What?! Thayer is 7 months old?!

“Da da da da” is what we hear all the time now. He talks to Dada, talks about Dada and sometimes yells at Dada. BUT the other day I had to meet Gary when his car broke down and Thayer was done being in the car and actually said, “Ma ma ma ma” when he saw me. I was so excited! I didn’t want to get him out of his car seat because I wanted to hear him say it over and over again!! :-)

Thayer is 1/2 a year old!!

On Sunday our sweet little guy turned 6 months old.  That opens up a whole new world for us!! We do Baby Led Weaning and 6 months is when they say to start letting them try food.  If Thayer is anything like Wren, he won’t actually start consuming anything until around 9 months, but so far he’s been NOTHING like his big sister :-).  He’s definitely tasting and feeling textures and it wouldn’t surprise me if he started swallowing food quicker than her. 

Thayer's 5 months old!

The 5 month sticker ripped when I was trying to get it off the paper. I'm using the same stickers I had for Wren and I think I put some of them on the wrong side of the paper...WHOOPS!

2 year/3-4 month update

What an exciting title, right? Ha! Sometimes just keeping it simple so I know what the post is about when I want to look back at it years from now is the way to go :).

Wren turned 2 while we were in Florida on a family vacation for my aunt's 50th birthday.  I decided not to do a big shindig this year because we were out of town and I just had a baby, but she did get to blow out candles twice...she was turning 2 after all.

10 Months

She did not want to sit down in her chair for the picture, so we just had to get a standing one :).

10 months sure does fly when you’re having fun with a little stinker like ours!  This is such a fun age!  Her personality is starting to shine and, I must say that, I think she’s gonna be like her momma in that she smiles at everyone J.  The people at church just eat her up…well really anyone that sees her does.  She is kind of clingy to me sometimes, but will still pretty much go to anybody!  I can’t say if that’s because that’s just her or because she’s been passed around her entire life.  No matter where we go to church she gets passed around and I love it!!  Our preacher calls her the ‘church baby.’

This past month has been tiring!  She’s been back in her ‘wake-up during the night stage,’ but I just try to remember that when she’s 13 years old she won’t want to come get in bed with us anymore.  So we make it work and love on her when she shows up in our bed J.

Gary was able to stay his first night alone with her this past weekend.  I’ve been away from her overnight several times at this point, but this is the first time that she’s stayed with her daddy because usually he’s with me.  My sister invited me to a ladies retreat with her church and I’m so glad that I went!  It was phenomenal and it was good to see a lot of the ladies I have known pretty much my whole life!  Anyway, back to Gary and Wren…she had been staying up really late the week before.  I’m talking 11 to 11:30 every night.  I called Gary before I went to bed at 11:30 thinking they would still be partying!  NOPE!!  He was in bed and she had been in bed since 8:30!!  WHAT?!  Mommy leaves and daddy and baby…SLEEP??  That’s not how that’s supposed to go!  He did say that she ended up waking up at midnight and he put her in the bed with him, but then she slept until 8am.  Great day in the morning!!  I’m so glad that everything went well though and I never worried once that he wouldn’t be able to handle it.  He’s a great daddy!  I think I need to thank his sister’s for that because they had babies while he was really young and he would baby-sit them all the time.  So he knew how to change a diaper, give a bath and anything that I already knew how to do.

She still only has 2 teeth, but think she’s about to get some more here pretty soon!! 

She’s eats anything!  She had crab meat and shrimp (which I think she had already had shrimp before) yesterday at lunch!

Just yesterday I started noticing that she’s beginning to understand sounds and animals!  She LOVES hand puppets!!  We have one for Old MacDonald and she loves it!!  Here’s a video of her with that one.  Gary said that he just has to put the hand puppet on and she’ll start going, “EIEIEIEIEIEIEI.”  In Bible class she gets so excited when the teacher pulls out a hand puppet!  Her face lights up and she starts waiving her hands (like nemo’s…hahahahahaha that’s what my roommate, Trish, called my hands when I flapped during a scary movie or intense intramural game).  Last night in church she was looking at one of her books and gets to a page with ducks on it and starts going, ‘quack quack.’  Gary said, “How does she know that?”  I said, "because she’s heard us say it, probably Emily (my sister-in-law who keeps her) and probably her bible class teachers."  It was just cool to hear her actually do it on her own.  That morning she was copying me making a dog noise, but wouldn’t do it when I asked her to, so hearing her quack when she saw a picture was pretty cool!! 

I’ve really been excited for her to start clapping.  I don’t know why but that’s always been one of my favorite things that kids do!!  She hasn’t started yet, but I’m starting to practice with her to hurry it along J.  We were practicing yesterday and she thought it was soooo fun, but every time she tried when I wasn’t helping her she was just flapping her ‘nemo’s’ again.  She’ll get it soon enough and it will be a fun day.  Hopefully I’ll get it on video!!

We had scrapbook for Lads to Leaders yesterday afternoon and a couple of the girls were playing with her.  They screamed, “SHE’S WALKING!!”  Sure enough when I looked over there she took a step and then fell.  I’m not sure how many steps she took before that, but it’s just a matter of time!!  It could still be a while before she does it again, but we should probably get ready!! 

I can’t believe she will be ONE in 2 months!!!

Kimberly

Wren's life so far...

Disclaimer: These pictures are not necessarily in the order of which they were taken. 

My first Mother's day!!  The day after she was born!  Gary didn't have to get my anything because she was the perfect gift, but he got me a charm for my Pandora bracelet and an origami owl necklace!!

Gary's first Father's Day!!  Wren made him a frame with her pictures in it!

My awesome wreath my Aunt Kecia made me for her hospital door.  It is now hanging on her nursery door.

Here's a lot of her visitors... 

Cousins Ruthie, Hannah and Caleb

Cousin Easton

Wren and Morgan Riley

Hanna and Kaitlin from my work

                                             Kip and Anna                                        Josh

Wren met Preston.  It was obviously too much for him to handle!

Ready to go home!  Gary even got the ladies in the nursery to be sure they matched her bow to her going home outfit!  So Sweet!!

Aunt Kecia is her manacurist.  This is her first one.       Brett came to visit and held her the whole time while                                                                                              we ate dinner one night.

                                          night night Wrennie!                          Just a swingin'

Her friend Roane came to visit

Meeting her great Pop

YAY!!

Dharma got to see her before he went back to India!

First bath 

Shonta, from Sharper Photography taking her newborn photos in our dining room.  She is awesome with newborns.  She has a portable heater and everything so they don't get cold and start screaming!!  As you can tell she was expecting a baby too :).

First doc visit.  Not a happy camper!

With Pepaw!

Our first walk that lasted 2 minutes because there were way too many mosquitoes!!

The first time I left Wren was to attend the Smyrna High School state softball games.  It was totally worth it because they WON STATE!!!  

Check out my shades...so what my heads too small.  A girl's gotta have her accessories!

A little pillow talk with daddy

Wren's friend Brennan came all the way from New Zealand!

Yay for roommates and babies!!

Hanging out with Alison!

               Please check out those extremely skinny legs!      Hey!  I'm trying to sleep here and it's too bright.  

                                They aren't like that anymore.                          Don't worry I got this!

                            She's got some meat on her bones!

Meeting her Aunt Bonnie!

Wren and Easton's first trip to Backwoods!

Hanging out with Morgan and Martha!  She will have a new friend soon from Martha!!  YAY!!

Aunt Rachael and cousins.  Aunt Rachael is giving me another cousin girl too!!

So stinkin' cute!!

Sisters and cousins!

First time to church 

Mike and Shaia were the only lucky ones (beside my Granny) that got to hold me on my first Sunday at church.

You lookin' at me?

Meeting her great great aunt Sara

First bath in her tub

Easton loves Wrennie!

1 1/2 month check-up

Easton telling her how it is.

Easton had surgery and loved the wagon at the hospital.

Check out the progression of the next few pics... 

Just minded my own business

Oh hey Easton

WHAAAAA!!!  Why is slapping me?!?

Alyza loves baby Wren!

I just knew Aunt Rachael was going to have a boy.  YAY for another girl!

I. LIKE. BIG. BOWS and I cannot lie!

Just playing

First 4th of July 

Cousin Benjamin, Christopher and Sarah

I love to smile!

I love my Bebe!

My first vacation

I thought I was going to roll over, tricked ya!

Preston and Wren got to take lots of baths together on vacation

Toes in the water

Swimming in the pool!

                                      Snuggle time with daddy                 I love my daddy!

                                        Nap time on the beach                 YAY for the beach!!

The first night we came back from vacation I put her in her crib and she slept all night!!  ANGEL!!

Daddy reading me a very serious book.  Do you see how thick that is?

Cheese!

2 1/2 month check-up 

"Wren, show me your teeth!"

Wearing my UNCLE (yes UNCLE) Brad's gown to church.

My friend Gwenyth.  Who I'm named after :).

My first time riding in the church van.  I love my daddy!

Before Mommy went back to work she would carry me around the house like this and do her chores.

My first time door-knocking.  I had the best team!

Getting my 3 months pictures taken.

Meeting my great great Aunt Jewel and Uncle Emory.  They live all the way in Washington state.

                                      Uncle Gary and Aunt Peggy.                    Some cousins from Washington. 

My first time on a lawn mower!!  

Hanging out at Bebe and Pepaw's house

Meeting my Grammy and Pawpaw!

I'm 3 months old!

My first North Face 

                               I love visiting my cousin Easton!       Uncle J clipping my fingernails!

First volleyball game!  Go Elizabeth!

                    I love sitting in my bumbo!                                Mommy thinks I have a cute butty!!

Wren's first fishing lesson...she may or may not be sleeping during it ;)

Wren's first lesson on car mechanics!  A girl needs to know these things!

Great Grandmother rocking me!

Gary's cousin had a baby in February and Lilah came to visit after we came home from the hospital!

Lots of people came to see me... 

Our first power outage.  It lasted about an hour.  We took a nap :).

 First baseball game with Pepaw!

Wren and Easton's first bath together

Watching cars before church.

My cousin and best friend in Bible class together!

Wren and I busted up on Shelley and her roommate's outing and hangout.  The babies had a blast!!

Standing on the left: Hoyt - Becca's oldest (Jase, not pictured)

Sitting from left to right: Braylon - Jill's baby

Avery - Carrie's niece

Wren - mine :)

Easton - Shelley's

Nola - Ashley's baby

Gary and I have loved every single minute of being Wren's parents.  We are so excited to watch her grow and learn!!  We love you Wrennie!!