Memorial Day Weekend

We had a great visit this past weekend to Columbus, MS to see Grams, Big Daddy, and Aunt Hayley. We ate some GREAT food, rested, tanned (Hayley and I did), picked plums (Eric and Randy), went for walks (Kya and Grams), and caught up on some tv shows. We love going to Columbus because it is always a restful time. Grams always makes sure that our favorite foods are in the house, and she likes to test out new recipes for us. Kya enjoyed lots of time with Grams and Big Daddy while Eric and I went out on a date and a run the next morning. Eric is trying to train for a 10K, so I am trying to help him. He was only supposed to run 2.5 miles, but he pushed hard, and we did 3. I hope he really likes running, so we can get a jogging stroller and go on runs together. I would love it! I almost forgot that we first stopped to see Tollie and Zack who are house parents at Palmer Home in Columbus. Tollie gave us a tour, and we were so impressed with the ministry that they are doing there. It was great to see them even if it was just for a short time. It was a great weekend, and I am ready to get started on the research first thing tomorrow morning. Oh yeah - I also met with Dr. Lodree (my advisor) on Sunday afternoon, and we made a lot of progress, so I am excited to get started tomorrow. I might actually graduate people!

More on Kya - we have officially gotten rid of the sippy cup!!! We did it in one week, which is impressive to me because the first day, she would bat it out of our hands and start crying because we wouldn't give her the bottle. She is also pulling up on everything and getting into everything. She loves pulling up on the couch and throwing everything off of it. She also stands for seconds at a time. She crawls all the time! We did have a scare a little over a week ago. Kya wasn't sleeping well because of her top teeth coming in, so Eric stayed home with her, and she pulled herself up on one of the chairs, and got off balance, hit her chin, and bit the mess out of her tongue. It was flapping! I think she was very close to biting through it. It freaked me out, so I took her in, and I learned that if your child hasn't bitten their tongue off or someone else didn't bite it, they can't do anything. I will say this - it has healed amazingly. I thought for sure that her tongue would be disfigured forever. Anyways, she is growing in leaps and bounds, and I can't believe that she will be 1 in a month!

Shelly's Wedding!

This weekend was very special for us as our dear friends got married on Saturday. Shelly worked for Eric the past two years, and she has been such a wonderful asset to the ministry. Dustin started to lead the worship for the junior high last year, and he has done a wonderful job! Eric was given the honor of co-officiating their wedding, and he did a wonderful job. It was so special to watch how excited they were to marry one another and just watch as two wonderful families were brought together. I hope and pray that Kya's wedding day is as special as the one we were able to attend on Saturday. I know Eric and my day was very special, but to tell you the truth I don't really remember much about it! It seems like such a blur, so from a wedding that I was able to just watch, I enjoyed every minute of this one. I feel like I should also say that I have been a part of several other VERY special days, and I am thankful and honored to have served as a bridesmaid in several of my dear friends' weddings as well.

We were so thankful that Eric's parents came in town to watch Kya so we were able to go to the rehearsal dinner and wedding without having to take her. We had many people ask where she was, but it would have been too much for her, and if Shelly wanted to hear dolphin noises and screeching during her ceremony, it was best that Kya stayed at home. She had a great weekend of playing with Big Daddy and Grams. They also cooked us two GREAT meals, and stocked us up on diapers, another toy, and outfit for Kya! I thought our parents taking care of us would stop when we got married, but our parents always seem to take care of us when they come into town, and it is wonderful - hopefully, when I have my REAL job, we will be taking care of them. However, I do still like being taken care of! I guess you never truly grow up when the parents are around. We are so blessed!

I have posted a few pictures from the wedding and of Kya "reading" a book that Nana (my mom) got her. She turns the pages and waves her hands with the music. It is too cute!

My First Mother's Day

We finally went on a mini-vacation this past weekend to Gulf Shores. It was my Mother's Day present I guess, but we all needed to get out of Auburn. We were going to go to FL to the launch - well, we would watch from the beach, but it kept getting postponed, so I told Eric - we are still going to get away. We've been trying to save, save, save for our upcoming move at the end of July. Plus, we want to buy a house, so that is another major expense coming up. Oh yeah - we are moving to HOUSTON!!!! Not to mention, I won't be getting paid this summer. Okay -so I'll quit stressing myself out about all of that because God will take care of it! He found me a job, and so we are so grateful for that, and grateful to be really close to family, and hopefully, in the next year, we'll have both of our families in Houston! Living the dream - and convincing Eric and his family that TEXAS is the best state in the union! Anyways, we had some extra money somehow this month, so we took advantage of it, and it was great! We actually stayed in Foley because it was about $40 cheaper a night, and we got another $10 off a night because of my AAA card! Thanks Mom for renewing this every year! We went to the outlet mall the day we got there, and we ate at Lambert's for dinner, which I would highly recommend. You get a TON of food, and it is sooooooooooooo good. Eric wanted to go there the next night, but it was my turn! The next morning we woke up at 2:30 am to Kya, and she went back to sleep with us in the bed, and we all got up to Kya's singing about 6:30. Thankfully, I went to bed at 10:30 the night before, but I was still tired because I graded all of my exams on Thursday and stayed up until 1:30 am putting the grades in. Then, Kya woke up at 2:00 am and din't go back to sleep until 4, so I didn't get much sleep Thursday night. Anyways, we went to the beach, which was so much fun minus me getting sunscreen in her eyes. I'm stupid and put it on the back of her hands, and she got tired and rubbed her eyes. I will never do that again. She still had a good time, and we had a shovel and hoe from the outlet mall that she loved. She kept "walking" towards the water. It was soooo cold, but she would try to get us to let her walk farther into the water. She didn't even flinch when it hit her at the belly. Seriously, it was cold. She also loved crawling around, and she is finally crawling normally! I thought she would skip it all together because she loves standing up so much, but she has finally done it! She started doing it the first night we were there, and kept it up at the beach as you can see in the picture. We left after about 1.5 hours and gave Kya a bath when we got back to the hotel, and she took a nice nap. Then, we hit the outlet mall again! I'm so thankful Eric likes shopping! Thanks Sandy! He would never admit it, but I think he likes going to the outlet mall as much as I do, which is a lot. Surprisingly, he only bought one pair of shorts, and I got him some other things he needed. I didn't go too crazy for Kya, but I did get her some 18 months stuff. Carter's had 30% off their clearance, and I just love their clothes! They fit Kya so well. Sandy - I got her a long-sleeved purple striped shirt with a snowman on it. I bought it because it reminded me of you! I was like she has to have this. THEN, we went to the Shrimp Basket where Kya wooed everyone there. She is a magnet for people, and that sweet little girl was just smiling and looking at everyone. She is very social! We got up Sunday morning and hit up Waffle House, which was delicious and hit the road. I came back refreshed and ready to get my second paper wrapped up this week, and I think it will happen thanks to the new babysitter I hired two afternoons a week (well, my parents call it their contribution to my Ph.D.!). Lindsay is awesome, and God has continued to bless us with great babysitters. I hope we can find some good ones when we move to Katy. I know the grandparents will always be an option, but if we just want to go out to eat, they'll be a little too far for that.

More Kya update: She is now on a three bottle schedule, which is awesome for me because I only pump three times a day! YAY! Next month, I'll go to two, and we'll start mixing breastmilk with whole milk. I can't believe I made it a year. I'm sorry, but I am a bit proud of myself! It's a lot of time and planning, but it was worth it. She is pulling up on EVERYTHING. She can stand with only one hand steadying herself, and she literally climbs up my legs. I'll be standing on the other side of the room and I hear her moving closer, then, I feel her little sweaty palms gripping my calves and up she goes. She still hasn't said a first word, but she does say ma-ma-ma-ma and da-da-da, she also still hisses like a snake, and recently, she likes blowing in your face. She also started shaking her head "no". It almost looks involuntary sometimes, but I guess she's seen Eric and me do it so much to her lately that she is trying it out. Lastly, she loves throwing things. She will swipe stuff off the counter, and pick stuff up and just chunk it. It's hilarious, but it doesn't help to keep the house clean! Oh yeah - and she is getting her top teeth - which explains the no sleep! We are so blessed to be her parents, and I am loving every minute of watching her grow and discover new things.

Easter!

We had a great Easter! Grams, Big Daddy, and Aunt Hayley came to stay with us, and Kya was not sick for once when they came to visit! They also brought Kya some new clothes now that she has moved up to 12 months. I'm so glad that Sandy has similar taste in clothing to me. Grams and Big Daddy did a great job picking out some very cute outfits for the summer! Not to mention - they loaded us up with diapers before they left. Kya showed them how much she loves to play the piano and "sing". She is also army crawling and pulling up on everything! She loves to pull up and sit back down, and do it all over again. I have started just sitting her in her crib and letting her go to town before her afternoon nap time. She also loves when you hide and jump out at her. Grams, Big Daddy, Aunt Hayley, and Fletch went to the park to swing, which Kya loves to do! We also went to Tiger Town on Saturday and visited our favorite stores. On Sunday morning, we went to the traditional service at AUMC, and then, we came home and had brunch with omelets, french toast, and sweet potato hashbrowns. It was delicious! It was a very relaxing weekend, and we really enjoyed having Grams, Big Daddy, and Aunt Hayley - AND Fletch! Fletch had to go to the vet and get his shots and get two more shots for the skin infection that he has had off and on this Spring. We think it is related to his allergies, so hopefully, the antibiotics will kick this thing for good this time. We are so thankful that Eric's parents are willing to take care of Fletch while we are in our apartment.

So, Kya is continuing to learn new things every day. It is just amazing to me. She loves taking the rings off of the yellow thing and throwing them. She has discovered screeching and loves to do it when she is excited. She loves "walking" holding our hands. She screeches when she does it. I think she is getting her top teeth because she keeps sticking out her tongue like she is running it over her teeth. We are in the process of changing her feeding schedule now that she is almost 10 months! We're transitioning to three bottles and a little bit more food. Today was the first day, and she's doing great. She also loves "singing" when she plays her piano. She loves going "ssss" like a snake. I really think she will be walking in a few weeks. She only holds on with one hand now, and last night, she stood by herself for a few brief seconds. Lastly, she loves playing in the trash - I know that sounds bad, but she thinks empty boxes and bottles are awesome. Who needs expensive toys when trash will keep her entertained!

9-month Check-up

We went to the doctor yesterday for Kya's 9-month visit, and she is growing so well! She is 28 3/4" and 20 lbs. 10 oz. She is in the 75th percentile for weight and height. I was getting all worried about her feeding schedule because I feel like I just make it up, but the doctor told me to just go with my gut, and that obviously, Kya is growing well, so we're doing fine. I just read stuff about other people's babies eating more baby food than her or eating more variety. I know she gets plenty of milk, but I am just confused about when do you make the transition to feeding less milk and more of other fluids and more baby food. Oh well - she is growing and eating great, so I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and make changes as I see fit. I guess this is how the rest of parenthood will go - every child is different, so there is no one size fits all guide to this stuff! I wonder if other people feel as clueless as I do! Back to the appointment - Kya only had to get one shot, and she scrunched her face up and turned red, but she didn't cry. We had the same nurse as last time, and I was so happy because she does an awesome job giving shots! When Kya was about to cry, we just kept saying you're okay over and over, and she just stopped and started smiling. Amazing! I guess I'm not too surprised because that little girl loves to play rough and hardly ever cries when she falls down or bumps her head. I am thankful for that because I am definitely one of those people that is like "suck it up, you're fine!" I'm also thankful she has quit crying when she gets her shots because now, I don't cry anymore when she gets them. :).

Happy Almost Easter!

So, Kya has been busy! She is still army crawling, but man, is she fast! She gets up on all fours, but that is just to sit herself back up. A few mornings ago we walked in to Kya standing up and jumping in her bed. She has figured out how to go from her back to sitting to standing. I am just amazed at how fast she has acquired these skills! She is now around 20 lbs, and she has her 9-month check-up on Monday, so hopefully, everything looks good! I'm not looking forward to the shots, but last time, she did not cry at all, so hopefully, it is the same result this time. One thing I can't get over is how Kya tries to pull herself up on everything. Eric and I are like her own personal jungle gyms. The other day I was getting ready in the bathroom, and I sat her down next to me, and literally in 5 seconds she had pulled herself up on the toilet. Note to self - I need to get those toilet thingies, so she can't open it. She is also really tough - she falls over, etc. and hardly ever cries. I am seriously amazed by her. We are looking forward to spending Easter with Grams and Big Daddy (Eric's parents) next weekend! We got Kya a Veggie Tales movie, and I guess we'll find something else....

Granny and Papa's 50th Wedding Anniversary

We went to Columbus and Walnut, MS this past weekend to see Eric's parents and go to my dad's parent's 50th wedding anniversary celebration. We were in the car a lot, but we had a lot of fun introducing Kya to the Noah side of the family. Kya has started pulling up, and army crawling. She'll stick her butt in the air and try to crawl with her legs extended. She took one correct crawl step the other day, but she is constantly trying to pull up on everything. I think she might crawl for about a week, then, start trying to walk. At the end of the weekend, we left Fletch with Eric's parents so that he has more attention and has a yard to play in. It was sad, but I guess I agree with Eric that it is for the best until we have a yard again. Plus, with Kya getting mobile, it is trickier to keep her out of his stuff. We are so thankful that Eric's parents love Fletch soooo much and are willing to watch him. Kya also racked up on some new toys (Grams and Big Daddy) and clothes (Nana and Pop Noah)! The pictures are of Kya trying crackers for the first time and the anniversary party.