A Crawling, Curious Baby and Other Random Thoughts

We have a crawling baby in the house now (well, we have had for about 3 weeks). It brings with it a whole new level of parenting. The disciplining and training have begun. Our curious little girl is into everything! Her favorites are the dog's bowl and the wireless router on the bottom of the end table. She was interested in lamp cords, but a few firm spankings on the hand have quenched her desire to play with those. The hand spankings (hand slapping sounds so....cruel) have slowed her down when going for the dog's bowl, but she's still a little interested. She now stops and considers for a moment before reaching for it. She does occassionally change her mind and crawl on to something else. 

In addition to the crawling, Evelyn is also starting to pull herself up some. Again, she has favorite spots to practice this skill. She scares me most when she pulls up on the tiled ledge of the bathtub. The whole time I'm hurrying to move her, I have flashes of her slipping and busting her head. 

In other (not baby related) news, we are preparing for the holiday season. 95% of the Christmas shopping is done. We are gearing up to decorate next week and looking forward to starting new traditions. My mind is turning of fun, family traditions we want to start with Evelyn. I'm looking forward to reading Chriistmas/winter books, Christmas pajamas, pictures in front of the Christmas tree, looking at Christmas lights, evenings in front of the fire (probably with the a/c turned up full blast), and making ornaments. Chris and I have always loved the holidays, and it's just so much more fun with a little one. 

Let's not forget Thansgiving next week. I've enjoyed the season of reading "thankful" posts on Facebook and even contributing a few of my own. While it's always nice to pay special attention to our many blessings this time of year, I long to be better at maintaining such a thankful attitude throughout the year. 

One last thought...I typed this post on our new iPad (family Christmas present). It's quite nifty. I'm not sure how to edit and do spell-check, so forgive me if there are many errors. :) 

Have a blessed Thanksgiving! 

Why I Love ALDI

I know I've shared my love for ALDI here on the blog before, but I just have to sing their praise today. There has been a coupon floating around Facebook for $10 off a $40 purchase at ALDI. When I first saw it, I was bummed that it was marked only for use in a few northern states. I also thought it was odd, because I had heard that ALDI does not accept coupons. Well, late last week, I saw the coupon again. This time it was marked "accepted at ALL ALDI locations." I printed it off and thought I would give it a shot when I next did my grocery shopping.

That brings us to yesterday. I had my list and my coupon in hand as I headed to the store. I carefully added up my purchases in my head to be sure I would hit the $40 mark (which I knew I probably would). When I got up to the check out, my heart was racing. "What if they don't take it?" "What if there is some question about it? "Will I be bold enough to push it or will I just move on?"

Sure enough, I presented the coupon and the checker didn't know what to do with it. She called out the manager who told me they weren't taking the coupon. I questioned him, since it clearly says, "accepted at ALL ALDI locations." He explained that it was a problem they were informed about in which someone got ahold of the original coupon (only accepted in the northern states) and doctored it and was publishing it. I was bummed, but also understood. He asked to make a copy of the coupon to use for reference, but I just let him keep it since I wouldn't be needing it.

Well, as I was loading up my groceries in the car and returning my cart, I hear someone shouting "Ma'am, ma'am" and see the manager waving toward me. I go up to the door and he tells me that he is going to accept my coupon after all. He brought me in and gave me $10 back. He kept apologizing to me, but I kept telling him he didn't need to apologize. I was thankful for him wanting to please his costumer. I am a faithful shopper and tell everyone I know how much I love that store. I will continue to make my Monday afternoon appearance with gladness.

7 Months

Weight: 18 lbs 13 oz (Oct. 28)
Height: 26 3/4 inches

Pumpkin,

Another month already? Time is just zooming by! You're now closer to being one than you are to being a newborn. I'm not sure how I feel about that. While every day just gets better and better, it makes part of me a little sad that you're growing and becoming more independent.

We've had a fun month of playing, exploring, and learning. You are picking up new tricks all the time and never cease to amaze me at what you can figure out. I'm pretty sure you have figured out that you can control your Mama and Daddy pretty easily. Just give us one of your big, sweet grins and you'll get anything. Or scream at the top of your lungs and we'll do anything to get you to stop. :)

As with each month, this month has brought some firsts for you. You went to your first pumpkin patch and on your first hay ride. Despite it being ridiculously hot that day, you were such a trooper. You also experienced your first time at the park. The weather has been so nice the past two weeks and we're spending more time outside. You love the swing! You smiled and kicked your legs like crazy the whole time. You also got to experience grass for the first time this month. You kept picking your feet up at first, but soon started kicking around in the grass. I was a paranoid Mama the whole time, but it didn't do me much good. You still ended up with bug bites all over your hands and feet.

You still haven't figured out crawling yet. You can get up on all fours easily and rock so fast that I think you're going to take off sometimes. It looks as if you're ready to just crawl across the room at any moment, but you haven't quite figured out the movements. You can wiggle around in a circle or go backward, but not forward. This month you have mastered going from all-fours back to sitting really well.

Your Daddy thinks you're going to skip crawling and go right to walking. You pull yourself up to standing by grabbing the sides of the bathtub. I think you've figured out you're not supposed to do it, because you always look at me with a little smirk. This week you've also been able to pull up against my leg if I'm standing next to you or playing on the floor with you. You can easily pull yourself up if we're holding your hands, but you haven't tried it in the crib or against furniture.

One of my favorite parts of this month has been that you wake up jabbering most mornings. It doesn't take long after your eyes pop open that you are just jabbering away. And you're loud too! Almost every morning, Daddy rolls over and says, "You're loud, kid." When he rolls back away from you, you reach for him and say "da-da-da-da." I realize it's mostly just babbling noise, but I think you're figuring out that "da-da" has a meaning. I try to emphasize, "Yes, Daddy" when you say it to encourage you to put the meaning with it. You and I also have a game that you think is so fun. When you're saying "da-da-da," I will say, "no da-da-da. Ma-ma-ma." You just smile and keep saying "da-da-da." Anyway, while Mama and Daddy are trying to wake up, you love to wallow around in the bed. You try to climb all over us, play with some toys, or hit us in the face. It's fun to just spend a few minutes together before we get going with the day.

We have been playing around with food more this month. You have tried avocado, broccoli, squash, green beans, carrots, sweet potato, and zucchini. Your favorites have been broccoli and zucchini. You mostly play with everything or suck on it to get the taste. You're not a fan of actually swallowing much, but it's getting better. You sure do know how to make a mess though! You've continued to practice with a sippy cup and also a straw.

Your strong personality is showing more and more each day. You are silly and laugh a lot, but you also are quick to let us know when you don't like something. You are pretty much either happy and playing, or fussing about something. I wouldn't say you are a laid-back child. You are a thrill-seeker and love to throw yourself upside-down or be tossed in the air. You love to jabber and do so loudly. I have a feeling you're going to be a loud talker. You have started to try mimicking sounds and actions. I've been working on some sign language with you this month. We've also been working on clapping and waving. You will clap your hands together, but not on command or with any reason.

More than the big firsts and memorable moments, I want to remember the simple joys of the day to day life. I want to remember the way you've started turning toward me with a big open mouth and love to kiss. I want to remember the way you smile and giggle when I put our foreheads together and rub noses. I want to remember the way your eyes roll back when you nurse. I want to remember the way you've started sucking in air, kicking your legs, and laughing when you see Wesley run by. I want to remember the way you get fussy when Daddy tries to kiss you when he needs to shave. I want to remember the way you can reach and find the tiniest strand of hair hanging down from my pony tail and pull hard. I want to remember the way you've started patting me on the back when I pick you up.

I love watching you grow and learn. Sometimes I like to just sit and watch you stare at something. I wonder what you're thinking in those moments. I can definitely tell you're soaking up your surroundings. Our days together are precious. I often wish I could just capture snapshots of sweet, fun, and cute moments to share with the world. But then I often want to just keep those moments to myself. It's a blessing and privilege to be the one to stay home with you every day. I am honored to be the one to experience your first memories. I wonder what the next month will bring.