Getting ready for some fun in the sun!

Addie and her Daddy getting ready for a swing!

Tim, Addie, and I have been extremely busy trying to prepare for our vacation the past couple of days. Besides the picture of Sally licking the high chair, I haven't even had a chance to take any pictures. I have a research proposal and a final exam tomorrow before we head to the outer banks, so as excited as I am to leave, I am not looking forward to the morning I have to go through to get there! The paper is done besides a report cover that I need to buy today, and I have studied everything I have in my notes, which is not much, so.......I guess I will have to wait until class tonight to figure out what else I can expect for the exam. YIKES!!! Oh well, I keep reminding myself that a "B" is a great grade too......but when you know you can do better, a "B" can drive you crazy! Im just glad the class will be over and I can go on our vacation without having to worry about anything! We are very excited to get there. Tim spent an hour on the computer last night searching restaurants and their menus (as if we can afford to go out!). He is so cute.....he printed them all out and left them in a pile on the desk. I was wondering what he was doing when I went to bed. I'm not sure when I will get to post again. I am not taking a computer, for that very reason. I NEED A BREAK! I promise to take lots of pictures and have many interesting stories to go along with them when I get back. Keep our family and the Maynors in your prayers as we travel! Love to you all.............

Who is guilty?.....of course...its Sally!

Yes, Sally has discoverd the fact that Addie misses her mouth alot when she eats. So, she sits quietly in the shadow of the high chair while we feed Addie and waits. She waits for the moment when we pick her up and bits and pieces of chicken nugget, turkey, cracker, puffs, etc. fall from Addie's body to the ground. Then, she waits again...until we leave the kitchen and she can feast on the high chair crumbs themselves. Anyone who knows Sally, knows she is one of a kind. The dog is even more high strung than me, but she has the biggest heart. Two nights ago, she bolted off the front porch after a bunny, through the invisible fence and dissappeared behind a neighbors house. We looked for her for about 20 minutes, and she was nowhere to be found. We live right beside a major road and I just knew she would stand no chance if she wandered over there. Of course, I was frantic, and so sad because she has not gotten the attention she is used to here lately and often times gets yelled at for being trifling! After about 30-45 minutes of searching, and crying, and pretty much convincing myself we had lost her.....here she came, through the same yard towards our house......with no bunny! I was so happy to see her, and have tried to remind myself to have a little more patience with her. So, when we caught her licking the high chair, we just smiled and grabbed the camera.....

Computers drive me crazy!

The first picture was taken the other night when Addie got to go on a wagon ride with Tim and I after dinner. Her Mamaw spoils her and bought her that silly Elmo doll she is sitting with. Elmo has a little fake paci in his hand......she tries to suck on that thing constantly and just can't get it to stay put in her big ole mouth! It's really funny! The other pictures areof us at the park!

Grandma Julie- That is the little dress you sent up for her! Isn't it cute?

Well, it seems as though videos on my blog might be few and far between. I tried yesterday for quite a while to figure it out. For some reason, my Windows Media Player refuses to play videos I download to my computer. I might have to call Clif again and get him to help me....remember, he is the husband of my friend Jaime, who just so happens to be really good at all this computer stuff. He tried to help me last night, but I was still unsuccessful! Oh well, I knew I was pushing my luck with video.......It has been quite a feat learning all this blog stuff anyways, much less inserting video!

Well, its a rainy, yucky day here, and I have lots of packing up to do for our week at the beach next week! Hopefully, the rain stays away then.....keep your fingers crossed for us!

I'm getting better....slowly, but surely.

Do you see that beautiful, delicious looking pie up there? Would you believe that I made it? I know that many of you are shaking your heads because you know that I am not the best chef, and many of my weekly meals consist of tacos, BLT's, grilled cheese, and spaghetti. However, since I have been staying at home with Addie, I watch Rachel Ray on a regular basis, and have learned a few techniques and the art of reading a recipe. I am getting much better, even though it is a pretty big obstacle to have a husband who hates onions, tomatoes, peppers.....or pretty much any "wierd" seasoning item you must use in most recipes. He, however, loved my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie above. I got the recipe from my friend, Kristy, and first tasted this amazing dessert at her house. Since I had never heard of or eaten rhubarb before, I was a little hesitant at first, but it was soooooo good. I have also learned to make homemade biscuits (although only tried it once so far), thanks to my Memaw down there in Georgia. She showed me how when she was up visiting in April. I love some good ole WestVa biscuits and gravy! And thanks to the canned roll-out pie crusts available, and to Pop Pop for his delicious recipe, I can also make a pretty good pot pie. Anyways, Tim took the picture of the pie and suggested I put it on my blog because I think he too, was shocked it came from my kitchen. Our little family, including the dog, visited the strawberry patch to get some berries for my pie. Those pictures are stuck on Mom's camera unfortunately. Addie was bored because we wouldnt let her play in the field in the mud, and everytime she got a hold of a strawberry, I took it away because all she did with it was squeeze the juice all over me! What a fun day!

Crawling fun!

Ainsley and Addie enjoying the wagon!

They loved watching the Daddies play horse shoes!

Jaime and both girls! How cute is this picture!

My mom reminded me this afternoon that I have not updated my blog today, so I figured I better get on that. Unfortunately, I never could get Mom's camera hooked up to our computer to download the very first crawling photos I took, so she will just have to get me the hard copies of those. We did however, get our camera thing straightened out thanks to Pop Pop and Ga Ga, Tim's parents! They had a camera just like our old one and they generously gave us theirs, which makes me really happy because now I don't even have to learn a new camera. It works just like my old one. Hopefully, I will take better care of this one! So, we do have some new pictures to share of our weekend. Yesterday, my friend, Jaime, and her little family came down for a visit. It was such a nice day. The girls played well with all of Addie's toys and we grownups got to socialize and eat some amazing food! Ainsley is a week older and already walking all over the place. Addie literally would just sit and watch Ainsley moving all around the room. It is so amazing how different they are since they are so close in age. We enjoyed them so much and wish that we could see them more often. Addie is moving around much more too. Tim and I thought it was so wierd to see her making her way into the kitchen from the den all by herself. She is finally getting it down! I am so proud and a little sad too....she really is not that little baby that I cradled in my arms not that long ago. She NEVER lets me cradle her now! I hope everyone is enjoying thieir holiday weekend. Tim was suppose to have off four days in a row, but a coworker got really sick and he took two days for him. We are sad he has to work, but know the extra money will be nice for our vacation coming up! I am going to try and get a little video on the camera of her crawling and then post it here for everyone to see. Jaime's husband, Clif, was nice enough to show me how to do that this morning! So, be on the lookout for her first blog video debut!

Some crawling fun......

I will post more later.....Im late for yard sales! I just wanted to post a few pics of her crawling!

GUESS WHAT!!!!

SHE'S CRAWLING! Yesterday Addie got so excited over a water bottle that was out of her reach, that she pulled that little belly of hers up off the ground and just started crawling to it! Let me make something clear, she is not all over the place yet, but she can do it. I saw it with my own eyes and I made her show me again and again today, just for practice. I don't think she realizes that she can pretty much get where she wants all by herself yet, but once she gets going, she does it like a pro! Her cold is not helping the situation because she is easily frustrated and a little cranky to say the least, but she did it! She finally did it! Of course, she decides to crawl the week I break my camera. I did manage to get a few shots of her in action, but I can't get Mom's memory disc to fit into my printer. I have been trying all day to figure it out so that my exciting news could be accompanied by a picture. No luck! I finally decided to do it without a picture because I wanted you all to know that she finally did it! We are so excited that she has figured it out! Now, if we could just get this cold to go away, we would be in good shape! Way to go Addie....you are such a big girl!

Slowly feeling better......

She is absolutely in love with her swing! This was taken right around Easter when she was 8 months old!

Today has been a better day for Addie. She still has a little cough and her nose is still pretty stopped up, but not as green as yesterday, so I take that as a sign towards recovery. Just to be on the safe side, I called the Doc this morning and she told me to let it run its course, just keep plunging and wiping away at that little nose of hers. Atleast she is sleeping better today and she is in a really good mood. I let her play at my feet in the kitchen today for the first time. You see, when you have a baby that can't crawl, they do not get to investigate places like kitchen cabinets and shelves. So....she was entertained the whole time I prepared dinner. She played with tupperware, Tim's bananas (sorry, honey.....they are still edible!) and the free sample canisters of formula I keep on a shelf near the ground. She had a blast, wore herself out and is now snoozing away in her crib with a crusty nose and dirty feet (my floor is not as clean as I thought!). Now, if I can just bring myself to work on my paper that is due next weekend, we would actually have a very productive day!

By the way, my mom is going to let me borrow her camera for a while. She just can't stand the thought of me not taking daily pictures of her little munchkin!

Poor little girl.......

Look at how tiny she was in her Daddy's arms. This was taken when she was just 8 weeks old! (Isn't he handsome, and he is such a great Daddy too!)

Well, it was bound to happen. Addie has finally gotten her first real cold! She has a green, yucky, runny nose.....and a small cough, and she looks down right pitiful! I am guessing this is the cold that Tim has had for the past week or so. Bless her little heart. She coughs and then she drags it out a little to get my attention, followed up by a precious, but tired little smile. I never realized how much stuff could come out of a small child's nose. It is by far one of the most amazing things I have seen. Just when I think we have it under control, here it comes again! Amazingly, she is in good spirits and doesn't seem to mind the slimy nose running, except for when I go to wipe her face for the umpteenth time! Poor thing....we are hoping to have it all under control before our company comes this weeknd. My friend, Jaime, her husband, Clif, and their little girl, Ainsley, are coming down for a night this weekend. The girls were born a week apart and haven't seen each other since they were only a couple of months old. We are excited to get them together. Would you believe that little Ainsley is walking around everywhere! I am hoping Addie will want to get up and follow her. Well, I might try and catch a little of my tivoed-Dateline that I missed last night and the night before and last week, well.......the last 10 months actually.............Say a little prayer for Addie!

Well, the camera has definitely died....

This was one of my favorite sleeping shots taken when she was about 7 months old.

Settle for some old pics until I can get a new one folks. Yesterday, I did a very stupid thing. First, let me tell you about our afternoon. Tim and I decided that we wanted to check out a local fair that comes to town each year called the Jubilee. Phil Vassar, a country music singer, was playing and they have amazing funnel cakes and corn dogs! We thought Addie might enjoy a little stroll around the fair grounds. So...we packed up the car and headed that way. After battling the traffic, we managed to find a parking spot at a local church, so we didnt feel too bad about dishing out 5 bucks for the make-shift spot on their sandy playground, right behind the swings. We unloaded the car (and anyone with babies knows just how long the "unloading"part can take), and began our stroll to the park. As we were walking, we began to notice the wind pick up and the sky darkening in the distance. By the time we got within earshot of the music, I just knew we were going to get stuck! It looked like the sky was going to fall any minute. So, after a few pictures in front of the big ferris wheel to show her first time at a fair, and after Addie loses her little horse statue that we had just purchased at Target 4 hours before, we headed straight back to the car. Here is where the camera comes into play. As I got Addie all strapped in her seat, Tim upacked the stroller and and began loading up the back of the car. Around the same time I finished the seat buckling....I saw the back door go down and I heard the loud "SMASH" that accompanied that motion.....Guess where Carrie had placed the camera before she put Addie in the car? Yep, thats right.......on the back bumper. Isn't that a great place for a small silver camera....right on top of a small silver bumper? Well, poor Tim.....he was so patient and so forgiving.....He just picked up the tattered little camera, looked at me and said "Its ok, I should have seen it there......it was on it's last leg anyways". He threw all of its little pieces in the back seat and then took Addie and I to dinner in the pouring rain. No corn dogs or funnel cakes for the Hewitt clan today........

Yippee.....Tim has fixed the camera...for now!

Addie and her "boyfriend", Grayson "playing hard" with Addie's toys.
We have started to learn that Addie does not know how to share very well.
Grayson stole Addie's straw, and she was not very happy about it!

The camera is usable, but we definitely need a new one and soon! Maybe that stimulus check will come in handy for that. Anyways, I got out of class early yesterday and met up with my mom to go and buy Addie her first pair of sandals. Mom also ended up getting her several adorable little dresses for a wedding we will be going to in a few weeks. We had dinner out and headed back home to meet up with my friend, Shanna, and her little boy, Grayson, who is 7 months old. Yes, that's right.....all three of my college roommates and myself ended up pregnant at the same time. Shanna, Jaime and Kristy all have babies very close to Addie's age. Poor children.....they will have to learn to love one another whether they like it or not. Grayson is the only little boy and he is soooooo cute! We had just enough time to let the babies say hello and then off to bed they went. They both slept thru the night and were up early this morning eager to play. Tim also had a close friend in town and was out with the guys last night. He needs more nights like that, but is always hesitant to go out and leave Addie and I at home. I wish he would give himself a break more often....he deserves it!

We were very happy to see Shanna and Grayson since it had been so long since the babies were together. We wished they lived closer and we could do it more often. Daddy and Addie weekend is almost over and they once again, had a great time together.....minus one "barfing" incident, which by the way, Tim handled like a pro!

Daddy and Addie Day #1

Tim and Addie had a great night last night. They were able to get out of the house and visit with Uncle Dink, Aunt Net and Granny and Papaw for a while. Tim said she was not as shy as usual and was actually in a very good mood. Sometimes she is a little shy and fussy in new places with people other than Tim and myself. We are hoping she will get more comfortable with other people as she gets older. I am trying to get her out and around other children as often as possible. She is getting friendlier every day! After they returned home last night, Addie got a bath and of course, a solid hour of playtime in between Mommy and Daddy in our bed. She slept all night for us again!

Unfortunately, I dropped our camera on the concrete floors in my kitchen when I was juggling a baby, a diaper bag, and a set of keys. So.......there are probably not going to be any new photos for a while until we win the lottery and buy a new camera. Don't worry folks.....I have plenty of old favorites! ( Since I am currently posting in class on a laptop, I will have to add pictures later!)

"Daddy and Addie Weekend....again!

Once again, I have class this weekend and Tim and Addie get to "play hard" and have fun without me. My class this time is called "Research in Education"....sounds exciting...huh? It is pretty tough sitting there for 12 hours in one weekend, but atleast my professor has a good sense of humor and I like most of my fellow classmates. I better like them, I will be with them for another year every other weekend. Anyways, I will remind Tim to take some pictures of their time together and tell me stories when I get home so that I can update you all.

Addie slept through the night last night, giving Tim and I a nice restful evening. Whoo Hoo! Tim is off golfing this morning and Addie and I are going to our first day on the "Job" together. I will be watching the nursery at a local Jazzercise place for a couple of hours each week. I get to take Addie along to play with the other kids (usually one or two at the most), and in turn, I get a small amount of cash each time, plus free membership at the gym. I am very excited about this new adventure. It gets Addie and I out of the house and around other children, and it gives me the opportunity to work on getting healthier and feeling better about myself in general. Hopefully, Addie will enjoy our little playdates each week! We'll let ya know how it goes! Happy Friday everyone!!!!!!

Picnic Time!

On our way to the park! The hat stayed on for about 2 more minutes!
She loves the park!
Check out those two teeth!

Addie loves a picnic. Actually, Addie just loves being outside. It doesn't matter what we are doing, as long as we are outside. She can people watch forever. Sometimes when I can't get her settled down inside, I go outside and sit on the porch with her and she is completely satisified for at least half an hour. Yesterday, Addie and I went to a nearby park for a picnic. She really enjoyed watching all of the big kids run around and climb on all of the jungle gyms. Of course, she enjoyed the swings for a good 20 minutes after lunch. I can't wait until she can really enjoy the park. I just love our special times like that.....just her and I. She has started to babble a lot more and its almost like we are having our own little conversation. What a personality she has! I can totally see that attitude coming out, and I just know Tim and I are going to have our hands full. She might look like her Daddy, but she is fiesty like her momma!

Something new she is starting to do each night, is act like she is out for the night and go down in her crib for about an hour around 8:00. She looks and acts exhausted and she does snooze for some time, but usually, around 9:00, she wakes up and cries. Her Daddy goes in and gets her and puts her in our bed. We are usually winding down and watching our 9:00 show in bed at that time. She climbs in right in the middle of us and proceeds to entertain herself for the next hour, playing with the remote or her baby doll or her pacifier. She starts yawning and rubbing her eyes around 10:00, and then she goes back down in her crib for the rest of the night! Tim asked me last night if I thought she was teething and just needed comfort, or if she is starting to make it a habit of playing in our bed after a brief catnap? Who knows.....We don't really mind the new "game", as long as she sleeps in her own bed afterwards......She is just so darn sweet!

Look at how close she is......it's driving me CRAZY!!!!

Last day of Music class.....

Today was the last day of Music class for Addie and I until the fall, which makes me very sad because she was just starting to really enjoy it. When I first started going back in January, Addie could barely sit up and would definitely NOT participate by clapping her hands, dancing or even noticing the other babies. Now, however, she claps along, bounces to the beat of the songs, and loves to interact with all of the other kids. We are definitely signing up for the class for atleast one more session. By then, she will be one of the "older" children in the class....wow, time just seems to be flying by.

Luckily, we have had no more "barfing" incidents and food seems to be going down fairly smooth today. Did you notice the "Im ready to crawl" position in the picture above? Its going to happen any day now. Don't worry, I have already started to babyproof the house. All outlets have the tiny little plastic plugs in them, there are empty bottom shelves everywhere, and we are already stepping over those annoying, but necessary baby gates......even though she has yet to even look half way interested in the act of crawling! I have always been one for planning ahead!

2 1/2 more weeks and we are headed to Nags Head for our family getaway with the Maynor family! Cross your fingers for us that this weather cooperates! I better get off here and sneak a quick cat nap in......she has not been sleeping well at night again, and I have a feeling Im going to need my energy tonight....

Mommy training......

I always thought that God gave me Sally, our little girl dog, to get me ready for motherhood. I have always been a HUGE wimp when it comes to getting sick, a.k.a throwing up. I hate it....not that anyone likes it at all, but I will actually lay there for hours feeling horrible and nauseous, just to avoid having to get sick, and when I do eventually have to get sick, I cry the whole time. Even now, at almost thirty, I bawl like a big baby. So, Sally, I thought was my way to learn to get used to the whole thing, since babies do a lot of that. Sally has the world's weakest stomach. If she eats just the smallest bite of something other than her dog food, she gets an upset belly. I have spent many precious moments of the last 5 1/2 years cleaning up after a sick Sally. (The one that sticks out the most in my mind was the time she ate TWO whole sticks of butter I had sitting on the counter.....talk about gross!!!! ) Anyways, you would think that by now, I would be used to it. However, I still have to remind myself not to toss the poor child off of my lap, or run out of the room whenever she gets sick. Its horrible I know.....I am horrible! I have not, I promise, tossed her off of my lap yet. I just close my eyes tightly and hope that it is over soon. The reason that I am telling this story is because that is exactly what I have been dealing with lately. She is just starting some finger foods, so we have been choked a couple of times so far, and that is usually followed by her getting sick, wherever she is. Heck, she will even throw up if I put something in her mouth that she does not like. I thought for sure that my mommy training with Sally would help me through this stage, but I am still having some major issues with "barf"! I know....I know....it will only get worse as she gets older. I hope Tim is ready for all of that........

( I apologize if my post was a bit vulgar today, but really folks, this is my life!)

Tim and Carrie's "Date Night"......

The picture above was on the front of the homemade card I found on the counter this morning after Tim left for work. Im sure it will be one of many I stash away and occasionally pull out over the years as she grows older. Tim is so creative and knows just how to make me smile big!

Yesterday was a big day for us in the Hewitt household. It was Addie's first sleep over at her Mamaw's. Tim and I attended a wedding of a friend of mine here locally, and Addie went over to my mom and Dave's house around 3:00 yesterday afternoon. I must have called to check on her a billion times, but each time, mom would say that she was doing great! Around 9:30, I called and she was sound asleep in her little room, as scheduled! Of course, as soon as I woke up and realized I had no little voice in the back ground babbling away, I called to see how their night was.......and guess what? She hadn't made a peep all night! I guess Mamaw and Grandpa Dave just wore her out, because she slept the whole night and woke up happy! Tim and I had a really nice time out together. It was nice to get dressed up and have something to do, somewhere to be (we don't get out much anymore). Tim looked handsome as ever and I, of course, enjoyed the food! I could spend a little quiet time this morning, maybe even get my house cleaned without a little girl at my feet, but......Its Mother's Day......and I miss her........and I'll just clean later! Off to Mamaws!

Happy Mother's Day....from Addie.....

I received these beautiful flowers today from Addie. Am I really a mother? How surreal that seems to me! I have so many friends who are celebrating their first Mother's day this weekend too.......Kristy, Shanna, Jaime, Sharleigh, Tracey Papas, Shannon (sort of), Whitney, Emily (Claire's momma), Julie (almost)....and so many others who are celebrating their second Mother's Day ever! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and kiss those little ones for me!

And of course, Happy Mother's Day to my Momma! I love you and am so thankful you are mine!!!!!!! and all mine!!!!!!!

One step closer to crawling.....maybe?

Well, Addie has finally learned to go from laying down to a sitting up position all by herself. I think this means that crawling is just around the corner. Unfortunately, it also means that she can pretty much refuse to fall asleep and just sit in her crib and play. Yesterday, I put her down for her usual 3:00 nap. About 20 minutes into the "nap" I looked on the monitor, only to see her sitting up playing with her pacifiers. She would pull the one out of her mouth and put the other one in....find one in a crevice in her crib, and pull the one out and put the new one in....over and over and over.......for an HOUR AND A HALF! Yes, folks, she sat like that until 4:30. I went in twice and layed her back down, only to check the monitor and see her back up again! She never did nap, and so she was not the most pleasant person to be around that evening.

We have spent most of this rainy day playing with all of her toys and practicing our crawling technique. This is where mommy gets on all fours and proceeds to crawl around the playroom floor trying to get Addie's attention, hoping to spark some curiosity and get her to attempt to copy me. No such luck yet. She is finally quietly sleeping in her crib. I wish I had a crib and a lullaby song to swish me off to sleep!

The Addie and Lily and PlayDate.....

Addie and Lily.....what cuties!!!!!

Of course, Addie and Lily had a great time yesterday, atleast both mommies did anyway. The time flies when you have someone to hang out with. Kristy and I could just sit and talk about nothing important and its already time to get back in the car again! The girls sort of did their own thing, and we sat back and watched them. Addie loved all of Lily's toys and the car ride wasn't all that bad. She sat in the back and "sang" most of the ride home. I even turned off the radio just so that I could hear her little tunes. It is still so surreal for me to believe that Kristy and I both have little girls the same age. I can't even explain how that makes me feel. I have always thought things happen for reasons, but WOW, God certainly had a plan for us. Whenever I get the chance to hang out with Kristy and Brian, I think about us all at Longwood College and how we had no clue what was ahead of us. The four of us will soon be spending a week in Corolla, NC for vacation. We rented a house down there with a heated pool and hot tub! I am very excited to get the girls together for that! Well, I better go get the munchkin out of her bed.....she slept all night and I am sure she is very hungry!

Addie loves her new pool......

Sunday, Addie had her bath outside. Mamaw bought her a pool and she just loved it! I decided to sneak some soap in, and tada......bathtime was over! She didn't even notice and not once did she whimper. We may start taking our baths out there every time!

Today is Tuesday and Addie has a very big day. We have music class at 9:30, which she is really starting to enjoy. After that, we are going to visit Lily and Kristy in Williamsburg for the day. Addie and Lily are really starting to notice one another, so that makes our visits that much more fun! Hopefully, the girls will "play really hard" as Tim would s ay, and sleep really well for us all tonight! I promise to bring my camera and capture some of the action.......and no, we are still not crawling......

Whew....what a weekend!

So, we all managed to survive this incredibly packed weekend. Tim and Addie had a great time while I was in class. They ventured to Walmart one day and as Tim says, "played really hard" for the entire second day of my class. I was able to relieve him for about an hour so that he could go get something to eat (we have no groceries until Monday, my shopping day), but was soon headed right back out the door for a friend's bachelorette dinner party. Poor Tim! That is exactly how I feel when I go out of town with her alone and have noone there to give me a moments rest around the clock. He was exhausted when I finally made it home and probably a little ready to return to work today.
Just before we ventured off to bed, Tim comes downstairs with this unusual looking "thing" in his hand. It looked like a speckled rock of some sort and that is exactly what I cast it off to be, until Tim said it was "squishy...like a raisenette".....YUCK! Apon closer examination......I see small grooves where it looked like legs once were. OOOOOOOH....."Where did you find this?" I screamed at Tim. He came apon our little "specimen" in the hallway, under the thermostat on his way back from putting Addie in bed. I had Tim stuff "it" in a ziploc bag and seal the bag immediately. And guess what happened next? Its legs came out of those grooves and it started creeping around inside the bag. I get sick to my stomach thinking about it........how nasty! I immediately began searching the computer and I think I may have discovered what this thing is.........a carpet beetle! The computer websites say they are very common in museums feeding on the preserved specimens! AHHHHHHHH.....and that they lay 300 eggs at a time!!!!!!!! Are there more in my house? What if I can't see the eggs and they are brooding in my hallway floor? Does anyone know anything about these things? I started itching at that moment and I havent stopped since......and do you want to know what Tim had to say about our little friend? "Maybe you should vaccum the hallway tomorrow when you get a chance?"

By the way, Tim doesn't think I should blog about this topic....."People will think we have bugs in our house". For those of you who know me well, I will not cohabitate with bugs! As you can imagine, I am not letting our little friend go without a fight........


UPDATE: So, come to find out, from a wise neighbor across the street......our little creepy crawly friend is not a carpet beetle after all. Turns out, he is a very full, very fat, ........tick!!!!! I am still so amazed, I don't even know what to say. This thing is as big and round as my thumbnail. He must have been sucking on my poor dog day and night for months! Although, I am glad that my house is not infested with thousands of carpet beetle larvae, I am a little concerned for my poor dog, who by the way will be receiving a flea and tick treatment tomorrow!

"Daddy and Addie Weekend!!!"

Addie has finally learned to hold her own bottle! Yeah for us!

Look at this cute, tired face.......

Atleast that is what Tim calls it when he gets to have Addie all to himself on the weekends I have class. This is one of those weekends. I am off to class in an hour and won't get home until after her bedtime, and then I am out of here in the morning before she wakes up. I finish up tomorrow around 5:30. So, I don't get to see much of her or her Daddy at all on these weekends. Of course, that makes me sad, but I honestly think Tim likes the time he gets with her all to himself, and I know she just loves hanging out with him so much! It also gives me a nice little break, to recoup and reenergize before I start the week all over again. So, hopefully, they won't miss me too much and everything will run smoothly while I am away! Happy Friday everyone!

Let's just skip crawling altogether.....

Mom, you caught me! You mean you don't want all the books in the floor!

It's a wobbly stand, but I still count it!

Ok, so I have decided that it will be alright if Addie just goes straight to walking! We won't even bother with the whole crawling thing. Maybe she just doesn't need the extra practice before actual walking begins! Yesterday her Mamaw (by the way, that is my mom, Judy) had her leaning up against this little table toy and she stood there for quite some time. I haven't been able to get her to straighten her legs out and put any pressure on them, so we were quite impressed with this new milestone. Don't worry, I'm not trying to rush her, but I just want her to be on target with certain tasks she should or shoudn't be doing at this age. Another thing I am worried about, is her eating habits. Little Ainsley, Jaime and Clif's baby (some friends of mine), loves real food! She is a huge fan of baked potatoes and eats really, really well. Even little Lily seems to be better at eating than Addie. All she wants is Mac N Cheese baby food and occasionally some sweet potatoes. Please don't let her eat like her Daddy! I want her to take after me and eat EVERYTHING!

She has become a huge fan of taking all the books and DVD's off of the shelf and throwing them on the floor. Then she screams for me to put them back up there again, and the whole process starts all over. This is what we did for over an hour this afternoon. Do I really want her to start crawling all over the place??????