Happy HALF BIRTHDAY to me!!!

I was halfway through my first year of life yesterday!!!

June 12, 2008.



What, you want me to do "SOOO BIG" in front of people? How 'bout I just smile to make you look crazy? [Laina was doing "SOOOO BIG" all day long, and when Amanda H. came over, she did it one time until the camera came out--then NO MORE! ]


Fingers, mmmmm.



6 months old!


Look how little the bear looks now.



Hey bear, lets see if I can open this.

Summertime fun!

I love outside!




I pinch yo' face Uncle Erik.



Got any more toys Granny? [Lainey and her great-granny.]



That story was so funny. [Lainey and her great Grandpa.]



Swingin'


Lainey wadin' in the water.


I love the water.



Let go mom! I can do it by myself.


Zonked out.





I finally figured it out--BEND the knees!



I'm so proud of myself!



The camera wants more? I'll give it...



More swimmin'---in my teeny pool at Mimi's.


I had to snap this one of the classic 'butt in the air' sleep!

Flower Power...

I'm gonna be a Flower Girl...a long time from now.

My Auntie M got engaged on Memorial Day and is having a destination wedding


--in 2009----


----at the very end---


--the day after Christmas.


So I have a year and half to grow and walk so that I can be her flower girl!

[I'm really excited about the beach vacation part of it all, too---Florida Keys, here I come!!!]

OOPS!

I forgot to mention that Lainey is now crawling/scooting about---forward!!!

80's NiGhT!!!

I just had to post the pics of our 80's Night Dance.

We picked out B's outfit from Goodwill. It was somewhat of an 80's/tranny look!



99 cents for the leggings and shoes at Goodwill. Can't beat that!



Kater tried to look 80ish, but it just looked like she just got out of bed.



One hippie in the middle. [don't you love my purse--another Goodwill bargain!]