8 Months!

What a difference a month makes. I just uploaded all of the pictures from our Memorial Day weekend. There were 129 and about 120 of them were of Meredith. As I watched the pictures pop up on the screen, I realized that our little girl has definitely begun to show her personality--and she's also really started having a good time. This month she's begun saying 'dada,' and although I don't think it's related to any particular context, I'm sure Chris would differ on that point. She can roll a soccer ball back to us when we sit in front of her. It's possible that it's doing a bit more bouncing off her tummy than anything more purposeful, but she's delighted with the results, regardless of her involvement in them. This weekend she began to play peek-a-boo herself, putting the napkin in front of her face rather than waiting for us to throw it on top of her head. She's eating some pears these days, and doesn't make the sour gagging face every time we put something other than milk in her mouth. That's Meredith...our daughter...the consummate eight month old.

Green Grass

Mom and Dad have been fighting a hard fought battle for grass in the backyard. The baby girl needs some soft stuff to crawl around on, right? Right. Rocky clay is not exactly the terroir one seeks for the tender toes of one's baby girl. In the meantime, Mer is content to hang out on a nice soft blanket in a shady spot. For a long, long time. We love ya, Meridy.

Update

So we've been out of touch for a bit...lots going on.

But here's the good stuff: Grandpa came to visit!


And the boys finished eighth grade (that Taurean on the left--Salutatorian of his class!--and Robert on the right--being the clown he is) and were lucky enough to take two lovely dates for a night on the town with their chaperone, Chris. A good time was had by all.

We Love Weekends

Have I told you that my friend Tommy called weekends "together-time" when he was little? We think that's wonderful. Weekends ARE together time and they're the best!

On Friday night we sat on Vikki and Allen's perfect front porch for a few hours. There were ferns, there were swings, there were snacks...what more could anyone ask? Here's a picture of Mer and Vikki. Marshall's there too, but he's still in his momma's belly, so you can't see how handsome he is. Give us a couple weeks and we'll prove it!



Saturday we went to Memphis' first downtown farmer's market and met some friends there. We were a little late--most of the farmers had already sold all their wares and departed, but it was still a good time.


Then we went to Alice's Urban Market for lunch. It was great. Meredith chewed on things and Walt watched her.


Then we tricked Meredith into taking a nap. Take one exhausted baby: add squishy pillows and a mesmerizing overhead fan and watch the magic happen.


And we ended the day with a trip to the Robertson's where Casey (once again) spoiled us with a wonderful meal. Meredith took one look at Nora and began to wonder why she's never worn a bow.


Sunday was lovely too. The wonderful Casey babysat Meredith while Chris took me to the Mother's Day lunch at the Botanic Gardens. It was another sunny gorgeous day and we wandered around the gardens after eating far too much.

Thursdays at Home

God blessed me with an understanding boss and a wonderful job. What's my point? I'll be working some flex-time from now on and staying home with Meridy on Thursdays. It is incredible what a difference a day makes! I feel more motivated than ever to do a good job at work and more blessed than ever to have more time with Mer.

So, here's what we did today. We started out by sleeping til 8. Chris is such a selfless husband and father that he even tip-toed around in order to let us rest while he got ready for work. Were I in his wing-tipped shoes, I probably would have been slamming drawers and pouting about having to go to work. Hey, I'm just being honest. Anyway, then we woke up and got some breakfast. Just for kicks, we tried some bananas. (We meaning Mer). Now these have been tried before in tiny amounts, but today's attempt didn't go as well as previous efforts. Mer looked like she'd either tasted something extremely sour or like she was going to throw up immediately. Or both. It was a sight.


So we ixnayed the naners and I ate my raisin bran.

Next we went for a really really really long walk. Meridy had time to enjoy the walk, fall asleep, and wake up and enjoy the walk again.



We took pictures of magnolia blossoms, and got some strange looks from passers-by. Whatever. (I just wanted to say "passers-by" -- it's grammatically pleasing).





Then we came home and hung out in the front yard, cause it was sunny and warm there.



And now Meridy is sleeping and I'm just enjoying the general feeling of well-being. Ahhh...Thursdays.

C is for Cookie: That's Good Enough for Mer

Since progress with sweet potatoes and bananas has been slow, we decided to skip right to the good stuff. And Meredith agrees with cookie monster's statement that cookies are, well, good enough. Especially Thin Mints.

Do I even need to tell the moms out there that after creating the chocolate smeared child that you see in the picture, her Dad promptly decided that yard work couldn't wait and sprinted for the door? No, I didn't think so.

Punk Rock Girl: Revised

What is childhood bathtime if not an opportunity for the parents to play with the child's hair? As proof of this, I offer you the above photo. Her hair used to do this naturally. Now she's got us to thank for the 'do. I swear we won't do it to her when she's 12. By the way, if it's seeming like the posts are a bit infrequent these days, it's because Meridy is in the throes of teething and really doesn't smile nearly as often. Actually, she's a champ about it and tries to smile even when she's obviously very upset. But it's harder to capture those grins. We'll do a crying pic one of these days, cause that's part of the story, too. So anyway, say a little prayer for Mer's gums.

Favorite Pic

No new news -- we're wiped out from our recent illness and general busyness. But this is my favorite recent pic of Mer.

7 Months!

A 7 month old Meredith is MUCH more active than a 6 month old Meredith. That's the gist of things right now. She is squirming and squishing and creeping and rolling and chewing on EVERYthing. It seems as if she's beginning to become aware of some of her limitations and she's not too thrilled with any of them. Mainly, the girl wants to MOVE. She's also discovering new noises. Tonight she was doing a sort of silent operatic scream that lasted as long as she could make it. It was a little creepy. She mixes some consonants in there from time to time and babbles a lot when we're in the car. Oh -- and we're working on the solids now too. We've tried sweet potatoes and bananas and I swear we'll work some real veggies in soon! Happy 7 months, Meridy!