Who does EK look like?

Its Friday and very late.  We have had one busy week and a busy weekend ahead.  Its Friday though and you are a week older.  I can't believe that on Saturday you will be 3 months old!  I guess I will never believe how fast time goes by.  I have been trying to stop and just soak it all in.  I hope you do that lots in your life, soak it all in!  The week we spent time in STL, Lulu and Poppy just loved having us.  I will get up to date and post that later.  So 13 weeks today....you are really starting to have a personality!  You are a happy baby, lots of smiles and coos.  Even starting to make what seems like a laugh.  You love to stand up and face out.  This position is not so great for the car!  You are not so fond of the car seat.  I tell you that its ok to ride in that seat because we must shop!  You still love eating your hands and lately have a constant drool.  Between drool and blow outs you are changing clothes often.  So who do you look like....ME!  When we were home in STL Lulu got the pictures out and I almost died  You are a mini me at this stage!!   More to come on house updates, booze and bows party, baptism, and Builders big project...We just have a few things going on.

Note to the Pea ...12 weeks old

Are you talking to me?

Hello Etta Kate! I would love to say that I am going to write to you every Friday but as you will find out I am a realistic person and I am sure I will miss a few Fridays or be a few days (maybe weeks!) off but I will do my best.  That is all I will expect from you ...always try your best.  Ok so that is a little deep for you at this point in your life!!  You are 12 weeks old today...you feel like such a big girl to me now thinking back on your little self 12 weeks ago.  You bring so much happiness to me and Pappa and really your entire family.  Family members are counting down the days until they get to see you.  You are sooooo loved!  You really have a personality that is coming out.  When you are mad, watch out you are mad but that mad doesn't come very often.  You have started sitting in the bumbo seat this week, it is pretty funny!  You have the biggest smile and really seem to recognize our voices.  This week has been the week of POOP..you will find out that poop makes me laugh a lot!!  Just about every day this week you had a massive explosion while eating that left us both covered...even my white chairs got hit.  Won't be the last time but don't worry I scotch guarded them so it comes right off.  So lots of laundry this week.  You make a lot of little noises, the nail lady sad you sounded like a mouse.  Yes you went with me today for a mani and pedi.  You will get many of these in your days!!  Your hair is really growing, the new hair is blonde.  Blonde and Blue...just like your momma and pappa! We have a fun week ahead of party planning, we love to entertain so it will be fun, and we are off to visit Lulu and Poppy for a few days. 

All Night Long...

We slept through the night!!  EK went down around 9:30 and slept until 6:45.  Longest time yet!!  I was so excited but.....I was woke up at 5am to the dog barking to go out.  Really Oh Bother, you never need do this.  Great timing!  It was still a big success that we celebrated all day long.  Little Pea we would love for you to continue this sleeping pattern. 

Love those cheeks! 

Sweet Pappa

So today Pappa and I were talking...conversation went like this:

D: So after EK's next Dr. Appt. she may be ready to try cereal, they say around 4 months
B: Don't they need teeth
D: Not for rice cereal
B: like Crispix....
D:...no like malt to meal rice cereal for babies

Then the laughter from me was non-stop.  He was so serious and so sweet...No Pappa Pea will not being eating the famous puppy chow this christmas!! Figuring out parenthood with him is so much fun...

The SWEETEST two peas

Note to the Pea

Pea I can't believe I have only known you for 11 weeks (today).  Lately I keep thinking of the Trace Adkins song...your going to miss this.  I just had to You tube it to listen to...makes me want to cry a "good" cry as your G Grandma would say.  Your the sweetest baby ever.  You love to snuggle right on the front of my chest or others that love you.  If you have your pacie you are set and will go right to sleep.  This is my favorite time with you and I will miss that when you grow!  You love your hands right now. You love them in your mouth and you have started to drool.  Don't worry I keep you clean, have to be a clean faced pea!  You still have blow outs and Pappa and I laugh so hard every time.  You smile so much!!  The first thing people say when they see you is that they LOVE your cheeks.  They are the best.  I love watching you Pappa's face light up when he sees you and now watching you smile back, you will have the best bond with him. He is the best!  I'm pretty good as well, haha!  You still absolutely love the bath and absolutely hate getting out.  You have yourself on this new schedule and it is awesome.  You take cat naps in the morning and then take a solid nap 3 to 4 hours in the afternoon.  Then you like to be in the bath around 8 or 9.  The best part is you just go with the flow.  We can take you anywhere and you don't mind being dressed up.  Your bow is always a hit!  I promise you want be in high school with a bow, unless they are in style!  You are so much fun!!  We love you so much.   We are going to have the best life together, it already is fabulous! 

"Your going to miss this, your going to want this back, your going to wish these days had not gone by so fast, these are some good times, so take a good look around, you may not know it now but your going to miss this"

SURPRISE TOOTIE....

We are in DALLAS!!  We were driving home from our Tuesday lunch date....post in itself but Tuesdays are Tenderloin Tuesdays for lunch (not for me but I go!).  I told builder we still needed to plan our trip to Dallas.  He says well what about this weekend.  He covers our plans for the rest of the summer and this weekend it would be.  Since it was Tuesday already I thought we would surprise Tootie.  So DONE just like that we were headed to Dallas on Friday and Tootie had no idea.

We could not have planned this trip more perfectly.  (I pretty sure that is not good english, but oh well!)  Tootie was having a long week and our visit was just what the doc ordered.  I could not believe that A was also going to be in Dallas.  That never happens.  So A was in on the surprise and we were all set.

Movie Time

Olly was a hit the whole way

The travel was not bad at all.  The little pea did great!  She kept with her routine, play, sleep, eat and then repeat.  She also had to watch a little movie on the computer to stay calm, very funny!!  All I had was Break Up with Brad Pitt.  She loved it.  So the drive into Dallas was about 9 hours.  When we arrived Tootie was inside napping and we planned with A to ring the bell.

I have never seen a more surprised face!!  We are here!!  Then the fun begins!!  We had the best time shopping, haning out, eating, and being with Tootie and A.  With A we of course did a photo shoot and they are the cutest pictures ever!  I was so proud of my packing.  I actually packed us all very light...I am smart!  We had to have room for the shopping purchases.  We of course went to Ikea and you can never leave there without a car full.

Walk to Starbucks ...of course!

Tootie slept like this -3 nights

Poppy Smile ...no eyes!! LOVE

Etta Kate had so much fun in the Big D! She came home with a whole new wardrobe!  Got to have the style and they have it best in the Dallas.  I told Builder we will now have to have a Back to School shopping trip to Dallas each year..Tootie won't complain either.  We found the best Consignment Shop on Saturday while the boys (Wiz and Builder) went to the new Dallas Dome for a soccer game.  This is 2 posts in itself but in a short summary they sat in traffic for 2 hours and saw 20 minutes of the game.  Terrible...Wiz was so bummed but happy to see some of the game.  Builder knows nothing about soccer and got a gas station hot dog so he was set.  He did say the dome (not sure what it is called) is very cool, tv over the field is just huge. So back to the consignment shop.  This was the best ever.  They had all name brands, smocked clothing, they just had it all.  This was our last stop but of course we were all so excited.  The pile of stuff we were getting was growing and so was the temp in this place.  It was over 100 outside but the AC did not seem to be working.  After a little train wreck (trying to feed in a store!) we made our decisions and found some awesome steals! We will be going here every visit and will have Tootie check in regularly! Also on our Saturday shopping we bought a sling...I knew she would love one but never knew which one and online is hard.  She loves it!  We used it all day and all day on Sunday!  Sunday we hit up North Park Mall.  Builder was quite a hit with the ladies while wearing Pea in the sling.  He got lots of attention!!  It was a great visit and we look forward to going back!!  Maybe next time it won't be well over 100 degrees and we can hang outside.  Lots more picture posts to come!!

Lots of LOVE to our TOOTIE in the Big D!

Catch Up..

*I wrote this in the car on the way to Dallas and lost connection but thank goodness this site saves drafts.  So post way.

So the day has come....Miss Etta Kate gets to spend some time with Ms. T.  Ms. T is the sweetest neighbor and she will be watching Etta Kate so I can work...boo!  I do really like my job but I LOVE that little girl and leaving her was not easy.  It was easier knowing that Ms. T would love on her the whole time.  I mean this is a neighbor that doesn't like dogs but loves Oh Bother.  They go on walks together, she gives him oyster crackers, he lets himself into her house, he scratches at her front door for a visit...they are buds!!  Oh Bother shares very well and he will now be sharing Ms. T with Etta Kate.  I decided to get things ready late Sunday afternoon.  I am a planner!  I am so thankful for doing so, I got it all out of my system.  I cried. Maybe a lot.  I knew she was going to be ok but it just felt hard so I cried.  I was not sure how day one would go but little pea was fabulous.  She has herself on this new schedule the past week that I love..I think we have another planner and creature of habit on our hands (I don't know where she got it!).  So she slept great, she has been getting up once!  She is also in her crib!  So we got up Monday, I took the crew on a run.  We have lost Builder from the runs, did not work with our schedules to go together.  We ran, showered, and were headed to Ms. T's at 8:00.  In my life now that is a SUCCESS!  Day 1 and I did not cry walking away.  I felt so good knowing I would also see her soon for a feeding.  Very nice to walk just next door, no car seat involved.  This is going to work out great!


Ok so back to Sunday before crying.  Ms. T had asked about the pack and play so I thought I better trying setting the thing up.  It was not going so well.  I thought this thing was for travel...it was not going together well at all.  Builder from the other room was trying to give instructions and finally I said you try.  He came in thinking this would be no problem, 20 minutes later he was sweating and the pack in play was still not together.  We like to think we are handy but this darn thing was winning.  After finding the instructions taped to the bottom we were making some headway.  So we got it together but then needed to take it over to Ms. T's...no way in hell were we taking this down. Yes it was for travel but we were not interested in trying to set this back up.  So put together we maneuvered it out our door and carried it next door.  We did have to put one side down...those were the hardest to snap but could not fit it out the door.  So it is now at Ms.T.  I am not sure I even want the darn thing back....happy for now pea sleeps in the moses basket when we travel.  I do not look forward to traveling with that thing.  I may have to go get the simple version without the fancy features, not sure if those are easier.  The thought of collapsing the thing and fitting in that small bag they give you makes me sweat...I always hated rolling up the sleeping bag and trying to fit in that bag.  Add that to my list with carpet! A pack in play might go on there as well.  Pea, you can sleep in a bed!

PHOTO SHOOT

                                                      

We often start off our mornings with photo shoots.  I am happy there is just one person with a camera and you can't see me or hear me... Sorry girl you are so darn cute and I have to share it with all the family. Thank goodness for technology. Not sure what I would do without my phone camera and computer. I guess I would have to mail pictures....ha!

2 month Check UP

Etta Kate had her 2 month visit with the doc. I can't believe the litte pea is growing so fast. In the doc's words she is just 'awesome'! Pea weighed 12lbs. 130z., 100th percentile. Etta Kate stick with the 100% we like those!

She got her shots and boy do those hurt! She did very well though, sweet nurse Ruth is very good about those. I have never seen EK cry so hard, and glad they are over until 4 month check up. It was a great check up...healthy, healthy!!