Baby's First Christmas.

This was by far the best Christmas that I can remember. It was so wonderful to have everyone in town and of course Miss Kaitlin was the bell of the ball. She made everything extra special for us all. Oh and all the toys galore and more clothes than you can imagine. What a lucky little girl she is to have so many people that love her! I really enjoyed watching her play with her new toys. She didn't really understand what was going on, but she was excited nonetheless. Of course, her favorite part was ripping the wrapping paper off the gifts. It was a great weekend and I was so sad to see it come to an end.

Getting ready for Christmas...

I haven't been this excited for Christmas since I was a child. Having a child in the house really makes you count your blessings and appreciate the true meaning of the holiday. We are very fortunate to be able to spend it with our entire family. Christmas Eve we will spend time with BJ's family in Charleston and then spend Christmas Day with my family in Huntington. I am looking forward to celebrating with old traditions and starting a few new ones. Here are some fun pictures of Kaitlin...she is ready for Christmas, too!

Nine months

My little girl is not so little anymore. At nine months she is so active and exploring everything. She started crawling about a week ago and we cannot stop her now! Oh my, its a whole different world now. Its amazing how much she has changed in the last few weeks. She is so aware of everything going on and when she wants something, you can no longer distract her. She has finally said a real "ma ma" and is talking up a storm. She has developed a little bit of a sassy attitude. oh no. But she is still my sweet baby. She is going through a big growth spurt and is waking up to eat around 2-3 am on some nights. Hopefully this will pass soon. We moved her crib to the lowest level after I walked in her room and she was standing! Her whole world has changed now that she is crawling. She is a little investigator and it really is entertaining to watch. Her favorite toy is my cell phone, so in the interest of saving it from drool and teeth marks, I had to get her one of her own (don't worry its a toy). She has four teeth now and is working on a couple more. She loves when we sing to her and loves to play "peek a boo" and "patty cake." She is also learning the meaning of "no." She loves to shake her head and thinks it is the funniest thing ever when i shake my head real fast. She gives "high fives" back and grins from ear to ear when she see us. She is one sharp baby and has us all wrapped around her little finger.


I'm loving this stage, even though it is exhausting. What a personality she has! We are really looking forward to Christmas next week!

Mommy's Gift.

I turned 29 last week and as I was complaining about being old, BJ says "you are only as old as you feel" to which I respond, "well then I am 85." haha. Seriously, though I feel so old...mostly because I am SO exhausted ALL of the time and running on empty everyday. But also because my life has changed so much. What a difference a couple of years can make! But, as much as I sometimes miss my former life and especially the friends I don't have time to see, I wouldn't change a thing. I have the best gift in the world:

I'm obsessed with baby girl clothes...and although this was a Christmas outfit, I thought it was appropriate for my birthday. And she has enough Christmas outfits to wear a new one the whole month of December!

Holiday Season

Its the most wonderful time of the year! We kicked off the holiday season with a big Thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house. We were very lucky to have most of our family with us. We have so much to truly be thankful for and I know how blessed I am to have the most amazing family, a wonderful husband, and the sweetest daughter. I am definitely counting my blessings this year! Christmas is right around the corner. It takes on a whole new meaning when you have a child and I have to say I am so excited for Kaitlin's First Christmas!

@ my 2nd favorite bar...Fados in Buckhead (Bent Willeys will always be #1)

I'm so THANKFUL for her....


In my little diva dress.


Happy Thanksgiving!

8 month old baby girl!

This first year needs to slow down immediately! I love to watch Kaitlin grow and learn new things, but I need her to stay a baby! Nothing makes me happier than to walk in the door after a long day and see her face light up...oh that smile can melt your heart! There is no question she is a mommy and daddy's girl. And I feel very blessed because she is such a happy little girl and is doing so well. And I can only hope that she stays this well behaved...its such a blessing to a constant, on the go mom. For example, only once during the last 3 months has she ever had a meltdown during our 1 hour commute. She sits back in her car seat and "talks" to me and plays with her toys. How lucky am I? And she puts herself to sleep! When she starts to act sleepy, I lay her down and she may or may not cry for a minute or two and then she goes to sleep. I know I am a proud mother, but she truly is just a happy baby! At 8 months, our little bug is:

* Working on several new teeth.

* Eating lots of new foods...so far there is nothing she has not liked.

* Weighs between 18-18.5 lbs.

* Feeding herself finger foods (puffs).

* Playing independently and enjoying new "learning" toys.

* Intriqued by everything...she really studies faces.

* Favorite cartoon is Special Agent Oso (we watch it every morning).

* Trying out lots of new words and sounds...including ones that sound like maaaa. :)

* Squealing Da Da everywhere we go.

* Is mobile- although not completely crawling, she "creeps" and crawls backwards.

* Reaches for me when she sees me.

* Gives wet kisses.

* Says "hi" or "hey" when she sees us.

Probably the best thing about this past month is watching her figure out how to do things on her own. What a little miracle! :)

0 to 7 months

Look at how much she has changed in 7 months!

7 months.

Up on all fours...time for take-off.
My sweetheart.

Look how tall she is getting!


Ready for Halloween!

Wow the last month really flew by! Kaitlin is becoming more and more her own little person. She keeps us very entertained and is just soooo happy. She is changing by the minute! At 7 months, Kaitlin is:

* Repeating a few words: Hi, Hey, Dad, Dog, and Boo.

* Eating a variety of solid foods, her favorites seem to be squash and pears.

* Sitting up on her own.

* Just about crawling.

*Getting the hang of a sippy cup.

* Loves to be the center of attention and will squeal when she feels she is being ignored.


* Loves to pull mommy's hair and study my face

* Giggles and laughs hysterically.

* Blows bubbles ALL the time...its hilarious.

* Has 2 teeth.

* Gets excited when she sees her mom and dad.

Jump N Jive

Nana got Kaitlin this as an early Christmas present and she just LOVES it. She goes crazy. It is hilarious. With the music playing it looks like she is dancing. I love to watch her in it...too precious!

Love this face.

Sometimes when I am having a stressful day at work, I look at pictures of this sweet girl and I instantly feel better. How can anything be wrong when I have this precious face to come home to every evening?

So excited for halloween! =) I'll post more pictures of this cute little fru fru outfit later...

Fall Fun.

Sunny, crisp and cool, fall...perfect for a drive through the West Virginia Mountains. BJ, Kaitlin, Maddie, and I jumped in the car Saturday morning and headed up Route 61 on the country roads. WV really is a beautiful state. We stopped at Gauley Bridge, Kanawha Falls, Hawks Nest, and The New River Gorge Bridge. The leaves are just starting to turn, but the scenery was still gorgeous. Maddie was so happy to be out and about and Kaitlin was a great little road warrior. Before heading back we stopped for dinner @ Pies N Pints, a pizza place in Fayetteville. It is very well known and lived up to the hype. Perhaps we will take another fall foliage road trip in 2-3 weeks when the leaves have peaked. What a perfect day!