Molly's First Birthday

One Year Old! Wow that was a quick year...

Sweet Molly Jane,

I can't believe how much you've grown and changed over this year and we have thoroughly enjoyed watching you turn into the sweet little girl that you are today. We love watching you become "Molly", doing all of your "molly" things - you love to stack toys (3 and 4 blocks high), you love to clap and dance, you love to listen to Bob Marley, you love to be chased, you love Yo Gabba Gabba and smile any time you see D.J. Lance. All of these things make you YOU and we love to observe them all. At one year old, you still have only 4 teeth but by the end of this note, you may have 5 or 6 (there's two that are about to break the skin), you're really getting good at cruising and balancing - everything is one-handed now. You've also figured out how to 'handle' Jack... you push his buttons and when you can't find a button to push, you bite him. I quickly discipline you for this, but in the back of my mind I get a little chuckle out of your retaliation efforts...we've been warning Jack about the pay-backs that would be coming!

Your birthday was low-key but perfect for you, since you are low-key as well. We had a small gathering (your NC family), the weather was perfect, and you were an angel of a hostess. Nagy made your birthday cake - strawberry flavored, pink and white icing and you enjoyed every bite of it. View the birthday pictures here.



Your Stats:
You are 24 pounds and 30 inches long which puts you at 75% for height and 75-90% for weight. You're still a big girl, but those squishy thunder thighs are slimming as you perfect those walking skills. Your favorite toy is my car keys...we have "pretend keys" and we have a spare set of real keys, but they're not as awesome as my car keys. We've also pulled out the Little People bag and you are in your own world with those toys.

Miss Molly, are looking forward to the year ahead and we love you more each day! You are the baby girl that we always imagined.
Love, Mommy

First Day of School

Jack's first day of school is finally here! He started the school year last week - now he goes for 4 half-days a week, and he loves it as usual. This year he's in Ms. Cindy's class (one of his favorite teachers from last year), with a few classmates from previous years, and a couple new ones as well. When I dropped him off, I could barely get him to stay still long enough for his "first day of school pic"... We got to the door and he let go of my hand and took off. :( How did he grow up this fast??? Next thing we know, he'll be riding a bike! No wait - he's doing that already too, and he's amazed us all at how quickly he picked this skill up. He's gone as far as 1.5 miles... and now he can stand up to pedal uphill, and occasionally says "look mom, no hands".

Seriously - where's my baby boy???!!!!

11 Months Old

Sweet Baby Girl,
I can't believe you're almost a year old already. You have changed and grown so much in such a short amount of time. I remember last year when I was waddling around with you in my belly like it was yesterday. Some things are hard to forget!
Seems like yesterday when you kept us up all night with your feedings and whimpers... or when you first smiled, laughed, babbled and cooed. All of this happened so quickly and now here we are a month from your first birthday. As excited as I am about all that you've accomplished, I'm sad that each day I lose another one of your "baby moments". I couldn't wait for you to start crawling, and now you've started pulling up and cruising and you're on your way to walking - this too will happen before we are ready for it and yet another phase will have passed. But your little personality grows with each passing phase as well... you are so sweet, lovable, and easy-going. No matter what the circumstances, you always find a way to make us smile. And if you're having a tough day, it's so easy to find a way to make you smile as well. Your laugh is infectious and predictable (like your smiles), your gestures and movements are so adorable, and we eat them up! You've started "pointing" at things that make you happy, or if we say "Where's Jack" you'll point at him (or "mom" or "dad" or "otis"). You've mastered your waving (like the Queen, naturally) and your clapping - you love to give yourself a round of applause any time you accomplish something new. . .you quickly look around the room to make sure we saw what you did, then you clap at yourself. You're too cute, Miss Molly. You've been doing these things for some time, but now they have a purpose and you understand it. Also this month, you have really become attached to your bunny-blankie and other soft taggies. These items calm you down during your fussiest times (even while you're teething with what appears to be 4-6 teeth coming in at the same time).

Your stats this month:
Weight - approximately 24lbs
Height - we'll know next month
Fav food - you're on a fruit-only diet now and frozen strawberries are your choice
Fav toy - super heroes. We've mixed in a few super "girls" but you always prefer the dudes. And still - whatever Jack is playing with is your toy of choice.

We Love you MJ! Looking forward to your birthday next month!
Love, Mom

Molly - 10 Months Old

Little Miss Molly,

10 Months... this month passed faster than the previous 9 months! At 10 months old, you have mastered the "army crawl". Actually, it wasn't even a week after your last post when you started crawling efficiently. You will also stand unsupported briefly, but do real well if holding on to someone or something (this too started a week after your 9 month birthday). You haven't figured out how to get back into a sit position from crawling and it's frustrating you tremendously... but I have a feeling that this too will come very soon - you're 90% of the way there, but then you give up and cry.

You now have 2 teeth on the bottom and I'm thinking another one is coming in this week as well. Not sure of your weight but you've definitely gained inches this month, and now that you're moving those legs - your 'thunder thighs' aren't as thunderous - we still can't find your knee caps and ankles, but the slim-down process has begun and you seem like you're in a long and skinny phase now...well, skinnier.

Your newest favorites: Food - Animal crackers, plums (or pluots), pretty much all fruit actually... And you're now done with squash from the garden (booo). Toy - scuba steve from the bathtub, and any and all toys that Jack is playing with at the moment, especially the small "chokable" toys. And for those followers who were concerned, yes we found Spiderman's head and no, Molly didn't find it first. :)



Firsts this month: You had your first black eye (2.5 years earlier than Jack's first black eye), as a result of your first stroller-spill and your first ride in the stroller given by Jack (we won't do that again, not for a while). And you had your first trip to a beach - you LOVED the sand in your toes (and your mouth)!

Another fabulous month, MJ! We love you to pieces!

MJ - 9 Months Old

Sweet Baby Girl,
I can't believe we're approaching your 1-year birthday already. You have grown so much and you change every day, but I still can't get that first glimpse of you out of my head. The doctors handed you to me and I couldn't believe how big you were and how much hair you had (I felt like they handed me a 3-month old baby), and those cheeks! Those puffy, pink cheeks - so soft and sweet, when you let out your first cry, I knew instantly that you would change my life forever. And you have. Now you're 9 months old, gaining Independence, gaining confidence in your surroundings, and already learning how to manipulate us to get what you want... Usually a simple smile does the trick - those same pink puffy cheeks perk up, your rosy lips curl, your little button nose scrunches up and those big blue eyes light up. You now babble all the time...while you're eating (constantly singing the "mmmm" sound while you chew), you babble while you're playing, or in your crib, or when you're just trying to be noticed over your much-louder big brother. You wave hello/goodbye, you clap your hands when you're excited (or when we prompt you to), you move your head back and forth to say "no no no", you use your little fingers in that pincer grip, you say "dadada" and "mamama" and I'm pretty sure you know what you're saying. I think you're even recognizing sign language too (doggie, daddy, all-done, brother, mommy). And you are just as lazy as you are smart. According to the doctor - you're not crawling yet because you think it's easier to roll/scoot/shimmy to where you want to be. Hips are fine, ears are fine, legs are fine...you're just plain lazy. You'll dig your toe in, pick your body up off the ground and inch forward for 2-3 inches, but then give up and decide to roll. Though now you seem to be moving around in the sit position (I've heard of this type of "crawling" but never witnessed it) - spinning 360 degrees and moving several inches at a time - all while sitting down. We've had some fun watching you figure all of these things out...***Since I started writing this a week ago, you have now started to show an interest in pulling up on things - We've seen you get to your knees and then you crack up and fall back down... And if we place you next to the couch or stool, you'll stand there for a while before finally getting tired and going back down - this too, you crack up about...something about standing and getting upright makes you laugh hysterically***

Your 9 Month stats: You now weigh 21 lbs, and you are 28.5 inches. Still on the same curve of the growth chart (big). You eat everything that we feed you - except for peas. Favorites: Still squash & zucchini from my garden (yay!), pancakes, cooked brown rice, carrots, applesauce and goldfish crackers. Favorite Toy: my car keys... when they're not available, beads (red/white/blue from the 4th, or teal/black from the Panther's outing) - yes a choking hazard but still your favorite. And finally, you have your first tooth. It's tiny, sharp and too cute.

Thanks for another fabulous month Miss Molly! You are the sweetest and we can't get enough of you!!!

Summer '09

Sorry for the long post - we've been busy this month! Jack's at the perfect age where afternoon outings are enjoyable and we can plan a day of activities and know that it's going to go well. And Molly's still young enough that it doesn't matter to her either way. :) June was packed with activities... and we headed into July with the same ambitions! A few memorable moments...

First, a visit from Grammy - what a great visit we had, short, but great. This was her first time meeting Miss Molly, but she didn't have much time to get to know her, as Jack kept her running in circles from the second her plane landed in Charlotte. For a week before her visit, Jack kept telling me "this time I won't be shy" and he kept his word, that's for sure! Also, we celebrated Father's Day at the In-Law's house, what a fun night that was - complete with their make-shift "water park" and great food. It was a ton of fun getting the family together and seeing all the new babies!!! Movies in the park - for sure, something we'll be doing again soon! I just love our little town because it is host to many fun events like this one. We showed up around 6:30 for a movie that didn't start until 8:45ish (after dark) - Horton Hears A Who. But we had no problem killing time because of all the "extras" at movies-at-the-park. All the popcorn, Popsicles, chips, cookies, drinks, face painting, fake-tattooing, that a kid could want. Jack sat on the blanket and munched until 8:30. Molly however, was a sweaty mess the entire time. We had to strip her down to her diaper to try to make her more comfortable. Through this heat-fest, we also found out that she's a huge fan of Popsicles. The best part about this event was that it was FREE...everything was free. Thanks Nagy and Pop Pop for joining us (and for getting there early to reserve a decent spot on the lawn). Also this past month, Jack did Bible School (another freebie) for a week. They did all kinds of crafts, games, singing/dancing, etc. He loved it and at the end of the week, they put on a show to demonstrate what they learned. Panther's Tour - One of Marc's Networking Groups hosted a family "behind the scenes" private tour of the Panther's Stadium. That was a great trip... even got to spend some time with Sir Purr and a few cheerleaders as they were showing up for practice. Another memorable moment - we went to Splash Pad with some friends of mine... both kids had so much fun in this squirt/spray park for kids. Molly loved just sitting in front of a sprayer (remember, she's the sweater in our family), while Jack took hold of a huge water gun that blasted out buckets and buckets of water at a time. Then after we dried off, we hopped on board of the Kannapolis Express for a train ride.

That brings us to the 4th of July - the Annual Parade (another of Harrisburg's famous events), bbq, swimming, family and friends...this day had it all! Jack swam for several hours - only taking a break to eat a bunch of dessert items, then back in the pool. That boy loves to swim! Thanks Renee and Kevin for inviting us!

And this week, Molly's 9 Month Birthday. I'll recap Molly's last month in a few days. But for now, enjoy some pictures by clicking here.

Molly - 8 Months Old

8 Months already... you'll be a year old before we know it. This month you have become more interactive with us, playing with Jack and actually sharing toys (rolling cars together, playing with the ball, tug of war, peek-a-boo, etc). You also started to wave bye-bye this month, and you can almost clap your hands, but you find it much more amusing when I do it for you. You're not crawling yet, but that doesn't stop you from going wherever you want to. You roll one way, then arch your back, then roll the other way (kind of like a 3-point turn), then do it again, until you're going in the direction you want. You also reach out to us and to your toys and food. Speaking of food - your favorite this month is yellow summer squash - luckily we have TONS of it!!! You'll eat 1/2 of a small squash in one sitting...steamed and chopped of course. You now take your bath with Jack and you love this...love the plethora of floating toys, love the splashing water, love the bubbles. Lastly, you went on your first hike this month. I'd like to say you enjoyed it except you passed out 5 minutes into it. Maybe next time you'll stay awake long enough to take it all in.

Click here for pictures from this month.

You have become such an integral part of this family, MJ. My favorite time of day is when I go into your room in the morning. You are so excited to see me each day - you kick your legs, flip yourself around, squeal/laugh, and those big blue eyes grow wider with excitement.